Tru Blue 72

Laugh of the day! Have to give you the grand trophy, 1-3 or 0-4 the first 4 games, haven't laughed this hard in years. Thanks for giving me a good old fashion belly laugh.

Sad to hear about Bland not having a team this year, has to be bad for school spirit.

That's old-man fingers working a small keyboard and not prof reading, ha! ha!, it should have been Radford, Bluefield, Graham, and Union. Thanks for pointing that lopsided mistake out. I hope Graham is as good as everyone predicts, however I'm hearing they may not be, so if the Blues can get lucky enough to pull off a win in that game, I will say 8 - 2, but in reality I think 7 - 3 will be a good year. The Union Game is always a nail biter until the last whistle, but I think the Blues will sneak out a win in this one. Bluefield is to strong and should win, Radford will be interesting so we'll wait and see on this one. Injuries will play a big part in games this year at the skilled positions and I hope that all teams go injury free and can play at full strength, which will make for some good games. Let the games begin, can't wait!!

Possibly 7 - 3 and with luck 8-2, think Radford, Bluefield, Radford, and Union will all be tough games, so I'm HOPING for 8 - 2, but will have to wait and see as the season goes along. Staying healthy will be the key for all these teams.

The Dawgs will go 6 & 4 if the coaches come through, 4 & 6 if the players are in charge as in the past couple of years. I agree, you can"t run the same play over and over, hoping for success, unless you have an O line that can move the D line off the ball. The Harry Frye style of play, (four downs and a cloud of dust) is a thing of the past. Tazewell has had good talent the last couple of years, but the coaches need to step it up and understand that high school football depends on the adjustments made during the game, therefore adjustments must be made during the game not afterwards in the film room. Hope all teams have a great season. Pulling for the Bulldogs, except when they play Richands.

Good numbers, I'm surprised, but glad to see the desire is still intact. I think it's going to be a good year for the Blues.

Always a tense game but to early to predict. I'll wait to see both teams in action before telling how the Blues will win. Hate to hear about the Bearded Moose situation, best place in town to eat in my opinion. Let the games begin.

It's a NO!!! Tazewell coaching staff doesn't know how to us the talent they have and once again the Blues will be victorious.

The good thing about all of it is that every team is undefeated before the season begins. High school football is so unpredictable, everything has influence on the game of the week. QB and his girlfriend break up right before the game, head not in the game, could change a lot; the almighty flu bug strikes the entire offensive line, no blocking tonight; bad grades and grouchy teachers, just don't feel like playing; I'm pissed at the coach, I'll show him just how bad I can be. Too many variables to predict, but Graham is going to be very hard to beat, but Bluefield is back to being Bluefield and I think they win by two TD's. Radford will be strong, but beatable. Appo is always Appo. You never can overlook Union or Richlands, their history is hard to overlook.

Graham vs Beaver / Richlands / Union Richlands vs Union / Radford / Tazewell Union vs Ridgeview

Hey, I agree with what you guys are saying about the intelligent aspect of this generation. I have grandchildren who are far more intelligent than I was at their age and I admire them for it, but on the physical side I see a decline. Don't blame the children for not doing hard labor, and after 47 years in the industry, I do know what the coal industry looks like, but we are talking about the decline in sports, football in particular. The ratio mentioned in this thread about population I do not question, but the work ethic it takes to be in sports, or even high school band, is what I am referring too when I say the students we have now do not have the drive and dedication my generation had. We see it in the educational classes as well, and far be it from me to pass judgement on anyone, but it is what it is, and because of technology that we use daily, (even on this wonderful board), that drive and desire has declined. Call it being lazy, or what ever you want, but I see it in the work force, in the home life, and in the school life of my own grandchildren I love dearly. Using technology as a tool to better life is great, but if you're going to play sports, you have to have the drive and desire to put forth that physical effort and I don't see that coming from a computer screen. I love my grandchildren and depend on them to teach this old man how to use this modern technology that makes things easier, but I still have to put in the work that is needed to stay active and healthy to enjoy this technology.

A lot of truth has been shared on this thread, and I agree with most of what has been said, but one thing has been overlooked. Kids use to want to "Be Like Mike", or whoever their sports hero was, and tried to emulate them on sandlots, outdoor basketball courts, cow pasture football fields, and anywhere a ball could be tossed around. Today, they can set in air conditioning, sip on a soda, push buttons, move toggles, and become whoever they desire to be without sweating one drop. How many kids do you see playing pick up games in the summertime. Instead they are picking up a controller. Sad but true, we're creating a generation of lazy children who don't give a squat about playing sports and a lot of the players we see in high school sports are there because their parents have been there before them. What is missing, or in decline, is a desire to "Be Like Mike" where it counts, putting in the time and effort, pouring out the sweat and using up the stored energy, not flopping on the couch with controller in hand, living in dreamland, believing they are going pro, screaming into headset, and all the while poised in front of a high def Xbox monitor.

You're correct in your analogy, but there have been several ideals kicked around and so far nothing has come to fruition, but if student numbers keep going down, something will give.

Tazewell County has talked about consolidation for several years, but hasn't quite gotten to that yet. Talk is that in the future we could see a Tazewell County East and West situation, (or North and South) however they plan the location. One school would be Richlands and part of Tazewell and the other would be Graham and the rest of Tazewell. It all comes down to busing kids over mountain terrain for long distances, and irate parents not understanding why, but it's most likely going to happen sooner or later.

Agree, but no one ever posted the results of the 7 on 7 recently held at Emory, or any of the others except for a few early on. Just wondering how all area teams have performed in the ones that have been played.

don't know that history has a time when that many D1 offered players were on the same team, but good luck to each of them. Staying healthy will be the key to their college offer I must imagine. Hope they all do good and receive a full ride.

Come on guys, give us working stiffs a break. Someone from somewhere must know something about 7 on 7's. They are still playing aren't they???

I think Ben Brown ripping the ball away from the Va High running back "Brown" in OT a few years back and returning it for a TD is one of the greatest plays in Blues history. I also agree with Ryan on the super hit and the super finish at SD, but there are so many others, ( the fake punt in the 2006 Championship is another one that comes to mind, who would think 4th and 15 and you fake a bunt, are you kidding me) GO BLUES!!!!

Thanks Ryan for clearing that up, I know that Cox has good height and arm strength, and Simmons was a good baseball player at one time. This could be really interesting especially with Mance who seems to always have a great talent for developing the QB.

I realize we're hungry for action on the field, and I'm sure Mance will have it all worked out by the fall. For one, I didn't know if Cox had left the program, or if all this was a rumor. I have the upmost confidence in the coaching staff having Cox and Simmons ready to play and a little competition never hurt anyone, just makes for a good situation for the team. Two capable QB's on the team will be good for all involved, in my opinion.

Does anyone know who will be vying for QB for the Blues? Rumors have it that someone who hasn't played football beyond eight grade is coming out for the position? What about the kid that has been in training on the JV squad, did he transfer or move away, or is all this just a bad rumor?

No need for anyone from Richlands to be jealous of Graham, this has been happening for years in Bluefield, nothing strange about it, except for the fact that now they have been open about it, while back in the day they did it all behind closed doors. I wish all area teams well, but to say Richlands is jealous of anyone in this area is a misnomer in my book, and your talk about the economy in Richlands shows that the jealousy may be on your side of the field.

Congrats to coach Reed, no matter what anyone thinks, I wish him the best. He has the potential to be an outstanding coach in the right position and I hope this is it. Happy for him and his family.

From an old school fan. Coach hicks was a tough nut, no nonsense coach who didn't cut corners and held all players to a high standard. He expected the best of each player, both on the field and in the class room. A real gentleman, and a great example for boys becoming men. Don't understand why it took so long for this to happen, he well deserved it many years ago.

I think Graham, and Abingdon will be two good teams. Ridgeview should be decent until the playoffs. Union, and Richlands will surprise some people, and the rest is up in the air. These four teams always seem to field the better teams in the area, and I hope Gate City,and Tazewell improves this year, tired of seeing these two team struggle. One thing for sure, it'll be an interesting season.