Looking at the stat sheet above I see one thing that stands out to me. Union's defense is tough. Among common opponents Union's d allowed less yards rushing with an avg of 143.75 ypg compared to Graham's 171.75 ypg. Passing yards against is in Union's favor with 62 ypg and Graham has 87 ypg. First downs allowed is in Union's favor too with 8.5 fdpg vs 14.25 fdpg for Graham. Offensively Union holds an edge in everything but passing yards per game and first downs (I contribute the first downs to Union playing on a short field in most situations in these games). First downs per game Union averaged 12 Graham 16.25. Rushing Yards averaged Union 265.25 Graham 248.75. Rushing attempts averaged per game Union 36 Graham 34.75. Rushing yards averaged per attempt Union 7.36 Graham 7.15. Average passing yards per game Union 41.5 Graham 104.5. Points averaged per game Union 41 Graham 36.75.
It looks like to me it will be a well matched up game with Union holding a slight edge in all but 2 stats among common opponents. With home field advantage I say my Bears win by a touchdown late in the 4th quarter.
IF we cant narrow it down to 5 coaches, how about we pick our fantasy coaching staff? I would go with Mance for head coach, Rhodes as D coordinator, Marion's offensive coordinator. I think they could put together a game plan that would be unstoppable.
I'll agree with all except for Turner and before I get lynched let me explain why. To me the winner should be someone who exceeded expectations. Union was expected to be great. Even with the QB loss there were enough there to keep them going. The other three nobody in their right mind would have expected their results. Even though I know nothing about TW, the statement above I think says it all.
I agree that Union has high expectations but if not for the new Defensive Coordinator Union wouldn't be where they are. Since the formation of Union defense has been our weakness and now it is our strength. That's why I say Rhodes instead of Turner
Rhodes (if I am spelling that right) D Coordinator for Union. If it weren't for the Bears D they wouldn't be where they are today. Union's D has led the charge through a transition from a spread o to a wildcat/wing t o. They wouldn't be undefeated if it weren't for that tough a$$ d.
Graham and Union both have fought and won to get here and I wish the best for both teams. Im pulling for my bears to win and I feel like home field advantage will help them win. Graham is going to give em a good fight and youre right, this is the games that make SWVA football worth watching year in and year out.
I'm not a t formation fan all. I've always believed in the I formation but union is running the t/wildcat better and better each game. Since week 2 we haven't passed the ball much at all and every team has stacked the box with 8 or more and we have handled each and every one of them with our multiple play makers. I promise u Graham is the only team in region d that can give us a good game but Union is tougher than anyone wants to admit. That guy behind me last night from central VA was bad mouthing us at the start of the game and by the end he was staying that union is by far the best team he had seen this year and has the best shot to win state of any team in swva. In my humble opinion region d will win state. Graham may win Saturday but I promise the bears will be the best team they will face this season
I haven't seen him in person but I do know that from what I've heard Marions qb is the next best in region d. It has the making to be a good ball game, but I promise Graham won't score every drive and Union will control the game clock. A methodical offense and a smashmouth d is key to beating Graham. Union has both of those. Not to mention unions key running backs. If you key on Mitchell then u free up zirkle, ownes, Jenkins and others to crank out yards and scores. Get ready to see the best two teams in region d play. I'm telling us this much though Bullit Park magic and this union teams heart equals a win.
If you think Marion's QB or John Battle's QB is just as good as Cam Allen from Graham then you're going to be disappointed Saturday night.
Marion isn't a passing team so if you're sacking them or intercepting them when they're down by 3 scores and pressing then that should be expected. No offense to Marion because Ford is a great player, but if graham goes 4 wide then they will have 4 better receivers on the field at one time than you seen all game last night.
I know Unions front 7 is probably the best Graham has played so far this year but just last week everyone was talking about how Richlands had one of the best defenses in the area when they held Union to 13. Plus Bluefield's starters have only given up around 7 points per game. So it's not like Graham hasn't played any good defenses.
Lastly, I know Union has an awesome home field advantage playing Bullit but don't forget that Graham plays a game in front of more than 10,000 people every year. I don't think that will rattle them as much as what it could other teams.
Letcher Co qb is just as good. Marion's qb is right behind grahams qb. John battles qb had probably one of the best set of legs for scrambling in region d. Graham is no joke but no Richlands d is not as good as unions. It's probably the closest to ours talent wise but not better. Bluefields d I have not seen in person to make a judgment call on. Everyone wants to say Richlands held union to 13 which they did. Guys that's a rivalry game and we know how rivalry games go. They are very seldom a blow out. I talked about that last week. Marion fans saying Richlands held y'all to 13. Look at last night and the rest of the season and see what union has done to everyone besides Richlands. We hammer them. I'm not saying we will hammer Graham but I promise this. It's hard for grahams offense to score when they don't have the ball. Union is playing ball control offense and shut down d. If union can keep the ball away from Graham and stop Graham on at least two drives (which is very reasonable) then union wins.
Granted they have seen individual good players on many teams but not on one team.easy to plan for a good running back on a team. But graham has a good qb. And several good backs and several good receivers.so now you have to defend not one player on a team but several good players on one team.makes for a more challenging situation.
That is going to be the challenge for Graham as well. Union will be bringing three to four different kids that can run the ball very well. Union on the other hand has faced teams with talent on offense almost (and I say almost because they were almost) as good as Graham and shut them down. Defense wins championships and Union can control the clock keeping Grahams o on the sidelines and Union can stop Graham more often than they will be able to score. Union will win but Graham will give em a good game.
By that same token, Union hasn’t seen the offensive horses Graham has, either. I trust defense more than offense in these situations, but I’d be shocked if this was greater than a 1 score game either way.
That has been said every week. Union hasn't seen an o like we have. Union can't defend the pass. Union isn't ready for our running back. Union can't keep up with our speed. Don't get me wrong, Graham is a very balanced team but Union has faced a running back just as good (Ford from Marion) and a QB just as good (Letcher Co kid, John Battle kid, Marion kid) all of whom we have kept out of the end zone and intercepted. Union is battle tested just like Graham. The difference is Unions defense. I sat at the game last night and a man behind me was talking with his wife. He was throwing out coaching terms and so on in a central VA accent, figured he was scouting the game for someone from regions a or b. Either way, he said that Unions defense is by far the best he has seen anywhere in 2A. He was truly impressed with how we contained Marion's backs. By the third quarter he was saying watch Marion start passing and get back in the game. Union had a pick and plenty of hurries causing incompletions and a sack or two. By the fourth quarter he told his buddy "this may be unions year to win. I did not expect to such a dominate game. I thought Marion would have kept it close". Union has faced an o like Graham but it's been over three or four different teams, never all together on one team but I promise Graham hasn't faced a d like union.
If they can be ran on then a team's best d again them would be a ball control running offense. One that can get three to four yards a play and make at least one stop on d e ery now and then. Sounds like a team can win by playing old school smash mouth ball.
Graham has me worried. They are a well coached solid team that could give the bears a fit. Two things gives union the edge. Home field advantage and home field advantage. I look for this to be one heck of a game.
it's amazing how people get really quiet when they get proven wrong. As I stated all week, Union rolls! The bears looked amazing tonight. Keep up that momentum Next Week. Graham will be better competition for us but I still union wins!
Po Jervis usually steams union games on facebook live but he can be a bit strange with his commentary. yeah goose111874, he's a goober. Less than 2 hours till football time at Bullit Park!
You don't need to be 'RUDE ' jarhead ! Flag end! If Richland players makes the play they should have then your homes this week. We'll never know but that TD pass in first quarter. The receiver came down against the fence he was out of bounds. If that call had been made the Bears are scoreless with 2:00 to go in the game. Marion won't ba a push over.
And if Ifs were 5ths we would all be drunk. Fact is Union won a hard fault ball game. If Richlands hadn't scored a touchdown all year they would be winless. If marion had not of beaten Va High they wouldn't be in the playoffs either. If Graham hadn't beaten all the teams they have beaten then they would have a loosing record. I can keep going but I wont. If if if. Fact is Union won and now we face Marion tonight in 10 hours. Jarhead you can be rude if ya like. I don't mind it at all.
Simply put Mitchell is a D1 talent but you soon forget about Qualls, Owens, Zirkle, Jenkins, and an O line that has been doing very well. Since week 2 Union hasn't made more than 50 pass attempts. (rough guess, I haven't looked at the exact numbers) so every team has put at least 8 in the box and Union has still managed 200 plus rushing each game. Everybody wants to make the comparison to how we played last week and week 2 against what is considered a "down" richlands team. Guys you cant compare any other game to Union vs Richlands. That has become a rivalry game that both teams come to win. Im not bashing Marion. I think they are deservingly in the playoffs and have had a great season, but My bears have easily beaten every team they have played this season except richlands. Morristown west score did not reflect the game at all. Union should have won that game 35 to 10. When you turn the ball over 5 to 6 times and still beat a school with more than double your student body that says something. I know MW is considered a 4A VA school but they are still a 1500 SB school. How many 600 to 700 SB schools go and beat 1500 SB schools while giving up 5 to 6 turnovers? I can only think of 1 team in SWVA in 2017 to do so and that is Union.
Guys im no mathmatizer but 654*2= 1308. Now 1460-1308= 152. that is more than 2 times the size of Union.
Enough about MW. I hear all this talk that Union is one dimensional run team that can be shut down but show me one team that has shut Union down. Im telling you guys, stack the box and blitz every down, key on james Mitchell, set your d up to stop the run and I promise you Union will still win. We have done it every game this season since Turner went down. Call it home town pride but I don't see anyone in region d coming to Bullitt Park and walking away with a win. Graham has the best chance at it but tonight at 7 Union is facing Marion not Graham and I know Union will win.
Richlands and union has been close more often than not. Transitive property rules and comparisons can't be made. Marion is a solid team no doubt. They will be ready to play the bears but union will bring too much talent too many screaming fans and too much Bullit Park magic for Marion to win. I have total faith that union wins.
Out of simple curiosity. Am I the only grown a$$ man who is excited about Friday night being so close yet so far away?! I feel like a kid at Christmas. I honestly think Union will win by two scores but at the same time I think this will be an epic game. the next 30ish hours cant go by fast enough for me!
I haven't watched either team this season but I am very familiar with Giles and that horrid single wing o that can cause havoc for any opposing d. If Giles can play old school 3 yards and a cloud of dust football with smashmouth d they might just pull off a win. Those Spartans have shocked the world before so don't count em out. Giles wins by three.
I have heard some wonderful arguments on here of who is and was the best is swva. I've come to the conclusion that swva has probably the most rich football heritage of any rural area in the USA. I know there are probably areas somewhere in California Texas or Florida that may be better but I would argue that nowhere in America has so many schools in a rural area that has put up so many state titles as swva has. The 70s through the 90s show that swva had some very talented kids.
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2017 SWVA Coach of the Year
in SWVA Football
Posted
If we're going to include northeast Tennessee I'll make some changes. Head coach mance.
OC Graham Clark or the head coach of Greenville
DC Barry Jones (I played under him at pv. He has forgot more about football than most men will ever know and he's one hell of a motivator.)
Strength and line coach Luke Owens