Liam McPoyle

DJ's STILL just 18 years old! Can't wait to watch Coach Chaos develop him the next few years.

Yerrick's an outstanding coach and wasn't the problem. Oak Hill's “Bibles and basketballs” model is no longer enough to attract elite talent.

I thought there was a decent chance he'd follow JF. Now that the Hokies have hired DL Coach Sean Spencer from A&M, I'll be shocked if it's not VT. DJ can move closer home and be developed by one of the best in the business.

Ho Ho Ho from the Po-Po

Carroll, Collier… the reality is the same: you’re coaching in the shadow of a legend

Ballard Lee Court at the Bearcat Den

Chilhowie/(Insert Opponent Here)

Joey’s a dependable, long-term build—but Marion skipped oil changes and ran 85-octane, then wondered why it sputtered.

Calling him an “average” coach wasn't meant as an insult (average = good); it’s simply an evaluation based on results rather than effort. You see it differently, and that’s fine. Reasonable people can disagree without it becoming personal. And for what it’s worth, I wouldn’t describe someone I'm in love with as “average.” lol. Anyway, I’m well aware of how difficult the Marion job is. It’s a tough situation, and Joey clearly worked hard to improve the program—and he did make it better. I wish he’d had stronger support from MSHS and the SCSB, and I genuinely hated to see him leave. For context, Marion has had seven head coaches over the past 30 years, and the only one I’d personally rank ahead of Carroll is Steve Wright—who I do consider a great coach. In the end, whether someone says good, great, or average comes down to opinion and semantics.

Joey Carroll: Great Coach or Average Coach? Elite coaches redefine expectations, build dynasties, regularly win district and regional titles over many years, win state title(s) Great coaches exceed expectations, win multiple district titles, regional titles, play in Salem in December Average coaches meet expectations, field competitive teams most seasons Marion 8 seasons (2011-18) OVERALL RECORD: 48-41 (.539) PLAYOFF RECORD: 3-6 (.333) HOGOHEEGEE DISTRICT TITLES (6 seasons): 1 SOUTHWEST DISTRICT TITLES (2 seasons) 0 WINNING SEASONS: 5 of 8 BEST RECORD: 10-2 (2015) WORST RECORD: 1-9 (2016) WINS WHEN UNDERDOG : 1 1. 2011 Carroll Co 30-8 LOSSES WHEN FAVORED: 5 1. 2012 Graham 21-20 2. 2013 Chilhowie 13-7 3. 2023 George Wythe 27-20 4. 2014 Northwood 36-13 5. 2016 Rural Retreat 20-19 His two biggest advantages at Marion were: 1. An excellent run of athletes including Marshall Wagner, Ethan Richardson, Sam Wagner, Trey Crook, Kelby Ford, Hunter Lefler, Riley Blevins, Mazoff brothers, etc.. 2. An easier schedule, playing 6 of his 8 seasons in Hogoheegee W-L since leaving Marion: Person, NC (7-11) Lee (23-32) His Marion record was slightly above his predecessor and clearly better than his successors, who inherited the program after the talent well ran dry. To his credit, he improved morale, got kids in the weight room and out for track, and at Lee took a winless program back to respectability. But there's nothing on Joey’s résumé to suggest he's a "great" coach. IMHO, he’s an average coach who's not in the same stratosphere as Gary Collier.

Sixcat would be better — there’s no two ways about it.

Yeah… but one’s a Shelby GT500, the other’s a Ford Fusion airport rental.

When Marion hosted Lebanon, I fully expected Michael Reece to have a big night. What I didn’t expect was an aerial performance that was not only prolific, but also flawless—20 for 20, ≈400 yds, and 7 TDs. Even though it came against my team, I could still appreciate witnessing something truly special.

CalPreps Final Rating 2025 Rank School W-L Power Rating Strength of Schedule Opp W-L 1 Princeton 14-0 29.6 1.1 96-67 2 Bluefield 11-3 15.3 -2.3 111-54 3 Union 13-1 11 -14.5 85-76 4 Graham 8-4 4.3 -7.4 85-55 5 Ridgeview 11-2 2.1 -18.9 77-71 6 Gate City 7-4 -6.8 -17.2 63-62 7 Carroll Co 9-3 -7.6 -17.7 69-69 8 Rye Cove 11-4 -9.4 -24.8 109-68 9 J Monroe 7-4 -9.6 -17.4 67-56 10 Radford 7-5 -10.1 -11.6 85-57 11 Eastside 12-1 -10.3 -38.5 68-79 12 Lebanon 8-4 -10.8 -20.1 71-64 13 Virginia 8-3 -12.4 -22.3 59-66 14 Grayson Co 9-5 -14.2 -22.8 94-68 15 Chilhowie 10-2 -14.6 -31.2 75-65 16 G Wythe 8-5 -19.9 -21.7 80-71 17 Giles 9-3 -20.6 -29.6 60-75 18 Richlands 6-5 -20.9 -22.8 57-64 19 PikeView 7-4 -21.7 -23.6 57-59 20 Honaker 7-5 -23.5 -26.6 87-53 21 Abingdon 4-7 -23.9 -14.9 67-59 22 Pulaski Co 3-7 -29.4 -17 46-61 23 Narrows 5-6 -32.5 -30 76-50 24 Twin Springs 6-5 -34.4 -44.6 63-61 25 Rural Retreat 4-7 -34.6 -28.5 75-52 26 Holston 6-5 -37.2 -36.1 56-66 27 Lee 4-7 -37.3 -19.1 71-58 28 Tazewell 2-8 -39 -19.8 68-48 29 Northwood 7-4 -40.9 -43.5 50-70 30 J Battle 2-8 -44.7 -21.4 64-50 31 Grundy 4-6 -45.2 -36.1 56-56 32 River View 3-7 -46.4 -35.3 60-52 33 P Henry 2-8 -46.7 -29.6 64-49 34 Central Wise 1-9 -51.4 -23.6 63-51 35 Fort Chiswell 2-8 -53.2 -32.3 58-57 36 T Walker 3-7 -53.8 -42.4 57-58 37 JI Burton 4-6 -56.2 -49.2 51-61 38 Marion 0-10 -59.6 -24.3 56-54 39 Hurley 5-5 -61.5 -57.7 38-54 40 Montcalm 4-6 -62.9 -60.6 39-63 41 Galax 0-9 -66.3 -5.2 71-40 42 Mount View 1-9 -70.9 -48.1 37-67 43 Bland Co 2-8 -83.6 -55.4 52-53 44 Castlewood 0-10 -89.6 -46.5 60-49 45 Twin Valley 1-8 -89.8 -65.3 29-51