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

On the field or the sideline, Gary Collier rises above the rest. At Pennington, he was the best 1A QB in the State. At Emory & Henry, he was the best D3 QB in America. And now, he may be the best 1A coach in Virginia. When he took over in 2022, The small school was beyond rock bottom: a 13-game losing streak before ending 2021 with four forfeits due to a shortage of players. What followed has been nothing short of miraculous. In 2022, Rye Cove went 7–3 and earned a playoff berth. In 2023, the Eagles posted the best season in school history, finishing 11–2 as Region D runner-up. In 2024, they went 13–1, winning the program’s first regional championship. In 2025, despite an injury-riddled roster, Rye Cove finished the regular season 7–3 , avenged two losses in the playoffs, repeated as regional champions, and earned a trip to the state championship game. And while the Eagles ultimately fell short of a state title, the result does nothing to diminish what Gary Collier has built—a sustained winner, a transformed culture, and one of the most remarkable turnarounds in Virginia HS football history.

Not picking on Wise County—this is likely an issue in every school district. What I don’t understand is a position that runs contrary to both the law and how people typically act in real-world situations.

Kettle Run misses FG as time expires, Going to OT Kettle Run 34 Lake Taylor 34

You Stay Classy, Rappahannock

I missed the first quarter...I know it's 7-6...Can someone give me a quick update how we got there

WCPS is pleased to announce the following appointments: Stadium Acoustics Compliance Officer: Vol Hater Mandated Reporter Liaison: sup_rbeast Duh-rek-tur uv Kuh-moon-uh-k-shuns: DooktheCook

Over-reporting is the problem in Wise Co? The track record says otherwise.

The process may be normal. The circumstances are anything but. Treating this as a routine matter only compounds the problem.

Great (and short) article on the Dawyot brothers. https://cardinalnews.org/2025/12/11/2-unlikely-brothers-have-led-glenvar-to-the-doorstep-of-a-state-championship/