Hhsdevils93

Outsider ha ha ha ha

Parking at Appy is very tight. But the view from the stands is great. I’d like to see the Bears get a game per year there. That way it has a home game feel for the program still. I think the soccer program uses it right?  So it is maintained some. Just a random thought from an “outsider”. 

For Union to win, Something drastically has to change with the offense. If Union gets down they do not have the high powered offense to get back in games quick! If the Bears can limit Allen and Lester and make Graham beat them another way it could be a good ball game!!!!
I'm not good at predictions so I'll just leave that open for everyone else to do!!!

I miss George Thwaites covering SWVA sports for the KTN.  

A lot of small minded people in our area. I loved watching games there. 

I went to a couple jv games at Riggs this season and the field looks great, the people who complain about Riggs Stadium are the reason a lot of people from Appalachia hated PV back in the day because they make comments about the town and school.

We have a former Powell Valley player who is one of my closest confidants and friends at Ridgeview.  To be fair, he said he drove by Riggs just this past week and the field looked great.

Prolly the coolest post I’ve read of yours jarhead. 

Holy crap, what happened in Region 1A???  Upset city. And it wasn’t even close games. Wonder how the 2v7 game will shake out.   Can honestly say I’ve never seen a bracket get that messed up in the first round. I’m sure it has. I’ve  just never noticed it. Wow. Just wow. Nice work underdogs!

Prolly the coolest post I’ve read of yours jarhead. 

The post was about how good it would be to see Union come down those stairs, these kids are from big stone east stone Appalachia and all the coal camps around , and maybe Lee county too. Most of these kids had dads , uncles ect from both PV and Appalachia that played there. We should always be linked to the tradition of the past, that’s all, Riggs Stadium is not a dump no more than Cummins field is. Our kids picked the name Union to link the two schools as well as blending the two school colors into one,  I may be an old fan but that just means I have seen so much more football than you youthful guys. I am one of those guys who would rather watch a game at Lambo than at Jerry world, tradition counts, I love The Park but damn man Riggs would rock

Lol. Central is the Red Herring of the forum.

Graham has the best athletes in the region and it’s not even close. Speed kills and they have plenty of it. The only thing that will slow them down at far a region D goes is injury, a team dominating them at the line of scrimmage (they are much improved in that department from years past), or a muddy field. VA high has a thunder and lightening back field with Rose and the freshman. The Mulumba kid is a freak on the d line along with #77 but they played before and it wasn’t close I’m not sure how much losing their leader early in the game had to do with that but as long as graham doesn’t over look them it should be the same result.

Exactly!  I was talking from an opponent POV. Appy kids didn’t give a care if it was muddy or dry.  

If somebody ever asked me why I love SWVA football, I'd simply have them read Tim Hayes' article on Appy Bulldogs and then they might just understand. 
FOOTBALL: Appalachia Program Built On Toughness
Tim Hayes   Aug 13, 2009       Appalachia lineman Toby Needham talks to a teammate on the sidelines during a 1996 playoff game with Rural Retreat
APPALACHIA, Va. – When recalling the glory days of the Appalachia High School football program, several images quickly come to mind.
There’s the plain blue helmets and no-frill jerseys.
There’s the muddy, spartan-like playing surface of Riggs Stadium.
  There are legendary coaches Jim Riggs and Tom Turner. There’s the toughness. There’s the tenacity.
But perhaps the true essence of the institution known as Appalachia football was summed up by Turner himself.
“It’s tradition,” the late Turner told the Bristol Herald Courier in a 1992 interview. “And all the credit goes to the kids because they grow up thinking they’re supposed to do well. They believe in Appalachia football.
“We don’t have any doctors’ or lawyers’ kids that have cars to get around in or money to blow in town, so football is [the] biggest thing going here.”
Turner seemed to be at the center of all of Appalachia’s biggest wins. He starred as a player on Appalachia’s 1971 Virginia High School League Group A state championship team and then coached his alma mater to state titles in 1989, 1992, 1994, 1996 and 1997.
The small Wise County school was many times outnumbered, outsized and given little chance to succeed. However, the gritty Bulldogs always seemed to get it done.
“You can’t compare the heart of a Bulldog to anybody,” said Shane Gibson, the star running back on Appy’s 1989 VHSL Group A, Division 1 state title team. “Every down and every guy, it’s 100 percent.”
Turner stressed to his players that no opponent was unbeatable and no goal was unattainable. They listened and played with an unbridled passion for the sport.
“I just remember we were expected to win. Not necessarily by everybody else, but ourselves,” said Chris Mabe, a standout linebacker on the 1992 state championship squad. “When we came up, he instilled in us the attitude, you come from a smaller school, but you still should be able to beat anybody out there … He expected us to outplay whoever we were scheduled to play.”
The start
At 6-foot-3 and 225-pounds, Turner was an intimidating presence as a player at Appalachia in the early-1970s. It didn’t take him long to set the tone his senior season in 1971, racking up 11 tackles in the first quarter alone in a 40-14 win over Saltville in the season-opener.
His bruising style was a big reason why Appalachia rolled to a 13-0 record and captured the Lonesome Pine District and Region D titles. Under the direction of Riggs, the Bulldogs capped an unbeaten season with a 24-0 win over Madison in the state finals.
Turner led Appalachia to the state basketball title that winter and earned a football scholarship to Virginia Tech, where he shined as a defensive lineman.
He would officially become the head football coach at Appalachia in 1980. Nine years later, he would guide the team to his first state title as a coach in unlikely fashion.
The 1989 Bulldogs finished the regular season just 5-5, lost its final three regular-season games and squeaked into the playoffs.
“There was just at lot of pressure on us,” Gibson said. “The three previous years we had faced getting in the playoffs and there was a lot of pressure to get it done and win. We all had a lot of heart.”
Appalachia posted close wins over Twin Springs and J.I. Burton in the regional playoffs. In a 27-23 victory over heavily-favored Bath County in the state semifinals, Gibson displayed his toughness by
rushing for 285 yards and two touchdowns on 45 carries.
“I was so excited with the win,” Gibson said. “We were such underdogs. I was so happy we won, the thought of being tired never even crossed my mind.”
The next week Appalachia claimed the state crown with a 22-14 victory over Madison County.
Appalachia would claim another state title in 1992, this time with running back Kris Clark and quarterback Ken Sizemore leading the way on offense and Mabe wreaking havoc on defense.
However, the best was yet to come for the Bulldogs.
The T-and-T connection
Being the head coach’s son, Travis Turner had been groomed to be a star football player at Appalachia as long as he could remember.
“Appalachia football was a big part of my life, growing up and being around it 365 days a year,” Turner said.
Travis Clark also grew up dreaming of being a standout for the Bulldogs one day. He heard the stories and witnessed the postseason glory of past teams and hoped to add his own chapter to the success story.
“There was a lot pride to wear that blue and gold,” Clark said.
Together, Turner and Clark would combine to lead an explosive offense that won three titles in four years from 1994-1997.
Turner was impressive at quarterback, while Clark had blazing speed in the backfield. Players like Sam Sellers, Jamie Jessee, Travis Wells and many others would emerge as postseason heroes during that span.
“We had real good offensive lines,” Turner said. “We had great run blocking and pass protection.”
The 1994 team went 12-2 and posted a 72-7 beatdown of Middlesex in the state finals, scoring 10 touchdowns in the title-clinching victory.
  As Turner and Clark continued to get better, the ’96 and ’97 squads put up impressive offensive numbers.
For Turner, the four years playing for his father are among his most treasured memories.
“It was a treat,” Travis Turner said. “It was something special when you look back on it now. You kind of relish those memories … He expected a lot of me and he expected a lot out of everybody. I think that’s what made us a good football team.”
The Bulldog legacy
Everybody that coached against him, coached for him or played for him seems to have a Tom Turner story. Mabe remembers one game in particular.
“We were playing Virginia High or somebody in August and our field is pretty crappy and gets dusty [in the warm weather]. They took a timeout and VHS wanted a water break,” Mabe said. “Coach Turner came out to the huddle and the referee said, ‘Are you going to give them water?’ He said, ‘Hell, I gave them water on Wednesday. I don’t think they want it.’ We all said, ‘Nah, we’re good.’ The ref couldn’t believe it, he was shocked. It was just little things like that.”
Turner was a master psychologist. He made it a habit of having the team bus roll into a stadium just before kickoff. Travis Turner remembers how his father and the team arrived at 1:27 p.m. – three
minutes before kickoff – before playing Surry County in the 1996 state finals.
“That was his trademark, showing up late for games,” Travis Turner said. “I really don’t know why he did it.”
Compiling a scouting report for the Bulldogs was also difficult.
“I’ve said this before, Tom was absolutely the best play-caller in crucial situations I’ve ever coached against,” Powell Valley coach Phil Robbins said. “You had no idea what he was going to call. Ninety-nine percent of the time what he called, it worked, because his kids believed in it. He had some great ballclubs.”
The 1997 season marked Appalachia’s last state title under Tom Turner. He retired following the 2005 season with a 205-107-1 career record and a plethora of coaching honors and achievements.
He died in 2006, but his legacy lives on in Appalachia.
“He took a group of kids that probably, in reality, shouldn’t have won as many games as they did, and he would have you convinced you could run through a brick wall,” Mabe said. “That’s what it was about … I just have a thousand memories.”
thayes@bristolnews.com|(276) 645-2570

I think he was referring to the Way Appalachia opponents would react today. 

Come on man. Not cool. Gman, where you at. You dropped a suspension on a guy for making a harmless, silly joke about bluefield football. This is way beyond that. 
Regardless of what people “know” or think they know, this isn’t the place to pop off at the mouth about it. I don’t know the young man or his situation. And regardless if he walked on water or stole from children, he has a family that is having to deal with his passing right now. I don’t know the details and don’t care. Not my place. I’ll pray for the family. 

Come on man. Not cool. Gman, where you at. You dropped a suspension on a guy for making a harmless, silly joke about bluefield football. This is way beyond that. 
Regardless of what people “know” or think they know, this isn’t the place to pop off at the mouth about it. I don’t know the young man or his situation. And regardless if he walked on water or stole from children, he has a family that is having to deal with his passing right now. I don’t know the details and don’t care. Not my place. I’ll pray for the family. 

Come on man. Not cool. Gman, where you at. You dropped a suspension on a guy for making a harmless, silly joke about bluefield football. This is way beyond that. 
Regardless of what people “know” or think they know, this isn’t the place to pop off at the mouth about it. I don’t know the young man or his situation. And regardless if he walked on water or stole from children, he has a family that is having to deal with his passing right now. I don’t know the details and don’t care. Not my place. I’ll pray for the family. 

Come on man. Not cool. Gman, where you at. You dropped a suspension on a guy for making a harmless, silly joke about bluefield football. This is way beyond that. 
Regardless of what people “know” or think they know, this isn’t the place to pop off at the mouth about it. I don’t know the young man or his situation. And regardless if he walked on water or stole from children, he has a family that is having to deal with his passing right now. I don’t know the details and don’t care. Not my place. I’ll pray for the family. 

Come on man. Not cool. Gman, where you at. You dropped a suspension on a guy for making a harmless, silly joke about bluefield football. This is way beyond that. 
Regardless of what people “know” or think they know, this isn’t the place to pop off at the mouth about it. I don’t know the young man or his situation. And regardless if he walked on water or stole from children, he has a family that is having to deal with his passing right now. I don’t know the details and don’t care. Not my place. I’ll pray for the family. 

Rookie Post...not Rookie LPD
I was fortunate to play against Coach T. Dotson..Mr. Riggs..Mr. Harry Frye..PV Coaches..Coach Dave Ryder and Mr. Cummins.
We would have taken care of this situation in the locker room or on the practice field..BEFORE it occurred on the field/court/diamond.
The Helicopter Moms..Lawnmower Dads..Grandstand Usta' Bees have weakened the character and ownership responsibility of our student-atheletes.
I will not be popular on this Forum so bring it.

I would put Turner in the pot for what he has done.  He has won 8 games without James Mitchell or Jeb Stidham.  Pretty good job in my opinion.

What happened to sucking it up and playing in the rain? I know they want it to be even matched for both teams, but football can’t always be played on a perfect day with sunshine and it be 65!!!  Man things have sure changed over the years!!

Ridgeview wins the Region D2. Graham crumbles, doesn’t have the moxie. Can’t handle not playing at home it seems. Coach Mullins will handle business on Rose Ridge. I think Union can go a couple games deep. Never count them out though. May go to the region finals. If graham has to come to the park, I go with Union. Grayson Co seems to be struggling late.  Richlands is always up for an upset  
 
Region D1,  Chilhowie is at the top until proven otherwise. Burton isn’t close to knocking them off.