This game should be a competitive one. This will be the first team that Richlands has faced that does not have a winning record. Lebanon has won the only game they have played against a team with a losing record. I think Lebanon will have the best player on the field with Reese but they will also bring in the worst defense Richlands has faced up to this point. I would say the winner will be the team that gets to 35 first. I also think Lebanon will be that team just because of the Reese factor.
I don't think they know enough to teach it in a lot of cases, honestly. I've always felt the least developed position in SWVA is DB, specifically CB.
I disagree usually there is only one DB coach on a staff and if you are teaching press then what do the safeties do while CB are running press drills? It’s more efficient to teach an off man skill so you can get both safeties and corners involved in a drill that helps both of them instead of spending your 10 minutes of indy on half of your position group
Pick your poison. I'd taught those DBs to play man-press and throw in some disguised zone. You have to stack the box or you get bludgeoned at 5-7 ypc. What I don't understand is why press is not taught anywhere in SWVA...it isn't in the DC's toolbox. SInce it isn't used then the other team's WRs don't know how to defeat it. A solidly coached set of CBs that can press and follow would mess up those young WRs the whole game and the QB who hasn't seen it either.
I think a lot of coaches shy away from press because even if you are good at it no one is 100% and if the other team has an above average QB then that is 6 points and sometimes that will cost you the game.
I think a team that throws it can win it. I may be in minority opinion. I think the sample size is too small to tell. Meaning......how many offenses in VA at the Class 1 or 2 levels have a pass first offense? It's just so uncommon and so rare that it's hard to say. Central, Poqouson, Clarke County, Appo, Riverheads, Draft, Union (heavy run offenses). Other than Appo above, those offenses are also borderline (don't throw it over 4 times a game-Uniin has changed this year though). Graham mixes it up more as well as Appo (kind of) and Radford. The King William team that won it through it way more that year than usual.
My take, looking at Graham, K.William, Appo with those titles and what makes them different? Run first, but not limited to the run. They could/can put it in the air and do it pretty well when they want. The others haven't been able to do it well enough to win a title. Got to go back to Giles in 2A to find a team that didn't throw it much.
Like it said hasnt done it does not mean cant do it. Ohio State hasnt won a championship under Ryan Day that does not mean they cant. I would love to see an air raid team win it all and with Riverheads out of the picture it might be a possibility.
The fact with high school football is that if you practice most of your time throwing the ball around (which takes a lot of practice time to get good at) then running the ball and defending the run is usually a weak spot on your team and vice versa for teams that only run the ball. I hope Honaker can get enough stops on D to out score teams this season. I would be awesome to see them in Salem
I don’t know if they will due to preference, but I’m confident if Honaker decides to run the ball, they can match up favorably with anyone. I’d be comfortable in both the RB and QB running out of shotgun or lining up the RB in I formation or Wildcat and daring teams to stop them.
I know they are more than capable of running the and winning a game. The RB is no joke and the QB has some speed the question is will they. They have bout into the Air Raid and there is nothing wrong with that. I can tell you right now Tiller is not going to get in the I and he would be stupid to do so because that would take valuable practice time away from doing what they do.
My question is can a team that throws the ball around a lot win a state championship at this level? Ive been around this area for 9 years and I havnt seen it happen. Even the 2018 Graham squad was a run first offensive even though they had the a dude behind center that could throw it. Look at Richlands under Mance. They were unbeatable in 7 on 7 but had one championship to show for it. Just because it hasnt happened doesnt mean it cant maybe they will be the first team to pull it off. Until that happens I would put my money on the run first team.
Rye Coves best shot is to take the air out of the ball and have a couple 10+ play drives and score on those drives. I think Honaker is the top of 1D from an athletic stand point. They got an underrated QB and good skill players, one of the best running back in 1D if not the best, and an O line that is athletic but not small. However when it starts to get cold in November are they going to have the same success throwing the ball around? I think they beat Rye Cove and PH in the regular season but when they meet in the playoffs and its 40 degrees outside that is when the ground and pound teams take over.
Central lost a lot up front. They are no where close in the trenches to what they have been in the past. Eastside looked great up front against Central and Marion absolutely dominated them up front. The QB is quick and if he gets going Central can be respectable on offense. They are also missing the dogs they have had at linebacker over the years. I dont know if they are young or just struggling at the moment. Honestly I dont know much about RV but if they are okay up front they run away with this one. IMO Central to looking at a 1-9 2-8 season that is if they can get past Grundy later in the season.
He looked like he was in a lot of pain. I hope he can go next week. Different team when they can go up tempo and spread out the defense.
Unfortunately Tazewell having a bye week in the first week doesn’t give kids a week to heal at any point I. The season. Tazewell could very easily slip up early missing the QB and RB
Why in the world did they go to the spread? The winged T was working great for them?
They still have the wing just lost the T. They made the move last year to shotgun all the time last season. I’m sure they did that because the Church kid at QB. They still run Buck Sweep and your normal wing T plays it just not under center.
I would lean Gate City on this one. They have too much coming back compared to Richlands. The Brown kid is gone and that was their offense last year. I know they threw the ball all over Grundy in the Benefit game but Grundy is not the same team they were last year. Gate City 35- Richlands- 14
I know Lebanon has the edge in QB and that will be the case is most every game they play this year but I am not sure what he has around him. Is there a run game now that Hurtig graduated? Can the O line hold up long enough for Reese to get a pass off? If the answer is yes to both then Lebanon will be okay this year. The first half of the benefit game didn’t look promising but that was a benefit game.
Honaker is not going to scare you getting off the bus. They got one lineman maybe 2 over 6 foot. The skill guys kinda all look the same but they have a good system and they run it well. The RB is talented and hopefully the starting QB is back from injury by now.
I think Honaker takes this one by 2 scores in an high scoring affair
Basically, there is little to no incentive to schedule even or up, as there used to be, especially with the talent gulf widening. (Except for being battle hardened if able to make the playoffs in the example below.)
I was thinking back to the days when Graham would refuse to play down, and when a 5-5 Appalachia would win a state title often after ousting a 9-1 or 8-2 Cumberland team from the playoffs.
I like the idea of playing more teams in you class but sometimes there are travel issues that you cant control. There is a major bus driver shortage at the moment. So if you schedule a game in you class but you have to travel 2 plus hours away on a bus but you cant get a bus until they are done with their afternoon rout then that game isnt kicking off til 8 o clock. Which is not good for the kids, fan, or the coaches families getting home after midnight. I no some spring sports have had to resort to the coaching staff driving 10 passenger vans to away games. That option is just not available for football
I hear they are talented as well. I just wonder when in High School or heck even at college do you become old every team always young. The difference is age has some factors in it but either you can play or you can't that what it bulls down to for any team. The up coming players either step up or don't.
I would say an “old” team is when a majority of players you put on the field are a year or two of varsity playing experience. That can be a team full of juniors that have played together since their freshman year on varsity. If you have the the same amount of juniors that this is their first year starting on varsity I would consider that young or at least inexperienced
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Week 5 Scores/Updates
in SWVA Football
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Union can’t get their 18 coaches off the sideline. Those back packs must me taking up most of the space