The Devils are 2-0 to start the year. They blew out the Tornado in Richland.... no pun intended.
They stung the Yellow Jackets that swarmed over from Kentucky.
Now the game tonight is on the CW on Friday Night Rivals against a very terrible Abingdon Falcon team. Not taking anything away from the Trojans but yeah. Battle beat Abingdon.
For me that tells me that Gate City is going to walk into Legion Field in front of a regionally televised audience, and probably a sold out Legion Field for the first time in forever (they are celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the 2003 State Championship football team), and shoot down the Falcons by a tune of 56-7.
Not until September 22 and 29 will the Devils actually be tested on the football field.
Next week they should defeat the Hurricanes by 40 as well.
When they face Union, I'm predicting a win against the Bears because they are so young but a win at that. Probably by 14 I think.
Should be tested against Tennessee High. They aren't what they used to be either.
Only game I see being a problem for the Blue Devils is Ridgeview and that should be for the Mountain 7 District title and that will be at Ridgeview.
This should be a very easy schedule this year for Gate City. No reason why they should lose more than say 2 games this year in the regular season.
Biggest battle should be when they face Graham and a chance to go to the state championship this year. That and Ridgeview should be the toughest test by far.
Wouldn't bother me to see Graham recruit the ever loving heck out of West Virginia and bring in all kinds of hoopers and lay it to John Marshall. Wouldn't bother me one little bit. Lay it to em G-Men!
Wade on top of it again.
IMO I never thought they would choose him with so many former players currently coaching.
After talking to some other former Devils the other day I understand now why they knew he was going to be chosen over the other people out there.
I am pretty sure because the kids like him is not the only reason why he was chosen. Probably because certain parents with kids coming up like him as well and will likely help some of their business associations with the schoolin the process.
Who knows he might get a nice NIL deal out of it as well since the VHSL passed the legislation.
Not being employed by the county and if I am correct leading the Boosters Club were just a couple of the reasons why I thought he would not be chosen. It just might be a couple reasons why he was chosen among a few others.
Wade knows his business. Now the question is what will the staff look like?
Wade you up first?
If you don’t know who the next head coach at Central is you’ve been living under a rock for the past 20 years. Money and position gets you everything you want.
That guy never stood a chance at Central North the same way JRB never stood a chance at Central South
I mean Gate City.
As far as the Big 3 are concerned which Big 3 you speaking of?
The Big 3 that run the basketball program, that own the town or the three who played together five years ago?
It’s ok You’re correct on all counts All three of the Big 3 run in the same circles and yes. You will never be as good or live up to the expectations as what is expected by the Big 3.
It’s funny You hear all these people talk so much trash on Central for all these years Yet they have become the very thing they said they would never be.
Fugate as in the JV Coach? Who knows. I think anything is possible.
Shannon Boy I think is working at Twin Springs with Tyler Webb and is with most probability an unlikely candidate.
Both previous guys are also lifetime assistants and unproven as head coaches. Would probably want someone with at least some credibility coming in with the players.
I have also heard the same thing about Jones at Rye Cove. Was very well liked out there. He may just be the front runner after looking at this discussion now.
I think for the most part it is wide open. Hard to say who they will bring in now.
I have been hearing a ton of rumors going crazy in the rumor mill.
I guess it would not be Gate City if that wasn’t going on though.
Anyone have any clear idea who it will be?
Anyone have any idea who they would like for it to be?
I would think the pool is wide open for quite a few people.
If you have a top 5 of people you think should get it put it down. It would make for interesting reads to see who gets closest to the real thing.
Here are my top 5:
1. Keith Warner
2. Tyler Webb
3. Jamie Hackney
4. Hunter Jones
5. Austen Arnold
1. Why it may not be #1? Although a Vermillion product, #1 has built a solid football program which is doing very well. Would not see him leaving at this point.
2. Why it may not be #2? While #2 is also a Vermillion product he has built the Titan basketball program into a state contender every year with considerable less students than Gate City. He is also a Titan graduate and is fiercely loyal to the red and white. Which through hearing people talk of this choice rules him out.
3. Why it may not be #3? Although a Vermillion product and former member of the GC staff he has now become the boss of the Lee High program and lives in Lee County the Generals are a program on the rise just missing a few players to make them a state contender.
4. Why it may not be #4? Also a Vermillion product and hailed by Vermillion as the next greatest head coach in Scott County this person was a former JV head coach at Rye Cove who led them to a championship year before coming to GC. He was also the lead assistant this year under Barnes.
Bringing in another “young” guy after two sub 500 seasons seems might seem unlikely though but he does have about four aces up his sleeve no one else in the group has.
5. While it may not be #5?
Also a Vermillion product the guy was an All American 4 year player at Lynchburg College. He is currently the head baseball coach at the school. A position he filled to take that program in a different direction as well. One year and done seems unlikely. He also has an ace up the sleeve as well but not as many as Jones.
Should be a very interesting summer to say the least
Lots of people with kids who have some major pull and importance coming up that have a great need to be appeased first before anyone. Should be an interesting pick
Look at this way. If Ramsey goes in.... gets stronger, quicker... dominates and puts some good averages up... he might go and pull a Bradley Dean in the transfer portal and get some hard Division 1 looks.
What changes would everyone like to see in high school basketball? As John Marshall has shown, the game is evolving. Sometimes not for the better. But since the VHSL seems to say that what John Marshall is doing is legal (in the latest Richmond Times Dispatch article), it looks as if the talent influx and legal relocation into the state of Virginia isn't going to stop anytime soon. So what would you like to see different in high school basketball? I have some proposals:
1. Move the 3point line to 22 ft. 1 3/4 inches to match the men's and women's college game. Put an emphasis on coaches to coach players and develop them to take the mid range shots. If player's aren't able to shoot the 3 from this distance, it will definitely show up and force coaching to develop the mid range game. Also when games are played on college courts there will not be as much of a difference in the three point lines.
2. Do away with quarters and institute two halves of play. Many teams now play supers and as we know the games sometime take forever. Eliminate some of the breaks. Play two 16 minutes halves so that the flow of the game doesn't go uninterrupted. Give each coach 2 full time outs and 2 30 second timeouts each half. To use how they like. If they don't use them, they lose them. They then get two more full timeouts and two more 30 sec timeouts in the second half.
3. I am 50 percent on the shot clock. I feel that not all schools are equipped to handle the shot clock. I believe once all of the small Southwest Virginia schools become consolidated as well as rural schools throughout the state and the gyms/arenas are able to handle the new technology then I believe that the state of Virginia should go to a shot clock. Make the game quicker and put some responsibility in the hands of the players.
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John Marshall is now a 2A school because everyone wants out of Richmond and are moving to the suburbs. They were Class 4 and now are Class 2. They have 40-60 more students than communities in the Mountain 7 and Southwest District.
If by chance you have 5 guys who can handle the ball very very well and you get to face John Marshall in the 2A Final, do us all a favor down here. Call on the spirit of Dean Smith and just go the Carolina 4 Corners and hold the ball on those guys.
I'm sure Ty White would be so frustrated at his number one team not being able to score more than 20 to 30 points in the first quarter and how that would look so bad on him and his recruited private school public school team. If I'm playing that team full of recruited jokers and I have a team that I know can handle the ball, I'm going to go spread 4 corners and make them work for every single thing they get. If I get beat heck I get beat. But you want to have some fun and get all the fans who don't want JM to win on your side and make it a ballgame??? Go do that 4 corners. The NFHS Network would blow up with people trying to watch this going on. I can see it now.
Final from VCU's Siegel Center
John Marshall 21
Radford 6
I would bow in the utmost respect to any coach that does this. And I'm sure the point would get across I would hope. But to me, It would be awesome!
I like it, but it would eliminate teams around here from pretty much any chance at a state title. Unless a school was able to recruit a super team. With the local districts and regions would be intense and fun to watch. The eastern Ky regionals are really fun to watch.
Like John Marshall and their "recruiting" doesn't already eliminate teams around here from a state title. Not much of a difference would you think?
Dates: NFHS Week 35 through 36 - Tournament will start on Friday March 5 and run through the following
Saturday. For 2022-23, Quarterfinals are scheduled for Friday, March 3 (Snow Date – Saturday March 4). State
Semifinals are scheduled for Monday, March 6 (Snow Date – Tuesday March 7). State Finals are scheduled as
follows: Class 1 & 4 – Thursday, March 9; Class 3 & 6 – Friday, March 10; Class 5 & 2, Saturday, March 11th. All
finals will be played in two game sessions. VHSL State Final Snow Date is Sunday March 12th with the groups
snowed out moving to that date.
(Poster's note - Funny how the last game listed for the finals is the Class 2 Championship on Saturday March 11th. Even the VHSL knows John Marshall is going to draw them in some big bucks from a big crowd and win it in Richmond in their backyard again.)
Quarterfinals/Semifinals Format: Eight-team, single-elimination tournament per classification pairing: Higher
seed hosts in high seed area. If two # 1 seeds are matched together in the semifinals the top of the
bracket will host. The default time is 7 PM for a single game and 5:30 and 7:30 for doubleheaders.
Quarterfinal pairings for all Groups: Region B champion vs. Region A runner up , Region A champion
vs. Region B runner up . Region D champion vs. Region C runner up, Region C champion vs. Region D
runner up.
Semifinal Pairings for all Groups: Region B champion bracket vs. Region A champion bracket and
Region D champion bracket vs Region C champion bracket
Semifinal winners advance to the State Finals at VCU.
Sites: Verizon Wireless Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center, Richmond
Awards: Team trophy and individual medals to State Champion and Runner-up teams.
VHSL Class 2 State Quarterfinals Predictions
Region A Champion - John Marshall vs. Region B Runnerup East Rockingham
Region B Champion - Madison County vs. Region A Runnerup Brunswick
Region C Champion - Radford vs. Region D Runnerup Graham
Region D Champion - Virginia High vs. Region C Runnerup Floyd County
VHSL Class 2 State Semifinals Predictions
Region A Champion - John Marshall vs. Region A Runnerup Brunswick
Region C Champion - Radford vs. Region D Champion Virginia High
VHSL Class 2 State Championship Finals Predictions
First round games:
2/17 Alleghany Vs Appomattox - Winner plays Radford - 2/21
2/17 Martinsville Vs Chatham - Winner plays Gretna - 2/21
2/17 Patrick Vs Dan River - Winner plays Floyd - 2/21
2/17 James River Vs Nelson - Winner plays Glenvar - 2/21
I found this stored away on a flash drive in my office. I thought I would post this. This is something that will never ever take place in Virginia but interesting to think about.
In Kentucky they play 16 Regions with 64 Districts.
Now this is a concept that will never ever ever come about in the state of Virginia. Since we have a forum, it is ok to dream about and to talk about what this might be like in the state of Virginia.
So here is the conceptual dream.
16 Regions. All 16 Region winners go to John Paul Jones Arena for the VHSL's state of Virginia "Sweet Sixteen".
The set up:
District Champions regular season get automatic region bid
District Tournament - If District Regular Season champion makes the District Tournament final, the other opponent to that team is the second qualifier. If the District Regular Season champion does not make the District Tournament final then the winner of the tournament goes on with the regular season champion.
Region Tournament - District Regular Season Champion and District Tournament Champion (or qualifier w/ regular season champion) are the top two seeds. Top 8 seeds cross bracket with another region every other year then repeat again on the 4th year.
Region Tournament Champion goes on to the Sweet Sixteen as the representative of that region in the State Tournament.
State Tournament - Region 1-16 have a blind draw to see who they play in the tournament.
Down here on this post is half of the 16 regions stretching from Ewing to Richmond. Northern Virginia and the Eastern coast have not been completed.
Again. This will never ever take place but an interesting format to say the least. Giving teams from the west to the east a chance to play the best of the best and to be apart of something they may never have had the chance to dream about.
Some of the matchups make for some pretty interesting scenarios. It also makes the battles that would take place between communities go about at a fever pitch. Some of the crowds that would attend these region tournaments would be crazy.
A great dream for sure.
One of the questions you could pose out of this set up. Which region in the state of Virginia is the best basketball region in the state?
In my opinion, the best overall competitive region of the group listed would have to be Region 3. That would be a basketball brawl come region tournament time.
Region 1's championship site would be played at UVA Wise.
Region 2's championship site would be at Radford University's Dedmon Center
Region 3's championship site would be at Cassell Coliseum at Virginia Tech or the Berglund Center in Roanoke
Region 4's championship site would be at Atlantic Union Bank Center at James Madison University or Virginia Military Institute in Lexington
Region 1 - 19 schools
District 1 - Thomas Walker, Lee High, Gate City, Twin Springs, Rye Cove
District 2 - JI Burton, Union, Central, Eastside, Castlewood
District 3 - Virginia High, John Battle, Abingdon, Patrick Henry, Holston
District 4 - Lebanon, Honaker, Ridgeview, Buchanan Co. HS
Region 2 - 17 schools
District 1 - Richlands, Tazewell, Graham, Bland County
District 2 - Northwood, Chilhowie, Marion, Grayson County
District 3 - Rural Retreat, George Wythe, Fort Chiswell, Galax, Carroll County
District 4 - Narrows, Giles, Pulaski County, Radford
Region 3 - 22 schools
District 1 - Floyd County, Patrick County, Martinsville, Magna Vista, Bassett, Franklin County
District 2 - Auburn, Christiansburg, Blacksburg, Eastern Montgomery, Salem, William Byrd
District 3 - Craig County, Alleghany, James River, Lord Botetourt, Glenvar
District 4 - Northside, Cave Spring, Hidden Valley, Roanoke-Patrick Henry, William Fleming
Region 4 - 22 schools
District 1 - Highland, Bath County, Fort Defiance, Rockbridge County, Parry McCluer, Stuarts Draft
District 2 - Amherst County, Nelson County, Albemarle, Western Albemarle, Monticello, Charlottesville
District 3 - Waynesboro, Staunton, Riverheads, Buffalo Gap, Wilson Memorial
District 4 - Broadway, East Rockingham, Spotswood, Turner Ashby, Harrisonburg
Region 5 - 22 schools
District 1 - EC Glass, Heritage, Jefferson Forest, Liberty, Staunton River, Liberty Christian Academy
District 2 - Chatham, Dan River, Gretna, Tunstall, George Washington-Danville
District 3 - Brookville, William Campbell, Rustburg, Altavista, Appomattox, Buckingham
District 4 - Halifax County, Charlotte County, Prince Edward County, Cumberland County, Central-Lunenburg, Mecklenburg County
Region 6 - 20 schools
District 1 - James Wood, Sherando, Millbrook, John Handley, Clarke County
District 2 - Central-Woodstock, Mountain View, Strasburg, Page County, Luray
District 3 - Warren County, Rappahannock County, Fauquier, Kettle Run, Liberty
District 4 - William Monroe, Madison County, Orange County, Culpeper County, Eastern View
Region 7 - 21 schools
District 1 - Louisa County, Fluvanna County, Goochland, Powhatan, Amelia
District 2 - Nottoway, Brunswick, Dinwiddie County, Greensville County, Sussex Central
District 3 - Franklin, Southampton, Lakeland, King's Fork, Nansemond River
District 4 - Hopewell, Petersburg, Prince George, Surry County, Smithfield, Windsor
Region 8 - 25 schools
District 1 - L.C. Bird, Carver Academy, Cosby, Clover Hill, Thomas Dale, James River
District 2 - Manchester, Matoaca, Meadowbrook, Midlothian, Monacan, Deep Run
District 3 - Mills Godwin, Douglas Freeman, Henrico, Glen Allen, Hermitage, Highland Springs
District 4 - JR Tucker, Varina, Thomas Jefferson, Armstrong, George Wythe, Huguenot, John Marshall
In the past 2-weeks, the Carroll County girls have beaten the #2 ranked Class 3 team in the state Spotswood 67-34 and the #4 ranked Class 3 team in the state LCA 65-31. Additionally, head coach Mark Motley won his 400th game as Carroll County girls head coach in just 20 seasons. He is currently 404-125 in his illustrious career.
This team is SPECIAL!!!
They are better to watch up close and in person. Best girls basketball team to ever come out of any part of Southwest Virginia by a landslide!
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Top 5 in Southwest Virginia Football
in SWVA Football
Posted
1. Graham G-Men - Southwest District - Class 2
2. Ridgeview Wolfpack - Mountain 7 District - Class 2
3. Honaker Tigers - Hogoheegee District - Class 1
4. Gate City Blue Devils - Mountain 7 District - Class 2
5. Union Bears - Mountain 7 District - Class 2