Eersfan

The officiating might’ve been bad but so was the gameplay. Graham has benefited more from horrible VHSL officiating way more often than the opposite. 2008 and 2012 are those instances. And as for the decleater, 2 years ago both the SSAC and the VHSL said they were gonna start penalizing on crack back blocks. I remember the same call being made during a Tazewell - Graham game in 2017. It doesn’t matter if the offensive player has his feet on the ground or not. If it’s a hard hit above the waist on a trailing defender focused on the ball carrier, it will get called. Neither team played well. There was very little discipline on either side. I saw a Graham player cuss an official to his face and it never drew a flag. I saw another Graham defender try to step on the fingers of the QB and his own teammate pulled him away. There could’ve been another 100 yards in penalties for both teams, just in personal fouls. That’s a lack of discipline. Both teams are loaded with speed and talent that no one in this area has. Yet we saw an ugly game from both sides. That’s not the fault of the officials or the PA announcer, that’s on the coaches .

I think the G Men need some work. They gave up several 70 and 80 yard runs for TDS. Bluefield could’ve opened the lead up in the 3rd but Davis came out after a 30 Yd run inside the 10. Then his replacement fumbled on the next play. And Beaver had at least a dozen bad snaps , 2 of which resulted in turnovers. Bluefield has some talent but I don’t think it’s enough to overcome the 100 or more yards in penalties and 3 or 4 fumbles they had. They might have the D1 recruits but I don’t see them winning state unless they get home field. Graham will have a much easier road but they need to stay injury free.

The players that stood out to me , other than Davis and Lester who put up big stats. Are Shawn Mitchell and Isaiah Justice. Mitchell , a 5’8 160 lb member of a shaky Beaver linebacking corp that gave up big yards to Giles and Pulaski, made some big time hustle plays and his fumble return TD was the difference in the game. He made some big stops while Martin and Davis were on the sideline. Justice had a few nice blocks and a couple catches ,including a TD, These kids may not get the hype but they stepped up on a big stage

Next week might be a much more interesting matchup than most people think.

Bluefield wins 41-27. Lester injured late in game

I know I didn’t but with a Houseright on the sideline, they’re gonna shake up the Mtn 7

2 PI calls have kept Graham alive on the last 2 series. One negated a pick by Ryker Brown

Beaver up 41-27 with around 5:00 to go. Blfd has 3 long TDs on 1 play drives. Lester has kept Graham in the game

Graham’s best player has been Bluefields center. He’s had at least 12 bad snaps and 2 turnovers. Wouldn’t be surprised if the Nose guard isn’t trying to slap the ball.

Justice with a 4 yard TD for the G Men reception then an 80 yd TD from JJ Davis. Blfd up 34-20

Bluefield looks terrible and Graham not much better

There might be some D-1 commits in this game, but I’d have to say it’s one of the worst played Beaver-Graham games in recent memory

Shawn Mitchell with a fumble return for TD. Blfd 28-13 over Graham in 3rd. Blfd needs to scrap the spread . They’ve had a dozen bad snaps tonight. Way too many penalties on both teams. Graham has been hurt the worst

I’m saying Bluefield was loaded with even more talent and speed then and Spadaro was also an assistant for Large. The tenacity of Graham’s defense is due to the players. It has shown in the past. Football today is more about the Johnny’s and the Joe’s than it is the X’s and the O’s. Simon and Palmer are good coaches but they would never have their success at a school such as Lebanon or a Montcalm. Great coaching comes in to play when you know the other sideline has more size,speed and talent than you do every week but you find ways to win.

People forget to give the players much credit for their defensive play. These seniors as 8th graders gave Bluefield Middle team their only loss of the season and held a much faster BMS team to 1 score. And prior to that , They held a Bluefield Cardinal team that scored 40 or more points a game to 1 offensive TD for 2 games in a row. Oh yeah and the opposing teams QB was Devin Lester. These seniors didn’t have that explosive offensive player back then but they were tough, smart and coachable. They were a tremendous group of defenders long before Edwards, Atkins, Ray and even Lester came along. Adding those kids just gave them more confidence with the added speed.

Yes controlled. Holding onto the football and moving the ball in short increments. It was a 3 point game in the 2nd with Richlands scoring on a pass to take the lead only to be nullified by a silly penalty. That was definitely a subpar Richlands team but they scrapped. Anything can change in the course of 6 games. And Richlands definitely has the tougher schedule and they have depth. Those tougher games could deplete their ranks or make them tougher. Graham will have a somewhat tougher task with Union than Central Wise and Tazewell will be improved but what happens when they lose a key player? Where will their heads be at after those games? Will they blow those cupcakes off the ball and get complacent? If Richlands has improved on the defensive side , I wouldn’t count them out at all.

I look for Richlands to slow the game down against Graham. They controlled the first half in the playoffs . They had a go ahead TD erased due to ineligible receiver penalty then threw a pic on the next play. Then Cam Allen had a 90 yard QB sneak a couple plays later. And Richlands just fell apart from there. Sometimes the ball bounces your way, who’s to say it won’t bounce the Blue Tornado’s this year.

I think when comparing Graham’s success with Richlands or Bluefield’s. One thing stands out. Strength of schedule. The SWD is pretty weak as it is. But How often does Graham step up their competition out of conference. At least Richlands will challenge themselves against a Blacksburg or William Byrd. Even scrimmaging a team like Belfry. Bluefield may have took their lumps against Botetourt but at least they stepped outside their comfort zone. Freddy Simon has done it for years. Playing 3A and 4A powerhouses at times and unlike in the VHSL, you have to win those games in WV to get points. He played 2 prep schools in Charlotte NC full of D-1 signees only for 2 A points. That takes guts. VHSL should abolish district play, if they did you wouldn’t see coaches stacking teams with transfers or weaker programs folding. The tougher teams would have to schedule up because their whipping boy former district doormat could drop them to schedule easier games to build their program. Let’s see Graham schedule a Tennessee High , Pulaski County, Lord Botetourt or even a 1A Chilhowie team instead of a depleted Fort Chiswell , Central Wise or a 1 win Princeton team. Test your depth and toughness during the season like most great teams do.

What is the obsession with running the spread in the SWD? Some of these teams don’t have the speed or personnel to pull it off and they attempt it against teams that have way more speed than they do. Look at what Lord Butterscotch did to Beaver with a good running game. Teams like Richlands and Tazewell could surprise teams if they could balance a power game with an outside game to go with their passing game.

I don’t think Lester will have to be all that Allen was for Graham for to be successful. He’ll make plays when needed and be a great leader. And as for the Beavers , there’s a big difference between Glenvar and Pulaski County. They stepped on that field today this morning for the first time without lil Tony. I’m sure they were out of sorts but Freddy Simon will have those guys ready and they will be playing with emotion come that 1st game. Regardless of what Graham does against Beaver, the rest of their schedule is a cakewalk.

Was in Oakwood today. Only saw a few games. River view WV looks like a . 500 team . Castlewood outplayed them and out scored them 2-0 in the first 2 possessions. RV went to the air and scored 2 in their 3rd possession. Castlewood only had around 20 players and weren’t subbing much. Lebanon has big numbers with around 40 players. They’re extremely small and slow. Lebanon gets solid play at QB. The starter throws a nice ball and at times he executes the offense well. No running game to help him. His back up , who might go 5’5 130lbs, plays with a lot of poise and heart. Lebanon was tied 2-2 with Rye Cove , who didn’t score a TD against Northwood. The Pioneers gave something to build on for the future but it’s gonna be a long season . They may compete with Va high or Marion. But I see them giving up lots of points to the other 3 district teams

That’s a great example of coaching by allowing his players the full experience of high school sports. Some high profile coaches , especially in the 2 most profitable sports, still believe that in pressuring kids into focusing just on their sport. Sometimes it’s more about ego than preparation. Coach Dixon is doing it right. He knows his players don’t need 9 months of preparation before game 1. He also knows the benifits of multi sport athletes. Give me a wrestler at nose guard , at linebacker or the interior offensive line. You won’t need to spend hours on tackling drills or footwork with those guys. Give me a SS or a Catcher who wants that QB spot. His mechanics will be ingrained into his brain. Or a Safety that plays centerfield. His ball skills and track down speed will improve faster than anyone hanging around the weight room. A smart coach would know these things, at least one without a ginormous ego.

Some stray dawgs showed up

I keep waiting to hear “ it’s not about how many dogs are in the fight, just how much fight are in the dogs.” Tee shirt material ..... I want royalties

I saw a team pic of the Dawgs today and only saw 24 kids. I was hoping to see better numbers