Eersfan

Everything hinges on that first game. Va High is a winnable game. Pull that one off then give Graham all they can handle and going .500 is a possibility. Drop that 1st game and it may be 2-8 again

First downs don’t mean much when you cough up the ball at the end of the play. Radford was young and overrated. Appomattox played their usual 2 quarters of football and Radford snuck past them. They had a young QB with a weak arm and not the best feet. How much better are they gonna be? Is there any teams in Southwest Va that can stretch the field other than Graham with their speed. Prioleau was the only back on their schedule with decent speed but he was all Radford had.

In Radford’s defense , they moved the ball well early on Graham but fumbled the ball away . Once on a nice run on Prioleau. Graham has way more talent than most of the teams they play , especially at the skill positions. But the right game plan executed by a mentally and physically tough team could beat them. You never know what will happen. I don’t think it’s a guarantee that Bluefield will beat them , Bluefield lost a large group of seniors. They’re transitioning themselves. But teams like Richlands, Union and even Tazewell could pull the upset if they protect the ball and bring some toughness. Games aren’t won during 7 on 7’s. A great defensive game plan with kids that play their area of the field , don’t over pursue , tackle well and rip at the ball can beat talent any day

That lack of media attention starts at the local level. Baseball deserves more respect from media outlets , parents and administrators as well. Southwest Virginia, for instance, is blessed with more baseball talent than football or basketball talent. Yet it will always be the #3 or lower male sport at these same schools. That lack of respect will continue to fuel the discrepancy

I agree. It’s hard to sell HS kids on baseball. Football and Basketball are promoted year round by the media, coaches, and even administrators. I was watching ESPN the other day and NBA summer league was on. I’ve grown tired of the NBA in the past 10 years. It has saturated the media since the late 90’s and I don’t see the excitement that it used to bring in the 80’s and 90’s. Go up to any HS kid, athlete or not, and they can name almost any current NBA player. These same kids don’t know much about sports other than the celebrity of it. Most of them are clueless to the rules and history of the sports they follow. The media , including social media, have indivualized sports like never before. Focusing on superstars and not the game itself. Even kids that play baseball won’t watch baseball on TV other than the HR hitting contest. Those same baseball players can tell you every player that Lebron had the Lakers trade for. Why isn’t the MLB draft covered as closely as the NBA and NFL ? Granted it’s like 100 rounds long but even so it receives very little attention.

I’m beginning to think my childhood was wasted

Pitfall was the bomb. What game was about the Oregon trail? I’m sure I would’ve remembered a game where you died from drinking stagnant water.

Today’s generation of athletes are guided by the social media culture. The fear of being on a losing team overrules any school or community pride or love for the sport. Throw in an overinflated sense of entitlement and that’s a recipe for a couch potato. The fact that there are an alarming rate of sports related transfers each year shows the lack of patience and loyalty that high school athletes have today. The common trait between the superstars that sit at home and the superstars who move on to greener pastures is that they are afraid of looking bad. The lazy kids just have less options so they choose to not participate.

I think there’s a few players that always get overlooked. Kids like Isaiah Justice and Joey Dales are multisport athletes that are playmakers and unselfish downfield blockers. Cade Simmons is a tremendous athlete that could have a big year. These young men get overlooked in the preseason probably due the fact they excel in Spring sports and get a late start but they excel in the Fall too.

Battle is a scrappy team , lots of heart and hustle. It’ll be a good game.

Graham came back down 5-0 and tied the game. Marion played great defense and their SS caught a line drive with the bases loaded and 2 outs in the 7th to seal it. As of right now , Graham is up on Tazewell in points. Marion played error free baseball and made plays even though they gave up a dozen or more hits. Graham left a lot on base because of Marion’s defense. Marion played a pretty tough schedule and have hung in there all year. Their record isn’t indicative of how hard they play.