Tiger 2000

Richlands hangs tough vs Bluefield. Doesn’t get to play Montcalm middle school or 1a Honaker before meeting up with tazewell in 3 weeks. Gets to play Bluefield, and Radford . Better not sleep on Princeton either if your a T Town fan. They are bad , they are. But still will probably be favored against you guys.

I agree with you. Part of the running game was the defense. Same type plan vs unions lbs didn’t produce the same type results. They had more attempts last night because they had more success running. The spread isn’t always air raid. It’s all about matchups. The matchups favored the running game. Steele took advantage. The qb looked more comfortable as well. The bubble screens worked last night as well.Didnt run many but worked . Basically a run in that type offense. Getting # 8 and #9on the field offensively helped. Webb can be a weapon on the outside without doing anything, if teams put 2 defenders on the single side of the field to cover. Good balance this year in 2d. I think there are about 4 or 5 teams that could pull an upset on a given night. Last year Cam Allen made sure that wasn’t the case .

Blocking looked better last night. But game wasn’t old fashioned smash mouth. Richlands lined up in spread about all night long . Stretched field out. Webb drew a double team and stayed at wideout 90 percent of the time. This created running lanes and Steele ran hard. No lead blockers out of backfield. Good line play most of the night and took advantage of spacing to create plays in the run game . They passed just enough to keep Abingdon from loading box. It was run first last night but to me it looked more like they took what defense gave them which is what they have done for years out of the spread.

The bears are way more physical. 2 tds better than Abingdon. I liked Martin though. Especially on defense.

I called this score a week ago. Your welcome . Congrats to Coach Mance on 200.

I’m anxious to finally see Martin play. I say that he has a good game and Webb for Richlands has a good game. To me , it will be which team has a few role players step up and it could be on offense or defense. Who ever does, probably wins. The 3 point play may be a factor this week.

Ok. Now we can talk about this one. I like Richlands at home by 10.

Prayers

I’ve got 199 reasons Mance can stay as long as he wants.

Most everybody is making good points on this topic. It’s not only lack of speed. It’s lack of athleticism. Some of the kids have some speed but maybe don’t necessarily use it to make them a better football player. No matter what offense they run. They have to be able to be athletic and tough. Union would have loved to had Richlands total yards the first half. However , there style of play eventually wore down the blues. Richlands puts a lot of stress on defenses by lining up in the spread. But if they don’t start making plays outside of the one or 2 players that have so far nobody is going to honor the outside guys. When Webb is at w/r take a look at the coverage. The coaches probably see that and know they have a really good matchup somewhere else. But so far no consistency from them to make a play. By the third quarter teams have made adjustments. The blues will get it figured out hopefully. I think graham and ridgeview are at the top right now. Then union , tazewell, gate city and Richlands is somewhere in that mix. Seeds 3 through 6 should all be competitive .

My biggest issue is that someone needs to make a big play other than Webb. The punt block was really the only thing big that brought a lot of energy. If Steele can get going or Gillespie it would do a great deal. Or if tarter and whited get more involved in the pass game. Whited may have to be spread out in order to create some mismatch opportunities. Medley as well. If not , there is no choice but to pack it in and ground it out. But watching union bring 9 guys to the line of scrimmage when Webb was torching them , let me know that they feared no one else at that particular time. And they were able to shut him down somewhat. Maybe we could have at aired one deep to one of the other receivers and try to back them off but it’s easy to second guess. I still say that it is a personnel issue more than anything. A lot of these players are good but are they better than what Richlands has had the last decade ? No. Only about 3 of these guys would have started as little as maybe 3 years ago. Got to get some speed and athleticism. The brown kid that is a freshman will be tough. Just give him a few more weeks. Some of these sophomores have potential as well. But right now your playing some tough competition without the luxury of a lot of talent.

Players transfer to better themselves. They hold back. If the school is winning it makes it easier to make the decision. Everyone hates it unless they get the 4 star kid . It’s all good. Been happening a long time. Social media just calls teams out on it harder now. Just to add my 2 cents though. Tazewell does not have the speed of graham. I don’t route for either team. Tazewell is improved. They are . They are all 1 year older )But you guys lost to Lebanon last year. You have a lot of the same players. Tazewell nor Richlands can make comparisons to graham right now. Not until they beat them. Or at least compete for 4 quarters with them.

I agree. I heard our fans. Some with players playing. Some just fans. I personally had no problem with it. And the players I spoke too after the game didn’t use it as an excuse.

Grahams D is better. Unions D is tough. Grahams offense is what will be the big advantage. Union did not cross mid field in the first half vs Richlands. They had 1 long hard nosed drive and then their D / special teams basically did all the rest. Richlands has more total yards than union and it wasn’t yards they picked up in garbage time. Union has a great D. Just don’t think they have enough O to steal one vs Graham. May be able to play them tough though.

I agree on the noise. That was a great atmosphere for a game. Richlands fans defended there kids last year over the band debacle. They were right to do so. The union fans are gonna defend the horn. It’s football. It’s good stuff. The players will be better for it. Great stories to tell later on. I want to beat union every time we play them but they have great fans, good coaches , good players. That’s what you go to see.

Maybe Mance should have scheduled a couple KY teams . Or lee high and Montcalm. Only good news for Richlands right now is that it is not debatable on who plays the toughest schedule. A 4 -6 Richlands could wind up playing an 8-2 team in the playoffs. Ask Grayson and Ridgeview about it. Not a matchup you look forward too even if you win it. Meanwhile go ahead and schedule , Honaker , and Montcalm , Grundy , etc. The average fan , just is happy with a W . Right ?

I’m a die hard blue fan. No bad calls last night . No cheating. Not bad coaching . Got beat physically in second half for second straight week and couldnt hold a lead into the 4 th quarter last night. Give credit to union for not giving up the big play through the air . Then after Webb went into the backfield he got them for 40 or 50 yards in 4 plays and they burnt a time out and put an extra man or 2 around the line . Fans are fans but the blues just got beat . They are not horrible. Just have to finish and as I’ve been saying for a month. They need another playmaker or 2 , and unions LBs .....sheesh.

Just my opinion as a Richlands fan. There is a rule concerning artificial noise once huddle is broke. I’m pretty sure that rule was probably broken. However. It is home field advantage. I like it. I like the environment. The atmosphere was great. The game was great till mid way through the fourth. We came out on the loosing end . The noise probably was tough to deal with. It was supposed to be. That was the point. Kids will remember the atmosphere. Remember the noise. Remember trying to concentrate and carry out their assignments in an adverse environment. That is why we all love the game and the lessons that carry on in real life. Didn’t cause us to loose. Caused us to be uncomfortable. And that is why there is a home / away series between most teams. I hope Richlands gets it together and gets to play union again . That was a good game for most part. Highly competitive for over 3/4 of the game.

Game was close . There is never any moral victory in a loss when you play for Richlands. Anytime your leading going into the 4 th quarter , you have given yourself a shot to win the game. Union has way , more athletes on d . Their lbs are top notch and corners played the run well. #43 is a great player on both sides of the ball. Richlands fell apart at about the 6 minute mark of the game. No one that was there in attendance would have thought 26 -3 with 8 minutes left in the entire game. Offensively , taking Webb from wr will hurt somewhat. He had 43 receptions as a freshman. Already 11or 12 in 2 games this year. I’m not sure of any freshman in the swd doing that. So there is no way it is a great thing. You loose the double teams on one side of field that creates open spaces for the others. The loose a young qbs security blanket. What is the qbs completion percentage when thrown to all the receivers. ?And what is the RAC , by all of the receivers . The tight end made 2 good catch and runs in the screen game tonight That was it These other w/r rbs, should have had a chance to step up . Webb should not be the leading rusher , when he didn’t take 1 carry in the whole first half . And he may have been the leading receiver with 3 or 4 catches . I think rb by committee may be in order. I hate to see the spread go because I feel like Richlands has 2 or 3 players that can thrive in that system that has won so many games but the drop off in talent is really shocking. I hope they get healthy and put together a full game next time out. Good luck to union. They are much better than gate city in my opinion. They tackle well and execute well.

I agree with hokie 1on this one. Lester is gonna win the player of the week , maybe more than once this year. Levi’s kick will be extremely hard to duplicate. Harris ( Tazewell) will have big games and will get the award. Webb had right at 300 total yards , including return yards from kicks , punts , int returns . He will get it at some point. Graham has a couple more that will bust a huge game . We have witnessed 300 yard performances but personally I have never witnessed (in high school, college , or pro , a 59 yard kick , live . That one will be hard to top. Not a slight at the others at all. Lester is tough , and was a compliment to Allen last year, and now is the face of the team. Harris from tazewell worked hard all off season and you can tell. I like the athletes right now in the SWD. Very good skill players ....

I simply gave an honest response. No ill will intended. I’ve watched these kids for years. This is not a team filled with playmakers. The point I made was that it’s easy to assume there are playmakers all over the field. Ask opposing coaches who have to scout for an upcoming Richlands game. The int that the qb threw was not into double coverage. It was to Richlands tallest receiver 1 v1 with a shorter dB. Not a bad call or decision. Just a poorly thrown ball. He targeted Webb once in double coverage and just overthrew him. Not a bad play. It’s easy for us forum guys to second guess a coach with 199 wins and critique play calling. I said the qb was gonna get better as the season goes. As far as needing to get it to other receivers than Webb. My point was that Webb had a constant double team. And he had limited targets. But during the 2 minute drive I think the qb completed 4 to Webb in 4 attempts. If he had a double, The other receivers must beat the 1 on 1. Tarter has made plays. Altizer was injured or he could have had an impact. But with him gone last week and a new qb making his first start the “ weapons “ were minimal at best. The line is the strength. The kicking game is the best arounD , and Webb is a big play guy , but only a sophomore. He will have to take on more touches in order for Richlands to move the chains consistently. . One of the weapons needs to emerge in the running game and another receiver / tight end. All in all , the offense scored enough points to win a game. The defense , which was believed to be the bright spot , didn’t show up after the first 3 drives. That was due to lack of speed and lack of skilled players on the outside . Phipps , Martin , whited , went at it hard. All I’m saying is look at the graham roster or the Bluefield roster. Go position by position. Qb, rb , wr , lineman , etc. How many players do the blues have that would edge out one of their positional players. If your answer is honest. Not many. So that would equal “ lack of weapons “. Not arrogant. Being truthful. So if you do manage to beat some of these teams , coaching has a lot to do with it. It can’t be terrible win they loose and great win they win. Your coaching what you have and sometimes it’s not as skilled of a team and it’s ok to say that it isn’t.

Oh. Sorry. I took the comment “ Richlands has more receivers than one “ out of context. I realize now , you were speaking of the kicker. I guess. ?Re read your own post. You said it , not me. Maybe mance will have the kicker play wideout. He would definitely be better than the other playmakers you were referring too.

Just sounded like nonsense. I’ll take the 16 for 31 from our qb in game 1. I’ll take the one he overthrew Webb on in double coverage. It wasn’t picked off and close for going for 6. I’ll take (1) pass to our tight end at end of game. He was split out on a smaller dB. It wasn’t a good throw or attempt to try and knock it down. But saying we should have got it to our other playmakers ? Who. ? Altizer was hurt and out the second half. Who are the playmakers . That was a dumb comment. Sounds good but it wasn’t true. Who is a threat for Richlands to score from anywhere on the field. Who on the team is a playmaker enough to draw any extra attention during film session by opposing teams. ? Richlands has about 4 or 5 kids that all will need to contribute to go with the known commodities that they have and if that happens Richlands will be pretty good. Qb played ok for game 1. Webb played good. Whited, Phipps , and Absher played good on D. But from where I sat the other receivers had 1v1 because of the double coverage on Webb. Who is the playmaker that blue 72 wants to get the ball. He should have been demanding it with one on one coverage.

This is what message boards are for. I like it. Richlands qb played well as game went on. Richlands isn’t gonna be great but they are gonna be tough. Defense has some stars. Phipps , whited. Offense will get better. Need Altizer back. It will be a good game.

What weapons. ? The pass into double coverage was to the tight end who wasn’t targeted enough. He only had 2 passes thrown his way. Simmons was 9 of 12 on attempts to Webb so your not talking about him . Should have gotten the ball to him more but gate city did a good job with coverage. That left several receivers 1 v1 and they didn’t take advantage. Webb will be doubled all year and after last week probably won’t get kicked too. Altizer being out hurts the blues. He is a good receiver. The only bad pass thrown into double coverage was to a receiver who only had 1 other pass thrown his way. Please don’t comment on here unless you at least know a little football. It’s pretty simple. You have 2 playmakers and 1 is a kicker When the season is over the stats will prove that. Remember your coach has 199 wins. Your not gonna get by with a comment as absurd as the one you just made.