Fairlawncat

I agree Richlands didnt have out of this world athletes in 92, but....they were athletic. Their front 4 was very big, strong, and athletic for lineman for its time. Their DBs and WRs weren't super athletic, but all were athletic. All 22 players /positions weren't flirting with 1st team All state honors, but all 22 positions were "good." Just didnt have any "bad" or "weak" spots. When the WRs caught balls, they didnt pull away, but they never seemed to get caught. When Breeding had a hole, he didnt pull away, but never seem to get caught. On 3rd and 8, the QB wasn't Montana accurate, but the ball always seemed to get there. Just that kind of a team that I recall. Technique was impeccable which was representative of Dennis V. Guy could coach.

I looked through the program and no enrollment numbers given. Graham, GC, and Radford did choose to play up. When the Arsenal was booming, Radford had more kids. Graham's Carlock from what I read on here and from what he told Coach Lineburg years ago is that Graham actually wanted to play Div 4 (Class 4 today) but the VHSL decided on Class 3 for them to play up. He told Coach Lineburg years ago that if 2 teams in the same county were playing in Div 4, that they should also be playing D4. If he would have got his way, Graham would have been playing not one level, but 2 levels up from 1986 through 2010 or whenever they finally dropped to Class 2. Hats off to these old school coaches. They wanted to battle. Heck, I remember one time Graham went to scrimmage Varina somewhere and Carlock also got mad one year that Graham couldn't scrimmage Hampton High one year when the Mighty Crabbers came to Pulaski's Jamboree sometime in the 80s. That's why I've always respected Grahams program. They won't back down from anyone and that dates back for decades.

It's going to be Martinsville and Nelson County in the Class 2, Region C title game. Dan River, Radford, and Floyd are all decent, but they aren't on the level of Martinsville and Nelson County. Dan River could maybe make it close with Martinsville if the two met in the region just because of the historic rivalry, but I dont think they are beating the Dogs in the playoffs.

I want to say 850 to 900ish, not 1000 (10 through 12). I have the VHSL playoff book for 1992 and will look. They listed student enrollments. Many schools played up then and Tazewell (state champs) in 1986 was Class 4 equivalent to today, (AA, Division 4). Graham and Gate City and Radford were playing Class 3 back then (AA, Division 3) which would be equal to LCA and Heritage's level today. Grundy was Class 4 equal back then and Richlands and Tazewell and Marion and Abingdon were all Class 4 equal to today. Graham was the last one out of all of them to finally drop. From 1970 to 1986, VA only had 3 levels or classifications which were A, AA, AAA, so 3 total state champs. Graham, Radford, Richlands, Tazewell, Grundy, Blacksburg, Gate City were all AA. This is where a school Like P. Valley had a slight advantage on titles won prior to 86, and even up until 2004. Teams like Graham, Gate City, and Radford, should have all been playing Single A from 1970 to 1985, and in 1986, Gate City, Graham, Radford should have all been Class 2, but we're in class 3 for a long time, well over another decade or almost 2 decades before they dropped. Grundy in 1986, (the year when VA went from 3 to 6 classifications) was actually Class 4 (AA, Division 4) and maintained that I believe until the late 90s. Their loss to Salem in the state semis in 1996 was a Class 4 game (AA, Div 4). It's incredible how Grundy went from one time Class 4, now down to Class 1 in just over a 10 year period. I want to say late 90s until late 00's and Grundy went from Class 4 to Class 1. No disrespect to P. Valley which is one of the best historic programs in Virginia, but from about 1970 to 2004 (about 34 years) there were schools who played solid football that had similar numbers or even less students (Graham) that played another level up. Graham, Gate City, and Radford. Even Giles in the 1980s was AA. Their AA state title in 1980 was played at the AA level when VA only awarded 3 state titles, A, AA, AAA.

I remember Moyer, a bolt. Marcus Parker, for all his prowess on offense and would later became a Hokie RB was just as good in HS on defense. Heck of a football player and a man amongst boys in High School. Reminded me kind of like People's from Galax. Just dominant.

No. Appomattox is slightly. Radford and GreNADE will be close and any of 3 could win it. All 3 will be close. All 3 likely an underdog in game 14 against Graham/Ridgeview, and possibly Union. I dont know what Gate City or Gretna returns.

VT finds a way to lose in January, even when the season is not....in season. Can you imagine the level of Dumb, if that kid goes on and does well at a school like Michigan, or basically any P5 school. Tech wanted him as a Safety. He grew up a diehard Hokie fan. Dumb dumbs told him he couldn't play QB. They were focused on good Ole "Drones," who might be the worst QB at VT since Nick Sorenson, but Sorenson was a safety filling in for an injury riddled QB roster. Give Sorenson one full year to learn the position and he would have probably outplayed Drones.

Hate to hear that. But, being in the middle of Richmond and now trying to compete with Armstrong and Thomas Jefferson both now in Class 2 and in the same city, and then having to get past Poquoson and King William in the region offers a near zero chance. But, the fallout from the above? Armstrong and/or TJ will get better. Richmond with open enrollment and easy bus transportation means about 10 to 12 kids that are probably solid athletes and ballers will find their way to Armstrong or Thomas Jefferson. Kids like to stay in groups and together, so one of the 2 schools above will likely get the bulk of the kids leaving JM, and that school will be a potent force.

I had graduated by then, but made the drive to watch. 33 years ago. 1. Richlands was better. Do not listen to people tell you about math equations about how "this length and that diameter of cleats equals 20 or 30 or 50 percent more advantage.....bs, bs, bs. Salem could NOT block the Richlands front 4. 2. Dennis V is arguably one of the greatest ON FIELD coaches in this coverage area's history in my opinion. He was a magician. Off the field? Yep, had issues. On the field, xs and os, scheme for his time, technique, etc? A magician. 3. It's not 100 percent for certain that Vaught 100 percent knew the cleats were illegal. I think he likely did, but many have stated he didnt know until after he had already purchased them. 4. Technically, Richlands was NOT reprimanded and placed on probation for the following season due to illegal cleats. Its was actually due to crowd behavior towards Orange County in the State Title game that followed the week after they beat Salem. 5. There have been probably better teams in the coverage area for its time than Richlands 1992, but NONE more physical for its time. Thats the most physical football team I've seen in SWVA history (For Its Time). Again, NOT the Best for its time, but physicality, it cant be topped. Brutal lineplay on both sides of the ball. 6. I like Salem. Still do. But, Salem wasn't simply going to lose and there NOT be some kind of "argument or mistake or excuse" as to why. Salem did the same thing years earlier down at Lee High. Granted, Salem had a legit complaint with Richlands due to the cleats, but for people that played and know and watch football, you knew Richlands was better and the cleats didn't matter. 7. The excuse (Long Before) the cleats issue was proven true started the very next day out of the Roanoke Valley with "alleged proof" that the Richlands fire department "watered the field down" the night before the game. That fake excuse was already in full effect within 8 hours of Salem losing. The truth was opposite. Richlands actually had giant fans and helicopters and things of that nature actually trring to dry the field. What's incredible? Richlands state title then was Division 4. Virginia had A, Divisions 1 and 2, had AA Divisions 3 and 4, had AAA Divisions 5 and 6. So, basically the same as today. 6 classifications of football and Richlands over Salem then was the equal of a Class 4 title today, not even Class 3 which is where Heritage, LCA play, but Class 4. That's impressive.

They've been playing good hoops in and around Mullens, WV, for many, many decades. That county can ball, and has some historical hoopsters to show for it.

Said that as soon as the NIL announced. No cap on spending equals disaster and ruin, and thats what's happened. There is and has been discussion and ongoing discussion in congress, but nothing has happened. Even the NFL has a cap. It's actually hard to believe that when NIL deals and transfer rules were put in place/changed a few years ago, Not ONE human actually formed the thought, "Hey, you know, we should probably have a max that each school can spend or this could get out of hand." Well, that thought evidently didn't happen, or if it did, it held little weight.

That statement applies to seemingly half of the kids in the country now. There aren't many "committments" nowadays. Just bidding wars.

I was referring to the 20 for 20 football performance. Incredible. 17 of 21 on hoops is impressive also.

22 points and 10 rebounds in a half is not shabby, but he's not the kind of athlete that could go 20 for 20 for an entire game. Or could he?

Seems like it was so lopsided that even the great Calvin Talford wouldn't have been able to pull the W for Castlewood.