RedPrideNation

I would agree and I think that there was not enough discussion initially to hash these things out. Pretty sure the first meeting with the assistants was when it all blew up over the new direction and within a few days the implosion occurred. I hated it when it happened but again I understand not wanting to continue on if you aren’t bought into the new direction.

Internal candidate this time around would be the right move. Not privy to any of the actual details around Coach Wheelers situation. Was it a crappy situation to put anyone into? Sure but as discussed as being rumored at that time, the assistants bailed due to the amount of change that was suggested. No one has to believe that was the case but I don’t think you would ask one of the more successful defensive coordinators to take the offense because he wanted to run a different scheme on D. If you do then you could expect him to decide to go somewhere else. I don’t fault Coach Wheeler for wanting to run the program the way he wanted but you also can’t fault any assistant for choosing not to stay due to the changes. Casto coming back and the assistants staying had all to do with the train continuing on in the same manner it had been. Again no one has to agree with it or like it but objectively no one wants to work within a system that doesn’t suit your particular talent. I choose to believe that is the case and that given a complete staff of his own choosing, Coach Wheeler would have been successful as he has shown.

There were a few JV that have been with the team since their season ended. To my knowledge Riverheads has never brought all of them to Varsity for playoffs.

Good point on RH adjustments and looking for the cutback. From my observation Riverheads adjusted their blocking several times during this game. In my other post I was actually referring to Galax running stretch to get the edge instead of running behind one guard or the other repeatedly. That’s a damn good Galax team and defensively fundamentally at the top of teams I witnessed this year.

The 85 number was likely including JV when practices started. I didn’t think that many “quit” but I know of 7 from the opening week that didn’t stay all season. There are several seniors that will be missed with the most obvious to me being #26 Smiley. He is someone that every team had to account for at DE and made a huge impact by moving from FB to TE which improved the blocking. His last game at FB before changing positions was the last loss Riverheads had against East Rock in 2018. Low key he was the lynchpin to a lot of the success the run game has experienced these last several years.

Galax adjusted as well and the offense gained good yardage with the stretch and shorter passing in the second half. Tons of respect for Galax and they will certainly be making a deep playoff run again next year. Really impressed with Ashworths mobility and pocket awareness. Realizing he was playing WR last year at a high level tells you how good of an athlete that young man is.

Just my .02 but a grass team usually gains a smidge of speed on turf or at least that’s what I have always heard. It should be an amazing game and one I can’t wait to see.

Which game would Riverheads have been replacing? Curious since they played a 10 game regular season schedule. Doubt the Gladiators would beat this Graham team but we will never know. As for crying as referenced by someone earlier, I personally don’t care what division the Gladiators play in or whether they ever win another title. Outside of Appo tell me a team that has been dominant in 2A since 2010? There aren’t many that have/had a record as good as Riverheads did over the 4 year period that they played 2A. Haters gonna hate but I assure you that most of us realize that the sun doesn't shine on the same dogs @$$ all the time.

Galax can win this game by doing what they do. The line play on both sides for the Maroon Tide is exceptional so RH doesn’t have an advantage there. I think RH has a slight rushing advantage but Galax has a slight advantage passing the ball. I look for it to be a closer game than others are saying partially due to familiarity but mostly due to two very good teams playing. Good luck and safe travels to all those attending Saturday. I think we are going to see two very good games in Salem next week.

Guys, A champion will never quit, gotta take it from them. Great game to watch

Graham 42 Appo 34 Lots of scoring in this one IMO Holston 17 Galax 14 Not so much scoring in this one

Yes sir, YACSports (I think it’s stands for: Your Augusta County Sports), lol. They do a good job and talk about some college stuff mainly around JMU and VT (along with their hatred of UVA). They get into whatever the hot national sports topic is as well. Worth a listen if you are vaguely familiar with our local teams and want to get some insight.

These shows are definitely funny but the guys love the sport, the kids, and the community which make it so enjoyable to watch and must see TV for this Gladiator fan. #Crigger4Prez

Yeah they have been overmatched as of late but they always continue to fight until the whistle. Hate to miss the reps and hope it doesn’t rear it’s ugly head as mistakes next week. Also hate that the seniors don’t get to finish on the field. Lots of lost memories since this whole mess started sadly.

The PM back is a load to bring down so you better get a bunch of hats to him. Great RAC numbers, I think he gets stronger as the game wears on too. Defensively they have some holes but the front 7 tackle fairly well. Certainly one I will try to catch some of if it is streamed.

Could it be different? Possibly Will it be different? Likely not GW can compete with Galax but they can’t stay conservative on offense or defense and expect to win. Balanced approach but lean more towards attacking while you have the ball. What’s the worst that could happen, lose? Outside of GW most people expect that already so flip the script and come out with fire in your eyes.

The style of play at the high school level is cyclical. I personally do not think most 1A schools have the athletes to pull off the spread but occasionally it does happen. Overall if you can’t run the football and play defense you won’t win. I will go further and say that the old adage of “defense travels” rings even more true at the lower classifications. Give me a solid defense with a workable run game and I will take my chances over RPO or Spread. Now there are teams that spread to run which to me is just taking advantage of scheme to accomplish the same thing. A game played in a phone booth is a joy to behold.

Does anyone honestly believe an extra week will get GW over the hump with Galax? It sucks that it’s this way but the milk is spilt. Hang 50 on them when they come to your place. If they get by Galax then so be it, pretty sure GW didn’t convince Covington to cancel to give them a better shot at winning the region. People taking it personal when the athletes and admin at GW likely are frustrated too. Sure they have gotten an athlete or two back but would they rather house Covington in live action or go watch Galax play to see what they have already seen for a decade. After next a Friday it will forgotten anyway as a side note to an already screwed up season.

Gate money from 3, 4, or 5 divisions of championships versus 6? Which one are you picking? Suits gonna get paid. VHSL is an inept bunch that quite frankly hardly ever puts student athletes as the basis of their decisions.

Central is playing pretty special on D now so I doubt it’s all that close. Thing is they are a ball control team so the score won’t be way out of control unless the Bulldogs don’t make tackles. That’s with all due respect because they have some homerun hitters for sure. Just their style of play is more geared towards owning the line play and imposing their will on the opponent. IMO, Wise has a legit shot to take the region but so does Union or the consensus pick G-men. Should be a great atmosphere

A solid case can be made for Graham, KW, Nottoway, Glenvar and even Draft but paper isn’t grass/turf so until someone does it on the field Appo is the clear favorite. And I am not sure why anyone would mention Riverheads as even though I think they would compete with a good many teams, there are several in 2A alone that would just be bad matchups. Anything is possible but that doesn’t mean it probable.

Different sport but same principle. As Greg Maddux once said, “No need to steal the sign. I will tell you what I throw. It’s an 89mph Sinker and you won’t even swing at it”. Knowing what it is and stopping it is two entirely different things. We are talking about high school kids here. I will give you the best example yet. In 2015 the young man from Galax might as well have been in the huddle with Riverheads. He was a machine and I give him all the credit in the world for that state championship that Galax rightfully won. The next time they faced each other the coach knew we ran the same plays and may have called them out but they could not stop them. Just like with boxing or any combat sports, matchups make fights. Sometimes you are the hammer and sometimes you are the nail. So is life.....

Quick question. Even if the defense knows what’s coming, if executed properly isn’t every play supposed to be somewhat successful? I am not being an a$$. In the admittedly little bit of film I have watched of GW, it’s execution as much or more than scheme or play call. In a thread not so long ago the complaint was about GW running the same play repeatedly. I won’t say that doesn’t happen but again when executed every offensive play has a chance of success. It’s not always probable but it certainly is possible. Either way, back to the squabble at hand, lol.

Having seen Spotswood play, V-high should have a running clock if they are legit.

Agreed, it’s a credit to them utilizing their players and a method that did move the ball. Penalties killed them several times too. I have no issue with that type of offense but you have to cash in and make sure you sustain drives. The QB is good for a freshman and I look for him to continue to improve. How does their 9h and 10th grade receivers look? We know what Harris brings to the table so I guess what I am asking is if they will have continuity in their system to grow that young man?