SwvaOG

Ridgeview scores a big win over Central tonight 5-3. Amazingly, it was the Pack’s first win over the Warriors since consolidation (2015). Brandon Beavers strikes out 11 over 5 innings to outduel Robbie Wilson who had 9 strikeouts in a complete game loss. Pack move to 2-1 (1-0). Any other updates in the M7?

Let's shake the board up a bit. Who is the better district in baseball? Mountain 7 or SWD?

I agree. Baseball is a cumulative process and good programs don’t fall off that much when they lose superior talent. I have VHS no worse than 2nd. I’ll also go back out on a limb and say Ridgeview will be much improved and could be around .500 this year….which would be huge for them. If you thought Stanley was a bad football coach he was a worse baseball coach. They’ve got a baseball guy for the first time. It will take him some time but he can get that program to being respectable if they stick with him.

Rigdeview’s Koda Counts signed with Bluefield and will be on the defensive side as a S. I thought he was an underrated, in the box SS (had him as the best SS in Region). He will have to learn the coverage side and techniques as RV’s staff was not very good in that area. He has a good frame at 6’3”, 170 and will hit you.

Some coaches focus primarily on the portal and deemphasize high school kids. Witnessed this first hand.

Anyone else notice the trends of inflating the number on the team? If you have 5 positions and 8 make first team and 8 make 2nd team you have three teams.

Well, with the Gibson kid unfortunately suffering an injury, I'll have to adjust the M7 POY to the Hankins kid from John Battle. Any other dark horse candidates? I know Gobble from John Battle is a threat as well.

Just dropping Bluefield for Virginia High. That’s a downgrade in opponent quality and only saves about 20-30 minutes of travel. But….with the loss of talent they’ve had this will help grab another win.

There is no advantage to using the QB to run in every play. None. It is an archaic thought process at best. If it were advantageous it would be utilized more frequently and at higher levels. It is never utilized at higher levels....in fact, the better orgs and professionals all want to do the exact things I mentioned that running the QB prohibits...specifically #4. The only way its hard for the OC to make reads from the sidelines is because he doesn't give himself enough time to do so....and he should be in the press box anyway. All of modern football is doing this or converting to it. You don't huddle, you line up and see what the defense aligns to.....you analyze that pre-snap read and signal in the play. All of this is defeated or seriously degraded by running your QB to the sidelines. Also, every time you do that your QB runs 52 yards (26 there and 26 back) If there are 50 offensive snaps in a game that is 2600 yards of jogging by your QB that doesn't yield one net yard. In a 10 game season that's 26,000 yards and 70% of play clock wasted. The single most ridiculous thing I've seen in football in the last ten years was RV doing this while showing 4 wide and 1 back with no TE package and having ZERO reads for the QB.....an extremely talented and smart QB by the way. The second most ridiculous thing I've seen offensively in the region was Gate City's offense and use of Carson Jenkins his senior year.

Union has a governor on their potential which is their team height. As scrappy as they are....it helps to be above 6'. I'm curious if the McClung media blitz stokes the Gate City basketball fires a bit.

It is a bad thing. I've watched it for years at RV. Here is why it was idiotic at RV: 1) They were supposed to be a spread offense but never let the QB read the defense. 2) They eliminated tempo as an option since the QB would only have 7-10 seconds once he released the huddle. 3) The QB doesn't get to communicate or discuss things with the rest of the offense because they give up 70% of the play clock so coach can run a play in. This greatly limits his potential to be the leader a QB needs to be. 4) The OC can't read what the defense is doing because offense is never on the line pre-snap. Once again, this is a concept that should be retired. I've watched high school football in FL, GA, TX, MI, WV, VA and TN and I have only seen a QB run plays in in SWVA. I played in SWVA years ago and not one team I played against did this (all used a WR).

Them Jewel Ridge and Bandy boys ain’t scared either. But ole Tom has always had a little fire to him.

For some reason this sport doesn't get as much traction on here as it should, especially considering that we have some quality programs in the region (Abingdon, John Battle, Lebanon, etc.). This is also a sport that splits pretty evenly talent wise in 2A Region D between the M7 and the SWD (I'm already counting Lebanon as SWD). Between all of the fans on the board, I'm sure we can do a proper write up on predictions and which teams and players to watch.

Well, I won’t argue with you, but just go back and rewatch this last seasons Region Championship game against Graham. It was a clinic in piss poor coaching, game plans and adjustments. Over the course of a six year window, RV will have graduated a 6500 yard rusher, 2600 yard WR and a probable 9K yard passer and will have ZERO Region championships to show for it. Amazing.

1987 Va High @ Richlands playoff game. Game winning 2 Pt conversion caught by Chad King and called out of bounds. King was clearly in bounds and the game ends on a controversial call. Bearcats get the walkoff stop for the win. That was one of the most talented Richlands teams ever. Photographer caught the catch on film… clearly showed the feet were in bounds. 2021: Ridgeview @ Richlands. Ridgeview dominated a regular season matchup but Richlands played a great game and had the lead with 1:30 to play. Not so fast! Ryan O’Quinn hits Brandon Beavers in the back corner of the endzone on an amazing toe tap TD for what appeared to be the game winner. Not so fast! For some inexplicable reason Ridgeview kicked it directly to Sage Webb who returns it 80+ yards for the apparent game winning counter. Ernie Hicks erupts sensing a major upset. Not so fast! Ridgeview drives down the field and is on the 7 yard line with :04 seconds….time for one more play. O’ Quinn drops back and looks to his left and hits Beavers on a come back just a foot inside the endzone to win the game with no time left on the clock. The game had three would/ be game winning scores in the last 1:26 of the game with three score changes.