SwvaOG

Also...at first glance I see that Trenton Adkins had 652 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns in just his first two games his junior season (2019). I don't think this board either saw him play or just didn't appreciate the volume of yards and TDs this kid produced during his career. Had it not been for COVID, he would have the VHSL all-time rushing record. I'd actually love for good ol @Liam McPoyle expand on this topic and break it down by position group. Its hard to compare apples to oranges. The top 10-20 performances since 2000 (although a lot of us are much older) per position group..RB, QB, WR, TE, LB, DL, DB. That would be a great and lengthy thread.

Am I the only one that gives higher rushing totals more credence back with they ran out of the wishbone and Power-I and all 11 defenders were within four yards of the LOS?

How about the Sproles brothers at Ridgeview (circa 2015-2018)? They would knock your head off.

RV did this and it drove me freakin crazy. Let’s break down why it’s a bad idea: 1) If your QB runs 50 plays a game and runs to the coach and back every time that is 52 yards round trip x 50 trips for a total of 2600 yards a game. That is 26,000 yards a regular season. 2) You lose roughly 12-15 seconds of the play clock just getting the QB there and back....that's not counting how much time the coach takes to tell the QB the play. 3) You eliminate any feedback the players may have for the QB. They don’t have time to communicate with the QB. That is 10 players’ feedback lost. 4) The QB never gets a chance to look at the defense so your spotter in the press box is the only person seeing what the defense is doing. 5) You lose any opportunity for a check down or a counter to what the defense is doing. So, if they are showing blitz and you have a pass play called…..good luck. 6)The players don’t have a lot of time to remember the play once it’s called. They have roughly 6-8 seconds to hear the call, lineup and execute.

If you aren't serious about a passing game then I'm not sure what else you can do to creatively get him touches. I think a delayed draw on a drop back would be good but you have to have a competent passing game to actually get those LBs to drop. Other than that...you can run him out on a wheel route or leak him out on a screen. Once again...gotta have a viable passing threat.

Ya'll spoiled. Lol. Of course I got tickled when one of the more ...um....hyper optimistic Union fans questioned whether Graham would be able to handle Union's physicality before last season's first meet up. I was like,....what? I was like "this cat wonders if Graham will be able to handle a physical game". Lol.

Now come on. Union doesn't get curb stomped. That's the plus side to Turner...he usually is in every game.

I played against Phil's team and I don't remember anyone saying a thing to me....and I was slightly mouthy. They were very disciplined and very well coached.

Honestly, I think a lot of Graham's success and athleticism and speed advantages are from kids that practice and work on football year round. Folks, they aren't cranking out 4.4 speed. What they are doing is producing kids that "play fast". When you absolutely know your job cold and can trust your teammates and just focus on your job....you play fast. It looks super fast on the field. A 4.8 kid that diagnoses a play 1 second faster than a 4.6 kid will win that race. Graham has 4.6 and the occasional 4.5 that play to their top end speed. Additionally, contrary to a lot of thought, speed can still be coached. The good coaches are training game speed and not doing conditioning that entails running sideline to sideline at 60%.

Lol. What if I told you RV has, arguably, had the best top end speed in the region for the past six years? Beavers and Hayden Baker were 11.0/ sub 11 on the 100 meter winning th region title consecutive years and were the fastest player on the field and they had/have numerous 11.3-11.6 type guys. No concerted plan to take advantage of it though. Total number of end arounds in Beavers career (4 year starter):1 (65 yd TD against Central) Total number of end arounds for Baker (2 year starter): 3 that I saw. Total number of fades that everyone in the stadium knew was coming and the other team doubled: 25,550 😂 I do think Union has best total program (culture, fans support, stadium, history, etc) while Graham has the best football team.

"Our JV RB benches 275 and runs a 4.5 40!" ---Running through reality translator--- Our varsity fourth string RB benches 210 and runs a 4.82 40.😄

Won't happen. In my observation this is part of what Graham believes is playing fast and physical and trying to intimidate its opponent. Nothing against the coaching staff but while I think they may not explicitly endorse it, it is considered collateral damage to their style and brand. I was down close to the field during the '21 region championship game with RV and during the warmups and stretching the whole team was talking serious trash to RV. Coaches just smiled and laughed about it. The RV coaches told their kids to not get involved and focus on the game. It was noticeable to me as my coaches would have never allowed us to "jack our jaws" like that. I'm pretty sure Carlock wouldn't have either. Now, what is said between the white lines after kickoff is fair game but I've never seen it done so blatantly in front of the coaches. It seems to be more and more prevalent in today's sports.

If it is the same offensive mindset that horribly misused the older Jenkins then that talent will be neutralized. Carson Jenkins is near the top of my list for criminally misused football players in the past 10 years.

Hey....hey...easy now...it is technically anywhere between the tackles.

Yep. The only thing exaggerated more in SWVA football than size is 40 yard dash times. 🤣

Agree. I feel like Graham has more upside once their kids learn the system. I also believe that a lot of returning talent often makes coaches lazy and they cease to innovate. see ‘21 Centrals refusal to develop any creative passing plays or game plan to get Mullins more touches, see ‘22 Ridgeview’s refusal to implement motion or anything to get Beavers’ more touches. If Turner doesn’t innovate some it will be ‘25 Union refusing to diversify their offense and relying on Chandler. Graham has a significant coaching advantage in 2A and more consistent talent and speed although Union and Ridgeview has had their fair share as well. Bottom line, their program is better right now and I don’t see that changing in the next five years unless someone else gets a generational talent or two.

Dollar to a donut that if those boys go to an official camp they all measure 1-1.5” shorter. Lol. That is a very big OL…especially grouped together at a school. Tazewell always had huge OLs going back to the 80’s and Larry Perry.

Yeah, they got a bit over their skates on that one. Lol Frame, speed, then heart. Unfortunately, the hardest working OL isn’t getting serious D-1 looks at 5’11 or even 6’1”. Skill guys aren’t getting serious looks at a 4.75-4.8 40s.

Stayed for one semester. He was redshirted

They have perhaps the best true dual threat QB in the region. That’s a big statement but I’m high on him, and if he stays healthy, you’ll see why. Better passer than Bostic and maybe a better runner in that he will run between the tackles effectively and can get around the corner. Lebanon QB doesn’t have his wheels. If they can field a competent OL, they have ample speed and skill with the Adkins and Perkins kid and they return an excellent RB that will pound it between the tackles. I expect the defense to be better in that it’s the same scheme and coaches for two consecutive years and they have hit the weight room. Additionally, recency bias might have everyone bearish on the Blues.

I’ll stick to 2A as I don’t watch as many 1A games. M7 1)Union 2) Abingdon 3) Ridgeview 4) Gate City 5) Lee 6) Central 7) Battle Southwest: 1) Graham 2) Richlands 3) Tazewell 4)Lebanon 5) Va High 6) Marion

I actually think this is a good compromise. They get three true home games at their place. I think they rebounded pretty well. If I'm Graham, I'm pushing for five home games in 2026 (whether they are Saturday or not) and then all five home games under the lights by 2027. Once they get there, this will all be a blip.

I will kick it off: Ridgeview: Braxton Deel (S, WR); Sophomore Analysis: RV has tried him at QB put I think he moves to WR where he can be electric. Very good quick twitch and shake/speed in tight spaces. Probably will be a starting DB and should get starting WR looks although RV is loaded at WR.

Who will be each team's breakout players this season. The criteria is that the player did not start last year or was not on varsity at all. Perhaps it was a stud JV player or someone behind a well established starter...or an 8th grader moving up.

I feel like that should be a new thread. I'm a bit more interested in that as well. It isn't the biggest reach to say that the kid going D-1 is someone to "keep an eye on". Lol.