SwvaOG

Youth is a challenge. I remember my senior year playing my last game and just lighting into a Jr. defensive player because he wasn't going hard and said something like "season's over, we'll get them next year". I said, "We don't have next year....this is it for us." It happens a lot with kids that start as underclassmen....they don't truly appreciate it until there is no "next year".

I mentioned earlier in the season that I thought Union's window was this year specifically because they had Reyshawn. This will not please the Union folks on here but go look at the game film against Graham. I saw repeated lack of effort and lazy plays defensively by the Union secondary. A Graham friend posted about 10 single play videos and I noticed it right away in every single video. What I did see was Reyshawn hustling hard even when he didn't have a shot at the play. On Clements long run, #4 gave a horrible effort and could have stopped that run early...missed the tackle. On a screen pass he missed a tackle badly that resulted in a TD. On another long Clements run, #4 and #7 missed tackles and both appeared to just not want to make the tackle. On another pass #4 made a poor effort and just missed the ball. On a long pass play #7 was beat cleanly by Graham's #16 and had to interfere to make the tackle (penalty wasn't called but should have been). ON a Clements 15 yard TD run it looks like #4 and #2 could have had a shot to make a tackle at the one yard line but they didn't even try. If Union wants to challenge Graham the next two years, that sophomore group needs to get more physical and dedicated to defense. I could easily tell when it was a Union pass play because #4, 2 and 7 would fire off the line. If it was a run....not so much. That seems more and more common will all players these days. But what really stuck out to me was their lack of effort and "dog" mentality on defense. Turner will no doubt see it on film. They have to realize that playing DB is more than picking off lazy deep balls across the middle....it also involves firing upfield and giving your inside shoulder up to blow up a lead blocking FB or pulling OG and turning a sweep back inside. Hopefully they'll take this game as a learning experience. They won't beat Graham going forward with efforts like that.

Total guess here but I think Davis takes HC, keeps a current assistant as DC and looks outside of current staff for OC. I don't things truly settle until Honaker's season is over. I'm not sold Snake wants to start all over again back at RIchlands in a complete rebuild, although, he may see it as a full circle finish to his career.

Yep. The question was direct and the response was as well. That was one year ago and we didn’t discuss it further.

Non-zero but not good. Someone would have to mend some serious fences.

I think the Union side overvalued their team speed and undervalued Graham’s. Graham doesn’t have a lot of their football players run track and I asked their HC why last year. He said “We train 365 and work on speed all season”. I’ve watched a lot of track the past five years or so. Union’s Bostic has around an 11.7 100meters. I think he’s probably a bit faster than the other two Union kids. I’m willing to bet Clements is a 11.4 kid. And Graham has other kids out there that are high 11 type kids. Really good speed is sub 11.4. But if you are sub 11, D-1 is looking at you and if you are sub 10.7 you have “play with anyone” speed.

Only if: 1) Tazewell commits to defense as much as offense, coaches and athletes 2) RV gets a new coaching staff, specifically on offensive side and defensive secondary. RV returns a lot of talent, but they haven’t lacked talent the last 5-7 years. They lack the will and drive to work year round. Tazewell has skill but they need to get those skill players to bring it on defense as swell. And they need to keep developing that DL and OL….they made improvements in the DL

Graham is gonna out Union, Union.

I played with Chris and Scott. Chris was a BVT as well. It was the same five teams when I played in the early-mid '80's. The battle with Raven almost always decided the championship. Huge battles...usually a 12-6 or 6-0 type game. I remember my sixth grade year, which was supposed to be our last year as 7th graders played middle school, we finished second to Raven and we were crushed. We lost the first game and then tied them the second. But after the season, they opened the league back up to 7th graders and middle school was only 8th graders. We went 10-0 and beat Raven 12-8 last game of the season to win it. That team evidently produced quite a few starters for Richlands and Tazewell at the varsity level. Great times.

Baptist Valley Tiger til I die. We'll see you sumbitches the 5th and 10th game of the season!

Ummm….,what did he think about ending the season with three straight blowout loses? And the kids visibly showing disinterest?

He made some tough kids and fielded some great football teams for sure. Not one kid spoke when he was addressing us, the respect we had for that man. You had to be tough, we played in that field after it had been cut and I remember the stalks would cut you wide open if you hit them right. Every practice started with “To the fence”. Man, I wonder how many miles I ran down to the fence and back. Then you’d do six inches and you’d better be “beatin’ your belly” the whole time. Lol. What a privilege to be coached and taught by that man. Some serious talent played in the valley….Larry Perry, Mike Compton, Bryian Beavers, and Gary Ward to name a few. It was a unique blend of Tazewell and Richlands kids. I wouldn’t have traded that experience for playing for anyone else, including my own family.

Folks, when I say that I haven't seen one open competition in Dickinson County, I'm not exaggerating. This is part of the reason kids leave the sport. It sounds like Richlands has the same daddy ball habits. I was fortunate enough to play for Ansil Salyers growing up. He was a lifelong miner and tobacco farmer and coached the Baptist Valley Tigers for decades. You wanted to be QB? You had to beat out the 6 other kids who wanted it, too. No favorites, no dads/uncles getting in the way. The leagues have to get back to this. I'll say it again. The varsity HC has to take more control over the youth league and middle school programs. Prime example, my middle school team was coached by four coaches who were all teachers, were all part of the greater varsity program and had zero kids playing on the team. We ran the same offense as varsity. Two of those coaches were D. Palmer (current Graham DC) and Jeff Tarter. Fast forward to RV middle school, coached by dads whose kids are the starting WRs and assisted by the starting QB's dad. 75% of the team were hold-backs and the coaches only coached this year and won't be back next year. The offense was designed and centered around their kids. Meanwhile the 6th and 7th grade kids just lost a year in development because the majority of the team should have been FR this year. It looks like this is now the new norm.

Graham needs to play action fake off their run game. I don't like the go four wide, in a shot-gun on obvious passing downs look. It limits screens, mis-direction and running options. If the G-men do that, Union plays an outside leverage stance with the CB where they can look at the QB and just bail deep. This is why they get picks....easy picks. Offenses don't stress them with well-designed plays. Flood their zone....run a tight end or slot straight down the seam, run a 7 yard out and then have Clements release in the flats under the out all on the same side. Make the CB pick who he will cover.....get his eyes and thoughts on Clements and then see how disciplined he is. If I were Graham, I'd pull up tape from the RV @ Union game from 2021 and watch RV destroy Union with tunnel screens for 120 yards and two TDs (Tony Palmer, if you are reading this, shoot me a message if you need more film on that. Lol).

I have Graham winning this if it was at Mitchell Stadium as I think BSG is more of home field advantage than Mitchell. In every game I've ever played or watched at Bullit, the home team has benefitted in the balance of calls. I can't say that about Mitchell and I've played and watched many a game there as well. In addition, I think the turf would have helped Graham more. I know Union fans will argue Union has a lot of speed. Graham has just as much, if not more. And, importantly, they get the ball into their speed guy hands more than Union does their speed guys. This all being said, I think its a toss-up at BSG, slight favor to Union. I like Snake as a DC and you won't catch him un-aware twice in a season; however, if there is one thing I wish he would do a bit more of is play man/press against teams that will throw. I think he has the athletes to do it. I would most definitely show some of it to Union. I have serious doubts that Union's WRs have been adequately coached how to get off press. They average around 160lbs so I think you can be physical with them. You don't have to do it every snap......just show it enough to mess with play calling. Show it and then bail.....show zone and then move up. Additionally, if you study Union's film you'll see they have a clear preference in the route tree. That needs to be accounted for. I'd spy the QB and then you have to trust the DL/LB to contain Chandler. Union has the luxury of knowing if they stop Clements they have a very high probability of winning.

No thanks. Obviously, you don't like the folks over at Ernie Hicks. 😂

Guess we can put the Compton to Richlands ponderings to bed. I think they’ll bring in an outside HC and Mike stays on in his current role.

I need to dig up my post on each M7 team’s fans for you SWD fans. Rule #1- No one. Absolutely no one is ever more physical or as physical as Union. Evah!!! Although they were complaining about RV’s dirty hits and tried to dox one of the RV kids after the game this year for being too physical with a Union player. Graham has outmuscled and out- Unioned Union the past couple of seasons and it has killed them. Tazewell needs to understand that the sheer force, velocity, speed and physicality will be something they cannot comprehend nor witnessed in the history of Bulldog football. In fact, if they had any sense they wouldn’t even show up. Save themselves.😂 In all seriousness, the Bulldogs can’t win just by passing. Union always has a good OL and DL. The game will be decided there.

Lol. He had no choice. Absolute insanity that he didn’t get 7-8 passes a game. Hell, you could put him at slot and every bubble screen would have been a TD.

<ENABLE RANT> Are you freaking kidding me? Does this shit ever end? If you want your kid to be QB he needs to beat out every other kid who also wants to be QB. These dang dads/family trying to prop up their kids and ensure they never face competition or adversity is sickening. It is pervasive and if JM is going to push this shit, the next coach is already doomed. Why does it always seem to be dads who weren't successful or talented football players? Same shit in Dickinson County. Dads and family who couldn't hold a football correctly doing everything off the field and behind closed doors to ensure their kids get the best positions. This is part of the reason so many locals wash out at next level....they never earned or competed for their position. </END RANT>

Brother, I'll buy you dinner if a QB finds it more exciting to run a dive play than throw the ball.......IF the QB is a true QB and not a converted RB. Also, I'll buy you dessert if a true TE not a converted light-weight OL, would prefer blocking down on a DE over running a seam route......IF the TE is actually a viable pass-catching TE.

Another thing I've noticed is that the coaches treat WRs differently. Here is an example: coaches love to here the RB/FB come up and say "feed me the ball, they can't stop me". They love to hear the big nasty OG say "run behind me coach, they can't handle me". They eat that shit up. But if your WR says "Throw me the ball coach, they can't cover me. Keep throwing me the ball>" the kid is selfish and all about himself. Utilize your best athletes in their best medium without mercy.

You mean the three starting RB's say they love it. 😅 I bet those WR's, QBs and TE's don't love it. Also, if Union were to lose 4-5 games a year, the vocal opposition would get louder. People need to realize, it has been proven over the past 10 years at the pro-level that the best and most explosive athletes are WR's and TE's. They affect the game more than a good RB. Kids see that. Who wants to be a WR in a Wing-T? I bet Tazewell keeps the skill players coming out as long as Harris is there. The problem is that the local little leagues don't throw and, therefore, don't develop those high level QBs and WRs. It isn't a coincidence that the two best outside true WR's over tha past several years (not slots or hybrids) had ties to outside the region. One was lucky enough to play for his dad and the other was lucky enough to play for a school that throws the ball.

Not at all. You've heard me rail on RV for years for having no damn idea how to scheme their best athletes open. They were/are horrible at it. I still stand that Graham's coaching staff wins a state title with last year's RV team. Did Harris pad his son's stats? No doubt at all that he did. Is Creasey's stats padded? Yes. But, I applaud the coach for trying to get his players noticed, which he should absolutely be doing. I can tell you that the opposite is true at RV. With two schools in the stands recruiting Beavers vs Union last year, RV used him as a decoy the whole game and he didn't get to touch the ball one time. You think Harris would do that to his kids? But here is the valid point that the Bulldog fans need to understand. If you are quoting statistics back to validate your player is the best, those stats have to be taken with a grain of salt. It seems that Creasey is polarizing. I've watched him quite a few times and my opinion still holds. He is a great system QB...really good accuracy on short/intermediate. But, folks, he doesn't have that next level arm talent. He doesn't have top three SWVA arm talent. He has a hitch in his throwing motion.....its a bad hitch.....the kind college DBs or top level high school DBs (there aren't any in SWVA) would take advantage of. In my opinion, if you switched O'Quin and Creasey to each other's team O'Quin would thrive in Tazewell's system. I would argue he would take the offense next level because he is a fast and physical running QB. Now, Creasey would struggle in RV's system which likes to throw intermediate/deep balls. The Lebanon QB may have the most arm talent this side of Roanoke.....but that doesn't mean he would thrive in Tazewell's system. Some QBs want to show that arm off and aren't discipline enough to take check-downs and swing passes. Give Harris credit for maximizing his QB's talents and putting him in situations to thrive. That is good coaching. He does it more than any coach in the region.......and I wonder if it has to do with, he isn't from the region. I think it does. In the football talent hotbeds, coaches mold their offenses around their talent and aren't afraid to let those athletes "get their flowers" as the young'ens say.

If Union even sniffs at trying to go man, mesh them to death. No way they are prepared for that. If they want to sit back in zone, flood zone and dink and dunk all day. Tazewell is good at that. And absolutely make Chandler cover space. I would target him mercilessly. if Union wants to blitz, have your screen game ready. Bulldog fans can argue but they were beat last year in the playoffs because RV brought pressure and had the DBs to nullify any deep threat. They didn’t truly threaten to score. Hopefully they’ve learned from that. I’d love to see the Dogs advance.