mhsalum

oh....one last thing before i go get ready to head to the game. you said if they win they'll be with us all week. i kinda like the confidence you have in the bulldogs getting a win down in abingdon tonight!!! good luck to the wave... and go bulldogs!

all week? wow! i'm sure they're hoping for a long vacation then. i have to pull for the piedmont team, but i'll certainly be pulling for the wave to play a great game.

ahhhhh....no idea where they woulda been going? there's nowhere to eat in the direction they were going. of course that coulda been cheerleaders or other students i guess. but that does answer my question of why they were coming in from that particular road anyways....oh well, wonder what the boys thought of my 'big' hometown???

they were at a stoplight near the stanleytown area turning left, which woulda taken them to the school's main entrance in less than a half-mile. however, they crossed lanes and took a right instead heading up towards the fairystone park area...??? anyhow, this was at 4 oclock and they've got 3 hours til tip off to get there...hahaha. i guess i'll head back up to bassett in a bit to catch the action. my guess is grundy will give a great effort, but won't be able to match bassett's quickness and athleticism. also if bassett's linebacker turned center elijah mccall continues to play as he has lately, he'll be a tough assignment and a tough man to get past down on the low block. however, if the refs get whistle happy, grundy might keep it closer than expected. either way, i hope it's a good game.

Martinsville 64, Bassett 61 By JOHNNY BUCK Bulletin Sports Editor Ashmond Hughes, welcome to Martinsville basketball lore. The Bulldogs' reserve forward hit a 3-pointer from the right corner as the final second ticked off the clock in a thrilling 64-61 victory over Bassett Friday night in the championship game of the Piedmont District Tournament. Afterward, Hughes called it the biggest shot of his life, admitting he isn't a 3-point specialist by trade. Martinsville head coach Troy Wells agreed. "Ashmond, bless his heart, he can't even hit free throws in practice and for him to hit a 3 to win the ball game is just a story book ending to a phenomenal basketball game played by two great basketball teams," the long-time Bulldogs coach said. After Bassett's Brandon Johnson made 1 of 2 free throws to tie the game 61-61 with 11 seconds remaining, Martinsville was forced to inbounds the ball immediately, having used its final timeout prior to Johnson's first free throw. Martinsville's Quan Beamer received the inbounds pass and drove the length of the court, pausing briefly at the right wing before driving hard to the basket. When several Bassett defenders collapsed on the senior leader, he kicked the ball out to Hughes, who stood unguarded in the right corner. As the ball swished through the net, Martinsville's players and fans stormed the court. On the opposite side of the gym, Bassett's faithful stood silent, seemingly unconvinced of what had just taken place. Perhaps the only negative aspect to such a great high school sporting event was the simple fact that one team had to lose. Afterward, Bengals skipper Tom Hering spoke about the post-game talk with his team. "I said 'nothing to hang your head about guys. You did what we asked you to do, you played your butts off. That was a good basketball game and, you know, it's a shame that somebody had to come out on the short end of it, so walk out of here with your heads up." Fans filling the packed arena at Bassett High School saw a game that was never separated by more than six points. They saw Bassett's offense shoot 46 percent from the floor, a number high enough to win most games. However, the Bulldogs converted a blistering 56% of their shots. It didn't appear things would turn out that way at first, however. Bassett star Brandon Johnson scored just four points over the first two periods of play, the same number that Martinsville's Beamer tallied during quarters one and two. Both players got hot later, however, as Johnson finished with 14 points while Beamer had 15 to go with five assists and a perfect 9 of 9 shooting from the free throw line. With neither player getting many good looks at the basket, the early scoring burden fell on teammates. For Bassett, Elijah McCall stepped up with perhaps the best game of his career. In the first half alone, Bassett's star linebacker-turned-center snagged five offensive rebounds and scored 11 points. He finished as the game's leading scorer with 21 points. "Elijah's just getting better and better as the year goes on," Hering said. "He's so strong inside, he can get the position that he wants to get because of how physically strong he is." The Bulldogs' Wells concurred. "He's a big body, he played awfully tough tonight. I think he had 21 points, probably the best game of his career," Wells said. "He's a horse inside and we're not very physical. . . My hat's off to Elijah, he's a solid ball player inside for them." Similarly, Martinsville turned to a host of players, led by Emanuel Reid. The Bulldogs' second leading scorer this season, Reid led the team with 18 points, going 3-for-3 from behind the arc. A junior transfer student from Tennessee, Reid said Friday night's atmosphere was unlike anything he'd been a part of before. "Our fans were into it, our players were into it, it was just great," he said. "It's the most intense (game) I've ever played in all my high school career." The contest was neck-and-neck early before Bassett ended the first quarter on a 6-0 run to lead, 16-10. Martinsville clawed back, briefly taking the lead 24-23 thanks to a Reid 3 from the left wing. McCall answered with consecutive offensive rebounds, turning both into buckets to give his team a 27-24 lead at the half. The score stood at 38-37 in Martinsville's advantage with 2:36 remaining in the third when players began to get in foul trouble. First, Martinsville's Tracy Hairston picked up his fourth foul. Bassett point guard Ryan Byrd did the same with just under 2:00 remaining. With McCall out of the game, Martinville's 6-foot-7 Jervis Wimbush got two offensive rebounds on one possession, getting fouled on the second shot attempt and converting 1 of 2 to give his team the lead, 41-37. McCall then returned to the court and promptly got his third foul for a push off on the offensive end. On the next possession, the Bulldogs again got two offensive rebounds, Beamer snagging the last one and converting two free throws with 14 seconds left. Bassett couldn't get a good look on the final possession of the third quarter, sending the game into the final stanza with the scoreboard showing a Martinsville lead, 43-37. With 4:53 remaining Byrd picked up his fifth foul, forcing him to leave the game for good with his team down, 52-48. The Bengals kept fighting, however, as McCall used an offensive put back to make the score 52-50. Martinsville then turned the ball over, allowing Johnson to even things with a bucket, making the score 52-52 with about 4:00 remaining and driving the Bassett faithful into a frenzy. Reid immediately answered for Martinsville, hitting a three from the right corner and landing with each leg split in opposite directions. He was unharmed, however, and sprinted back for defense with his team up by three. After both teams traded several possessions without scoring, McCall got position inside and was fouled while performing a drop step to the basket. He made one free throw and pulled his team within two, 55-53 with 2:32 left. McCall then got another offensive rebound and scored to tie the game at 55. After Jonathan Burman scored on a backside layup for the 'Dogs, McCall pulled down yet another offensive board and tied the game again. With 1:03 remaining Beamer made two free throws, setting up a dramatic 3-pointer by Bassett's Chris Draper, the ball landing squarely on the back of the rim before somehow bouncing softly up in the air and down through the hoop. With 25 seconds left Reid drove left of the lane and made a tough basket in traffic, giving the Bulldogs a one-point advantage, 61-60. That set up Johnson's drive to the basket with the clock running down. He was fouled on the play with 11 seconds remaining. After Martinsville used its final timeout, Johnson left the first free throw short before calmly swishing the second to tie the game at 61 apiece. The rest is now history, as Hughes was surprised by a bounce pass from Beamer. With no time to think, Martinsville's No. 30 reacted on instinct. "I just shot it," he said, noting that "it felt like it was in" when he let it go. Martinsville 64 Bassett 61 Martinsville 10 14 19 21 -- 64 Bassett 16 11 10 24 -- 61 Martinsville (64) -- Reid 4-7, (3-3) 1-2, 18; Beamer 3-8, (0-4) 9-9, 15, Hughes 3-3, (1-1) 0-1, 9; T. Hairston 2-2, (1-1) 0-0, 7; J. Wimbush 2-5, 2-5, 6; Burman 2-3, 0-2, 4; Mitchell 1-1 (0-1) 1-2, 3; Jackson 1-2 0-0, 2. Totals: 18-31 (5-10) 13-21, 64. Bassett (61)-- McCall 9-16 3-7, 21; B. Johnson 5-8 (1-4) 1-2, 14; Brown 4-6 1-1, 9; Byrd 2-5 (0-1) 2-2, 6; J. Johnson 2-11 0-1, 4; Valentine 2-4 0-0, 4; Draper 0-0 (1-1) 0-0, 3. Totals: 24-51 (2-7) 7-13, 61.

not so sure i'm buying that martinsville is all that bad anyways...i think they beat up on magna vista by 29 tonight.

nice research there cougarfan....and the great thing to me about those stats is that even the most diehard bulldog fan would tell u that the 2003 squad that got hammered by graham at mitchell was the antithesis of a playoff caliber squad. they were within one point, a missed pat, of possibly starting the season 1-5! they finished the regular season at 6-4 and they really only made the playoffs because there was only 7 other teams at the time in their division in region iv.

oh....speaking of that...the tallest and eldest of the kids that moved from halifax actually was too old, or had already graduated, or something was fishy with his transcripts, or something along those lines. dad told me the specifics, but i forget exactly. either way, he isn't eligible. just my opinion from what i saw of him at wm byrd, but i think he would've been a terror at defensive end. every bit of 6'5 225 and extremely quick feet for that size.......i don't think troy cares whether he comes from uganda or wherever else, but if he could find a 6'9-6'10, he would be extremely pleased...

after that showing against fleming, i would've said "no way!".....but then came the not so impressive turnover display against franklin county. it was so strange the first several years of mvhs's existence (my days in high school)...mavahi would win there and magna vista would win at dan greene. since then, mv hasn't only won on the road, but many of the games at home as well. i'm just hoping coach can get to 200 somehow this season since i think he's soon on his way to retirement....pretty lofty goal, but it sure would be nice. by the way....if this is whom i think it is....did ya see my chanticleers take down the number one ranked jmu??? i was there...one of the catches by the simpson kid from reidsville was the number one play on sportscenter's top 10 last nite.

your quote...Yeah but most of those wins came when Martinsville was triple A and beating the AA scools... i hate when people spew garbage solely for the purpose of smack talking about topics they know nothing about. martinsville only played aaa for 3-4 years in the early 70s. i'm not gonna get into a swd versus pd conversation b/c the piedmont only moved to region iv circa 1995 and i missed much of the mid to late 90s because i was off at college. although i do know that in the late 90s mhs had some very strong teams that made it to states before bowing out to salem, so i would assume they had some success against 'mountain teams' along the way..........anyhow, i think you're barking (pardon the pun) up the wrong tree by singling out the bulldogs. i've been trying to nail it down to the exact year, but mhs doesn't have a losing season in their record book since somewhere before 1980 (and before someone jumps on that stat, i'm aware of the 'asterisk' from a couple years back). coach edwards now has 193 victories in his 24th year at the helm, or basically an average of more than 8 wins a year! he has 10 district titles, 7 regional titles, 2 state runner-ups, along with one state title. as i always say, not too darn bad for a "basketball school". as far as this season goes, hopefully we've gotten past trying to run the spread offense and have gotten back to playing old-fashioned bulldog football. we seem to have rebounded from that awful showing against graham with a nice 27-7 win on the road against rustburg. our schedule still has a formidable gretna squad on it, along with two aaa teams (all 3 games on the road) as well as the piedmont slate so we've got a long ways to go. i think we'll be just fine and hopefully we'll be able to try and prove our mettle against another 'mountain team' once the playoffs get here.

Bassett 36, Carroll County 19 By MATT CLUTTER Bulletin Sports Editor Freshman Rashawn Woods' first pass attempt came on a busted play. He found Brandon Johnson in the flat for an 8-yard completion. Woods' first touchdown run came on a busted play, as well. From 9 yards out, he turned to hand off the ball and no one was there. He scampered around the corner for the score. Not bad for a 14 year old. "Just tuck it and run," Woods said of the the two plays. "I was just trying to buy some time. I can't give enough credit to the offensive line. They saved my tail." In addition to a superb debut from Woods and typical solid defensive play, Bassett began its season on the right note, routing visiting Carroll County 36-19 on Friday at Ed Bassett Stadium. That defense scored twice in the span of about 57 seconds near the end of the first half thanks to an 83-yard interception return from Marcous Muse and a 33-yard fumble return from Eryn Covington. That series of events put the Bengals (1-0) up 24-13, a lead they didn't soon relinquish. The Muse interception, in particular, seemed to deflate a Cavaliers team that had no problem running the ball in the early going. On its first possession, Carroll County strung together a 12-play, 61-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown from Willie Yates. The Cavaliers never passed on that initial drive, which was highlighted by runs of 12 and 23 yards from Joel Armentrout. The Carroll County drive ate up nearly half of the first quarter, making even longer the wait for Woods who stood by in nervous anticipation for his varsity debut. "I was real nervous when I came out and saw all the people," Woods said after the game. "But once I got in and got my blood flowing, I was OK." He got that blood flowing in a hurry, too. After the completion to Johnson on the Bengals' opening drive, Woods found him again for a 51-yard completion two plays later, and the Bengals later settled on a Jordan Tilley 27-yard field goal. Carroll County fumbled on its next drive, before Woods found pay dirt on his second busted play to put the Bengals up 10-6. But the Cavaliers countered with a nice 11-play, 67-yard drive that ended with Andy Singleton finding the endzone. After Muse and Covington scored for the defense, the Bengals went to the locker room nursing a 24-13 lead. Behind its massive offensive line, the Bengals put up another score just 1:26 into the second half when Martin Scales raced through the defense for a 42-yard score. Muse scored again in the third quarter, this time from the offensive side of the ball. He jetted to the outside from 17 yards out which put the Bengals up 36-13. Yates plunged in from 3 yards out later in the fourth, but it was too little too late for the Cavaliers. "The first win is always a big one," said Bassett head coach Jay Gilbert. "It'll be nice to go into the Liberty game (this week) with some confidence. We really needed this one." The win was also sweet salvation for Woods, who now has the jitters of a first game behind him. Not only that, he's got the confidence of his team now to take on a tough Liberty team this Friday. "It's huge for everybody," said Gilbert. "It lets everybody else know that we can win with somebody young, and it's good for him because it gives him some confidence." Though only 14, Woods showed maturation beyond his years in Friday's win. With the game still tight early on and the Bengals prepping for a fourth down conversion, Woods gave his teammates this in the huddle: "Alright, all eyes on me!" "He showed some great leadership," Gilbert said. But unquestionably, Muse stole the show after his 83-yard interception return for a touchdown. It turned the tide of the game, one that seemed to flow in the Cavaliers favor early on. Coupled with Covington's fumble recovery for a touchdown, Muse and the Bengal defense took control of the game, especially important with a freshman quarterback under center. "It turned the game around, really," Muse said of the Bengals' defensive stand. That helped Woods find his comfort zone, one which he settled into nicely, thanks to a game plan altered for his height. Gilbert stuck mostly to sprint-outs from the shotgun for the 5-foot-8 Woods. And it worked well, as he started out the night completing his first four passes. He finished the night going 5-for-10 for 110 yards and no interceptions. "He's going to be a special player before he leaves," Gilbert said of Woods. "He's just a freshman, but you wouldn't know that on the field." It was a real boost for a Bengal team that entered their opener without starting quarterback Brandon Johnson who broke his thumb in the preseason camp. That forced a lot of different people to step up, according to Gilbert. "Muse, he's a senior and a leader on this team," Gilbert said. "He performed when the game was on the line. We had a lot of people who stepped up with Brandon's injury." In the end, the Bengals capitalized on some fatal errors on Carroll County's part. "We had guys in the right spot at the right time," Gilbert said. "If that doesn't happen, it's a close ballgame." Bassett 36 Carroll County 19 Carroll County 6 7 0 6 -- 19 Bassett 3 21 12 0 -- 36 First quarter C--Yates 2 run (kick failed) B--Tilley 27 FG Second quarter B--R. Woods 9 run (Tilley kick) C--Singleton 2 run (Ayers kick) B--Muse 82 interception return (Tilley kick) B--Covington 17 fumble return (Tilley kick) Third quarter B--Scales 42 run (kick failed) B--Muse 17 run (run failed) Fourth quarter C--Yates 3 run (pass failed) INDIVIDUAL STATS RUSHING--Carroll County: Yates 21-114-2TD; Armentrout 7-56; Barr 7-34; Singleton 10-27-TD; Turner 4-10. Bassett: Scales 5-95-TD; Muse 8-58; J. Woods 4-32; R. Woods 5-22-TD; Brown 2-8; McCall 1-2; Dillon 1-2. PASSING--Carroll County: Lawson 4-16-59-0-2. Bassett: R. Woods 5-10-110-0-0. RECEIVING--Carroll County: Yates 2-12; Lamb 2-39; Singleton 1-8. Bassett: B. Johnson 4-85; Muse 1-25.

Graham 18, Martinsville 0 By JOHNNY BUCK Bulletin Sports Writer Martinsville Spread Offense, meet the blitzing Graham defense. Game 1 in the Spread Era began with a Bulldog-ish bark but ended with a puppy-like whimper as Graham improved to 2-0 this season by the score of 18-0. It was a game full of turnovers, as the two teams combined for 10. "We're always blitzing," Graham head coach Doug Marrs said after the game. "We're bringing somebody from somewhere all the time. We bring eight if we can. If we can't -- if they've got a formation (that's spread out) -- we'll bring six. We're going to bring whatever we can bring." After the game's first few minutes, the final score would've been hard to predict. Victor "Snoop" Hairston had just one man to beat on the opening kickoff, but was brought down by the G-Men's last line of defense at the Martinsville 39 after colliding with his own blocker in the open field. On the very next play, quarterback Quan Beamer connected on a 25-yard pass to Freddie Riley. The speedy Bulldogs wideout caught the throw in stride down the right sideline and appeared to have nothing but greenery in front of him before a defensive back's diving shoestring tackle halted the receiver at Graham's 36. On the next play, the crowd roared when Beamer complete a 13-yard strike to "Snoop" Hairston at the 12. However, a holding call on the Bulldogs negated the play. Still, the offense appeared to be hitting on all cylinders. Even when running back Tracy Hairston turned the ball over with a fumble three plays later, the atmosphere in Dan Greene Memorial Stadium was electric. The stadium's voltage increased considerably after Graham's first play -- a Tyler Barreras run -- resulted in another fumble that gave possession back to Martinsville. "They scared us to death. They really did," Marrs said. But four plays later, the Bulldogs failed to convert a fourth-and-one pass on a 10-yard pattern. That's when the G-Men's offensive line made their presence known. The trenches filled by three juniors and two seniors, Graham dominated the line of scrimmage, calling 10 consecutive running plays that netted 49 yards to the Martinsville 31. But in the initial sign of a trend to come, the G-Men turned the ball over in the red zone. Quarterback Ronnie Workman threw a third-down interception to Tracy Hairston, who was tackled at the 11 yard line. It was the first of three Graham turnovers inside the opponent's 20, and the second of seven G-Men turnovers on night, not counting failed fourth-down conversions. Without the turnovers, it seemed forgone that Graham's offense would've made this game a blowout. The G-Men piled up more than 200 yards rushing on the night, while also converting several long third-down plays through the air. For whatever reason, the Bulldogs couldn't convert on all the G-Men miscues, as effective Graham blitzes, an inordinate amount of muscle-cramping and the stress of defending a dominant ground-control offense took its toll on a Martinsville team that featured seven different players starting on both sides of the ball. Poor execution also bothered the 'Dogs. On the game's next second-quarter play, Beamer took the snap and pitched the ball to no one. When the Bulldogs QB picked up the pigskin in his own endzone, he was promptly met by a bevy of G-Men who tackled him for a safety. It was the first of two safeties given up by Martinsville; a low shotgun snap in the second half also gave Graham two points and possession of the pigskin. Graham went into halftime with 9-0 lead after Workman connected with T.J. Carper for a 56-yard touchdown on a third-and-6 play. In the second half, injuries and fatigue took their toll on Martinsville. Graham had knocked out Beamer in the first half on a big hit in the backfield, while the humid weather took care of several other Bulldogs. After the contest, head coach Taylor Edwards said he'd never seen so many players suffer from cramps in one game. "We talked about hydration. We've been talking about it all summer during the fall camp," he said. "We've given them Gatorade. We gave them Gatorade tonight but they were still cramping like crazy. ... We've got to do something. I didn't notice them having a cramp, but we were dropping like flies." Conversely, Marrs credited offseason conditioning for his team's health. Not a single Graham player experienced a cramp. "Well, we have worked real hard," Marrs said. "I mean, we have worked these kids extremely hard, and I think maybe the running game is there because of conditioning. We have sold conditioning all year. We have forced them to hydrate. We made them drink a gallon of water last night. We knew it was going to be hot." Graham's final score came with five minutes remaining in the game on a Barreras 5-yard run. Unfortunately for the 'Dogs, the game's final score was not the worst aspect of the night. Injuries to senior leaders Beamer (shoulder), starting linebacker Alan Shelton (shoulder) and receiver/punter Jervis Wimbush (leg) put an already thin roster on even thinner ice.

is that i'm glad i had to leave at halftime...martinsville looked pathetic. the only things that went well for mhs were the opening kickoff and the first few plays from scrimmage. if graham hadn't turned it over as many times as they did, they could've almost named the score. fortunately for the dogs, the defense didn't look too terribly bad overall, they just stayed on the field too long. anyways, good luck to the gmen the rest of the way out. wished we could've given u guys a better contest...we should be okay in the long run. we obviously have the athletes along with some good size for a change, but we're gonna have to figure something out offensively for sure! the last few years, the start of the season was the same...we start out the season very sluggish offensively. and on a side note...perhaps beamer (the qb) getting that shoulder problem and going to the sideline may turn out to help us in the long run. i only say that b/c i think hairston is the better man for the job.

fair enough...i'm expecting a decent amount of errors and broken plays from mhs as well because of first game jitters and maybe moreso because of the transition to the spread offense from a coach and team that usually wouldn't throw the ball unless the almighty himself told them to. also, couldn't help but notice that in the prognostications that the swd goes 5-0 while arguably the 3 best piedmont teams go 0-3 (2 of those being homefield losses against swd teams). it's obvious this aint basketball season!! :-)

i don't dare question your prognostications, but i did find it kinda interesting that you sorta contradicted yourself in leaving martinsville at number 7 in the 'sweet 16' while you kept the 1-0 gmen in the others receiving votes category....what i found 'contradictory' about that is that you then prognosticated that the gmen would win AT martinsville. in other words, you feel that martinsville should be ranked higher, but you believe that graham will go on the road and take a near 4 hour bus trip down the mountain and win the game.

mapquest it...the address is 351 Commonwealth Blvd. it's easy to get to from 220. they had a good preview on the dogs in monday's paper along with the others i posted on bassett and magna vista. however, i haven't seen it posted on the bulletin's website yet. it appears they are indeed planning on running the spread and sticking with it...should be interesting

'Growing pains' inevitable for 2005 Warriors By MATT CLUTTER Bulletin Sports Editor As good as the consolidation was to Magna Vista last season, it was equally bad after last season. The Warriors return only two offensive starters and three defensive starters to a team that finished 5-6 (4-1 PD) last year. Needless to say, there's going to be a lot of personnel changes going on during an early season that sees the Warriors play a number of AAA foes. Most importantly, head coach Joe Beckelheimer must find an offensive line. He lost everyone from last year's, including all-stater Manuel Becker. "It's vitally important," Beckelheimer said of finding a line. Ten players have a shot at pegging a spot, and it could change week to week, as Beckelheimer is making his lineman take weekly tests to see who plays. Those that pass, play. Those that fail, won't play. The Warriors do have their starting quarterback returning under center with the athletic Jonathan Williams (6-2, 176) but not much else save for Deshawn Strickland (5-9, 175). He'll move to the backfield after serving as a flanker last season. Strickland got a lot of touches from his flanker spot last year, and Beckelheimer said he'll get even more now that he's in the backfield. But Strickland will be splitting time at the halfback position with Eric Spencer (5-11, 205), who also will play some fullback with Colby Utt (5-11, 219). In the Warriors' Wing-T set, Brandon Martin (5-9, 175) and Josh Mann (5-9, 155) will be splitting time at wingback. But the success of this running game is largely contingent on the progression of the offensive line. So when the Warriors don't run it, look for a plethora of wideouts to be on the receiving end of a Williams pass. Darris Simmons (5-8, 160), Steven Kanode (6-4, 175), Dennis Gravely (6-2, 160) and Lamar Shelton (6-3, 149) could all see time at receiver. Of the three returning defensive starters, Sterlin Keen (6-3, 272) and Erik Vint (6-5, 280) will anchor the tackle spots, with fellow returnee Spencer manning outside linebacking duties. "We've got a lot of spots to fill," Beckelheimer said of his loss of personnel. "We're going to experience some growing pains early on both sides of the ball. But things seem to be running well, and the kids are responding to the coaching." With his defense centered around the interior of his line, Beckelheimer will go with L.J. Stone (6-1, 209) and Austin Norris (6-3, 215) on the ends. Joining Spencer at linebacker will be Jermelle Penn (5-9, 180) and Utt. The secondary, much like the receiving corps, will use a number of people including Simmons, Williams, Strickland, Kanode, Gravely and Mann. Thanks to the consolidation, the Warriors can afford to shuffle players in and out. "We're going to have quite a few starting both ways," Beckelheimer said. "But I think we're going to be able to filter in some guys and give them some breaks and still be pretty good." Unlike last year, Magna Vista doesn't have any expectations riding on its shoulders. After the consolidation last season, the Warriors were expected to charge through the PD last season -- which they did but only after starting 0-5. Magna Vista eventually finished second to Bassett in the standings. "I don't think it's a bad thing," Beckelheimer said of the lack of expectations. "I haven't really heard the kids talk much about Piedmont District championship or region championship. If they'll come out here and work as hard as they can and play the best they can and give us their undivided attention, I can live with the results." Whether or not a district championship will take up residence with Beckelheimer remains as questionable as the offensive line.

Bassett's returning champs hope to prove doubters wrong By GAVIN JENKINS Bulletin Sports Writer Just because Bassett is the returning champion doesn't mean the Bengals are favorites to be crowned kings of the Piedmont District again this year, and head coach Jay Gilbert and company are well aware of this thanks to the Internet. "The kids have seen sites on the web that already pre-rank our division, and they're not ranking us well," Gilbert said. "The kids are taking it as a challenge. They say they were on the team last year, too." Indeed they were, and with 22 seniors, five of which make up a strong offensive line, the Bengals are hoping to prove the naysayers wrong and repeat as district champions. Leading the way on offense will be five seniors who will have to open up some holes for an inexperienced backfield. These lineman are right tackle Jacob Foley (6-3, 268), right guard John Schlueter (6-0, 208), center Tim Miller (6-3, 204), left guard Wes Stone (6-1, 224) and left tackle Ryan Stone (6-6, 325). "Three of them live in the weight room in the offseason," Gilbert said. "Foley, Schlueter and Miller -- they've been lifting for... they've been lifting forever. They all have a tremendous work ethic, all got decent size. "Schlueter is the smallest but probably the strongest. His dad Randy has done a good job with him. He's really worked with him through the years." Gilbert has been doing a lot of work during the past couple of weeks with some freshmen, one on offense and one on defense. On offense, he has Rashawn "Boo" Woods (5-8, 180), a quarterback who will be splitting time under center with junior Robbie White (5-10, 175) while senior Brandon Johnson (5-10, 171) recovers from a broken thumb. Gilbert said he's hoping to get Johnson back under center during Bassett's open week, which is the third week of the season. "I'm a firm believer that an injury does not lose a position," Gilbert said. "The quarterback position is Brandon's to lose when he gets back." Until then, Gilbert said he might have to split time between White and Woods, though he said maturity could play a factor. "Rashawn will probably feel nervous out there," he said. "He needs to learn more of the option, and then he'll come around. This throws Rashawn into the fire, and Robbie sat out last year, so he's like a freshman, too. The offense is new to him. This could pay off for us in the long run for getting snaps for the new kids." Quarterback is not the only position in the back field where two Bengals could be sharing playing time. Senior Marcous Muse (5-10, 156) and sophomore Martin Scales (5-11, 173) will probably split time at tailback. "One of them gives us the outside and the speed, and that's Muse," Gilbert said. "Scales is a sophomore, and he hits the holes best. Both are giving us two facets at tailback. Whoever picks up the other facet first will be the starter." Rounding out the backfield will be fullback Justin Woods (6-1, 263), and filling out other skills positions are senior slotback Glen Yates (5-10, 162) and senior split end Robert Zook (5-8, 128), who, according to Gilbert, has been receiving stiff competition from sophomore Tony Womack (6-5, 204). The tight ends will be either Elijah McCall (6-1, 219) or Josh Eanes (6-4, 213). McCall, a senior inside linebacker, led the team in tackles the past two seasons, and Gilbert is building the defense around him this year. "We're going to run a little 4-3 to put him in the middle of the field a little bit," he said. "We'll stay with the 3-4, too, but this is just to get Elijah in the middle of the field where he can play on both sides of the field. He has instinct you can't coach. It's in his genes." Bassett's defense also will include a freshman named Damian Hairston (6-0, 309), who will be a defensive end. "People are going to say I'm crazy (for starting him), but Damian can move," Gilbert said. "This is not a gift. He deserves it." The other defensive end will be junior Mitchell Mannon (6-1, 225). Wood will start at noseguard, but when he comes out, junior Jahmal Noel (5-8, 181) will substitute for him. Splitting time at the other inside linebacker positions will be Scales and junior Niles Ferguson (5-9, 161). The outside linebackers are Miller and senior Eryn Covington (6-0, 182). Bassett's secondary features a lot of speed with Johnson, Yates and Zook as cornerbacks, and Muse and junior Tamon Witcher (5-8, 156) at safety. While the backfield is a weakness -- Gilbert said the Bengals offense depends on how the backs gel -- a strong point is Bassett's special teams, which are led by senior Chris Dillon (5-4, 136). "He's on every special teams," Gilbert said. "He's the kind of guy you need on the field." Muse is set to return kicks for Bassett again this year, and kicker Jordan Tilley (5-9, 172) is back for his senior year. "Travis Murphy is our special teams coach," Gilbert said, "and he does a real good job to make sure we have ample time to work on things in practice, so we're ready. We don't want to be put in the hole by special teams." Gilbert said all of his assistant coaches make up a team strength. "I can't say enough about them," he said. "A coach is only as good as the staff and players around him. Joe Favero, our defensive coordinator, if there was someone who works harder than me on game preparation, it's him. And Bill Parks does a whole lot of our film study. I break it down, and then he breaks it down even further." Hopefully for the Bassett faithful, strong senior leadership and good coaching will prevail, and the Bengals won't have a breakdown on their way to a second Piedmont District championship.

i'll be there! as far as the scrimmage reports...i didn't make it to the scrimmage versus wm campbell, but i did read from one of the more reliable (notice the sarcasm) posters over on preps that mhs was fairly unimpressive. i did also hear that this past friday the dogs played tight with salem in that scrimmage. anyhow, i wouldn't put a whole lot of stock in either one really considering coach edwards is still toying with the spread offense, which i'm sure he'll scrap again in favor of the wishbone...we've had some great qbs here (ie shawn moore at uva and tony scales at vmi)...those guys didn't throw it then, so don't expect too much of the pass now. i'd also say (just my opinion) that even though beamer started the past 2 years, the qb position was still up for grabs during both of the scrimmages and those guys rotated in and out. i don't usually make predictions, but i'll say mavahi wins a close one...21-13. safe travels to all that make the trip!

in this case....the guy that wrote the story graduated from martinsville within the last 4 or 5 years. anyhow, all of these articles are just sort of 'fill-ins'. the better articles that usually come out in the bulletin the week before the opening game will include player's names and positions etc. etc.

what's even stranger is that the picture that accompanies this article (which can be seen at martinsvillebulletin.com until it's replaced in the morning) clearly shows the kids in shorts and white t-shirts.....no pads at all. maybe the writer was going for more drama???

'Dog' days of summer: Martinsville Bulldogs all business in preparation By JOHNNY BUCK Bulletin Sports Writer On Wednesday evening at a Martinsville football practice, one noise rose above the mixture of whistles, coach's voices and players' banter: The sound of pads popping. It's commonly associated with Friday nights in the fall, but before any opponents can be "de-cleated" in Dan Greene Memorial Stadium this school year, the groundwork must be laid in August. "This is really non-contact," offensive line coach and MHS athletic director Bill Scheib said. "This is kind of "lean against the pads.' ... We're just working on the bare basics." Even so, the enthusiasm was apparent. Many players hit hard and loud in tackling drills, wrapping up the opponent and driving him backward. It was equally apparent, however, that everyone was on the same team. No one was ever tackled to the ground, and many of the fiercest hits were answered not with anger, but helmet-slaps of approval from the player just walloped. Despite the absence of head coach Taylor Edwards, who was attending a coaches clinic out of town, things were going according to plan. On Day 3 of the Bulldog's 2005 season, the basics being taught were purely defensive. Coaches stressed fundamentals such as footwork, blocking and tackling techniques, agility and focus as they began to sift through the eager in search of the qualified. Martinsville, which finished third in the Piedmont District last season behind Bassett and Magna Vista, was all business in preparing for the coming season. Divided into five groups based on position and size, the players rotated through five different stations continuously. After coaches felt each group had covered the essentials, a long whistle sounded and players were ordered to run -- NOT WALK -- to the next station. The program was designed to keep the kids active, focused and detail oriented. That meant "the little things" mattered. "Hey, put your helmet on!" one assistant coach yelled, spying a player from across the field standing in the back of the tackling-drill line on this still-humid evening. "Nobody said, "Take your helmet off,'" the coach scolded, still a deep Shawn Moore pass away. "Don't be lazy. It's about self discipline," a closer assistant added in a quieter tone as the offender nodded, slipped his helmet on and fastened his chin strap. As the players rotated from station to station, their assignments changed. At one station they were asked to practice proper techniques for tackling a ball carrier. At another, they were taught to shed a block by throwing a forearm "up and out" beneath an opponent's pectoral muscle. As the clock face changed so, too, did the drills. Players drove blocking sleds, worked on agility and even got the ball in their hands on occasion. In an exercise called the "M Drill," players took turns sprinting in the shape of the letter "M" before turning their heads back to the coach and attempting to haul in a pass. In the last portion of practice, players were scheduled to work on special teams play while whistles blared, coaches coached and pads popped.

go out and check out a practice xdog...i usually do one or two days during august. they're usually behind the vocational building out hospital drive or up on the old baseball field behind the tennis courts. but besides that, we should be in very good shape this year. a decent amount of experience and a large amount of size returns. besides the guys i listed a few weeks back, we'll have 5 total transfers that i know of coming in. they all played in the team basketball camp a couple weeks ago at wm. byrd. all 5 will play football as well, but only 3 will be varsity level. we got 3 brothers from halifax county who transferred in...the eldest is every bit of 6'5 or better and around 215-220. he's pretty good and quick on his feet and it seems like he'd make quite a DE. his next youngest brother is 6'1-6'2 and probably 190. he appeared to be more than willing to get in there and mix it up for rebounds on the bball court so i could see him making a nice LB. i'm anxious to see how it all comes together this year. like mentioned above, the schedule will tell the tale....we've got the two-time defending state champion gretna hawks on the schedule, perennial powers graham and rustburg, along with the d5 halifax co. and d6 franklin co. to go along with the district schedule.

no worries...i wasn't arguing anyways. when do u think the gamecocks and spurrier may be brave enough to schedule CCU???? speaking of which....since u know how to cut and paste, check this link....http://player.narrowstep.tv/nsp.aspx?player=tfn2# once there...click on highlights. then click the little triangle that will send u to the second page. then click on "founded 2003 - birth of a tradition". enjoy

hey gamecocks...of course i cut and pasted that...i wouldn't claim otherwise. i just figured i'd help him with his question. lord knows i'd never write all of that...after all, i did spend my college days (and graduate) right there in your town of myrtle beach. go chanticleers!!!