Funny you mention that. The one gripe I've had with officials all season long is their complete unwillingness to call pass interference. So long as you don't kill a WR with a trident, you're not getting flagged for it in Virginia high school football. Then comes Tazewell @ Bluefield. It went very poorly for my side, but they correctly called pass interference every single time it was warranted. I could barely believe my eyes. Of course, it happens in a game when you're down by 46 points.
I agree too many is better than a 8-2 team missing out. I remember in the 90s D2 had some years where honaker haysi Clintwood or Powell valley would miss the playoffs and someone like Thomas walker would go 10-0 or 9-1 playing cupcakes and get in only to lose by 50 in round 1
D2 was horrifically balanced in the early 2000s. You only had 4 playoff spots in a format where 3 district champions automatically earned playoff berths. The one "wild card" team was always going to be whichever team of Powell Valley / Gate City had 1 district loss due to the strength of the old Lonesome Pine District. Those were the days when you could pencil in those two teams at 9-1 or 10-0 without any thought. The problem was the Cumberland District. Rye Cove (then D2) would win that pitiful district with overall records like 5-5. That left some team as the odd man out in the old Black Diamond District. In 2003, Honaker lost to Haysi 6-0. Haysi went 9-1, with their only loss to D1 Clintwood, and won the BDD. Honaker went 9-1 and missed the playoffs. In 2004, Haysi lost to Honaker 33-13. Haysi allowed just 42 points to the other 9 teams on its schedule. Honaker went 8-2 with no district losses, and won the BDD. Haysi went 9-1 and missed the playoffs.
For folks wondering why district champs no longer get automatic playoff berths, this is why!
This thread is 16 months older than my daughter, who is a senior in high school!!!
This thread could've had a cigarette this spring if not for our meddling General Assembly!
I kid. I hope someone is able to hook Mr. Frietes (thank you for your service, sir) up with Mr. White. Thankfully, it appears that Mr. White is still alive and well from all indications.
Lee in victory formation didn’t see that one coming
Shakes up the bottom of the 2D playoff hunt. Lee will get the 6th seed absent some very weird stuff happening. Tazewell clinches the 7th seed tonight. A Richlands win over VHS + Central loss to Grundy would push Richlands into the playoffs as the #8 seed.
NFHS may be on the fritz for some schools tonight. NFHS did a software update, and something like 12% of high schools have been knocked offline.
This includes Tazewell, so there will be no NFHS feed this evening for Tazewell/Marion.
Come on out if you can. If you can't, you can find the Tazewell Bulldog Radio Network on Facebook Live, on Android/Apple apps, or at http://www.tazewellbulldogradio.com!
2nd the opinion on the atrocious football. I'm waiting to pass judgment on Tony Elliott. I'm more than pleased Rud on D. I'm ready to go help Des pack his shit. This O is as generic and easy to defend as a West Coast Pro Style was 20 years ago.
I often wonder what this year’s defense would have done with last year’s offense. My mind races through a situation where we plausibly go 13-0, win the ACC, and make the CFP. Then I snap myself back into reality.
Rudzinski was an excellent hire. Kitchings needs to be left on the tarmac. I’m not optimistic about Elliott.
UVA scores on some really fancy footwork along the sidelines by Dontayvion Wicks. Then the Hoos shank the XP wide right by at least 15 yards. I’ve never seen anything like it.
You can't tell me you wouldn't prefer this setup. Just 1 team with a losing record in the playoffs (Gretna, as a 15-seed, who has played a murderer's row thus far). 2 tiny high schools (Rye Cove, King & Queen) set to host playoff games. A juicy Rye Cove/Galax matchup? Huge road trips in the 5/12, 4/13, and 3/14 games? Sign me up...
If you're of fan of earning a playoff berth, 1970 to 1985 was the golden era. VHSL only had three classifications (A,AA, AAA), with very large districts. For example, the SWD generally consisted of 10 AA teams (Marion, PH, Abingdon, JSB, VHS, GC, Graham, Tazewell, Richlands, and Grundy). The only other district in Region IV was the New River Valley, which generally consisted of 8 AA teams (George Wythe, Giles, Narrows, Radford, Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Galax, and Carroll County). From 1970 to 77ish, you had to win the district to make the playoffs. Your first playoff game was the regional championship (SWD vs NRV). The second game was the state semis (Region IV vs Region III). The third playoff game was the state title game. From 1978ish to 1985, VHSL expanded by essentially awarding 2 teams each from the SWD and NRV a playoff berth. This, of course, made a team's first game a regional semi-final. So, in 1970, Gate City won the state by going 13-0, whereas Giles won the state in 1980 by going 14-0. Once the VHSL went from crowning 3 champs to 6 champs in 1986, they've struggled to find a satisfactory system.
I still think my system gives us that "satisfactory system" that we've been looking for since 1986. WARNING: This post will be very long.
Here's what the "Inaugural Class D" would look like by enrollment numbers:
(241) Thomas Jefferson (Richmond): 578
(242) John Marshall: 576
(243) Martinsville: 575
(244) Ridgeview: 570
(245) Glenvar: 569
(246) Page County: 548
(247) Buckingham County: 546
(248) James River - Buchanan: 545
(249) Amelia County: 542
(250) Bluestone: 532
(251) Madison County: 530
(252) Gretna: 524
(253) Giles: 523
(254) Randolph-Henry: 520
(255) Luray: 520
(256) Tazewell: 518
(257) Windsor: 513
(258) Graham: 510
(259) Radford: 505
(260) Lebanon: 503
(261) Mountain View: 499
(262) Fort Chiswell: 495
(263) Grayson County: 489
(264) Buffalo Gap: 483
(265) Brunswick: 477
(266) Northampton: 453
(267) Riverheads: 447
(268) Westmoreland: 444
(269) George Wythe (Wytheville): 436
(270) Essex: 428
(271) Auburn: 422
(272) Northumberland: 421
(273) Patrick Henry (Glade Spring): 420
(274) Grundy: 415
(275) Cumberland: 414
(276) Eastside: 411
(277) Central (Lunenburg): 398
(278) Chilhowie: 397
(279) Mathews: 393
(280) Middlesex: 383
(281) Rappahannock: 368
(282) Appomattox Reg. Gov.: 367
(283) Rural Retreat: 365
(284) Lancaster: 361
(285) Galax: 360
(286) Altavista: 356
(287) Honaker: 343
(288) Sussex Central: 307
(289) Holston: 301
(290) Parry McCluer: 299
(291) Galileo: 292
(292) Franklin: 283
(293) Northwood: 280
(294) Covington: 280
(295) Eastern Montgomery: 279
(296) Narrows: 278
(297) Rappahannock Co.: 276
(298) Castlewood: 272
(299) West Point: 271
(300) William Campbell: 256
(301) Thomas Walker: 252
(302) Bland: 252
(303) Carver College & Career: 251
(304) Surry County: 238
(305) Craig County: 221
(306) J. I. Burton: 220
(307) Rye Cove: 206
(308) Charles City: 189
(309) Twin Valley: 188
(310) Twin Springs: 187
(311) Colonial Beach: 177
(312) Hurley: 174
(313) Chincoteague: 173
(314) Bath County: 165
(315) King & Queen Central: 150
(316) Council: 108
(317) Highland: 57
To save a step, here is what the VHSL Power Points this season would look like between West and East as of this week:
UVAO, your potential 2023 "special season" for Tazewell wouldn't have much meaning because the competition has been moved up. Yes, from a purely competitive standpoint its better and I guess thats what would be best for the players overall and what we should be doing. I just dont see the playoffs having any meaning in that scenario. Using that type of classification id be happier with a 12 game regular season and no playoffs.
Does Galax’s 2015 title have “less meaning” than Westfield’s 2015 title because Galax was in the lowest possible division while Westfield was in the highest possible division? Because this is essentially the argument here.
Under your proposal, Tazewell with a higher enrollment than Graham would get out of playing Graham to help create a special season for them?? Did I understand that correctly? Lol
Since VHSL won’t ever do that, let’s just go to top 6 in PP & give top 2 a bye week 1 of playoffs like someone else suggested. That’s not perfect either but it’s better than top 8 but then again it’s all about the almighty dollar not really the kids.
It’s not as if Tazewell’s enrollment doubles Graham’s. The enrollments are within 100 of each other. And winning a state championship, even in a lower classification, is something special that should be celebrated.
Besides, if Graham were truly that much better, under my proposal, Graham would be playing bigger fish in bigger ponds.
Here's my proposal, which I think would be equal parts fun and fair.
(1) Reduce the number of classifications from 6 to 4. Initially, divide the classifications strictly by population. There are 317 high schools in Virginia, so the top 3 classes (which I will call Class A, Class B, and Class C) will have 80 schools each, while Class D will have 77 schools.
(2) Divide the 80 (or 77) schools within each Class into East/West Regions (for Class B, Class C, and Class D) or North/South Regions (for Class A). 40 schools will be assigned to each region (except for Class D East Region, which will have 37 schools). The Regions will be purely based on geography. If you are the 37th westernmost school in Class C, you are in the West Region of Class C. Class D will, by definition, include the schools like Council, Highland, etc. which do not field football teams. Hence, Class D will likely never have a perfect "40" teams in each Region.
(3) Playoff seeding will be determined based upon VHSL Power Points, which would be slightly reformulated. For Class A, wins will have a base score of 26 and losses will have a base score of 14. For Class B, wins will have a base score of 24 and losses will have a base score of 12. For Class C, wins will have a base score of 22 and losses will have a base score of 10. For Class D, wins will have a base score of 20 and losses will have a base score of 8. Rider points would remain the same: wins by a team that Team X defeated are worth 2 additional points per win, while wins by a team that defeated Team X are worth 1 additional point per win. Out-of-state games would be based upon enrollment alone. If Bluefield High School has an enrollment that places it within the 3rd quartile of Virginia high schools, it will be treated as a Class C game.
(4) The top 16 teams from each Region will make the playoffs, straight bracket style. The winner or the East/North Region will play the winner of the West/South Region for the Class Championship.
(5) Here's where it gets fun and exciting. The top 4 teams per Region, based upon playoff performance, will promote to the Class above them for the next season. Stated differently, if you make the Region Semifinals, you move up a Class for the next season. If you are in Class C, and you lose in the West Region finals, you will be bumped up to Class B for the next season. Likewise, the bottom 4 teams per Region, based upon Power Points, will demote to the Class below them for the next season. If you go 0-10 and are last in Class B, East Region, your school demotes to Class C, East Region for the next season, where in theory you will play lighter competition.
Over time, this should create a nice balance in competition while making the earning of a state championship more meaningful for everyone involved. Likewise, there would be no need to calibrate the Classes by enrollment every 2 years, which is a pain in the hindquarters: you do it once, and it sustains itself. The only thing anyone from the VHSL would have to do is to split the schools into regions each year, which is pretty simple if you have a ruler and pencil.
Most of the schools in SWVA would start in Class D. John Battle, Marion, Virginia, Central, Gate City, Union, Lee, Richlands, and Abingdon would start in Class C (as would Appomattox). Pulaski County would start in Class B. Patrick Henry (Roanoke) is the westernmost school that would start in Class A. Over time, most of the SWVA schools would find themselves clumped back together in Class C and Class D. The historically strong programs (Graham, Union) would probably find themselves in Class B over time, with a possible foray or two into Class A should there be a run of athletes like Graham has had over the last 5-6 years. It would also create some special seasons for schools like Tazewell. Imagine the 2023 Bulldogs, who should be pretty good, playing in a Class without having to face Ridgeview, Radford, Graham, Riverheads, or any of the teams above in Class C in the playoffs. It gives each school the opportunity to excel if they are closer to the top of their Class. Further, teams in Class C and Class D can play each other, though it would benefit Class D teams more than Class C.
It's not a perfect plan, but it beats what we have in place. Of course, the VHSL would never consider this.
As far as the second paragraph goes, I think many of us, even if we are happy and/or envious of the G-men, are rooting for a foil on the Virginia side. I guess Union is the closest thing, as they were during the second half of Richlands dominant years. Right now in 2D it seems Graham is consistently the favorite in every 2D game.
If Ridgeview’s coaches could call a competent, complete game, that would be an interesting matchup. But I agree, much as we saw with Richlands circa 2004-2016, having the same alpha dog for years on end gets tiresome. But it’s cyclical…no program endures forever. Talent ebbs and flows, and coaches come and go.
People get the ban even if they didn't don't say anything wrong sometimes. Some clarification would be nice I think other than getting the hammer dropped on them for expressing an opinion
Part of the issue that often goes unspoken is that these opinions are frequently given by members who have 2, 3, 4+ usernames. That’ll get an account banned fast despite what seems like a minor infraction.
I live rent-free in a bunch of folks’ heads, apparently.
Quite honestly, I don’t get it. If my primary allegiance was to a 7-0 team, I wouldn’t give nary a care about a .500 team that my team defeated by 30 in Week 2 of the season. It’s almost as if fear is the primary motivator, but surely that’s not it…
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2022 SWVA Sports Pick'em - Week 10
in Pick 'em and Fantasy Sports
Posted
Patrick Henry (Roanoke)
Union
James River
Princeton, WV
Gate City
Lee
Graham
David Crockett, TN
Virginia
Pick Sent to Ryan4VT
West Stokes, NC
George Wythe
Narrows
Honaker
Hurley
Roanoke Catholic
Rye Cove
Twin Springs
Patrick Henry
Rural Retreat
No. 24 NCST
No. 2 Ohio State
No. 7 TCU
Miami
No. 9 Oklahoma State
No. 3 Tennessee
No. 4 Michigan
Atlanta
Minnesota
New York Jets
New York Giants
Buffalo
Games of the Week:
Radford - 55
Ridgeview - 61