I am TRULY glad some people on this site have cool heads (bluefieldRocks).
Richlands will most likely beat Tazewell next year, but I see it coming in a close game. The game will come early in the season, and I think at that point Richlands will be more mature than Tazewell. Therefore Tazewell will not win. I think Grundy is in the same condition. Tazewell cannot match the size and strength Grundy has, and the game is Grundy's to lose. However, Tazewell will be a better team next year; I project 7-3. Wyatt will have the Bulldogs ready, and it'll make the Southwest District "thisclose".
Graham will get increasingly dominated next year, and I see a trend that mirrors that of 1984-1987. Graham will come back in about 5 or 6 years, but in that span, I see maybe 1 or 2 playoff births.
Virginia High has had a Cinderella run to make it this far, but I see the Dawgs running away with this one. My prediction is: Tazewell 24, Virginia High 13.
Tazewell has only went 6-4. This simple feat alone makes Wyatt a coach of the year candidate. Tazewell was nowhere near ready to win Region IV this year, which Tazewell will probably do this year thanks to the Virginia High incident.
HOWEVER, my vote goes to Greg Mance at Richlands. Richlands went 9-1 this season, dominating the hardest district in southwest Virginia (the Southwest District, which is another discussion for another time). Richlands has also beaten a recent nemesis in Magna Vista. IF Richlands wins Region IV, my vote is a lock for Mance, because he has bred a state title contender at Richlands. Wyatt has not, and could not have, done the same at Tazewell.
I was just extremely tired at 3:30 AM when I posted this, especially from the long bus ride back through loads of traffic. I don't drink, I think alcohol is nasty, honestly, and what I said is the truth.
I see nothing wrong with my semicolon usage, tired or not; it subdivides my thoughts quite well.
I wasn't at either the Graham/Tazewell or Virginia High/Grundy game; I was in Atlanta watching my Cavaliers make a total moron out of Lee Corso. With that said, I will say my piece.
The Virginia High/Grundy game utterly shocks me, and my prognostication of 56-7. First off, I give Virginia High all the credit in the world; to beat a solid Grundy team, and the Marcum Brothers and Looney, it takes a total team effort, which Virginia High must have given. Games can be awfully ugly; I saw my share at Graham when I went to all but one game. However, in theory, referees are never wrong; give them the benefit of the doubt! Please, don't tarnish one team's overtime win (in a defensive lockdown, I mean, 0-0 at the end of regulation) in dispute of a few calls. A wrong-call on a fumble could've just as easily been an interception on the next play. Virginia High had the heart, while Grundy was lookin' past them toward Gretna in Region. That's not opinion, it's clearly fact.
Second, Graham/Tazewell does not surprise me as much. I missed that game, but I called it in an upset. Graham is weaker than pond water, so the expression goes. Tazewell isn't THAT great. Tazewell was the better team all along, and Wyatt has had a fantastic season there, to lead the team the farthest it has been since 1999. Again, don't blame the game's outcome on the referees. They may make mistakes in hindsight, but hindsight is perfect anyway. Graham had the chances to win it apparently, but (as has been a recurring theme all year long) Graham just could not give that extra heart to win it. I do not see Graham getting much better; in fact, I see Graham next year having its first losing regular-season since 1987. That's another topic for another day, though.
Now, I'll make my projection for Region IV. I say Tazewell 14, Virginia High 13. I give the winner of this game 100:1 odds to beat Gretna in the Virginia semi-finals. Though, I would have said the same about Grundy this week; Bearcat/Bulldog fans, have hope...anything can happen with heart.
Tazewell defeated Graham 21-14 in the 1st round of the VHSL playoffs in 1999. Still, it's only the second win for Tazewell since Graham emerged from its mid-1980s-funk.
I thought the only baseball going on was in St. Louis and Boston...those 7-5 scores have my sports senses all messed up.
That's the one point I must concede to: the stadium is in West Virginia. However, the situation would be equal if facilities at Bowen Field were renamed after local Virginia celebrities. I wouldn't think that would be right, either. Graham changed its name to Bluefield to celebrate its "sisterhood" (or something like it) with its West Virginia neighbor. I believe naming privileges should be equal. First, the stadium is shared, and it borders on selfishness to name it after one team's influence. Second, Chmara and Gainer haven't influenced certain people, and for those influenced more by Virginian sources, this would be rather nice to celebrate each town's sisterhood.
I'd say the category they didn't get first in would be one of the smaller captions, like drum major (but I'm not sure). I'm honestly surprised that Richlands' drum majors don't score as high as other schools; they score high, granted, but I've seen Graham win that caption a couple of times. It's not a lack of talent, that's for sure, because it can't possibly be a lack of talent to conduct a band that well.
Richlands has one of the most talented bands it's been my privilege to see, and I'd honestly put them up against any band in the state of Virginia. I know Swartz, and he knows how to cultivate the most out of the talent he's given. I was a Graham band member, and I personally envied how he could use the talent to his advantage, and how he always seemed to make the most out of the time he worked with. Swartz hasn't had 5 VBODA Virginia Honor Bands for nothing, and I give him all the credit for it, and I wish him (and all the other area directors and bands) the best of luck in the future.
We should talk about bands on this message board more often, that's for sure.
I have one small concern about renaming Mitchell Stadium or any renovations of the like.
It involves the West Virginia bias in the names. Please do not misinterpret this: Gainer and Chmara both have been highly influential in the football realm, and I think both Bluefields were lucky to have such talents in the area; many young men throughout the decades were impacted by both fine gentlemen. However, Graham does share this stadium with Bluefield, and I find it oblivious at least and egotistical at most to name every portion of the stadium (which so far, it's been every) after Beaver legends. Graham has one by the name of Glynn Carlock that has 250 wins and a VHSL Hall of Fame spot who deserves some recognition in this process. Do not interpret this wrong: Gainer and Chmara were very fine men; however, Graham does share this stadium, and therefore, Graham should have some say-so in the naming process, regardless of whether the stadium is in West Virginia or not.
First, I mentioned Grundy was the team better suited for that night, therefore Grundy won the game.
Second, the field was better suited for Grundy. I honestly could give a hoot about who won the game-it's about the students progressing themselves as individuals, and doing the best they can for themselves, the school, and the loyal fans. I cheer for Graham because it's my hometown; Grundy won the game because they were better suited for it.
Third, yes, Graham would've lost handily to Liberty-Bedford. I never mentioned that. Grundy got machined, and so did every other team that played (a la Gretna last year).
Fourth, Ahmad Bradshaw is not Jesus incarnate. I cannot stress this point enough. He was a playmaker, and a one-of-a-kind one at that. Graham fielded a spectacular offensive line in 2001, and that cannpot be disputed. It's ridiculous to believe that in 2001 he was the sole reason Graham beat Liberty-Bedford 56-14 in the state semi-finals, and beat Bluefield 56-8, and rolled over Laurel Park 49-14, etc. He made the difference in 2002 moreso than 2001, and 2003 moreso than that. He was not the ultimate deciding factor in those contests, though: football is a team sport. That's what separates it from fencing, bass fishing, and other similar sports.
Also, this is the reason they play the games. Who cares if Bradshaw was there; Graham won, and won handily, and Grundy will have its chance October 8th.
Richlands's band shows are always spectacular. I've seen many of them, and I was in Graham's band once in my heyday. It was always a spirited competition between the bands, to say the least. This is the first year Graham's had props since I've kept up with them; Richlands works hard to provide well for its band. It's quite impressive: if you like music, this is the game to see.
You make a vaild point, but if I'm not mistaken, it can only be taken on the 35-34 overtime win in 2001. The other games were no closer than 37-14 win in last year's Region IV finals. That game, he most likely did make the difference. Still, Graham would've went 4-2 without Bradshaw (granted he was responsible for two touchdowns himself), which proves two points: that he was not the entire offensive makeup of that team, and that Graham would've won 4 games without him.
In my sporadic posts, I've never compared Bradshaw to Jesus. I just thought I'd leave that tidbit of information out there.
Scottie Pippen couldn't win the title without Michael Jordan. Ralph Sampson couldn't win it alone at UVA (not even with Olajuwon in Houston). To say Ahmad Bradshaw won those games by himself is insanely ludicrous. The line at Graham was far larger and far more powerful than it is now. That line in 2001 with Kirk, Williams, Taylor, Fountain, and Mullins was the most powerful line I'd seen at Graham in quite sometime. I don't think it was totally unrelated that Ahmad Bradshaw ran for 2,000 yards that season. He also didn't catch all 46 touchdown passes. It's lunacy to credit him with all the offense.
That doesn't even touch defense. Yes, he was a talented defensive back, and that's what he originally was slated to do at UVA. That doesn't compensate for the other 10 members on the field who machined opponents until a slow, wet astroturf stopped them in Lynchburg. The wet conditions disrupted the passing game, not as much the running game.
The field in Bedford in 2003 was rock solid from a week of sub-freezing DRY weather. Mud freezes very quickly when exposed to that kind of weather, and I don't want to get into the physics of it at 12:45 AM. Ergo, the field was hard and fast. Also, Graham beat then 37-14 earlier that season. Grundy did not get THAT good THAT fast; that was apparent in the Liberty-Bedford game. It was more the elements then, which Grundy was better suited for and ultimately won; I give Grundy all the credit in the world for that.
Cliff's notes:
Ahmad Bradshaw does not count for 11 people. Team efforts won those games.
Ahmad Bradshaw couldn't win games without a strong offensive line and supporting cast ahead of him (Kirk and Williams-2001; Taylor and Mullins 2002). Elder Matthews lead a strong role at quarterback (AA 1st team, 2001) with 46 (correct me if I'm wrong) touchdowns that year. You need a good receiving corps to do that, which Belcher (1/3 of his catches were touchdowns), Bradshaw, and elder Elswick did efficiently.
The 2002 Region IV final loss was in the sloppy mud and snow at Mitchell Stadium. Matthews and Bradshaw couldn't maneuver in the conditions while a powerful Grundy offensive line marched the ball down with 3 scores for the win (and younger Taylor dropping a 4th down pass in the end zone with 11 seconds to go didn't help either). Grundy was also machined by Liberty-Bedford the week after.
That said, we come to the issue of scheduling. G-Man went to the troubles to dig up the records to prove his points. I agree, partially. The VHSL rating system does not reward Grundy as richly as some may believe, for the scores drop with each loss. Grundy's records were nearly flawless over that period, suggesting that Grundy went with the surefire points for the playoff birth. That seems a little manipulative to me (just a personal thought). That being said, I believe Graham is as guilty for playing up. Carlock has not schedule a single-A football team (apparently: no teams the G-Men played were single-A) in quite some time. I do believe to an extent he uses the VHSL rating system slyly in order to milk every point in order for a playoff birth. It's not dirty, it's smart.
Personally, I'd pay good money to see a Graham-Gate City rematch, or a Graham-Lebanon matchup, or a Graham-Radford, Graham-Powell Valley, etc. I think it denies the fans the matchups they'd like to see when coaches schedule up like that; at least, I feel that way. However, in both instances I think it's more about the playoff births than about playing a game and pleasing the fans.
I look forward to hearing the comments against me tomorrow .
I must say, that's a nice post. What happens on Friday night is the reason they play the game. This game may possibly decide the Southwest District this year, so there's no doubt both teams will be firin' on all cylinders. That mental factor comes into play, thinking about the fact that Richlands hasn't beaten Graham in a long time. I think Graham steps up, but it should be an exciting game, either way.
You can't win a football game if you can't score points. Graham shut out both Marion and Virginia High (who many thought could easily win), and held a strong Blacksburg team to six. With the exception of being machined at the hands of the Beavers, I've been highly impressed with Graham's play on defense, though the offense concerns me (and so does Mahood's leg). Richlands is 3-1. Graham is 3-1. It should be an exciting, low-scoring contest, with any team score over 20 points seen as ludicrous. Graham: 10, Richlands: 7 in a defensive struggle.
I've thought about that proposition before, albeit that my proposition would never happen. This is more for humor than for serious discussion, but I believe we would have to take southern West Virginia, southwest Virginia (excluding Blacksburg, for Virginia Tech's purposes), and eastern Kentucky, and just create another state. To become a state, an area must have 50,000 people (check!), and must petition the legislative branch in order to propose a bill. Such a bill would never do well; however, I've adopted the adage "the state stops at Roanoke"; SWVA is basically another state in itself.
I hope he becomes a Cavalier! He has quite a bright future ahead of him, no matter where he decides to go. From what I've been able to tell, the choices have been narrowed down to three, two of which are Virginia and Virginia Tech. I've spoken to him personally about UVA; however, whereever he wishes to go, I wish him the best!
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I have a great idea!
in SWVA Football
Posted
I am TRULY glad some people on this site have cool heads (bluefieldRocks).
Richlands will most likely beat Tazewell next year, but I see it coming in a close game. The game will come early in the season, and I think at that point Richlands will be more mature than Tazewell. Therefore Tazewell will not win. I think Grundy is in the same condition. Tazewell cannot match the size and strength Grundy has, and the game is Grundy's to lose. However, Tazewell will be a better team next year; I project 7-3. Wyatt will have the Bulldogs ready, and it'll make the Southwest District "thisclose".