The points about the long-term impacts of any proposed consolidation are well made from all contributors. I'd add the fact that the VHSL needs to give its classification system some serious attention and review. A big part of the problem might be that 6 classifications are simply too many. Issues of equity could possibly be addressed by having one group for the smallest schools (below a certain threshold), one for the largest (above a particular standard), and two in between. This would theoretically reduce the number of "outliers" who are adversely affected by the current system through little or no fault of their own. Just a thought.
Back to the topic of the subject header, this looks to be a very sensible and mutually beneficial hire all around. Strong Tazewell programs are good for the entire county (and region) and this arrangement should be a good one for the Colobro family. Here's hoping that it works out.
Please.... The issue here is not whether we broke a few rules, or took a few liberties with the customary interpretation of enrollment boundaries - we did.
They remind me a lot of the really excellent Altavista teams of a couple years ago. And I think one of their coaches was a member of that Altavista staff, coincidentally enough.
I concur with JDHoss. They are hitting a sweet spot of circumstance and talent right now. I think they have one kid who transferred from Heritage, and there has been some shuffling of players in the Lynchburg area in terms of enrollment in the past. But Appomattox looks pretty organic overall.
Strong community with some really good folks. Although I hate to see my school lose, it's easy to feel good about the success of the Raiders. Hats off to them.
Can you not credit Appo for being just that damn good? I mean I understand being a fan and all but this is a bit picky. I see your point... if the coaches body language was poor then there is no place for that on the sideline. But Appo was a wonderful team... give them credit. They were just better than Richlands this year.
Appomattox does have a very talented and disciplined team, they were obviously better than Richlands, and they are certainly the very best 2A team by a long shot. But yesterday's game itself (viewed as a singular event in an overall season) didn't provide a gauge as to how good they really are. Over the season Richlands demonstrated an ability to play much better than what they displayed yesterday. No discredit to Appomattox -- just an observation.
If the Blues were firing on all cylinders, my opinion is that they still would have lost (and probably by a significant margin). And we probably wouldn't feel a lot better in that case either.
Great year for the alma mater overall. Congrats to Appomattox.
PS...If I'm the SD principle I'd have to dig deep and give the kid a pass...Have to be a very flagrant penalty such as a punch or fight for me to want him off the field but that's me.
Pure speculation on my part, but I'm guessing that the SD principal followed the advice of the athletic director.
Restaurant closed a couple of months after our visit, and I thought the whole chain had gone belly up. But apparently there are still a few shops left in upstate NY (nowhere near where we dined, BTW).
I thought a C rating was impossible! Did they have rat droppings as centerpieces?
One of those instances where you're genuinely curious but too afraid to ask. We looked for obvious indicators but never saw any. Guessing the kitchen was Kafka-esque. Must have been storing heroin at room temperature. Stuff like that.
Not a Tazewell fan but seen the old clippings I know it would have been Jesse Davis for 86 Tazewell
That '86 doggie team was pretty solid from top to bottom. A lot of players from that roster went on to the next level. And they were all genuinely good guys as a rule.
And now I feel a bit light headed. Pretty sure I have never been that complimentary of anything Tazewell related in my life.
Some say Sandy Rogers of Richlands from way back was a beast at RB. I wasn't alive so I couldnt verify or deny that. His name is brought up alot my grandparents and their peers.
"Beast" is exactly the term to describe Sandy. He probably would have gotten a lot more attention from recruiters in today's age of media promotion but Emory gave him a good stage on which to demonstrate his considerable talent.
Unfortunately he doesn't belong in this thread. Richlands never came close to a state championship before 1992. The 5-5 record of Sandy's senior year was cause for celebration in and of itself.
Wow, very interesting. If the call was made incorrectly and shouldnt have been called, the rant doesnt happen. But looking at it from Howie's perspective, if he felt it was a bad call that got him ejected i can definately see the frustration. Not sure if looking at the sideline behavior after possibly a bad call is the right way to look at it. My opinion of course.
Frustration is understandable. But that's no license to misbehave.
To clarify, my reliable source said that they personally didn't really witness the interaction that led to the flag, but the kid really showed himself in response to it. No official comment on the call being incorrect. Draft admin probably agreed with the call. But Howie made it too easy for them and removed any chance of grace completely of his own accord.
Of course they would deny it. Probably without even looking at film. Would love to see the film on the second penalty.
Story I'm getting from the Draft side is that the 2nd penalty could have been questionable, but the kid's behavior in response to it was not. Apparently his resistance to leaving the field and then his behavior on the sideline after the ejection (kicking equipment and ranting) made a definite impression. Very regrettable because that part was completely avoidable and was probably the deciding factor.
I think PH dropped in 86? when the VHSL created the divisions and the SWD split into the SWD and the Highlands.
PH dropped in 1989. They were essentially replaced by Lee.
The VHSL division shift was coincidental and didn't really have any direct bearing on the SWD split of 1986. That process was driven almost exclusively by the inefficiencies (as well as some perceived inequalities) of the 11-team arrangement.
Trust me, they do. Richlands is well renowned by everyone not from Doran to be pretty prolific smack talkers in their own right. They sure aren't the choirboys that this board seems to portray.
Guess this is as good a time as any to offer two confessions:
1. I spent the first five years of my life as a resident of Doran Bottom; and
2. I was a willing participant in the verbal/psychological aspect of more than one sport myself back in the day.
* - Richlands was on probation in 1993 but won the SWD title in terms of the standings. Not sure if the VHSL sanctions had any effect on this particular championship.
Mr. Richlands Alum, some name, comparing Abingdon to Lee Co. Is like comparing an igloo to a castle, such an obtuse comparison. Political we have sent Statesmen to Washinton, D. C. And Richmond. People of culture and artistic appreciation are all of the time. Maybe the Tazewell Co. School Board should consolidate Richlands High and Tazewell High. You can call yourselves, The Blue Dogs.
Oddly enough, I am sympathetic to the plight of Abingdon. The Falcons are at a significant competitive disadvantage within their assigned classification, and that is mostly due to geography. My reference to Lee County was intended to illustrate the point that Abingdon is effectively the end of Virginia as viewed by the rest of the teams within 3A. The actual truth of the matter is that the rest of the Commonwealth generally has neither the inclination or the motive to give Abingdon any consideration at all. I refrained from sharing that because it seemed indelicate to do so. Alas.....
I've actually given consideration of my own to a consolidated school that would serve the western portion of Tazewell County. My proposal would be to construct it somewhere in the vicinity of Pounding Mill and apply that community's name to the school. Furthermore, I would suggest "Quarriers" as a nickname for the athletic teams and usage of the USFL Pittsburgh Maulers logo. But I will readily admit that "Blue Dogs" is a very clever suggestion.
I would not advocate for any punitive action to be taken against this (or any other poster), as I do not find the comments to be threatening to my personal sensibilities or intellect in any way.
This is going to sound like I'm being a jerk, but I'm not....serious question....how can Abingdon do anything about that? Is not all that decided at the state level? I'm all for AHS dropping to 2A. Don't attendance levels dictate that?
A very reasonable question. And to be fair, it is _technically_ within the power of the Washington County School Board to address the attendance levels, but it is neither practical nor popular to do so. The lines for the attendance zones could be changed to redistribute students in such a manner that Abingdon's enrollment in "excess" of 2A levels could be sent to Battle, Holston, and/or Patrick Henry. But Abingdon's status as a growing municipality within a region that seems to be losing population overall would compromise that approach.
The only real "solution" to the ratings points issue for AHS would seem to be loading up the buses and taking on schools in the New River Valley. But it is quite the conundrum.
what is the lee county school you speat of never heard of it
Actually, I was referring to the geographic entity/political sub unit of the Commonwealth. Not a particular school.
From a standpoint of location, Lee County is the westernmost locality of Virginia and therefore significantly isolated from the rest of the Commonwealth. Within the geographic domain of Class 3A as administered currently by the VHSL, Abingdon occupies similar territory.
My apologies. I did not realize that my attempted comparison was so obtuse. Chalk it up to incompetence on my part.
Is Amherst 4A? Is it believed that they "should" beat Appomattox?
An Appomattox win over Amherst would be an upset of monumental proportion. Which isn't to say that it couldn't happen, but the Lancers are loaded and have reasonable expectations of going very deep in the 4A playoffs.
From a 3A pespective Abingdon is effectively Lee County. But it's not like the Falcons are entirely powerless here. Abingdon could make more of an effort to schedule the most proximal larger schools (Pulaski County and Carroll County) which would help address their access to ratings points. The travel involved wouldn't be much different than what they are choosing by moving to the Mountain District.
And trust me, the sentiment cuts both ways. Nobody in the remainder of 3A West is particularly enthused about traveling to Abingdon for a playoff in any sport. Some effort to direct AHS into the 2A ranks would be beneficial for just about all parties involved.
I was a little surprised to see Chilhowie has only played Richlands twice in all these years, especially since R.B. Worthy in Saltville played Richlands 31 times.
Extrapolating a bit from the Richlands records, there are a few scheduling dynamics that kind of jump out.
1. Graham, Grundy, Richlands, and Tazewell have played each other on a pretty consistent and continuous basis since the advent of high school football in the 1920s. The recent withdrawal of the Golden Wave from the SWD was a truly noteworthy and historical event.
2. In the 1930's there appears to be a lot of scheduling reciprocity between the Tazewell County schools and those of Wise County. Appalachia, Big Stone Gap, Coeburn, and Wise were frequent opponents until about 1950. Virginia High began showing up consistently on the schedule in the late 1930's as well. My impression is that the larger schools generally played one another -- don't know if that was due to preference or necessity.
3. The lineup of the original SWD had pretty much taken shape by 1950, with Marion and Saltville appearing as regular opponents. William King (the effective direct ancestor of Abingdon High School) was also a regular opponent during this time. Given that and simple geography, I've often wondered why they weren't included in the SWD -- although I suspect it was some combination of enrollment figures and/or local policy.
All this is to say that the records indicate that Richlands has played a really diverse number and range of opponents (by my count, 86 different schools), but the Blues have maintained some fairly longstanding relationships with "traditional" rivals over the years. This has probably served to preclude (or at least suppress) the number of match ups against schools like Chilhowie or Clintwood.
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Tazewell Football
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Posted
The points about the long-term impacts of any proposed consolidation are well made from all contributors. I'd add the fact that the VHSL needs to give its classification system some serious attention and review. A big part of the problem might be that 6 classifications are simply too many. Issues of equity could possibly be addressed by having one group for the smallest schools (below a certain threshold), one for the largest (above a particular standard), and two in between. This would theoretically reduce the number of "outliers" who are adversely affected by the current system through little or no fault of their own. Just a thought.
Back to the topic of the subject header, this looks to be a very sensible and mutually beneficial hire all around. Strong Tazewell programs are good for the entire county (and region) and this arrangement should be a good one for the Colobro family. Here's hoping that it works out.