RichlandsAlum

[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] (although Bassett certainly has the ability to knock off the defending champs). [/ QUOTE ] Ummm, no they don't...game will be a blowout (see games vs. Liberty and William Fleming)... [/ QUOTE ] I was in a charitable mood when I posted that. And maybe under the influence of wishful thinking to a certain extent. It is somewhat amusing to see all of the Salem folks on virginiapreps espousing the "it's over, deal with it" argument. I just posted a gentle inquiry over there asking if they intend Amherst folks to do so the same way they've gotten over the cleats issue. Bet I'm well-done on my backside by the time the day's over for that one.

[ QUOTE ] One thing we all may be overlooking is the field conditions on Saturday. Does a wet track favor Richlands or Liberty? And, will a wet day increase chances for more turnovers? Richlands has shown the ability to be effective in the rain both on the ground and in the air this season. So do not be suprised if they don't miss a beat in unfavorable conditions. [/ QUOTE ] Surely folks have been watering the field at Ernie Hicks continuously since Friday night. Obviously I'm kidding. But I guarantee that I'll here that kind of thing from at least one Bedford person if the field is wet on Saturday.

I neglected to mention one glaring weakness for Liberty this season: turnovers. The Minutemen have fumbled the ball in every game they've played. If they can't correct that by Saturday, that could be the difference in the ball game.

Salem has won three other games in which there were questionable calls that went their way. Unfortunately, it probably won't catch up with them (although Bassett certainly has the ability to knock off the defending champs).

[ QUOTE ] hey i got something to point out, i dont care what everyone on the radio says but coming from one of this years seniors at RHS "we arent over lokking liberty, we take one game at a time, and this one right here is for all the marbles, they are good, ITS WIN OR GO HOME TIME", so dont think we are overlooking anyone...... [/ QUOTE ] Excellent! All kinds of hyperbole flying around both camps Friday night. Now that both staffs have looked at film, it appears that things are settling down a lot. Quote from the Liberty camp is that Richlands is "the biggest high school team we've ever seen." Ought to be a humdinger on Saturday, that's for sure.

Actually looks pretty good to me. Although I still say that they need to bite the bullet and move ahead with a 4-A system of classification.

[ QUOTE ] I can't see Richlands winning if Bedford is anywhere near as nasty as they were my Freshman year. They won't try to spread it out and pass, they are just going to run it down your throat. They will line up double tight, maryland I and dare you to stop it, and they are probably the fastest team this side of the peninsula. Granted I haven't seen them play this year, if they are anywhere as talented as they were 3 years ago, then all roads go through Liberty...BTW, if they have a fullback like Chris Spinner, he will run over whomever, and burn the D backs. He was 6'3 250...and ran a 4.7 40...plain nasty... [/ QUOTE ] Actually, they're more balanced on offense than they were in 2002 when they won the state title.

Given my location behind enemy lines, I'm willing to share what I think I know about Liberty's perspective heading in. OFFENSE: 1. Same as Richlands -- strike early and often. Liberty has won most of their games this year by putting points on the board and putting their opponents in the hole quickly. They basically beat Brookville (the game supposedly scouted by Mance) by scoring 28 in the second quarter. 2. Control the line of scrimmage. If the offensive line is able to penetrate the Richlands front, the Minutemen will be able to rip off some huge plays. This is more a key to blowing the game open than simpy hanging tough, however, because the Liberty backfield has speed to spare. If RHS gives up the middle of the field on defense the way it did against Graham, you can probably spot Liberty 28 points heading into the game. 3. Get Zach Webb into the lineup. Webb is Liberty's answer to Caleb Jennings. He was a pleasant surprise at the start of the season, ripping off 586 yards in three games before going down with an ankle injury at Western Albemarle. He has worked hard in rehab, and should be back on the field Saturday. Poindexter and Dobyns have become a potent combination out of the backfield in Webb's absence. Adding Zach back into the mix gives Liberty a big advantage here. 3. Avoid penalties. Pretty much a given. 4. Take what Richlands gives. Even if the Blues can bottle up the offensive line, Liberty's backfield should be able to pick up at least 4 yards a pop on the ground. Although the potential for big plays is always present, the Minutemen have won this year mainly by moving the sticks. 5. Keep the defense off the field. Also a given. HS football games are won through a combination of clock management and field position. DEFENSE: 1. Get penetration from the line of scrimmage. The size and speed of Virginia Tech signee Daryl Robertson and company have overwhelmed opposing offensive lines and bottled up opponents running games. Liberty needs to be in the backfield with Jennings as soon as he touches the ball and force McCracken to throw. 2. Pressure the QB. Liberty's pass defense has been suspect, although most of the yardage has been given up against mobile quarterbacks who can scramble. McCracken's apparent tendency to stand still in the pocket will be a major liability. The Minuteman secondary has been adept at picking off underthrown passes when Robertson and the boys get good pressure. 3. Stack the line of scrimmage in general and minimize big plays. Look for Liberty to put as many as 8 in the box on first down situations. If the RHS backfield can still manage to cross the line of scrimmage, Liberty's linebackers and secondary are quick enough to catch most runners from behind. These two teams are pretty much mirror images of one another. However, in terms of individual athletes, Liberty's guys are probably a step quicker than their Richlands counterparts. Coach Watts and his staff are counting on that being the difference in the game. Crowd noise shouldn't be much of a factor. The bleachers at Liberty's home field are much closer to the field than the layout at Ernie Hicks. But Liberty's approach to things is more business-like anyway. The players don't interact much with the fans and don't seem to respond either way. Like Richlands, the Minutemen are accustomed to taking the lead in the game first. Therefore, the first team to score will have a good chance of building momentum for the entire game. Based on what I've seen from both teams, I won't be a bit surprised to see Liberty win this one by the same score predicted by OFISHE8.

[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] I'm convinced that Richlands isn't taking this game as seriously as they should [/ QUOTE ] What are you baseing that on? What has you convinced? [/ QUOTE ] Couple of things... Comments made by Ron Brown and Dave Cox on WGTH Friday night. Those guys were already talking about their travel itinerary for Lynchburg. I'm also aware of the fact that Mance scouted Liberty against Brookville this season. My intelligence indicates that he left at halftime because he'd "seen all he needed to see." That game became really interesting in the second half. If he's basing his game plan on what he saw, RHS will be flying blind. As I've said elsewhere, I think both sides are overlooking one another. Bottom line, is that I think that's more perilous for RHS than Liberty.

[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Pretty sure I was the first person to predict Saturday's matchup (and I've got a post from 8/22 to back up my claim). Do I get anything special for my powers of prognostication? Choice seats for Saturday? A free hot dog at King Kone? Anything???? [/ QUOTE ] Hopefully just a long ride home back to Bedford.... [/ QUOTE ] That's a given regardless of the outcome. I have the unique position of being terribly unpopular all around this week. I'm convinced that Richlands isn't taking this game as seriously as they should, so I feel obligated to point out the fact that Liberty has the weapons to win this game convincingly. My neighbors here in Bedford aren't happy with the fact that I keep telling them that Region IV teams play pretty good football, too. Of course, I'm not sharing any intelligence with them. If they want to underestimate the Blues, that's fine with me. Win or lose, I'll be cheering for the Blues. Should be a truly classic game.

[ QUOTE ] I can't see that. Liberty has been beaten. Richlands hasn't. The Blues should be regarded as the favorite coming in. [/ QUOTE ] I see where you're coming from. Of course, that's the logic that made Virginia Tech a favorite against Miami. Liberty's loss was to a team that was one questionable call away from being in the Division 4 semifinals. The Minutemen were also facing Amherst without the Seminole District defensive player of the year, and the offense just couldn't get going against the Lancers. Not making excuses at all here -- Amherst flat out whipped Liberty. But there is a difference between going 9-1 against teams like Amherst and Bassett and going undefeated against the likes of Grundy and Abingdon. Losing to Amherst is probably the best thing that could've happened to Liberty. Since that game they've clicked off fairly easy wins against tough teams in Christiansburg and Cave Spring. I'd really like to be wrong. But I think a lot of Richlands folks are making a HUGE mistake by underestimating Liberty. The Minutemen definitely have the ability to win this game straight up. Fact is that they are quicker than Richlands and they're just as big. If RHS has an advantage, it's that Liberty knows next to nothing about them, and the Minutemen are assuming that they're going to win this game. That's the kind of leverage that the Blues need to use if they're going to come out on top.

I'm going to go ahead and say it.... I'd love to be wrong, but I see Liberty as a two TD favorite coming in. In the words of Seymour Skinner, "Prove me wrong, kids. Prove me wrong."

[ QUOTE ] I know this post might make people mad. Richlands has a very good team but if the same team shows up against Liberty that showed up against graham you guys will lose. [/ QUOTE ] The 'Dawg fan is correct. Liberty is at least a step quicker than Graham. If the Blues' defense gives up the middle of the line of scrimmage the way it did against the G-Men, it could make for a long afternoon. I'll never bet against my alma mater (in fact, I've got a wager riding on the game this Saturday), but the Blues need to approach this game with a chip on their shoulders. In fact, an underdog mentality could carry the day, IMO.

Pretty sure I was the first person to predict Saturday's matchup (and I've got a post from 8/22 to back up my claim). Do I get anything special for my powers of prognostication? Choice seats for Saturday? A free hot dog at King Kone? Anything????

As a Richlands graduate, I'll be there cheering hard for the Big Blue. That said.... Liberty is firing on all cylinders right now. Word on the street in Bedford is that Zach Webb will be back for the game this Saturday, and the Minutemen should be at full strength across the board. On paper, they match up very evenly with Richlands. Having seen both teams play this season, I'll have to give the nod to Liberty in terms of speed. They're a typical Seminole District team -- they're more quick than physical (but this year's LHS team has some hosses in the trench as well). I do think that both teams will be able to run against one another. Liberty's achilles heel is pass defense. Richlands will be able to throw the ball, provided that McCracken can release it more quickly than he's been doing. He's not going to have 5+ seconds in the pocket this weekend. The really interesting dynamic to me is that both sides seem to be looking past one another. Listening to Ron Brown on the way back Friday night, I got the impression that Richlands folks are already making lunch plans for Lynchburg on the 10th. On a similar note, Liberty folks are coming into this game assuming that they'll win it because "Region III is better than Region IV." Neither side seems to know much about the other, which should add to the fun. Definitely the game of the year in Group AA. I predict a shootout, personally. The team that has possession of the ball last wins the game.

[ QUOTE ] the blue-neck nation would like to extend a seat to the visting dignitary richlandsalum! [/ QUOTE ] Thank you very much. I'll be happy to sign autographs and/or kiss babies as appropriate. Seriously, it will be good to get back to God's Country. Visits there have become very few and far between for me. Anyone know if Cuz's is still open?

[ QUOTE ] I was told today that Ofishe8 was the referee that assigns all the refs to the basketball games. The tall skinny ref that works at the prison said Ofishe8 was the person responsible for the game assignments, changing the referee's addresses and information, X-ing out dates, etc. I went to the AOA website but couldn't get access to any information regarding who is scheduled to call games this year. What I am asking Ofishe8 is if he will get on the message board and tell us the password so we can find out who is calling the games this year? [/ QUOTE ] I'm sure it's kind of like dining at an exclusive four-star restaurant (and for local context, I mean something like V & V): If you have to ask, you're not getting any games to call.

My only prediction is that I will be disappointed if I am not offered premium seating for this event. After all, I'm pretty sure that I will qualify as a visiting dignitary.

I'm probably the only person who reads Get Fuzzy, but for some reason this comic strip came to mind when I saw this subject header:

[ QUOTE ] Richlands may win region IV, then the wheels come off. Too much horsepower beyond region IV. [/ QUOTE ] In Division 3, that only holds true for Region III. If the Region III champ makes it to the state title game, that team would be close to a prohibitive favorite (the fact that it would be close to a "home" game in Lynchburg probably has a little to do with that). Otherwise, Richlands matches up pretty well against potential opponents from the other two areas. Not saying that someone from Region II or Region I couldn't beat the Blues. It's just that Richlands would be a strong favorite in the title game. Altogether different story in Division 4. Louisa and Harrisonburg in Region II and Courtland in Region I are all athletically superior teams.

[ QUOTE ] I Think that Richlands will win Region, even though Tazewell or Graham could give them a game. But I dont know about winning State. I say that they may make the State Finals but i doubt that they will win it. [/ QUOTE ] If Richlands makes it to the state championship game, the Blues should win it. The semifinal game will be the biggest test, because Region III is the home of the best pure athletes in Division 3 this season.

[ QUOTE ] Liberty isn't going to win region III, Cave Spring will. They have a good team, and they have flown under the radar all year. [/ QUOTE ] Actually, I'd say that Region III is wide open. Liberty came crashing to earth in a big way, but they did so against one of the very best teams in Group AA. As painful as it is to dredge up, the LHS-Amherst game resembled Tech and Miami in many ways. It will be very interesting to see how the Minutemen bounce back. Cave Spring does have a great team (in fact, they really should've beaten Salem). But Christiansburg and Brookville are definitely capable of playing with anyone on any given night. I still think Region III is Liberty's to lose. But I wouldn't be terribly shocked to see that happen as early as this weekend.

[ QUOTE ] I clicked on the wrong post to correct. My apologies. [/ QUOTE ] No problem, chief. Take it light.

[ QUOTE ] I said Hampton Roads REGION, for the simple fact that I was unaware of the high school they went to. Sheesh, people. [/ QUOTE ] And I don't think anyone said anything about your posts. I chose to correct another post. Don't know why. Wasn't really that big of a deal. "Lighten up, Francis."

[ QUOTE ] The original poster said: [ QUOTE ] mabey a little they are the best team in the state but some people seem to think they are unbeatable I dont think that is the common belief but it is out there but I still say they are the best D3 AA [/ QUOTE ] [/ QUOTE ] Yeah, that clarifies things just a little bit. And if I weren't functionally illiterate, I might've guessed as much. Here's hoping that the Blues and Liberty can both make it that far. A semifinal matchup between those two unbeaten teams would be one for the ages.