RichlandsAlum

Richlands stands a good chance of being upset, but I'd peg Graham as the potential spoiler instead of the Falcons. Probably not a bad thing for the Blues if Abingdon actually scores tonight, though. Will take some of the psychological pressure off them heading into the showdown with the G-Men.

[ QUOTE ] He's already put his 10 years in the league. So, he'll get his NFL pension. If he got back into coaching I don't think money would be the determining factor. I could see Mike being an asst. coach at RHS. [/ QUOTE ] From what I know, I believe you're right. I wouldn't be shocked to see Mike help out with baseball at RHS, either. He was pretty tough on the diamond back in the day as well. Good guy all around. Hope he finds happiness regardless of what future path he pursues.

[ QUOTE ] The one guy I remember from Cedar Bluff was #77. When we played them my coach moved me from RT to LT to block him because he was getting about 20 tackles a game. I was so proud that he only got one tackle that night [/ QUOTE ] I think that would've been Jeff Witt. He was a heckuva player. During my season with the Green Wave (1982), I did experience the joy of being assigned to block Ernie Newberry when we played the Tide. That assignment only lasted about two series of downs before coach decided it was better to team-block him.

[ QUOTE ] Does anyone remember who "speedy" was for Cedar Bluff? I played one year with him on the team, but to be honest I don't think I ever knew his real name? Richlands Alum...got any answers? [/ QUOTE ] That would be Stevie Campbell. And that specific season would've been 1980, if I'm not mistaken. 89, if you were a Blue Devil that season, then you qualify as the second poster on this board that I played with. I played left guard on the "little guy" squad that year.

[ QUOTE ] I played at the same time as you but I remember two seperate teams, midget and pee-wee. I also remember 6th grade being the "maximum" but you couldn't be over 13 years old. I played two years for the now defunct Redskins and one for Raven. [/ QUOTE ] My last year of midget league was 1982. Played for the mighty Green Wave team that went 0-7-3 (along with another poster on this board). There was no distinction between midget and pee-wee that season, although we usually got the younger guys in the games during the last quarter. We weren't a great team (as evidenced by our record), but we did play a great second game against Baptist Valley -- who won the championship that season, if I'm not mistaken. They beat us 48-0 the first time. Second time around we came up short in a classic struggle by a score of 8 to 6. That experience is something that the Blues might keep in mind as they roll along this year. They're probably going to have to beat a good team twice to win the region, and that could be a tall order.

[ QUOTE ] richlands midget league football 5 - smurf teams ages 4-7 5 - peewee teams ages 8-10 5 - midget teams ages 11-13 [/ QUOTE ] When did this split between smurf/peewee/midget take place? It's a good thing, mind you. Back in the day when I played, the regulations were pretty fast and loose. I don't remember there being a minimum age and I believe the "maximum" was only that you couldn't play past 6th grade. In limited circumstances, this meant that you could conceivably have a single team ranging from toddlers to 20 year olds. (And I'm not exaggerating a whole lot here.) It was still fun, though. As a former Blue Devil and Green Wave myself (I switched after sitting out for a year -- one of the other "rules" at the time), let me give a shout out to my Richlands midget league peeps from the early '80s.

[ QUOTE ] Great post RichlandsAlum except for 1 thing. Martinsville was AAA until the 74-75 school year. [/ QUOTE ] I did not know that. Seriously, thanks for the info.

For what it's worth, the SWD has a slight advantage in head-to-head competition against the Piedmont in the playoffs since 1990. SWD schools have won 10 times; Piedmont schools have won 8. Furthermore, Martinsville is one of the most successful athletic programs of all-time in Virginia. And they have been AA since the inception of the three classification system in 1970. If someone wishes to post smack about historical results, Martinsville isn't a great target for that purpose.

Winner of the state semifinal between Region III and Region IV takes the Division 3 title this year. I stand by my prediction that the match-up will be Liberty vs. Richlands. But I'm less certain about Liberty. The Minutemen will have to stay healthy to get there.

Going way back, Jack Richardson was a pretty good one for Richlands. He graduated in '80 and went on to play for Bluefield State.

[ QUOTE ] Region IV's turn to host the Semis...Tazewell went to Gretna last year. [/ QUOTE ] Excellent. Looks like I've found an excuse to hit the old hometown the week after Thanksgiving. If only Cuz's were still open then...

Thinking way, way ahead here.... Who hosts the Division 3 state semifinal game? Is it Region III or Region IV? Wanted to go ahead and clear that weekend on my calendar and make travel plans (if necessary). That game will decide the Division 3 state title. And if it happens to be Liberty vs. Richlands, it should be a great one.

[ QUOTE ] I can't talk about the entire state, but in Region III I'd have to say Liberty-Bedford and Christiansburg would be the favorites, with Cave Spring and Hidden Valley solid contenders. [/ QUOTE ] The Region III title is Liberty's to lose this year. The game of the year in Division 3 will be the semifinal game between Liberty and the Region IV champion. Unless I'm wrong, of course.

[ QUOTE ] Well I just think they should keep the high school and make it the middle school instead of tearing it down to build a new one..I was in there about a year ago and it look fine to me..The middle school could have there own football field, track, gym, weightlifting area, softball field, tennis courts..Now I don't see to many MIDDLE SCHOOLS with all that stuff [/ QUOTE ] I tend to agree with you. There probably isn't any good reason why the current BCHS facilities couldn't continue to serve a useful purpose. Anyone who is interested and has time on their hands should contact the National Trust for Historic Preservation ( click here) . They could probably find some way to help.

[ QUOTE ] Well what do you all think about the combining of school?? [/ QUOTE ] Generally opposed to that sort of thing, but given the economy in McDowell County it could be worse. Kids from the two schools could've just been shipped over to Mount View in the interests of "cost saving." I'm waiting to see how this shakes out on the Virginia side. I'd love to be wrong, but I predict that all high schools in Buchanan and Tazewell counties will be Class A within 10 years.

[ QUOTE ] People..... Why does it matter who has the best band? [/ QUOTE ] Egad, man. How else are we to gauge our self-worth if not through discussions such as these? Personally, I've just been holding back in anticipation of the thread entitled "Which school has the best English department?"

"This one time... at Band Camp...."

[ QUOTE ] Hey Alum, Did we forget to mention former RMS 7th Grade coach Tom Goforth. He had an outstanding record!! [/ QUOTE ] Good thought, but I have it on good authority that "Peaches" Goforth is hard-wired into the power grid at Stuarts Draft. He's like Mayor or Grand Poobah or something.... Barry Yost (13-1 with a county championship back in '83-'84) would be a solid choice. Although the knock on him was that he couldn't beat Bramwell. I still say that Tommy Owens is still the obvious choice for the job.

[ QUOTE ] Richlands Aluminum must have eaten some lead-based paint off his crib as a baby and suffered some permanent brain damage. [/ QUOTE ] That's 100% incorrect. Fact is that I'm eating paint chips from a ziploc bag every time I post here. You can harvest all you want from the grounds around the Free Press building in downtown Richlands. Just happened to be in town last week, so I was able to stock up for a while.

- Roy Williams of UNC When asked about the Richlands job, Williams was enthusiastic: "Sure, winning the NCAA title was nice. But a chance at actually winning a Region IV playoff game? Wow, that's really exciting." - former Milligan Coach Ron Reed When pressed for comment Coach Reed said, "Tuck in that shirt! What's wrong with you? If you look like a slob, and you act like a slob, then you can only be one thing...." - Former RHS hoopster Robert R. Hagy, II, esquire Legal training would come in handy during disputes with officials. For example: "Not only did the opposing player travel with the ball, but by doing so, he deliberately and maliciously violated the civil rights of our entire athletic department." A couple of dark horses have also emerged.... - Beloved youth coach Paris Parker Parker's availability is somewhat questionable. Since the Michael Jackson verdict, he is seeking to reopen his own legal cases with a change of venue to Southern California. - Former RHS coach Robbie Rodes When questioned about a dozen years ago, Rodes said that he would be interested in coming back to RHS and returning the program to the level of prominence that it enjoyed under his watch in the early 1970s. Unfortunately, no one has seen or heard from Rodes since the last business meeting of the Heaven's Gate cult back in the 1990s. - Dennis Vaught Because you can't bring up any coaching vacancy at Richlands without mentioning Dennis. It's the law. Besides, the cagers would look really cool in those elevator boot things like KISS used to wear, which Vaught might be convinced to purchase for them. Of course, instead of conducting an expensive and time-intensive search, the RHS administration might just use the Buchanan County approach -- flipping through the phone book and calling every "Rife" listing until they find a taker for the job. Current buzz centers on Cletus Rife of Pea Patch. Stay tuned.....

It was Providence (short for Our Lady of Providence, a Catholic school in Clarksville, Indiana). Don't remember the exact year, though.

[ QUOTE ] I've been out of college sence the first week of May.I remember my Senior year like it was yesterday last week that I was actually there I spent most my time down in the AG department. [/ QUOTE ] If you've got things worth remembering, you should probably write them down. Your post made me aware of the fact that I don't really remember much of anything from my last week of high school. I don't know if that's normal (because it was 16 years ago in my case) or if I should go ahead and check myself into a facility for the senile and avoid the rush later.

They should give it to someone with inside knowledge of the program during its glory days. Someone who directly contributed greatly to that success. Someone who really knows the x's and o's of hoops. There's really only one solid choice when you think about it: Tommy Owens.

[ QUOTE ] I think this is stupid. I liked it better when it had a standout player from last season. Rather than 10 seasons ago... What do yall think about him being on the cover? [/ QUOTE ] If they're going retro, O.J. Simpson would've been a better choice.

If you google "Ron Mexico" you'll find that there is actually an athlete by that name. I was going with a whole irony/subtlety/satire kind of thing here. Obviously a mistake on my part.