RichlandsAlum

Grim news this morning seeing that prolific kicking coach Doug Blevins has passed. Heard they found cancer on him too late.
He is the second coaching legend with local ties to pass this week. 
Tony Colobro passed earlier this week as well. Coach Colobro had his hand on a number of programs, both high school and collegiate and was a tremendous man.
RIP to these two great men.

The usual suspects should still be strong in Region 2C on the boys side.  I don't think Glenvar lost much from the team that won the state championship last year and the same seems to be true of region runner-up Radford.
From my own rooting perspective... as a member of the Seminole District, Liberty (Bedford) will be playing a schedule comprised entirely of Division 3 and 4 teams.  Based on the rating system the Minutemen probably only have to win about four games to qualify for the regional playoffs -- which would seem to be a pretty attainable goal.  Fairly decent talent on this year's team.  Two seniors will most likely move on to play in college (one of whom is my son, who could make a commitment to play for a Division II school as soon as next week) and our junior goal keeper is already being heavily recruited as well.  Main thing I see is good working chemistry among the team during the fall travel season and a 4-2 friendly win over James River last week.  It's entirely possible that they could make a run in the postseason -- they just have to clear the hurdle of getting there first.  Certainly an odd situation.

Merry Christmas to everyone!!!
I have been a member since 2007 on this board...almost 17 years.  I've enjoyed it, been frustrated at times, but always keep returning to read, post and reply to others.  We have a common bond, not always common teams, just our love of sports.  
The most important year of having my name listed occurred in 1984...almost 40 years ago.  That Sunday, I surrendered my life to Christ.  It has been such a blessing in my life, knowing through battles, trials I always have that constant, I have a Savior who walks with me.  
This morning I was reading a monthly newsletter I receive.   The author said this and I would like to share.  It may not be for all, but it may be just what some need.
"A question often arises in our trials, one that seems universal: "Why?"
The backdrop is the story of Martha and Mary's brother Lazarus death and Jesus delayed coming there 4 days.  
"Many of us address God as Martha did, "Lord why did you let this happen?  Why weren't you here for us."  
The author said, "I believe we need to ask a different question, not "Why?", but "Who?' as in "Who is my redeemer?  Who is always for me?  Who walks with me through the valley of the shadow of death?   Who is in control always?  Whose promises have never failed me?"  
He adds, "The difference in asking "Who?"  rather than than "Why?" can shift our path.  Asking "Why?" is an intellectual pursuit; even if we receive an answer, our spirit gains nothing.  Asking "Who?' is personal.  If we ask it, God will reveal himself to us, and we'll experience his faithfulness.  We'll also be able to trust  that our steps are in line with his glory."  
This wish for a Merry Christmas to all, is a little long.  I guess you could compare it to being at Christmas dinner, if all you enjoy is the aroma of the day, and not sit down and feast from what's been prepared, your day isn't complete.  
One last note, this quote is from poet Robert Frost,  and I think it is a good way to close my wishes.
"If there are no tears in the writer, there have been no tears in the reader." 
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
 
 
 
 

I think a big reason for the all inexplicable scores of that time period is largely due to the style of play. The SWD and SW Virginia in general for decades was known for its 2 TE, 3 RB offenses like the T, wishbone and Power I that didn't pass much, just trying to grind it out and knock the crap out of people and limit mistakes.
That lends itself to fewer possessions, lower scores and lower average margins of victory (as opposed to today where so many teams run a version of the spread, read option, etc that gets players in space). Other variables like bad field / weather conditions or a random turnover / busted play or just getting a key defensive stop end up having a bigger impact. It was fairly common back then to see a team win games with 150 yards (or even less) of total offense.
It's rather ironic in that back then I used to complain about having to watch all those types of offenses, wishing teams would open it up more.  Now I'd love to see more teams play that style, particularly an underdog against a really good spread team (like the year Gate City beat Gretna).

I'll offer the following thoughts for the period from 1970 until Vaught arrived 20 years later:
-  Competition was extremely fierce.  Most years within the SWD there were at least 5-7 teams who were fully capable of capturing at least the second sport in the playoffs.
-  Opportunities for advancement were limited.  Until 1986 only two teams from each district made the playoffs.
-  The well developed midget league program had no obvious connection to the varsity football program.
-  Expectations for success were consistently high but not always consistently based on logic.
-  The Blues actually lost a lot of close games during that period.  And in some seasons that produced a "snowball" effect and/or momentum that was impossible to break.
-  There was a lot of other stuff going on in the community that distracted people from playing and/or watching football.  (Not all of that was bad.  Richlands experienced a kind of "boom" period from the late '60s until about 1980 that fed the relatively large enrollment.)
Vaught was actually the first coach with the apparent aptitude to move the program to reach its fullest potential.  I know that when he arrived he viewed Richlands as a "sleeping giant."

I'll offer the following thoughts for the period from 1970 until Vaught arrived 20 years later:
-  Competition was extremely fierce.  Most years within the SWD there were at least 5-7 teams who were fully capable of capturing at least the second sport in the playoffs.
-  Opportunities for advancement were limited.  Until 1986 only two teams from each district made the playoffs.
-  The well developed midget league program had no obvious connection to the varsity football program.
-  Expectations for success were consistently high but not always consistently based on logic.
-  The Blues actually lost a lot of close games during that period.  And in some seasons that produced a "snowball" effect and/or momentum that was impossible to break.
-  There was a lot of other stuff going on in the community that distracted people from playing and/or watching football.  (Not all of that was bad.  Richlands experienced a kind of "boom" period from the late '60s until about 1980 that fed the relatively large enrollment.)
Vaught was actually the first coach with the apparent aptitude to move the program to reach its fullest potential.  I know that when he arrived he viewed Richlands as a "sleeping giant."

He was a really good coach. It's a shame he made such bad decisions. It would've been interesting to see what direction his career would have taken had he been able to stay out of his own way.

Vaught was indeed brought in to be "coach in waiting."  Although I don't know that there was a specific timeframe implied, I was told that the next Richlands head coach had been hired the day that Vaught was announced as THS assistant.  Superintendent Frank Cosby had come to Tazewell County from Salem and still maintained relationships in the Roanoke Valley.  Guessing/betting that was the connection.
I had a lot of respect for what Billy Haun did in Richlands (still do).  But it was apparently never more than a temporary stop for him (alluded elsewhere in this thread in an article linked by sixcat).  My impression is that he wasn't necessarily forced out but the leadership in school administration knew that his departure was somewhat inevitable. 
Vaught's availability just happened to be pretty convenient -- and there was also some chatter then about him deserving a second chance after things blew up for him at PH-Roanoke.  Unfortunately the personal grudge that certain Roanoke media members developed against Vaught followed him and nobody knew just how vindictive those guys could be until the sordid events of 1992.

The ghost of Bill Peery says, "Hold my ethereal beer."

It's this kind of community support that dynasties are built.

I have an empty trailer in the bottom that has never been flooded, equal distance from not one but two Dollar General's and a good walk from Grants.
That offer is more than enticing. 

Yeah.  This thread is supposed to be a celebration of the triumph of humanity -- well, the part of humanity that plays football for Liberty High School anyway...

Yeah.  This thread is supposed to be a celebration of the triumph of humanity -- well, the part of humanity that plays football for Liberty High School anyway...

Final score was 49-6 Amherst.  But from the atmosphere after the game someone who wasn't aware of that might easily form the impression that Liberty actually won.  The student section (which was loud and active for the entire game) stormed the field and embraced the team and pretty much everyone was in an upbeat mood.
Very odd.  But still a thing of beauty.  You've gotta love small town Friday night football.

Yeah.  This thread is supposed to be a celebration of the triumph of humanity -- well, the part of humanity that plays football for Liberty High School anyway...

Yeah.  This thread is supposed to be a celebration of the triumph of humanity -- well, the part of humanity that plays football for Liberty High School anyway...

Yep. I can confirm that.  Our student section also seemed to be liberally supplemented last night.  Rumor was that kids from other schools (including some Liberty University students) showed up to provide support.
Gold roof on a tin outhouse for sure.  But still pretty cool.
LHS won't be kept down.

Final score was 49-6 Amherst.  But from the atmosphere after the game someone who wasn't aware of that might easily form the impression that Liberty actually won.  The student section (which was loud and active for the entire game) stormed the field and embraced the team and pretty much everyone was in an upbeat mood.
Very odd.  But still a thing of beauty.  You've gotta love small town Friday night football.

Makes the score 6-42 with 10 minutes left in 4th quarter.  But the home crowd here at Minutemen Stadium just went nuts!

Final score was 49-6 Amherst.  But from the atmosphere after the game someone who wasn't aware of that might easily form the impression that Liberty actually won.  The student section (which was loud and active for the entire game) stormed the field and embraced the team and pretty much everyone was in an upbeat mood.
Very odd.  But still a thing of beauty.  You've gotta love small town Friday night football.

Final score was 49-6 Amherst.  But from the atmosphere after the game someone who wasn't aware of that might easily form the impression that Liberty actually won.  The student section (which was loud and active for the entire game) stormed the field and embraced the team and pretty much everyone was in an upbeat mood.
Very odd.  But still a thing of beauty.  You've gotta love small town Friday night football.

Makes the score 6-42 with 10 minutes left in 4th quarter.  But the home crowd here at Minutemen Stadium just went nuts!

Final score was 49-6 Amherst.  But from the atmosphere after the game someone who wasn't aware of that might easily form the impression that Liberty actually won.  The student section (which was loud and active for the entire game) stormed the field and embraced the team and pretty much everyone was in an upbeat mood.
Very odd.  But still a thing of beauty.  You've gotta love small town Friday night football.

Makes the score 6-42 with 10 minutes left in 4th quarter.  But the home crowd here at Minutemen Stadium just went nuts!

The situation at Liberty is a result of several factors combining to produce kind of a "perfect storm" this season.  Chris Watts left as the all-time leader in head coaching wins a few years ago.  For the duration of his tenure the Minutemen were somewhat competitive in the Seminole District, which translated into some success at the regional level (including a state title in 2002 and a state semifinal loss to Richlands in 2005 that could have gone either way).  But for the last five years or so of Chris' tenure he was struggling to plug some holes.
Enrollment at LHS has declined for years despite some growth in the Bedford area and a steady increase in school age population.  Big contributor there is local perceptions of relative school values, a very liberal zone transfer policy maintained by the County school system, and some active recruiting activity on the part of private schools in the area (including, but not limited to, LCA).  Not sure if this is accurate, but I was told that 5 current starters for Jefferson Forest are kids who live in Bedford but transferred from Liberty.
The recreation system that used to sustain the program got blown up ten years ago with the City of Bedford's reversion to Town status.  The biggest travesty there is that nobody realized it (including Coach Watts) until it was too late.  Compounding this is the shocking level of ignorance about that issue that still exists -- with the current coach griping about a Town recreation program that hasn't existed since 2013.
There was a huge vacuum in leadership of the athletic department when some very crucial decisions were being made (such as hiring the replacement for Watts and representing the school's interests in the realignment discussion).  Being forced to remain in the Seminole definitely doesn't help (and somebody needs to jerk a knot in several tails associated with the VHSL).  But this team would still probably be struggling even if the logical move to the Dogwood would have been approved -- basing that on a 19-0 scrimmage loss to Altavista this year.  Rumor I heard is that the Three Rivers District has agreed to accept us -- but I don't think it's possible for that to benefit the football team in any way prior to 2025
One silver lining should be that there is a harsh glare cast on the fact that some changes absolutely need to be made.  That's noteworthy because the community is typically very slow to react to changes (or even acknowledge them ) -- see my comment above about the Rec program.
Another positive is the fact that the kids are demonstrating some amazing resilience.  We had to do away with JV because of numbers and there have been quite a few injuries.  But LHS still shows up to play and the hometown crowd still shows up to support them.   I'm not really aware of any kids who have quit the team.  We also have received a lot of social media attention from opposing fans who have noted that.  So in a really weird and pyrrhic sort of way we are still proud of our guys.  I estimate that we have about 30 kids who are able to play right now -- unlikely that we ever had anything close to 47.
Not that it matters -- and I'm honestly not looking to justify the situation in any way -- but other LHS programs are still performing well.  The cross country team just won the Region 2C championship.  The volleyball team easily qualified for regional play.  And I'm not joking or exaggerating about the band/music program, which is really coming along.  Looking ahead, pretty much all of the winter and spring teams are poised to be competitive in the Seminole, easily qualify for the regional playoffs, and a couple have a chance to wreak some serious havoc at the Division 2 state level.
Long story short, this is a blip.  A painful one to be sure.  But Liberty won't stay down.  And once the Minutemen are allowed to play against reasonably comparable district opponents, I think all programs (including football) will be just fine.