RichlandsAlum

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.

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.

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.

Liberty (Bedford) is currently 0-9 and has been outscored 544-0.  But I'm positive that the team will suit up to finish the season against Amherst on Friday and we'll still have the usual "Senior Night" observances.  
So what's Blacksburg's issue?
(On a completely random aside, this edition of the Marching Minutemen band is really good.  So there's that.)

Don't know what kind of paying crowd that football matchup would generate.  But pretty sure the LHS band is better than Bburg's.

Don't know what kind of paying crowd that football matchup would generate.  But pretty sure the LHS band is better than Bburg's.

Don't know what kind of paying crowd that football matchup would generate.  But pretty sure the LHS band is better than Bburg's.

Liberty (Bedford) is currently 0-9 and has been outscored 544-0.  But I'm positive that the team will suit up to finish the season against Amherst on Friday and we'll still have the usual "Senior Night" observances.  
So what's Blacksburg's issue?
(On a completely random aside, this edition of the Marching Minutemen band is really good.  So there's that.)

Hey, there’s nothing wrong with attending a football game to see the marching band. I do it on a weekly basis. At least until my youngest graduates. Then I’m likely to never attend another!!!

Graham-Does our bus driver remember how to get to BSG?
Union-Can we forfeit homefield advantage and just play at Mitchell?
Ridgeview-Are we sure these injuries are season-ending?
Grayson Co-Can we appeal to drop to .5A for the playoffs?
Bland Co-How awesome is it just to be playing football?
Narrows-We’re undefeated and County Champs! Is this what Heaven’s like?
Giles-Is there anything more hideous than the color green?
Twin Springs-Who predicted we’d be the last unbeaten team in Scott Co?
Thomas Walker-Are you willing to play in Ewing? No? Then stick your cupcake joke up…
Lee-Can we build a wall at the Wise Co border?
Twin Valley-Can we schedule more KY teams like Phelps?
JI Burton-Can we get Phelps on OUR schedule?
Central-Can we just start basketball already? Also, who has the number for Phelps’ AD?
Galax-Are we 100% sure we can’t get Dixon back?
Hurley-Are we 100% sure we can’t get Tester back?
Tazewell-Can we just win a game without all the drama?
Chilhowie-Doesn't all teams have 12 coaches?
Northwood-When do we get to play Castlewood?
Castlewood-When do we get play Northwood?
Marion-Who took Northwood off our schedule?
Richlands-We play Lebanon this week, right?
Lebanon-Have we mentioned how awesome our QB is?
Grundy- Are we good? Are we bad? Yeah, we don’t know either.
George Wythe- See “Grundy”
Rural Retreat- See “Grundy”
Patrick Henry- See “Grundy”
Fort Chiswell-Can we have a do-over against Tazewell?
Rye Cove-Can we have a do-over against Honaker?
John Battle- Can we have a do-over against Holston?
Gate City-Can we have a do-over against Abingdon?
Abingdon-Can we have do-over against Battle?
Eastside-Can we have a do-over against Chilhowie?
Holston-Who invited Honaker to the Hogoheegee? Also, can we have a do over against Narrows?
Radford-What Region C heartbreak awaits us this year?
Virginia High-What happened to all our talent?
Pulaski Co-Forget Botty, did you see where we almost beat Princeton!?!
Carroll Co- We’re 1-3 against 1A schools. Is that bad if we’re 3A?
Honaker-Can anybody recommend a good hotel in Salem?
 

Patrick Co is going into the Three Rivers this year because of the travel issues( trips to Mecklenburg, Halifax, GW-Danville) and also getting to play schools more their size. This leaves Martinsville as the only 2A in the Piedmont so we know all to well Liberty-Bedford's predicament. Nowhere to go for the Dogs so they will take their lumps from the 4A and 3A teams in the district.

I've said this before on here. Maybe it's having spent most of my life along the North Carolina border? I think 4 classifications are plenty for Virginia, similar to what NC does. I also think one of those should be limited to the smallest schools in the state regardless of the number of schools that places in Class 1. Then divide the remaining schools evenly in the three remaining classifications. 

Until the VHSL fixes the classification system at the district level (i.e. having all district members be part of the same classification -- which worked extremely well from 1970 to 1986), the playoff system is going to be suspect at best.
Liberty-Bedford might be the poster child for this in soccer next year.  The Minutemen will be in Division 2 but forced to play in the Seminole District (comprised of Division 3 and Division 4 teams).  This year they only won 3 games.  But given the point system and differential, that might be enough to get them into regional play next year.  And within the specific region, they might actually be competitive in the postseason.
Madness.

Them Raven boys would have put ole Tom in his place 😂 They’re a different kind of tough on that end of town. 

I think I spotted a fan with outside food and an umbrella in the video. I just hope the School Board addresses this issue as well.

History was made today in the SWD tournament.  Kendi Dye became the first female to win a Southwest District championship by winning in the 120 weight class. 
Proud of her and all of the Blues who help Richlands win the SWD wrestling title again this season. 
 
On to regionals at Union next Saturday! 

Sounds very good all around.  One of my oldest son's LHS teammates played for Emory & Henry a few years ago.  My observation is that they are very forthright in their approach to recruiting.  And if they've said they'll be watching him then that's definitely a solid option for him.
If he wants to broaden his horizons a bit or simply test the waters, then I'd highly recommend attending an ID camp.  The likelihood of landing an offer from the host school may be a long shot, but he will at least get a chance to perform in front of their coaches as well as those from several other "lower level" schools who will be there.  My 16 year old accepted an invitation to attend an ID camp at a Division I school last month.  As a result he received 3 offers from Division II schools and one from a Division III coach who were there.  The host school is actually still communicating with him but ultimately we don't really expect anything to come of that.
The recruiting companies and sites are in business to make money (no surprise there).  But there are sites where he can create a free profile that will garner immediate interest from schools who are looking for players with his particular metrics.  Our high school coach prefers fieldlevel.com.  Both of my sons also got a free profile from ncsa.com in conjunction with their participation in some travel tournaments.  Both generated several hits and immediate invitations from several D-III type schools across the country.  But the Division I schools generally operate on direct scouting of their own or recommendations/tips from their ID camp partners.  
All of this is offered based on my personal observation so far with my two older sons.  My oldest decided pretty early in the process that he cared more about where he wanted to go college for reasons other than soccer, so he never seriously considered any of the offers he received.  My 16 year old is at least looking into it -- but I wouldn't be surprised if things turn out the same way with him.
Good luck!

It looks like SWCC is on his radar and evidently he can get 2 years tuition free there for an associates. I think he’s actually started talking to the school counselor about his options and learning some stuff 😃. 
  He was invited to a camp at E&H last year and had had several invites to FCA tournaments the last few years. He has a friend that’s on the team there, I think that may be some of his reasoning for thinking E&H. Trying to get any info out of him is like pulling teeth at times 😂 but he did say the E&H coaches gave him a some stuff to work on and mentioned they’d be watching him this year.
   His brother and Sister are both King graduates and that’s where that comes in. 
  He mentioned today that he’d enjoy going to one of those camps from the link you posted above at James Madison. I told him if he’s serious we can make it happen and to let me know. So he has some things to think about now.
   We were contacted before Christmas by some sort of recruitment company. Sat through about an hour and a half zoom meeting about how they were willing to help him get a recruitment video straightened out and a contact list. Turns out they were very expensive 😂 
  I think he’s starting to realize that we need to get moving on some of these plans and options if he’s wanting to play soccer at the college level. 
  We also may have military options from my service that he can look into. 
  Thanks so much for the link and advice !! 
 Hopefully they have another stellar year like they did last year. We lost our keeper so that’s going to be a weak point for us but AFAIK most of the seniors came back this year and thankfully our coach decided to give it one more year for his “guys”. His son graduated last year. 

If your son has interest in playing soccer in college but isn't wed to the notion of a four year school, Southwest Virginia CC has a team and I think they are actively looking for players.  The other advice I'd offer would be for him to participate in ID camps (and here is a link for ones offered within Virginia: https://www.collegeidcamps.net/virginia-mens-soccer-camps.html).  Just bear in mind that those are extremely competitive and a lot of them are stocked with invited players.
I have a 16 year old junior who is currently participating in the recruiting process.  I'd be happy to share some personal insight into that if you or anyone else might be interested.  (And have already done so privately with a few friends here.)
Our local school (Liberty-Bedford) will be competing in its last season at the Division 3 level for a while.  We lost several seniors from last year's team that made it to the Region 3C playoffs but actually kind of underperformed.  Not really sure what to expect out of them this year but a lot of them played travel ball together and did pretty well this past fall.

I misspoke yesterday. Sixcat regrets the error!
This kid has been accepted into 3 of the 7 schools in which they have applied. Two have offered scholarships. One full and the other at roughly 80%. Neither of those schools are likely to be the choice at the end of the day but the offers are flattering. 

IMHO, Tazewell had it right in 1986 and should've never changed. 

These notes are from message of 12/5/21 my pastor preached.  I thought for those who celebrate the birth of Jesus it would be a blessing in this most Holy Season.
 
"Three Amazing Gifts Given To Jesus"
Most gifts that we give or receive are for the moment.  The gold, frankincense and myrrh were given to Jesus by the wise men, but they were for mankind as well.  These gifts given weren't just for the birth of Jesus, but had significance in his death as well.  The Old Testament tells you somebody's coming, the New Testament  tell's you, he's here.  
Gold -  is given to a King (1 Kings 6: 21-22)  The gold represents redemption overlaid on the altar, in the temple Solomon built. Before God calls you to a platform, he will call you to the altar first.  
Frankincense is sap dried from a living tree which dies.  You cannot get sap out of the tree unless it is pierced.  The first part of the sap isn't collected.  It holds impurities.  The second part, when collected, dries like a teardrop.  Jesus cried, "I'm not crying for a religious war, but for Godly peace."  The frankincense afterwards is crushed, and then  sold for incense, the smell.  The priests in the temple always burnt  incense around the altar for healing.   
Myrrh the third gift  represents Jesus being anointed at birth, because one day he would be  'high priest."  (Luke 4:16-19)  In the New Testament myrrh was used as an embalming oil.  A medicine to ease the suffering of people crucified.  They offered Jesus wine mingled with myrrh to ease the pain, but he refused.  (Mark 15:23)  Jesus knew he had to suffer with sin and all sickness.  
The wise men gave gifts to celebrate Jesus birth.  What is your gift?  Who you are is God's gift to you; what you do is your gift to God.  Will we bring to this Holy Season a sweet savor?  May it be so!!!  
AMEN
 
 

Update from earlier today (Dec. 22)
Thank you everyone for your prayers, and those who came to help or be with us and those who messaged me asking what you could do❤️ We sincerely appreciate everyone. God had his hand in yesterday’s events and protected Aiden through the whole ordeal. 
Aiden slept pretty well last night and is feeling much better. He got a big loading dose of Keppra last night, and it made him quite entertaining for several hours, I think he probably talked for two hours straight, haha! It was music to this momma’s ears! 
He will have an EEG at some point this morning and the pediatric neurologist will come see him, and they will be consulting with his oncologist at St. Jude about next steps. He has asked everyone he has seen if they think he will go home today and they have guarded optimism, but there’s HOPE that he will. I want that for him so badly, but I want him healthy even more than that so we will do what the doctors feel is best. 
Please continue to pray, I would like for this to just be a medicine adjustment, and not an indication of something else or cause a delay in further treatment. 
-Sarah

May the light of Christ fill your heart and mind as you celebrate his birth. Merry Christmas! 

I agree. So trying to find Div 3 teams that are going thru tough times would be difficult.