RichlandsAlum

My further two cents....   I think Mike Scharnus is attempting to be very smart in a very insidious way. 
 
By filing the appeal, he's basically offering a potential distraction in terms of Haysi's preparation for the actual game.  And if the appeal actually receives favorable attention, Scharnus gets to shorten his trip and play on a facility that probably plays better to the physical strength of his team. 
 
As a native of God's Country, I'm personally offended by yet another example of the disregard that the rest of the Commonwealth has for Southwest Virginia.  But in trying to apply some objectivity to the situation, what Altavista is doing isn't a surprise -- if anything, it's blatantly transparent.

My further two cents....   I think Mike Scharnus is attempting to be very smart in a very insidious way. 
 
By filing the appeal, he's basically offering a potential distraction in terms of Haysi's preparation for the actual game.  And if the appeal actually receives favorable attention, Scharnus gets to shorten his trip and play on a facility that probably plays better to the physical strength of his team. 
 
As a native of God's Country, I'm personally offended by yet another example of the disregard that the rest of the Commonwealth has for Southwest Virginia.  But in trying to apply some objectivity to the situation, what Altavista is doing isn't a surprise -- if anything, it's blatantly transparent.

As distasteful as this issue is to most of us (and as much fun as it is to have fodder for argument), I'm not sure that we stand to gain a lot from blowing this up into a huge issue.
 
We need to remain cognizant of the fact that Haysi is the home team because they are the #1 seed in the West.  Altavista actually has a slightly better VHSL rating (24.9 to Haysi's 24.0).
 
The best result would simply be for the Tigers to take care of business on the field.  And even then they may also want to consider playing barefoot and/or blindfolded.  Some uppity Easterners can divorce themselves from reality pretty easily when it benefits them.

As distasteful as this issue is to most of us (and as much fun as it is to have fodder for argument), I'm not sure that we stand to gain a lot from blowing this up into a huge issue.
 
We need to remain cognizant of the fact that Haysi is the home team because they are the #1 seed in the West.  Altavista actually has a slightly better VHSL rating (24.9 to Haysi's 24.0).
 
The best result would simply be for the Tigers to take care of business on the field.  And even then they may also want to consider playing barefoot and/or blindfolded.  Some uppity Easterners can divorce themselves from reality pretty easily when it benefits them.

Thanks for the perspective.  I definitely see where you're coming from now because '80 and '81 were absolutely wretched.  My recollection of 1981 is that you guys were up 42-0 at halftime and probably could've posted any final score you wanted.  My perspective is that Richlands was essentially mediocre over the course of the '70s and '80s with flashes of both competitiveness and absolute misery peppered within.  The weird dynamic that I observed in the '90s (when the program started to win with some level of consistency) was the fact that most long-time Richlands supporters weren't as excited about the experience of success as much as they'd expected that kind of performance all along.
 
And although the win-loss ledger has certainly been more pleasant to reflect upon in the last 20 years, I will confess that I am nostalgic for the days of the old 10-team SWD.  With rare exceptions, a win in that league against ANY team was worth savoring.

I played against Richlands in '80-'82...they were bad.  The homecoming opponent remark may have been a bit of a stretch, but not by much during that period.  But they have come a LONG ways and are now one of the better programs around.  Glad to see it.  The folks over in Richlands were always good hosts. 

Stumbled upon this completely by accident, but thought it was worth sharing:
 
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2013/08/25/2539413/before-they-governed-they-were.html