Not sure anyone has stopped Clements or Clark so shutting them down is likely not happening no matter who they are playing. It’s been said numerous times but I will ask it a different way, which defense would you bet your life on? Both offenses are prolific and can score from anywhere, but who do you trust most against that for 60-70 plays? There isn’t as much margin as some let on IMO but I do think Graham has the experience of playing in these higher pressure games and there isn’t a better coaching staff if you have a big game to win. G-men pull away in the second half 42-21.
There is no way that Graham beats Radford by 21, in my opinion. Radford has speed that Graham doesn't see every week. This will be a great game and decided in the 4th.
Big sack on the play for Radford D-Lineman Reese Honaker, who is the son of Robbie Honaker. Played Center and DL for Richlands - class of '95. Reese is a freshman.
Have you listened to the latest ATW Episode? They threw out some names for coaches & possibly assistants. If I recall their top two picks were Ronnie Davis with maybe a possibility of Snake leaving Graham to help him (I don’t see that) & Shane Wicks (if Honaker goes on to win state, are you leaving that team to be head coach of a 0-10 team, I don’t see that either)?I think they mentioned coaches from Eastside, Twin Springs, and a few more.
Both are strong possibilities. One would think that Wicks would be tempted to take it. He is very young, a Richlands alum., and would have an opportunity to right the ship.
I sometimes wonder about how or why he came to Richlands and the causes behind his staff turnover between the stints of the championship and second short run after suspension. As stated before, he was an excellent motivator and strategist.
I know of him being from Washington County, but not much more other than he worked his magic at Lexington to win a state title before coming to Richlands.
To my knowledge, he played high school football at Patrick Henry (Glade Spring), he was on staff at Virginia Tech coaching Tight Ends with Frank Beamer under Bill Dooley in 1986. He coached Patrick Henry (Roanoke) and Lexington (1988 Div. 2 State Champs.) He was an assistant at Tazewell the year before he took the job at Richlands. It is important to note that neither Lexington nor Richlands had ever won a state title before his arrival.
If lots of folks start calling Donna Wittington and Chris don’t know her last name is , And encourage them to hire Dennis Vault we could be competitive again ,they work for us the tax payers
I agree with all of the recent posts about feeder programs, fundamentals, and development aspects of discipline posted by old school, S10,SXSW, and TrueBlue have it right. I think the elephant in the room is that the coaches and their job security are dependent upon wins and losses. That often leads to questionable practices or impatience. In a perfect world, teaching all those qualities are always reflected in the win column. Unfortunately, that often isn’t the case.
Example: A team wins handily despite tons of penalties due to lack of discipline.
I don't know if it is as simple as wins and losses as it is how teams perform. For example, no one predicted Richlands to challenge for the SWD and/or make a deep playoff run before the season. The majority of Richlands' games this season ended in a blowout. There was a strong feeling after about week six that Richlands would be winless. That was not based on talent, but rather how they played. Lack of fight and visible signs that the team stopped competing after falling behind. Success should not be based on wins and losses, it should be based on how much they have improved. Unfortunately, Richlands did not improve week to week as they should have.
a good feeder program that teaches fundamentals and a crew of high school coaches that do the same thing is a rarity these days. If any school even has half of that, it's worth it's weight in gold. The community involvement is not everything but it definitely makes an impact on a kid when he's meeting the supporters on the regular. I'm not sure about a dinner other than the night before or the day of the game, but that's just another good chance for them to sit together again and break bread before getting after it. I don't think Richlands created the blueprint for success, but they were on to something good before it wasn't. Regroup and begin again in the simplest form and grow it. It's high school football, figure out a way to get the kids to buy in and keep investing for a common goal whether it's a lift, 40yd, gpa, etc. The goal is to become a better athlete and has to be attainable. It should have nothing to do with what anyone outside the football family of that locker room when it comes down to it.
It is the journey that is important, not the destination. To me the goal is not become a better athlete, it is to become a responsible citizen. Hard work and the ability to overcome adversity are paramount in football and in life. In my opinion, there is too much emphasis on the good of the program and not enough on the development of the kid. Not specifically at Richlands, generally in society. Also, you have to keep "daddy ball" at a minimum at every level.
I don't think a Spaghetti Dinner from the United (then) Methodist has anything to do with success on the football field unless it's a five night a week thing! My son's team in Kingsport got fed once a week from the fine Christian Denominations around the northern fringes of Kingsport! They played great they lost 6 regular season games in four years. Food has nothing to do with it!
Must have hit a nerve. I don't have any contempt for churches that feed teams or for food itself. That is a ridiculous notion and proof to me that you didn't absorb the totality of my comment. It is about scheduling, rest and academics. Practice takes up enough time, in my opinion, unless they are game day meals, this is not a good practice. It would be safe to consider that your son's team was successful because it is one of the biggest schools in Tennessee.
Not accepting the lower standards than Richlands is accustomed to in recent history, and in the spirit of extending this topic, how about some input by those who have experienced the lows of coaching changes after terrible seasons and either recovery or improvement? What are reasonable expectations or steps and time?
Graham goes from a 70-0 loss to Gate City to 2 state titles and a runner up. Tazewell per other thread, went from winless seasons and a coaching carousel to vastly improved consistent playoff team. Gate City?
Move away from the social experiment that Richlands Football has evolved into. Ensure the entire coaching staff is teaching the fundamentals of football and employing team discipline. The expectations placed on these kids from parents and the community are not realistic and have hurt the program. The youth football program has suffered in the past few years which is also a factor. The weekly schedule should be practice on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, walk-through practice on Thursday and game on Friday. Players re-coop during the weekend. I don't know if they still do this, but a couple of years ago, they had dinners during the week at different churches. From a football standpoint, those were unnecessary. There were too many things that promoted a "Miami Hurricanes" environment. The program needs to go back to what initially made Richlands competitive, physical play, a tough running game and stout defense. Expectations? One game at a time, minimal penalties, no turnovers, physical play. You will win most of your games.
For Union fans...what about Powell Valley and Appalachia. Thomas and Julius have to be top of the list for PV. Tucker at fullback in the early 90's...lot of good ones there. I am not as familiar with Appalachia. I recall Chris Mabe, I think.
Last pick. Richlands. Mike Compton. All-American Center at WVU, Super Bowl Champion with the Patriots. Opened holes for Barry Sanders with the Detroit Lions.
My third pick. Richlands - Devon Johnson. Stud running back, Stud Linebacker. Received national attention at Running Back for the Marshall Thundering Herd.
My second pick. Richlands - Sam Barnett (1992 State Championship Center/Defensive End.) Coach Willis White remarked that Barnett was the best high school Center he ever saw. Sam ripped holes open for Brannon Breeding and ushered in the era of the big stud defensive end at Richlands.
My first pick. Richlands - Justin McCracken (2006 State Championship QB.) Simply the best pro style quarterback that I ever saw in high school. He had the talent to play on Sunday.
Michael Christ should be fired and never be allowed to coach football again. He melted down and the next play was a quagmire with another unsportsmanlike penalty. All the talent in the world and he could only call three basic plays. He is a complete idiot. How he wasn't escorted out of the stadium I will never know.
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Honaker vs Galax
in SWVA Football
Posted
I know one thing for sure...the stadium will be PACKED!!!