ProudBengal

So putting a 6A school into the existing Piedmont district makes sense football wise???? Most of you (especially people in the Roanoke area) like to bash the quality of play in the Piedmont District as is. On VA preps, someone tried to state that because of high enrollments, the athlete base would obviously be better. That is far from the truth, as you can use Bassett and for that matter Carroll County (mean no offense of course) as fine examples against that argument. The "well to do schools" probably threatened some sort of lawsuit if forced to play (albeit behind closed doors) Franklin County. Do you really think for competition purposes and scheduling that Franklin County wants to play in the Piedmont District?? That argument alone I can understand from Carroll County's point of view. Bassett has been playing some of the current River Ridge schools in various sports for quite a while .....and there is a difference in the level of competition. Don't get me wrong, every now and then one of the Piedmont schools gets a group of athletes coming through that can compete with them, but on average...it is a different beast. Now you add a 6A school to the mix (by the way, Franklin County has been on Bassett's schedules for a while now) ...., it’s not going to be good for the ones that have to or choose (doubt those 4 schools will play them) to play them. I would compare that to this scenario….this move would be like moving a Salem (and I mean this as a complement Spartan fans) that is strong in almost every sport, into the Clinch Mountain or the Black Diamond districts and neither of those districts would have a say in the move. What makes sense is this.....the Piedmont has NEVER had a voice in the decisions for quite some time. Our area has been ravaged by economic problems (like many other areas)that continue to worsen. Unlike areas and schools that are in the River Ridge, the population base WILL NOT return to our area, because there aren't many jobs in the area that will allow you to support a family comfortably. Once textiles and furniture left this area, it has been on a drastic decline as far as population base. How long has it been since those industries left and for how long has our area been one of the top areas for unemployment? As I stated earlier, the Piedmont (AGAIN) has something forced down it's throat.....and there is not a thing it can do about it. What is it Don King used to say.....Only in America......

...I stand corrected.... Not only can Franklin County not appeal the ruling, neither can the Piedmont District. Under the new classification system, that gives the Piedmont District schools that represent 5 of the new 6 classifications. Schools do not have to compete against teams that are classified 3 levels above them, thus (Martinsville, Patrick County, Tunstall, and Magna Vista) do not have to put them on their schedules. Only 3 Piedmont teams will be required to play them (Bassett, GW Danville, and Halifax County). Not only does it hamper scheduling with the current Piedmont District schools, but it severely handicaps Franklin County with their scheduling if the 4 schools mentioned elect not to play them. Can only say this, now I know why you did not hear "publicly" from the other River Ridge District schools (other than Carroll County and Pulaski County)....... They knew what was going to happen....one way or another in a "closed door session" !!!!! http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=34758

This is what I posted on my thread.....but thanks for linking it again.

http://www.roanoke.com/sports/breaking/wb/314288 Thus, the River Ridge will include eight schools, listed with their March 31 enrollments: Patrick Henry (1,953), Pulaski County (1,383), Salem (1,246), Carroll County (1,195), Christiansburg (1,092), Blacksburg (1,075), Hidden Valley (1,053) and Cave Spring (843). The Piedmont will include Franklin County (2,167), Halifax County (1,663), George Washington (1,314), Bassett (1,212), Magna Vista (889), Tunstall (851) Patrick County (789) and Martinsville (657). By looking at the numbers....seems they would be a better fit where they were originally assigned. Oh well, when the wealthy start to speak, they tend to get their way. As usual, Piedmont gets dumped on again and has to bend over and take it....with no lube of course. Oh yeah, Franklin County cannot appeal the ruling. That should make everyone outside the Piedmont rest easy.

Nice pics, thanks for sharing.

Thanks

Thanks

Did the Tazewell vs. Richlands game get rained out? If not, does anyone know the result....thanks.

What happened to the FB/Nose from Carroll County #25? Surprised to not see him listed on anything.

Anyone know where one can be found for the upcoming season? Thanks in advance.

Sorry Golden Boy....3 of the 4 fumbles took place in less than "secure" situations. When you don't take care of the ball in an option style offense....you will pay for it. Not taking anything away from Carroll County.....they played well (as I think I stated previously), but they were not the real cause for 3 of the fumbles. Good luck with the rest of your season.

Carroll played well, but I am not quite sure that the 5 turnovers were necessarily the result of the defense (the interception yes, the 4 fumbles....no). When you are an option style team and you don't take care of the ball, turnovers will occur. The Cavaliers kept the game style wise, more to their liking and played with a lot of intensity. I look for them to be very competitive this season. They are fundamentally sound and my Bengals were very lucky to escape Hillsville with a win. Best of luck to Carroll County the rest of the season. Some unofficial stats from the game: (from Bassett Football Website) BHS 28 Carries 167 Rushing yards (3-11 for 66 yards) 5 TO's (4 fumbles, 1 INT) Carroll County 54 Carries 154 Rushing yards (3-9 for 16 yards) 2 T0's (1 fumble, 1 INT)

Thanks, I actually was able to attend the benefit game this year. I thought my boys played fairly well, still have a lot of work to do. I just finished looking at our schedule......and the Bengals are going to have to continue improving in order to be competitive with their non-district slate. Magna Vista has continued to elevate their program recently, and it appears that the rest of the district has improved as well. You guys have an outstanding team and I have enjoyed my 2 trips to Richlands (went to the 7-6 loss back in either '04 or '05). Best of luck with the upcoming season and at Gate City this week.

Anyone know where one can be found? Thanks in advance.

Does anyone know where I could find a roster for Carroll County? Thanks in advance.