FBDevotee

I certainly think Richlands must be considered the favorite in this week's game at Ernie Hicks Stadium. But Union has the potential to make it close again this year. As I have posted, and continue to maintain, Union's crop of running backs is very good and I think the team's running game is going to be much better than last year. Maybe it can keep the Bears in the contest. I think Luke Stidham, who scored a TD in the JIB game, is a fine fullback. He's listed at 230lbs and runs hard. In general, the Bears backfield is fairly big with both Zirkle and Owens at 190lbs. Several posters noted that the Raiders ran out of steam in the second half - I think that was in part do to pounding from the Union OL & backfield. I'll predict a final score of Richlands 35 & Union 21.

I have not seen any official 2016 roster for Union High but I was told that Bailey Turner, the likely QB for this year's Bears, will probably be listed at about 6'0" 180 lbs. Do those dimensions seem to match his appearance on the field at the Stone Castle? I heard that Union's primary returning ball carrier did not play in the first scrimmage but they have several young backs competing for time on the field. Also I suspect that the Bears will consistently two platoon the O-line and D-line and that will require some early season adjustments. They are very deep along the line of scrimmage. I think several of my sources at the scrimmage were pleasantly surprised by the Bears first real action this season.

Graham will be a very exciting team to watch during this coming VHSL football season but they have a very difficult schedule of games. All those posting on this topic so far seem to agree that the Blues have made another successful acquisition before the trading deadline so that them, Bluefield, and Abingdon are likely losses for Graham. I think both Giles and Galax may be slightly improved teams this season and will add a couple more to the G-men loss column. I will be routing for Graham in most of these gridiron clashes but I suspect a 5 and 5 season may be in store for them in 2016. But I do think the hotdogs at Mitchell Stadium, both on and off the field, are as good as any around. Tazewell has the best popcorn and would be a great location to start up a football program.

I think the three straight Union victories over Richlands, all occurring after the 48 minute horn had sounded, is hard to surpass in terms of exciting rivalry - and I sincerely doubt will be duplicated ever again. As a matter of fact, I suspect Richlands will end that streak this season. But I know several Union fans claim that as the high point of the Bear football program so far. I've heard some say last's year's overtime game at Bullitt Park was their favorite Union game yet. I disagree. I don't think the Lee High/Union game of 2014 will ever be topped - I know it was a tough loss for the Generals and some of the Lee County folks contemplated changing their team name to the Buck Privates afterwards. When you defeat and demote a rival in the same game - well that is hard to exceed.

John Battle's football team is a valuable member of the Mountain District but I suspect they will finish at the bottom of the standings this coming season. As I have posted previously, I think Union should be the favorite again this year - but the district will be very entertaining and very competitive. I look for Lee, Gate City, and Ridgeview to be good. I think Central may be a little weaker than last season. Battle will bring up the rear. My preseason MD players to watch would include Collier from Gate City, Mullins from Wise, Rasnic from Lee, and Mitchell from Union. I heard that Mitchell has now been offered scholarships from Va Tech, Virginia, JMU, and Wofford.

Union High School should repeat as Mountain District football champions in 2016. The Bears will continue to be a very deep team and I suspect they may contend for a VHSL title again this coming season. Last season's roster contained nearly 50 underclassmen; including a couple of Division 1 prospects. The Junior Varsity and Varsity teams both had undefeated regular seasons. The team lost some exciting skill players to graduation but there are a whole bunch of talented kids ready to take advantage of opportunity. The O-line will be big and strong. The running game will be improved. The defense will be improved. Many probably will agree that the uncertainty factor for Union is the development of a new starting QB. I think the potential is very high but there is no substitute for experience. Look for a good season from Mitchell, Fannon, Stidham, Jenkins, and Duncan plus another slate of entertaining games at Bullitt Park.

I know I'm beating a dead horse - but again one of the things that impresses me about the 2015 Bears is depth. Stidham (6-2 260) sat out a significant part of the game against a good Graham team but his backup Walker (6-3 250), who is a solid lineman, played well and likely is a starter the remainder of his high school career. I think those two sophomore tackles could bookend the Bears line for the next couple of seasons. I'm looking forward to watching Union play Glenvar - I can't remember the last time that I saw two 12-0 teams matched up. I think both the Union vs Glenvar and the Richlands vs Appomatix games are toss ups; those games would have made a great double header like we had at UVA-Wise in the playoffs a few years back.

Union is a deep team and I continue to contend that their wins over Richlands, Gate City, and Davy Crockett were due in large part to the Bear's depth. Graham was a similar story. The G-men played hard and gave Union everything they wanted for 3 quarters; but toward the end of the game, the Bears were just kicking into high gear. They scored 28 straight points at the end of the game (just like they scored 21 straight points against Gate City). I think Richlands and Graham both may have had a better eleven - certainly I think Cousins was the best player on the field last week - but Union is really about 30 quality players deep. Union's sophomores are really impressive - Colot, Mitchell, Stidham, Walker, Zirkle, and Qualls have got better each week.

Union played very well against Gretna; and appears to be improving. 10 for 11 passing, no turnovers,and they dominated the line play. The Bears led 42 -0 in the second quarter. The Bears will be a rough challenge for the G-men but I'd like to see a competitive game. The receiving corp for Union is really special; they are all big and fast but also they block and play hard,

Since I can't get an accurate score, I'm going to assume the score was GC 42 & RV 7 so that I can collect on the bet; bringing Gate City's record to 4-2 on the 2015 season. (Only in a parallel universe is Gate City 0-6 and last in the Mountain District.)

Look guys I'm serious. I mean the actual real score.

I've read several, apparently fake, posts about the Gate City at Ridgeview final score. I enjoy a good joke as much as the next SWVA football fan but could someone please post the actual real score of the game on the forum? I need to settle a bet because I had the Devils winning by 35 while my friend had the Devils by 42 - then I started to worry that I should have went with 45 like my Gate City insider suggested. Just need clarification.

The Gate City at Union game was another exciting & hard fought contest; I think the win was just as important to the Bears post season prospects as it would have been to the Devils. The Bears needed the test that the Devils provided; and they passed the test. If you can score 21 unanswered points against a tough opponent for a come back victory then you can successfully face many other challenges. I saw a level of confidence from the Bears that I had not until last night. Lots of things can happen between now and November but I'm convinced that Union not only has the talent & depth to go far, they also have the necessary desire & determination.

I predicted an entertaining and hard fought game but it was neither. Union was ahead 21-0 before all the Bears fans got to their seats. I have seen Union and I stand by my assessment of the Bears but I was shocked at how bad the Wolf pack looked. They seemed so timid and uncertain; just not the characteristics of a Green Wave or Tiger team. I'm sure they will come around but it looks like they won't likely have a post season this year. Does anyone know how many years you'd have to go back to find a season where both Haysi and Clintwood missed the playoffs?

I predict the Ridgeview at Union game will be entertaining; and likely to be a tight ballgame. Coach Mullins does a good job designing defense to stop Coach Turner. Union's injuries will limit them as well and make their offense more predictable. I'll guess the score as Union 27 and Ridgeview 17.

Richlands' turnovers & missed opportunities did ultimately decide the outcome of the game; but in support of my analyses, most of those critical errors occurred later in the game & could have been precipitated by players being worn down. Players on both sides were getting winded. I think Union's depth was, & will continue to be, an important attribute.

The Richlands at Union game was another Bullitt Park classic and I am glad that I was present. It looked to me like the Bears had a slight advantage in depth and that was a factor in the final outcome. Union was able to distribute the ball fairly successfully to a surprising number of players; where as Blankenship, who had a great game, had to carry a heavy load for Richlands. If I counted correctly, Union had positive gains from Mitchell, Barnett, Gavin, Bishop, Summers, Fannon, Spears, Zirkle, and Stidham. I think that distribution helped Union hang in through a physical contest plus overtime. Also Union was without Noaks (who scored three touchdowns against Burton). Again I think Union is a very deep team and I hope that helps them survive a long season and go deep into the post season.

The Bears have a very deep team this season and, just like last year, will play a lot of kids during the course of a game; losing players for health, grades, or disciplinary reasons will be a part of every week's preparation. Doing without a key senior against the Blues may become an adverse factor for the Bears but I actually think some of the young talent that is waiting on the bench may surprise the Union fans in a very positive way. If the kid I think should take the senior's place gets the opportunity, it might be the visiting fans bemoaning his absence. I really do think the Bears have a good football team this year, but my favorite part of this squad is the amazing young depth - I hope several get a chance sooner than later to show off their potential!

I mean no disrespect to the Richlands and Gate City or Honaker and Lebanon fans, but I think this will be the best game for fans to watch week one VHSL 2015. I suspect that Burton is the most likely team in SWVA to go 10-0 this season (in part due to their schedule); and will definitely be most improved. And we all know that Union will be very strong. I think because the game is on Thursday night the stands will be packed with a college game atmosphere and the game itself will be an exciting high scoring affair. It is a great way for southwestern Virginia HS football to begin!

It appears that Union will use the spread offensive often this season. When they line up in the spread, the dimensions of their receiving corps will be very impressive. Barnett 6'4" 240, Mitchell 6'4" 210, Gavin 6'5" 185, & Noaks 6'1" 190 are the likely targets but IMO the bench includes at least a couple more very good WRs; Fannon & Collier.

It sounds like the Bears scrimmage highlighted both the strengths and weaknesses of the Union team. When you have 60 + players then organizing, managing, doctoring, and disciplining can keep the coaching staff busy. Last season due to injury I'm not sure the Bears ever put the same team on the field two weeks in a row. But the depth is there to make the adjustments as needed. As a Bear fan I sure was excited about reading how well the freshmen quarterback and sophomore receiver did in the Stone Castle. I'm looking for a lot of exciting plays from those two over the next several seasons. Also I heard good comments about the Bears defense. It does seam like a solid beginning for the team.

The Bears did use some players both ways last season; but they had several defense only guys as well. Of course the two main both way players this season will likely be the ends Mitchell and Barnett. Both played TE and LB last year. Both are 6'4" and 200 lb+. Another potential two position Bear is Devin Summers. He played at both the FB position and the LB spot last year. Union will be very deep again and that will likely limit the number of players going both ways.

Offense wins games - defense wins championships. I believe the ultimate success of the Bears will depend on the play of the defense. Eight starters return. If the defense plays as well as they did toward the end of last season, Union High will be a contender. Reminder that Union's offensive unit had seven turnovers against a very good Glenvar team during the playoff game; yet the Bears D hung in there and made a game of it. The score was 13-9 late in the 4th quarter (The defensive unit scored a safety and recovered a fumble that set up the Bears only TD). I do think the Bears will have an exciting offense but success will be governed by defense.

The game will be played at Bullitt Park in Big Stone Gap. I give a slight advantage to Union in this contest. The Bears have had more quality opponents than Lee and that rehearsal/practice against good teams will certainly help. I think Union will be the best team that Lee has faced so far this season. Like so many local teams this year, injuries have been a big factor in the matchups. Although Gate City won easily when they played Union, the Bears played most of that game without 4 of their starting offensive linemen. All but one of those will be back for the Lee game. I think it may be a fairly high scoring game - my prediction is Union 30 and Lee 27.

My predicitions are: Union 35 Burton 13 Lee 48 Eastside 6 Bluefield 28 Gate City 7