Unchained

Perhaps another starter missing with flu? Just turned it to this one on radio.

I liked the podcast that Ryan Dye & Brady Hess used to do. They did a good job too! 
 
http://coalfieldsports.com/pod/

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.

Didn’t watch yet but if that’s true might as well not bother if that’s their football knowledge 

Agreed. Kids health should always be the priority — even if certain people on here seem to think otherwise. 

Completely acceptable if this is indeed the case. Kid's health should always come first.

Im sure there is one about to come out of college just in time for the position

All in the family!

John Battle will give it their all Friday night! They are a Senior deep team who have had spurts of potential.  Lost some really close games in the end or record would and should be better. Senior play with a lot of heart.  Injuries have taken their toll this season with some key players being out.   Prediction: 34-14 Union 

Aw they can fix that. all they have to do is a quick recruit:)

I get that the game won't be in any way competitive but players only get to step on the field so many times. Get every one you can 

Think their trophy case says otherwise

"When life gets tough and things don't go your way, always remember, it's ok to quit." - Blacksburg High Administration 

To be hated so quickly by many on this board takes talent.

Man if we only posted on our teams, what a boring forum this would be. I'm not sure why the hostility is coming at you. Everyone knows Giles is down, but at least ya'll aren't making excuses:). Giles fans should be the ones complaining. The Spartans have had much more success over the years than that other team has,

Man if we only posted on our teams, what a boring forum this would be. I'm not sure why the hostility is coming at you. Everyone knows Giles is down, but at least ya'll aren't making excuses:). Giles fans should be the ones complaining. The Spartans have had much more success over the years than that other team has,

That looked like a choke slam when it happened. I know one thing, after that run the defenders from Abingdon weren’t too keen on tackling that kid anymore. Ha

Wait what? Members should only comment on their own team?  Why some people want to suck the fun outta everything? The back and forth makes this board fun! Lighten up & have a cold one! 😉

Battle is much improved and has some dangerous weapons. Turner needs to make sure that there's no letdown after clinching the distric. We have much at state with power points and playoffs. If the Bears stay focused, they will handle business.

Sounds like excuses. Let's face it......Tazewell is not at Graham's level. Just say we got beat by a better team. You'll get a little respect that way. You guys don't understand why tazewell gets the hate. It's posts like this. Only tazewell fans can lose by 43 and have the benefit of scoring their only td on a turnover then complain about the interceptions. You know why tazewell lost.....because they are soft. If you don't like it play better.

The Yugoslavian exchange student drops 40 points

https://www.swvasports.com/ipb/index.php?/topic/49701-final-2-weeks-projections/page/2/
 

I think Abingdon keeps it close but agree with you guys Union is just as physical as anyone 

Best youth program around and the results are obvious. There is always a pool of talented football players for Turner to work with.

Talent ebbs and flows at any program, but the difference between being competitive year in and year out versus every once in a while is having stable and consistent feeder programs. BSG/Appy is lucky to have the hardworking and dedicated folks that enable this to happen. 
As long as stability meets the expectations of the interest, the Bears will be set for years to come.