Hokie Bound

Im excited to see how Riverheads does from here on in Class 2, not to see them fail but just because the competition and quality of games is gonna be great!  As ive said before im a big fan of what Riverheads does on Offense and im honestly pulling for them to have success 

Great chance, but I would take the field. Purely my opinion here, but I give Radford the best chance. I put Union, Graham, Riverheads, Central, and Poquoson all with the same or similar chance and all certainly good enough. I think 6 teams can win it. I don't think Glenvar and Amelia are good enough. So, Riverheads is definitely good enough to win it, but got to take the field because of parity.  If the Red team were to win it, no surprise to me, nor any of the 6 teams mentioned. Riverheads is class act and has an incredible program that is good because not just 1, but hundreds of people in that community have put the work in and they deserve to be darn good, and darn good they are.

@Real Sasquatch hit the number. Central showed last year that they are a contender so this week will be a huge test for the Gladiators. As for the path to Salem, I agree that Class 2 is more difficult, but to call out Region B is a little out of line. Poquoson and KW are extremely good teams but there is a drop off with the other teams from that region?  Look at Region C, Appo and Gretna at 3/4 are good teams but behind Radford. Region D has Union and annual contender Graham, but the drop off behind them is there for the teams behind them as well. IMO every region by and large has two teams that are contenders with a slight drop to the number 3's and 4's of that region and Region B is no exception. Will Riverheads win this week much less the next two? We will see if they have what it takes but there will definitely be some good football played over the next 3 weeks. 

Bath County called and said to leave them out of this!

Not saying you're wrong but how many teams would just start playing  weaker schedules just to get in?  

I've seen this discussion play out every year on message boards from various states after some ridiculous 1st round blowouts. That extra round provides the VH$L (and other associations) with a nice chunk of change for their operating budget, and they are not going to give that up under any circumstances. 

Here is an excerpt from the article. Everyone knows VH$L playoff system is "questionable" at best. But will VH$L change the system? I think they might with enough pressure from articles like this.
 
Why did this travesty happen?
A questionable high school football playoff system in Virginia created this unfortunate matchup. Phoebus entered the game 10-0 with seven shutouts. Jamestown entered the game 1-9, with seven of those losses’ shutouts. “No disrespect to Coach (Lambin) and his team, but it wasn’t a matchup that we were excited about,’’ Blunt said. The game got out of hand almost as soon as it started. Jamestown committed turnovers on the first play of each of its first three possession, and Phoebus led 20-0 just 48 seconds into the game.
Jamestown trailed 56-0 at the end of the first quarter. “Those poor kids shouldn’t have been in that game,’’ said Blunt, adding that he pulled out most of his starters early in the first quarter. The schools’ athletic directors discussed ending the game at halftime, according to Blunt, who said Jamestown chose to play on even after trailing 84-0 at halftime. Lambin, a former Marine, suggests he draws on his military background in coaching a team that went 0-10 last season. “The biggest takeaway from last night is we didn’t quit,’’ he wrote.
 
 

Wow, a chance to run out the clock or score just one more! The Phoebus coach shouldn’t feel good about it. What a shame his players had no problem wanting to score just one more on a team they decimated. There are times when teams in our area could hang that many if starters were left in the entire time but they don’t. I realize Phoebus was down to 3rd string but I’m not sure what lesson was learned on that last play. It’s on the coach not the kids. Kids don’t have the mental capacity adults do. I’m guessing in 30 years, some of them will think “Man, we shouldn’t have done that!” Obviously, this situation falls on the VHSL  when all is said & done. 

Disclaimer:  I'm not a coach, but if life allows me more time in the future, I'd love to coach little league. Working on the fundamentals, knowing that it will pay off when they reach varsity.
I think the #1 reason that coaches do what they do and put up with what they do, is the love of the sport and wanting to stay connected in some way. The #2 reason would have to be love of their community.
Some do it for ego I'm sure. Those are the ones that apply for and take any job they can to get started. Try to prove themselves enough for the next "bigger" job until they're where they want to be. Then, they try to win as much as possible to get noticed so they can keep climbing the ladder. I think Thad Wells fits nicely into this category. I'm not saying anything is necessarily wrong with that, but it's probably more ambition than love of the community.
In most people, there's an innate desire for a challenge. What, specifically, that challenge is varies from person to person. Maybe it's state titles, maybe it's building a program or mentoring young men to prepare them to be responsible adults. Whatever that challenge is keeps them going.
Take Keith Warner at TS for example. What are the odds that he wins a state championship with such a low enrollment? He's done wonders there, and without a doubt knows the odds are stacked against him each and every year. I know he loves his community and those kids. He took on the task of head coach because he hated to see the program in the state it was in. Where does he go from here? He could go 6-4 or 7-3 every year, never win a playoff game, district/regional title and people would still say that he's doing a great job with the numbers he has. Will that be his career or will he go to a bigger school? Time will tell.
One thing is for certain. No coach in this area does it for the money.

It’s amazing how well the Titans have done since Warner’s arrival. That and Hurley with Tester at the helm a few years ago, are some of the best examples of doing a lot with few resources.

Sounds like it was a good game. Gotta give Coach Warner and his staff credit. They've done an excellent job since he took over. They are listed with 135 students on the VHSL Alignment chart or 307 out of 315 schools enrollment wise.

Big shout out of appreciation. You've given this old high school football junkie another great season. To the hand full of you I actually know, and the hundreds of you I've got to watch this year, Thank you. Although this probably wasn't the championship season you had hoped for, these will still be remembered as some of the best times of your life. Your dedication and hard work is truly admired. Play with Pride tonight, and give it all you got, 1 more time.

I’m a true believer in real grass. I think at every level, football should be played on real grass. 

I see both sides of this debate. 1st and 2nd grade might be a little young for putting on the pads but in my opinion 3rd and 4th graders should be allowed to play tackle football with the PROPER COACHING. I also agree that many little league programs are about daddy coaching junior and junior being the star when junior is definitely not the star. Little league football is a kids first experience to the game and it needs to be a positive experience. By that I mean coaches need to be qualified with coaching experience and teach the kids the right way to play the game. A bad little league experience can run kids away from the game but so can a bad middle or high school experience. There are more unqualified coaches at the middle and high school levels than people realize as many of them coach to stroke their own ego. Marion had a very rough middle school season and I'm not sure if that was from being behind in fundamentals, lack of coaching or talent, or a combination of all three. 

Padded rooms coupled with flag football have virtually eliminated concussions here at the Institute. 

This is the trend outside of this area.  In the south you are seeing a proliferation of competitive flag football and Under Armor sponsors big tournaments and the participation numbers are high.  This is the counter to kids leaving football for soccer and other "safer" sports. The push is for less contact early on and I'm sure the science backs it up.  I've always said that an improperly ran little league will only drive kids away.  Throw in the fact that the majority of little leagues in the area are coached by dad's who kids are skill position players and the focus on safe and proper fundamentals has decreased because the focus is on "scheme plays to get my little Johnny four TDs".   When I coached we had to be certified and attended training classes through multiple organizations.  There is zero focus on that in the local youth leagues from what I've witnessed.  
To make matters worse a lot of the youth coaches never played and don't understand the mental side of the game.  They run kids off.  "Let's see if he is tough enough to stick it out."  Football is a fast, physical and intimidating game to young kids, many of who haven't grown into their bodies.  Coaches need to teach and mentor those kids and work to keep them in the fold. 
If I could, I'd pass a law tomorrow that requires all youth coaches to be trained and certified and only allow credentialed personnel on the field.  

I don't know what the data says on CTE risk with young kids. My guess is that there isn't enough "force" at younger ages in physical contact/tackling to matter much if kids have on helmets. I'm saying that I question if there is any benefit in reducing risk by not letting them tackling and in pads before Middle School. The risk starts to occur as kids get bigger and stronger/more force and power behind the tackling. It seems all that Marion is doing is teaching kids to tackle at later ages (in Middle School) which is probably when the risk for CTE damage begins to occur, so the policy they have might actually be increasing the risk.
Only my guess though. I don't know what the literature says on this.

Out of concern for CTE, the Marion Town Council voted a few years back to play flag football through grade 6.  This has been extremely unpopular, and some have taken their kids to neighboring towns to play. It's apparent watching a MS game that most of these kids haven't learned to properly tackle, which, in my opinion, creates its own safety issue. 

Actually might be more dangerous for not learning the right techniques early on.  And honestly what 8 year old is hitting hard enough to cause a concussion

Had to copy and paste from another thread.
 
There’s no way a sane person would stick around after this year. All you torches and pitch fork fans are getting your wish. I appreciate Jeff Tarter for stepping up and standing by these kids, his only payment has been hate and he didn’t deserve it. 
 
Little note to whoever is crazy enough to pick up the reigns, remember how fair weather Richlands fans are and good luck. Go blues! 
 

Good for Tarter who is a class act and that man has put in incredible work for his school and community for decades. The school and town of Richlands was lucky to have him teaching, leading, and mentoring kids for decades.  Enjoy retirement coach. 

We have seen the "Buchanan County Marching Band" at several band competitions this fall. If the county can consolidate for marching band, they can consolidate for football.

I know. I didin't believe it at first but then I heard some of the kids where playing little league at Chilhowie for this very reason. I'm fairly certain it is true. Can Liam or anyone out there from Marion confirm this.

It’s not unheard of, Rocky Gap High School & Bland High School made up Bland County Bears football team long before there was ever a consolidated Bland County High School. It would be a smart move honestly for Buchanan County. 

Buchanon County has had an opportunity to consolidate and build a new school for sometime but hasn’t dotted all the Is and crossed all the Ts it seems.  ‘Mainly from people in the county who want to stop it it seems but obviously it is needed for the county as enrollment continues to dwindle.