battleftbl

Kelly-42 Lee-6 This game will be over in the 1st half if Kelly is focused on Lee instead of looking ahead to PV.

I agree about Hess. If he comes to Richlands, he's the starter. The kid has a gun for an arm. He is a very smart kid and can pick defenses apart. INHO Hess would take Richlands back to the Title game. The kid just doesnt have talented recievers around him at Abingdon.

Ooops, my bad guys. I wasnt paying close enough attention I guess. Well..Northwood, RR .....they're both horrible. PH rolls in this one.

Noone who started on Friday played in the JV game. There were a few 9th and 10 graders who played most of the game on friday due to injuries that play JV.

The VHSL needs to come up with a better formula. If Hurley or any of the Cumberland district teams played in the LPD, they would be the worst team in the league. Its pathetic to allow the cumberland district champion into the playoffs over a 7-3 or 6-4 team in the LPD who would beat them by 40+.

Northwood is awful. PH will put atleast 35 if not 40+ on the board.

I said before the Varsity game that Abingdons dominance of Battle will end if not this year then within the next couple of years... Last night, battle proved that point. The future is bright on Battle Hill. 8th Grade Battle- 32 Abingdon-8 JV Battle-48 Abingdon-14 Both games could have been much worse* The games were played with a running clock for the entire 2nd half with Battle playing backups for most of the final 2 quarters of each game. Both the 8th grade and the JV teams are undefeated at this point in the season.

I say play it at either Sullivan South *since it is for Logue*, or at DB since they have the best facilities

I can not believe that people are not giving Gate City any credit at all. Bluefield is a very good football team, dont get me wrong. But so is Gate City. I believe the key in this game is that Bluefield is traveling and will have to play at Legion. Thats a tough place to play for anyone , but especially for a team who has no experience in that stadium. Just a prediction but....Gate City-21 Bluefield 20 The most important thing for both these teams is to come away from this game injury free which will be a very hard thing to do. Its going to be a very physical football game.

This is the only time today that Im going to agree with a falcon fan. The Game of the Week is Battle vs Abingdon...... atleast for anyone living between exits 7 and 19 anyway!

noone ever said that Battle would win the CMD title this season but they will have a chance to win some games as the season goes on...including Abingdon tomorrow night. In 2-3 years however...the CMD title is a very reachable goal for the Trojans. They have some very athletic classes coming up behind this years excellent freshmen class.

I really do believe that this game will be close. Not to mention there is a 50% chance of Rain tomorrow night. That makes all of those passes that abingdon throws much more tough to catch. We all know by reading this board that Abingdons recievers are having trouble catching the football anyways. Im not saying Battle will win but Im not saying they wont either. Just that in my opinion it will be a hard fought game that will be won in the 4th quarter. The battle program is going to be very strong over the next few years. It will be good for both communities for this rivalry to be competitive again.

not so fast my friend. Leave Witten and Battle alone. Something special is being started on Battle Hill. Just give it a few years. I do think that a young energetic coach would do great at Abingdon though. There is no excuse for a school the size of Abingdon to only dress 30 - 35 players on the Varsity football team.

The Rumor I've heard is that either Abingdon turns it around and has a winning season or Bowles will have the option to resign or to be fired.

Battle is much improved and Abingdon is down. Its been 17 years since Battle defeated Abingdon and this is the best chance during that time span to get a victory. I said in another post that Abindons dominance of Battle will end if not this year, then in the next 2 season. Due to Battle's youth, Abingdon will have to put the ball on the ground a few times, and battle will have to play a perfect game, but anythings possible. One note....If Abingdons players come into this game expecting the same ole John Battle that they've played all of these years....They'll leave Bristol with a Loss. Unlike years past , The trojans never quit, they play all out, all of the time. It should be a great atmosphere on Battle Hill next Friday Night. Good luck to both teams, it should be a great game.

Luck had nothing to do with it. Battle had 4 starters out last night.....All 4 positions were occupied by Freshmen... 2 of those were on that Offensive line that ran the ball down your throat in the 4th quarter. Just a number of interest... Battle started 8 freshmen and 6 Sophmores last night. Thats 14 of 22 starting positions occupied by freshmen and sophmores.. None of those kids have to play both ways either. So any excuse PH has is very laughable. Both Teams played very hard, lets not take anything from either by making excuses

Battle played tonights game without the starting center, the starting right tackle, Starting Strong Safety and played the last 3 quarters without the starting ROLB. Battle had a combined 7 freshmen starting tonight on offense and defense combined with about 8 sophmores. Thats 15 of the 22 positions being occupied by 9th or 10th graders. It was a good hard fought game. Congrats to Battle, and good luck the rest of the season to PH.

He got the job because he is an outstanding football coach.

Trust me...Battle will be a force in the CMD in about 2 years. The Trojans will have between 75 and 80 players next year. They have 63 this year, with 45 being in 9th or 10th grade. Ryan Witten started from the ground and is in stage 1 of building a power. Battle has never had those numbers before. All of those baseball players are becoming football players now. Combine that with the fact that Battles 9th grade team, and 8th grade teams havent lost yet....yes that includes victories over VA High for the first time since 94 , Victories over Lebanon, and Volunteer. The JV didnt play this week, however the 8th grade hung 42 up on Lee High. The football program has never had anything, now they get pretty much anything they need thanks to a new Battle Touchdown club and the Jason Witten Foundation. The football program still has a long way to go, but trust me.... Battle will be a power within a few years I know this is abingdons worst nightmare but the days of dominating John Battle are going to be over if not this year, then definatly in the next couple of years. Back to the main topic..... This weeks game should be a great game to watch. Like I said eariler PH has more speed, Battle has a better line.... it will be interesting to see which one prevails tomorrow night.

PH does have the speed advantage, but Battle will win the Line of Scrimmage. PH may have the worst O-line and D-line in the area. The Kid at QB has no time at all, and the D-Line is very slow off the ball It will be interested this Friday. It should be a great game

Lets hear your PH vs Battle prediction?

Holston by 3 or 4 TD's. They will dominate Haysi at the Line of Scrimmage.

I've been around alot of Battle teams over the years and this is the best in a long time. The main thing that has kept them from posting a few more wins is inexperience. They have to learn how to handle momentum swings, and how to play 4 quarters. Think about it....Battle beats Twin Springs, They gave VA High all they could handle for over a quarter and a half. They gave Holston a fight for about 3 quarters, and Gave Honaker a fight for 3 quarters last week. Battle has around 45 Freshmen and Sophmores and alot of those either start or play alot on Friday Nights. They have to learn how to handle Momentum swings in games. Example...They were up 10-0 last week on Honaker and had the tigers 3rd and 18 on their own 12 yard line. Battle lets Honaker bust a huge pass play and they never recovered. Battles JV team has rolled over everyone, so has the 8th Grade team. Things are starting to turn around on Battle Hill. Im not saying battle will win this week, but if PH or anyone else expects the same ole' Battle...they're in for a surprise. Its a work in progress but Battle is getting better and better every week and Ryan Witten can flat out coach.