ThomasDenton

Check it out, I found a better version of Abingdon's intro song... http://www.wimp.com/sandmanbluegrass/ Just messing with ya.

VHS's QB is good, but still young and Brown is their main weapon on the ground and Battle was able to shut him down last week. THS blew me away when they gave up that 21 point lead in 3 minutes and ended up losing, but it was to South. As much as I would love to see VHS pull out the win, I just don't see it happening this year. People mention that the Bearcats are mad about losing again to Battle and will use that, but don't they think THS is mad over their loss just as much? I just think THS will be too much this year.

I don't know how many were at Battle last night (not 6000 I'm sure) but it was standing room only at kickoff. The tailgating started around 3:30.

The thing that impressed me most in that game was Battles aggressiveness on defense. We came ready to defend our turf. That makes battle 4-0 against VHS since Wright took over.

Battle wins 25-10

9:36 in 2nd. Battle leads 15-0.

I've never been there either, but Battle plays Union over there at the end of the season (can't remember if it's the last regular game or second to last) so I'll get to see it finally. Heard lots about it.

Stoots' next chore: Stop VHS Allen Gregory | Bristol Herald Courier TriCities.com Posted on September 5, 2013 BRISTOL, Va. – High school athletes in Southwest Virginia once balanced football with farm work. Instead of relying on elaborate weight rooms with high-tech machines, these old-school farm boys developed strength and endurance by toiling in hay and tobacco fields. John Battle’s Justin Stoots knows the relentless grind. Take last Friday’s season opener at Abingdon for example. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound senior starred as a linebacker, fullback and special teams hitman before being forced to leave the game in the second half due to dehydration. Stoots was transported to Abingdon’s Johnston Memorial Hospital, where he received fluids via an intravenous line. Stoots finally arrived home around 2 a.m., but he was back up at 5:30 for the daily milking session in his grandfather’s dairy barn in rural Mendota. Welcome to country life. “I was raised on a farm, so I’m used to working hard every day,†Stoots said. “Tobacco, corn, cows, dairy, hay – I’ll do it all. We used to have nearly 600 cows.†The next chore for Stoots comes tonight when the John Battle Trojans host Bristol rival Virginia High. Stoots doesn’t need a thumping rap song or flashy television commercial to motivate him. His drive comes from within. “I’m excited as I can be and I’m sure there will be a big crowd, but it’s just going to be another game,†Stoots said. “We work hard every week and try to keep things at a certain level. It all comes down to working harder than other teams.†The kind of bottom-line talk is music to the ears of fundamentals-first Battle head coach Steve Wright. “Justin is a tough kid. He gives everything he has – all the time,†Wright said. During Battle’s historic playoff run last season, Stoots divided his time between inside and outside linebacker, the defensive line, fullback and special teams. “And he did a great job everywhere we put him,†Wright said. Like the passionate Battle fans, Stoots is eager to add another chapter to Battle’s turnaround story. “Last season meant a lot to me,†Stoots said. “It opened my eyes to what we can do here and it made me work that much harder. Our program has improved a lot, but I don’t think about the past.†That bonding process with his fellow linebackers and running backs is more lasting than headlines and trophies. “We’ve played ball together our entire lives and we’ve got a brotherhood back there on defense,†Stoots said. For Stoots, the best part of last week’s 36-20 win over Abingdon was clearing running backs Carter Harlow and hard-charging brothers Justus and Wesley Blaylock. Senior Matthew Chapman is also in the mix at fullback. “I don’t have any moves. I just run as hard as I can, but it’s an amazing feeling to see a play develop,†Stoots said. “If I get my block, I just know Carter and our other backs will use it. “Carter has good speed, and his experience in track really helps. Carter is a great team leader who always picking his teammates up.†In terms of toughness, Stoots said few players can rival the Blaylock boys. Wesley and Justus spend their weekends on motorcycles, competing in grueling off-road competitions that last for hours. “I spend most of my time away from the field with Justus and Wesley,†Stoots said. “They are great riders. I ride to have fun, kind of like the reason I play football.†Battle fans first noticed Stoots in his sophomore year when he found a niche as undersized yet fearless noseguard. “I was around five-eight and 150 pounds,†Stoots said. “I was giving up some size on the line, but you’ve just got to suck it up and take the pain. I’ll play anywhere the coach needs me.†On the football field, Stoots basically adheres to the approach followed by former NFL linebacker great Chris Spielman. “I push myself to where I can’t push anymore,†Stoots said. “I was ready for the game last week, but my body was not hydrated enough. I just fell asleep after I went to the hospital.†Stoots worked several jobs, in addition to his farm routine, over the summer. He had actually planned to work full-time installing electricity in houses this fall. “I was going to work this year instead of playing football, but I changed my mind to be with my teammates,†Stoots said. Stoots has little time for frivolous distractions, such as video games and Facebook. He’s all about business. “My work experience comes in handy on the football field,†he said “Busting it all day in the sun, you just have to get used to it.†So does Stoots ever moan about having to get up so early after a Friday night football game? “You might be a little sore, but you just have to fight that off and get after it,†he said. “There’s nothing like working in that morning air. It feels good.†As usual, Coach Wright views tonight’s game as part of a long-term process. “We were happy to get the win last week,†he said. “Obviously, there are things to work on after the first game. The heat got to us a little, so we need to handle that better.†In the debut for new head coach Michael Crist, Virginia High rushed for 233 yards en route to a 48-7 win over Tazewell. Crist is the son of longtime Blacksburg head coach Dave Crist. “I have a lot of respect for Coach Crist’s father, and it looks like Michael is following in his father’s footsteps,†Wright said. “Virginia High has a lot of talent and is well-coached. It’s going to be a great challenge.â€

The UN couldn't do anything if it wanted to because of the veto powers of the permanent security members. They can't get involved because Russia, one of those permanent members, keeps using it's veto power to stop UN military action. It's ridiculous. One thing I'm worried about is that if we do this, Syria might declare war on us and gather some allies to strengthen their military...allies like maybe Russia, some other Middle Eastern nation, or one or more of the many terrorist groups out there. This thing has the potential to blow up big and we're putting ourselves in the position of starting it all (even if our intentions are good, we'll be blamed for all the bad).

23 years, that's impressive. Thanks for your service 87Tiger. Saw on the news yesterday that the Senate (or a Senate committee I guess) voted 10-7 in favor of military action and put a 90 day limit on ground troops, or something like that (not sure if they mean we can't send ground troops for 90 days or if we send them, it can only be for 90 days...but what happened to the President saying we absolutely would not send ground troops?). I guess it's inevitable that we're going to do something militarily, just don't know exactly when and how yet. And France may be our only ally in this (which doesn't mean much). Also saw some news that said Russia may actually help support us if we prove to them that the Assad regime used chemical weapons on civilians. I don't know exactly how we'd prove this, but something tells me that if we did give Russia proof, they'd just ignore it or say they don't believe it. All I can say is, everybody buckle up because it's going to be a bumpy ride!

Forgot to ask this earlier, but was Abingdon's team on the field and sidelines varsity only? I'm really hoping it is because I only counted 35 players and one on crutches.

Thanks for finding that! I knew we finally hit double digits, lol.

My mind's a bit fuzzy, but did Lebanon's current coach start last season or this season? From all I've heard, sounds like Lebanon is still adjusting. Haven't heard any more than that.

I think the overall record was mentioned last season on the CMD (now Mountain District) forum and Battle has beat VHS more than 5 times. I'll see if I can find it later. But you're right, the only one that matters is the next one. Can't wait for this Friday!

One or two wins? I believe it's quite a bit more than that (though I'll give you that VHS has dominated the series). Just since Coach Wright has been at Battle, we're 3-0 against VHS. I do look for this to be a good game though and it'll definitely be a good measuring stick for Battle. VHS always has potential and I'm sure they'll be out for revenge this Friday, but I wouldn't overlook Battle if I were you. It'll be an emotional game for both teams as VHS desperately wants revenge and Battle really wants to keep their new streak against VHS alive (and continue to prove to everyone that we're still on our way up and not just a "one hit wonder" like some seem to think).

I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna stop talking about the JSB/AHS game now and look forward to next week. Both teams will get a real test as Battle plays Virginia High and Abingdon plays Gate City (both of which should be very interesting games and none of these teams should be overlooked or counted out). Having an actual game under our belts, we should be able to see a lot more about how our teams might do down the road with this coming Friday's games. Good luck to all.

Says 6PM on the Mountain District site. Don't know what I was looking at, lol.

What time is their game today? For some reason I was thinking something like 11 am.

I think Hurley plays today (probably playing now).

After going up 34-0 in the first half while moving the ball pretty well on the ground, I wouldn't try too much more either. Abingdon did make a lot of mistakes, but it takes a good team to capitalize on those mistakes and turn them into points, which we did. We still have some things to get better at and that will come with playing more games, but I wouldn't just write Battle off just yet just for one performance.

Looked like we had a serious problem with cramps tonight. Lot of kids cramping up, but Abingdon did step it up in 2nd half. They've got some fighters on that team (Norris and Perrigan were really aggressive tonight). But the Falcons made lots of mistakes and we capitalized big time on that. Way to go Trojans!

http://www.tricities.com/sports/article_fb25c2cc-1113-11e3-9010-0019bb30f31a.html

John Kerry revealed the intelligence report on the details the government made public and he seems to be pressing hard on going through with this. It seems like it won't matter what the people think, the government has made up its mind on what it wants to do...and that is to attack Syria in some fashion. All I can say is this is going to suck.

So from what I understand, the UN can't really do anything anyway because Russia is vetoing everything (and are basically threatening us if we do anything), Britain won't help us out, France MAY be our only help, Obama is making the decision himself and not getting approval from Congress, and the president apparently doesn't have a real plan or end game for all this (supposed to reveal details sometime soon, but it won't be enough to get the majority of Americans on board IMO). Even though we're the defenders of human rights around the world (and chemical weapon use on civilians is a breach of human rights) I don't think we should do anything. It'll basically just be us wasting our money, resources, and possibly lives to go through with this and piss the world off even more.

Never mind about Britain helping much. Parliament just voted against Syrian intervention.