Sleepin nuts

Northside gets at least one new set of Nike uniforms every year. Currently the varsity team has 48 uniform combos and they never wear the same combo twice in one season. The players have their own fundraiser every year and the program lets them buy what they want. When they graduate they get to keep one of their jerseys.

Abingdon may need to win 7-8 games to get into the playoffs in the tough 3A West. Having to play all 1A and 2A teams will help pad the record but won't leave a lot of margin for error in the current point system.

Starting dates do not matter. All teams will have the same number of practices before their fist scrimmage. Some coaches had their teams start back on Thursday but they will do fewer 2 a days than the teams that went back on Monday. The numbers on the 2 teams I have seen so are Northside with 90-95 and Cave Spring with 45-50.

7 on 7 season has pretty much come an gone. They usually start in May and run into mid-July. The importance of the 7 on 7 has diminished since the out of season practice rules were abolished. In years past the 7 on 7 was the only way you could work with sport specific equipment such as a football. Nowadays you can stay home and throw the football 6 days a week if you would like to.

Phoebus will not dominate 3A. If you recall 2 years ago when re-alignment was first made official everyone said they would destroy 4A. They were promptly thumped by 4A Lake Taylor 54-0. Last year they survived 1 round before being sent packing by a mediocre Kings Fork team. Phoebus WAS easily the most dominating team in the state for the past 10 years but the perfect storm that made them great is a distant memory. The coach that got them all their rings is long gone....Also the recruiting machine they once were left with him. The studs that once wanted to transfer to Phoebus will now head to the big boys in 5A and 6A In fact a big concern that Phoebus is having is that some studs will transfer AWAY from the Phantoms. I believe they will roll thru the weak 3A East teams for a year or 2 before James Monroe catches up to them but they will not have a cake walk with the physical 3A West teams like Northside, Monticello and Heritage.

I can see where Coach Lee's previous record makes this a curious hire but I have to ask who they didn't hire? Who applied for the job that didn't get it? Could it be that he was still the best applicant?

Another coaching change is coming that could affect SW VA. As I understand it another River Ridge District coach is leaving and the job could go to a current SW VA coach.

I would hafta nominate Patrick County for worst 3A. I think most 3rd period gym classes could hang 40 on them.

Northside will beat LB by 3-4 scores and William Byrd will play them even.

Yes, I know it sounds obvious but I know a coach or two that would play their ones an entire scrimmage just to feel like they won something.

In a regular season game LB will go with a 2 TE set and run the ball with Thompson 35-40 times a game. In a scrimmage I would not expect to see him get more than a handful of carries. He was worn down near the end of last year so I expect them to save him for the real games. LB is trying to break in a new QB and several other players. They will use the scrimmage as a chance to get the new starters some reps and evaluate them.

Botetourt is a much improved team under the new coaching staff. They will be a problem for Richlands. Other than that I think Richlands will make a deep run in 2A.

Cave has 2 big lineman in Guard Brucki and the TE Bryant. The other 4 are actually LB sized but they are more mobile.

Your not the only Roanoke guy that will be rooting against Cave. They are notorious for poor sportsmanship and being sore losers. (Ask Brookville and Northside)

No doubt that the kids that use it will see results, but I think a good football staff can get the results by working with the kids themselves. There are camps and seminars out there for coaches to go to that they can learn and apply all the techniques that these specialty schools use. In the Roanoke area Cave Spring is not exactly thought of as one of the fastest or strongest teams. That honor belongs to Christiansburg, Salem and Northside. All three of these schools have their own internal speed and weight programs. Personally If your team doesn't have a staff that can do it I would recommend paying to have a coach get the training then use the rest of the money to pay him to apply it.

The Parisi Speed School in Roanoke. $15k per year. I know because I had to help flip the bill for it when my kids were at Cave Spring. Coach Fulton from Cave Spring swears by it. He enjoys sitting at the pool sipping on Iced Tea while someone else gets paid to train the players. Good coaches work hard to get 110% out of their players. I think they have to be there working with the kids themselves to get it.

Northside and Brookville have not played this year. Brookville opened with winless Martinsville then played a horrible Turner Ashby team. They have also played William Byrd, DI William Campbell, EC Glass and Liberty. The only recent playoff team they have played is Jefferson Forest. Thus far Brookville has fed from the bottom of the schedule ocean. They will get a test from Amherst and will lose to Heritage. I have all the respect in the world for Brookville but I am not willing to crown them until beat a decent team.

This Brookville team is very beatable. I have seen them 2x this year. They are doing what any good AA team would do to their schedule. Don't be surprised if Amherst gives them a game and Heritage beats them. I expect either Rockbridge or Northside to be physical enough to beat a finesse team like Brookville.

I would expect Cave Spring to fall in the standing. They will be underdogs in all remaining games except vs Blacksburg. In the end I expect they will get past Marion and Abingdon and find themselves in the Region Finals with Richlands again. Kinda sad though if a 3-7 team gets to the finals.

I will agree that Richlands should make it to the State Semi game but I wouldn't book a trip to Lynchburg just yet. Brookville hasn't played anyone and there is still a long way to go.

My mistake on a previous post that LB had locked down a schedule that would not include Richlands. LB lost Bassett when Franklin Co was moved to the Southside thus LB was sent scrambling for a replacement.

They (as in Lord Botty) do not travel to Roanoke well much less make 3 hour drives. Wow you guys are bit jumpy. lol Everybody knows Richlands travels well. I was just pointing out why they shouldn't want Botetourt.

I am 100% positive that Lord Botetourt has had a 10 game schedule in place since June that does NOT include Richlands. I see no reason why Richlands would want to play them. They do not travel to Roanoke well much less make 3 hour drives

I agree that the Piedmont got the shaft in this deal. Not so much that Franklin Co ended up there but because the Piedmont will not have a chance to organize an appeal. I do not agree that the Roanoke schools have nearly as much power as some think. To the Roanoke schools the perfect scenario would be that they have one district all to themselves. Salem, Cave Spring, Hidden Valley, William Byrd, Northside, Fleming, Patrick Henry and Lord Botetourt should technically have their own district. Of course this would be impossible because the outlying teams would never be able to mesh into another district. Pulaski and Blacksburg would be in no mans land and so would Alleghany, Staunton River and Rockbridge. The argument that made sense at the final meeting was that the River Ridge would become a 9 school district and the Piedmont would only be a 7 school district if Franklin Co was to go the the River Ridge. With FC in the Piedmont they both have 8 schools

It is my understanding that you can forget about conferences in football. All six classes will work the same as single A works this year.