sixcat

I attended a game at Gate City in 1997 when they destroyed my brothers team at Grayson. It was impressive as was Gate City's football team. I went to the Graham-Abingdon game a few weeks ago and enjoyed the experience. I look forward to getting to Richlands and Union for a game soon. Hopefully in the postseason.

Graham, BIG!!!!!!!! Fort Chiswell is headed in the right direction but so is Graham. Graham may be in Salem come December.

This is my opinion, therefore, likely to not pan out! George Wythe does not match up well with Galax but will likely beat the rest of 1A west, handily. Galax doesn't match up well with Hurley but would likely beat the rest of 1A west. The Fort Chiswell game was an aberration in the fact that Galax was in upheaval and completely distracted by circumstances surrounding the football team, and still may be to some extent. Not intended to be an excuse and Fort Chiswell deserves significant credit for punching Galax in the mouth, repeatedly. Match-ups, however they fall, will be significant this season for 1A west, which isn't always the case. As others have said previously, Riverheads has taken a tough schedule to the woodshed. They are the odds on favorite in my mind.

I don't sense the same level of "community" surrounding high school athletics that existed when I was in school. I can't help but think consolidation has had a significant impact. Home football games at Fries, with a town population of less than 1,000, had more support than what I see at any of the three local high schools today.

Hurley supporter butthurt about to commence..............................

I think most people would agree George Wythe, Hurley, Galax, Fort Chiswell and Parry McClure would be the cream of the crop in the west. The rest would be based on match-ups. In my opinion, match-ups are more critical this season in 1A than in recent years.

Abingdon Grundy Marion Lee Gate City Union Graham Narrows Richlands Giles Glenvar J.I. Burton Castlewood Chilhowie George Wythe Rural Retreat Galax Georgia Tech Louisville West Virginia Baylor Miami Washington Wisconsin Auburn Tennessee Clemson Cincinnati Detroit New England Arizona Atlanta Philadelphia Honaker 52 Twin Springs 55

I believe, in part, that is an issue in Carroll and Grayson. Carroll has support in and around Hillsville but little from the remaining 80% of the county.

Yep! Having 28 kids on the roster and facing teams with 40+ week in and week out will not have positive results. Ridgeview will be fine in time. Consolidations are never as simple as they may appear, especially when trying to blend a couple of distinctly different fan bases and football philosophies such as Haysi and Clintwood.

Giles product Brian Mann broke the Ferrum single game rushing record Saturday with 254 yards on 33 carries.

I am not sure what they are being called these days but the Galax middle school/8th grade/JV team finished 6-2. Galax lost both games to Radford, who has an impressive squad coming up. If that group stays together, Radford will be contenders for the next few years.

How many starters returned from last season? They were exceptional last season.

I believe you are referring to #63 for Galax. I don't believe they have a #65. Daniel Edwards is #63 and he is as likable and respectful young man as you will ever find.

The first time a player or coach is ejected from a contest for unsportsmanlike conduct, that player shall be ineligible for the team's next game. A second ejection in the same sport in the same season carries a minimum two-game suspension. A player or coach who engages in fighting, biting or aggressive physical contact shall be ineligible for the team's next two games. The second incident in which a player or coach engages in fighting, biting or aggressive physical contact in the same sport in the same season carries a minimum four game suspension. If the disqualification occurs in the final game of the season, the penalty shall carry over to the next sports season for students who are seniors and to the next school year for underclassmen and coaches. This is a paraphrased excerpt from the VHSL handbook. Hope it's helpful.

In 2011, a Galax player was ejected for fighting during the playoffs. His suspension was the remainder of the game being played plus two games to follow regardless of season or year. So, had Galax not played two additional games, the suspension would have carried over into the next season. I believe this is where the 3 game confusion comes into play because the game resulting in the suspension counts toward that 3 game total unless the rule has changed since 2011.

Yes, Nate Jones. I completely forgot about him. His dad is the head coach at Radford University.

Grundy Marion Gate City Lee Union Graham Ft. Chiswell Virginia Giles Hurley Twin Valley J.I. Burton McCreary Central, KY George Wythe Rural Retreat Galax North Carolina Memphis West Virginia Alabama Utah Auburn Ole Miss New York Giants Tennessee Philadelphia Buffalo New England Seattle Richlands 52

Ty Cannaday from Grayson County played briefly at Radford a couple of years ago before dropping his pursuit of basketball. I do not believe he was ever a scholarship athlete though. I believe he was a recruited/invited walk-on.

Clintwood nor Galax could have beaten Gretna, Goochland, Monroe or Brookville in 2011 and it would not have been close.

Naaah, just ridiculous. They have complained about officiating, having a short week, Graham being a "much larger school", and Cousin taunting. Maybe they should be honest and complain about the cancer on the roster!

"If you're as fast and shifty as Graham, you have to be blocking someone in the back" Galax radio guys. Uhm, WHAT?!?!?

I agree on all accounts but the school system has taken the public policy of "Innocent until proven guilty" and "what happens away from school and not associated with school activities is none of our business" approach. While innocent until proven guilty is something that should be afforded everyone, felonious offenders should also be suspended from extra-curricular activities until any and all legal issues are resolved. I ask, how has that policy worked out for them in the recent past? This isn't a new phenomena for this athletic department.

I hope I am wrong also but I have been completely disappointed with the lack of discipline coming from the coaching staff, school board and administration. Not only in this situation but other as well. A man I have more respect for than any other human on earth has always told my brother and I "at the end of the day, you either coach it or you allow it". While it cannot be denied what Dixon has been able to do for this community from an athletics perspective, at the end of the day, he is either coaching this fiasco or allowing it!

Proverbs 16:18-19 - Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud. While I may be agnostic today I was raised in church. In my humble opinion, we will be looking back on this series of incidents in a few years as the beginning of the end for this program.

This scenario sounds eerily familiar and very local. What if said player has also been suspended for committing a crime on school grounds during school hours that landed himself and another young man in jail and this was not his first alcohol related incident? What if said player was already 18 years of age? Do these facts alter choices A-D?