sixcat

GOD, shut up Crockett!  There is no frikkin replay in high school.

GOD, shut up Crockett!  There is no frikkin replay in high school.

Cross Gonzales

Haysi is doing exactly what Altavista and Fort Chiswell did.  Throw everything at slowing Peoples down, even though you wont stop him, and take everyone else out of the game.  Galax will not beat anyone throwing the football so don't concern yourself with it.  Galax may score on a pass play occasionally but they will not beat anyone through the air.  Steven has played a whale of a game but its difficult for one man to defeat a team as balanced as Haysi.

I don't believe speed is the only factor to be a good or better back.  It's tough comparing two different styles of running.  Moreover, most back's in the end are valued for their production.  The Jones boys and Peoples have production that no one can argue with.  Case in point, I watched Emmitt Smith his entire career at Escambia High School (also h.s of Trent Richardson) and Emmitt was 5'10'' 200 (sophomore/junior) and 5'11" 205(senior year) 4.6ish speed, but he had vision and ran hard...we all know his story now.  His brother Emory was bigger by 25Lbs and ran faster than Emmitt (my wife and I are personal friends of Emory and know Emmitt) but his history was not as productive.  So, it's tough comparing two different backs on size and speed but the numbers are what most of use to size up a back historically.  I'd say Peoples is proving himself and he has his own style and has to make his own way, just like the Jones boys.

This is my point exactly.  It's not the fact that what happened at the end of the game was complaining about running up the score.  It's the fact that people CAN and WILL take it personally given the circumstances. 
 
sixcat, I don't understand the why's and how's either.  I assume it goes back when Scott Memorial school here in Wytheville was the only all-black school in the area during segregation.  Kids were bused in daily from all over the region to go to school, including Galax.  Exactly what started it all, I'll never know, but I do know that carried over a couple generations long after segregation ended and Scott Memorial became a Wytheville middle school.  The tipping point in the schools pretty much staying away from each other happened one night in the mid '90's when some Galax and Wytheville guys ended up getting into it that escalated so far as to have every police officer within an hour radius of Wytheville being called into town and swat teams showing up from all over in full on riot gear.  I wasn't anywhere close to the middle of that mess, and I can still tell you that it was one of the wildest things I have ever seen.  A couple months later, the Roanoke Times even did a very long report on that night, the feud, etc.

In all honesty, Galax has always had this caliber of athlete and the shear number of them.  They have never had anyone bring them together.  Pickup teams at the recreation center used to dominate the starting basketball team.  Kids wouldn't play sports because of the culture of negativity that surrounded the athletics program as a whole.  That all began to change about 10 years ago with the "old guard" retiring and a newer generation of administrators moving into place.  Coach Dixon deserves a lot of credit but it began with the school board, superintendent and and athletic director well before coach Dixon got here.
 
Galax began a philosophy that if it could keep it's fringe students actively participating in athletics (or anything they could be proud of and take ownership in), get the community behind it, hire quality coaches, and improve facilities, these kids who were once dropping out well before finishing high school are now not only finishing, but going to college in record numbers for this school system.  
 
I applaud the shift in thinking and the implementation of it and will continue to support it. 

In all honesty, Galax has always had this caliber of athlete and the shear number of them.  They have never had anyone bring them together.  Pickup teams at the recreation center used to dominate the starting basketball team.  Kids wouldn't play sports because of the culture of negativity that surrounded the athletics program as a whole.  That all began to change about 10 years ago with the "old guard" retiring and a newer generation of administrators moving into place.  Coach Dixon deserves a lot of credit but it began with the school board, superintendent and and athletic director well before coach Dixon got here.
 
Galax began a philosophy that if it could keep it's fringe students actively participating in athletics (or anything they could be proud of and take ownership in), get the community behind it, hire quality coaches, and improve facilities, these kids who were once dropping out well before finishing high school are now not only finishing, but going to college in record numbers for this school system.  
 
I applaud the shift in thinking and the implementation of it and will continue to support it. 

Man, has this thread gotten off topic!

To help provide some guidance for Greenwavefan#5 on the "who!!! crap!"  is an article on a few rusher's making news across Va, Steven Peoples is one of them
 
Roanoke times: http://roanoke.com/sports/highschools/2386329-12/rushing-records-falling-like-rain.html
by ROBERT ANDERSON | 981-3123   Tuesday, November 19, 2013
 
The 2013 high school football season has been the year of the running back.
It’s perhaps a year like no other.
Two Timesland running backs — Steven Peoples of Galax and Chris Thompson of Lord Botetourt — already have set single-season school rushing records, and a couple of other stars are about to join the party.
Peoples has rushed for 2,739 yards heading into Saturday’s Group 1A West second-round playoff game Saturday at Haysi.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound senior needs just 72 yards to break the Timesland single-season mark of 2,810 set by Lee Suggs of William Fleming in 1997.
Peoples also has tied Timesland’s single-season record for touchdowns with 40, equalling the mark set in 2011 by Cave Spring’s Sam Wright.
Peoples is within 580 yards on the VHSL’s listed single-season rushing record of 3,319 held by former Powell Valley star Thomas Jones.
Thompson has broken Botetourt’s single-season rushing yardage record with 2,281 yards heading into Friday’s home game against Hidden Valley. The senior has 31 TDs and 226 points this year.
Parry McCluer junior Ryheem Dawson set the Fighting Blues’ single-game rushing record with 374 yards last Friday in a first-round win over West Point.
Dawson has 38 touchdowns and 230 points. Parry McCluer plays at top-seeded Essex in a Group 1A East game Friday.
William Byrd quarterback Zac Hill topped the 2,000-yard rushing plateau in the Terriers’ first-round victory over Christiansburg.
Hill has 2,098 yards, putting him 199 shy of Byrd’s single-season record of 2,297 set in 1999 by O.J. Thomason. Byrd plays at unbeaten and No. 1 seed Heritage on Friday in a 3A West game.

Then stop reading!
 
 
On a state level, nobody.  You have now or you wouldn't show such animosity.
 
 
The only people who have compared him to the "Jones boys", that I have heard,  came from Dickenson County.  The people from the New River Valley and Roanoke are more comparing him to Lee Suggs.  Irregardless, he is Steven Peoples.  He will make his own way, whatever way that is.
 
 
I wish them the best of luck against Galax and whatever may lie beyond that.  I hope the Bowen kid is 100% healthy so both teams can be as close to full strength as possible this time of year.
 
Roll Tide!

Man, has this thread gotten off topic!

Man, has this thread gotten off topic!

Interesting, as many high school games as I have been to over the past 5 years and I have never paid attention to it.  It's amazing what you can learn on this forum! 

A select few "fans" from the Galax stands were taunting a member of the George Wythe football team for a brief period last night.  The visitors stands are very close to the field and the kids were responding on the field to what they were hearing from the stands, so I know it was heard.  I let my voice be heard to the select few and the verbal abuse stopped, for the most part.  The kids on the field are just that, kids.  They are susceptible to emotional outbursts as they mature and learn from the adults in their lives on how to behave as responsible members of society and learn to deal with disappointment.  I earnestly hope this behavior was an isolated incident from the Galax side.  It is NOT representative of the majority of the Galax faithful!
 
Is this normal, acceptable behavior?  It may be normal but, to me, it will never be acceptable!  This kid was verbally assaulted!
 
 

Conor Lundy from Carroll County.  He finished the season with 1,833 yards passing, 15 TD passes and 5 Interceptions.  Not bad numbers for a QB on a bad team nobody to throw to.

Galax is finally healthy and playing as a team.  They will be a tough out for whoever they play.  Not your typical 9 seed.  Clintwood is playing quality football right now.  Radford appears to a tough test for anyone also.  This should be very fun to watch play out.

This is all very interesting debate, especially how the sandlot level of play filters to the high school level.  
 
The year before Mark Dixon took over as the head coach at Galax, he convinced the recreation department to convert all football to what he grew up playing in Reidsville, NC.  They started an 8 man football league to get more kids playing significant time.  The fifth "8-man" season just ended a week ago and Galax had 106 players competing in two "age specific" divisions.  By having 8 players, more kids get significant playing time.  This year, the varsity team members are all products of the first season or two of "8-man" and Galax has more kids staying with football after sandlot is over.  
 
I wasn't sure about it when it was first discussed, but I am a huge proponent now.  Before 8-man, Galax would field two teams of 20-25 kids.  Fast forward 5 years and they are fielding 10 teams of 11 or so kids.  The ceiling is enormous for what can be done with this model.  We are currently looking into different ways to have a regular season, playoff and super bowl for next season.  
 
In years past, Galax played in a league that consisted of Carroll and Grayson Counties.  The Galax kids would travel regularly to the opposite end of a county only to find no team to play.  A schedule of 10-12 games would routinely produce 6-8 actual games.  Something had to be done and I am very excited about the results of our decision.  Carroll and Grayson are now begging us to allow them into our 8-man league.
 
Football looks bright for the foreseeable future in Galax.

This is all very interesting debate, especially how the sandlot level of play filters to the high school level.  
 
The year before Mark Dixon took over as the head coach at Galax, he convinced the recreation department to convert all football to what he grew up playing in Reidsville, NC.  They started an 8 man football league to get more kids playing significant time.  The fifth "8-man" season just ended a week ago and Galax had 106 players competing in two "age specific" divisions.  By having 8 players, more kids get significant playing time.  This year, the varsity team members are all products of the first season or two of "8-man" and Galax has more kids staying with football after sandlot is over.  
 
I wasn't sure about it when it was first discussed, but I am a huge proponent now.  Before 8-man, Galax would field two teams of 20-25 kids.  Fast forward 5 years and they are fielding 10 teams of 11 or so kids.  The ceiling is enormous for what can be done with this model.  We are currently looking into different ways to have a regular season, playoff and super bowl for next season.  
 
In years past, Galax played in a league that consisted of Carroll and Grayson Counties.  The Galax kids would travel regularly to the opposite end of a county only to find no team to play.  A schedule of 10-12 games would routinely produce 6-8 actual games.  Something had to be done and I am very excited about the results of our decision.  Carroll and Grayson are now begging us to allow them into our 8-man league.
 
Football looks bright for the foreseeable future in Galax.

I think he would be a natural fit for Foster's rover position.  He is the hardest working, least selfish superstar I have ever seen.  Given the kid's upbringing, he and his three brothers are the pride of this community.  The community has essentially raised them!

I think he would be a natural fit for Foster's rover position.  He is the hardest working, least selfish superstar I have ever seen.  Given the kid's upbringing, he and his three brothers are the pride of this community.  The community has essentially raised them!

The Giles game is what grabbed the attention of Bud Foster.  He had 19 tackles, 4 for loss.  Any tackle for loss against that disciplines offensive scheme is impressive.  

Steven Peoples hudl page is fairly impressive for those who haven't seen him play.
 
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1805816

Steven Peoples hudl page is fairly impressive for those who haven't seen him play.
 
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1805816

Steven Peoples hudl page is fairly impressive for those who haven't seen him play.
 
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1805816