Bluefield_Rules 46 Report Share Posted August 23, 2005 http://www.bdtonline.com/articles/2005/08/23/sports/04tueplayers.txt Players pumped for 'The Game' Posted: Tuesday, Aug 23, 2005 - 01:23:40 am EDT By TOM BONE Bluefield Daily Telegraph BLUEFIELD - How big is the Beaver-Graham football game to the players on the field? Just ask veterans who've been there. Bluefield senior Ryan Albert said, "I couldn't imagine playing in anything better than that, to be honest. I've played in three championship games, and the Graham game still tops them all." Graham senior lineman Jonathan Bovenizer said, "You go out there and try your best. It is a big game, but you've just got to try to stay calm. It's really hard to stay calm. Once you walk out there, it's just hard to stay focused. "You've just got to get ready for the game mentally, really, and get your team in the best shape you can," Bovenizer said. Jeff Hutchinson, another senior for the Beavers, said, "There's nothing like it. It's an experience - if you don't play football, you'll never have any idea what it's like. We've been to three state championships, and the Graham game was the most exciting game out of all games that I've played, I do believe." Kickoff of the storied rivalry game is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday night at Mitchell Stadium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluefield_Rules 46 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2005 http://www.bdtonline.com/articles/2005/08/23/sports/02tuegmen.txt Rivalry goes on without Carlock Posted: Tuesday, Aug 23, 2005 - 01:23:39 am EDT By BRIAN WOODSON Bluefield Daily Telegraph BLUEFIELD, Va. - Football must go on. It's what Glynn Carlock Sr. would want. "I think, all things considered, things have gone fine," new Graham head football coach Doug Marrs said. "We've just gone on and we haven't had a chance to think about negatives." Like any coach, Marrs had always wanted to be a head coach. It happened, but in the worst way possible. Marrs, who played for and then coached with Carlock for 25 years, had opportunities to leave in the past, but just couldn't make himself go. "I've had some offers, but every time it came down to crunch time, I couldn't leave," Marrs said. "I just like working for Coach. I couldn't get myself to leave, plus it's a good place to raise your kids." Carlock raised lots of kids while in Bluefield. Not only his own son, but 31 years worth of football players. During that time, he led the G-Men to more than 240 wins and two state championships. More than 50 boys expected to be playing for Carlock this season, but they'll continue on without him. "The kids are resilient; kids accept change better than adults do, I think," Marrs said. "The kids have been absolutely great, and this community has been just unbelievable in their support for this school." Marrs, who was officially tabbed to replace Carlock last week, doesn't expect that to change, and he certainly won't change much with the G-Men. Why mess with success? "We're not looking to change anything," Marrs said. "We're looking to continue what has been." It's been business as usual with the G-Men. One day after Carlock's funeral on Aug. 11, Graham traveled to Glade Spring for a four-team scrimmage, and then went to Rockbridge County last week for a similar session. The preparations have continued as distraction-free as possible, keeping with the way Carlock would have wanted it done. "His philosophy, and I feel the same way, is the only people that really count are the 50 or so kids we have on the field and the coaches, those are really the only people that count," Marrs said. "All the other distractions, you can't let them bother you. "We're not going to be distracted from what we do, regardless of what happens because there's only a select few that really count. In the same vein as him, don't mess with those select few because we aren't going to allow it to happen." Graham will kick off the season on Friday night at Mitchell Stadium, playing its normal opener against arch-rival Bluefield. Rated by some publications as one of the top 10 rivalries in America, this promises to be another classic in a series that started in 1911. Bluefield holds a 33-14 advantage since 1958. "It's a great rivalry, and it's great for the area," Marrs said. "These kids, when they leave here, they'll meet very few kids in their travels that ever played before as many people. It's a great game, but at the same time, it's no larger or no smaller than any other game. It's still just a game." Marrs has seen Bluefield scrimmage twice, and noticed "they're full of athletes." How his team stacks up with the Beavers remains to be seen, but he assures everyone of one thing. "We'll be there." The Graham coach said Carlock will be there too. "We don't want to make martyr out of Coach, and he wouldn't want that," Marrs said. "There's a big void in our lives, but we're not dwelling on that. Other than the fact that he's just not physically present, his presence is still there." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluefield_Rules 46 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2005 http://www.bdtonline.com/articles/2005/08/23/sports/01tuebeavers.txt Annual 'Beaver Bash' well-attended Posted: Tuesday, Aug 23, 2005 - 01:23:41 am EDT By TOM BONE Bluefield Daily Telegraph BLUEFIELD - Take 450 Bluefield backers in the bleachers, 34 bandsmen, 15 cheerleaders and over 110 student-athletes, and you have a formula for a loud, optimistic - and hot - night at the BHS gym. The annual "Meet the Beavers" pep rally was buzzing from start to finish Monday night with anticipation of the opening football game with Graham on Friday, and with the opening of sports campaigns for approximately 63 other Beavers. School principal Joe Turner began with a reference to "something called the Bluefield-Graham game. We'd like to see all of your smiling faces." Courtney Morgan, student body president and soccer player, said, "There couldn't be a better way to start a school year than 'The Backyard Brawl' on the first day of school. "It is with everybody's support that we become winners." After the rally, Morgan said, "We do have a lot of school spirit. Turnout (at Mitchell Stadium) is always wonderful. We're loud." She was energized about the prospects for soccer season, too. "We have very good chances," she said. "I can see we've improved a lot in the last few years." Her coach, Gerry Enigk, told the crowd that 17 of Bluefield's 19 soccer girls were returning lettermen. "The girls have been working incredibly hard," he said. "These ladies will never, ever give up." The girls' team plays its first match at 7 p.m. this evening at East River Soccer Complex against Midland Trail. The Bluefield High School fight song was halfway through when band director Mel Saunders silenced his ensemble, blew his whistle, and turned to address the crowd. "Get off your backsides!" he called out. The audience rose from the bleachers and the noise level likewise rose higher. Boosters club president Sandy Siers presented football coach Fred Simon and his staff with a five-foot-long display board bearing photos from the recent past of BHS football. Simon wound up the evening by tantalizing the crowd with a conditional promise of good things to come. "We've had a good August, and we look forward to seeing what we can do on Friday night. We have a lot of talent," Simon said. "We feel that if we keep on improving, by the end of the season we'll have a playoff football team and another championship, hopefully." Freshman football player Darious Hunt said that when he was being introduced, "At first, I was a little nervous, but then it went away." After introducing his team, Simon said, "We look forward to seeing you all Friday night. I can promise you we'll give our best effort and hope something good happens." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluefield_Rules 46 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2005 http://www.bdtonline.com/articles/2005/08/23/sports/07tuehypes.txt Column: No sleep for sports fans Posted: Tuesday, Aug 23, 2005 - 01:23:39 am EDT By LARRY HYPES Bluefield Daily Telegraph How does your sports calendar look this week? How about school starting, the football season beginning, and the Sharpie 500 at Bristol within four days? Pour me another cup of coffee - with no cream. Although fans of other schools might disagree, the biggest football game in the area will be in Bluefield this week. For more than 70 seasons, Beaver-Graham (or is it Graham-Beaver?) has kicked off the gridiron campaign. Fred Simon & Co. had a splendid season a year ago and some fans say the Beavers are even quicker, although there were some all-state stars who left BHS. No matter who wins, a somber mood will prevail with the absence of Coach Glynn Carlock Sr. for the first time since '62. First at Bluefield and later at Graham (31 seasons) he helped to fashion many of Four Seasons Country's best teams. Once he entered high school football he never quit. Now his memory will no doubt help spur the G-Men to a great effort. This would be the proper time to consider another honor for the late, great Graham coach. There are already many area stadiums, gyms, or fields dedicated in memory of outstanding coaches. Each is well deserved. Carlock coached two state champions, seven regional champions, and a host of district winners. He even coached some soccer district champs, as I recall. Some community group or leader would need to approach the school board, the city, etc., with a proposal depending on the situation. He never asked for any such thing, nor should he have had to. His work speaks for itself now and it would be fitting for the right person or organization to organize a tribute. Some appropriate site should be named for coach Carlock. If the planning and request are carefully presented, the powers that be will react favorably to such an idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goalie 10 Report Share Posted August 24, 2005 i think this single game has the most hype of any game any where iv ever been. this is like the super bowl of VA and WV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom 10 Report Share Posted August 24, 2005 until you have attended one, you have no real sense of how big it be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaverbaseball 10 Report Share Posted August 24, 2005 You outta come and watch us play goalie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goalie 10 Report Share Posted August 26, 2005 i sure will one day after im driving and out of school. it really seems like a great thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaverbaseball 10 Report Share Posted August 27, 2005 Wasen't to great for us tonight lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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