Abingdon at Richlands

[aaa 10]

it kind of like that Ron Bergandy thing "stay Classie San Diago"

[star 10]

the last part of that statment was very bold.

[ghs73 157]

the back up qb is just as good as workman and in anyother season he would be the starter. go on underestimate him and graham. love it when you do.

[ghs73 157]

graham wont play 1 a schools because graham will not play down. wonder why graham had to play beaver 2 times this year. if as everyone thinks graham is not good you would think that many 2 a teams would want to play them to get the easy win. graham has nothing against a 1 a school, they just play bigger schools to get ready for playoffs. if graham wanted just a win why not schedule pocahontas or montcalm. not saying that on any given day these teams could not win a game but not very likely.and if it is as you say because of points for playoffs then maybe the richlands coaches need to follow the graham model and play up not down in classification.

[bluekick 11]

Listen to me now... Graham will not play smaller schools because they don't get very many points in the VHSL rankings for any wins they get over a single A school. Richlands, however, does play good single A schools (i.e. Gate City and Honaker). Playing talented smaller schools will not get you very many points but will help you in the long run, the exact reason why Richlands dropped Lee (16 points) and picked up Honaker (12 points). Why would a team take an easy win over a AA school instead over preparing for the playoffs with a game against a talented single A school? I'll tell you... points. Richlands has no problem finding points to get into the playoffs. And no... Richlands does not need to follow "the graham model" and play up. Once again, division is decided by the VHSL. Therefore, for Richlands to play up they would have to play AAA ball. Can you imagine a school with 800 students playing AAA ball? Not to metion the bounty of AAA schools to play in SWVA.

[clodhopper 10]

Say what you want, but if Graham, Tazewell and Grundy were in single A Region C division 2, two of them probably would'nt be making the playoffs. In region C last year all 4 teams had to win their district to make the playoffs and probably will have to this year. You all can do all the chest thumping you want but it's simple economics, a playoff game pays big bucks and you wanna be in'em. Region C division 2 has 12 teams and only 4 will make the playoffs, all district winners, the only team that makes the playoffs without a really good football team is Grayson County on account they play in a really weak district with only 2 division 2 teams in it. Region C & Region D both have had a team go 9-1 and not make the playoffs because they did'nt win their district. Region 4 Division 3 only has 8 teams in it, half will make the playoffs with 3 usually coming from the SWD account Division 4 teams usually win those districts with the exception of Va. High should win the Highlands this year and Richlands should win the SWD which will knock one division 3 team out of the playoffs that would have made it if Richlands was still division 4. Whatever you say is fine, but it all comes down to the fact that the math has been done and it's more profitable to stay in division 3 than go to division 2. 1/3rd of Region C will make the playoffs and 1/2 of Region 4 division 3 will make the playoffs. Richlands going to Division 3 will really cut into somebody's profits this year and they'll probably be in the SWD. $$$$$$$

[Observer77 12]

Last years total rating points total for defeating the three single A schools mentioned:

 

Honaker (8-2) - 12 pts defeated + 16 rider pts = 28

Gate City (9-1) - 12 pts defeated + 18 rider pts = 30

Lebanon (9-1) - 12 pts defeated + 19 rider pts = 30

 

The Group AA Highlands district points based on last year:

 

Abingdon (2-8) - 16 pts defeated + 4 rider pts = 20

Lee High (1-9) - 16 pts defeated + 2 rider pts = 18

Marion (3-7) - 15 pts defeated + 6 rider pts = 21

Va High (4-6) - 15 pts defeated + 8 rider pts = 23

 

Just because a school is of a higher classification doesn't mean you will garner more rating points if you defeat them, or lose to them for that matter than a lower classification team. I think sometimes people get caught up in the initial awarding of points for the classification their opponents play within and forget about the rider points that are awarded based on opponents overall records. The only team that Richlands earned more points for defeating Lebanon was Grundy last year (33). The Richlands victory over Lebanon earned them more points than any team Graham defeated last season.

Not trying to start a ruckus, just wanting to point out playing good single A schools can sometimes pay off when tallying points at the end of the regular season in hopes of making the playoffs/getting a higher playoff seed.

 

 

[bluekick 11]

Thanks. I should have done my math. But still that just enforces my point even more. Richlands has no need to find more AA schools.

[jham 10]

That is a great point. If you take the teams Richlands and Graham haved played thusfar this is what you get points so far

 

Gate City 12 for win + 4 for thier wins = 16

Honaker 12 points for win = 6 for thier wins = 18

 

Martinsville 16 for win 2 for thier wins = 18

Blacksburg 16 for win 0 for their wins = 16

 

Same amount of points

 

Another thing is because of these four schools upcoming opponents i would dare to say that Gate City and Honaker will give Richlands more points with wins than will blacksburg and martinsville for Graham.

So you really cannot argue the points are less Richlands by playing these schools because it just is not the case because they win helping richlands out.

 

Dropping lee and picking Honaker will only give richlands more points because you only received points for beating lee because they never won.

 

Now this does not mean that martinsville and blacksburg could or couldn't beat Gate City and Honaker. That is something we will never know because they do not play. Both Graham and Richlands both play and have played well against the teams set before them, that is unquestionable.

 

Who really cares anyway, because what and exciting game it will be Friday night. Good luck to both teams. Go Blues.

 

Blues 23

Graham 7

[Observer77 12]

I agree, that is why I posted my response. Granted Lebanon won't have as great of a season as last year, but I still see them giving Richlands more ratings points than if they had Lee High on the schedule. Richlands should be cheering for Honaker, Lebanon & Gate City to have productive seasons. It only benefits them (the Blues) if they do, not that the Blues will need much help this year it looks like lol.

[Observer77 12]

I'd love to catch the Richlands/Graham game this week, but I'll be at Legion Field watching the Devils face Lee High. Both Graham & Richlands have great traditions and very good teams this season. Makes a man wish Gate City wasn't as far from Tazewell County as it happens to be.

 

I've wondered why we've kept Lee on the schedule since the new ratings system was put into place since they haven't done much of nothing as of late. The playoff race in Region D Div. 2 is shaping up to be a barn burner this season if it plays out like it is looking so far.

 

Now that I've said that about Lee High, watch them put a loss on Gate City this week lol...

[Blues_56 23]

Well i dont think you would miss a whole lot if you did come to the game...they should be able to handle Lee i would think, but any given friday.

[Observer77 12]

As far as I am concerned, the jury is still out on Gate City this season. Right now they have a lot of kids out with injuries & played Pound with several defensive starters out. One LB position had the starter and his backup out, so the 3rd team LB started. There is a lot of young talent on this years team, but inexperienced. I'm just hoping we have most of them back before the Virginia High game, or they may be in trouble.

 

I'd probably go to the Richlands-Graham game, but my son is playing little league in Gate City now, so he'll want to go. Myself, I am a product of the old SWD. I really didn't realize then how competitive our district really was. Graham, Richlands, Tazewell and Abingdon had great programs/teams, Grundy wasn't an easy win either most of the time. Lebanon had some decent teams as well. If you won the SWD back then, you could really say you did something. Still today I think it's a great district & always look forward to seeing GC face SWD teams.

[aaa 10]

how did we (carroll) get into this dis.

[Observer77 12]

I don't know myself lol... I knew when I heard you guys were coming to the SWD you'd have your work cut out for you, that was certain. Grundy had a great season last year, Richlands is always tough, Graham is always tough as well. Tazewell looked good to me last year even though we had a decisive win & I knew they had their program heading in the right direction. It's not an easy district to belong to, but only makes your programs better in my opinion when you venture outside of it. If GC gets knocked out of the playoffs now that they are single A, then the next team I support is whoever is still alive out of the SWD. The SWD schools are closer to being "family" to old has-beens like me than the schools that are in our current district. Not knocking the other schools in the LPD, they're some good ones within it, personally just don't have a common thread per se to share with them.

[BigD4VT 11]

I grew up with the old SWD in the 80's. There was nothing like it. You played 9 district games and there wasn't much difference in competitiveness from top to bottom.

[aaa 10]

when did we come in? and why are we down to only 5 schools in the dis?

[Observer77 12]

That's when I played as well. You're right, there wasn't anything like it. Like I said before, I didn't realize just how competitive it was until I got out of high school. One of my teammates from HS has a son that plays for GC now & we were talking about the scrimmage against Graham the day before it took place. We were telling him how it was facing Graham & the old SWD teams when we played. As far as Graham & most of the others are concerned, it hasn't changed much at all. Still hard-nosed slobber-knocking style of football. In reference to Graham, the last time the G-Men faced Gate City at Legion Field, Coach Carlock seen Coach Fry sitting in his car close to the fence. Coach Fry had been retired for many years and his health wouldn't permit him to sit in the stands any longer. Coach Carlock trotted over to the fence and the two shook hands and hugged each other. There was a lot of competition and heated rivalry there, but the two men had a lot of respect and compassion for each other. That to me summed up a lot of how the old SWD rivalries stand still today.

[BigD4VT 11]

I'm not sure when CC joined because I was living in Richmond at the time but it was a 4 team district before you came in. The current Highlands teams plus a few others including Gate City split from the old SWD to form the Highlands thus leaving only Graham, Grundy, Tazewell, and Richlands. I remember hearing talk about those four joining the New River District at one point but I'm not sure why that didn't happen.

[hhstigerfan 12]

As far as I can figure out, after Radford moved down to Single A in '94, the New River shrunk to 3 schools(Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Carroll Co), and remained intact for a couple seasons. Then in '96-'97 was when the NRD was dissolved and the Piedmont came to Region IV. So one would assume '96 was Carroll's first season in the SWD. What I can never figure out though, was why didn't they just move the Blue Ridge District to Region IV after Bburg and Cburg joined the district instead of moving the Piedmont to Region IV. Carroll also should have joined the BRD with its New River rivlas and later the River Ridge district when it was formed.

[olewave 44]

hate to break it to you, but bluefield is classified as a 1a in virginia. that means by virginia standards you are playing a 1a school. (twice)