Bluefield Fans or Coaches....

[edrforshey 27]

Are you guys close to finding a 10th game?

If so who are you talking with?

[buzzsawBeaver 12]

Only a fan and I have no real info, but if I had to guess I doubt they will this late in the process, 1 season it's reasonable, but 2 seasons with only 9 games and all that time to at least consider out of state teams, it's not really reasonable in my opinion.

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

Yes, to my knowledge Beaver is still looking for a 10th game. As far as who all they've talked too and are talking too, I don't know right now...

[buzzsawBeaver 12]

ed's post about a small school game to schedule reminded me that I read morgantown only has 9 games scheduled for '06, not certain of the dates.

[edrforshey 27]

Aug.25 - 26

Nov.3 - 4

[WeirFootball 10]

Bluefield wants no part of Morgantown, I can tell you that much. I'm pretty sure that Morgantown won't play any AA schools either because of points for the playoffs.

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

[ QUOTE ]

Bluefield wants no part of Morgantown, I can tell you that much. I'm pretty sure that Morgantown won't play any AA schools either because of points for the playoffs.

 

[/ QUOTE ]

 

Why? We looked into scheduling Rock Hill, the 2004 AAAA champions from South Carolina last season. Why wouldn't we want to schedule Morgantown? Rock Hill would make Morgantown look silly on a bad day...

[Sources 10]

It's too bad Bluefield couldn't have played Morgantown in 2004, when we had the best team in the state.

[WeirFootball 10]

"Why? We looked into scheduling Rock Hill, the 2004 AAAA champions from South Carolina last season. Why wouldn't we want to schedule Morgantown? Rock Hill would make Morgantown look silly on a bad day... "

 

Is that why some credited polls have Morgantown as high as #20 in the country and #2 in the Northeast? Morgantown has built a dynasty and they are going to be the best team in any class once again next season. They return three of the most sought after recruits in the past 20 years from our state.

 

"It's too bad Bluefield couldn't have played Morgantown in 2004, when we had the best team in the state."

 

Sources, you are a sensible person but you can't honestly believe this can you? Weir should have beat Bluefield in 2004 and even I don't believe Weir could have beaten Morgantown. The Mohigans were by far the best team in WV that year. That team was the most dominating team in WV history statistically. No team came within 24 points of them throughout the whole season, and that includes the state championship game.

[buzzsawBeaver 12]

"Is that why some credited polls have Morgantown as high as #20 in the country and #2 in the Northeast?"

 

National high school football polls simply don't warrant much respect, morgantown wouldn't be close to #2 in numerous states in the east, much less 20th in the country. In my opinion you could list 20 schools from states such as fl or ga. themselves that could defeat morgantown.

They have a strong group of players presently but they also have an overall easy aaa schedule. Also they weren't even dominating in the '05 aaa playoffs in the latter rounds, but played evenly by south charleston and nitro.

Bluefield has never not scheduled bigger teams, they've had numerous games with pulaski co. in va., a big aaa and a aaaa team from tn and it's not as if they didn't schedule martinsburg expecting all they could handle from them. Bluefield would schedule morgnatown, maybe they would be defeated but they'd schedule them and most likely be competitive with them also.

Seems it's a mute point anyhow based on the dates they have to schedule another game....

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

Again I repeat, Rock Hill would make Morgantown look silly on a bad day. None of Morgantown's players will get D-1 rides outside of WVU. Rock Hill on the other hand sends and has sent multiple kids to all the various SEC schools to play football, not just the home state school.

 

And I seem to remember people stating in the summer of 2004 that Bluefield didn't want any of Martinsburg. Bluefield has played better teams over the years than anything Morgantown has put on the field recently. So trust me when I say Fred Simon would gladly take a piece of Morgantown if they offered; we might not win, but we'd certainly take a piece. Of course, it's highly doubtful Morgantown would ever make an offer b/c they'd have so much to lose if they lost to a AA school.

[GMan 3,569]

[ QUOTE ]

Is that why some credited polls have Morgantown as high as #20 in the country and #2 in the Northeast?

 

[/ QUOTE ]

 

Morgantown wouldn't have been the #2 AA school in VA in 2004...actually would have been lucky to get in the top 5 in AA in VA. And if they played AAA in VA, forget about it...they would have been hammered by several teams from the Tidewater area and a couple from NOVA.

[WeirFootball 10]

"Bluefield would schedule morgnatown, maybe they would be defeated but they'd schedule them and most likely be competitive with them also."

 

You can't be serious. Bluefield's team this season won't be nearly as good as the team they had this past season due to graduation and ineligibility and the best team in AA, Weir, beat you 40-0. How bad do you think that the best team in AAA who will win their fifth state title in AAA since 2000 after next year would beat you guys?

 

"Again I repeat, Rock Hill would make Morgantown look silly on a bad day. None of Morgantown's players will get D-1 rides outside of WVU. Rock Hill on the other hand sends and has sent multiple kids to all the various SEC schools to play football, not just the home state school."

 

Do you not watch HS football other than in the southern end of the state? Morgantown is a dynasty and is a great team. How many times have you seen Morgantown play? You obviously don't follow recruiting in our state either. Charlie Russell, QB for Morgantown, already has offers from WVU, UK, and NC State. Junius Lewis and Derek Long have been receiving interest from such schools as Miami, UVA, and FSU. And also, who cares if they would only get a scholarship to play at WVU? WVU is the defending BE and Sugar Bowl Champs and they will be ranked in the top 5 going into the season next year.

 

"Morgantown wouldn't have been the #2 AA school in VA in 2004...actually would have been lucky to get in the top 5 in AA in VA. And if they played AAA in VA, forget about it...they would have been hammered by several teams from the Tidewater area and a couple from NOVA."

 

I know you haven't seen Morgantown play and they definitely would have been one of the top teams in VA last year and the year before. Since 2003, they will have had 11 kids sign D1 LOI. And NOVA isn't known for it's football teams either. One of my best friends was from Arlington and went to Yorktown and I've met a lot of his friends from the football team at the school and they said the football there isn't that great. Again, you don't know anything about Morgantown football.

[GMan 3,569]

[ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]

"Morgantown wouldn't have been the #2 AA school in VA in 2004...actually would have been lucky to get in the top 5 in AA in VA. And if they played AAA in VA, forget about it...they would have been hammered by several teams from the Tidewater area and a couple from NOVA."

 

[/ QUOTE ]

I know you haven't seen Morgantown play and they definitely would have been one of the top teams in VA last year and the year before. Since 2003, they will have had 11 kids sign D1 LOI. And NOVA isn't known for it's football teams either. One of my best friends was from Arlington and went to Yorktown and I've met a lot of his friends from the football team at the school and they said the football there isn't that great. Again, you don't know anything about Morgantown football.

 

[/ QUOTE ]

 

I have watched Morgantown play several times over the last several years and have the AAA Championship games they've been in on tape. And no, they would not have been one of the top teams in VA in '05 or '04.

 

Using Yorktown as your guide isn't a very good measuring stick for football in NOVA, or Virginia for that matter...they play in one of the weakest AAA Districts in the state, the National District. The only reason teams from their district make the playoffs is because the district winners get an automatic bid to the postseason...and usually get hammered in the first round of the playoffs. Morgantown wouldn't finish in the top three of either the Peninsula or Southeastern Districts in VA, both in the Tidewater area. Those schools put out more than their share of D-1 players EVERY year.

 

Ask your buddy if he's ever heard of these schools...Landstown, James Robinson, Oakton, Varina, Hampton, Phoebus, Meadowbrook, Oscar Smith, Hermitage, L.C. Bird, North Stafford, W.T. Woodson, Deep Creek, Hopewell, Highland Springs, Westfield, C.D. Hylton, Centreville, Massaponax, Stone Bridge. There's a good "starting list" of VA teams that would beat Morgantown like a red-headed step child. But, then again, I don't know anything about Morgantown football...

[Grundy10 10]

I have to agree with GMan and that isnt easy for me. I havent seen Morgantown play but I dont know very many regions in the COUNTRY that have more quality teams than the Tidewater region.

[WeirFootball 10]

What Morgantown has to do is beat every AAA team in the state of WV, which they do on a yearly basis. They haven't lost a game since 2003. They could compete with those teams. VA is not a state you usually think of when you talk about HS football. The states that are at the top of HS football are CA, TX, FL, OH, and PA. All those teams you listed couldn't compete with De LaSalle, Long Beach Poly, Cincinatti Colerain, Canton McKinley, Massilon, St. Thomas Aquinas from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Dallas Carter, etc. Getting back to the topic though, Bluefield would get thoroughly embarrassed by Morgantown. Like I said, they should stick to scheduling someone else because they would get smacked.

[Grundy10 10]

[ QUOTE ]

What Morgantown has to do is beat every AAA team in the state of WV, which they do on a yearly basis. They haven't lost a game since 2003. They could compete with those teams. VA is not a state you usually think of when you talk about HS football. The states that are at the top of HS football are CA, TX, FL, OH, and PA. All those teams you listed couldn't compete with De LaSalle, Long Beach Poly, Cincinatti Colerain, Canton McKinley, Massilon, St. Thomas Aquinas from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Dallas Carter, etc. Getting back to the topic though, Bluefield would get thoroughly embarrassed by Morgantown. Like I said, they should stick to scheduling someone else because they would get smacked.

 

[/ QUOTE ]

 

Virginia as a state may not be, but to say the Tidewater region of VA (which is where the teams that were listed are from) isnt thought of by EVERY recruiter is foolish.

[GMan 3,569]

[ QUOTE ]

What Morgantown has to do is beat every AAA team in the state of WV, which they do on a yearly basis.

 

[/ QUOTE ]

 

So that should get them a National Top 20 ranking...nah, I don't think so...

 

Yeh, you're right to, VA isn't a HS football hotbed...I guess that's why guys like Paterno, Bowden, etc..., waste their time recruiting the state. I guess we should email them directions to Morgantown HS, it would save them a lot of time and trouble...

[buzzsawBeaver 12]

"You can't be serious. Bluefield's team this season won't be nearly as good as the team they had this past season due to graduation and ineligibility and the best team in AA, Weir, beat you 40-0."

 

So you're suggesting bluefield, with so many returning players who are going to be a year more experienced and not sophomores aren't going to be as strong, or am I misreading that somehow?

That said, I was serious.

 

As for morgantown and what they've accomplished in wv aaa, while they've had a strong program, aaa in wv is much the way a is in wv, hardly any real contenders for the title and only a few strong teams, aa is really the only overall competitive classification in wv sports, for football and basketball. They have a very respectable program, but not the caliber it is in your opinion.

Besides, bluefield doesn't simply schedule according to what teams they're certain they could defeat, the way so many other teams in wv aa does.

 

And va is actually a known high school football state more so than you obviously know, you might read up on the # of college prospects and pro players from eastern va..

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

[ QUOTE ]

Morgantown is a dynasty and is a great team. How many times have you seen Morgantown play?

 

[/ QUOTE ]

 

I never said Morgantown wasn't a good team or program. In recent years they've been the best in WV. HOWEVER, they couldn't stay within three touchdowns of a Rock Hill, South Carolina and that was my entire point.

 

[ QUOTE ]

One of my best friends was from Arlington and went to Yorktown and I've met a lot of his friends from the football team at the school and they said the football there isn't that great.

 

[/ QUOTE ]

 

Outside of Woodbridge and Bethal there aren't a lot of tough football schools in NOVA. However, the Tidewater area of Virginia per capita is one of the top 3 regions in the country in-terms of producing D-1/NFL football players. We've had this discussion before though. So I'll cite the same 2002 article I cited before, you might want to read it this time. Since 2002 the Tidewater has continued to pump out the D-1 talent, especially this year where a number of the best 2006 prospects hail from.

 

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/football/2002-02-06-tidewater-focus.htm

 

By Ray Glier, special for USA TODAY

The spigot opened more than 30 years ago, and all manner of high school All-Americans, college All-Americans, and NFL All-Pros and Hall of Famers started to pour from that coastal region of Virginia called Tidewater. Michael Vick. Bruce Smith. Ken Easley. No one is quite sure how to explain it. Norm Snead. Leroy Keyes. Henry Jordan. Ask anybody who lives there and they fumble for an answer to the pipeline that delivers such skill. D.J. Dozier. Chris Slade. Mel Gray. Is it the water? The oysters? The beach? Chris Hanburger. Dwight Stephenson.

 

You don't have to tell Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer it's a gold mine. Of the 39 high school players who have so far "officially" visited Blacksburg during the current recruiting season, nine are from the Tidewater area, which includes Norfolk, Hampton, Newport News, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Suffolk.

 

"We're working like heck to get the fence up to keep them all for ourselves," jokes Beamer, whose program has been to nine consecutive bowl games with help from Tidewater talent.

 

Plaxico Burress. Robert Banks.

 

The list doesn't even include the best kick returner ever to play in Tidewater. "Bubbachuck" isn't in football any longer. He's collecting a paycheck from the Philadelphia 76ers under the name "Allen Iverson."

 

The list also doesn't include the fastest runner to play in the area. Andre Cason of Virginia Beach is a former world recordholder in the 60 meters.

 

Six players from the region have been named first team in the 20 years USA TODAY has been picking All-USA squads, including Terry Kirby of Tabb and Ronald Curry of Hampton, who made the team twice.

 

"The area doesn't produce as many players as Texas, California, or Florida," says Ken Easley, the former All-Pro safety with Seattle who played at Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake, "but we do have a lot of talent in this area."

 

Why?

 

Easley, co-owner with Bruce Smith of Norfolk's Arena Football League team, thinks the stretch of military bases and shipbuilding yards is significant. Norfolk Naval Station, with nearly 70,000 employees, is the world's largest.

 

"You have to look at the military presence and the cross-section of people whose children are going to school in the system," Easley says. "There is a nice mix from various parts of the country. My father, for instance, was a Marine. I think those demographics of the area have something to do with it."

 

Recruiting analyst Tom Lemming says simply, "You have to go there every year; it's one of my five most important stops for the whole nation.

 

"Los Angeles is No. 1; Chicago is No. 2; Houston is No. 3. Then you have Tidewater and the Miami area. There are so many good players coming out of (the Tidewater area)."

 

Tidewater's reputation has grown large despite a relatively small population (1.5 million). Los Angeles is 3.6 million, Chicago 2.8 million, Miami-Dade County 2.2 million and Houston 2 million.

 

Beamer, who has coached 15 years at Virginia Tech, feels tradition and coaching have kept the spigot open season after season.

 

"It's the quality of coaching first, I think, because the high school coaches know how to teach the game at the high level," he said. "And then I think it has built on itself over the years."

 

One reason the level of high school football has improved could be the success of Hampton High under head coach Mike Smith. The Crabbers have won 11 state titles, and Smith's teams have won 333 games in 31 seasons.

 

"I think we have helped raise the level of play," Smith says.

 

Lew Johnston, coach at Western Branch High in Chesapeake, has been in the Tidewater area since 1963. Three of his former players are at Virginia Tech.

 

"Going to (high school) games is still a big deal here," Johnston says. "For the big games we'll get 10,000 to 12,000.

 

"I think some of the players coming up now are saying, 'Look who came before me. What can I do to be like them?' I know some kids saw the newspaper article and photos showing the house Michael Vick built for his mother. They said, 'Look what I can do.' "

 

Poo Johnson, Vick's mentor at the Greater Hampton Roads Boys and Girls Club, says players like Vick don't just turn up on the football field one afternoon. Someone sees the gifted when at 10, 11 years old and nurtures them.

 

"When you see some of these kids and the talent they have, you try and prepare them to go on to the next level," Johnson says. "They have the talent, sure, but you have to work on the character thing, too, and the fundamentals.

 

"It's a nurturing and I think youth league coaches should get some credit for bringing these kids along."

 

There is plenty of evidence the pipeline will continue to produce. A Virginia Beach Pop Warner football team of 10-11-12-year-olds went to Disney World in Orlando recently and defeated teams from San Antonio and Baltimore to win a national championship.

 

Bruce Pearl, who has been coaching youth football for 21 years, has his own ideas about the success of Tidewater football players.

 

"There are some areas that are inner city, like downtown Portsmouth, and I think some of those kids don't have the money for Nintendo and other computer games," Pearl says. "So they are out there playing football, and they are getting tough."

 

Pearl, however, wonders where all the college recruiters have been. He routinely sees Virginia Tech and Virginia, and he's seen Penn State pluck talent out of the area, but he says some recruiters have missed out.

 

"I wonder where all the ACC schools are besides Virginia," Pearl says. "There is all kinds of talent here so I don't know why some of the ACC schools haven't worked this area harder."

 

Virginia Tech's Beamer, among others, would like to keep the secret a little longer with his fence.

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Tidewater talent

 

Some of the players the Tidewater area of Virginia has produced:

 

Robert Banks, Houston Oilers

Larry Bethea, Dallas Cowboys

Dre Bly, St. Louis Rams

Aaron Brooks, New Orleans Saints

Plaxico Burress, Pittsburgh Steelers

James Boyd, Jacksonville Jaguars

Ronald Curry, North Carolina

D.J. Dozier, Minnesota Vikings

Kenny Easley, Seattle Seahawks

Earl Faison, San Diego Chargers

Shaun Gayle, Chicago Bears

Mel Gray, St. Louis Cardinals

Chris Hanburger, Washington Redskins

Dwight Hollier, Miami Dolphins

Mike Husted, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers

Henry Jordan, Green Bay Packers

Leroy Keyes, Philadelphia Eagles

Terry Kirby, Miami Dolphins/San Francisco 49ers/Oakland Raiders

Amos Lawrence, North Carolina/49ers

David Macklin, Indianapolis Colts

Chris Slade, New England Patriots/Carolina Panthers

Bruce Smith, Buffalo Bills/Washington Redskins

Norm Snead, Philadelphia Eagles

Ron Springs, Dallas Cowboys

Dwight Stephenson, Miami Dolphins

Al Toon, New York Jets

Marcus Vick, committed to Virginia Tech

Michael Vick, Atlanta Falcons

Antwoine Womack, Virginia

Source: USA TODAY research

[GMan 3,569]

Breakdown of the 20 VA schools I listed...

 

Landstown - Tidewater

James Robinson - NOVA

Oakton - NOVA

Varina - Richmond

Hampton - Tidewater

Phoebus - Tidewater

Meadowbrook - Richmond

Oscar Smith - Tidewater

Hermitage - Richmond

L.C. Bird - Richmond

North Stafford - Fredricksburg

W.T. Woodson - NOVA

Deep Creek - Tidewater

Hopewell - Richmond

Highland Springs - Richmond

Westfield - NOVA

C.D. Hylton - NOVA

Centreville - NOVA

Massaponax - Fredricksburg

Stone Bridge - NOVA

 

The best of those would have to be Hampton, Landstown, James Robinson, C.D. Hylton, Varina, Phoebus, and Deep Creek. There are also several AA schools I could add to that list but at the top would be Salem, who has won 6 state titles in the last 10 years.

 

B_R...Bethel is in the Tidewater area.

[falcons1 10]

i know that is a older list but to add a another player form there. I know some more just cant think of them.

 

Bhawoh Jue- Safety- Chargers http://www.chargers.com/team/roster_details.cfm?last_name=Jue&first_name=Bhawoh

[WeirFootball 10]

"Yeh, you're right to, VA isn't a HS football hotbed...I guess that's why guys like Paterno, Bowden, etc..., waste their time recruiting the state. I guess we should email them directions to Morgantown HS, it would save them a lot of time and trouble..."

 

When did I say there wasn't D1 talent in VA? I said the teams aren't as good as you think they are. Washington, DC has a lot of individual talent, but their teams aren't good at all. Also, Bowden has Morgantown's address. They're recruiting a player from Morgantown.

 

So you're suggesting bluefield, with so many returning players who are going to be a year more experienced and not sophomores aren't going to be as strong, or am I misreading that somehow?

That said, I was serious.

 

"As for morgantown and what they've accomplished in wv aaa, while they've had a strong program, aaa in wv is much the way a is in wv, hardly any real contenders for the title and only a few strong teams, aa is really the only overall competitive classification in wv sports, for football and basketball. They have a very respectable program, but not the caliber it is in your opinion.

Besides, bluefield doesn't simply schedule according to what teams they're certain they could defeat, the way so many other teams in wv aa does.

 

And va is actually a known high school football state more so than you obviously know, you might read up on the # of college prospects and pro players from eastern va.."

 

Bluefield wasn't that good this year to begin with, so after losing a lot of their best players to graduation or ineligibility for next year, no I don't think they'll be a better team. There's only a few strong teams in AAA every year? Are you serious? Someone said that the 2004 Bluefield team was the best in WV in any division. That's definitely a false statement. They shoudln't have even been in the AA state championship game. Morgantown beat the same Martinsburg team you struggled with by 25 points or so and that's after taking out their starters early in the fourth quarter. Like I said, Morgantown is ranked in the nation and in the northeast so they should get more respect then they're getting on this board. After this year, they will have had 11 football players sign D1 LOI and for a WV HS that's pretty good. But again, getting back to the original topic, Bluefield couldn't stay within 30 points of Morgantown next year and that's a fact.

[beaverball 10]

Hey Weirton dude: Why is it you are kissing Morgantown's tail, when you are a Weir fan? Maybe it's because your very own team's dreams have been ruined by the Beavers time and time again and the only team you can think of in the entire state of WV to compare to the Beavers recent domination is Morgantown. If Weir ever beats Bluefield in anything again(which I doubt) than I'm going to tell you that little single A Wheeling Central has owned Weir.

[WeirFootball 10]

Wheeling Central only has about 300-400 less kids than Weir and they recruit. Also, Bluefield's domination? I wouldn't call one state title since 1997 domination. Morgantown has 4 state titles since 2000 and is something like 78-4 since then. You have gotten to the Island four straight times, but you've only won the state title once. Don't forget, Weir was one of the teams that beat you and it was 40-0. You act like Bluefield dominated Weir when they played. When Weir lost to Bluefield in 03 and 04, it was by a combined score of 8 points in 3 OT's. I'm just stating a fact that Bluefield can't hang with Morgantown.