mnhokie 10 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 With all due respect to UVA Observer; Graham has played stiffer competition than Tazewell. Tazewell has played a good schedule, I feel Graham has played a tougher schedule. If Tazewell played our schedule they would be 1-5 or 2-4. I feel this game will be competitive. The fact there is no school on friday will hurt both teams. Teams tend to play sluggish on game days with no school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadoball 18 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 Found this in the BHC and thought some of you may want to read it: FOOTBALL: Tazewell Title Team Of 1986 Was Loaded With Talent Bill McKee/Bristol Herald Courier File Photo The Tazewell defense brings down a Nottoway player during the 1986 VHSL Group AA, Division 4 state title game. By Tim Hayes | Sports Writer / Bristol Herald Courier Published: October 13, 2009 » 0 Comments | Post a Comment The 1986 Tazewell High School football team had it all. The Bulldogs boasted a balanced, high-powered offense and a physical, stingy defense. Just consider the cast of heroes that emerged that fall: —- Senior quarterback Jessee Davis was in his third year as a starter and rewrote nearly every school passing record. —- Junior tailback Quentin Reed rushed for 125 yards and a score in Tazewell’s 16-7 state title-clinching win over Nottaway and later played at East Tennessee State University. —- Junior wing back Jeff Lamie was a versatile player who ran hard and could also catch the ball out of the backfield. He later starred in two sports at Ferrum College. —- Senior Jeff McCann emerged as a postseason hero, constantly providing a spark in the Bulldogs’ four postseason games. He returned a kickoff 87 yards for a score in a 13-3 playoff victory over Virginia High. —- The offensive and defensive lines, led by 6-foot-5, 300-pound senior Robert Viney, were big and physical. The trenches also included Robbie Colley (6-foot, 223), Stephan Holloway (6-2, 222), Chris McCall (5-9, 229), Gary Matney (5-11, 174) and several other standouts. Besides talent, Tazewell players possessed a drive and determination that helped the Bulldogs reach the high expectations that were heaped upon them in the preseason. “First of all, it was a very athletically talented team,†said Dave Litz, the Bulldogs’ coach that season. “No. 2 as in most teams who have enjoyed success, they had a tremendous work ethic. They worked hard in the offseason. They just enjoyed practice and liked everything about it. It was a very good bunch.†Expecting success People knew early that Tazewell would be tough to beat in 1986. In fact, the Bulldogs were ranked first in the Bristol Herald Courier’s Southwest Virginia preseason poll. That fall marked the first year the Virginia High School League adopted divisions, crowning two champions in each classification. Tazewell had long been a force in the loaded Southwest District and had suffered several postseason disappointments and near-misses in the past. The Bulldogs were believing the hype early in ’86 after winning their first four games. However, a 37-8 beatdown handed to them by Princeton (W.Va.) in week five got their attention. “We went in kind of underestimating the other opponent,†Davis said. “That loss really was a turning point in our goal to win state. We focused more after that and didn’t take anybody else for granted.†In the final week of the regular season, Tazewell held on for a 14-12 victory over Virginia High, with McCann stopping Virginia High quarterback Scott Jones while he scrambled for a potential game-tying 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter. Coincidentally, Tazewell would play VHS again the next week in the opening round of the Region IV, Division 4 playoffs. The diminutive McCann came up with the big play again as his kick return in the first half set the tone in a 13-3 win. “That was tough,†said Scott Kitts, a freshman on the ’86 team. “It’s hard to beat a team twice in one year. Jeff had that kickoff return for a touchdown and it kind of got everybody going and charged the team up.†Tazewell claimed the Region IV title with a 10-7 win over Radford the next week and then posted a 24-13 victory over Martinsville in the state semifinals. “That Martinsville game is the one we all talk about when we see each other,†McCall said. “You want to talk about physical. Everybody was trying to knock each others’ heads off their shoulders. It was just smash mouth stuff.†The victory also meant Tazewell would play for the state championship at home, in front of its loud supporters. “I think it made it a little bit more special,†McCall said. “It’s neat when you get that many people in that little stadium at Tazewell. You hear all kinds of numbers, but it was absolutely packed. The community was really electric for the week leading up to the game.†Tazewell didn’t dissapoint as Reed shook off the affects of a sore ankle to lead a methodical rushing attack in the 16-7 victory over Nottoway. In four postseason games, Tazewell allowed just 30 total points. In the regional finals, the Bulldogs held Radford star running back Dana Palmer to 27 yards. In the state semifinals, Martinsville’s two 1,000-yard running backs managed just 69 yards combined against the swarming defense. The fan support was there the entire time. “Looking back on it now, it was special for the whole community,†Litz said. “Our program had been kind of building up, going one step further each year. Our community was hungry and our kids were hungry.†The memories McCall still has fond memories of that season from 23 years ago. Kitts vividly recalls people pouring onto the field following the game and congratulating their hometown heroes. “My older brother, who played football [at Tazewell], came down to me after the game and said, ‘this is amazing,’ †Kitts said. “Being a freshman, I really didn’t know what to expect. I thought that happened every year. As I’ve gotten older, I realize how big of an accomplishment that was.†A sign still hangs in the stadium honoring Tazewell’s VHSL Group AA, Division 4 state championship team and longtime residents still recall how dynamic that 12-2 Tazewell team was. As Litz stood on the field talking to fans and the media just moments after the victory over Nottoway, he added some perspective. “In 60 years of trying, Tazewell had never won a state championship. And between that first team 60 years ago and this team now, there were a lot of mighty good teams,†Litz told a Bristol Herald Courier reporter. “Maybe the odds finally swung in our favor, I don’t know, but this is as good as it gets.†Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falconman 44 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 Could they have beaten the 06 rhs team? Probably the best team i've seen in years. Thats a compliment for the nader's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadoball 18 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 Could they have beaten the 06 rhs team? Probably the best team i've seen in years. Thats a compliment for the nader's. Who knows, we can all make our valid points but yes that was a very very good Richlands football team. Why can't you make sane post like this all the time? I like it (Not just B/C its positive for the Blues). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falconman 44 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 Who knows, we can all make our valid points but yes that was a very very good Richlands football team. Why can't you make sane post like this all the time? I like it (Not just B/C its positive for the Blues). I made it because I remember how hard that team hit us and be honest wasnt much our guys could do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldogs52 483 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 Could they have beaten the 06 rhs team? Probably the best team i've seen in years. Thats a compliment for the nader's. You can't compare two teams like that and wonder who would have one... The Tazewell 86 team wasn't kids on that team, they were full grown men, no team this day can compare to size wise the players where back then.... I have the 86 state game here on dvd wish there was a way I could put it on here some how.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadoball 18 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 You can't compare two teams like that and wonder who would have one... The Tazewell 86 team wasn't kids on that team, they were full grown men, no team this day can compare to size wise the players where back then.... I have the 86 state game here on dvd wish there was a way I could put it on here some how.... Actually, I would like to watch that sometime sheets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldogs52 483 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 Actually, I would like to watch that sometime sheets Well get up with me sometime and I will let you borrow it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadoball 18 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 Well get up with me sometime and I will let you borrow it! Cool!! You going to the game friday. I am trying to get the trader to go to the Richlands game with me friday, because I know they are not going to Graham. If you ain't going to the Taz game come on down if you want, u can catch a ride with me if you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falconman 44 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 I know its speculation but even the state champion teams of graham might ought to be thrown into the mix with the 06 rhs and 86 dogs? But definitely not today's gmen cause their a joke. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadoball 18 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 I know its speculation but even the state champion teams of graham might ought to be thrown into the mix with the 06 rhs and 86 dogs? But definitely not today's gmen cause their a joke. :D I think the Richlands team of 2004 was underestimated. They got beat by Salem (state champs) in the semis. That Richlands team had a very good defense. 2005 team was something to watch as well but came up short to Turner Ashby in the state championship. 2007 was also a tough football team which came up short in the state championship (the Austin Fuller days) to Mont. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReTard 10 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 Tazewell 24-7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldogs52 483 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 Cool!! You going to the game friday. I am trying to get the trader to go to the Richlands game with me friday, because I know they are not going to Graham. If you ain't going to the Taz game come on down if you want, u can catch a ride with me if you want. Yeah I will be going to watch the Dawgs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murray_41 10 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 Could they have beaten the 06 rhs team? Probably the best team i've seen in years. Thats a compliment for the nader's. its hard to compare teams that have 20 years between them, footballs changed since then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_______________ 10 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 I know its speculation but even the state champion teams of graham might ought to be thrown into the mix with the 06 rhs and 86 dogs? But definitely not today's gmen cause their a joke. :D And the Falcons aren't? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbgfan 856 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 its hard to compare teams that have 20 years between them, footballs changed since then Your right. I was there watching and cheering for the Dawgs, when they won the championship in '86, and it was, as they say,"smash mouth football". I was there watching and cheering, for my Blues in the '06 win, and it definitely was more "finesse football". Two completely different styles. One thing for sure, the determination and commitment was equal for both teams. The Blues went into the weight room after the 2005 loss, with the intentions of going back the next year and winning the championship. Here is an article that appeared today in BHC about the team '86 team. http://www2.tricities.com/tri/sports/high_school_prep/article/football_tazewell_title_team_of_1986_was_loaded_with_talent/34049/ Life has many choices---eternity two Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrb 26 Report Share Posted October 14, 2009 Wonder way Bluefield Daily dosen't have a good sports writer like Bristol. They have some off the best articles about our sports and they are 65 miles away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.png.01bb665814ffc257795fe158cb2045c7.png.8a531ac878a82772b21014d7a6167582.png){kind=logo}
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.