BHC Super 7

[greatwhitemp36 25]

The Super 7

 

Team Record

 

1. George Wythe (4) 9-0

 

2. Richlands (1) 9-0

 

3. Clintwood 7-2

 

4. Rural Retreat 8-1

 

5. Gate City 6-3

 

6. Sullivan East 7-3

 

7. Castlewood 7-3

 

(First-place votes in parenthesis)

 

Others receiving votes: J.I. Burton, Honaker

 

The Predictions

 

No. 4 Rural Retreat at No. 1 George Wythe

 

Last meeting: George Wythe 31, Rural Retreat 20 (Oct. 29, 2010 in Rural Retreat, Va.)

 

The Hogoheegee District’s game of the year will be played out in front of a packed house tonight at Pendleton Field. … Rural Retreat (8-1) has won six straight and the Indians’ lone loss came to highly-toutedGrayson County back in September. ... George Wythe is 9-0 and has been impressive in those nine wins. The Maroons are averaging 44.2 points per game and are giving up just 7.4 points per contest. … The key for Rural Retreat will be to contain George Wythe’s speedy backfield. That means guys like Jordan Kelly (45 solo tackles, five sacks) and defensive back Heath Martin (three interceptions) will have to step up on defense. … The atmosphere surrounding this game will be electric. However, George Wythe just has too many weapons for Rural Retreat to completely slow down.

 

Prediction: George Wythe 33, Rural Retreat 16

 

No. 2 Richlands at Tazewell

 

Last meeting: Richlands 58, Tazewell 13 (Oct. 1, 2010 in Richlands, Va.)

 

Richlands, which has won eight straight SWD titles, can name the score in this mismatch against the depleted Bulldogs. With a potent mixture of size, strength and balance, the Blues have outscored their past five foes by an average score of 49-10. ….First-year starting quarterback Reece Strong has thrown for 17 touchdowns. … Look for big performances from unheralded Richlands players such as sophomores Colton Staten and Ben Brown and junior Zach Horton. … Over its past four games, Tazewell has averaged just three points with two shutouts….Tazewell, which has lost 10 straight games, compiled just 32 total yards last week at Abingdon. The Falcons had 349 total yards. … Richlands accounted for 387 total yards against Tazewell last season and opened a 44-0 halftime lead. Manuel Sheppard led the Bulldogs with 54 yards rushing while Bradley Strong had 147 yards receiving….Richlands, which will have a first-round playoff bye, is facing yet another rematch against Cave Springs in the regional finals.

 

Prediction: Richlands 59, Tazewell 0

 

No. 5 Gate City at No. 3 Clintwood

 

Last meeting: Gate City 28, Clintwood 27 (Oct. 10, 2008 in Clintwood, Va.)

 

The Lonesome Pine District champion (Clintwood) squares off with the Clinch Mountain District’s best (Gate City) tonight at Ralph Cummins Stadium. … Clintwood has won six straight and clinched the LPD title with a 46-8 victory over Wise County Central last week. … Gate City also enters the game on a six-game winnings streak and secured the CMD crown with a 14-6 win over Lee High last week. … This showdown between perennial Southwest Virginia powers will feature power running, hard hitting and passionate fanbases. No surprise since that’s what both programs have long been known for.

 

Prediction: Clintwood 28, Gate City 26

 

No. 6 Sullivan East at Carter

 

Last meeting: First meeting

 

The opening round of the TSSAA Class 4A playoffs will be the first time these two schools face off on the gridiron, but the No. 5 seeded Patriots and No. 4 Hornets are no strangers when it comes to postseason showdowns. In its first ever boys basketball sub-state appearance in March 2010, Sullivan East fell 57-54 to Carter in an overtime thriller. … Neither school can claim much of a football tradition. East (7-3) has just one playoff win in school history and qualified for the postseason this year for just the third time in 43 years of play. Carter (6-4) last made the postseason in 2008 and has just one postseason win dating back to 2000. ... While East has the better 2011 record, the Patriots’ loss last week to Elizabethton bumped them down to the third spot in the District 1 standings, which trumps everything else when it comes to playoff seeding. Carter, on the other hand, had a 4-2 record in District 3, good enough for second place by virtue of edging Austin-East 13-12 in their head-to-head matchup. … The winner of this game is likely to face defending state champion and No. 1 seed Greeneville next week. … Carter’s tougher regular-season schedule and home-field advantage will give the Hornets the edge tonight.

 

Prediction: Carter 35, Sullivan East 24