Jason 299 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 http://www.tricities.com/sports/article_69850daa-0f97-11e3-904f-0019bb30f31a.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted Account 5,203 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 Just so it's not misleading, aside from the title, the article doesn't even come close to making that assertion. The closest it comes is by saying, once, "decade of dominance". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance 228 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 VHSL has all but killed of the districts at this point...anything other than bragging rights flew out the window when district champs stopped getting automatic bids to the playoffs. If it makes you feel better saying you dominate something though, stroke the old ego. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phelpshornet 12 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 They've dominated in recruiting and long cleats to! jblank 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parsons 178 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 Richlands has now lost two players that were expected to among the top players in the area at their respective positions......QB Baker and lineman England......definitely alters my perception of how good this team will be... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan4VT 4,554 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 They've dominated in recruiting and long cleats to! Really?........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueRazor 1,147 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 Jealousy will eat your heart out phelpshornet!!!!!Hope your team has a great season though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan4VT 4,554 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 Richlands has now lost two players that were expected to among the top players in the area at their respective positions......QB Baker and lineman England......definitely alters my perception of how good this team will be... England barely played as it was, so losing him isn't the biggest hit. Losing Baker will be much bigger, but River looked good at Honaker. Let's just hope he can handle the pressure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimEverett 14 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 If I'm not mistaken, you can still only win three trophies in football -- district, sectional and state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason 299 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 If I'm not mistaken, you can still only win three trophies in football -- district, sectional and state. The sectional trophy is pointless in 1a through 3a. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearcat Bob 491 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 In the 70's and 80's, Richlands was scheduled as the homecoming opponent for most SWD teams. Their success has been fairly recent. I am glad they have been strong of late though; it will make the rest of the district better by playing them. It is pretty cool to read that VHS baseball coach Daniels encouraged his baseball players to play FB. Maybe VHS can give Richlands a game this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichlandsAlum 678 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 In the 70's and 80's, Richlands was scheduled as the homecoming opponent for most SWD teams. Their success has been fairly recent. I am glad they have been strong of late though; it will make the rest of the district better by playing them. Sorry, but that's a bit of an exaggeration as well. After making the playoffs in 1972 (and losing disastrously that year), the Blues typically floundered below .500 for the remainder of the decade. (With the exception of a 6-4 record in '79 that included an upset of Gate City.) From 1980 through 1989, the Blues' overall record was 41-61-1. There were a couple of pretty wretched years (1981 and 1988) which were balanced by a couple of fairly successful ones (1983 and 1987). Point being that although Richlands didn't exactly set the world on fire in the two decades mentioned above, the "homecoming opponent" assertion simply isn't accurate. To concur with the point made by UVAObserver elsewhere in the thread, to me the headline itself smacks of laziness on the part of the sports editor. Even if one were to posit that Richlands has been dominant, the SWD of today bears very little resemblance to the league of three months -- let alone 10 years -- ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearcat Bob 491 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 I played against Richlands in '80-'82...they were bad. The homecoming opponent remark may have been a bit of a stretch, but not by much during that period. But they have come a LONG ways and are now one of the better programs around. Glad to see it. The folks over in Richlands were always good hosts. RichlandsAlum and starcityfootballfan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtiger 1,740 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 The sectional trophy is pointless in 1a through 3a. No more so than the old Region trophies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichlandsAlum 678 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 I played against Richlands in '80-'82...they were bad. The homecoming opponent remark may have been a bit of a stretch, but not by much during that period. But they have come a LONG ways and are now one of the better programs around. Glad to see it. The folks over in Richlands were always good hosts. Thanks for the perspective. I definitely see where you're coming from now because '80 and '81 were absolutely wretched. My recollection of 1981 is that you guys were up 42-0 at halftime and probably could've posted any final score you wanted. My perspective is that Richlands was essentially mediocre over the course of the '70s and '80s with flashes of both competitiveness and absolute misery peppered within. The weird dynamic that I observed in the '90s (when the program started to win with some level of consistency) was the fact that most long-time Richlands supporters weren't as excited about the experience of success as much as they'd expected that kind of performance all along. And although the win-loss ledger has certainly been more pleasant to reflect upon in the last 20 years, I will confess that I am nostalgic for the days of the old 10-team SWD. With rare exceptions, a win in that league against ANY team was worth savoring. Bearcat Bob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason 299 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 No more so than the old Region trophies What I mean is how its done with the Top East team hosting the 2nd seeded West team and the top West team hosting the 2nd seeded East team. In D1 the past two years the West has won both the East and West sections. What do their Trophies say? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance 228 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 Richlands was "beatable" back in the 70's and 80's...they have been all but invincible in the district, for the most part, since Mance took over. None of the old SWD teams, even Abingdon, were really pushovers...SWD was a strong district for many years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtiger 1,740 Report Share Posted August 30, 2013 What I mean is how its done with the Top East team hosting the 2nd seeded West team and the top West team hosting the 2nd seeded East team. In D1 the past two years the West has won both the East and West sections. What do their Trophies say? Im pretty sure the final 4 wont be crossing this year. I think its top remaining East team vs top remaining West team for state. There will be an East champ and a West champ. So the sectional trophies will really mean something. I will definitely agree that the past 2 years they meant nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason 299 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2013 Im pretty sure the final 4 wont be crossing this year. I think its top remaining East team vs top remaining West team for state. There will be an East champ and a West champ. So the sectional trophies will really mean something. I will definitely agree that the past 2 years they meant nothing. I think I read somewhere that 1a through 3a would cross but 4a through 6a would not this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starcityfootballfan 517 Report Share Posted August 30, 2013 Here to wish the Blue Tornado another very successful season! No one can argue on their past successes as they have certainly represented southwest Virginia well. GOOD LUCK BLUES! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunz9 71 Report Share Posted August 30, 2013 Richlands was "beatable" back in the 70's and 80's...they have been all but invincible in the district, for the most part, since Mance took over. None of the old SWD teams, even Abingdon, were really pushovers...SWD was a strong district for many years. Beatable in the 90's and early 00's as well. Not sure about district championships but only beat Graham 3 times between 1990-2003. But Richlands certainly has been the king the past 10 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason 299 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2013 Im pretty sure the final 4 wont be crossing this year. I think its top remaining East team vs top remaining West team for state. There will be an East champ and a West champ. So the sectional trophies will really mean something. I will definitely agree that the past 2 years they meant nothing. Here is where I read it. 4a was still undecided as of 8-9-13 but I heard they won't cross bracket. http://virginiapreps.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=914&CID=1534469 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtiger 1,740 Report Share Posted August 30, 2013 my mistake. Then yes, the Section trophies mean nothing. I do like have all SWVA title game but I think not cross bracketing is better for the schools Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason 299 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2013 my mistake. Then yes, the Section trophies mean nothing. I do like have all SWVA title game but I think not cross bracketing is better for the schools I am mixed on it. I love the idea we could one day see a Richlands vs. Union, or Graham vs. Gate City State Final in 2a. I also don't like awarding a trophy for who know what in a Cross bracket Sectional. Another thing I don't like is how the VHSL said all classes would be equal but let the upper classes not cross bracket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacob C. Ball 14 Report Share Posted August 30, 2013 Richlands is gonna have a tough year, no doubt about it. I just hope that River Michaels can keep his composure and surprise a few people including me. Is he a sophomore? If so, its gonna be rough for him come game day, but I hope he can handle it. We will see what Mance can do come Friday night and see if we can continue the little bit of "dominence" we have had, or if this is the start of reconstruction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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