Semifinal Updates 12/5/15

[Ryan4VT 4,554]

I've not laughed so hard in a long time, that's like saying state was won when lee played appomattox. Appomattox will have trouble with a good power run team

I'm not nearly the only one who shares that opinion. Several well respected posters on this board agree. I don't need your support to make me feel better about my opinion. Nice try, though.

[EH31 2,518]

Union beats richlands by 1. Appomattox beats richlands by 1. Clarke beats Union by a lot more than 1.

 

So my guess is Appomattox by 7 TD's.

[old_school_blue 247]

I think a diversity in the running game in addition to the commitment is what makes many old school offenses hard to defend. Multiple backs moving in different directions makes it very difficult on a defense. I'm assuming that is what makes Clarke County's offense so effective. In my opinion, it's also what makes high school football so great! There is so much variety and just sometimes schemes beats talent.

It is more than backs in motion or diversity.  It is about mentality.  When the offense lines up and says to themselves....I am going to whip the ass of the man in front of me....do it for four quarters....and love the hell out of it.  Football is not brain surgery.  It comes down to mentality.  Schemes beat talent...Talent beats schemes....In my opinion, mentality kicks schemes in the teeth and takes talents' girl to the dance.  Not trying to be offensive or sarcastic to you Tornado....just my view.  Also, it doesn't have to be an old school offense to have this type of mentality.  The Spread offense is designed to run the football.  Just ask Urban Meyer, Rich Rodriguez or Dan Mullen.

[old_school_blue 247]

I'll get off of my soapbox for a while.  I am very passionate about this game and am entrenched in my value and belief system.

[goose111874 967]

Ryan your right, appo will beat clarke by at least 3td. Union just looked flat today first int was a screen thrown right to clarke, the guy may have ran it back but was stunned that it was thrown directly too him, 2nd was just thrown up for grabs into triple coverage, we dropped a TD right before half, tried stripping ball whole game instead of tackling. May not be giving clarke co. enough credit but we made them look a lot better than they may be.

[gwave0333 69]

I'd like to Congratulate Appomattox on beating Richlands for the State Championship last week. It's a shame the VHSL is making them play these 2 exhibition games after that.

[old_school_blue 247]

Ryan your right, appo will beat clarke by at least 3td. Union just looked flat today first int was a screen thrown right to clarke, the guy may have ran it back but was stunned that it was thrown directly too him, 2nd was just thrown up for grabs into triple coverage, we dropped a TD right before half, tried stripping ball whole game instead of tackling. May not be giving clarke co. enough credit but we made them look a lot better than they may be.

 

So you are saying that Appomattox is 7 touchdowns better than Union?  Clarke beat Union by 4 touchdowns and Appomattox will beat Clarke by 3 touchdowns?  I think you are a little off base. 

[SWVAgridiron 1,469]

I'm not a Union, Appomattox, or Richlands fan but here is my opinion. I'm not going to fault Ryan for what he said. Union beat Richlands early in the season by 1 point. If Union and Richlands played tonight, Richlands wins by atleast 2 touchdowns. I will defend Ryan by saying that the 2 best teams in 2A will not be playing next week. 1 of the 2 yes, but I do think Richlands had the better team last week and I even told my father after that game that it was the championship before the championship. Yes, Clark pulled off what I guess was an upset, but I wasn't really surprised by the score after hearing from multiple people that Union was weak in defending the power run. That is why I was hoping Giles would get to play them, because I knew Giles would be able to put points on them. Also, 95% of the people on this board picked Union to win, myself included. But I did say that Clarke cannot be slept on because their only loss was to a 4A school, and their defense had only allowed 8 points a game.

 

But anyways, good luck to Appo and Clarke next week. Appo has a great run defense, Clarke will have to air it out some if they want to win.

[goose111874 967]

So you are saying that Appomattox is 7 touchdowns better than Union?  Clarke beat Union by 4 touchdowns and Appomattox will beat Clarke by 3 touchdowns?  I think you are a little off base.

 

No I'm just saying union played awful today and made clarke co look great and maybe they are, I've seen every union game this year and to me we just plain and simple looked flat from the start. I've not seen appo play this year but from what everyone is saying on here their D is great and it must be to slow Richlands down as much as they did. I thought union and richlands would be in the state champ. game this year also so I was wrong there but it would shock me to see Clarke Co. win state and if you take a poll on here I would say most people would go with Appomattox.

[Hokiebird7 1,416]

Most of us were focused on that Glenvar defense. Clarke may have been sitting back, under the radar, waiting to show its defense is for real.

You may be correct...as I said earlier in the playoffs just about everyone on here thought with the cross-bracketing that a Union-Richlands rematch was going to happen and they(including me) thought they were the 2 best teams in 2A and i said "maybe someone in the East may not agree with that"....well nobody ever said anything about Appomattox even though they were the #1 seed and they are there along with an East team....maybe Union and Richlands weren't the 2 best teams in 2A afterall....but i do think they both were top 4 teams for sure and the long travel probably had something to do with both teams losses....i've experienced the long travel before and thought Giles was the better team but we lost and I think the travel had something to do with it but oh well nothing you can do about it I guess

[West12aaa 99]

I'm not nearly the only one who shares that opinion. Several well respected posters on this board agree. I don't need your support to make me feel better about my opinion. Nice try, though.

Feel whatever you want, but you're are correct; your opinion is your opinion, even if it is wrong along with the others

[SW_VA_boy 492]

Someone posted on Galax Football facebook page that no MED school had ever won a state title in football. Giles won in 1993. Had the TRD already been formed at that time?

 

 

No. TRD's first year was 1994.  1993, Giles was in the MED, Glenvar in the Pioneer and Radford in the NRD as a AA.  Also the last year of existance for the NRD.  Only had Radford, Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Carroll Co. in it the last year.

[GoBearsGo 142]

Not many of us Union fans pitching in, I guess we are all recovering from the trip. But I will add my 2 cents.. A couple of points.. #1 The Union defense was unprepared. The scheme was not right from the get go and we made no adjustments what so ever (which is typical). #2 Union has not turned the ball over all season, that was the dagger on Saturday. #3 Clarke Co is a strong, physical football team and I will say IMO the best defense Union has faced all season long. #4 Clarke Co did their homework on the Union offense. With those points being made, Union did come out flat. But I'll disagree with a previous about the first interception being thrown right to the DB. Everyone who has watched Union knows how much success they have had on the quick, bubble screens to Noaks specifically. Clarke Co defended that perfectly. They pressed coverage on our WR and jumped every bubble screen we attempted. The first pick was one of the best reads by a DB I have seen all season. Sure it was thrown right to him, but he was in perfect position to defend that screen where no other team has done so all season. Another point I'll make is that Union has not really had to play from behind all season, and getting down 21 early really put them in a whole, especially on a day where the defense had no answer.

 

A previous post saying the state championship game was played last week in Appo is a little off IMO, I'm sure Union, Glenvar, and even Clarke Co would disagree with that statement. Having not seen Appo, I will say that they will have their hands full with Clarke next weekend. I saw no weakness in Clarke Co, other than the fact they don't pass very often but they mixed a few in on Union and caught them completely off guard. I'll say again, they were the best defense Union has faced all season. Big, strong and physical up front. A lot of pressure on the QB. DB's that covered Unions weapons better than anyone has. You get the point...

 

It was disappointing for Union players, coaches and fans but what a heck of run it was. Union's program has made major strides in 5 years and while a LOT of talent will be lost this season we do have a bunch returning and some young kids ready to step in. Coach Turner is and always has been a class act and he has my utmost respect. I've had one kid play 4 years for Coach Turner and another on the team now and it is great to see the support the program has from the school, both towns and the entire area. Traveling up 81 on Friday I was blown away by the support from surrounding areas. Thanks to everyone for that!

 

Also, I'll throw in.. The facilities at Clarke Co were much better that this Union fan expected. Sure there weren't enough seats, but not many places would have held that crowd. I was in line by 8:30am and barely got a seat. And we had a chance to talk with a lot of folks from Clarke and everyone was very friendly and welcoming of us. Sure there's "trash talk" chatter on twitter, etc. but that's to be expected these days with kids. I think Clarke did a great job of hosting this game.

[Deleted Account 5,203]

I've not laughed so hard in a long time, that's like saying state was won when lee played appomattox. Appomattox will have trouble with a good power run team

Don't know why you're laughing. It's the truth.

[Bearcat Bob 491]

I just love how some folks cannot give credit where credit is due.  Clarke basically said "Veni, vidi, vici"...not only said it but did it. 

 

But some folks are still rubbing that ointment on their arse because "the team that beat my team lost (badly) and the OTHER team that beat my team just cannot lose because that would make me feel bad about myself".  There is a whole Dr. Phil show going on there but that is a tale for another day.

 

Man up.  Clarke was underestimated.  Union was "flat" because they got smacked around by a more physical and a more confident team.  It happens.  Life goes on.  It is not a repudiation of anyone or anything.  It is high school football. 

 

I think what may really be irking a lot of SWVA folks is that Clarke was what many purport SWVA football to be:  smashmouth, physical, confident. 

 

Appomattox may win next week.  But on this past Saturday, Clarke was "the beast".  Give 'em a little credit. 

 

Disclaimer:  Most Union fans have been very generous and classy.  If you read the posts, it is people other than Bears spouting off. 

[Bearcat Bob 491]

UVAO...I am surprised by that.  Not that it matters that I am surprised or that you care that I am surprised.

 

You know as well as I do that the championship will be decided next Saturday.  Only thing decided up until know is who the particpants will be....

[tornado99 345]

It is more than backs in motion or diversity. It is about mentality. When the offense lines up and says to themselves....I am going to whip the ass of the man in front of me....do it for four quarters....and love the hell out of it. Football is not brain surgery. It comes down to mentality. Schemes beat talent...Talent beats schemes....In my opinion, mentality kicks schemes in the teeth and takes talents' girl to the dance. Not trying to be offensive or sarcastic to you Tornado....just my view. Also, it doesn't have to be an old school offense to have this type of mentality. The Spread offense is designed to run the football. Just ask Urban Meyer, Rich Rodriguez or Dan Mullen.

No offense taken. My post was in agreement to yours and adding a little to it. The mentality is most important (I used commitment in my post), but the multiple ball carriers adds an element of complexity that is very tough to defend. It is not always necessary but helpful. In the spread offenses above, that extra ball carrier is the quarterback.

[Deleted Account 5,203]

UVAO...I am surprised by that.  Not that it matters that I am surprised or that you care that I am surprised.

 

You know as well as I do that the championship will be decided next Saturday.  Only thing decided up until know is who the particpants will be....

I firmly believe with all my heart that Appomattox and Richlands are the two best teams in 2A this season. Clarke has given an admirable account of itself this postseason, but I would be very surprised if the final score is within 10 points on Saturday.

 

But I was surprised that Clarke laid wood yo Union. To err is human. To not err too much is the goal. :)

[Bigrhsfan 884]

I think a lot of us on here and on other sites didn't give Clark Co enough respect !  I know I didn't,  and I didn't for a couple of reasons,  ignorance was a big one.  I was ignorant about how good they were because i hadn't seen them play as I'm sure most on here haven't,  and also my love for football in SWVA was another factor !

I wanted to believe that we have the best football in the state ( at least in the lower divisions ) and I think our region has proved over the years that we are at the very least as good if not better............but with the exception of Galax,  we weren't this year. 

I think that Clark and Appomattox have proved just how good they are with how they have performed over the course of a season but especially during the playoffs !

In my heart,  I still believe that Richlands is one of the top 3 teams in the state in 2A and I am very proud of how well they had done.  Richlands had a 2 TD lead with 8 minutes to go in the game against Appo despite the turnovers .............but they didn't finish,  Appo made the big plays when they had too and finished the game.

I am still very proud of the Blues for the season they had !

Appomattox and Clark Co deserve to be in the championship game and it should be a fantastic game............who will win,  I have no idea,  but I will be pulling for Appo since they put us out and technically they are considered in the west ( although to me,  more like central Va ).

Good luck to both teams.

Congrats to Galax on their win and good luck next week !

Congrats to Union on a great year and we will see you next year in what will be in all probability another great game !

[wave316 64]

How important it is to win a regular season game . It could be the difference in hosting a playoff game versus travelling hours from home. Home field advantage is important in the game of high school football. Central Wise losing to the Ky team forced them to travel to Dan River. Richlands losing by a point to Union forced them to travel to Appo. Wonder how Richlands would have played if they had Appo at home? 

[Union_Fan 2,155]

I just love how some folks cannot give credit where credit is due.  Clarke basically said "Veni, vidi, vici"...not only said it but did it. 

 

But some folks are still rubbing that ointment on their arse because "the team that beat my team lost (badly) and the OTHER team that beat my team just cannot lose because that would make me feel bad about myself".  There is a whole Dr. Phil show going on there but that is a tale for another day.

 

Man up.  Clarke was underestimated.  Union was "flat" because they got smacked around by a more physical and a more confident team.  It happens.  Life goes on.  It is not a repudiation of anyone or anything.  It is high school football. 

 

I think what may really be irking a lot of SWVA folks is that Clarke was what many purport SWVA football to be:  smashmouth, physical, confident. 

 

Appomattox may win next week.  But on this past Saturday, Clarke was "the beast".  Give 'em a little credit. 

 

Disclaimer:  Most Union fans have been very generous and classy.  If you read the posts, it is people other than Bears spouting off. 

You're right. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Union had the potential to keep it closer, but Clarke was better. Plain and simple. I think my summary in Clarke/Union thread has the whole of my thoughts. Nothing more to add than this. I would ALWAYS rather get beat by a better team decidedly than to barely lose to a team in a game that was winnable. Makes it easier to sleep at night.