Bluefield researcher 1,195 Report Share Posted August 24, 2016 And though it may have been called a "scrimmage" it was more of a benefit game. There is a difference. In scrimmages everyone plays and you get so many plays on O and D but last Friday Bluefield kept the starters in until 0:00 was on the clock. Backups played on defense with 6 to go. It was still a scrimmage. Trying out new stuff and not showing some things, Having said that Bluefield's attendance at games other than Graham and Princeton has been very poor. SWVAgridiron 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWVAgridiron 1,469 Report Share Posted August 24, 2016 I seen the pictures but my only question is why come neither team has a fan base like that when they aren't playing each other? Neither Bluefield not Graham brings that many fans on a consistent basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgibb 207 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2016 I can't speak for Bluefield but I can for Graham. I think we have a decent fan base for the size of our school and our town but if Graham isn't winning, our fans aren't coming unless it's against Bluefield, Tazewell, or Richlands. And if we are playing on a Saturday you can forget about it because our fans are either in Morgantown or Blacksburg. It was that way when I was in school but then again we weren't winning much either. SWVAgridiron and Deleted Account 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain Football 1,532 Report Share Posted August 24, 2016 I agree in recent years Graham's fan base hasn't been the best. I've been to a few games when the band shows up it seems like the crowd doubled in size. Home games can be a little misleading due to the size of Mitchell though. I really feel like the team this year will have the opportunity to turn things around for Graham football if they play to their ability. Hopefully this will generate more community support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgibb 207 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2016 I agree, and I do know that some people weren't going because they were dissatisfied with the two previous head coaches as well. Palmer is well liked and will bring those people back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhs7695 185 Report Share Posted August 24, 2016 I agree, we mis-timed some of those passes. We certainly have the athletes at corner to get the job done, just need to make some adjustments. Hope you are right about Bluefield.... I'm sure they didn't show their hand against Giles, kept it basic. I'm sure they will throw out all of the stops against Graham. There's no hiding the line getting pushed around the field, however. Graham is due for a win, I hope they can pull it out. There's not much to show if you can't block consistently enough..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futbolking 766 Report Share Posted August 24, 2016 I seen someone post that they are expecting 10,000-15000 people at the stadium? I've been to many Graham and Bluefield games and both have a pretty poor fan base. Giles took more fans to Bluefield last week than they had. Is this like the one game that everyone comes to and then disappears until playoff time? Giles travels well, but they will never bring a crowd like that which will be at Mitchell Stadium this friday. Graham and Bluefield fans travel from out of state for this game and yes....at least 10,000 in the stadium and a couple more thousand in the parking lot. Ranked as one of the top rivalry games in the country for a reason. starcityfootballfan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futbolking 766 Report Share Posted August 24, 2016 There's not much to show if you can't block consistently enough..... I want so much to believe you..... but I've been to many a game in the past that Graham was expected to do well in against Bluefield and ended up losing. Bluefield always seems to get big plays in key situations against Graham, it's a curse!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futbolking 766 Report Share Posted August 24, 2016 I agree in recent years Graham's fan base hasn't been the best. I've been to a few games when the band shows up it seems like the crowd doubled in size. Home games can be a little misleading due to the size of Mitchell though. I really feel like the team this year will have the opportunity to turn things around for Graham football if they play to their ability. Hopefully this will generate more community support. I agree, but it wasn't in the too distant past that Graham fans traveled like Giles does. Success will do that for you. People have short memories. When you are old like me, it seems like yesterday that Graham would pack the visitor side of stadiums with more fans than the home teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted Account 5,203 Report Share Posted August 24, 2016 I can't speak for Bluefield but I can for Graham. I think we have a decent fan base for the size of our school and our town but if Graham isn't winning, our fans aren't coming unless it's against Bluefield, Tazewell, or Richlands. And if we are playing on a Saturday you can forget about it because our fans are either in Morgantown or Blacksburg. It was that way when I was in school but then again we weren't winning much either. Spot on, I say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ojrussell 61 Report Share Posted August 25, 2016 Giles travels well, but they will never bring a crowd like that which will be at Mitchell Stadium this friday. Graham and Bluefield fans travel from out of state for this game and yes....at least 10,000 in the stadium and a couple more thousand in the parking lot. Ranked as one of the top rivalry games in the country for a reason. it is not much of rivalry when one team only wins 25% of the games. More like a cake walk for the Beavers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futbolking 766 Report Share Posted August 25, 2016 it is not much of rivalry when one team only wins 25% of the games. More like a cake walk for the Beavers. Most of those wins came when Bluefield was AAA and Graham was A. The series is something like 12-7 oover the past 20 years or so. Somebody correct me if I"m wrong. Tired of hearing about the overall record. Whoever wins the last one has bragging rights and right now it's Bluefield. A rivalry is much more than wins and losses. No shame in losing to a great team like Bluefield. I'd say that Graham fares as well or better against them than most. It makes it that much sweeter in the years that Graham does beat Bluefield. cityofRaven 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluefield researcher 1,195 Report Share Posted August 25, 2016 There was a time when Bluefield was 3 to 4 times the size of Graham. But Graham put on their pads, laced up their shoes and went after the Beavers. They almost always lost and usually by a lot. Through the years Graham got a bit larger and Bluefield's enrollment is less than half what it used to be. Bluefield wins more often than Graham but not as much as in the past. It is still the greatest rivalry around. 1911 Bluefield 17 Graham 05 1913 Bluefield 06 Graham 00 1928 Bluefield 19 Graham 00 1929 Bluefield 07 Graham 00 1930 Bluefield 31 Graham 00 1932 Bluefield 26 Graham 06 1933 Bluefield 13 Graham 06 1934 Graham 07 Bluefield 06 1935 Bluefield 21 Graham 00 1936 Bluefield 13 Graham 02 1938 Graham 06 Bluefield 00 1939 Bluefield 14 Graham 00 1940 Bluefield 38 Graham 06 1941 Bluefield 07 Graham 06 1942 Bluefield 19 Graham 00 1943 Bluefield 26 Graham 00 1944 Bluefield 25 Graham 07 1945 Bluefield 33 Graham 00 1946 Bluefield 20 Graham 06 1947 Bluefield 31 Graham 00 1948 Bluefield 02 Graham 02 tie 1949 Bluefield 30 Graham 00 1950 Graham 26 Bluefield 07 1951 Graham 32 Bluefield 06 1952 Bluefield 15 Graham 12 1953 Bluefield 31 Graham 06 1954 Bluefield 06 Graham 00 1955 Bluefield 39 Graham 06 1956 Bluefield 13 Graham 00 1957 Graham 12 Bluefield 12 tie 1958 Graham 18 Bluefield 07 1959 Bluefield 26 Graham 00 1960 Bluefield 20 Graham 00 1961 Graham 32 Bluefield 25 1962 Bluefield 22 Graham 06 both teams state champions 1963 Graham 14 Bluefield 00 1964 Bluefield 40 Graham 00 1965 Bluefield 13 Graham 00 1966 Bluefield 40 Graham 00 1967 Bluefield 13 Graham 06 1968 Bluefield 26 Graham 00 1969 Bluefield 30 Graham 18 1970 Bluefield 28 Graham 15 1971 Bluefield 61 Graham 00 1972 Bluefield 36 Graham 00 1973 Bluefield 36 Graham 12 1974 Graham 13 Bluefield 00 1975 Bluefield 48 Graham 00 1976 Bluefield 07 Graham 00 1977 Bluefield 25 Graham 02 1978 Graham 28 Bluefield 08 1979 Graham 33 Bluefield 18 1980 Bluefield 19 Graham 07 1981 Graham 10 Bluefield 00 1982 Bluefield 10 Graham 07 OT 1983 Bluefield 18 Graham 00 1984 Bluefield 21 Graham 20 1985 Graham 09 Bluefield 06 1986 Bluefield 10 Graham 07 1987 Bluefield 34 Graham 00 1988 Bluefield 14 Graham 07 1989 Graham 25 Bluefield 00 1990 Graham 17 Bluefield 00 1991 Bluefield 06 Graham 04 1992 Bluefield 20 Graham 14 OT 1993 Graham 24 Bluefield 14 1994 Bluefield 07 Graham 00 1995 Graham 26 Bluefield 20 1996 Bluefield 34 Graham 20 1997 Bluefield 19 Graham 14 1998 Bluefield 24 Graham 00 1999 Bluefield 14 Graham 08 2000 Bluefield 17 Graham 10 2001 Graham 56 Bluefield 08 2002 Graham 21 Bluefield 14 2003 Bluefield 24 Graham 21 2004 Bluefield 48 Graham 21 2005 Graham 21 Bluefield 14 2005 Bluefield 07 Graham 00 2006 Graham 26 Bluefield 06 2007 Bluefield 26 Graham 12 2008 Graham 25 Bluefield 23 2009 Bluefield 48 Graham 07 2010 Bluefield 48 Graham 00 2011 Bluefield 51 Graham 14 2012 Graham 23 Bluefield 21 2013 Bluefield 60 Graham 38 2014 Bluefield 76 Graham 48 2015 Bluefield 28 Graham 21 Deleted Account 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunz9 71 Report Share Posted August 25, 2016 Going to be an interesting game. Collier and Reed both have missed practices this week. But with Bluefield's scary speed they can break a game open at any point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgibb 207 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2016 At least Graham can say they play Bluefield every year win or lose. They don't drop them from the schedule or refuse to pick them up because they are afraid of losing like a few other local teams in the area I won't mention. EH31 and Bluefield researcher 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted Account 5,203 Report Share Posted August 25, 2016 I know the rivalry is largely one-sided, but it's not like most of the games were blowouts. Since 1980, 13 of Bluefield's wins were by 1 score. 7 of Graham's wins were by 1 score. That's 20 of the 36 games played. Only 10 of Bluefield's wins were by 20+, and 7 of those have come since Carlock's passing. Graham has had 4 wins by 20+ in that time frame, too. Mountain Football 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trublue 939 Report Share Posted August 25, 2016 Graham's Taymon Cooke a playmaker on O, D and Special Teams By GEORGE THWAITES Bluefield Daily Telegraph 11 hrs ago http://www.bdtonline.com/sports/graham-s-taymon-cooke-a-playmaker-on-o-d-and/article_a3785b1a-6a71-11e6-9be6-9b36984d97be.html excerpt: BLUEFIELD, Va. — Graham’s football team has a lot of talented wide receivers on the roster this season. Taymon Cooke is the one who raises expectations for all of them. The 6’1, 170-pound junior led the G-Men last season with 32 catches for 517 yards, including nine scoring receptions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trublue 939 Report Share Posted August 25, 2016 Bluefield's Reed leads with speed By TOM BONE Bluefield Daily Telegraph 11 hrs ago excerpt:http://www.bdtonline.com/sports/bluefield-s-reed-leads-with-speed/article_47b466b0-6a72-11e6-8604-0732da08b22c.html BLUEFIELD — How do you follow up a season in which you scored 20 touchdowns and contributed 1,614 yards from scrimmage? Helping your team to a state football championship is a renewed goal for Bluefield High senior Carlos Reed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbgfan 855 Report Share Posted August 25, 2016 The G-Men have been on a roller coaster for the last few seasons, with a carousel of coaches and a program who lost a lot of its shine, but not its backbone. A couple of years ago, the rout by Gate City in the playoffs, was the bottom. The backbone of this program though bruised badly, wasn't broken; the alumni, the fans and others knew the 'Phoenix would rise again." It's here folks and Friday night will show the resurgence of this storied program. I truly believe that. The score I can't predict, but I believe the stars will be shining on the G-Men at the end of the night. Deleted Account, GMan, cityofRaven and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhs7695 185 Report Share Posted August 25, 2016 I want so much to believe you..... but I've been to many a game in the past that Graham was expected to do well in against Bluefield and ended up losing. Bluefield always seems to get big plays in key situations against Graham, it's a curse!!! I'll admit I've only read/heard about Graham in their scrimmages thus far, not watched them, but I get the sense that Tony's club is better this year. I've known Palmer for a long time and I know he's got Graham on the right path. He knows I'll cheer for him and his club every game but one. I still saw a lot of the same problems from Bluefield against Giles that they had last year from physical/strong play on the line and correct assignments on defense. I think Bluefield jumped offside three times before the ball was snapped and they averaged doing that a couple of times a game last year. That's disappointing. I want these kids to do well and have fun and I'll cheer loudly for them regardless. Series go in cycles but I'm just not expecting a Bluefield win this time. However, when these two teams play anything can and has happened in the past. We'll find out in about 24 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futbolking 766 Report Share Posted August 26, 2016 Tents are being erected as we speak. Just got back from watching Bluefield College blow a 10 point lead with about 8 minutes left and fail to punch it in from one yard out. Costly mistakes lost this one. Already a couple of dozen tents up...couple more folks putting theirs up as I was leaving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trublue 939 Report Share Posted August 26, 2016 Cousin a focus of attention as Bluefield faces G-Men By BRIAN WOODSON Bluefield Daily Telegraph 13 hrs ago BLUEFIELD — Friends and families will be gathering at Mitchell Stadium tonight for the 91st edition of the Beaver-Graham football game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trublue 939 Report Share Posted August 26, 2016 Graham seeks to end losing skid to Beavers By GEORGE THWAITES Bluefield Daily Telegraph 13 hrs ago BLUEFIELD, Va. — Since the first time he became aware of the spectacle known on the Virginia side of the state line as the Graham-Bluefield game, G-Men wide receiver and defensive back Paris Ballard eagerly awaited his chance to open football seasons at Mitchell Stadium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EH31 2,518 Report Share Posted August 26, 2016 I got Graham 31-21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greatwhitemp36 25 Report Share Posted August 26, 2016 anybody going to the game that will post updates via twitter that i can follow or any official twitter accounts for this game or teams? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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