Graham resurgence. What came first, coaching or players?

[tornado99 345]

Graham insiders, see the question above. I'm also curious about the Dennis Palmer addition (and later Ronnie Davis) to the coaching staff. Personally biased, but while nobody's perfect, I believe his knowledge of defense and intense presence is directly related to the overall defensive improvement since 2018, even though D-1 talent helps. Thoughts?

[Gridiron60 2,555]

2 minutes ago, tornado99 said:

Graham insiders, see the question above. I'm also curious about the Dennis Palmer addition (and later Ronnie Davis) to the coaching staff. Personally biased, but while nobody's perfect, I believe his knowledge of defense and intense presence is directly related to the overall defensive improvement since 2018, even though D-1 talent helps. Thoughts?

I think Tony Palmer is an excellent head coach and had quality personnel in place prior to the addition to Dennis Palmer. I do think he brought a new dynamic to Graham’s defense and helped mold it into the powerhouse it seems to evolved into but that couldn’t have happened without Tony & other coaches buying into it. It’s long been said by many, Dennis Palmer is a defensive mastermind. Of course, having talent that’s coachable is always a plus. I have always believed Mance getting rid of Palmer lead to the downward spiral of the Blue Tornado. I dare say a lot of Richlands people feel the same way. I think the coaching staff in conjunction with talent has helped propel Graham into a solid winning program. Kids love Tony & the other coaches. They have fun & play hard for them, That’s what it’s all about…memories for a lifetime. Football is so much more than a game. 

[FootballFan77 66]

I think the defense as improved with the addition of Ubrenal Isabel as well (not sure of spelling). 

[Real Sasquatch 1,869]

39 minutes ago, Gridiron60 said:

I think Tony Palmer is an excellent head coach and had quality personnel in place prior to the addition to Dennis Palmer. I do think he brought a new dynamic to Graham’s defense and helped mold it into the powerhouse it seems to evolved into but that couldn’t have happened without Tony & other coaches buying into it. It’s long been said by many, Dennis Palmer is a defensive mastermind. Of course, having talent that’s coachable is always a plus. I have always believed Mance getting rid of Palmer lead to the downward spiral of the Blue Tornado. I dare say a lot of Richlands people feel the same way. I think the coaching staff in conjunction with talent has helped propel Graham into a solid winning program. Kids love Tony & the other coaches. They have fun & play hard for them, That’s what it’s all about…memories for a lifetime. Football is so much more than a game. 

I agree.  Michael Horton, the strength coach is outstanding as well.  Graham has a lot of football knowledge on the sidelines.  Rex Bradshaw deserves a lot of credit.  Yubrenal Isabelle has NFL experience.  Ahmad Bradshaw is always giving advice and helping out. He was trying to get the crowd on their feet Saturday on the sideline early in the game.  But the main reason is Tony Palmer and his love for those kids and Graham High School footbal.  He emphasizes "family" but he doesnt just say it, like many coaches, he lives it.

[Mountain Football 1,532]

The credit for Graham's resurgence goes to Tony for the most part. Having a head coach that doesn't a dictatorship and surrounds himself with knowledgeable coaches who make the game fun is what it's all about. Dennis Palmer has been a TREMENDOUS addition to the staff. 

Yubrenal was mention above. Sitting in the stands listening to Yubrenal and Big Mike on the sidelines gets me fired up. Im old as dirt and they get me to thinking I could Lawrence Taylor over. Great guys. The list doesn't stop with them. Rex Bradshaw, Dissibio, Cooke, Davis, P. Bradshaw, Dixon, etc. are all great coaches.

[Mountain Football 1,532]

9 minutes ago, Real Sasquatch said:

I agree.  Michael Horton, the strength coach is outstanding as well.  Graham has a lot of football knowledge on the sidelines.  Rex Bradshaw deserves a lot of credit.  Yubrenal Isabelle has NFL experience.  Ahmad Bradshaw is always giving advice and helping out. He was trying to get the crowd on their feet Saturday on the sideline early in the game.  But the main reason is Tony Palmer and his love for those kids and Graham High School footbal.  Tony went through a great personal loss this week and still prioritized the team and did not want them distracted.  I have even more respect for him then I already had before.  He emphasizes "family" but he doesnt just say it, like many coaches, he lives it.

Exactly 

[Bluefield researcher 1,197]

I think Coach Palmer has a good mix of discipline and forgiveness. His time as a police officer has helped him very much. Players want to play for him. He comes from old school but doesn't force that attitude at all costs. Players want to play for him. 

[Gridiron60 2,555]

1 hour ago, Real Sasquatch said:

 Yubrenal Isabelle has NFL experience.  

Isabelle was a great add to the Graham coaching staff. His son is going to be a special player. I look forward to watching him develop over the next couple years. 

[frito gonzales 103]

Tony Palmer is the difference. Prior to him becoming the head coach the weight room was an option. Not a lot of kids wanted to play football prior to TP being the head coach. From what I hear they would run through a brick wall for TP. This coaching staff seems to be able to adjust schemes and make changes on the fly. Hope this Graham momentum carries on for many years! 

[Gridiron60 2,555]

3 minutes ago, frito gonzales said:

Tony Palmer is the difference. Prior to him becoming the head coach the weight room was an option. Not a lot of kids wanted to play football prior to TP being the head coach. From what I hear they would run through a brick wall for TP. This coaching staff seems to be able to adjust schemes and make changes on the fly. Hope this Graham momentum carries on for many years! 

Tony is the heart & soul of that program and turned it around. He has surrounded himself with a great staff and the kids love playing for him. They most definitely would run through a brick wall for him, figuratively speaking.  I hope,  like you, the momentum carries on for years. Tony is a class act on & off the field. 

[EH31 2,523]

I agree that Tony has been the main reason for Graham’s consistency. Having a coach that kids want to play for means more than anything in this area. He’s also done a great job of learning to delegate things to assistant coaches, and he’s done a lot better job of making in game adjustments. The 2015-2017 teams he had were more talented than almost every team they played but they struggled after halftime (especially against Richlands) due to not making great adjustments. 
 

With that being said, Graham has been blessed with unreal talent during his stretch as the HC. Roman Workman, Jamorya Cousin, Taymon Cooke, Anthony Edwards, Nick Kestner, Cam Allen, Devin Lester, Brody Meadows, Xayvion Turner-Bradshaw..and many others. No other team on this side of the state (Bluefield not included) has had that collection of athletes. 
 

Graham has had at least one D1 skill position player on the field since 2015. That will win you some games that you shouldn’t sometimes.

[tornado99 345]

Thanks for all the feedback and information.  I did not mean to slight any of the other coaches as well. I had wondered during the down years of Marrs and Williams how much talent was walking the halls. I knew Tony Palmer was responsible for getting the best out of the kids, but figured the adjustments were no coincidence. Obviously,  having a Bradshaw and an Isabel provides both knowledge (coaching) and talent (players). 

Good luck the rest of the way.

[Real Sasquatch 1,869]

43 minutes ago, tornado99 said:

Thanks for all the feedback and information.  I did not mean to slight any of the other coaches as well. I had wondered during the down years of Marrs and Williams how much talent was walking the halls. I knew Tony Palmer was responsible for getting the best out of the kids, but figured the adjustments were no coincidence. Obviously,  having a Bradshaw and an Isabel provides both knowledge (coaching) and talent (players). 

Good luck the rest of the way.

Numbers were down during those years also.  Kids were transferring to other schools to play.

[BandanaVTDavis4321 1,718]

2 hours ago, EH31 said:

I agree that Tony has been the main reason for Graham’s consistency. Having a coach that kids want to play for means more than anything in this area. He’s also done a great job of learning to delegate things to assistant coaches, and he’s done a lot better job of making in game adjustments. The 2015-2017 teams he had were more talented than almost every team they played but they struggled after halftime (especially against Richlands) due to not making great adjustments. 
 

With that being said, Graham has been blessed with unreal talent during his stretch as the HC. Roman Workman, Jamorya Cousin, Taymon Cooke, Anthony Edwards, Nick Kestner, Cam Allen, Devin Lester, Brody Meadows, Xayvion Turner-Bradshaw..and many others. No other team on this side of the state (Bluefield not included) has had that collection of athletes. 
 

Graham has had at least one D1 skill position player on the field since 2015. That will win you some games that you shouldn’t sometimes.

Although not under Palmers watch as Head Coach, but a senior in 2014, the year before Palmer took over, Graham had Jerrod Richmond, one of the most underrated Graham players in the last 10 years. He started 3 years at VMI and was an honorable mention All-American his senior year.  Gabe Sesco was another Graham lineman that was very, very good. I remember watching him dismantle Goochland's defensive line in the 2018 state title gsme.

[S10SQUAREBODY4LIFE 239]

Bigger question, what year they quit running the wishbone? Had athletes in that offense that would shine like current players. Saw them the year they won in 95 via YouTube, fast fast fast, and big. 

[CPF 411]

37 minutes ago, Smashmouth said:

Bigger question, what year they quit running the wishbone? Had athletes in that offense that would shine like current players. Saw them the year they won in 95 via YouTube, fast fast fast, and big. 

2001

[GMan 3,569]

Coaching came first, then the players...

[Hokiebird7 1,416]

All about the jimmies and Joe's folks

[BandanaVTDavis4321 1,718]

15 minutes ago, GMan said:

Coaching came first, then the players...

And whether people not just in SWVA or Virginia or around the country want to admit it or not, it usually does work that way.  It's the coaching, then the players that follow.  I've read so much over the years about some fans that think or somewhat believe the coaches at school A got together and decided to go on a recruiting binge when they are not a very good program, and then based on the recruiting binge, they are now a great program.  It just doesn't work that way 9 out of 10 times (taking private schools out of the equation where it does happen there).  With public schools the overwhelming majority of the time, you have a great coach, who is already trending the program up in wins, and he wins some more, and kids want to play for him because he's a players type coach, and the program is already solid, then the cycle repeats.  You had some Graham kids that went to Richlands when the Blues were dominating, and odds are, those kids stay put if Graham back then was Graham today.  Graham's got some Mount View kids.  Let Mount View win the state title in WV in 2017, and 2019, and Graham likely gets LESS Mount View kids.  It's that simple in my opinion.  If Graham goes 5-5 in regular season for the next 4 years, and Bluefield wins 2 out of 4 state titles over the next 4 years and plays for and loses another in those 4 years, guarantee ya Bluefield is getting a couple transfers from Graham.  Of course, Graham isn't going 5-5 on average over the next 4 years, but as for Bluefield, well, that actually wouldn't surprise me if they won 2 out of 4.  That's actually realistic, or the least, very possible.

[tornado99 345]

The greater Bluefield area is loaded with talent on both sides of the state line more often than not. I don't remember any truly weak teams during the Carlock and Simon eras. 

They always seem to have speed. Prior to the spread days, this was an area Richlands often struggled. Success came in the form of how fast was the tailback that complemented the usual physical linemen.

Edited November 22, 2021 by tornado99