Radford vs George Wythe and Glenvar vs Galax

[BandanaVTDavis4321 1,718]

2 great games not much has been talked about between 4 really good teams in Region C.  Arguably, 4 of the top 5 teams in all of Region C, regardless of Classification, and Appomattox being that other top 5 team.  This is about as good as it gets for Region C and opening the season.   Hard to tell who wins because all 4 teams are actually supposed to be better (Radford, GW, Glenvar) and/or Galax at least as good.  With what Glenvar and Radford are supposed to have returning this year, if GW and Galax either wins or makes these games close, it's a bad sign for other Class 1 schools in Region C and Region D in my opinion.  

Glenvar is a team to pay attention to in my opinion.  They might have the best club they've had in many years and having watched them in preseason, I believe it.  No offense to Union, Graham, Appomattox, or Radford or anyone else, but Glenvar to me, looked as good as Graham and Appomattox in the preseason, but again...that's just preseason.  

Region C isn't messing around.  These boys are starting the season coming out of the gate with some excellent matchups.

[SWVAgridiron 1,469]

Glenvar/Galax is usually a battle that comes down to the last quarter but after watching Glenvar vs Abingdon/Blacksburg and Galax vs Hedgeville, this might be the year that Glenvar wins convincingly. Other than Cburg, Glenvar is the best team I’ve seen this far out of 15 teams that I’ve watched in the preseason.

Radford/GW could very well come down to the wire. Radford returned a lot of talent as did GW. I’m going to go with Radford but I don’t see the score getting out of hand. 

 

 

[MT FAN 91 119]

Radford at GW on Thursday night? Is that correct?

[Mountain Football 1,533]

17 minutes ago, MT FAN 91 said:

Radford at GW on Thursday night? Is that correct?

Yes

[Optimal62 178]

I had heard that Radford had moved their QB from last year to wideout.  If so that surprises me as he was what made Raddy  dangerous last year. 
  This game will show us how far GW has come from last years team. 
 

I think Galax plays Glenvar tough but our Defense still has some jelling to do yet and Glenvar wins this one. 

[Fairlawncat 252]

1 hour ago, Optimal62 said:

I had heard that Radford had moved their QB from last year to wideout.  If so that surprises me as he was what made Raddy  dangerous last year. 
  This game will show us how far GW has come from last years team. 
 

I think Galax plays Glenvar tough but our Defense still has some jelling to do yet and Glenvar wins this one. 

QB is a kid named Landen Clark.  A junior and a great athlete who's quick, fast, and accurate.  He'll be more effective at QB than Baylor was last year.  Marcell Baylor, the VT commit and great athlete will be used a lot like Graham's Bradshaw was and put at wide out or slot, and lots of touches with jet sweeps. Clark is also a track star and great basketball player.  He played some at QB last year as a sophomore and did some damage against Appomattox in our loss.  Probably his best game was against Appomattox.

Sophomore Season Highlights (6 Games) - Landen Clark highlights - Hudl

[THS6805 124]

Galax close for 2 to 3 quarters. Glenvar depth what going hurt Galax.

Glenvar 34

Galax 17

[THS6805 124]

Radford 35

George Wythe 24

[Optimal62 178]

2 hours ago, Fairlawncat said:

QB is a kid named Landen Clark.  A junior and a great athlete who's quick, fast, and accurate.  He'll be more effective at QB than Baylor was last year.  Marcell Baylor, the VT commit and great athlete will be used a lot like Graham's Bradshaw was and put at wide out or slot, and lots of touches with jet sweeps. Clark is also a track star and great basketball player.  He played some at QB last year as a sophomore and did some damage against Appomattox in our loss.  Probably his best game was against Appomattox.

Sophomore Season Highlights (6 Games) - Landen Clark highlights - Hudl

Kid looks good 

[Union_Fan 2,155]

Without having seen Radford, I don't know that I could predict a winner, but I think it will be a very close game. GW doesn't have much depth, but their starters look the part. Barring injury, I see them giving Radford a good game.

I finally got to see some of the Abingdon/Glenvar jamboree. I see why everyone is high on Glenvar. They looked like they already had a few games under their belts. They're big on the line, athletic at the skill positions and have a great looking RB. I think they will beat Galax by 14-21 pts.

[sixcat 2,933]

Galax and Glenvar have opened the season every year since 2011 barring the Covid year in 2020. Glenvar holds a 6 games to 4 lead in the series during that time frame. 

2011 - Galax 17 - Glenvar 14
2012 - Galax 38 - Glenvar 25
2013 - Glenvar 42 - Galax 41
2014 - Glenvar 24 - Galax 9
2015 - Glenvar 20 - Galax 15
2016 - Galax 31 - Glenvar 18
2017 - Glenvar 34 - Galax 14
2018 - Glenvar 28 - Galax 24
2019 - Galax 32 - Glenvar 29
2020 - Covid year, no game
2021 - Glenvar 28 - Galax 14

2017 was probably Galax' least talented team since Dixon turned the program around. That year was a disaster from start to finish! That team was full of knuckleheads. That year not withstanding, I see this game going the way of the 2014 game when Glenvar went on to win the state championship. I think they will eventual prove to be a couple of scores better than Galax. Depth being the key issue for Galax. Starter for starter, I think Galax is up to the task but the drop-off in talent when Galax brings in a freshman back-up and Glenvar has a junior that is nearly as good as the starter will be the difference. 

[nrv_football 81]

Glenvar is the real deal. Glenvar by 2 + tds. 

[MT FAN 91 119]

On 8/21/2022 at 9:20 PM, Mountain Football said:

 

If Glenvar is as advertised I don't think Galax will have the depth to pull this one out. Hell of a first game for Galax and it will be a good test to see where we stand and what we need to improve on. Galax has a tough 5 game stretch coming and will there is a very good possibility of them coming out 2-3 but if they stay together and work hard they will be a force come playoff time. Glenvar by 2 plus TD's but I hope I'm wrong.

[BandanaVTDavis4321 1,718]

For those wanting some pre Friday football, Radford and GW is Thursday night (tomorrow at 7pm) at Wytheville. I'm tempted, but got to check with the boss, and I ain't talking about work. 

[Pickett 30]

In relation to Galax 2017 they had an excellent team…. If Peoples had not got hurt in 1st Round PO they would have definitely be in state game verse RH once again.  The Glenvar team they lost to only lost twice …. to a strong Giles team and Appomattox in Regional Final.

[sixcat 2,933]

1 hour ago, Pickett said:

In relation to Galax 2017 they had an excellent team…. If Peoples had not got hurt in 1st Round PO they would have definitely be in state game verse RH once again.  The Glenvar team they lost to only lost twice …. to a strong Giles team and Appomattox in Regional Final.

I could be thinking of the 2016 season but am reasonably certain it was 2017. Whichever season it was, it was full of player suspensions from start to finish and one outright expulsion. Complete with the starting QB being arrested twice for DUI.

Edit to add; You're kind-of proving my point. If the 2017 team was so reliant upon a single player for ultimate success, I question the total talent on said team!!! Isaac Hawks was a good a player as Galax has ever had minus a couple of D1 kids. Both Dixon and Allen have called him a "spark plug" in past interviews. He was a 4-year starter and All-State selection several times. He blew out his knee against Auburn in the 1st round of the 2019 playoffs. Galax didn't miss a beat beating George Wythe the following week 56-6 and almost knocking off Riverheads in the state championship game, losing 31-24. 

[Pickett 30]

I know what you are referring to and that was prior to 2017

[Pickett 30]

DefEnd/Lineman did not have same impact as a Rb the stature of D Peoples. And the 2019 team was in my opinion there 2nd best in Dixon era.   

[sixcat 2,933]

30 minutes ago, Pickett said:

DefEnd/Lineman did not have same impact as a Rb the stature of D Peoples.

So, you're suggesting Caleb Spurlin had no impact on Galax winning the state championship in 2015 because he wasn't a running back? If what you're suggesting is true, why didn't Steven Peoples win a state title? How about Joseph Dixon?

 

35 minutes ago, Pickett said:

And the 2019 team was in my opinion there 2nd best in Dixon era.   

I agree the 2019 team was the second best behind 2011. Key word being "team" which Galax was much less of in 2016 or 2017. Even if the season I speak of was 2016, the 2017 team lacked depth at every position. Which means the 2016 team was littered with knuckleheads and disciplinary issues all season. Some very severe.

My original comment didn't suggest Galax wasn't talented in 2017. But I stand behind the assertion that that team was one of the least talented since Dixon took over the program. Top heavy considering Dougie was an outstanding player. But they lacked depth all over the field. 

[Andersonj829 7]

20 minutes ago, sixcat said:

So, you're suggesting Caleb Spurlin had no impact on Galax winning the state championship in 2015 because he wasn't a running back? If what you're suggesting is true, why didn't Steven Peoples win a state title? How about Joseph Dixon?

 

I agree the 2019 team was the second best behind 2011. Key word being "team" which Galax was much less of in 2016 or 2017. Even if the season I speak of was 2016, the 2017 team lacked depth at every position. Which means the 2016 team was littered with knuckleheads and disciplinary issues all season. Some very severe.

My original comment didn't suggest Galax wasn't talented in 2017. But I stand behind the assertion that that team was one of the least talented since Dixon took over the program. Top heavy considering Dougie was an outstanding player. But they lacked depth all over the field. 

2016 is the year you’re referring to. That was Ortons last year at qb. And I’m pretty sure that’s the year we got destroyed by Riverheads at home. With that being said I’ll have to say the 2019 was the best team. Statistically they point up more points and did it quicker than any other Dixon team.

[sixcat 2,933]

9 minutes ago, Andersonj829 said:

2016 is the year you’re referring to. That was Ortons last year at qb. And I’m pretty sure that’s the year we got destroyed by Riverheads at home. With that being said I’ll have to say the 2019 was the best team. Statistically they point up more points and did it quicker than any other Dixon team.

I believe 2019 and 2011 are a toss-up and both were slightly ahead of the state championship team in 2015. The teams in 2019 and 2011 were just full of athletes, big and strong along the lines, and could beat teams with the run and the pass. It's easy to look past the 2011 team but I think they faced a bit stiffer competition. Grayson was undefeated going into the last game of the regular season and had beaten Clintwood 61-6 earlier in the season. Region D was much tougher in 2011 than in 2019. That Central Lunenburg team Galax beat in the semifinals was loaded and could have easily won a state championship in another year. 

In my opinion, had Dixon had another year with that 2011 team, they would be everyone's #1 with a bullet. Steven Peoples was a freshman and scored a TD in the final. Jordan Vaughan played football at Concord. Austin Pack played basketball at Methodist. Jacob Fisher was a member of the 2013 D2 runner-up Lenoir-Rhyne football team. Frankie Shalabi played football at Bluefield. Lawrence Parsons played basketball in college. Deion George played football at Emory & Henry. That team was LOADED. 

[Optimal62 178]

The 2017 team was loaded with talent. Dougie Peoples , lee lee Peoples, Caxton Vaught, Blake Brown, Isaac Hawks , Cole Picket, Cade ashworth , the big Brown kid on the line. All of these kids were some of the best athletes to come through Galax. 
 

and yes losing someone like Dougie Peoples was a massive blow. Anytime you lose a multi thousand  yard rusher (who was a leading rusher in the state and broke the state record for Todd in a game that same year) that late in the season is devastating . He was also a force on defense and would of made a huge difference chasing down Chilhowie mobile Qb that year .

[sixcat 2,933]

Again, I never said the 2017 team didn’t have talent. I said it was the least talented team Galax had during the Dixon tenure. 
 

All those players you mention besides Dougie were 9th or 10th graders and a far cry from the players they became in 2019. Which was arguably the most talented team Galax has ever had. But they weren’t that yet in 2017!

[Optimal62 178]

25 minutes ago, sixcat said:

Again, I never said the 2017 team didn’t have talent. I said it was the least talented team Galax had during the Dixon tenure. 
 

All those players you mention besides Dougie were 9th or 10th graders and a far cry from the players they became in 2019. Which was arguably the most talented team Galax has ever had. But they weren’t that yet in 2017!

My point was that team was not a bunch of knuckleheads, no matter what grade they was in that year. 

[Pickett 30]

 No one anticipated the 2019 team to be as good as they were…… Denver Brown and the Johnson kid at receiver were their  2 best weapons by far and there transfer in was HUGE.