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Ridgeview vs Graham Region D Championship Rematch!


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2 minutes ago, SwvaOG said:

Well, to be fair, Dawg fans made more than one comment about “not impressed with RV” and were less than complimentary about anything RV after RV dismantled them and put several debates to bed. Some of the Tazewell folks act like they got beat up and Graham is their big brother who is going to defend them.  It’s weird to us M7 and RV folks because we sure don’t see it like that with Union or Central.  

Does that mean Graham can count on Union & Central coming to cheer for us ? 😂😂😂😂 

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As for my thoughts on this game.  Can RV win?  Yes.  Will they be afraid or intimidated by Graham (a game Graham likes to play going back to Palmer’s playing days)?  No.  The problem with RV is that more has to go right to be successful for RV than Graham.  Weather isn’t a factor for Graham’s offense but it is for RV.  There in lies the only true problem with a passing offense in SWVA.  It doesn’t matter how good you are, weather can neutralize you.  
For RV to have a chance to win O’Quinn has to be very very good and he has had two of his worst games in Mitchell stadium.  Everyone thinks Bluefield just manhandled RV but if you rewatch that game, the RV QB missed Beavers behind the secondary four times.  They didn’t score on those four possessions.  He also threw two bad picks and fumbled.  Plus the RV secondary was mixed up all night long….which, give them credit, seems like they’ve fixed that.
Same last year.  RV came out and shocked Graham and then proceeded to have no adjustment to Graham’s half time adjustment.  
As O’Quinn goes, so goes RV. It is that simple.  If I were RV coaching I’d prepare a backup game plan to implement after halftime…try to stay ahead of Dennis Palmer.

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20 minutes ago, SwvaOG said:

As for my thoughts on this game.  Can RV win?  Yes.  Will they be afraid or intimidated by Graham (a game Graham likes to play going back to Palmer’s playing days)?  No.  The problem with RV is that more has to go right to be successful for RV than Graham.  Weather isn’t a factor for Graham’s offense but it is for RV.  There in lies the only true problem with a passing offense in SWVA.  It doesn’t matter how good you are, weather can neutralize you.  
For RV to have a chance to win O’Quinn has to be very very good and he has had two of his worst games in Mitchell stadium.  Everyone thinks Bluefield just manhandled RV but if you rewatch that game, the RV QB missed Beavers behind the secondary four times.  They didn’t score on those four possessions.  He also threw two bad picks and fumbled.  Plus the RV secondary was mixed up all night long….which, give them credit, seems like they’ve fixed that.
Same last year.  RV came out and shocked Graham and then proceeded to have no adjustment to Graham’s half time adjustment.  
As O’Quinn goes, so goes RV. It is that simple.  If I were RV coaching I’d prepare a backup game plan to implement after halftime…try to stay ahead of Dennis Palmer.

Spot on as always. The weather factor is a huge reason Green Bay keeps losing home playoff games over the past decade. It's easy to say, "they are choking," but it's a major factor for a pass first team or heavy pass team when weather sets in. When you look at GB on the road in warm weather or domes in the playoffs the last 10 years, they do pretty darn good. This is why I always emphasize run heavy or run first teams having an advantage come playoff time, especially in High School Football. 

 

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6 hours ago, Backpack said:

If it wasn’t for Ridgeview self imploding they would have beat Graham last year.   I say this year RV takes it. They’re playing with a chip on their shoulders right now. 

I wouldn’t say they imploded. They couldn’t handle Graham’s line on both sides of the ball. That will decide this game as well. Graham is returning 4/5ths of their line. The question will be is Ridgeview improved enough to give O’Quinn enough time to get the pass off and can they stop Graham from gashing them on the ground. If they have it will be a game. If not it will be a different year but same result.

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5 hours ago, CPF said:

Ridgeview has played one team with the following elements

1. Very good offensive and defensive lines

2. Multiple playmakers with speed

3. Great coaching

That team blew them out. Saturday will be the 2nd team they've played with all 3 elements. We're going to find out. Time for talking is over.

I would upgrade Graham's offensive and defensive lines from very good to "outstanding".  But, I agree with the rest of your assessment.

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2 hours ago, Backpack said:

If it wasn’t for Ridgeview self imploding they would have beat Graham last year.   I say this year RV takes it. They’re playing with a chip on their shoulders right now. 

Graham adjusting their defense had a lot to do with last year's loss for Ridgeview.  Graham ended up winning by 4 touchdowns.  That was an awful big self implosion, if that was the case.  The lineplay for Graham last year was the difference and I believe it will be the difference this year.  I hope Ridgeview brings their A game and it is a good ballgame going down to the wire and may the best team win.

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17 minutes ago, Real Sasquatch said:

Graham adjusting their defense had a lot to do with last year's loss for Ridgeview.  Graham ended up winning by 4 touchdowns.  That was an awful big self implosion, if that was the case.  The lineplay for Graham last year was the difference and I believe it will be the difference this year.  I hope Ridgeview brings their A game and it is a good ballgame going down to the wire and may the best team win.

The self implosion would be be having Beavers’ kickoff return down to the 1 yard line called back for a questionable block in the back.  That probably puts RV up 21-7.  The pick six should have never been thrown and the RV QB stares that down, that’s a 7 pt mistake.  The two deep shots to Bradshaw that everyone saw coming a mile away was not handled by the secondary as the S and CB deferred coverage to each other both times.  That is 28 points folks…that’s a self implosion and none of those were due to the pass rush….not even the pick six as it was a quick out and just should have never been called.  By saying the RV had a self implosion, it doesn’t belittle Graham in anyway.  There definitely was an implosion and the moment and momentum was too much for a Fr QB and a green coaching staff. 

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This should be a great game. It’s hard to decide logistically since both have many returning. I don’t know that RV imploded so much last year as Palmer adjusted and RV couldn’t hang. But this year could be different. Plus another year or experience, particularly for OQuinn could make the difference. Weather really could also make a difference in RV’s passing game as well. Then of course RV’s coaching decisions are so unpredictable. I just can’t decide how this one will go. Winner is gonna have to bring their A game. No room for many mistakes, penalties, etc…. All these IF’s are what makes high school football so frustrating and exciting at the same time. Hoping I get to attend this one. Not even sure who I’ll root for at this point. Can I sit in the middle somewhere????

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3 hours ago, SwvaOG said:

Well, to be fair, Dawg fans made more than one comment about “not impressed with RV” and were less than complimentary about anything RV after RV dismantled them and put several debates to bed and, apparently, drove one voracious Bulldog supporter off this board.   Some of the Tazewell folks act like they got beat up and Graham is their big brother who is going to defend them.  It’s weird to us M7 and RV folks because we sure don’t see it like that with Union or Central.  

I think when people said they weren’t impressed with Ridgeview it was probably more of anger with the way the events played out for Tazewell. They should have actually said they were dissatisfied in Tazewell’s execution, not that they weren’t impressed with Ridgeview. I think the final score leads people to believe the game was something it maybe wasn’t. It was a blowout on the scoreboard but it didn’t feel like one on the field. I don’t say that taking away anything from Ridgeview, as it’s obvious they are a very talented team. I’ll breakdown my thoughts and that will be all I’ll say on the subject, as I don’t want to hijack this thread since ultimately Tazewell is playing basketball and Graham/Ridgeview are playing for a region title.  

 

To start the game, Tazewell’s defense forces a punt and seemed to have momentum at that point. Beavers did a good job holding onto the ball until the last second before punting which gave the coverage team time to get down field and force the muff. Ridgeview recovers at the 20. 6 plays later they score from the touchdown after converting a 4th and 2 on that drive.  XP blocked - score: 6-0

 

Next drive for tazewell is a 6 play drive where they got past mid field. Tazewell’s receiver catches a screen pass, tries to reverse field, runs backwards 9 yards and gets tackled which puts Tazewell well behind the sticks. Tazewell punts. 

 

Ridgeview’s drive goes 6 plays, then punts back to Tazewell. 

 

Tazewell - 3 & out, punt. 

 

Ridgeview’s next drive is their most impressive of the day. 60 yard drive for a td. Tazewell had done a great job up until that point of shutting the run game down but Hill broke a 15 yard run where there were 2 missed tackles at the line of scrimmage. That run flipped the momentum. Hill is an excellent player, btw. XP good. Score 13-0 a few mins into the second quarter.

 

Tazewell’s next drive they have some success moving the ball. This one was a 6 play, around 45 yard drive. On the 5th play they make the first play where they were able to get one of their playmakers on the edge in space and that’s the play when Taylor gets ejected. On the next play the backup RB comes in and a busted play happens. Backup RB runs a counter when Creasy seemed to expect him to run a straight dive for the read option, and when he wasn’t there for it Creasy tried to tuck it but fumbled and Ridgeview runs it back to the 15. 

 

Ridgeview starts on Tazewell’s 15, runs a couple plays to get a TD. XP good. 20-0 with just a couple mins left in the half. At this point it was over. 

 

Tazewell takes over. Completes the first pass near midfield but the sideline gets a 15 yard penalty. Next play also a completed pass but a holding call on Tazewell and a personal foul on Ridgeview were offsetting penalties which led to a replay of down. Ridgeview brings pressure and gets a sack. Last play of the half they bring pressure and get another sack, which is the one that Creasy got his leg rolled up on. Tazewell has to regroup at halftime and figure out a plan on offense and defense without Taylor, who is arguably their most important player, and a plan to help Creasy which will have more limited mobility going forward. 

 

While Taylor was in on defense Ridgeview didn’t have success on their inside run plays. I believe their longest rush, outside of the one Hill broke the tackles on and ran outside, was 3-4 yards. He’s a player that moves around a lot on defense, and gets in the backfield most plays so you always have to account for him. On offense, Taylor was their most physical player with the ball. He was the guy that would pick up a 3rd and 3 on a tough run and also could get on the edge and stiff arm his way for plenty of yards like was seen against teams like Virginia High and Richlands. Also Taylor, a 6’2 “ 200 pound strong kid, provided a lot better blocking option in the backfield on pass plays. Backup is 5’8” 160 pounds, so when he’s in pass protection Ridgeview was obviously going to come a little harder at Creasy at that point in time. Good defensive coaching adjustment by Ridgeview at that point.

 

Not making excuses for the reason Taylor was ejected, just stating the fact that when he went out Tazewell had to adjust their offense and defensive game plans on the fly, which is hard since I don’t know if a team in this area that could sub a kid in off the bench in his place and get anywhere near the production on the field. 

 

So after halftime, Tazewell doesn’t covert on 4th down on the opening drive and Ridgeview takes over on Tazewell’s 35. Hill takes two separate what could’ve been 4-5 yard carries and breaks tackles to carry the team to another td. 27-0 early in the 3rd. 

 

Next drive was Tazewell’s best of the day. 11 play, 60ish yard drive to around Ridgeview’s 10 yard line. At that point Ridgeview sends a blitz and sacks Creasy. Tazewell’s sideline believes it should be a penalty for hitting the QB in the head and after arguing that point with the ref for a minute the ref throws an unsportsmanlike on Tazewell’s sideline. Now instead of being at the 10 yard line with a chance to score they’re taking the snap from the 36 yard line, needing to get to Ridgeview’s 3 yard line for a first down. Creasy throws the Hail Mary type play a little under thrown, the receiver falls down trying to make the adjustment to come back for it, and Beavers gets an easy INT & runs it back to the 38. 

 

The next play Ridgeview runs a good route concept on the outside. Tazewell’s cornerback was able to make the adjustment to get back in position with the ball in the air but Counts used his body to get him off balance. The corner falls down right before the ball gets there and Counts has an easy 65 yard catch down to the 4. Two plays later Hill runs it in. Ridgeview faked the 2pt to get the running clock and then the rest of the game didn’t really matter. Score: 35-0, which ended up being the final. 

 

 

Ridgeview’s scoring drives were:

20 yards - set up by a muffed punt  

60 yards - Excellent drive. 

15 yards - set up by a fumble 

35 yards - set up by a turnover on downs

68 yards - set up by a 65 yard busted play by the DB. 

 

So that, I believe, is where the “Ridgeview wasn’t that impressive” thoughts come from. To Tazewell’s fans that know how much talent they have, it was frustrating to see the score being 35-0 when you believe that you gave away 28 of them. And on the other side of that - if Tazewell hadn’t turned the ball over, ended up punting and Ridgeview had long field a there’s nothing saying they wouldn’t have scored the same amount. But most Tazewell fans wouldn’t agree with that  with the way Tazewell’s defense was playing the first quarter and half of the second.  

 

Ridgeview, again, is super talented and their defense is underrated. They won, they advanced. They’ve been there before. So this isn’t me downplaying them, it’s me trying to explain both sides of it for the ones that weren’t there & just seen the score. The game was closer on the line of scrimmage in the first half but I think their back 7 is better than most people would think, which  is the main reason Tazewell’s offense struggled. Ridgeview’s offense is highly touted, especially O’quinn & Beavers, and you expect them to make those big impressive plays as they’ve done plenty of times before. So if you’re expecting that to happen and it doesn’t then I could understand maybe why you would say that they didn’t impress you. 

 

My thoughts are: they didn’t make any overly “impressive plays” because they simply didn’t have to, not because they weren’t capable of doing so. I think had the game 20-7 or something similar then there wouldn’t have been folks saying they weren’t impressed, they would’ve been able to compliment Ridgeview on having a great team with very few weaknesses. 

 

Tazewell going forward has to find a way to not continue to beat theirselves after the first thing goes wrong. You can just about pinpoint one play in every single loss that was an unfortunate event for Tazewell and they were not able to recover from it. They’re capable of it, as they shown in the second half of the Richlands game, but they have to have that same mindset against every team, not just the team they want to beat more than the others. They’ll bring back most of the team next year. Harris will be hard to replicate but there will still be a lot of talent next year and the year after. Hopefully a couple of the kids that should step up to be leaders, that are capable and willing, will help the other players with their mindset and it can help them get over the hump going forward. That’s a big ask for kids 14-18 that haven’t been there before so fans need to be realistic in their expectations and remember that winning 5,6,7 games and making the post season is a lot more fun than the stretch they went on from 2010-2017.  It could be even more fun when they learn to win the battle between their ears. 

 

Good luck to both Ridgeview and Graham going forward. I think either will be a great representative for our side of the state in Salem if either were to make it that far. After this week it’s SWVA vs. everyone and we’ll all be friends again. 

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47 minutes ago, SwvaOG said:

The self implosion would be be having Beavers’ kickoff return down to the 1 yard line called back for a questionable block in the back.  That probably puts RV up 21-7.  The pick six should have never been thrown and the RV QB stares that down, that’s a 7 pt mistake.  The two deep shots to Bradshaw that everyone saw coming a mile away was not handled by the secondary as the S and CB deferred coverage to each other both times.  That is 28 points folks…that’s a self implosion and none of those were due to the pass rush….not even the pick six as it was a quick out and just should have never been called.  By saying the RV had a self implosion, it doesn’t belittle Graham in anyway.  There definitely was an implosion and the moment and momentum was too much for a Fr QB and a green coaching staff. 

The pick six was tipped by the pass rush. Graham also pulled starters in the 4th or the score would have been worse. Ridgeview may very well win this weekend, however there is no universe were Ridgeview was winning last year.

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.  

6 minutes ago, Gfan said:

The pick six was tipped by the pass rush. Graham also pulled starters in the 4th or the score would have been worse. Ridgeview may very well win this weekend, however there is no universe were Ridgeview was winning last year.

There was a whole half where your fans weren’t near as sure as you were.  I was there.  It was awful quiet.  There was a big cheer when that kickoff was called back.  
And I’ll review the pick again.  That was a very wide out so I’m not sure if it was tipped.  It looked fairly tight spiral to me…a 25 yard throw to get a three yard out against a D-1 commit isn’t a smart play.  All risk, little reward as the WR was no threat to outrun Bradshaw.

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15 minutes ago, Mountain Football said:

It sounds like the RV fans are not impressed with the Graham win last year but the RV fans don't like it because Tazewell wasn't impressed with RV's win this year. Am I reading this wrong?

 

That seems to be a correct summation. GMen will let their pads do the talking on Saturday! I'm sure our coaches will have them ready and the boys will be dialed in. I wouldn't suggest Ridgeview come up with a Plan B in the playoffs to stay one step ahead of Graham's defense. Risky changing one's offense asking kids to do something new they're not used to but that's just me. I'd stick with what works & make adjustments if needed. 

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12 minutes ago, Mountain Football said:

It sounds like the RV fans are not impressed with the Graham win last year but the RV fans don't like it because Tazewell wasn't impressed with RV's win this year. Am I reading this wrong?

 

This RV fan was very impressed with Graham last year. You can say that Graham was a great team and RV imploded some.   It doesn’t have to be one or the other.  I believe Graham had a lot to do with the implosion.  The kickoff return that was called back did change the game.  Whether RV would have won? I doubt it, but I certainly do believe the game would have been closer.  
 As for this year, I agree with how @SwvaOGdescribed it.  Penalties and turnovers will determine it,. If RV brings their A+ game it’s a low scoring affair. 
The RV defense has been great the last 3 weeks and most of the season.  The Bluefield game being the exception. 

Edited by Wolf1207
Stupid iPad autocorrect
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12 minutes ago, Wolf1207 said:

This RV fan was very impressed with Graham last year. You can say that Graham was a great team and RV imploded some.   It doesn’t have to be one or the other.  I believe Graham had a lot to do with the implosion.  The kickoff return that was called back did change the game.  Whether RV would have won? I doubt it, but I certainly do believe the game would have been closer.  
 As for this year, I agree with how @SwvaOGdescribed it.  Penalties and turnovers will determine it,. If RV brings their A+ game it’s a low scoring affair. 
The RV defense has been great the last 3 weeks and most of the season.  The Bluefield game being the exception. 

This is spot on.  It’s not that we discounted Graham at all.  We kind of felt that we were discounted greatly once “the threat” died down.  Kickoff return stands and you’re looking at 21-7.  Not a lot of RV fans think that that turns into a solid RV win.  But it makes things a lot closer and I doubt it ends up 49-21. 

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16 hours ago, Backpack said:

Somebody is still butt hurt we smoked your team 

 

11 hours ago, Backpack said:

If it wasn’t for Ridgeview self imploding they would have beat Graham last year.   I say this year RV takes it. They’re playing with a chip on their shoulders right now. 

I’m not butt hurt. It’s just y’all ridgeview fans are fans are having about the same confidence as Tazewell only to see your team let you down. Ya know, kinda like the dawgs did us Tazewell fans. Not speaking from being butt hurt, im speaking my opinion. And they are like a$$holes, everyone has one. I watched graham when they were “trash” some would say, and I support them as long as they ain’t playing the dawgs because they’ve came a long way from 10 years ago and for the fact they are in our district. My honest opinion is the bus will be warming up by the 3rd quarter and it’s gonna be a long ride home for the pack like it was for the dawgs. 

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