Gridiron60 2,555 Report Share Posted December 15, 2022 28 minutes ago, Gfan said: Even just looking at the regular season, I don’t think there are 4 better lineman in the region. I had a parent of one of the linemen tell me, Snake told them they were the best line he’d ever coached. When you consider all his years of coaching at Richlands & now Graham, that’s a pretty hefty compliment and accomplishment on the part of those boys. Every single one deserved recognition in my book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FootballFan77 66 Report Share Posted December 15, 2022 4 hours ago, Gridiron60 said: I felt like after the list was released I needed some clarification on the process so I asked around. Others may know this but I dare say some don’t. If a player doesn’t make 1st Team All District, he cannot make 1st Team All Region which is decided before the region is even concluded. A player cannot make All State if he wasn’t 1st Team All Region even if he had a spectacular game at the state level. Take Brayden Meadows for example, 100% pass completion, his best game of the season at QB was the State Championship game but he can’t receive any accolades for that because he wasn’t 1st Team QB for SWD District to begin with. It all starts at district level. You have Cody Dolin who probably had his best games against Appo & near best against CW but won’t be All State because he wasn’t 1st Team All Region and as I stated All State was already decided is my understanding before the game was even played. I could go on & on about the fairness or the process. My point being, you can’t put much stock in these things because it never shakes out fairly and the rules for how the selection work’s penalizes kids who play lights out in the playoffs in may opinion. If I had my way Graham’s ENTIRE defense would be 1st Team especially the D. Line, for district, region, and especially state but that would never happen, other coaches would not vote for that. I guarantee a lot of kids that made 1st Team All Region but didn’t make it to the State Championship would trade that meaningless award for a ring. Just my two cents because I know there are a lot of unhappy people and hurt feelings. As a coach (which I’m not), I’d defer to Senior with all things being equal but unfortunately, lay people like me have no vote. Congratulations to the GMen on the championship because that’s the most important award in my opinion. I think everyone on the list earned it. However Dolin deserved the honors as well. I think the coaches didn’t want to give Graham all the DL spots. Meadows being out hurt him but that kid had an amazing state performance. I don’t care if you are a Freshmen, Sophomore etc… the best players should receive the recognition.I think the current process should be reviewed and changed. Gridiron60 and Gmen2021 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S10SQUAREBODY4LIFE 239 Report Share Posted December 15, 2022 I'm sure it's like everything else in the world and quickly becomes "who you know" and political. Unfortunately, it really isn't a fair assessment of most of the young men but most that get there have very well earned it. There's an exception to everything. Having won the state title, I'm sure Meadows is good with that trophy in the case at Graham forever. On a side note, if you're not the best in your district then you're probably not the best in the region or state. He certainly rose to the occasion during the playoffs. He proved my doubts wrong, and I'm glad he did. Region D came out on top and at the end of the year, that's good enough for me. Congrats to Graham and all the young men that were fortunate enough to get recognized for their contributions. Gridiron60 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobb83 48 Report Share Posted December 15, 2022 Well it helps to be kin to coaches at graham! Couple those underclass should not have received the honor over the Dolin kid sorry. Guess when he’s not there next year they will see the value in him opening big holes for the RB’s and stuffing double teams on D and still making plays! Won’t be able to replace him with one kid! Like the saying goes “ the squeaky wheel gets the grease”. If the coach ever tells you he voted for his kids well that’s a lie coaches can’t vote for their own kids! Heard many coaches say well I voted for my players that’s all I can do! Bold face lies!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BandanaVTDavis4321 1,717 Report Share Posted December 15, 2022 1 hour ago, S10SQUAREBODY4LIFE said: I'm sure it's like everything else in the world and quickly becomes "who you know" and political. Unfortunately, it really isn't a fair assessment of most of the young men but most that get there have very well earned it. There's an exception to everything. Having won the state title, I'm sure Meadows is good with that trophy in the case at Graham forever. On a side note, if you're not the best in your district then you're probably not the best in the region or state. He certainly rose to the occasion during the playoffs. He proved my doubts wrong, and I'm glad he did. Region D came out on top and at the end of the year, that's good enough for me. Congrats to Graham and all the young men that were fortunate enough to get recognized for their contributions. Said that about Meadows early on when 1 or 2 fans discussed the possibility of another QB that should possibly remain the starter when Meadows went out with injury. I wrote, Meadows is a winner. There is something inside of him that allows him to rise to the occasion when it's needed most. Appo in 2021 told me that. Critical runs at critical times. Central with 2 huge plays to start the game and things looking good, then Meadows with the absolute DIME to seize and control the momentum. There is little or any replacement for a WINNER, the kind of kid down 20-17 in table tennis and then he rolls off 5 straight points to win 22-20. Meadows is one of those. A winner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwvaOG 601 Report Share Posted December 15, 2022 I had this debate with some infamous posters last year. Everyone wants their team on the list and, to be brutally honest, very seldom ever watch the kids from other teams. Prime example....no one knows about the Walker Lester DE from Ridgeview but if you were watching the Region final you would have seen him earn (3) holding calls from Graham's All Region line. The kid was a beast all year....ask Richlands. After that game their coaches said "One of the best we've ever played against. He destroyed us." Now, I bet not one Graham fan on the board has watched this kid or really knew about him. Film don't lie and it isn't emotional. That is a kid that I will put up against anyone in Region 2D....not because he is a RV kid but because I've watched how disruptive he is. If he had Connor Roberts frame he would be hearing from D-1/2 as well. Go watch the film of those selected over your guys. Hell, its one of my favorite things to do but I'm a football junkie. What I would like to see would be the comments and thoughts from the players themselves. Who they had problems with or thought a lot of. That would be informative. One thing that bothers me is the DB selection. I watched everyone of those selections live....not a chance that Huff (Union) is a better DB than Poku (Va High). THat is a case where a kid plays middle of the field safety and picks off some pretty bad passes and is deemed better than a kid that mans up the other teams best WR every game. To me, I'm looking at who teams never threw against but that takes a deeper commitment to film study...those cats are going to have less stats. I'd break out DB into S and CB...two completely different positions. The Counts kid from RV was, IMHO, hands down the best run support S in the Region......but wasn't asked to cover much. I'm taking that kid over the Union kid all day every day. One got fat on interceptions in zone coverage while the other probably had 80 tackles and lived near the LOS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwvaOG 601 Report Share Posted December 15, 2022 BTW, I'm hearing that the All-State selections are out and floating around. Can anyone gumshoe that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S10SQUAREBODY4LIFE 239 Report Share Posted December 15, 2022 I'm not sure if Richlands saying the kid was a stud qualifies him better than anyone above him and good lineman hold, he's not special lol. Tough kid, just not enough spots at the table when the victor gets the spoils. Comparing apples and oranges. stats are about all that is measured unfortunately when the accolades come out. Some play a powder puff opponent, some play tough schedules. Would VHS play Graham if they didn't have to? Look at Clements, put up good numbers against the best in 2D plain and simple. Everyone else ain't close and most position/awards are near the same from number 1 to honorable mention. Counts playing a little different than Huff due to some lop-sided scores forcing more passes than run and vice versa. If he wasn't asked to cover much, then he should have more tackles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain Football 1,532 Report Share Posted December 15, 2022 SwvaOG you make some great points but keep in mind that same film is going to show that run stopping RV defense getting gashed for over 400 yards on the ground against Graham. That's with a RB that according to one RV fan "he only weighs 100lbs tackle hom". 409 yards later they never tackled that little 100lb RB. As far as Dolin not getting 1st team region, that's a question for the HC at Graham. There's no need to question the system or a coach in Marion, Clintwood, Big Stone, etc. The bus tracks that went up that kids back belong to Tazewell County Public Schools with Graham personnel driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gridiron60 2,555 Report Share Posted December 15, 2022 I'd like to see a Region C vs Region D game just for fun with only Seniors from teams. I know that's probably an unrealistic thing but I think it would be neat for Seniors to get a plus one game like this. Mountain Football and S10SQUAREBODY4LIFE 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBHoops_18 206 Report Share Posted December 15, 2022 1 hour ago, Gridiron60 said: I'd like to see a Region C vs Region D game just for fun with only Seniors from teams. I know that's probably an unrealistic thing but I think it would be neat for Seniors to get a plus one game like this. Whatever happened to that all star game they had at Mitchell once that had kids from all over SWVA? I’d like to see that again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gridiron60 2,555 Report Share Posted December 16, 2022 1 hour ago, BBHoops_18 said: Whatever happened to that all star game they had at Mitchell once that had kids from all over SWVA? I’d like to see that again. Maybe @Bluefield researcher can answer that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FootballFan77 66 Report Share Posted December 16, 2022 Graham just released their all-state players on FB. Mountain Football 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain Football 1,532 Report Share Posted December 16, 2022 The full list is on the vhsl website for 2A. FootballFan77 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmashMouth2021 8 Report Share Posted December 16, 2022 On 12/15/2022 at 10:40 AM, Dobb83 said: Well it helps to be kin to coaches at graham! Couple those underclass should not have received the honor over the Dolin kid sorry. Guess when he’s not there next year they will see the value in him opening big holes for the RB’s and stuffing double teams on D and still making plays! Won’t be able to replace him with one kid! Like the saying goes “ the squeaky wheel gets the grease”. If the coach ever tells you he voted for his kids well that’s a lie coaches can’t vote for their own kids! Heard many coaches say well I voted for my players that’s all I can do! Bold face lies!!! There are a few kids I believe should have been above those underclass. Film doesn’t lie. Gridiron60 and Mountain Football 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobb83 48 Report Share Posted December 16, 2022 9 minutes ago, SmashMouth2021 said: There are a few kids I believe should have been above those underclass. Film doesn’t lie. Yes, not even close and for the kids to get all state above them is a travesty Gridiron60 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigWinners 1,643 Report Share Posted December 16, 2022 On 12/15/2022 at 12:49 PM, SwvaOG said: I had this debate with some infamous posters last year. Everyone wants their team on the list and, to be brutally honest, very seldom ever watch the kids from other teams. Prime example....no one knows about the Walker Lester DE from Ridgeview but if you were watching the Region final you would have seen him earn (3) holding calls from Graham's All Region line. The kid was a beast all year....ask Richlands. After that game their coaches said "One of the best we've ever played against. He destroyed us." Now, I bet not one Graham fan on the board has watched this kid or really knew about him. Film don't lie and it isn't emotional. That is a kid that I will put up against anyone in Region 2D....not because he is a RV kid but because I've watched how disruptive he is. If he had Connor Roberts frame he would be hearing from D-1/2 as well. Go watch the film of those selected over your guys. Hell, its one of my favorite things to do but I'm a football junkie. What I would like to see would be the comments and thoughts from the players themselves. Who they had problems with or thought a lot of. That would be informative. One thing that bothers me is the DB selection. I watched everyone of those selections live....not a chance that Huff (Union) is a better DB than Poku (Va High). THat is a case where a kid plays middle of the field safety and picks off some pretty bad passes and is deemed better than a kid that mans up the other teams best WR every game. To me, I'm looking at who teams never threw against but that takes a deeper commitment to film study...those cats are going to have less stats. I'd break out DB into S and CB...two completely different positions. The Counts kid from RV was, IMHO, hands down the best run support S in the Region......but wasn't asked to cover much. I'm taking that kid over the Union kid all day every day. One got fat on interceptions in zone coverage while the other probably had 80 tackles and lived near the LOS. I'm not sure that's really fair, creating turnovers is a great skill and with Huffs ability to make plays with the ball in his hands, it can really turn momentum. Ed Reed may not have always been the best cover S or the best in run support, but his ability to take the ball away and then make a play with the ball made him an absolute menace for opposing offenses. Huff wasn't asked or expected to be a force in run support so why should he be penalized for his role? He isn't Ed Reed but having a knack for the ball and stealing possessions is an invaluable skill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaterHater 89 Report Share Posted December 19, 2022 One thing to keep in mind when it comes to the selection process; coaches do not nominate their own players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gridiron60 2,555 Report Share Posted December 19, 2022 1 hour ago, TaterHater said: One thing to keep in mind when it comes to the selection process; coaches do not nominate their own players. I thought coaches submitted names but couldn’t vote for their own players. Real Sasquatch and GaDawg88 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FactChecker2022 15 Report Share Posted December 20, 2022 8 hours ago, TaterHater said: One thing to keep in mind when it comes to the selection process; coaches do not nominate their own players. This statement has been confirmed to be false. Mountain Football 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Real Sasquatch 1,868 Report Share Posted December 20, 2022 2 hours ago, FactChecker2022 said: This statement has been confirmed to be false. They nominate their own players but can't vote for their own players. GaDawg88 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwhscoachT 162 Report Share Posted December 20, 2022 8 hours ago, Real Sasquatch said: They nominate their own players but can't vote for their own players. This statement is also false with the new voting system implemented either last year or the year before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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