SWD Prediction

[Duke2015 451]

15 minutes ago, PackDadx4 said:

Two things can be true at this time. Obviously injuries can derail a season but in my opinion these are the two.

1-Graham is that good. Whether it’s coaching, talent or development they’re that much ahead of everyone else in this region. The remainder of the SWD is playing for 2nd. I’m fairly confident that you could take the underclassmen of Graham and finish 2nd.

2-M7 will offer no competition this year. Union is the districts best team providing they stay healthy. I see them playing Union twice and the second occasion being in Bluefield for the regional title. That game will be a similar if not worse result as the regional championship last year. 

If Union is the best competition in the region then the region is down.  Not saying Union will be bad but they have 5-6 sophomores starting and graduated a lot of the line so realistically Union should be down this season 

[BandanaVTDavis4321 1,717]

Look at state titles in Class 2 in the last 13 or so years.  Only Poquoson and King William have won titles from the East (Region A).  I could be wrong, but Region B has never won a title in this timeframe.  So, if state titles are the barometers to measure how good the area is, regarding swva or Region D, and some of Region C"ish" in Class 1, then the question is....how darn good is Region C in Class 2?  Even Giles has a Class 2 state title in the timeframe above.  Region C has just dominated Class 2 play.  Even Glenvar had one. 

Riverheads in Class 1, has dominated.  The bunch from Essex and Sussex have had the same outcomes as those here in the West when messing with Riverheads.  Credit Galax for getting that W.  

I would argue....it's more of Graham being really good and SWVA not being bad compared to the rest of the state at the Class 1 and Class 2 levels.  

2 Huge Factors on Why Dominant Graham (this timeframe) is winning titles.  Defensive Speed.  Offensive diversity.  Can run or pass.  This is the key difference with Richlands who was Dominant for many years in SWVA, but only had 1 title during their run that started in the early-mid 2000s..  Defensive speed and not as diverse on offense.  Richlands and Mance (I love him) had great offenses, but when the pass was covered/taken away against the speed it would face from other regions, they got uncomfortable in a hurry trying to go run.  

[SwvaOG 601]

4 hours ago, Mountain Football said:

Is Graham really that good or is football that bad on our end of the state? 

Mix.  Remember you are seeing a down cycle for Richlands and Union right now.  It just happened to occur while Graham is on a big up cycle. I would argue that Ridgeview was the #2 or #3 team in the state last year.  They have finally started to pick up the slack for Union being down a bit, but they were just greatly limited by their coaching.  They will fall back to the #3 or #4 M7 team after this season.  I"ll say this.....if the Graham staff had coached RV the last two years, RV would have won a state championship last year. 

[tornado99 345]

25 minutes ago, SwvaOG said:

Mix.  Remember you are seeing a down cycle for Richlands and Union right now.  It just happened to occur while Graham is on a big up cycle. I would argue that Ridgeview was the #2 or #3 team in the state last year.  They have finally started to pick up the slack for Union being down a bit, but they were just greatly limited by their coaching.  They will fall back to the #3 or #4 M7 team after this season.  I"ll say this.....if the Graham staff had coached RV the last two years, RV would have won a state championship last year. 

To emphasize the point, I don’t think the coaching strength is just limited to X’s and O’s either. The physicality developed by the coaching staff in the offseason and during games makes a difference. I can’t speak to the other individual coaches because I don’t know them, but Dennis Palmer certainly brings an old-school mindset. Not to beat a dead horse since I don’t know how active the coaches are, but the success consistently brings in outside talent to help reload, so the cupboard is never bare. 

[BigWinners 1,643]

Why is everyone so high on Tazwell?

[Real Sasquatch 1,865]

19 minutes ago, BigWinners said:

Why is everyone so high on Tazwell?

2nd in the SWD isn't being "so high on Tazewell".   The SWD will be down other then Graham.  Tazewell has some good athletes and a decent line.  I see them going 7-3 and winning a playoff game for the first time in a while.  That is by no means a high expectation, but what I feel should be a reasonable outcome for them. 

[S10SQUAREBODY4LIFE 239]

Not sure any team is close to gMen level, for 4 quarters of play.  They've got a great thing going right now.  Big, athletic, diverse, fast, do a lot of small intangibles correctly to keep them out front for a while.  Like to see the rest getting better.  Bad/good cycles don't last forever. 

[Real Sasquatch 1,865]

11 hours ago, BandanaVTDavis4321 said:

Look at state titles in Class 2 in the last 13 or so years.  Only Poquoson and King William have won titles from the East (Region A).  I could be wrong, but Region B has never won a title in this timeframe.  So, if state titles are the barometers to measure how good the area is, regarding swva or Region D, and some of Region C"ish" in Class 1, then the question is....how darn good is Region C in Class 2?  Even Giles has a Class 2 state title in the timeframe above.  Region C has just dominated Class 2 play.  Even Glenvar had one. 

Riverheads in Class 1, has dominated.  The bunch from Essex and Sussex have had the same outcomes as those here in the West when messing with Riverheads.  Credit Galax for getting that W.  

I would argue....it's more of Graham being really good and SWVA not being bad compared to the rest of the state at the Class 1 and Class 2 levels.  

2 Huge Factors on Why Dominant Graham (this timeframe) is winning titles.  Defensive Speed.  Offensive diversity.  Can run or pass.  This is the key difference with Richlands who was Dominant for many years in SWVA, but only had 1 title during their run that started in the early-mid 2000s..  Defensive speed and not as diverse on offense.  Richlands and Mance (I love him) had great offenses, but when the pass was covered/taken away against the speed it would face from other regions, they got uncomfortable in a hurry trying to go run.  

I think this year's Graham team will be able to run the ball very successfully.  Early on, I think they should rely on it heavily.  They have several receiving threats, but the big question for Graham will be at Quarterback.  I think how well the qb develops (or 2 or 3 qbs, if they run a multiple system) will determine how far they go this year.  All of the other pieces are there.  Size, depth, speed and physicality.  

I would love to see Clements in the Wildcat some more and wouldn't it be great to run him in the Wildcat and have him pull up and throw the ball, I would love to see that once or twice. 

[S10SQUAREBODY4LIFE 239]

For years I thought they out-athleted most everyone but now appear (since 18) to be in a very good system that continues to evolve according to the athletes on hand.  Take note 2d, adjust to your kids, don't force a system. 

[Gridiron60 2,555]

8 hours ago, Real Sasquatch said:

I think this year's Graham team will be able to run the ball very successfully.  Early on, I think they should rely on it heavily.  They have several receiving threats, but the big question for Graham will be at Quarterback.  I think how well the qb develops (or 2 or 3 qbs, if they run a multiple system) will determine how far they go this year.  All of the other pieces are there.  Size, depth, speed and physicality.  

I would love to see Clements in the Wildcat some more and wouldn't it be great to run him in the Wildcat and have him pull up and throw the ball, I would love to see that once or twice. 

I think QB is the biggest question mark. If GMen make a run and encounter a team that can stop them on the ground, they’ll need Roberts to be able to sling it accurately. GMen have several that can make the catches and I guess we’ll see how Roberts develops. If the O-Line can give him time to throw, he may be fine. I think you’re correct, rely heavily on the run in the beginning but definitely have to thing ahead. Clements in wildcat throwing it every now & then would keep defenses guessing. 

[SwvaOG 601]

8 hours ago, S10SQUAREBODY4LIFE said:

For years I thought they out-athleted most everyone but now appear (since 18) to be in a very good system that continues to evolve according to the athletes on hand.  Take note 2d, adjust to your kids, don't force a system. 

Union:  "Why are you looking at me???"  

[Deleted Account 5,203]

On 8/10/2023 at 9:52 AM, Mountain Football said:

Is Graham really that good or is football that bad on our end of the state? 

Neither.  There's a lot of folks anointing Graham as an unbeatable machine, and I don't think folks understand just how much Graham lost to graduation last season.  Graham is plenty talented and deep still, and you can absolutely pencil them in for a game on Thanksgiving weekend and feel very comfortable about it.  However, from what I've seen thus far, 2022 Graham is stronger than 2023 Graham, and I think that's going to be evident about 9:30 PM on the evening of August 25th.  Graham will be tested in the regular season, and perhaps multiple times before (likely) meeting Appomattox again.  Doesn't mean they won't win them all, and surely they could go 15-0 again.  But let's pump the brakes a smidge on crowning a team that has yet to play a meaningful snap.

 

It doesn't appear as if the M7 has any particular team that stands out as a contender on a statewide level.  What I see are several good but well short of elite teams.  Also, John Battle is participating.  It's going to be a fun season in the M7 with a significant amount of parity.  It's very possible the M7 champ is 7-3 and wins on tiebreaks.  

 

Can it be August 25th already?

[Gridiron60 2,555]

1 hour ago, UVAObserver said:

Neither.  There's a lot of folks anointing Graham as an unbeatable machine, and I don't think folks understand just how much Graham lost to graduation last season.  Graham is plenty talented and deep still, and you can absolutely pencil them in for a game on Thanksgiving weekend and feel very comfortable about it.  However, from what I've seen thus far, 2022 Graham is stronger than 2023 Graham, and I think that's going to be evident about 9:30 PM on the evening of August 25th.  Graham will be tested in the regular season, and perhaps multiple times before (likely) meeting Appomattox again.  Doesn't mean they won't win them all, and surely they could go 15-0 again.  But let's pump the brakes a smidge on crowning a team that has yet to play a meaningful snap.

 

It doesn't appear as if the M7 has any particular team that stands out as a contender on a statewide level.  What I see are several good but well short of elite teams.  Also, John Battle is participating.  It's going to be a fun season in the M7 with a significant amount of parity.  It's very possible the M7 champ is 7-3 and wins on tiebreaks.  

 

Can it be August 25th already?

I don’t think anyone is anointing Graham as unstoppable. Any team on any given night can be stopped. Graham barely got by Bluefield last season. It will be interesting to see how the 2023 squad stacks up in comparison. Raw physicality, just from the look “test”, 2023 is very strong. Those boys have been hard at it since January & it shows at least in appearance. Whether that translates onto the field, time will tell. Bluefield may come in and smash the GMen in the mouth. Like you said 9:30pm on August 25th, we may have a better idea if the 2023 are going to be able to hang with the tough opponents. 

[1inStripes 932]

I have a feeling Marion may surprise some people.  Excellent coach, 1 D1 football player on the roster.  They wont challenge for the district title but much better than previous seasons and not the team in the cellar.

[Real Sasquatch 1,865]

38 minutes ago, 1inStripes said:

I have a feeling Marion may surprise some people.  Excellent coach, 1 D1 football player on the roster.  They wont challenge for the district title but much better than previous seasons and not the team in the cellar.

Very possible for them to finish anywhere from 3rd to 6th in the SWD.

[BigWinners 1,643]

Someone will get hot and finish 8-2 and win M7 but I doubt they can contend with Graham. 
 

tough for Union to do with Graham and Science Hill on schedule.  
I just figured Taz takes step back I didn’t know. 

[Gridiron60 2,555]

11 minutes ago, BigWinners said:

Someone will get hot and finish 8-2 and win M7 but I doubt they can contend with Graham. 
 

tough for Union to do with Graham and Science Hill on schedule.  
I just figured Taz takes step back I didn’t know. 

I’ve learned to never count Union out against Graham. I’m always a nervous wreck when it comes to Union. Y’all just grow ‘em tough down that way. 

[redtiger 1,740]

On 8/11/2023 at 11:40 AM, UVAObserver said:

It doesn't appear as if the M7 has any particular team that stands out as a contender on a statewide level.  What I see are several good but well short of elite teams.  Also, John Battle is participating.  It's going to be a fun season in the M7 with a significant amount of parity.  It's very possible the M7 champ is 7-3 and wins on tiebreaks.  

I'd say that's a very good take on the Mountain 7. 1-6 seems pretty even and Battle is helping everyone fill out a schedule.  Gonna be some really fun games this season, much like last season but maybe better 

[BigWinners 1,643]

33 minutes ago, Gridiron60 said:

I’ve learned to never count Union out against Graham. I’m always a nervous wreck when it comes to Union. Y’all just grow ‘em tough down that way. 

Graham wins by three scores. Union can’t contend up front.  

[JV Allstar 5]

On 8/11/2023 at 12:09 AM, S10SQUAREBODY4LIFE said:

Not sure any team is close to gMen level, for 4 quarters of play.  They've got a great thing going right now.  Big, athletic, diverse, fast, do a lot of small intangibles correctly to keep them out front for a while.  Like to see the rest getting better.  Bad/good cycles don't last forever. 

Can’t forget about Grahams recruiting program either ! 

[Graham32 335]

15 hours ago, JV Allstar said:

Can’t forget about Grahams recruiting program either !