Build Your Perfect (or as close to perfect) Program

[LacesOutDan23 53]

Given the teams and programs in the area, how would you build your perfect program in your eyes? Most of us have created a school in EA Sports College Football or built a franchise in Madden. So take your slate of area teams and build what you would want in your programs. 

Use criteria like:

Color scheme, location, coaching, players, community support, uniforms, offseason work, tradition, etc. Feel free to add more

Current programs would be great, maybe add a historical program as well. 

Let see what you come up with.

[BandanaVTDavis4321 1,717]

Colors would be Fire Engine Red with a perhaps a touch of Baby Blue. Location would be hopefully close to the New River, easy drive to Blacksburg and Mountains. I would hope for lots of state titles, history, and a unique offense. 

 

[SWVAgridiron 1,469]

1 hour ago, BandanaVTDavis4321 said:

Colors would be Fire Engine Red with a perhaps a touch of Baby Blue. Location would be hopefully close to the New River, easy drive to Blacksburg and Mountains. I would hope for lots of state titles, history, and a unique offense. 

 

And a train horn?

[GHS89 77]

I think I’ll just take one off the lot.  The one in Bluefield Virginia is pretty darn impressive right now.  

[BandanaVTDavis4321 1,717]

9 minutes ago, SWVAgridiron said:

And a train horn?

You know what SWVAgridiron, a train horn sounds like a good idea. 

[S10SQUAREBODY4LIFE 239]

North Carolina Blue, close to US23, gotta few titles with the same athletes in different sports, seemed to work. I would add the noise machine from "Earnest Goes to Camp"

[SXSW 557]

The historical perfect program already exists! 5 state titles and Highway 23 runs a quarter of a mile from campus and invented artificial noise! Intimidating and cozy home stadium and the colors are navy blue and white!  

[Hokiebird7 1,416]

Easy answer

Salem 

[sixcat 2,919]

18 minutes ago, Hokiebird7 said:

Salem 

Ah yes, the West Roanoke All-Stars!!!

[tornado99 345]

I don’t know enough details or the enrollment flexibility, but Riverheads would be hard to beat as a beginner template. 
 

My perception is probably off, but much of their success over time appears to be more of a product of all the criteria above, primarily coaching, discipline, and community support. 
 

Location and players (besides recruiting or voluntary transfers), are often uncontrollable. Given the geography, I assume the talent among those schools is somewhat evenly distributed. I’m also not aware of college and NFL talent sporadically filling the rosters. (Compare to Bluefield, Graham, and Salem, as well as former Powell Valley.) 

Past Appalachia, Giles, Clintwood, and maybe Gate City would meet this criteria for me (although I don’t know how much the Kingsport connection and rumored mass holdbacks inflate their success as an outsider).

[Hokiebird7 1,416]

51 minutes ago, sixcat said:

Ah yes, the West Roanoke All-Stars!!!

Yep....everyone else just about does it now but not as good as Salem 

[sixcat 2,919]

1 minute ago, Hokiebird7 said:

not as good as Salem

Mount Airy and East Surry do but that's not an area most on here pay attention to. 

[Hokiebird7 1,416]

Just now, sixcat said:

Mount Airy and East Surry do but that's not an area most on here pay attention to. 

True...you are about the only one I know that knows much about those teams....but I trust your judgment on it

[S10SQUAREBODY4LIFE 239]

1 hour ago, tornado99 said:

I don’t know enough details or the enrollment flexibility, but Riverheads would be hard to beat as a beginner template. 
 

My perception is probably off, but much of their success over time appears to be more of a product of all the criteria above, primarily coaching, discipline, and community support. 
 

Location and players (besides recruiting or voluntary transfers), are often uncontrollable. Given the geography, I assume the talent among those schools is somewhat evenly distributed. I’m also not aware of college and NFL talent sporadically filling the rosters. (Compare to Bluefield, Graham, and Salem, as well as former Powell Valley.) 

Past Appalachia, Giles, Clintwood, and maybe Gate City would meet this criteria for me (although I don’t know how much the Kingsport connection and rumored mass holdbacks inflate their success as an outsider).

Never really thought to look but guessing Sullivan north and gate city weren't dominant or better than average,  at the same time.  I'm sure the same can be said of any neighboring schools close enough to transfer.

[sixcat 2,919]

30 minutes ago, Hokiebird7 said:

True...you are about the only one I know that knows much about those teams....but I trust your judgment on it

I play a lot of golf with some guys from Mount Airy. Living 20 minutes away helps in keeping up with them too. MA and ES get a lot of the best players from Elkin, North Surry, Surry Central and Alleghany (NC).

At 536 square miles with a population of 75,000, Surry County is a large, populated county and the majority of the better athletes have always ended up at either ES or MA, depending on which part of the county they are from. Alleghany is right next door and really close to Mount Airy. 

[Gridiron60 2,555]

1 minute ago, sixcat said:

I play a lot of golf with some guys from Mount Airy. Living 20 minutes away helps in keeping up with them too. MA and ES get a lot of the best players from Elkin, North Surry, Surry Central and Alleghany (NC).

At 536 square miles with a population of 75,000, Surry County is a large, populated county and the majority of the better athletes have always ended up at either ES or MA, depending on which part of the county they are from. Alleghany is right next door and really close to Mount Airy. 

Great programs attract the best players. 

[sixcat 2,919]

1 minute ago, Gridiron60 said:

Great programs attract the best players. 

True, regardless of where you live. 

[BearsFan88 117]

Well the one I grew up with was in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Just off the exit on US23. 

They were Columbia Blue and Red. Mascot was a Viking  

The first 20 some years had some decent and bad teams. The decent teams couldn’t get over the hump. 
 

Then in 1982, a dynasty began to emerge with the the program’s first state championship over Madison County. The record was 12-0-1. Phil Robbins came in 1983, and kept the ship on a good path. 

 

More state championships began to follow in 1985, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1997, and 1998. 
 

There was a runner up trophy in 2004, in which the Vikings had a late game rally in the championship game against his heck of a Manassas Park team. The rally came up short in the last minutes as a key dead ball penalty and inability to get first down, followed by an interception in the end zone which doomed them as they lost 20-13. 
 

 

[BandanaVTDavis4321 1,717]

6 hours ago, Hokiebird7 said:

Yep....everyone else just about does it now but not as good as Salem 

I remember the days when the Rocky Gap Flying Eagles would have kicked Salem in the mouth, or when the ole Pembroke School would have curb stomped Andrew Lewis like they were a prepubescent child.

[tornado99 345]

2 minutes ago, BearsFan88 said:

Well the one I grew up with was in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Just off the exit on US23. 

They were Columbia Blue and Red. Mascot was a Viking  

The first 20 some years had some decent and bad teams. The decent teams couldn’t get over the hump. 
 

Then in 1982, a dynasty began to emerge with the the program’s first state championship over Madison County. The record was 12-0-1. Phil Robbins came in 1983, and kept the ship on a good path. 

 

More state championships began to follow in 1985, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1997, and 1998. 
 

There was a runner up trophy in 2004, in which the Vikings had a late game rally in the championship game against his heck of a Manassas Park team. The rally came up short in the last minutes as a key dead ball penalty and inability to get first down, followed by an interception in the end zone which doomed them as they lost 20-13. 
 

 

Not to take away anything from those teams, as all the supporting players and everything else was in place to create that success. I’m certain they may or may not have had similar success otherwise. I was making an inference that the talent pool definitely matters, but speaking to the variables that can be controlled. Thomas and Julius Jones were part of 4 of those titles, and although not as successful, James Mitchell is currently in the NFL. That level of talent simply doesn’t reside in some of the examples given and sometimes can explain or overshadow the culture by the communities. 
 

Graham has 2 former NFL players on their coaching staff (1 G-man, 1 Beaver), with recent kids past or present suiting up. Someone in the know could probably come up with a list, but I can think of several Beavers or G-men at least playing FBS or FCS in recent years. While the culture is certainly there, that luxury typically isn’t located in Pearisburg, assuming Greenville, VA or Appalachia proper. I do miss rooting for Vikings and Bulldogs alike representing the region.

[tornado99 345]

On 8/13/2023 at 8:34 AM, BandanaVTDavis4321 said:

Colors would be Fire Engine Red with a perhaps a touch of Baby Blue. Location would be hopefully close to the New River, easy drive to Blacksburg and Mountains. I would hope for lots of state titles, history, and a unique offense. 

 

I can’t recall, but has Giles had any D-1 level talent since 1990 besides the Miltons or the Steele that played at Penn State?

[BandanaVTDavis4321 1,717]

We've had a few. Journell at VT for example.  Kip Green Giles/Radford is 50-50 to start on the OL at Coastal Carolina this year.

[Gridiron60 2,555]

Not really about this topic per say but Graham got all new weight equipment donated. Looks really sharp from pics posted.  A quality program benefits greatly from quality facilities. 

[BigWinners 1,643]

On 8/13/2023 at 9:57 AM, BandanaVTDavis4321 said:

You know what SWVAgridiron, a train horn sounds like a good idea. 

BOOOOOOOOO 

 

lol