Tazewell V. Rivershead

[bulldog05-CO2017 94]

Early thoughts?

[Graham32 284]

Who is Rivershead? 😂

[S10SQUAREBODY4LIFE 182]

Gonna be what clubber said "pain"

Hope for a good showing, be a great upset. 

[THS6805 121]

For tazewell to be in the game. The offense has to get sharper. Running game is there but needs work. Passing game needs some attention. To many drop passes. Defense look good at times but needs some work. It maybe long evening for the dogs on that Saturday.

[bulldog05-CO2017 94]

1 hour ago, Graham32 said:

Who is Rivershead? 😂

Sometimes I embarrass myself, and I just did lol thanks for the correction. It was a long day😂

[Bulldogs52 462]

Tazewell will be without a few starters. Still two weeks away! Talk more then!

[Fairlawncat 222]

Tazewell gives them a good game

I don't know what happens. 

[wdr31 4]

2 weeks away but Tazewell will show up but Riverheads will be too much.

[Real Sasquatch 1,666]

Tazewell's defense will have to come to play and they will have to capitalize on their possessions.  

[adsi97 25]

Tazewell may get lucky in this one. I hope they can pull an upset.

[Real Sasquatch 1,666]

31 minutes ago, adsi97 said:

Tazewell may get lucky in this one. I hope they can pull an upset.

I sure hope so, but Riverheads is a machine and Cook-Cash will be one of the best players in 2A football this year, if not the best.  (I still say Clements has a much better skill set, but CC is big and fast and has some elusiveness - tough combination for a HS kid).   Riverheads always has a great line and run excellent blocking schemes.  Tazewell is going to have to have great play from the linebackers and secondary to come up and make plays, without letting CC get behind them or to the edge.  If he gets to the edge, he is gone.  Tazewell had trouble keeping Carroll County from getting to the edge a few times for big gainers, those will be TD's for Riverheads, if that happens.  Tazewell's passing offense is something that Riverheads hasn't seen much of, they're used to playing running teams.  If the Bulldogs can spread them out and let Creasy pick them apart and capitalize on their possessions, I feel they can make a game of it.  Creasy will have to get rid of the ball quick, Riverheads line is imposing and will bring a lot of pressure.  

Looking forward to seeing how the Bulldogs do.  I'm hoping for a close game, like the one a couple 2 or 3 years back up at Riverheads, when Tazewell gave them all wanted.

[SWVAgridiron 1,191]

While I would love to see the big red machine fall I think they win by 21+ 

CCC is the real deal and it’s gonna take a special defense to keep him in check. 

[BandanaVTDavis4321 1,281]

If I'm Tazewell, I'm tackling him.  Meaning, I would emphasize it all week and make someone else beat me.  Obviously, easier said than done, but I would put 8 in the box if I'm Tazewell, walk another into the box at the snap, and play one on one coverage ALL GAME against Riverheads.  If you beat me in the air one on one, then good job, good pass.  If someone else running the ball fools me as we over pursue 3C, then good job, you fooled us and scored.  I would sale the house on 3C.  Forget about the "knockout blow" to CCC.  Work on that all week.  Just get his arse to the ground.  Hold 3C to under 100 yds if you are the Dogs, and you have your best chance to pull the upset.

The above is nice on paper and easy to speak.  It's very hard to do on the field; otherwise, more teams would have been successful at doing it against the Red Team over the years.  Go Dogs!!!!!!

[Red Rabbit 12]

Riverheads by 4 scores !  Triple C stays healthy? ,   After they beat Central Woodstock ? They could win out . JMO , but I have watched them the past 28 years and this bunch looks really good . CCC is  only the 2nd D1 player to play for the Gladiators .  Big Mike play 4 years at Pittsburg as a lineman . The Dogs will move the ball in the air but and you know what they say, When you pass the ball 3 things can happen and 2 of them are bad.  Best of luck to both teams !

[BandanaVTDavis4321 1,281]

6 minutes ago, Red Rabbit said:

Riverheads by 4 scores !  Triple C stays healthy? ,   After they beat Central Woodstock ? They could win out . JMO , but I have watched them the past 28 years and this bunch looks really good . CCC is  only the 2nd D1 player to play for the Gladiators .  Big Mike play 4 years at Pittsburg as a lineman . The Dogs will move the ball in the air but and you know what they say, When you pass the ball 3 things can happen and 2 of them are bad.  Best of luck to both teams !

Draft and Christiansburg might both be tougher games than Woodstock. I know Riverheads dominated Staunton last year. That game will be much closer this year. Staunton is a lot better. I favor Riverheads in all of them games, but Central might be the 4th best team on Riverheads schedule when all is said and done.

[Red Rabbit 12]

Draft looks to be a shell of their previous teams . The RED TEAM needs to stay healthy ! If any team has a chance to give Riverheads a LOSS, the earlier in the season the better chance they have. Once well oiled they are hard to handle .

[bulldog05-CO2017 94]

On 8/21/2023 at 9:36 PM, Red Rabbit said:

Riverheads by 4 scores !  Triple C stays healthy? ,   After they beat Central Woodstock ? They could win out . JMO , but I have watched them the past 28 years and this bunch looks really good . CCC is  only the 2nd D1 player to play for the Gladiators .  Big Mike play 4 years at Pittsburg as a lineman . The Dogs will move the ball in the air but and you know what they say, When you pass the ball 3 things can happen and 2 of them are bad.  Best of luck to both teams !

A part of me wants to say 4 scores, but a part of me doesn’t. It is all based on Tazewells defense. If tazewells defense comes to play, it could be a helluva game, if not, yep riverheads by 4 TDs. 

[bulldog05-CO2017 94]

On 8/21/2023 at 8:46 AM, Bulldogs52 said:

Tazewell will be without a few starters. Still two weeks away! Talk more then!

Already? Who’s out?

[redtiger 1,695]

Riverheads by 21. I may drive up and catch this one, I'm a fan of what Riverheads does offensively but I've only watched them live once. 

[SwvaOG 451]

Unpopular opinion and a hot take here.  Riverheads finishes 3rd or 4th in Region 2D last year.  Graham and Ridgeview beats them and Union is a toss up.

[EH31 2,347]

10 minutes ago, SwvaOG said:

Unpopular opinion and a hot take here.  Riverheads finishes 3rd or 4th in Region 2D last year.  Graham and Ridgeview beats them and Union is a toss up.

Based on what?

[SwvaOG 451]

1 hour ago, EH31 said:

Based on what?

Watching their game against Tazewell and watching Graham and RV’s vs Tazewell (common opponent), watching Riverheads on film and seeing Graham,  RV and Union live multiple times. 

[FactChecker2022 8]

1 hour ago, SwvaOG said:

Watching their game against Tazewell and watching Graham and RV’s vs Tazewell (common opponent), watching Riverheads on film and seeing Graham,  RV and Union live multiple times. 

Have to take into consideration that the POY Cash didn’t play against Tazewell. Feel like, Riverheads would have done the same thing to Ridgeview that Graham did. How many yards did Clements have rushing in that game?

[BandanaVTDavis4321 1,281]

2 Things.

1.  I may be wrong, but CCC wasn't the state POY in the game against Tazewell that SwvaOG is referring to where Tazewell had success in the air.  I think CCC was a freshmen on that team.

2.  Most important, I disagree 100% with FactChecker on Riverheads doing to RV what Graham did.  That may be true regarding RH's and their ability to run the ball on Ridgeview, but Ridgeview would have caused major damage to Riverheads in the passing game.  I know where SwvaOG is coming from.  I'm not speaking for him, but here is the jest of what I think he's getting at, and I have the same view.

Riverheads hates covering in open space.  They don't like that.  They also for the most part, are Never exposed to that in formerly Class 1.  Does that make em "bad or not good"  Of course not.  Are they still elite?  Absolutely they are, but at the Class 1 level and even at the class 2 level, you don't see many true spread type offenses where teams are going to spread you out and throw the ball and force you to cover their receivers in open space.  I know, "Essex."  Essex if fast and athletic and they go spread SOMETIMES and Riverheads had beat them up bad over the years, but Essex is among the worst coached football teams in Class 1 offensively.  They are like Buckingham County. They have Appomattox level talent and you have a coach who is mediocre to average.  Watch how many screens Essex throws.  It's near zero.  What I'm getting at is, Riverheads against Tazewell in that game a few years ago up there got exposed SOME.  You see the response with them having to cover in space, and Tazewell had some success, and if not for shaky officiating, might have actually won the game.  Against George Wythe, sure, Riverheads hammered them on the ground and GW had no answer and Riverheads got another well deserved title, but even in that game, there were moments when GW exposed them in open space.  GW's OL didn't give the QB, (who is mediocre at best throwing the ball) any time, but if you watch that game, GW had WR's running WIDE OPEN not just all game, but with literally EVERY pass play that GW attempted.

How does all the above effect Riverheads now playing Class 2?  Not much.  Who in Class 2 runs a wide open offense on several sets?  Graham and Ridgeview?  Appomattox does sometimes, but they are still run heavy.  Poquoson?  They don't pass over  4 times per game.  King William?  Not really, mostly run heavy, Central Woodstock?  Run heavy.  Radford is a team that would move the ball on Riverheads with their QB, but Radford would get pummeled on the ground.  It's why I have said this many times, if Riverheads plays Graham, it's not a good matchup.  Why?  Graham has the OL that can give the QB some time unlike Essex or George Wythe.  Graham will screen you and force your linebackers out of the box into open space and spread the field when they want, and Riverheads doesn't like that.  Yes, they are elite.  Yes, they are great, and yes, they have won many well deserved state titles.  Zero questions about that.  But the weak spot if they have one?  Take a look at that defensive backfield for them year after year, and I don't see much athleticism.  They have got away with it in Class 1 and for the most part, will get away with it in Class 2, but in game 15, if both get there, watch the difference speed makes and KNOWING HOW to use speed against their defense if Graham is that team. 

[SwvaOG 451]

Absolutely.  Now, let me caveat this by saying the RV coaching may not have coached it correctly and their staff is not at Riverheads level.  But RV, if directed to, could throw all over the field on Riverheads last season.....if they unleashed their athletes and exploited matchups ruthlessly and stopped wasting downs.  Their three WR’s started this season on college rosters (WR, TE and SS) and the QB will at least be D-2.  The heights were between 6’1” and 6’3”and one was the fastest kid in 2D.  If they are putting up almost 40 on Graham they are putting up at least that much on RH.  They don't see a passing offense like that in 1A.

Next, and I’ll hear it from the Graham fans, but Graham was an aberration in terms of RV’s rushing defense.  No one else ran like that on RV all year.  If those two teams played again the following week they would not approach that total.  I’m not saying they wouldn’t win, their coaching advantage would get them wins 80% of the time. The RV DC utterly refused to make proper adjustments to the Wildcat and was thoroughly unprepared for that look. Additionally they refused to play one of their best athletes on defense because he was the QB and they had kids out of position.  With ANY decent adjustments that doesn’t happen.  Bottom line is that the biggest difference between those two teams last year was coaching.

Now, throw in that RV had an excellent field goal kicker in case of a close game, an All-Region punter and punt returner. I like RV in that matchup and, if they had better coaching, I’d like them even better. 

Now, Union did the best in terms of stopping Graham’s rushing attack.  That alone would have kept them close with Riverheads.