UnionGuy2017 182 Report Share Posted September 2, 2023 It’s finally here. The Hilltoppers come in on nearly a must win mindset after dropping a game at home to Jefferson County last night and a game with Maryville waiting after Union. I’ve seen both teams in person. Apples to oranges I know, but all I really have to compare off of is how Union looked in their scrimmage against Elizabethton and how Science Hill looked against them the following week. Make no mistake, Betsy’s D line wore both teams out and dominated. But Unions defense was significantly better at stopping the Elizabethton Offense. In complete fairness, when I first heard about this being scheduled all I hoped for was that Union could compete and give SWVA a good showing against the biggest high school in Tn, but that’s changed. Union can win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Union_Fan 2,155 Report Share Posted September 2, 2023 Bears have a chance. Even 1 in a million is a chance. SH will obviously have the depth advantage, and most likely size as well. We'll see if they have the grit advantage soon enough. Nobody needs to tell the players to be prepared for this game. They know the challenge ahead. Just hoping for an injury free game. Friday can't get here soon enough! Gridiron60 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearsFan88 117 Report Share Posted September 2, 2023 Union has a shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke2015 451 Report Share Posted September 2, 2023 Little worried this could get ugly but who knows. SH has been tested and Union has pretty much played 4 scrimmages BigWinners 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S10SQUAREBODY4LIFE 239 Report Share Posted September 2, 2023 Like most great match ups, line play will decide it all. If SH isn't real physical up front, could be a tough night on both sides of the ball. SH will have #s for sure, but only 11 at a time. Morristown west was similar a few years back during that series so it should be fun to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigWinners 1,643 Report Share Posted September 2, 2023 14 minutes ago, Duke2015 said: Little worried this could get ugly but who knows. SH has been tested and Union has pretty much played 4 scrimmages That’s how I feel. Union is going from playing the p-nut teams straight to the NFL. The jump is staggering. Bears will be caught off guard early and I just hope they keep it manageable. If they are within striking distance in the 4th, who knows, Union has a habit of winning close games at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnionGuy2017 182 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2023 Outside of special teams and depth, where science hill has a very distinct advantage, I’m not sure there is a big difference between the teams anywhere. They’re actually very similar. Dare I say Union will have the LOS advantage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goose111874 967 Report Share Posted September 2, 2023 37 minutes ago, UnionGuy2017 said: Outside of special teams and depth, where science hill has a very distinct advantage, I’m not sure there is a big difference between the teams anywhere. They’re actually very similar. Dare I say Union will have the LOS advantage? Union peanut team has a advantage in special teams over varsity. Only saving grace is Huff with the ball the kid is electric. We have a guy in the NFL now but Huff could be the best athlete ever at Union just doesn't have the size to go to a major college Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDHoss 249 Report Share Posted September 2, 2023 A vintage Union team, maybe like the 2017 (IIRC) team, would win this game by multiple scores. This Union team isn't in the same universe as that one, but might be able to play within a couple of TD if they play well and don't self destruct. The decided advantage with the home crowd should help. I saw where Vegas set the over/under for SHHS attendance at 100. I took the under... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Union_Fan 2,155 Report Share Posted September 3, 2023 One note on Union not being tested their first 2 games. No argument here because they weren't, but they did what they should have and rolled. They scored 5 TDs in each 1st half, and outside of the pick 6 against Lee, there were no 1 play TDs. No 80 yard run or pass plays. Close, but no punt or kickoff return TDs. That means their D gave the O the ball the whole first half to steadily march nearly unchallenged up and down the field. That's the model of consistency. I'm hoping that same consistency will win them a lot of games this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BandanaVTDavis4321 1,717 Report Share Posted September 3, 2023 Calpreps right now says 17-14 Science Hill. Their games from this weekend aren't updated yet. I think it's Tuesday, maybe Wednesday when the update. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke2015 451 Report Share Posted September 3, 2023 1 hour ago, BandanaVTDavis4321 said: Calpreps right now says 17-14 Science Hill. Their games from this weekend aren't updated yet. I think it's Tuesday, maybe Wednesday when the update. Much rather win but that would be an impressive moral victory for Union. I know it’s 11 vs 11 on the field but playing a school that much larger has gotta be a little bit intimidating for the boys BandanaVTDavis4321 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnionGuy2017 182 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2023 8 hours ago, Duke2015 said: Much rather win but that would be an impressive moral victory for Union. I know it’s 11 vs 11 on the field but playing a school that much larger has gotta be a little bit intimidating for the boys That’s the key right there. Union can NOT be intimidated going into this. goose111874 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke2015 451 Report Share Posted September 3, 2023 On 9/2/2023 at 11:49 AM, Union_Fan said: Even 1 in a million is a chance. So you’re saying there’s a chance!!!! BandanaVTDavis4321 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Union_Fan 2,155 Report Share Posted September 3, 2023 42 minutes ago, Duke2015 said: So you’re saying there’s a chance!!!! Exactly!! Haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan.the.man 29 Report Share Posted September 3, 2023 word is Union will sit their RB for this game!!! let him heal and keep him fresh for the next couple weeks after SH game!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnionGuy2017 182 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2023 18 minutes ago, stan.the.man said: word is Union will sit their RB for this game!!! let him heal and keep him fresh for the next couple weeks after SH game!!! Considering he’s only played about 4 total quarters of football I’d say he’s pretty fresh unless there is an injury I didn’t see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gridiron60 2,555 Report Share Posted September 4, 2023 2 hours ago, stan.the.man said: word is Union will sit their RB for this game!!! let him heal and keep him fresh for the next couple weeks after SH game!!! If he's banged up or even a slight injury, I don't blame them. It's too early to be losing key players if it can be avoided. As far as how this game shakes out, Bullitt Park can be intimidating to some teams. Maybe the atmosphere at the park throws SH off their game a little. If Union is as good this year as some elude to then maybe it turns into a dogfight & some good ole smash mouth football. Good luck Bears! Show those TN boys what y'all made of! Union_Fan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan.the.man 29 Report Share Posted September 4, 2023 this game means nothing to union other than the competition!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke2015 451 Report Share Posted September 4, 2023 6 minutes ago, stan.the.man said: this game means nothing to union other than the competition!! And a ton of power points Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swva_havok_fan 1,261 Report Share Posted September 4, 2023 10 hours ago, Duke2015 said: And a ton of power points Yep, it means more to Union than the Helltoppers. In Tennessee, the only games that TRULY matter are the conference games, since that determines the seeding. This game means nothing to Science Hill. This is the game I will probably be going to on Friday, since at the very least I will get a seat on the visiting side since the Hell won't travel. And I won't be going to Jeff County Friday night for "reasons". Hope Union spanks that @$$ for them, but I believe the Helltoppers win by at least two scores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityofRaven 2,444 Report Share Posted September 4, 2023 How will the great Hilltoppers play in such a meager facility this week? Maybe they can move it to the Astrodome to make all parties satisfied. swva_havok_fan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnionGuy2017 182 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2023 8 minutes ago, swva_havok_fan said: Yep, it means more to Union than the Helltoppers. In Tennessee, the only games that TRULY matter are the conference games, since that determines the seeding. This game means nothing to Science Hill. This is the game I will probably be going to on Friday, since at the very least I will get a seat on the visiting side since the Hell won't travel. And I won't be going to Jeff County Friday night for "reasons". Hope Union spanks that @$$ for them, but I believe the Helltoppers win by at least two scores. I’ve been very vocal for about 2 weeks now that I think Union wins.. I’ve been wrong before but I’m definitely not backing off of that. I still believe it. Curious since you’re more familiar with the NETN game, where does science hill win this game? Los, athletes, QB play, coaching? and depth is NOT an answer… lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swva_havok_fan 1,261 Report Share Posted September 4, 2023 6 minutes ago, UnionGuy2017 said: I’ve been very vocal for about 2 weeks now that I think Union wins.. I’ve been wrong before but I’m definitely not backing off of that. I still believe it. Curious since you’re more familiar with the NETN game, where does science hill win this game? Los, athletes, QB play, coaching? and depth is NOT an answer… lol Just simply when you have 2800 or so students, there's more athletes walking the halls than at a school with around 600. I know Mo West was a "6A" when Union played them, but they were not truly a 6A school. By Virginia standards they would've been 4A at the time I think. The good news is that Tyler Moon graduated or SH would have won by 5 scores with Moon scoring 7 TD's. He was literally their only playmaker last year and D-B couldn't do anything with him. As far as coaching, Carter is a meh coach. He beats D-B and that's all they care about in JC. He could go 1-9 every season but as long as that 1 is against D-B, I'm sure he gets a raise. It just all boils down to the ratio of kids... Hard for a school as small as Union to overcome a school as big as SH. Hope they prove me wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnionGuy2017 182 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2023 1 minute ago, swva_havok_fan said: Just simply when you have 2800 or so students, there's more athletes walking the halls than at a school with around 600. I know Mo West was a "6A" when Union played them, but they were not truly a 6A school. By Virginia standards they would've been 4A at the time I think. The good news is that Tyler Moon graduated or SH would have won by 5 scores with Moon scoring 7 TD's. He was literally their only playmaker last year and D-B couldn't do anything with him. As far as coaching, Carter is a meh coach. He beats D-B and that's all they care about in JC. He could go 1-9 every season but as long as that 1 is against D-B, I'm sure he gets a raise. It just all boils down to the ratio of kids... Hard for a school as small as Union to overcome a school as big as SH. Hope they prove me wrong. No kidding about Moon. He was elite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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