Graham vs Union Region 2D Championship 2023

[jarhead24219 440]

Graham will do what Graham does, and Union will do what they do, a wrinkle here or there but Travis and Tony will go with what brought them plain and simple

[jeffro 30]

Game day Final thoughts Graham is yet banged up again, seems like the injuries never end. The first time around both teams looked pretty evenly matched, though Clements,  who ran the ball just a hand full of times and was used mostly for a decoy did break a few runs but came up limping each time. At best he was 60% healthy and still the fastest guy on the field. Now 100% just needs the blocking. Defensively, teams have had success running in the first quarter, but great adjustment have been made and basically Graham stopped the run.   Unions running game will definitely be the best weve seen this year,   Who catches the breaks (fumbles, int. and drive ending penalties) will most likely change this game.

[BoBob 223]

What time is this game? 

[Gridiron60 2,555]

5 minutes ago, BoBob said:

What time is this game? 

2pm

[stu_bean 1,058]

Been busy week for me and not been around here enough to stay caught up. 

Hard for me to say it but go Gmen on this one. Think they have the advantage offensively but who knows. 

Bring back region D to Tazewell Co 

[Gridiron60 2,555]

In the words of Tony Palmer, “Go GMen!” 

[oldfool 98]

Radio broadcast?

[Union_Fan 2,155]

Graham made incredible adjustments from game 1 to 2. This is why everyone was quiet. Knew it was going to be a dog fight between 2 very evenly matched teams.

Union could have come out in the 2nd half, gone up by 2 scores and forced Graham to play catch up, but blew it.

Bears couldn't stop Clements. Worst line play all year. Credit GMen for that.

I thought Union would matchup better with Radford, but I still think Graham wins.

Glad Clements is graduating! Haha 

[Unchained 587]

28 minutes ago, Union_Fan said:

Graham made incredible adjustments from game 1 to 2. This is why everyone was quiet. Knew it was going to be a dog fight between 2 very evenly matched teams.

Union could have come out in the 2nd half, gone up by 2 scores and forced Graham to play catch up, but blew it.

Bears couldn't stop Clements. Worst line play all year. Credit GMen for that.

I thought Union would matchup better with Radford, but I still think Graham wins.

Glad Clements is graduating! Haha 

No excuses at all. Clements was the best player on the field, and Graham absolutely deserved to win this. 11-2 with a bunch of sophs though, I'll take that. The future at UHS is very bright. Go embarrass Raddy G-Men:)

[SwvaOG 601]

I think the Union side overvalued their team speed and undervalued Graham’s.  Graham doesn’t have a lot of their football players run track and I asked their HC why last year.  He said  “We train 365 and work on speed all season”. 
I’ve watched a lot of track the past five years or so.  Union’s Bostic has around an 11.7 100meters.  I think he’s probably a bit faster than the other two Union kids.  I’m willing to bet Clements is a 11.4 kid.  And Graham has other kids out there that are high 11 type kids.  Really good speed is sub 11.4.  But if you are sub 11, D-1 is looking at you and if you are sub 10.7 you have “play with anyone” speed. 

[Union_Fan 2,155]

5 minutes ago, SwvaOG said:

I think the Union side overvalued their team speed and undervalued Graham’s.  Graham doesn’t have a lot of their football players run track and I asked their HC why last year.  He said  “We train 365 and work on speed all season”. 
I’ve watched a lot of track the past five years or so.  Union’s Bostic has around an 11.7 100meters.  I think he’s probably a bit faster than the other two Union kids.  I’m willing to bet Clements is a 11.4 kid.  And Graham has other kids out there that are high 11 type kids.  Really good speed is sub 11.4.  But if you are sub 11, D-1 is looking at you and if you are sub 10.7 you have “play with anyone” speed. 

A few people bragged about Union's team speed, and it's true that this was probably the fastest overall team Union has fielded.

However, it was obvious to me and most of the Union folks on this board that Graham was faster.

[bgibb 207]

Graham and Union have played 12 times. Graham has won 6, Union has won 6. 
Grahams record at Bullitt Park is 4-2. Unions record at Mitchell is 4-2. 
 

You can’t draw up a better rivalry. 

[Duke2015 451]

1 minute ago, bgibb said:

Graham and Union have played 12 times. Graham has won 6, Union has won 6. 
Grahams record at Bullitt Park is 4-2. Unions record at Mitchell is 4-2. 
 

You can’t draw up a better rivalry. 

Graham wins the ones that matter because of their coaching they adjust Union doesn’t 

[Real Sasquatch 1,865]

1 hour ago, Union_Fan said:

Graham made incredible adjustments from game 1 to 2. This is why everyone was quiet. Knew it was going to be a dog fight between 2 very evenly matched teams.

Union could have come out in the 2nd half, gone up by 2 scores and forced Graham to play catch up, but blew it.

Bears couldn't stop Clements. Worst line play all year. Credit GMen for that.

I thought Union would matchup better with Radford, but I still think Graham wins.

Glad Clements is graduating! Haha 

Clements is graduating, but there's another Palmer and another Bradshaw on the way....  Look out for the freshman #22, Caleb Fix in the near future also, he is very fast too.  Future looks bright for both of these teams.   Looking forward to some more great battles.  As far as the performance by Clements tonight, all I can say is "wow".

[Union_Fan 2,155]

5 minutes ago, Real Sasquatch said:

Clements is graduating, but there's another Palmer and another Bradshaw on the way....  Look out for the freshman #22, Caleb Fix in the near future also, he is very fast too.  Future looks bright for both of these teams.   Looking forward to some more great battles.  As far as the performance by Clements tonight, all I can say is "wow".

We have to wish Clements well on his way out first. We'll worry about the rest later. Haha

True, many more battles to come between these 2!

[Yoder 21]

Win it all G Men, I’ve got your favored !  Fun game to watch today !

[CPF 409]

Wow......what a game. What an environment. 2 great programs, 2 great traditions, 2 great fan bases. Hate to see someone had to lose. Fortunately it was our day. But the Union Bears are a great team and you had a great season.  Looking forward to more next year. Nothing but respect.

[BigWinners 1,643]

After time to chill and gather my thoughts, here’s what I think (I know all y’all just waiting to hear my final take as you guys respect me sooo much):

 

First off hats off to Graham, Tony Palmer and the Graham staff for an excellent job of preparing thru the week. They knew how to attack Union, where Union would attack back and had his team mentally prepared for four full quarters of war. 
Union was also very well prepared and knew they had the advantage in a few areas and consistently exploited them as well and were prepared for a full four quarter battle. 
 

But Graham found out early Clemens was ready to rock. Before the play from the 1, I don’t believe any other offensive player for Graham had a touch. The QBs job consisted of saying hut and getting out of the way. Graham realized Union was seeing Clemens (from now on 5 to save me time lol) for the first time full strength this season and was not ready to consistently get him on the ground, so they said here Travis, here’s what we gonna do, stop it. Union could not do it and that’s the ballgame. 
 

Graham almost let the moment get to them and fumble away a golden opportunity. The first and goal ending up outside of FG range was wild and could have put lesser teams in a blender. 
 

Union had their chance to really step on Grahams neck and couldn’t do it. 4th and 3 from the three and get turned away while up three. A score there and possibly a conversion and now Graham maybe thinks they can’t just run 5 and have to go somewhere else who would undoubtedly be less effective. But with the stop, Graham regained control and never looked back.

 

Union played a fantastic game for most of the game. A couple untimely penalties and a few mistakes like burning time outs but other than that, the offense was almost mechanical in its efficiency. The defense, well not as much lol. But I can’t fault the Union D as much as 5 and the Graham OL deserve credit. They didn’t allow Union to swarm 5 before he got going and that was the difference. If Union was getting off blocks and meeting 5 before he builds up any speed at the LOS, Union wins and likely by two scores like the first game. But the Graham OL deserves a whales share of credit, 5s individual effort was insane but the big boys up front gave him just enough room to take off. 
 

 

On the flip side, Grahams DL and LBs better hit the film room this week. If Reyshawn can make you squirm, Clark can melt you. The Graham DL at times got pushed around just like the Union group and it allowed the Bears to just eat clock and march. But they made a couple huge stops the Bears couldn’t get and that proved to be the difference. 
 

now, the officials. It evened out, by the end. A lot of the Graham calls were procedural and not opinion calls like the false starts. The holding hurt both teams, the targeting hurt both teams, so I don’t believe either team really got an advantage in the end. A big targeting in the first half that was iffy went the other way in the second. A holding call stalls Graham and then the same happens to Union. Some are sure Bunch committed PI in the end zone, I was on that end. Take the names off the jersey and it’s still not a flag I think. Both plays Bunch had great position and didn’t hit the WR in any real way before the ball. 
 

The better team won by executing when it matters, like Roberts standing in and delivering two STRIKES late in the fourth to seal it. Union couldn’t get off the field and Graham escaped with a hard fought win. 
 

I hate to see Reyshawn Anderson lose. That kid is so tough, so talented and such a gamer. Without him Union loses by 21+. He is a leader and has improved a ton as a passer to go along with elite athleticism and grit that you can’t teach. 

[swva_havok_fan 1,261]

I guess CalPreps helped me pick another winner eh @UnionGuy2017?  Lol

[tornado99 345]

With all else equal, the difference is often speed. Clements is the difference maker. A tiny opening or broken/missed tackle is almost certainly a touchdown.  Most others equate to a first down and continued drive. It’s been the major reason that Graham has represented the Region most years. Congratulations Union on a terrific season. Congratulations G-men on the win! Good luck representing Region D. 

[Gridiron60 2,555]

49 minutes ago, BigWinners said:

I hate to see Reyshawn Anderson lose. That kid is so tough, so talented and such a gamer. Without him Union loses by 21+. He is a leader and has improved a ton as a passer to go along with elite athleticism and grit that you can’t teach. 

On Anderson, kid is tough as nails! He gave 110% every play and fought for every extra yard. He was by far Union's best player on the field! Clark is obviously an exemplary QB and quick as lightning but I'm not sure he's got the "toughness" of Anderson. I wish the young man all the best! He's an athlete & a half! 

[BigWinners 1,643]

40 minutes ago, Gridiron60 said:

On Anderson, kid is tough as nails! He gave 110% every play and fought for every extra yard. He was by far Union's best player on the field! Clark is obviously an exemplary QB and quick as lightning but I'm not sure he's got the "toughness" of Anderson. I wish the young man all the best! He's an athlete & a half! 

If Union had 11 Reyshawns, they’d never lose and it wouldn’t be competitive. It’d be laughers every single week. That kid is a dog, in the best possible way. His brothers are too but he’s something special. 

[UnionGuy2017 182]

11 hours ago, swva_havok_fan said:

I guess CalPreps helped me pick another winner eh @UnionGuy2017?  Lol

Fair play, fair play. But I still remember when Union was your “2nd team” and when Ridgeview finally got us in 18, the quote was “WE JUST BEAT THE UNION FREAKING BEARS!” 
 

Care to send Sykes back to us from DB?

[SwvaOG 601]

23 hours ago, BigWinners said:

If Union had 11 Reyshawns, they’d never lose and it wouldn’t be competitive. It’d be laughers every single week. That kid is a dog, in the best possible way. His brothers are too but he’s something special. 

I mentioned earlier in the season that I thought Union's window was this year specifically because they had Reyshawn.  This will not please the Union folks on here but go look at the game film against Graham.  I saw repeated lack of effort and lazy plays defensively by the Union secondary.  A Graham friend posted about 10 single play videos and I noticed it right away in every single video.  What I did see was Reyshawn hustling hard even when he didn't have a shot at the play.  On Clements long run, #4 gave a horrible effort and could have stopped that run early...missed the tackle.  On a screen pass he missed a tackle badly that resulted in a TD.  On another long Clements run, #4 and #7 missed tackles and both appeared to just not want to make the tackle. On another pass #4 made a poor effort and just missed the ball.  On a long pass play #7 was beat cleanly by Graham's #16 and had to interfere to make the tackle (penalty wasn't called but should have been).  ON a Clements 15 yard TD run it looks like #4 and #2 could have had a shot to make a tackle at the one yard line but they didn't even try.  

If Union wants to challenge Graham the next two years, that sophomore group needs to get more physical and dedicated to defense.  I could easily tell when it was a Union pass play because #4, 2 and 7 would fire off the line.  If it was a run....not so much.  That seems more and more common will all players these days.  But what really stuck out to me was their lack of effort and "dog" mentality on defense.  Turner will no doubt see it on film.  They have to realize that playing DB is more than picking off lazy deep balls across the middle....it also involves firing upfield and giving your inside shoulder up to blow up a lead blocking FB or pulling OG and turning a sweep back inside.  Hopefully they'll take this game as a learning experience.  They won't beat Graham going forward with efforts like that. 

 

[BigWinners 1,643]

10 hours ago, SwvaOG said:

I mentioned earlier in the season that I thought Union's window was this year specifically because they had Reyshawn.  This will not please the Union folks on here but go look at the game film against Graham.  I saw repeated lack of effort and lazy plays defensively by the Union secondary.  A Graham friend posted about 10 single play videos and I noticed it right away in every single video.  What I did see was Reyshawn hustling hard even when he didn't have a shot at the play.  On Clements long run, #4 gave a horrible effort and could have stopped that run early...missed the tackle.  On a screen pass he missed a tackle badly that resulted in a TD.  On another long Clements run, #4 and #7 missed tackles and both appeared to just not want to make the tackle. On another pass #4 made a poor effort and just missed the ball.  On a long pass play #7 was beat cleanly by Graham's #16 and had to interfere to make the tackle (penalty wasn't called but should have been).  ON a Clements 15 yard TD run it looks like #4 and #2 could have had a shot to make a tackle at the one yard line but they didn't even try.  

If Union wants to challenge Graham the next two years, that sophomore group needs to get more physical and dedicated to defense.  I could easily tell when it was a Union pass play because #4, 2 and 7 would fire off the line.  If it was a run....not so much.  That seems more and more common will all players these days.  But what really stuck out to me was their lack of effort and "dog" mentality on defense.  Turner will no doubt see it on film.  They have to realize that playing DB is more than picking off lazy deep balls across the middle....it also involves firing upfield and giving your inside shoulder up to blow up a lead blocking FB or pulling OG and turning a sweep back inside.  Hopefully they'll take this game as a learning experience.  They won't beat Graham going forward with efforts like that. 

 

I mean I can’t counter any of that, you aren’t wrong. Except on the PI call but we won’t relitigate that lolol. 
 

I thought one of the Union playmakers had his worst game in a Bear uniform Saturday. I’m not gonna throw any kid under the bus individually but he was lackadaisical at times, avoiding contact at times and just plain out of position at times. He could have totally changed the game four separate times with just effort and it just didn’t happen. They’re all young so I’m sure it’ll get corrected but for guys like Rey and the other dogs out there giving it every ounce they got (Chandler was busting his butt every play as well, the other Andersons are high effort kids, several others) it was undoubtedly extremely frustrating.