Union HC 2026

[tornado99]

12 minutes ago, sup_rbeast said:

You are spot on there. Most of the fullbacks at PV were as big or bigger than most of the linemen. They weren’t necessarily fast, but they had good hands, blocked well, and could get through the hole on the inside trap which is where the vast majority of their carries came.

Dorton? and Williams? come to mind as fullbacks. I was also referring to McCoy who was discussed earlier this season. He was just solid at whatever position he was listed (wingback/powerback?). 
While not huge, both Jones brothers were pretty strong/built). They were probably all special to a point because I always thought you had to sacrifice speed with that size, but all of them could move.

[S10SQUAREBODY4LIFE]

Fb's

Tucker 93ish

Mitchell 96ish

Always had a bruiser that was big and athletic with 0 cares leading up on anyone.  A good tb's dream

 

[BigWinners]

89-90 had Matt Stidham, #5

[The U Bear]

robbie fox in 85

[sup_rbeast]

1 hour ago, tornado99 said:

Dorton? and Williams? come to mind as fullbacks. I was also referring to McCoy who was discussed earlier this season. He was just solid at whatever position he was listed (wingback/powerback?). 
While not huge, both Jones brothers were pretty strong/built). They were probably all special to a point because I always thought you had to sacrifice speed with that size, but all of them could move.

Before that you had Pat Swinney, Pat Johnson, Robbie Fox, Matt Stidham, Shane Tucker, etc. Imo Stidham is the best fullback to ever wear the PV uniform, but Swinney and Fox both have arguments too.

[Weatherman]

11 hours ago, sup_rbeast said:

That ended after Bolling resigned. From 1983 to 1993, the only 9th graders I ever recall being brought up to varsity were Todd Clendenon and Kelly Willis.. and that was after QB Robbie Duncan was injured vs Appy in 1990. Neither of those guys saw the field that season, but it was just for the playoff run. The next 9th grader to play varsity was Thomas Jones. Coughlin was my JV coach, and a very important but often overlooked cog in the machine back then. The community lost a good one a couple weeks ago when he passed. He was one hard nosed coach.

Bob Coughlin passed?

[Gridiron60]

When do you think they’ll get a new coach in place if it’s an outside hire?  They’d want to start in January hot & heavy S & C. 

[CriticalNoise]

Dobber

[sup_rbeast]

6 hours ago, Weatherman said:

Bob Coughlin passed?

Yep…probably 3 weeks ago. I heard it on one of the NFHS broadcasts but couldn’t find anything online. Since I don’t live over that way anymore, I called family and they told me that he had indeed passed away.

[sup_rbeast]

5 hours ago, Gridiron60 said:

When do you think they’ll get a new coach in place if it’s an outside hire?  They’d want to start in January hot & heavy S & C. 

I’d imagine they’ll be doing that whether there is a coach named by then or not.

[tornado99]

Just now, sup_rbeast said:

I’d imagine they’ll be doing that whether there is a coach named by then or not.

I don’t remember if anyone ever answered earlier in the year, but who was the primary S&C coach, and did they run a prevailing program? 
As I said, traditionally, they always had some strong looking players.

[Gridiron60]

1 minute ago, sup_rbeast said:

I’d imagine they’ll be doing that whether there is a coach named by then or not.

I figured they would but I also think they want to get someone in place before end of winter. 

[sup_rbeast]

2 minutes ago, tornado99 said:

I don’t remember if anyone ever answered earlier in the year, but who was the primary S&C coach, and did they run a prevailing program? 
As I said, traditionally, they always had some strong looking players.

I have no clue how they run it now, but back in the day it was always open and you always had kids in there. On mandatory days, you always had a coach present.

[sup_rbeast]

3 minutes ago, Gridiron60 said:

I figured they would but I also think they want to get someone in place before end of winter. 

It’s hard to know because Union has never hired a coach. PV last hired one in 1983 and it was in the spring before they had their guy. As far as Appy goes, it was Sarge Reed in the late 70s and when he left Tom Turner took over the program but he was already on staff. When he stepped down, his assistant took over. So, really, the only precedent you have in the last 45 years at either school was the hiring of Phil Robbins. So, who knows when they will hire someone officially.

[tornado99]

Were many of those bigger kids mentioned holdbacks? I, only ask based upon my own experience or lack thereof with weight training and PEDs. I just assume most of them were genetically gifted. For context, I only took Creatine as my only supplement besides protein and worked consistently hard. However, for whatever reason, that spring and summer my senior year, I gained 20 lbs for no reason I can think of other than maturity. Thinking of that and witnessing Gate City winning the title in early 2000s (2003 maybe?) and always hearing that they held back in droves, made me jump to the conclusion on how physically stronger and superior to their opponents. Fair or not, our own experiences often shape our perceptions.

[sup_rbeast]

1 minute ago, tornado99 said:

Were many of those bigger kids mentioned holdbacks? I, only ask based upon my own experience or lack thereof with weight training and PEDs. I just assume most of them were genetically gifted. For context, I only took Creatine as my only supplement besides protein and worked consistently hard. However, for whatever reason, that spring and summer my senior year, I gained 20 lbs for no reason I can think of other than maturity. Thinking of that and witnessing Gate City winning the title in early 2000s (2003 maybe?) and always hearing that they held back in droves, made me jump to the conclusion on how physically stronger and superior to their opponents. Fair or not, our own experiences often shape our perceptions.

I know Union allows kids to hold back, but back in the day at PV, if you had a kid that was a year behind it was because they had failed a grade in elementary school. They didn’t hold back kids in the 8th grade.

[tornado99]

11 minutes ago, sup_rbeast said:

I know Union allows kids to hold back, but back in the day at PV, if you had a kid that was a year behind it was because they had failed a grade in elementary school. They didn’t hold back kids in the 8th grade.

Thanks. I had always heard Gate City was the earliest adopter of the practice in the area, then remember Honaker doing it a little afterwards. (Sorry, Blue Devils and Tigers. It might not be true, just what I was told years ago before knowing of a couple of Tiger classes for myself.)

[sup_rbeast]

30 minutes ago, tornado99 said:

Thanks. I had always heard Gate City was the earliest adopter of the practice in the area, then remember Honaker doing it a little afterwards. (Sorry, Blue Devils and Tigers. It might not be true, just what I was told years ago before knowing of a couple of Tiger classes for myself.)

Honaker 1988 and Haysi 1990 both had nearly an entire class of holdbacks to go with their on schedule seniors. In Scott and Lee county, holding kids back is fairly prevalent, and it seems to be common in Wise County, too. There were several of the old LPD teams that held back a handful of kids nearly every year. That said, I’ve never seen a problem with holdbacks. The VHSL has an age limit corresponding with Sept. 1 of the season. There’s not much difference in guys 17, 18, 19 years old. Now, below 17, there is a considerable difference. It just depends on when each individual kid really starts getting the bulk they all strive for in the weight room. Myself, I didn’t bulk up until I went into the Army. I played my senior year and graduated at 5’10 155 lbs, and, as a DL/OL I lifted every day the weight room was open. Went to basic training in September after I graduated and came home for Xmas at 6’ 211 lbs. I think that is due more to the diet and constant physical training than anything else, though. But the entire time I was in high school I only grew 1 inch in height and put on 20 lbs. I was big as an 8th grader, but small as a senior.

[S10SQUAREBODY4LIFE]

Think it's actually August 1st but for the past 25 years, holding back has became quiet common from place to place. I've saw it both ways where an athlete peaks their junior year and senior year they pack on a little mass and lose that bit of quickness. In other cases,  it's been the opposite where a kid doesn't peak until their senior year and wouldn't have happened otherwise.  Too often you see an athlete that grew crazy after high school.  To reach their own, but on the plus side parents get to keep their kid at home for another year. 

[sup_rbeast]

11 minutes ago, S10SQUAREBODY4LIFE said:

Think it's actually August 1st but for the past 25 years, holding back has became quiet common from place to place. I've saw it both ways where an athlete peaks their junior year and senior year they pack on a little mass and lose that bit of quickness. In other cases,  it's been the opposite where a kid doesn't peak until their senior year and wouldn't have happened otherwise.  Too often you see an athlete that grew crazy after high school.  To reach their own, but on the plus side parents get to keep their kid at home for another year. 

When I was in HS it was Sept 1. The last year I had any involvement in high school football was 2004, and it was Sept 1 then, too. We had a couple of kids that barely made the cut is the only reason I remember that. It may have changed to August by now, but all I ever remember August 1 being was the first day of practice allowed.

[Unchained]

7 hours ago, Weatherman said:

Bob Coughlin passed?

We lost him, Jim Huff and now Travis (although in perhaps a different way-gone from Union regardless) in the last year. Our kids have been through it:(

[tornado99]

14 minutes ago, S10SQUAREBODY4LIFE said:

Think it's actually August 1st but for the past 25 years, holding back has became quiet common from place to place. I've saw it both ways where an athlete peaks their junior year and senior year they pack on a little mass and lose that bit of quickness. In other cases,  it's been the opposite where a kid doesn't peak until their senior year and wouldn't have happened otherwise.  Too often you see an athlete that grew crazy after high school.  To reach their own, but on the plus side parents get to keep their kid at home for another year. 

I think the biggest advantage is the ones who are ready to play as freshmen.

[bearforce1]

6 minutes ago, Unchained said:

We lost him, Jim Huff and now Travis (although in perhaps a different way-gone from Union regardless) in the last year. Our kids have been through it:(

Steve Gardner, Dr. Ford as well. Been rough. 

[Oopsie]

Dobber is waiting on the Bama job to come open ! He’s out of the picture. 

[sup_rbeast]

8 minutes ago, Unchained said:

We lost him, Jim Huff and now Travis (although in perhaps a different way-gone from Union regardless) in the last year. Our kids have been through it:(

My senior year at PV was Huff’s first year there. He came to us from Coeburn and spent around 30 years on staff at PV and then Union. Great guy. Coach Coughlin was the last stop in the gauntlet of making it to the varsity level, and he made you earn it. Couldn’t heap enough praise on him, either. Both are huge losses for the community.