Best Team To Not Win A State Championship

[CPF]

7 hours ago, Snacks4778 said:

As a Graham guy, 2001 Graham and 2002 Graham for sure…. But one no one ever talks about 97 Graham, only two teams to beat them were Bluefield (WV state champs) in a close game wheee they lead late in the game (and that’s possibly the best Beaver team since the 60’s other then 2004) and Gate City (Va state champs) with Houseright and Co. in a classic triple overtime game. They lost their QB in overtime for the year and weren’t able to play Gate City near as well in the playoffs. 

That qb injury was a season ender. For the qb and the team. Totally agree. Might have won division 3.

[BigWinners]

13 hours ago, CPF said:

That qb injury was a season ender. For the qb and the team. Totally agree. Might have won division 3.

GC won D3 IIRC but lost to both the D2 and D1 winner. Crazy year. 

[CPF]

1 hour ago, BigWinners said:

GC won D3 IIRC but lost to both the D2 and D1 winner. Crazy year. 

A lot of quality teams in the area that year

[1inStripes]

Lee High lost in the state semis by a FG I think and before that their only losses were to Appy, PV and GC.  The area was loaded at that time.  Kind of a golden age of football.

[jreed97]

After the 1997 season Phil Robbins, in congratulating Nick Colobro, said "Now you can get t-shirts that say 3rd best team in sw virginia" 🤣

Similar situation for GC's 1994 state runner-up team that lost to 3 single A schools & likely would not have made the playoffs in that league. Everyone congratulating GC & Graham for playing AA need to realize they were ducking PV. No way in hell Graham wins the single A title in 1995. 

[CPF]

5 hours ago, jreed97 said:

After the 1997 season Phil Robbins, in congratulating Nick Colobro, said "Now you can get t-shirts that say 3rd best team in sw virginia" 🤣

Similar situation for GC's 1994 state runner-up team that lost to 3 single A schools & likely would not have made the playoffs in that league. Everyone congratulating GC & Graham for playing AA need to realize they were ducking PV. No way in hell Graham wins the single A title in 1995. 

And if Powell Valley played 2A there's no way in hell they'd have 8 state championships. Phil Robbins never beat Glynn Carlock. 0-5. No one was ducking Powell Valley. We were playing Rustburg,Harrisonburg , and King George while they were playing in the pee wee championship.

[Real Sasquatch]

1 hour ago, CPF said:

And if Powell Valley played 2A there's no way in hell they'd have 8 state championships. Phil Robbins never beat Glynn Carlock. 0-5. No one was ducking Powell Valley. We were playing Rustburg,Harrisonburg , and King George while they were playing in the pee wee championship.

Agree with this.  

[Fairlawncat]

1 hour ago, CPF said:

And if Powell Valley played 2A there's no way in hell they'd have 8 state championships. Phil Robbins never beat Glynn Carlock. 0-5. No one was ducking Powell Valley. We were playing Rustburg,Harrisonburg , and King George while they were playing in the pee wee championship.

And according to what Coach Lineburg told me in 2005, as he was good friends with Carlock, your Gmen and Carlock actually tried to get Robbins and P.Valley to play 2 different times in the 90s. Hicks also tried to get Robbins and P.Valley to play in the PC Jamboree and they wouldn't come. Why? I dont know. I am not saying it was fear or anything like that. It could have been logistics, something personal, etc. I dont know. But, I do know Carlock tried to get P.Valley to play. Coach Lineburg didn't lie. Ever.

[Real Sasquatch]

6 hours ago, jreed97 said:

After the 1997 season Phil Robbins, in congratulating Nick Colobro, said "Now you can get t-shirts that say 3rd best team in sw virginia" 🤣

Similar situation for GC's 1994 state runner-up team that lost to 3 single A schools & likely would not have made the playoffs in that league. Everyone congratulating GC & Graham for playing AA need to realize they were ducking PV. No way in hell Graham wins the single A title in 1995. 

Well....guess they have to settle for the 2A title that year.....🙄

[1inStripes]

3 minutes ago, Fairlawncat said:

And according to what Coach Lineburg told me in 2005, as he was good friends with Carlock, your Gmen and Carlock actually tried to get Robbins and P.Valley to play 2 different times in the 90s. Hicks also tried to get Robbins and P.Valley to play in the PC Jamboree and they wouldn't come. Why? I dont know. I am not saying it was fear or anything like that. It could have been logistics, something personal, etc. I dont know. But, I do know Carlock tried to get P.Valley to play. Coach Lineburg didn't lie. Ever.

That's somewhat surprising.  I thought Carlock was always against playing down a class which was why he quit scheduling Gate City when they moved back to the LPD. Maybe it was part of the old GridoRama though.

[JDHoss]

8 hours ago, 1inStripes said:

Lee High lost in the state semis by a FG I think and before that their only losses were to Appy, PV and GC.  The area was loaded at that time.  Kind of a golden age of football.

Didn't they also lose to Tabb in a close one in the finals? Maybe 89 or 90? 

[Fairlawncat]

2 minutes ago, JDHoss said:

Didn't they also lose to Tabb in a close one in the finals? Maybe 89 or 90? 

Got cheated by Tabb on the road in the finals. Beat Salem in the state semis 26 to 8 the week before the Tabb loss.

[RichRich]

On 2/2/2026 at 10:48 PM, 1inStripes said:

I think 97 ended in the opening round to PV who were without the services of a a few players due to a postgame video after beating Appy to end the regular season.

oh that resulted on some cousin on cousin violence.    apparently the meaner cousin was from Appy

[JDHoss]

1 hour ago, Fairlawncat said:

And according to what Coach Lineburg told me in 2005, as he was good friends with Carlock, your Gmen and Carlock actually tried to get Robbins and P.Valley to play 2 different times in the 90s. Hicks also tried to get Robbins and P.Valley to play in the PC Jamboree and they wouldn't come. Why? I dont know. I am not saying it was fear or anything like that. It could have been logistics, something personal, etc. I dont know. But, I do know Carlock tried to get P.Valley to play. Coach Lineburg didn't lie. Ever.

Speaking of Coach Lineburg, I had a friend at work who played for Radford, I think in the early 70's. The first time Radford played PV in football back in the early 90's, he wanted to bet me that Radford would beat PV. I asked him how many points he wanted me to give him, and he insisted on giving me 7. PV won by maybe 30 or so. Anyway, my buddy thought the world of Coach Lineberg. 

[Fairlawncat]

50 minutes ago, JDHoss said:

Speaking of Coach Lineburg, I had a friend at work who played for Radford, I think in the early 70's. The first time Radford played PV in football back in the early 90's, he wanted to bet me that Radford would beat PV. I asked him how many points he wanted me to give him, and he insisted on giving me 7. PV won by maybe 30 or so. Anyway, my buddy thought the world of Coach Lineberg. 

Pretty smart move to not tangle with the Vikings back then. I remember they came to Radford one year and won like 41 to zilch in the early 90s. Maybe 93 or something like that.

[Fairlawncat]

2 hours ago, 1inStripes said:

That's somewhat surprising.  I thought Carlock was always against playing down a class which was why he quit scheduling Gate City when they moved back to the LPD. Maybe it was part of the old GridoRama though.

Yep. I have read Carlock wouldn't play down on here. 

[BigWinners]

On 2/27/2026 at 6:18 PM, CPF said:

And if Powell Valley played 2A there's no way in hell they'd have 8 state championships. Phil Robbins never beat Glynn Carlock. 0-5. No one was ducking Powell Valley. We were playing Rustburg,Harrisonburg , and King George while they were playing in the pee wee championship.

lol sure, whatever you say. 
That pee wee league would have pegged you for 4th place at best in a year some just mentioned as one of the best teams that never won a title for Graham, possibly 5th. 

From 1986-2000, Phil was 8-7 against GC, a very successful state title winning D3 program. From 89-2000, he was 9-3 against Lee High, a team from a successful area that had been successful in the D4 playoffs. 
 

He never played Graham. His record against Carlock has squat to do with PV/Graham. The teams never played. I could take the current Union or Graham team and beat Marion, but the Cane HC is an exponentially better coach than I am.

In 89, PV beat Richlands to open the year, lost to GC by a point in OT on the road, and won a state title.

90, beat GC handily.

In 94, they lost at Lee and lost to Richlands at home, beat GC.

95, beat Lee, Radford, Richlands and GC handily.

97/98, beat Lee, Richlands, Radford and GC. 
 

So in state title seasons, PV was 11-3 against bigger, non LPD schools. 
 

so much for that argument. I can promise you no one in Carolina blue would have ever went to Bluefield and not only thought they could win but expected to win. Undoubtedly there are years Graham would have won during Robbins tenure but there’s also plenty of years Carlock would have added another loss to his resume as well. PV showed they could play with any school in the area on a consistent basis and even years when GC or Richlands made deep playoff runs or even won titles, they often walked off the field in the fall having to watch Phil smirk during the handshake.
 

Golden age of SWVA football and one team stood out above the rest of some truly great programs during that time. 

[tornado99]

14 hours ago, BigWinners said:

lol sure, whatever you say. 
That pee wee league would have pegged you for 4th place at best in a year some just mentioned as one of the best teams that never won a title for Graham, possibly 5th. 

From 1986-2000, Phil was 8-7 against GC, a very successful state title winning D3 program. From 89-2000, he was 9-3 against Lee High, a team from a successful area that had been successful in the D4 playoffs. 
 

He never played Graham. His record against Carlock has squat to do with PV/Graham. The teams never played. I could take the current Union or Graham team and beat Marion, but the Cane HC is an exponentially better coach than I am.

In 89, PV beat Richlands to open the year, lost to GC by a point in OT on the road, and won a state title.

90, beat GC handily.

In 94, they lost at Lee and lost to Richlands at home, beat GC.

95, beat Lee, Radford, Richlands and GC handily.

97/98, beat Lee, Richlands, Radford and GC. 
 

So in state title seasons, PV was 11-3 against bigger, non LPD schools. 
 

so much for that argument. I can promise you no one in Carolina blue would have ever went to Bluefield and not only thought they could win but expected to win. Undoubtedly there are years Graham would have won during Robbins tenure but there’s also plenty of years Carlock would have added another loss to his resume as well. PV showed they could play with any school in the area on a consistent basis and even years when GC or Richlands made deep playoff runs or even won titles, they often walked off the field in the fall having to watch Phil smirk during the handshake.
 

Golden age of SWVA football and one team stood out above the rest of some truly great programs during that time. 

I agree, with some context. In 1989, Richlands was not a solid program at all. I can’t vouch for 1990. However, the 94-95 and 97-98 are clear outliers because of one family. All of those Powell Valley teams are solid, but you cannot replicate nor replace the magnitude of having the Jones brothers. Those Vikings teams are the only ones with indisputable NFL talent playing positions that touch the ball most plays. In those days, RB was the most important position, not QB. There are some years, I question who would have or could have won. Nonetheless, I can say with very little doubt, that without the Jones brothers they are certainly not head and shoulders above the rest. PV was a solid program throughout, but elite, not simply due to coaching and tradition. They were simply blessed or lucky to have them as part of their program.

[BigWinners]

2 hours ago, tornado99 said:

I agree, with some context. In 1989, Richlands was not a solid program at all. I can’t vouch for 1990. However, the 94-95 and 97-98 are clear outliers because of one family. All of those Powell Valley teams are solid, but you cannot replicate nor replace the magnitude of having the Jones brothers. Those Vikings teams are the only ones with indisputable NFL talent playing positions that touch the ball most plays. In those days, RB was the most important position, not QB. There are some years, I question who would have or could have won. Nonetheless, I can say with very little doubt, that without the Jones brothers they are certainly not head and shoulders above the rest. PV was a solid program throughout, but elite, not simply due to coaching and tradition. They were simply blessed or lucky to have them as part of their program.

lol okay? Take away the best players from any top team and they won’t be as good. Every team is blessed with they have great talent. Take away Breeding or Jennings or Asbury from Richlands or Hamilton from CW or Allen or Clements or Bradshaw from Graham, those teams would be worse. I hate that argument. PV won four state titles before a Jones ever stepped on the field. Heath Miller didnt win a title at Honaker, Justin Hamilton didnt at CW, those were NFL guys too. 
 

I hate that argument abd I usually find you to be more level headed than this. It’s crazy to say well take away a teams player and they wouldn’t win as many games, thays true for every single team ever. 

[vol_husky]

3 hours ago, tornado99 said:

I agree, with some context. In 1989, Richlands was not a solid program at all. I can’t vouch for 1990. However, the 94-95 and 97-98 are clear outliers because of one family. All of those Powell Valley teams are solid, but you cannot replicate nor replace the magnitude of having the Jones brothers. Those Vikings teams are the only ones with indisputable NFL talent playing positions that touch the ball most plays. In those days, RB was the most important position, not QB. There are some years, I question who would have or could have won. Nonetheless, I can say with very little doubt, that without the Jones brothers they are certainly not head and shoulders above the rest. PV was a solid program throughout, but elite, not simply due to coaching and tradition. They were simply blessed or lucky to have them as part of their program.

Football is a team sport. There’s a lot that goes into a winning championships. 
 

Powell Valley obviously had very good coaching and tradition. Phil Robbins was an excellent coach. Perhaps he wasn’t a championship coach before he coached at PV. Then again, Nick Saban didn’t exactly coach Toledo and Michigan State to prominence, did he? He didn’t win championships until he went to LSU. 
 

The Jones brothers were obviously the best players at PV those seasons. But they weren’t the whole team. 

[tornado99]

2 hours ago, BigWinners said:

lol okay? Take away the best players from any top team and they won’t be as good. Every team is blessed with they have great talent. Take away Breeding or Jennings or Asbury from Richlands or Hamilton from CW or Allen or Clements or Bradshaw from Graham, those teams would be worse. I hate that argument. PV won four state titles before a Jones ever stepped on the field. Heath Miller didnt win a title at Honaker, Justin Hamilton didnt at CW, those were NFL guys too. 
 

I hate that argument abd I usually find you to be more level headed than this. It’s crazy to say well take away a teams player and they wouldn’t win as many games, thays true for every single team ever. 

I am agreeing with you that PV competes regardless of division. I’m just emphasizing the fact that those two are head and shoulders above most of the names mentioned, backed up by NFL careers and not speculation. 
PV is still solid, and probably wins a couple of those state titles. It is questionable whether the state titles come in Divisions 3 and 4 without them. Having 2 of those virtually back to back is something that NO SWVA area school had had. (Period).

 

Edited March 2 by tornado99
Wording

[tornado99]

Thomas Jones is still THE BEST high school running back I have ever seen. As good as the offensive line may have been his quickness provided moments of absolute brilliance that I have not seen anyone consistently make. 
 

I still believe Bradshaw may have been the best player, but that Grena program with Vic Hall was too much to overcome by a solo effort.

[jeffro]

I’m going with Grahams 2023 team. Lost Daniel Jennings in NIL to Princeton,  lost Sean Hughes- probably best football player on the team when he torn ACL on next to last play after braking loose on 60ish yard run in Bluefield/Graham game after he replaced Clements who went down with ankle injury. Being out most of the season, Clements never seemed 100% when he finally came back.   

[Fairlawncat]

17 minutes ago, jeffro said:

I’m going with Grahams 2023 team. Lost Daniel Jennings in NIL to Princeton,  lost Sean Hughes- probably best football player on the team when he torn ACL on next to last play after braking loose on 60ish yard run in Bluefield/Graham game after he replaced Clements who went down with ankle injury. Being out most of the season, Clements never seemed 100% when he finally came back.   

Graham in 21 was very good. Lost to King William. Graham lost 2 All State Linebackers and their QB (who was also one of the LBs) and the QB should have probably made All State at QB in addition to him making it at LB. Played on 1 foot in title game and totally ineffective. KW with an All American RB and Graham loses 2 all state LBs. The absolute perfect and best scenario possible for KW and worst scenario possible for Graham. 

In that game, of which I was there, Claiborne had 2 or 3 long runs in which the Graham backup LBs missed by inches at the LOS. The loss of LBs was way too much to overcome. Also, the Graham QB with the broken lower leg with daylight and an open space field and not able to turn up field for 4 yards. 

I would argue Radford 1989, the team I played on that lost to Graham twice in very close games. That Graham team is still talked about regarding how dominant they were and we were right with them and about had them in 1989 up at Mitchell Stadium in the Region Title Game. Probably my fault we lost. Was called for a motion penalty on a kicking attempt in which I was the one kicking it and I never moved an inch. It still ticks me off.

[jeffro]

2 minutes ago, Fairlawncat said:

Graham in 21 was very good. Lost to King William. Graham lost 2 All State Linebackers and their QB (who was also one of the LBs) and the QB should have probably made All State at QB in addition to him making it at LB. Played on 1 foot in title game and totally ineffective. KW with an All American RB and Graham loses 2 all state LBs. The absolute perfect and best scenario possible for KW and worst scenario possible for Graham. 

In that game, of which I was there, Claiborne had 2 or 3 long runs in which the Graham backup LBs missed by inches at the LOS. The loss of LBs was way too much to overcome. Also, the Graham QB with the broken lower leg with daylight and an open space field and not able to turn up field for 4 yards. 

I would argue Radford 1989, the team I played on that lost to Graham twice in very close games. That Graham team is still talked about regarding how dominant they were and we were right with them and about had them in 1989 up at Mitchell Stadium in the Region Title Game. Probably my fault we lost. Was called for a motion penalty on a kicking attempt in which I was the one kicking it and I never moved an inch. It still ticks me off.

I was at your game as well, Graham quarterback, had broken foot or ankle earlier in the year and tried to play through it.  He was definitely one of the best linebackers in the state, but still no match for Claiborne.