Rank the opponents on your team's schedule...

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

I'm bored and want to talk some football, so I thought I'd rank the opponents on Bluefield's schedule this fall. Before people get pissed b/c I listed their team lower than they felt it should be just at who is ahead of you. The Bluefield schedule has eight, and maybe nine teams on it very capable of making the playoffs this fall. After the first two you could probably interchange numbers 3-9 in any order.

 

Martinsburgâ€â€ÂThe Bulldogs have established themselves as one of the elite AAA in recent years. Quarterback Nate Sowers, a D1 prospect, will lead them this coming season. Their prolific passing attack is what makes them the hardest opponent on the schedule.

 

Grahamâ€â€ÂWhat needs to be said here? A very talented team and a very heated, always contested rivalry. This game goes beyond merely a game, but everyone already knows that.

 

Beckleyâ€â€ÂWoodrow Wilson was very young last season and returns something like 17 or 18 starters this season. Rising junior Emeke Eneje has the makings of a very special player with his speed, quickness, vision, and athletic ability. He rushed for nearly 1,000 yards last season behind a very average OL. The Eagles will be back with vengeances this fall and should secure a top five or six playoff seed in AAA.

 

Mount Viewâ€â€ÂThe Knights return a nice talented core of players from the state semi-final team of a year ago. This is another rivalry game, although more so from Mount View’s P.O.V. than Bluefield, but a rivalry nonetheless. If any team in WV AA can match and even surpass Bluefield’s great speed it’s Mount View. The Beavers have surprisingly handled the Knights easily the past two seasons, but I don’t think it’ll be that easy this season.

 

James Monroeâ€â€ÂThe Mavs return a number of starters and with them comes experience. JM will probably plow through much of their schedule and might be better than Mount View, but they’ve always struggled with the speed of Bluefield so that drops them into the 5th slot.

 

Princetonâ€â€ÂThe Tigers get the nod over the 7th opponent on the list b/c this is a rivalry game. Princeton loses a lot to graduation including team leaders Hughes, Herald, Hayes, and Fenwick (sp?). Next year could be a season in which Princeton might struggle to get above a .500 record.

 

Shady Springâ€â€ÂMuch like James Monroe, and probably more so, they’ve always struggled with Bluefield’s speed. I believe they’ll have a very good year and make the AA playoffs.

 

Herbert Hooverâ€â€ÂThe Huskies went from a serious contender in 2002 to starting 2003 with five straight losses before winning their final five games. I think Hoover will be improved this season and make a serious push for the AA playoffs.

 

Oak Hillâ€â€ÂYou know you’re schedule is tough when OH falls into the 9th slot in-terms of toughest opponents. The Red Devils lose Mr. Everything, Marcus Gratsy, and some other very key players. I’ve talked to a couple of people from that area and they don’t seem to have hopes for this season. However, the Devils always have a couple of quick and athletic skill players.

 

Lee Highâ€â€ÂUnfortunately for Lee they’re the only thing close to a cupcake on the Bluefield schedule. Fortunately for Lee, Freddie Simon will probably do the classy thing again this year and pull the starters very early before things get ugly.

[builder 10]

I will do all three Raleigh Co. AA schools.

 

Shady Spring's Ranked Schedule

 

1. Bluefield - Although they lost some key players they will still be extremely talented. One of two teams on Shady's schedule that will have more speed. Shady played them tough last year.

2. Mount View - Shady will have speed but Mount View will have more. Could be very good game if Shady can control the clock. The younger Vineyard will get his chance to step out of his brothers shadow.

3. Liberty - They have key players back on both sides of the ball. Their oline should make it an outstanding year for their quarterback and runningbacks. This is a rivalry game where Shady will be looking for a little revenge from last years 39-22 set back.

4. James Monroe - They will have some talented backs along with a decent line. They are always strong and physical and although it is always fun to watch a great single wing offense, I am just not sure they will have one. Shady did some spanking last year.

5. Scott - They lost 8 or 9 starters on both sides of the ball but will return with some talent. Their qb will be a junior and is supposed to be one of the better ones. They also return a couple of young speedsters on the outside. Not as good as last year but will have some talent.

6. Greenbrier West - Graduation left several holes including a key one at qb. They still have Fleming and he can make things happen.

7. Sissonville - I dont have a tremendous amount of info on them other than they beat Shady in a game last year that Shady thought would be cake walk.

8. Mount Hope - Will be better. They played alot of young and inexperienced kids last fall. They will be big and physical.

9. Independence - They are still in a serious rebuilding mode. I dont think they have lifted at all during this off season.

10. Summers Co. - They will have a new coach but the talent is not their right now.

 

Shady could go 8-2 but the only sure bets would be against Indy, Mount Hope, and Summers Co.

 

 

Liberty's Ranked Schedule

 

1. Shady Spring - Shady has almost everyone returning from a good but dissapointing team. They should have tremendous speed as displayed at the state track meet. This is the only reason I ranked them over JM.

2. James Monroe - see above description.

3. Sherman - They return some outstanding backs. They also have one of the better weight training programs in the state. QB will be a big question. They also graduated some key offensive linemen.

4. Scott - see above desription.

5. Wyoming East - They played alot of young kids last year so they will be much improved. They return their qb and an outstanding receiver.

6. Westside - They are apparently strong but lost 9 starters on both sides of the ball.

7. Independence - see above.

8. Pikeview - They will still not be very good but they will be improved. Their coaches have the program going in the right direction.

9. Summers Co. - see above.

10. Tug Valley - this isn't basketball.

 

Liberty could also go 8-2 but the only sure bets are Tug Valley, Summers Co., Pikeview, and Independence.

 

Independence's Ranked Schedule

 

T1. Shady Spring and Liberty - Both teams are fairly equal.

3. Sherman

4. Wyoming East

5. Westside

6. Gr. West

7. Midland Trail - They should be improved. Coach Dean does a nice job.

8. Pikeview

9. Summers Co.

10. Richwood - Will not be very good.

 

General comment on AA - I would hate to have Bluefield's or Herbert Hoover's schedule.

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

[ QUOTE ]

Shady played them tough last year.

 

[/ QUOTE ]

 

Shady did play a solid game defensively against Bluefield and it also helped that Bluefield's rhythm wasn't there after only playing one game in three weeks. Offensively for Shady it was a different story. They didn't do very much of anything, managing 14 yards of total offense for the game with nine yards passing and only five yards rushing. It was a dominating defensive performance for Bluefield considering Shady was averaging over 400 rushing yards a game.

 

I think the back-to-back losses to Mount View and Bluefield really took a lot out of Shady toward the end of last season. I was shocked they lost to Liberty b/c after watching Bluefield play both Shady should have beaten them by at least two touchdowns.

 

[ QUOTE ]

General comment on AA - I would hate to have Bluefield's or Herbert Hoover's schedule.

 

[/ QUOTE ]

 

You'd hate to have it and here in Bluefield it's a welcomed challenge. We have hated having the likes of Liberty® and Man on the schedule in the past three or four years. Bluefield's program has always been built upon playing and beating the best, which is the opportunity this schedule will present Beaver with this season. It'll prepare the team for the playoffs b/c nine of the 10 regular season games will be against a playoff caliber opponent. I'm excited about this season b/c of the schedule, as are many.

 

Thanks for the response...

 

 

[ThrowthaBomb5 10]

GLENVAR:

 

1. Radford- always tough TRD team

2. Floyd-Again TRD tough team

3. Giles-returns a lot, and we play at giles

4. Cave Spring-Tough AA team, lost RB and QB though but has good young class

5. Lord Botetourt-AA team, returns excellent soph. QB and has some big lineman

6. James River-Tough home game, play for the annual rocking chair

7. Auburn-decent, but required TRD game

8. Staunton River-lost willie fox and good WR

9. East Mont-new coach, lost josh smith RB

10. Covington-dont know a lot about them this year, lost some seniors

[shadyfan 10]

I will comment on Shady's games

 

1. Bluefield will have more team speed, but Shady can handle their offense it's the beavers in your grill 4-4 defense shady will struggle with as always this game will be closer than last year but still a loss.

 

 

2. Mt. View again team speed pure athletes and their 4-4 defense will handle Shady. But like the Bluefield game this will be closer than last year but still a loss.

 

 

3. James Monroe very good team but returning less overall talent than Shady and the tigers handled them last year look for the same outcome this year.

 

 

4. Liberty again returning lots of talent but it's Shady's last home game this year and a home playoff game with a win over the raiders.

 

 

5. Scott returns some quality players but was not impressed last year but very physical and well coached but will not be able to stop the tigers offense this year.

 

 

6. Sissonville returns some nice players and very big across the line with a new coach this year will hurt a little Shady's talent will prevail.

 

 

7. Mt. Hope very talented for such a small school will make a run for the single A playoffs but will not outscore Shady.

 

 

8. G. West Spitzer is gone Fleming is fast but that's it. Shady will win this one big and Fleming will take a beating.

 

 

9. Indy decent talent still young has the chance for a 5-5 season but Shady has their number this one will not be close.

 

 

10. Summers County loses what little bit they had possibly could win only 2 or 3 games this will be a track meet for the Shady's backfield with a good chance of scoring 60 plus.

 

 

 

Over Shady is very talented with 9 starters back on both sides they will have a new defensive look and new offensive looks this year which will be very productive but will break down with Blufield and Mt. View overall speed and athletes. Should go 8-2 and advance to the second round in the playoffs.

[MavsRock 21]

Hardest opponents for James Monroe:

 

1. Bluefield-Won't have quite the inside rushing power, or Martin's explosiveness. Still a real good passing and outside rushing team, also, very stingy defense with Wells and Coburn. The Mavs will have to play there best to give themselves a chance. Probably a Bluefield win, but not the 49-8 thumping of last year.

 

2. Shady Spring-Very even match all around. Turnovers or special teams play decides this one, just like last year.

 

3. Greenbrier East-Always very big. The only team to beat us in JV last year, and maybe they'll have a coach who can compete at a AAA level with McClintic gone.

 

4. Oak Hill-Usually pretty quick, but the loss of Grasty and their coach will hurt them badly, very competitive game.

 

5. Liberty ®-They've been stedily there the last few years, if I've heard right adn several people are back, they could actually reflect their good records in the playoffs for once.

 

6. Narrows-Know's the single wing better than any other opponent, and they're a rival that always plays JM tough.

 

7. Wyoming East-There was a time that they would've been ranked much, much higher, but those days are over. James Monroe should beat them for the first time, but will have to be carefull playing them on the road, ask 2002 Oak Hill about that.

 

8. Point Pleasant-Hasn't done much lately, they are a real wild card team for us though.

 

9. Summers County-Let's see, 70-20 JM last season, and all good players from last year are gone. To quote Forest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."

 

10. Pikeview-Change score to 42-0 and see Summers Co.

[builder 10]

Bluefield Rules - Their is a difference between having a tough schedule and a killer one. Hoover could have had one of the top 4 teams in AA last year but we will never know because their schedule was so tough that they went 5-5. I admire Bluefield for the program they have and the willingness to play a tough schedule but they may have over scheduled themselves this year. Last years team could have handled it but I don't know if this one can. I hope Bluefield makes the playoffs. If they don't, it would be a shame.

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

[ QUOTE ]

I hope Bluefield makes the playoffs. If they don't, it would be a shame.

 

[/ QUOTE ]

 

That's the risk Bluefield runs with the schedule. If they stay healthy and avoid major injures they'll be there.

[buzzsawBeaver 12]

Agreed it's risky, they've played harder schedules before in '93, and maybe '99, and they scheduled themselves out of the playoffs often before wv changed to a 16 team playoff, but overall, regardless it will be a season full of quality football.

Of course it would be a big thing if a team with bluefield's expected potential in '04 wasn't even in the playoffs, but I'm not 100% certain they wouldn't have maybe been in the playoffs in '02 if they were 5 - 5. At 6 - 4 they were still 9th. Don't know if it's possible with the math, I guess what would matter would be the points they would get from the teams they defeated, but if some of those points were from 2 aaa teams, they might be able to be in the top 16 with a 5 - 5 record this season.

1 things for certain, considering the schedule they will have, if they are not worn down and are a lower seed or even 16th, they'll be 1 of the most dangerous 16 seeds ever. How about a game were the # 1 or # 2 team is the underdog in round 1.

Of course I'd prefer it not even be close with their record. But 1 thing's for sure, every close game will be much bigger and matter even more this season..

As for the teams on their schedule, I'd agree basically with bluefield's aside from maybe being able to change graham and beckley around, and mount view is a mount view, so who knows. I also wouldn't overlook princeton as a bigger game on their schedule.

Key games for this schedule for points, would be aaa martinsburg for the obvious points wise, graham, graham should provide a lot of points for bluefield if bluefield is able to defeat them, and Beckley and princeton for aaa points. The other aa teams should have very respectable records as well.

[footballfreak 10]

here are my rankings:

1.Bluefield- i know bluefield is gonna have a good team and all but derrick and quentin steptoe and purdue are gonna take there fair share of beatings by the time they get to shady. perdue didnt do anything on the ground against shady. coeburn cant do it with out any of those 3 guys.if any of those 3 running backs go down at the beginning of the season they will have a tough time going 6-4 or 5-5. i look for it to be a shoot out between these 2 teams. this game will be won in the trenches.

2. Mt.View- I dont think little vineyard was that impressive on offense. they will be talented and fast as usual but they will be young in the back field. this could be another game won in the trenches.

3. James Monroe- They will have a good backfield but I look for shady to beat them like they did last year. some of the lineman they had did help them but shady will have this one.

4. Mt. Hope- they lost 1 or 2 players i look for them to have a decent A season but one thing is for sure they will not beat shady. because they did themselves in when they decided to come and spray paint the back of our school.

5. Liberty- they will have a good core coming back. we couldnt stop their fullback. shady also had josh mann and jeremy lynch out that game. shady will be looking for payback.

6. Scott- they have 2 lineman and a qb back and that is it. this year will be payback. they will regret the taunting they did to us last year.

7. Gr. West- A lot of people think fleming is gonna do sumthing but spitzer was there man and fleming isnt gonna do much. i do remember him and josh mann meeting at the 50 yard line on a kickoff return last year. he talked trash about jeremy lynch all year in track. this wont be the year for west.

8. sissonville- they proved it last year u cant take them for granted. they will be large but they wont have enough for shady.

9. independence- they are rebuilding but shady will romp them.

10. summers- they have a new coach but it will take him a few years for him to establish a solid program. the score this year might be as bad as it was last year.

 

shady can very well go 8-2, 9-1 or maybe even 10-0. things right now are looking good for shady.

 

i dont think there is any way bluefield is not gonna miss the playoffs if they do it will be because someone in the backfield is hurt. if you think about it bluefield doesnt have nething past perdue and both the steptoes. derrick will have problem not getting beat up because he plays d-line also.

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

[ QUOTE ]

if you think about it bluefield doesnt have nething past perdue and both the steptoes.

 

[/ QUOTE ]

 

That's where you're wrong. I believe many are going to be in for a surprise this fall...lol

 

Furthermore, you make it sound like you must have three backs to win games. Most teams feature at most two backs, so Bluefield is in great shape. I guess Bluefield spoiled people last year b/c they featured five backs. The injures I'm more concerned about are linemen and such. The years recently in which Bluefield has struggled it has been b/c of a rash of injures to starting linemen. Remember the 1999 season when Bluefield faced Wyoming East in the title game? By the time Beaver got to Wheeling it had lost three linemen to season-ending injures and a fourth probably shouldn't have been playing b/c of an injury. Bluefield's success this season depends greatly and more than anything on linemen staying healthy.

[shadyfan 10]

Will Bluefield's line be as good as last year? I know they lost some reall good kids but they usually just have 2 or 3 guys waiting in the wings to step in. I hope they do great the whole season except for the Shady game but i do think Shady will have a shot to beat them this year but they will not because of the fact bluefield is the type of program shady is trying to be so good luck and i hope all your kids stay healthy but bluefield wins this one by no more than 2 tds.

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

Bluefield returns three starting offensive linemen. They also have a couple of young kids with good size that saw extensive time on the field last year during blowouts or b/c of an injury to one of the starters. However, to think the losses of Panell and Williams won't be felt would be ignorant. Nevertheless, as long as they stay relatively healthy I'm confident in the OL to perform very well.

 

I won't get into predicting scores or margin of victory/defeat right now. It's entirely too early to make those predictions. Once the season gets going and we see how the teams are gelling with the new players then it'll be appropriate to think about margins.

[guru 10]

James Monroe's Schedule:

1. Bluefield - They are Bluefield, enough said. Too much speed, talent, and experience coming back.

 

2. Shady Spring - Very good last year, much better this year. Why has there been talk of them folding? Did they pack it in last year? Not against us.

 

3. Oak Hill - They lose a lot of key skill, but have athletes most us wish we had.

 

4. Greenbrier East - I know surprise pick. New coach, but the talent is there for the taking. Had decent teams in the 90's.

 

5. Wyoming East - They cannot be as bad as they were last year. They had a very good receiver. Word has it they have a good group of 9/10th graders.

 

6. Point Pleasant - Mediocre year last year at best. Should be mediocre or better this year?

 

7. Liberty-Raleigh - Good records for 2 years, but playoff blowouts for 2 years in a row. Don't know muchbout them, but historically they are a below average team.

 

8. Pikeview - Pitful the last four years, may be getting a little bit better.

 

9. Summers County - Poor the last 2 years, be even worse this year.

 

10. Narrows - Not impressed last year, won't be any better this year.

 

Possible losses: Bluefield, Shady

Definate Wins: Wyoming East, Greenbrier East, Point Pleasant, Pikeview, Liberty, Summers, Narrows.

 

I see 7-3, Oak Hill will be a probable victory as well. 7-3 to 10-0 season. With this schedule we are definately in the playoffs!

[The_Spectator 10]

None Of Bluefield's lineman where hurt except mike williams....and brandon williams which had a tender ankle but thats it John Patton was the only one hurt

[The_Spectator 10]

Im telling everybody now they have a deeeeeeeeep bench..heck they got reserves for reserves...... in fact if Coach simon wanted to he could put some guys on the o-line and have a totaly new set of faces on the d-line....the speed I hear is crazy with both steptoe's leading the way..Quinton supposedly ran a 4.5 40 derrick 4.6, followed by 2 4.7 and a slew of 4.9...and t.j. morris is supposedly faster now to one of the kids told me he ran a 5.1 last year and he is down to an amazing 4.8... If all this is true then My hats off to Coach Fred Simon and the wonderfull off season program he has.... It has always been said no one works harder then a Beaver in the Off-season

[buzzsawBeaver 12]

Although I agree that williams and pannel were big factors, in my opinion much more so on the d side. Not suggesting they "weren't" big factors on o either, simply that they likely can be much easier replaced on o than on d. the d's speed and overall caliber started up front and in the other teams backfied with those 2.

That said, in my opinion .j. morris was an exceptional player that was somewhat under the radar at times because of all the other talent, but he should be a force on d in '04.

As for injuries, andy bales would be considered a lineman who was out because of injuries it seems.

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

Yeah, Bales broke his leg in the James Monroe game (I believe) and missed the rest of the season. T.J. Morris is a ball-hawk on defense and coming off the corners he presents a lot of problems for an offense. One of my favorite plays from last season was the interception Morris got against Mount View and returned for a TD. Greg Vineyard was the only thing between him and the endzone. Vinyard had him squared up perfectly and was ready to deliver a big-time hit, then it happened. Morris juked Vineyard out of his cleats (Vineyard didn't even touch him) and left him laying face down about the 20-yardline as he walked into the endzone. It was classic considering the caliber of player and athletic Vineyard is/was...

[footballfreak 10]

first off, its been said time and time again that losing pannell and williams will hurt, of course its true but losing jose steele will hurt almost as bad. if you know about the wing-t offense then you should know that u need a big bruising FB and 2 stud guards. now tell me this does bluefield have 2 stud guards and a big bruising FB? now that takes away one of their biggest plays "trap." now that you dont have to worry as much up the middle. they have to resort to sweep and off tackle plays. if they dont have a guard that can beat derrick or quentin to the outside then they will have to slow down and wait for the guard to catch up and thats where they are going to miss pannell and williams. now they will be forced to pass more. dont get me wrong, coeburn is a good QB but he has one maybe 2 true recievers to throw to (Morris), they dont have mariotti or hanley, if you consider him a true reciever. now coeburn has to worry bout pressure coming from the backside more because i dont think they will have neone that can pass block better then pannell or williams. you say that most teams feature at most 2 running backs but those teams dont run the wing-t and if they did they had a good FB. and you better worry about those 3 running backs getting beat on b/c they all 3 play both ways and derrick steptoe plays DL and he is at a weight disadvantage and dont care how strong of fast he is, trying to get around a 250-305 OT he is gonna get tired then all the work will be up to quentin and perdue on offense. now if you wanna say poca just featured santmyer and they didnt have a FB then you are just stupid becuase they did have a FB that was listed as 6'3 240 lbs. and if you dont think he helped them then just watch the game film. they also had a decent slot back.

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

Trust me when I say you're going to see a few different looks from Bluefield this fall with some players playing different positions. Adjustments will be made to fit strength of the the personel Beaver has. Which is why I say wait until the season actually starts to make prediction on margins of victory and such. No one knows how the changes will work out and how the players will adjust.

 

Losing Pannell, Williams, Steele, Mariotti, Martin, and Hanley will all hurt various parts. You've never seen myself or anyone else from Bluefield dispute that, we'd be stupid to. I only mentioned Pannell and Williams b/c we were talking about the offensive line and those are the only two linemen of the seniors. Now can we beat this dead horse some more or are we finished? lol

[shadyfan 10]

Again enough about bluefield's line what about Mt. View's did they lose much if i remember correct they started alot of underclassmen on the line. Because their line was pretty big and strong and if they're back the little Vineyard will produce a good year and i was real impressed with their qb helms i think he was very talented and a underclassman.

[buzzsawBeaver 12]

It's not as if that was bluefield's 1st strong team.

'01 was season which bluefield was very youthful, more than what is common even for rebuidling seasons. Aside from that they have very formidable teams most of the time. Certainly some exceptional players graduated, but bluefield is able to reload most of the time, not rebuild.

[RenegadeMuscle 10]

Wyoming County's finest.....Westside!

1) Scott- Supposed to be losing a lot, but still better than everyone else on our schedule.

 

2) Gilbert - Played us tough last year, should return a good group.

 

3) Iaeger- Usually a sound team. I expect a good ballgame with them, but a victory for the renegades.

 

4) Man- A fluke last year, you know what they say about paybacks!

 

5) Wyoming East- The dominance of this rivalry began last year and continues for as many years as grogg stays there!

 

6) Sissonville- Probably a reach here, but i know very little about them other than they beat shady and have a new coach.

 

7) Pikeview- Going oput on a limb here, but I think Pikeview will be better than SC, Independence, and liberty. Have to get better, how much worse could they get?

 

8) Liberty- In 2 games against them last year we put up nearly 100 points. They had no defense last year, offense only scored when we subbed in the first game of the season. not much of a threat here.

 

9) Summers County- New coach i think. had some talent last year, but i think they graduate. i am glad they are on the schedule. decent looking women from the few i have met from downt hat way though!

 

10) Independence- Possibly the worst team in AA next year. they posed no threat last year and NONE this year. this may be jv from end of the 1st on.

 

Sure wins--- sissonville, wyoming east, pikeview, liberty, iaeger, independence, man, iaeger

 

Possible losses--- gilbert and scott

 

all in all we will better last year's record. 10-0 is a reality. we have too much talent returnign with too much experience to be bad. we should be deep in the playoffs with a high seeding. not guaranteeing, but could be a finals team this year.

[footballfreak 10]

mt.view had 3 or 4 seniors on the line last year. they had a freshman tightend he wasnt bad. i think the backup QB was better then helm i think his name was adriam thomas. if they were smart and they wanted to use the Power-I i would put helm at HB keep little vineyard at FB and put someone with speed and talent at teh wing back. thomas can throw the ball well and helm can run the ball. you would also get good yardage with the trap if they have a good gaurd. they will be fairly young up front.

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

I heard months ago Mount View was going to move Helms to RB and put the freshman (sophomore this year) at QB. Of course, that would be the smart thing to do so that you can get all your talent on the field together...