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ND-Indiana game proving football fans are the same everywhere

Post-game discussion in the new 12 team playoff system is now "did they deserve it?" and "blowouts aren't fun" as though UGA didn't just beat TCU two years ago 65-7 for the title or USC didn't pound Oklahoma 55-14 in the BCS system. People fought long and hard to move away from the "unfair" BCA/BCS system towards the playoffs (remember the micro-battles along the way like which polls should/shouldn't be included) and now have battled to expand from a 4 team playoff into a 12 team playoff and yet here we sit, a different year but the same boring, hackneyed arguments. Autobids, SOS discussions, "quality" wins and losses, a constant shuffling of what matters and what suddenly doesn't when it comes to figuring out who reigns supreme.

Reminds me of, well, this board!

"Six divisions is too much"
"Four divisions is too little"
"Eight teams per region is too many"
"Byes are unfair"
"Crossbracketing is the only fair thing"
"Crossbracketing is unfair"

The similarities are striking to me. A ceaseless amount of hemming and hawing from fans to move away from one system with flaws and towards another that also has flaws, a Sisyphean task with no end.

Me? Football is football. More is good, less is worse, it's OK if the first round of the playoffs are mostly blowouts, home field is an illusion at this level, you can only play who is put before you, and the cream always rises.
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Sluggish Gladiators Fight Off James River

In sports they say "A win is a win." Well Riverheads got one tonight over the inspired James River Knights but they had to overcome a horrible shooting slump in the first quarter, some consistent foul trouble, and even a Joe George bloody nose to finally escape with a 58-48 win over their guests from down the road.

On paper this was not expected to be much of a challenge for the Big Red because they had earlier won in Buchanan by 16 points, after holding as much as a 26 point lead that night. But that was JR's first game of the season and they came in tonight much more relaxed and gave RHS all it could handle.

The first quarter in fact was just about all Knights as they knocked down three triples and successfully worked the ball inside to take their biggest lead of the night at 15-7. The quarter would have ended with that score if not for Riverheads' Jackson Brammer beating the buzzer with a three-pointer. In fact he was the only Gladiator to score in that period as he logged all 10 home-team points on the way to a game-high 16. Others got open looks in that first quarter but the shots just did not fall for anyone but Brammer.

Trailing 15-10, the Gladiators stepped up their defense and Henley Dunlap scored on a couple of fast break lay-ups to start their comeback. They finally tied things up at 17 and then eased out to a six-point lead at 25-19 before JR scored the final bucket of the half.

The Gladiators then had their most productive quarter in the third as they finally started to find the range. Actually quite a few guys contributed as they outscored the Knights 19-9 in the third to take a double digit lead. However, playing the aggressive defense that was needed to take control of the game was resulting in some foul trouble, so the Big Red coaching staff had to utilize the entire bench when some key starters picked up a third foul.

Because of that situation and perhaps also because the starting unit was not quite itself tonight, the "blue team", meaning the five non-starters, opened and closed the fourth quarter, with the starters only playing about three minutes in the middle. That somewhat explains the final score because the lead had reached as much as 18, and had the starters finished out the game, the margin might have gone well into the 20s. Instead JR was able to end the game with a flurry and cut the final down to 10.

Although the Gladiators struggled at times, tonight's game did have its moments. For example in the second half Dunlap scored on a rare four-point play as he went on to finish as the Big Red's second-high scorer with 11. But the most interesting stat would be that six different Gladiators hit from behind the arc, and remember there are only 10 guys on the team.

Some of those sharpshooters were not among the ones the fans are used to seeing. Grayson Ward, who is usually our top rebounder and inside enforcer, stepped outside and drained two of them on the way to a 10-point night. Also the last two guys off the bench, Gabe Miller and Chris Dotson, hit from opposite corners as the Big Red as a team hit eight of them. Dotson's especially was surprising as he is one of the tallest Gladiators and is supposed to be known for his football-style battling inside. But he saw his chance and rattled it in for one of the final Big Red baskets.

So it wasn't the prettiest win Riverheads will ever have and hats off to James River for making them earn it. There was no JV game tonight, so maybe that change in routine had something to do with the Gladiators' early focusing issues. But the win is in the books and the Big Red will now get ready to host their annual tournament next Friday and Saturday. Buffalo Gap, Stonewall Jackson, and Rappahannock County will all take part, with four games each day, including the JV teams.

The JVs will start the action each day, with 2:30 and 4:00 games. On the varsity level, BG will play Rapp Co at 6:00 Friday night, followed by Riverheads hosting Stonewall. The two losers will then play in a consolation game at 6:00 Saturday followed by the tournament championship game at 7:30. Riverheads is the defending champ after squeezing out a one-point win over the Bison in last year's event.

Shenandoah District play will then begin on January 3rd. Riverheads will host Fort Defiance that night, a team that for the moment at least is unbeaten, although they have had several close calls. From the scores they have been putting it up, it appears that the Indians have abandoned their racehorse style game and are more focused on a slower tempo this year. That should make for an interesting game on the 3rd.

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LCA won’t beat Spotswood or Rustburg to get out of their region for basketball IMO…

I definitely know this already which is why I keep harping about them merely being better than the local teams in the 434 area but in all honesty they’re not dominant but in a couple sports and it’s cyclical. Outside of baseball they aren’t a perennial power, football is becoming that now but they had a top 150 player which is enough in lower classifications who just graduated time to see if they got that it factor still.

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I have Time so here’s the deep dive on LCA sports (4 big ones) the previous years dating back to pre Covid (2017). I didn’t include Olympic sports such as swimming or track and field because they’re more individualized and harder to track state champions (using max preps for data).

Football:

24/25 : 14-0 🏆
23/24 : 14-0 🏆
22/23 : 11-2
21/22 : 13-1 runner up
20/21 : 6-2
19/20 : 7-4
18/19 : 4-7
17/18 : 4-6


Basketball (boys):

24-25 : 5-0 (as of today)
23-24 : 8-15
22-23 : 12-11
21-22 : 18-6
20-21 : 12-2
19-20 : 20-8
18-19 : 19-6
17-18 : 9-14


Basketball (girls):

24/25 : 5-0 (as of today)
23/24 : 27-0 🏆
22/23 : 21-6
21/22 : 16-5
20/21 : 3-2
19/20 : 11-12
18/19 : 9-12
17/18 : 9-13

Soccer (boys/girls):

24 : (4-8-3) / (14-3)
23 : (9-9-1) / (10-5-1)
22 : (13-5) / (13-7)
21 : (6-5) / (8-3)
20 : COVID
19 : (13-5-2) / (12-5)
18 : (14-4-1) / (12-3-2)
17 : (13-2-3)

Baseball :

24: 24-1 runner up
23: 23-1 final 4
22: 23-2 🏆
21: 13-3
20: COVID
19: 22-2 final 4
18: 17-1
17: 24-2 🏆

So when you look at the numbers outside of baseball they haven’t been that dominant in any sport with the exception of the last 4 years in football and girls basketball.
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