Before anything else, let me stress that everything that follows is strictly my own opinion. Also, I know many of you couldn't care less about this topic; I understand. Please don't feel as if you have to keep reading. Move on to better threads, and peace be with you, brothers and sisters! For the rest of you, see the comments at the bottom for an explanation of how I tried to approach this.
Key:
*D4 - Group AA Division 4 state champions
*4A - Group 4A state champions
*4 - Class 4 state champions
4ru - Class 4 state runners-up
D4ru - Group AA Division 4 state runners-up
4Aru - Group 4A state runners-up
D6ru - Group AAA Division 6 state runners-up
NW-6 - Northwest Region Division 6 champions
RIII-4 - Region III Division 4 champions
RIV-4 - Region IV Division 4 champions
4A N - 4A North Region champions
4A W - 4A West Region champions
4D - Class 4 Region D champions
RVD - Roanoke Valley District Champions
BRD - Blue Ridge District Champions
RRD - River Ridge District Champions
Postseason: shows the result of the final playoff game for that season.
Let's start with number forty-seven, to really build some suspense.....
47. 1980 2-8
Averaging four points per game and giving up twenty-five, while getting shut out six times - ouch! - relegates the '80 Spartans to the sub-cellar.
Postseason: none.
46. 1981 1-9
This team wasn't as terrible as their record might indicate. Their average margin of loss was 9.5 points, and several were closer than that. Only two L's were by more than fourteen points.
Postseason: none.
45. 1978 2-8
Postseason: none.
44. 1982 3-7
Postseason: none.
43. 1979 3-7
Very slightly better than the 1982 team. While being completely putrid on offense, averaging five points per game to '82's eleven, the '79 Spartans gave up a full TD fewer points on defense. This team gave up more than twenty-eight points just once, as opposed to four times for the '82 squad.
Postseason: none.
42. 2010 7-4
The lowest-ranked of Coach Magenbauer's Salem teams had three narrow wins over really bad teams from Lord Botetourt, Blacksburg, and William Fleming. They also suffered a big loss at Cave Spring (which had lost to lowly Alleghany), and were the only Spartan team to lose a playoff game at home prior to the regional finals (until 2018's team matched that dubious achievement).
Postseason: Lost to Magna Vista 48-35 in Region IV quarterfinal.
41. 1983 4-5-1
This team - Willis White's first at Salem - was substantially better than any of the teams of 1978 to 1982. The '83 Spartans only gave up fourteen points per game, and three of the five losses were by seven or fewer points.
Postseason: none.
40. 2002 5-5
Probably the all-time most snakebit Salem team, experiencing four or five close losses to good teams. One loss was in six overtimes to Brookville; three of the other losses were by a total of ten points.
Postseason: none.
39. 1993 7-4
This team was the first to lose to William Byrd (after leading 14-0), and was blown out by good Northside and Pulaski County squads. These Spartans did manage to give Blue Ridge District champs Rockbridge County their only district loss.
Postseason: Lost to Rustburg 27-6 in Region III semifinal.
38. 2001 8-4
The '01 Spartans didn't really come close to beating the best teams they played. Two big losses to Division 4 state runners-up Pulaski County.
Postseason: Lost to Pulaski County 40-13 in Region III final.
37. 1994 7-5 BRD
Of all the Salem teams to win district titles, this young team ranks lowest. The team pulled off a big upset at Northside, and won a playoff game.
Postseason: Lost to Amherst County 55-19 in Region III final.
36. 1985 6-2-2
Postseason: none.
35. 1977 6-3-1
The inaugural edition of Spartan football gets the nod over the '85 team due to closer losses to the best teams on the respective schedules. The boys of '77 were one missed two-point attempt away from winning the Roanoke Valley District. Defeated the AA state champions from Blacksburg.
Postseason: none.
34. 2018 7-4
With heavy losses to graduation, the Spartans of '18 suffered the inevitable drop-off, but also had some tough luck. The three regular season losses, by a combined total of eighteen points, were all to very good teams. The fourth loss came at Salem Stadium, in the first round of the playoffs, to Jefferson Forest. That early playoff exit - occurring at home - drops the 2018 Spartans below the five teams immediately ahead of it in these rankings.
Postseason: Lost to Jefferson Forest 35-33 in Class 4 Region D quarterfinal.
33. 1988 10-2
The first Salem team to compete in AA. Both losses came at Salem Stadium. This team suffered the ignominy of being the only Salem team to lose to Alleghany; it closed the season with a home loss to Brookville in the regional final.
Postseason: Lost to Brookville 21-12 in Region III final.
32. 2022 10-3
The '22 Spartans were a dominant juggernaut against mediocre and bad teams, but struggled to score against the better opponents, despite a wealth of talent at the skill positions. The four teams immediately ahead of the '22 team in these rankings all performed better against the best teams on their schedules; those teams also were more competitive (against better opponents than '22 faced) in their playoff losses.
Postseason: Lost to E. C. Glass 35-21 in Class 4 Region D final.
31. 2011 8-4
Like the '02 squad, this group of Spartans had some hard luck. All four losses could have conceivably been wins. The team lost at Franklin County on a blocked point-blank field goal attempt on the final play; in OT at Northside; by six points at Division 4 state runner-up Christiansburg; and by one point in OT at Magna Vista.
Postseason: Lost to Magna Vista 36-35 OT in Region IV semifinal.
30. 1997 8-4 BRD
The '97 Spartans lost to state runner-up Heritage (Lynchburg) in overtime in the regional final.
Postseason: Lost to Heritage (Lynchburg) 20-14 OT in Region III final.
29. 2008 9-3
The '08 Spartans suffered two losses to a very good Pulaski County team in Dublin, and one to Division 3 state runners-up Brookville.
Postseason: Lost to Pulaski County 38-0 in Region IV final.
28. 1987 8-3 RVD
The '87 team, which won the Roanoke Valley District, ranks ahead of '88 due to a better playoff loss: this team lost at Courtland, which would go on to claim the Division 5 state title. The last Salem team in AAA.
Postseason: Lost to Courtland 21-0 in Northwest Region semifinal.
27. 1984 9-1
In Willis White's second year, this team really started it all. The '84 team's lone setback - at Pulaski County - was enough to eliminate it from the Northwest Region playoffs, two years before the six-division system was implemented. This was the last Spartan team to call Municipal Stadium home.
Postseason: none.
26. 2003 8-2
"What might have been" is the theme for this edition of Salem football. After wiping out Division 4 state runners-up William Fleming, the '03 Spartans dropped a certified heartbreaker in the last twenty seconds to Blacksburg that kept the team home for the playoffs.
Postseason: none.
25. 1990 11-2 BRD / RIII-4
A good team that was tough defensively, but rather one dimensional on offense. When that one dimension - tailback Richard Goodpasture - was injured, a loooooong bus ride home from Lee High in Jonesville resulted.
Postseason: Lost to Lee County 19-0 in state semifinal.
24. 2012 12-1 RRD / RIV-4
The last Spartan team prior to the big VHSL reorganization had six wins of seven or fewer points. This team ranks below the 2013 team due to weaker playoff competition.
Postseason: Lost to Heritage (Lynchburg) 24-16 in state semifinal.
23. 2013 11-3 RRD
The lads of '13 were much higher-scoring than their 2012 counterparts, and faced better playoff opponents. All three losses - including one at Division 3 state champs Northside - could have conceivably been reversed.
Postseason: Lost to Sherando 7-0 in state semifinal.
22. 2009 11-1 RRD
Unquestionably the most puzzling team in school history. The Barnette twins were seniors on this squad. After having the appearance of true state contenders all season, including winning at Division 3 state champion Northside, the '09 Spartans experienced an inexplicable loss of form following a first-round playoff bye (the first for any Salem team). The team barely scraped by a mediocre Magna Vista before being shut out by Christiansburg at Salem Stadium.
Postseason: Lost to Christiansburg 13-0 in Region IV final.
21. 2019 12-2 RRD / 4D
The 2019 Spartans were basically the 2018 Spartans with a year's growth and experience. Featuring a diverse, punishing rushing attack, Salem won the River Ridge District for the first time in three years, and reached the state semifinals for the seventh time in eight seasons. The two losses - to Class 4 runner-up Tuscarora and West Virginia AAA champion Martinsburg - came to top-level teams. '19's edition of Spartan football wasn't as competitive with the highest-level competition as the 1995 squad, but did perform significantly better in the postseason than the 2009 Spartans. So, 2019's team - the first led by head coach Don Holter - ends up squarely between those two.
Postseason: Lost to Tuscarora 36-20 in state semifinal.
20. 1995 10-2 BRD
This group of Spartans quite possibly could have claimed a state title, had it not been for an overtime loss to Division 4 state champion Amherst County in the regional final.
Postseason: Lost to Amherst County 36-29 OT in Region III final.
19. 2000 11-3 RIII-4 / *D4
The lowest-ranked of Salem's state championship teams. This team lost four regular season games (one loss was later reversed by a Cave Spring forfeit), and generally looked bad doing it. The '00 team was average at best on offense, but after some late-season repositioning of players, developed an impenetrable defense. The squad thoroughly dominated Magna Vista in the mud at Ridgeway in the state semis, then beat a revenge-minded Park View for the second straight year in the state title game.
Postseason: Defeated Park View (Sterling) 17-10 in state championship.
18. 1992 12-1 BRD / RIII-4
A tough call to make on this group of Spartans. A definite tale of "what might have been," even moreso than 2003, had the team gotten a completely fair shake at Richlands. Still, despite whatever shenanigans transpired, that game was winnable had a better effort been given against a solid, but totally one-dimensional opponent.
Postseason: Lost to Richlands 17-7 in state semifinal.
17. 1989 12-1 BRD / RIII-4
This team ranks ahead of '92 due to the fact that it's promising season ran aground because of circumstances out of its control - an injury to highly promising sophomore quarterback/safety Stephen Magenbauer. During the regular season, the '89 team defeated both AA state champions: Division 3 Graham and Division 4 Blacksburg. A team derailed by rotten luck, though definitely good luck in the long run for Coach M.
Postseason: Lost to Blacksburg 26-14 in state semifinal.
16. 2021 12-2 RRD / 4D
The '21 Spartans' profile is very similar to that of the '89 team, right down to having a championship caliber squad derailed by illness and injury. After an initial loss to perennial West Virginia AAA champs Martinsburg, Salem reeled off twelve wins in a row against mostly mediocre or worse competition (Christiansburg and Patrick Henry being the exceptions). When the team lost perhaps the school's best-ever defensive lineman to Covid, and a starting cornerback to a concussion, an agonizing last-minute loss to Broad Run ensued in the state semifinals. Based on very slightly better playoff competition, the 2021 Spartans just edge out the 1989 edition.
Postseason: Lost to Broad Run 28-24 in state semifinal.
15. 1991 13-1 BRD / RIII-4 / D4ru
The only Salem team to host a state championship game at Salem Stadium. Spotsylvania had a very good team, and came in to town and got the job done. However, with all due respect to the Knights, the fact that Salem very probably had the better team and lost a winnable game at home keeps this edition of the Spartans from cracking the top ten, or even the top five.
Postseason: Lost to Spotsylvania 31-27 in state championship.
14. 1996 12-2 BRD / RIII-4 / *D4
A sentimental favorite, this is the Salem team that finally broke through to win it all at the state level. While losing two regular season games in less-than-impressive fashion, the lads of '96 got it done in the post-season. In marked contrast to the '92 team, this team won a state semifinal out west in tough conditions, against Grundy in a freezing downpour at Tazewell's mud bowl.
Postseason: Defeated Sherando 20-12 in state championship.
13. 1986 12-2 RVD / NW-6 / D6ru
Many notable firsts were achieved by the '86 Spartans: first district champions; first playoff appearance; first playoff victory; first regional champions; first state championship appearance. This was the only Salem team to play in a AAA state title game. Posted three great road playoff wins, including one at E. C. Glass that avenged the lone regular season loss, and one at Courtland.
Postseason: Lost to Hampton 14-0 in state championship.
12. 2005 14-0 RRD / RIII-4 / *D4
A couple of factors account for what might seem like a low ranking for an undefeated state championship team. First, the '05 team had three close calls in the regular season, one against a mediocre Pulaski County team. They also had a closer-than-should-have-been win over Hidden Valley. The main drag on this squad's ranking is its playoff competition: aside from Amherst County, the '05 team faced the lowest quality playoff competition of all the state championship teams. Pulaski County and Bassett were not very stern tests, and Powhatan '05 is probably the weakest of all fourteen opponents Salem has played in state title games.
Postseason: Defeated Powhatan 28-10 in state championship.
11. 2006 11-1 RRD
Don't be mislead by the fact that this is the only team in the top fifteen to fall short of the state semifinals. The '06 Spartans were an excellent team, one that - had it picked up just one more first down against Amherst County in the regional final - quite possibly could have been state champions. This team had a close call in the regional semis against a very good team from William Fleming, and was slightly less impressive in the regular season than the 2007 team.
Postseason: Lost to Amherst County 25-21 in Region III final.
10. 2007 12-1 RRD / RIV-4
Like its 2006 predecessors, the 2007 version of Spartan football lost in the last minutes to an Amherst County team that some consider to be among the very best ever produced in AA. The '07 Spartans trailed what is probably the Lancers’ best-ever team by only six points in the final two minutes before a late Amherst interception and return sealed the deal. The regular season was highlighted by wins over good William Byrd, Brookville, and William Fleming teams. The lads then went on to post a tough win over a very good Bassett squad in the regional final.
Postseason: Lost to Amherst County 48-35 in state semifinal.
09. 2014 14-1 RRD / 4A N / 4Aru
The Spartans of 2014 were dominant throughout the regular season and through the 4A North playoffs, even after losing Coleman Fox to injury. Fox, the second-best all-around player in program history behind Peyton Lewis, wouldn't have made up all the difference against Lake Taylor, but he sure would have helped. The dominance ended in the state title game against the Titans, whose 2014 team is probably the best opponent any Salem team has ever faced.
Postseason: Lost to Lake Taylor 41-16 in state championship.
08. 2016 13-1 RRD / 4A W / *4A
The state champions of 2016 check in below the 2004 and 2017 teams chiefly due to the difference in quality of playoff competition. Millbrook was about as bad as a team sporting a 10-1 record could be, and while Byrd was a very tough, solid team, Salem caught a break when Dominion upset Woodgrove. Both the '16 and '04 squads dropped regular season games to good teams that they probably should have won. The dominance in the regular season displayed by this team puts it ahead of the team of '05.
Postseason: Defeated Dinwiddie 31-27 in state championship.
07. 2023 13-2 RRD / 4D / 4ru
Perhaps inarguably the most athletically talented Salem team ever, the '23 Spartans were so close to finishing 15-0 and at the top of this list, it's almost painful to recall the two agonizing losses that short-circuited that achievement. Alas, it's true: a pair of one-touchdown setbacks - one in the final two minutes to undefeated Class 3 champion LCA, and one with 00:01 on the clock to undefeated Phoebus in the state title game - were all that kept this defensively dominant team from being the best in school history. Despite featuring two SEC recruits in Chris Cole and Peyton Lewis (the best overall player of football in Salem High history), and a number of other talented backs and receivers, an ultra-conservative offensive approach limited the Spartans in their two losses. To sort between this team and the squads of 2016 and 2017 is splitting the finest of hairs, so they've landed squarely in between those two. <Sigh>...what might have been!
Postseason: Lost to Phoebus 21-14 in state championship.
06. 2017 13-2 4D / *4
This group of Spartans went on a wild roller coaster ride - from preseason favorites, to also-rans and an afterthought, and finally to bonafide state champions. The two losses were not bad ones, given the opponents: Dinwiddie, a top five team, and Blacksburg, probably the second-best team in Class 4. The difference in playoff achievement sets this team a little above the 2014 and 2016 editions. Charlottesville, George Washington (on the road), and Sherando were each completely outclassed. Salem's redemptive road win at Blacksburg - one of the most talented Class 4 teams in the state - ranks as one of the most impressive playoff wins in school history. The boys of '17 capped off their remarkable turn-around with a decisive victory in the state final, topping Louisa by three touchdowns - the largest championship game margin for any of Salem's ten state champs.
Postseason: Defeated Louisa County 43-22 in state championship.
05. 2004 13-1 RRD / RIII-4 / *D4
An outstanding team kept out of the top four primarily by the fluky loss at Christiansburg. Comparing playoff opponents through the first three rounds, the '04 Spartans are ahead of the '99 team that is ranked two spots higher. A win at undefeated Liberty was followed by victories on the fields of Amherst County and Richlands, each with only one prior loss. However, the factor that tips the scales in favor of the 1999 team is the opponents faced in the state title game. The '04 team turned what probably could have been a comfortable win over Harrisonburg into a nailbiter, while the '99 squad knocked off Park View, which was quite possibly the better team.
Postseason: Defeated Harrisonburg 16-14 in state championship.
04. 2020 10-0 RRD / 4D / *4
[Season held in Spring 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic.]
An abbreviated regular season (no non-district games) and shortened playoffs quite possibly prevented this Spartan team from being the first to finish 15-0. The only question mark is whether or not 2019's home loss to Martinsburg would have been avenged on the road. As it was, the '20 Spartans were in control of every contest, never being in serious danger of losing in any game. Tailback/linebacker Zavione Wood led the way, and probably would have been Class 4's player of the year, had All-State teams been selected. Playoff achievement is a big factor in these rankings, and Salem '20 posted the queen mother of postseason triumphs - a dominating win over Lake Taylor on their home field, where the Titans had won twenty-three straight playoff games dating back to 2011. This ultimate road warrior feat made Don Holter the third consecutive Salem head coach to lead the Spartans to a state title.
Postseason: Defeated Lake Taylor 28-20 in state championship.
03. 1999 14-0 BRD / RIII-4 / *D4
Despite having a very tough act to follow in the 1998 team, the boys of '99 more than acquitted themselves. This team dominated opponents throughout the regular season, though not quite to the degree that the '98 team had. The fact that this team beat Park View - probably one of the four or five best teams ever to line up against Salem - in the state championship puts it ahead of the 2004 squad.
Postseason: Defeated Park View (Sterling) 21-20 in state championship.
02. 1998 14-0 BRD / RIII-4 / *D4
Long considered the gold standard of Salem High football teams, and for good reason. Before the season, Coach White, when asked if this would be his best team, responded, "I don't know about best, but we'll have the most size, the most strength, and the most speed we've ever had." Ten steamrolled regular season opponents probably would have agreed. The '98 team played tougher playoff opponents in the second and third rounds than did the '99 team, most notably at Martinsville in the state semifinals. Salem led just 3-0 midway through the fourth quarter, and won 17-0 over a Bulldogs team that was better defensively than Lafayette, the opponent in the state title game.
Postseason: Defeated Lafayette 28-18 in state championship.
01. 2015 14-0 RRD / 4A W / *4A
Considering what was just said of the 1998 team, placing any team ahead of them almost seems like heresy. But the numbers and achievements justify crowning the 2015 Spartans as the best in school history - by a razor-thin margin over 1998. The regular season games were all massive blowouts, with the narrowest win being twenty-four over Northside. Changes in the way the game is played between 1998 and 2015 account for much of the difference in average margin, so that wasn't the biggest factor. The chief consideration weighing on 2015's side is playoff achievement: the '15 team defeated three previously-undefeated opponents in a row, two in true road games. Knocking off Lake Taylor, which was a better team than Lafayette of '98, at a neutral site is the final straw that tips the balance ever-so-slightly in favor of the 2015 Spartans as the school's finest-ever.
Postseason: Defeated Lake Taylor 17-14 2OT in state championship.
I began this ranking exercise in 2014 or 2015. At some point I realized that 2016 would be the fortieth season, so it would make more sense to finish and post it after that season concluded. However, somewhere during that time, the old Salem football website disappeared. That had been my primary source, as it contained each year's scores and records. It was temporarily replaced by a Google site that was absolutely riddled with typos and errors, and then that disappeared as well. So while VHSL-Reference contains records back to 1999, I'd lost all of the regular season scores from 1977 to 1998. Fortunately, I knew all the playoff information, and had gotten far enough in ranking most of those older seasons to soldier on.
Ranking forty-seven teams, all from different years, relative to each other was initially a daunting task. Then I realized that the teams could be grouped according to their ultimate achievement. Eight classes made themselves apparent: undefeated state champions; state champions; state runners-up; state semifinalists; regional runners-up; teams eliminated from the playoffs prior to the regional final; teams that missed the playoffs with a winning record; and teams with a .500 or worse record. Once I got all the teams listed under those headings, things started making more sense. The matter again became more complicated when I realized that certain teams from each class were better than teams in the more accomplished classes. And finally, a certain subset presented even more challenges. These were the "could-have-beens" - teams that very conceivably could have won it all, had cruel Dame Fortune been less fickle. The teams from '89, '91, '92, '95, '03, '06, '07, and '21 comprised that subset.
For the actual criteria, I tried to go primarily by achievement. In general, the more championships a team earned at all levels, the higher its ranking. Many Salem teams have won both district and regional championships, and we've been very fortunate to have had ten state champions. So, the quality of playoff competition faced was a big factor in further sorting out the teams. Road playoff wins in particular weighed in a team's favor. I avoided comparing teams by looking at personnel; for one, I couldn't begin to remember everyone, and I also felt that comparison would be too subjective. The primary factor I considered for each team was, how did they do against their contemporaries in that given year?
As I stated at the beginning, these rankings, and all of the commentary, are merely my own opinions. No more or less valuable than those of anyone else. I welcome any comments and discussion. I won't get into any real arguing, because it's just for fun, and there's really nothing to defend - it's just my opinion. I've tried to show my work in the comments on each team. For those of you who played on any of these Salem teams, or had relatives that did, I mean no offense to anyone. Hopefully this list will be taken in the spirit of fun and information-sharing in which it was intended. The important thing to remember is - it's a forty-seven-way tie for first in our hearts!
[Edit: Had fourseasonsfootball.com existed when I put all this together, my task would have been much easier.]
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