9/21 VA PREPS TOP TEN

[THEGOATFROMJMU]

Auburn and PM aren't top ten..... just my opinion I'm ok with other 8

1 Essex Tappahannock 4-0
The Trojans steamrolled Class 5A Deep Run 41-7 on Friday to maintain the top spot
2 Honaker Honaker 4-0
The Tigers stayed on the tail of Essex with a 45-0 win over Holston
3 Riverheads Staunton 3-0
The Gladiators held their spot with a 35-21 win over Waynesboro
4 Radford Radford 4-0
The Bobcats notched another victory by topping Craig County 54-0
5 Auburn Riner 3-0
The Eagles bested Roanoke Catholic 31-6 to maintain their position
6 Luray Luray 3-0
The Bulldogs collected a 12-7 win over George Mason to hold onto their spot
7 Central Senior Victoria 3-1
The Chargers blasted Prince Edward 48-6 to hold steady at #7
8 Franklin Franklin 3-0
The Broncos rose two spots in the rankings with a 48-14 win over Charles City
9 George Wythe Wytheville 3-1
The Maroons come back into the rankings following their 28-27 win over Galax
10 Parry Mccluer Buena Vista 3-1
The Fighting Blues make their way back into the rankings thanks to a 35-6 win over Nelson County

 

[VaPrepsRod]

Replace them with. .......?

 

[kwhs95fan]

Never seen Auburn play but love their story. Seems like they had it rough for years. Galax isn't in this top ten but with the schedule they've played I think they are definitely a top 10 team despite their record. I look for them to be in the hunt in the west come playoff time.

 

[mmqp]

Auburn and PM aren't top ten..... just my opinion I'm ok with other 8

Yea I cant argue that. If PM wins their next 3 I might change my opinion. But so far from what I've seen? Meh.

 

[VaPrepsRod]

Never seen Auburn play but love their story. Seems like they had it rough for years. Galax isn't in this top ten but with the schedule they've played I think they are definitely a top 10 team despite their record. I look for them to be in the hunt in the west come playoff time.

Were I predicting Galax against either team, I'd probably pick the Tide to win but there is a major difference between predictions and rankings -- one is a reflection of what you think will happen and the other is a reflection of what actually did happen.

Galax has played a tough schedule, no doubt, and when they lost one game, they stayed in the top ten because everyone can slip up. When were 0-2 it was debatable whether or not they should be in.

Having lost three of four games? No way that they should be ranked in the top ten. You have to actually win games! They might be the third or fourth best team in the state, that is all subjective; however, they have not put up the resume that they other schools have, to date.

Winning and losing has to matter for something.

By the end of the season, Galax could be 7-3 against a very good schedule and they would certainly deserve a spot in the rankings. At 1-3, they simply do not.

Auburn's wins are not great, but they have actually won games. That has to matter.With games coming up against Parry McCluer, Glenvar and Radford, they will either prove that they belong and hold their spot or they will be moved down as they lose.

If you are ranking teams just because you think that they would win in a head-to-head, you're doing it wrong, imo, because there is no tangible proof that Galax has had a better season than Auburn or Parry McCluer through four weeks.

 

[mmqp]

Were I predicting Galax against either team, I'd probably pick the Tide....

I have no issues with the poll honestly. Right now I dont know if PM is a top ten 10..but like you said, who else can you put there? In reality, the Blues could very well be 4-0 right now..they had the ball in Buffalo Gap territory 6 times and only came away with 12 points. They're very young, but their O-line is..for the first time in years...big. Big, but young. The youngest Dawson brother who is a freshman is running good and KJ Cook is starting to pile up big numbers from the running back position as well. KJ was the QB last year and he's not much smaller than Ryheem. If the line gels I think the Blues will be a tough out come playoff time. But, for me, the next three weeks are the season. If they can win all 3 of these games, then they'll finish 9-1. I'm hoping they win at least 2 but it'll be tough..but an excellent test for a very young team.

 

[VaPrepsRod]

I have no issues with the poll honestly. Right now I dont know if PM is a top ten 10..but like you said, who else can you put there? In reality, the Blues could very well be 4-0 right now..they had the ball in Buffalo Gap territory 6 times and only came away with 12 points. They're very young, but their O-line is..for the first time in years...big. Big, but young. The youngest Dawson brother who is a freshman is running good and KJ Cook is starting to pile up big numbers from the running back position as well. KJ was the QB last year and he's not much smaller than Ryheem. If the line gels I think the Blues will be a tough out come playoff time. But, for me, the next three weeks are the season. If they can win all 3 of these games, then they'll finish 9-1. I'm hoping they win at least 2 but it'll be tough..but an excellent test for a very young team.

Oh, I didn't think that you had an issue with the poll, I just try to talk about it as much as possible because it is a fascinating topic for me and perhaps the most fun part of the job.

Developing theories on how the rankings should be compiled and why some teams should or should not be ahead of others might be my favorite discussion as long as it revolves around theory and discussion instead of just meathead statements like, "I know that my team is better than them."

I'm obsessed with the stuff that Matt Gilliam and VHSL-Reference do and would love to have a three-day sit down with them to discuss theory.

The best part is that there really are no hard and fast rules. For example, not all undefeated teams should be ranked higher than one-loss teams (see 2A poll), so you can't just go by record.

To me, the first and most important rule that I follow comes from the question, "Who did you lose to?". That tells me more about a team than anything else.

One of my favorite scenarios is when team A beats team B. That makes it easy to rank A ahead of B.
However, what do you do when team A then loses their next three games while team B wins their next three. Team A now may have just been better on the given night that they played team B, but clearly B has a better overall season. Where is the tipping point in that scenario? After 1 loss? 2? 3? Never?

I could go on all day.

 

[THEGOATFROMJMU]

I personally would slid William Campbell in there -- loss to a legit Buckingham team I don't hold that against them... they beat #7 Central

I like Galax or JI Burton in the #10 spot....

Auburn, PM, Sussex on the outside looking in (no particular order)

 

[knightsfan96]

Replace them with. .......?

I like William Campbell in there somewhere. They defeated Central Lunenburg, who is 7th, and lost to a good Buckingham team.

 

[intrinsicreward]

I agree with Rod. If I were betting on Auburn vs. Galax I would definitely take Galax. If were doing a poll I wouldn't put in a 1-3 team over a 3-0 team no matter what I thought of the schedule. More than likely they will start winning and climb up in the top ten but they have to win first.

 

[VaPrepsRod]

I like William Campbell in there somewhere. They defeated Central Lunenburg, who is 7th, and lost to a good Buckingham team.

William Campbell was in the poll after beating Central and, while Buckingham is a good team, the score of that game was 55-12 which I thought was too big of a margin to keep them in front of two undefeated teams. In their defense, they get a shot to get back in this week against Appomattox, but given that Appo beat Buckingham, I'm not optimistic. They are on the "next five" list that I keep, so they are definitely one of the considered teams.

I personally would slid William Campbell in there -- loss to a legit Buckingham team I don't hold that against them... they beat #7 Central

I like Galax or JI Burton in the #10 spot....

Auburn, PM, Sussex on the outside looking in (no particular order)

Burton kind of falls under the same umbrella right now as they lost to a great Union team but the final was 52-6 and I watched that game which left an impression on me as well.

The 15-point win over 1-3 Chilhowie buys back almost no equity, but they got back into discussion with the victory over Lee. Winning at Twin Springs this week might add enough to their resume depending on what happens above them this week.

 

[MT FAN 91]

I'm a Galax fan and in my opinion they absolutely have NO right to be ranked in the top 10 right now. I know they have played a tough schedule and they have lost some of those games in the last seconds but they're still 1-3. And a 1-3 team is not worthy of a top 10 ranking. Maybe by the end of the year they will be able to play their way into the top 10.

 

[VaPrepsRod]

I'm a Galax fan and in my opinion they absolutely have NO right to be ranked in the top 10 right now. I know they have played a tough schedule and they have some lost some of those games in the last seconds but they're still 1-3. And a 1-3 team is not worthy of a top 10 ranking. Maybe by the end of the year they will be able to play their way into the top 10.

Beating Giles would put them right back into the discussion, maybe back in the poll. Back that up with wins over Fort Chiswell and Graham and I would think that a 4-3 Galax team should be ranked (somewhat depending on what else happens, of course). Add a fourth win in a row over Narrows and they'd likely have to be ranked by then.

Again, remember, the goal of the top ten is not to rank the best ten teams on paper. The goal is to rank the top ten resumes.

It is not who we think you are, it is what you have accomplished.

**Not directed at you MT FAN 91, just an addition to the general discussion**

 

[gtownfencecrew]

Beating Giles would put them right back into the discussion, maybe back in the poll. Back that up with wins over Fort Chiswell and Graham and I would think that a 4-3 Galax team should be ranked (somewhat depending on what else happens, of course). Add a fourth win in a row over Narrows and they'd likely have to be ranked by then.

Again, remember, the goal of the top ten is not to rank the best ten teams on paper. The goal is to rank the top ten resumes.

It is not who we think you are, it is what you have accomplished.

**Not directed at you MT FAN 91, just an addition to the general discussion**

If they beat the #2 2A team, personally I'd have them back in the poll.

 

[VaPrepsRod]

If they beat the #2 2A team, personally I'd have them back in the poll.

I probably would too but I don't like definitive blanket statements like that without knowing what happened in front of them.

The formula isn't if X beats Y then Z.

It is more like if X beat Y and A loses to B while C plays D close and G destroys H, then Z.

 

[CallMeCoach19]

Yeah, that Giles v. Galax game has a lot of Spartans thinking long and hard. I don't think they are overlooking this week, but that is a big upset flag waving ahead on Oct 2!

 

[THEGOATFROMJMU]

I would also drop honaker into #7 or #8 because of the lack of quality teams they have played.

Strength of schedule means more to me than others
All undefeated teams aren't the same

Comparing 4-0 between (Riverheads and Essex) vs. (Honaker and Auburn) it's not close

 

[MT FAN 91]

Strength of schedule should definitely play a role in rankings and you're correct all undefeated teams aren't the same. What do you know Goat...we agree...haha

 

[VaPrepsRod]

I would also drop honaker into #7 or #8 because of the lack of quality teams they have played.

Strength of schedule means more to me than others
All undefeated teams aren't the same

Comparing 4-0 between (Riverheads and Essex) vs. (Honaker and Auburn) it's not close

I think that's a valid point and one of the more interesting issues when ranking. Honaker got the benefit of the doubt in the preseason because of their performance last season so the question becomes when does strength of schedule merit a drop?

While I think that it is a factor, SOS has too many wild swings in it. Like, if Honaker had two really tough games in a row right now while Riverheads had two cupcakes, then suddenly their strength of schedule evens out and you just end up re-shuffling a lineup back to where you had it two weeks prior. To me, that's splitting hairs unnecessarily.

Therefore, I'm more likely to default to the question, "Has Honaker done anything on the field that merits dropping them?". The answer there is "no" because they beat their soft schedule exactly in the manner that they should have.

All in all, Essex is already ahead of them and Riverheads is just one spot behind so the gap is considerably small. Had the Tigers had a game decided by less than three touchdowns, I'd consider dropping them. Or, had Riverheads had an overwhelming performance that could not be denied, they would make a jump. Should they destroy Luray this week, that could be in play.

Additionally, I am always wary of the first three games of the season because many teams are still figuring out who they are and which players should be on the field. I'm way less likely to make big changes during that time frame than I am in the middle of the year when teams should have all their systems completely in place.

 

[MT FAN 91]

Makes sense to me Rod.

 

[THEGOATFROMJMU]

From year to year it depends on who you have lost.... (mainly the superstar)
Altavista lost thornhill -- that's huge
I still watch his dunks in basketball and am just amazed

I'm not familiar enough with honaker to know who they lost from the previous year.


I like the idea of jumping teams up and down based upon a big performance or weak performance.

 

[VaPrepsRod]

From year to year it depends on who you have lost.... (mainly the superstar)
Altavista lost thornhill -- that's huge
I still watch his dunks in basketball and am just amazed

I'm not familiar enough with honaker to know who they lost from the previous year.

Their biggest question mark to me was at QB where they inserted a sophomore but he's come along nicely to this point keeping them balanced enough on that side of the ball.

Their next three games -- Grundy, GW and Burton -- will either confirm or expose them.

 

[bravesfan7327]

Their next three games -- Grundy, GW and Burton -- will either confirm or expose them.

Exactly! The schedule will pretty much do your job for you the next three weeks as far as the Tigers go!

I'm not familiar enough with honaker to know who they lost from the previous year.

They graduated 20 seniors and like rod said starting a first time sophomore qb and first year running back.

 

[G MASTER BLASTER W]

Galax will be 1 of those teams that no one wants to see come playoff time they will make it deep. Like I said in my other post they are 3-4 plays away from being 4-0

 

[G MASTER BLASTER W]

And I cant wait to make the trip back down to Honaker next week. It will be a good game if we can slow the pass game down if not as much as I hate to say it the game will be over by halftime.

 

[trueblue102]

William Campbell was in the poll after beating Central and, while Buckingham is a good team, the score of that game was 55-12 which I thought was too big of a margin to keep them in front of two undefeated teams. In their defense, they get a shot to get back in this week against Appomattox, but given that Appo beat Buckingham, I'm not optimistic. They are on the "next five" list that I keep, so they are definitely one of the considered teams.



Burton kind of falls under the same umbrella right now as they lost to a great Union team but the final was 52-6 and I watched that game which left an impression on me as well.

The 15-point win over 1-3 Chilhowie buys back almost no equity, but they got back into discussion with the victory over Lee. Winning at Twin Springs this week might add enough to their resume depending on what happens above them this week.

Lunenburg got pushed around by Buckingham this week. Saw the Chargers vs. Randolph-Henry. They squeaked by the Statesmen. I wasn't impressed with them. Of course, it was only one game, but weren't what I would think of as a top 10 team.

 

[VaPrepsRod]

Lunenburg got pushed around by Buckingham this week. Saw the Chargers vs. Randolph-Henry. They squeaked by the Statesmen. I wasn't impressed with them. Of course, it was only one game, but weren't what I would think of as a top 10 team.

They won't be in there now

 

[Cougar Ed]

Auburn and PM aren't top ten..... just my opinion I'm ok with other 8

1 Essex Tappahannock 4-0
The Trojans steamrolled Class 5A Deep Run 41-7 on Friday to maintain the top spot
2 Honaker Honaker 4-0
The Tigers stayed on the tail of Essex with a 45-0 win over Holston
3 Riverheads Staunton 3-0
The Gladiators held their spot with a 35-21 win over Waynesboro
4 Radford Radford 4-0
The Bobcats notched another victory by topping Craig County 54-0
5 Auburn Riner 3-0
The Eagles bested Roanoke Catholic 31-6 to maintain their position
6 Luray Luray 3-0
The Bulldogs collected a 12-7 win over George Mason to hold onto their spot
7 Central Senior Victoria 3-1
The Chargers blasted Prince Edward 48-6 to hold steady at #7
8 Franklin Franklin 3-0
The Broncos rose two spots in the rankings with a 48-14 win over Charles City
9 George Wythe Wytheville 3-1
The Maroons come back into the rankings following their 28-27 win over Galax
10 Parry Mccluer Buena Vista 3-1
The Fighting Blues make their way back into the rankings thanks to a 35-6 win over Nelson County

I have said many times, I am a Jack Turner fan but you are correct Auburn is not top 10, maybe top 10 in the west. I think PM will be a top 10 team.

 

[VaPrepsRod]

I have said many times, I am a Jack Turner fan but you are correct Auburn is not top 10, maybe top 10 in the west. I think PM will be a top 10 team.

Which ten resumes are better than Auburn's right now?

 

[obguthr]

Which ten resumes are better than Auburn's right now?

If Galax is out for losing, what about Bland? Bland is as deserving as Auburn and probably more deserving than Luray. Frankly, Luray squeaking by lowly Mason and Madison (love the Mountaineers though) is not super compelling.

 

[VaPrepsRod]

If Galax is out for losing, what about Bland? Bland is as deserving as Auburn and probably more deserving than Luray. Frankly, Luray squeaking by lowly Mason and Madison (love the Mountaineers though) is not super compelling.

After what we saw this week, that will almost certainly be the case

 

[Cougar Ed]

If Galax is out for losing, what about Bland? Bland is as deserving as Auburn and probably more deserving than Luray. Frankly, Luray squeaking by lowly Mason and Madison (love the Mountaineers though) is not super compelling.

Auburn beat Bland 42-0 in benefit scrimmage game.