Altavista is Good...Real title contender...How are they going under the radar?
- Thread starter Dtayl6
- Start date
Dtayl6 I know your are a humble dude so ill say it for you AltaVista has no chance Sussex it two steps ahead of them this is not AltaVista from a few seasons ago
Dtayl6 I know your are a humble dude so ill say it for you AltaVista has no chance Sussex it two steps ahead of them this is not AltaVista from a few seasons ago
Coaching is great...Coach Jefferson has been a staple in our community for years. More than a coach. Graduate of Sussex, Played QB at U of R then came back, he has now been there about 25 or more years now. His staff is made up of mostly former players so its truly a family affair. About 2 or 3 years ago he was in a bad car accident and that night almost the whole community including myself was waiting in the emergency room...thats how much we love him. When my brother and sister passed away he was there. He has great coaches who go out of there way to help these kids who without the help of these coaches would be lost to the streets. The dynamics in Sussex is probably a little different than most places except for maybe Franklin. A lot of drugs, low income housing and broken families, crime..etc. Its very easy for kids to be lost in the streets...plenty of great athletes never even made it to high school. Some people never get out...all they know is Sussex. Some kids have never been on vacations or to events that other communities take for granted...those things some of them have never experienced. So when coach Jefferson gets them they are raw...have to be taught. Sports in Sussex changed my life. It really did. I grew up in a broken home as a ward of the court and eventually raised by my grandparents. Coaches like Coach Jefferson, Coach Ricks, Coach Jenkins, and friends like coach Jackson(OC) pushed me to go to college and were there for me even when my parents werent or my grandparents couldn't be due to health reason. When I graduated college they drove all the way to North Carolina just to see me walk across the stage...my dad didnt even bother. These men are upstanding people who coach out of love. Thats why i come up here and try to show humility and respect bc thats what those coaches taught us. You have fans who are rude but believe me they annoy us too. Coach Jefferson teaches us to take victory and defeat the same...as men.
Last edited:
Coach Jefferson is an excellent coach and a true pillar of that community. A class act indeed. I remember the old basketball coach back when I was in school. Coach Joyner I believe. Always had great teams. Was very hard nosed and I don't think I ever saw him smile. Lol. But you could tell the kids had respect for him.
Coach Joyner loved us...he didnt play...i mean you did what he said but he actually laughed a lot. Love that guy. He always wanted the best for us but he was old school...even in his science class he was no nonsense. You didnt act up in Coach Joyner's science class...the baddest of the baddest knew what time it was when you were in coach joyner's class.
Last edited:
What was crazy is those teachers and coaches didnt write you up...they came to your house...just showed up and told your folks in person...thats how close the community was then. Once i got suspended off of the school bus...my grandma called coach joyner so that i could ride with him to school...i was like please no. It was winter and my school was like 20-25 minutes away. Coach Joyner road with the windows down the entire time...i mean ALL the windows...you think i said anything...HELL NO. Never got suspended again.
I know what you are saying coach parker from franklin has his hands full every year not just during football season but everyday trying to keep these boys inline and out of trouble people who don't understand Sussex and franklin are quick to judge them but if they could only see what our boys go through they would see why they play with so much passion Like Dtayl6 said high school football is the highlight of some of these kids lives I can ride down the street and see a lot of state championship jackets from the past but its the way of life
Sounds like he is doing things right there. It may be surprising but I think a lot of smaller schools have similar issues within the community. Really every school that used to be bigger and then the jobs left is like this. The cream rises, aka moves to where they can make a living or goes to college and doesn't come back, and the ones who are left are either stuck or have no desire to leave. Hollywood would like you to believe that it is only in the inner cities, but those populations are so high that it kind of hides itself and kids can at least see what a successful life can look like which may change their way of thinking. Kids in the small communities never leave their little towns and they fall into place because that is their assumption of what life has to be. Vicious cycle that I think is prevalent within a lot of our small communities.
Thats exactly what happened...the mill closed and people left to find better jobs.
Dtayl nailed it! A little more info on Coach Jefferson...2 state titles(1 as the head coach). First year as the head coach he lead Sussex to the state championship game. 3 undefeated regular seasons. Out of 16 years as the head coach he has only missed the playoffs ONCE. Most important stat...he has always placed life lessons over FOOTBALL! There isn't a player former or current can say that he hasn't been there for them in LIFE!
I was on that team in 2001. Fell into the playoffs at 6-4. Made a great run. The next year we had a chance to win a title...were one of the favorites but we had a slip up. The next year he expanded the offense and they went undefeated to the title. Lately he hasnt had the horses but he still has made deep runs. When my brother was QB they had another state championship caliber team but they got beat by a great Clintwood team in 2011-2012...best game i have seen since those Sussex-Lunenburg playoff games.
I have to double check but I think the quarterback in 88 was Shawn Goodwyn(he went to Marshall).
Just because a place is in the country doesn't mean it doesn't have its issues. Essex and KQ for instance are also in the country and they too have a lot of kids who come from broken families and low income families and are surrounded by drugs all around them. One picture off of Google of a cornfield doesn't show what those kids go through on a daily basis. Plenty of beautiful land all around but that doesn't take you inside someones home or their day to day struggles.
Dtayl6,
Hey bud, just read the game recap on the other thread. Don't know much about you guys this year but that was definitely an impressive win. I knew you guys were tough from defensive stats but looks like number 3 has a set of wheels on the way he gets down the field. Congrats on a big win. This is really shaping up for some excitement in the late rounds East and West.
Hey bud, just read the game recap on the other thread. Don't know much about you guys this year but that was definitely an impressive win. I knew you guys were tough from defensive stats but looks like number 3 has a set of wheels on the way he gets down the field. Congrats on a big win. This is really shaping up for some excitement in the late rounds East and West.
Goodwyn was the qb; I was mistaken.
You guys had Givens, Crocker and the guy in front of me was Ricky Carter(I believe). He was #77.
A few of us former chargers and a few coaches got together after the game Friday and watched some old film; one was the Sussex state semi final from 88. Good memories! You guys had just moved down from AA and were pretty loaded.
How many guys from that team played college ball? I know about Givens going to Penn St and later the Cowboys, but any info on the rest?
Thanks
You guys had Givens, Crocker and the guy in front of me was Ricky Carter(I believe). He was #77.
A few of us former chargers and a few coaches got together after the game Friday and watched some old film; one was the Sussex state semi final from 88. Good memories! You guys had just moved down from AA and were pretty loaded.
How many guys from that team played college ball? I know about Givens going to Penn St and later the Cowboys, but any info on the rest?
Thanks
We have a lot of work to do. We still gotta cut down on the penalties. Gotta figure out a way to slow down Altavista...they have a lot of penalties too though. I think the team that makes the least amount of mistakes will win this one. #3 is Trevon Hatch and he is one the quietest kids you could meet. He is a really good kid. Hard nose kid. One of those kids that could play in any era. Old soul.
Dyayl I'm sorry to hear about your brother, that's a shame. The picture I posted wasn't in bad taste. A young ex football player from Essex was killed in his own home recently so I know exactly the type of kids/situations you're talking about. The picture was just a joke. A couple years ago when Essex made a deep run in the playoffs a poster from the west said something about Essex being urban or something like that and I posted a similar pic from Essex just to show that it wasn't.
I've never hung around in Essex so i dont know the dynamics of the area. I do know franklin and sussex and you would be shocked at the situation out there. I wasnt trying to say these 2 places are different from other places or i wasnt trying to make that the focus...i was trying to show the importance of the coaches that Sussex has in Coach Jefferson and his staff and the coaches that woodlayer says franklin has in coach parker and his staff. Each area has a struggle im sure but im familiar because of my upbringing in sussex and my relationships with people in franklin from my childhood on up. It really breaks my heart to hear about young people dying like that and my prayers go out to the young man's family in Essex. Sussex has a lot going on down there.
Last edited:
After watching film on Altavista it is confirmed...they are the real deal! Speed, power, creativity(offensive & defensive sets), special teams. I really don't understand why they haven't received the publicity???? Another thing I noticed is the fans are real humble(at least on here)...haven't heard any trash talking or even an evaluation of the team. Good stuff! This weekend will be VERY INTERESTING! God I love high school football!
Well if i may put my opinion on this i think the reason why Altavista went under the radar this year is because a lot of people on this forum just mainly talk about the west teams and not much on the East. If you just ask a quick question about Altavista your question will be answer. Another reason why people are counting them out is because when Thornhill and crew were there they were very good and people expected that after they left. Just because that group left doesn't mean there isn't any talent left to play and the coaching staff knows how to put players were they need to be.
You are exactly right!!! Thornhill and company set the bar so high people expect that kind of dominance every year. Those guys were a special talent.
Unfortunately i will be away for the Thanksgiving weekend but i will definitely listen to it on the radio.
Yes they were a amazing group and to say i played little league football with those guys
