It goes by Highest Rating, so Graham and Riverheads are the 2 home teams at Salem
Graham 42-28 with 1/2 of a QB. Its different in Bluefield
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It goes by Highest Rating, so Graham and Riverheads are the 2 home teams at Salem
I hope you’re right but nothing is a given. GMen need to bring their A game, limit penalties, and hold on to the dang ball. KW will be a tough opponent to beat.
1st...You saying them being NFL players, mannn miss me with that, only 1.6% Division 1 college players even get drafted, and that doesn't even mean they will make the team.
2nd... You never saw the 15-16 Appo team in action, I seen the 2021 Graham so YES I know the 15 & 16 team would have run through them like a Locomotive !!! Anybody on here that seen the 15 and 16 Appo team would probably agree after seeing the 2021 Appo put up 28 on the G-Men. 4 over them over throws to #1 had TD's written all over them that the secondary of Graham didn't defend. There running game and kickoff returns was all they had on O. They didn't wanna throw deep which was a good game plan cause Appos secondary comes up with a lot of INTs. Appos 15 & 16 team had 4 x 100 All State Track Star Champions. The WHOLE team had lighting speed. 11 Hats on the ball. They dominated 4A Amherst and 3A Heritage. I'll stop now, because I'm just wasting my time trying to tell you what I know. I've seen throughout all your post you always seem you gotta be right. Well humility is few things people conquer. I mean I really haven't seen u on these threads until the last game. Fans coming out the wood works. Anyways, I'll say it again. 15 & 16 Appo team would have poured the coal on this year's Graham, dont care if they had 3 Bradshaw's. I'm done, that's my opinion cause I have witnessed BOTH teams play and see NO comparison. ✌🏻
He hasn't been on here in a couple of days. He must have gotten banned
The 2015 and 2016 teams were both very good . I would have to say the 2016 team came together as ONE team, ONE force more so than 15 mainly because it was the same players with more experience and training under their belt. They were a special group of boys that were like brothers and became family. I personally cannot say one year was better than the other as they both had overall qualities that made them dominate. Those young men were motivated in so many ways and each of them were leaders of the team not just 2 or 3.
I'd have to agree. The 2015 team was very good, but the 2016 one was nearly flawless.
Like said above I would have to say the 16 team for the mere fact that a lot of the starters in 15 were juniors.
In saying that though there were some special seniors on that 15 team.
Team speed was the recipe for those teams. Good line play, good skill folks but ALL could run.
Example: 2016 state championship game. Richalnds squib kicks a kick off cause they are afraid of our speed in the back. Up guy takes it to the house....the up guy was the 110 meter hurdle state champion the previous year.
Those teams just flew to the ball like non of our other teams seem to have.
The truly hated the thought of losing more than they loved the idea of winning.
In saying that though there were some special seniors on that 15 team.
Team speed was the recipe for those teams. Good line play, good skill folks but ALL could run.
Example: 2016 state championship game. Richalnds squib kicks a kick off cause they are afraid of our speed in the back. Up guy takes it to the house....the up guy was the 110 meter hurdle state champion the previous year.
Those teams just flew to the ball like non of our other teams seem to have.
The truly hated the thought of losing more than they loved the idea of winning.
The truly hated the thought of losing more than they loved the idea of winning.
[/QUOTE]
This mentality separates many really good teams from great teams.
I was talking with one of our assistants about the time that was put in to game prepping etc. His response to my comments: I hate losing more than I love winning.
#GoGMen
[/QUOTE]
This mentality separates many really good teams from great teams.
I was talking with one of our assistants about the time that was put in to game prepping etc. His response to my comments: I hate losing more than I love winning.
#GoGMen
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The 2015 Appomattox team was beatable, Richlands had them on the ropes and had they a more consistent running game they would have eaten up the clock and took the W.
The 2016 Appomattox team was one of the best 2A teams in my lifetime. They were a well oiled machine with no weaknesses. A juggernaut of a team. This Graham team is good and could play with 2015 Appomattox for sure. 2016? Dunno bout all that. The 2016 team just destroyed everyone, including some very good teams. They won their playoff games 63-12, 45-21, 43-0, 46-13 and the title game 42-7. Only two games within double digits, an 8 point win over a very good 3A Heritage team and a two point win over Dan River is a complete mud bowl, every other game was dominant.
The 2016 Appomattox team was one of the best 2A teams in my lifetime. They were a well oiled machine with no weaknesses. A juggernaut of a team. This Graham team is good and could play with 2015 Appomattox for sure. 2016? Dunno bout all that. The 2016 team just destroyed everyone, including some very good teams. They won their playoff games 63-12, 45-21, 43-0, 46-13 and the title game 42-7. Only two games within double digits, an 8 point win over a very good 3A Heritage team and a two point win over Dan River is a complete mud bowl, every other game was dominant.
That Richlands team in 15 was no slouch though.
I'm pretty confident that the 15 Raiders would have beaten this years Raiders badly and probably even shut them out.
That 16 team while within 8 of Heritage was up I think 22-0 at half time and the heat and humidity on that turf had us dropping like flies. LOTS of backups played in the 3rd and fourth allowing the game to be that close. Heritage had numbers to sub and we were running thin.
Dan River. Never even dreamed that game would be played but DR WOULD NOT even consider moving it. They were big and knew that was their best chance. Plus we were missing our big defensive stud and (26 Kelso) and probably our best lineman (51 Morgan). That was a butt puckering of a game!
The thing that really cost Richlands in 2015 against Appo was the offensive play of Richlands in my opinion. 2016, Richlands no longer had Snake Palmer at the helm as defensive coordinator. I’m not saying they could have beat Appo with him still on board but their chances would have been better. The 2016! Appo team was about as elite as they come.
2015 Richlands was a good team no doubt. After an early season OT loss to a very good Union team, they got on a roll and could really sling it. But they weren't a juggernaut team with no weaknesses like Appomattox was in 2016. The 2015 Appomattox bunch was a great team but it felt like they could possibly lose. The 2016 team, nah no 2A team was beating them.
I think you are slightly overstating the 2015 team compared to 2016, I felt like there was a decent gap between the two. 2015 was very good, a state title team. But 2016 felt like a once in a generation team.
IMO, I'm not taking nothing away from the 16 team. Me personally, I think the 15 team hard much harder opponents due to them teams like Buckingham and Rustburg had pretty well stacked rosters. Appo 16 just did get past them and Buckingham almost beat Richlands in playoffs, which we all know Richlands 15 team was just as good IMO. Them boys was loaded. Appo was down at half and just came back out after the half and played with all there hear with that PO1 mentality and prevailed in OT.
I did notice after the 15 season Buckingham and Rustburg went down hill. I also noticed once the 15 team won it's first Championship a while lot of students came out to play that didn't play in 15. The 16 teams D Line was STACKED could rotate alot, didn't have that advantage in 15. All in all both teams was equally as good. IMO I would say 15 had better secondary, 16 had better D Line. Both offenses was brutal. My nephew Matt Page was QB on 15, I give it to him, he had a arm, on target, and could throw across body for them bombs and had a great receiving corps, Buster Henderson, Graves etc. Javon Scruggs had a bullet also. I will say Javon was more mobile. All in all they BOTH was legit !
I will say a lot more students came out to play on the 16 team that didn't play in 15. They wanted a ring too. I gotta disagree about the brotherhood, I think 15 was just as close, all them boys was family. But all in all like you said BOTH where dominant and I don't think we will never see squads like that come through again. Just my opinion.
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I will recant on the comment I said 15 secondary was better, Scruggs was deff the better safety. Dews was also great but Scruggs was just an all around athlete. Both had good secondarys
I bet he really stays off of here now since King William handed it to Graham. 48-21. He is orob hiding in the closet.
I'm a Loud and Proud Appo Raider and missed us not making it but .................Congrats to KW on the win and Graham for a great season....
