Graham vs Tazewell
- Thread starter Bo Bob
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They have the ability to beat them but just like there was for so long against Richlands there’s a mental hurdle to get over against graham. Tazewell is the only team in the area that can match up with Graham athlete wise.
Interesting matchup considering that Graham’s quarterback Jamir Blevins was Tazewell’s starting quarterback his first two varsity seasons. Tazewell has Gavin Nunley at QB who doesn’t have the arm that Blevins has but is much more mobile and runs Tazewells read option offense very well.
Fritz (4x wrestling state champ) has came on as a solid running back for graham, which filled a void for the G-Men. On the other side Tazewell has Chancellor Harris at RB (Morehead State commit). Both play big roles on defense too.
Tazewell has 3 WR’s in Josiah Jordan, Mike Jones, & Cassius Harris who are collectively as fast as any group in 2A. Graham’s Dales is a solid receiver but Bradshaw will be the key factor for both teams. I watched him make a couple plays against Virginia High where VA High was in perfect defensive position and Bradshaw just dominated them. If tazewell can limit him they’ll have a good chance. If they can’t then Graham will probably have a fun ride back to Bluefield.
This may be the first year in quite a while that Tazewell has the size advantage up front. Obviously Graham has one of the best linemen in the state on their team in Brody Meadows but Tazewell has Josh Herndon who goes 6’7” 300+ pounds (2A state champ in wrestling) so they cancel each other out size wise. The rest of Tazewell’s offensive line has a big size advantage on Graham’s.
I don’t know much about Graham’s special teams but I know that Tazewell’s kicker is very capable, having already kicked multiple field goals this season as well as a game winner last season. Their punter Jayden Taylor hasn’t had to punt much but he already has two 60ish yard punts and a couple other 40+ yarders.
If Tazewell comes out strong I expect it to be a very evenly matched game. If they let Bradshaw get loose early it will be hard for them to overcome it.
* not having anything to do with this game but I did see that Graham has a running back on their 8th grade team named Yubrenal Isabelle. I’m assuming he is the son of former UVA standout and New England Patriot/NFL Europe player by the same name. Can any graham fans confirm?
Interesting matchup considering that Graham’s quarterback Jamir Blevins was Tazewell’s starting quarterback his first two varsity seasons. Tazewell has Gavin Nunley at QB who doesn’t have the arm that Blevins has but is much more mobile and runs Tazewells read option offense very well.
Fritz (4x wrestling state champ) has came on as a solid running back for graham, which filled a void for the G-Men. On the other side Tazewell has Chancellor Harris at RB (Morehead State commit). Both play big roles on defense too.
Tazewell has 3 WR’s in Josiah Jordan, Mike Jones, & Cassius Harris who are collectively as fast as any group in 2A. Graham’s Dales is a solid receiver but Bradshaw will be the key factor for both teams. I watched him make a couple plays against Virginia High where VA High was in perfect defensive position and Bradshaw just dominated them. If tazewell can limit him they’ll have a good chance. If they can’t then Graham will probably have a fun ride back to Bluefield.
This may be the first year in quite a while that Tazewell has the size advantage up front. Obviously Graham has one of the best linemen in the state on their team in Brody Meadows but Tazewell has Josh Herndon who goes 6’7” 300+ pounds (2A state champ in wrestling) so they cancel each other out size wise. The rest of Tazewell’s offensive line has a big size advantage on Graham’s.
I don’t know much about Graham’s special teams but I know that Tazewell’s kicker is very capable, having already kicked multiple field goals this season as well as a game winner last season. Their punter Jayden Taylor hasn’t had to punt much but he already has two 60ish yard punts and a couple other 40+ yarders.
If Tazewell comes out strong I expect it to be a very evenly matched game. If they let Bradshaw get loose early it will be hard for them to overcome it.
* not having anything to do with this game but I did see that Graham has a running back on their 8th grade team named Yubrenal Isabelle. I’m assuming he is the son of former UVA standout and New England Patriot/NFL Europe player by the same name. Can any graham fans confirm?
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His dad that you mentioned is on Grahams coaching staff as a volunteer coach. That must be his son. Grahams coaching staff is top notch with the addition of Isabelle. I believe he has another younger son too. Very talented blood lines for sure Graham will have another speedster available in the fall that moved to Bluefield, Va from McDowell county and will be eligible to play in the fall. He will be a sophomore. Graham only has 4 seniors this year and are a legitimate threat to go deep in 2A this season. If they can develop a QB for next season, they will be very good again.
M2
Tazewell will be the most athletic team that Graham will face in the regular season. The teams match up very well. If Bradshaw can be contained, it should be a very good ball game.
If anyone wants to listen to the game you can listen live at 1:00 on www.TazewellBulldogRadio.com or you can download the Tazewell Bulldog Radio App on the Apple AppStore or the Google Playstore.
This game will be fun to watch. There's a good chance these 2 teams are 2 of the top s4 team in Region D that are in the playoffs. Central and Union if I'm not mistaken, are the other two automatically in now that Ridgeview has cancelled its season due to Covid issues and Central and Union will represent the teams form the M7 District. With Central beating Union last night, Central will host the second place team in the Southwest District, and the SWD Winner will host Union in game one of the playoffs. In the SWD, it's Graham, Tazewell, and Richlands, and 1 of those 3 will not make it to the playoffs and that will likely be Richlands, but not done yet. The winner of Graham and Tazewell will likely be hosting Union in the first round of the playoffs and the loser of this game likely traveling on the road to Central in the first round.
Lightning delay in Tazewell. Teams will start warming up around 1:30 unless more lightning. And as I speak....more lightning....so I would say a 2:30 or 3 o clock start
what about on the radio, i know they are having the richlands game on there now
I was watching NFHS and listening to the Tazewell Radio Broadcast. The Tazewell folks said the game is at 5 and that they will be on the air for the game, back at 430 for warmups and kickoff at 5. The Tazewell network was playing the Richlands vs Tazewell earlier broadcast from their previous game to fill in time due to the postponement. They will be back on the air for the kickoff.
It was a great game. Tazewell would have won, if not for some mistakes. Graham has some work to do along the line of scrimmage. I wouldn't be surprised if these two teams met up again in the region championship. Tazewell has good size and a lot of athletes. Too much QB keepers on the read option, they needed to open it up a little. They have a lot of speed.
Fun game to watch between two really good teams. I thought Graham got the best of Tazewell on the line of scrimmage, especially in the second half. Tazewell's miscues hurt them for sure, but Graham had some miscues late that could have maybe put it away before OT. Two very, very good teams that left it all on the field.
GHS87, what's the deal with Region D and the playoffs? I read on swvasports about how Region D was determining who makes the playoffs. Can you clarify. I think I have it down, but it seems a bit weird. What I'm getting is......somehow, someway, at 5-0, Graham has not clinched a playoff spot? Assuming Richlands were to upset Graham and Graham finishing 5-1, is there a way Graham could actually miss the playoffs?
If Richlands beats Graham, that would be the three teams (Graham, Richlands, Tazwell) all tied with one SWD loss (week one doesn't count, going by what all the SWD folks are saying so earlier Graham/Richlands meaningless). In that scenario, they're apparently gonna draw numbers or straws for their two berths in 2D playoffs.
The M7 is basically set with Ridgeview having to shut down their remaining games. Central is M7 1, Union the M7 2. SWD1 will host Union and SWD2 travels to Central. That's basically how I understand it now
What BigWinners said is correct. Since Richlands and Graham played twice, the SouthWest district decided that only the diatrict standings would determine who makes the playoffs. They decided that the 2nd matchup between Graham and Richlands would be their district game and the first one counted as non-district. I don't like it, but it is what it is. II think Graham had a huge wake up call today and will take care of business on Friday night
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