To follow up on my earlier post here is a little more background. In earlier years, SWVA resembled Richmond as far as the playoffs. A lot of very good 9-1 or 8-2 teams never made the playoffs as only the district champ got a berth. Some of those teams excluded lost only to the eventual state champion by the slimmest of margins and the case could be argued that in the expanded format of the playoffs today there is at least a chance those teams could have avenged their earlier playoff elimination loss. The talent all around Central and Southwest Virginia was enough to attract not only the ACC but, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and even PAC 10. I can tell you that for the 1982 GW team on one Friday night the Alabama jet carrying Ray Perkins and the FSU jet ferrying Bobby Bowden occupied the tarmac space and there were many coaches there by car as well. Similar scenarios played out in Lynchburg and Roanoke as well. That doesn't happen anymore. Area kids dotted the rosters of the ACC schools, Nebraska, Ohio State, etc. and many more played in lower levels D-2, D-3, NAIA, etc.. A lot eventually moved on to pro rosters. From GW you had Buddy Curry(NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year), Kenny Lewis, Ferrell Edmunds, Mike Brim and Herman Moore to name a few(there are others and many other D-1's). Mickey Fitzgerald from Glass, Keith Hamilton from Heritage, Don Testerman and Barry Word from Halifax, Gary Clark from Pulaski, and there are others but, my point is the area used to play a brand of football that compared very favorably with any classification level and any school in the state. Economic and demographic changes have reduced the area impact at the highest levels.
One last thing on two GW prospects you mentioned DSH, Percy Moorman and Mike Ragsdale. Two exceptional physical talents and easily in the discussion of all time greats at GW whose careers were short circuited by poor choices. There are some names from other schools in same situation, very unfortunate. Finally, I mentioned the ending date of that run could be debated. For me personally, the final cutoff is the Lee Suggs Fleming team that lost to Curry's Hampton Crabbers. I would also be remiss without mentioning Salem. It's predecessor, Andrew Lewis was a force. The Spartans had some lean times until they got Coach White but, he built a PROGRAM that speaks for itself and Coach Magenbauer has continued, if not expanded, the tradition . The 1986 team was a AAA contender and after that year they moved to a lower classification which is why there is little mention of the Spartans in this post. There is very good football played at all levels/classifications in Virginia, however, and this is just my opinion which I am sure some will disagree with, historically there has been a substantial difference in the competitive levels of old A and AA when compared to AAA. That difference has carried over to the revised six division classification system but, there has been a narrowing in the difference between classes and the ability of top teams to be competitive in a higher classification. Note I am not saying a team is going to jump 2 or more class levels just that grouping of 5/6, 4/5, 3/4 are tighter and would be competitive in specific situations. Despite PH making the D-5 playoffs and maybe Fleming can since they have now moved up, there really are not any teams in the area now that would be a championship contender in 6 or 5, in my opinion. The differences now are similar to past history. It is not quality, there are individual players at all levels that could step up to the highest levels. It is quantity, the smaller schools have 3.5, 7 players and the upper 16, 18 or more. The Gretna teams with Vic Hall and Hubbard were tremendous and those guys individually would be stars on any team but, were those Gretna teams to line up with GW of 1981 or 1982 they would not be within 2 or more touchdowns of GW and the game would not be close.
.. I said it *in my best Stephen A. voice possible*!!!!
