Make your surprising 2017 football predictions right here!!
- Thread starter hamspear
- Start date
Speaking of Dinwiddie, our girls will be up in Salem this Friday. Most likely they will go up against Woodgrove. Bleeding Navy said Woodgrove has won 45 in a row and has a lethal pitcher. She is headed to Auburn. But, there is always hope. UVA went up against Strasburg, (San Jose St, I think), a few years back. They chased him in just a few innings and went on to win the game. So who knows.
I say Blacksburg only wins six games in the regular season and gets knocked out in the first round of the playoffs.
Carroll County finishes number 1 in the state.... you said surprising....
Blacksburg and Byrd will disappoint a lot of people this year. Charlottesville will go 10-0/9-1.
Up North, (relative to Dinwiddie), I think we all expect Sherando to be a dominant team. 10-0 is very possible, anything less than 9-1 will be a shock to most of us.
But what about Woodgrove, Courtland, and Louisa?
And curious about JM. Will they be back to contend for a trip to Williamsburg?
But what about Woodgrove, Courtland, and Louisa?
And curious about JM. Will they be back to contend for a trip to Williamsburg?
I hope the Vikings do well. I like that the new coach incorporated his son and some young guys on that staff. Northside, realistically, 3-7, 4-6. One of the Salem fans may know something I don't but I hope they do have a good year for the kids. GW is going to be real fun to watch but I'm worried about experience. A playoff win over Leesburg would have done this team justice with confidence even though Byrd would've probably beat them by 3 TDs the next week. This year I think they beat up on LCA pretty good.. Then they'll have Amherst who has to play Salem a week before so the Lancers will be tested and then GW will get JF who I believe is gonna be TOUGH and could very well be a top 3 team in the region! If they can can get out of that stretch with only 1 blemish (hopefully none) then I hink they can run the table in the regular season. MV and Franklin County will be very very good challenges. I think they should take care of both as GW gets MV at home and that's like a regular season state championship for both teams.. We'll know more about FC as they have Salem and Staunton River. As Hammy said about Sherando, the same can be said with Danville. A bunch of juniors and sophomores on this GW team but they have their fair share of seniors. I think this is a make or break year in Danville.
Last edited:
What leads you to speak so highly of JF? Other than that Coach Christmas always gets the best from his guys?
I'm going to agree with hamspear here. As much as I'd like to see a 10-0 season again, Martinsburg being on the schedule, and so late in the season at that, means that'll be a tall task. They've won five state titles since 2010 after all.
They'll be underdogs against Martinsburg, and Liberty and Millbrook won't be slouches either. Still, a more experienced team and a weaker schedule should produce nothing less than a 7-3 team at the end of the regular season.
Very young last year. They were competitive with that youth and lost a lot of close games. Christmas is a heck of a coach and I think they will be in the thick of things!
Just a question. Trying to see how C'ville would get 9/10 wins. Last years 7-5 was the best they've done in what...10-15 years? What will make them jump over a lot of teams to reach that mark? Didn't they lose quite a few seniors? (or did those seniors not contribute?)
I would like to hear DSH's explanation as well, but Cville's offense could very well produce 35+ppg with four of their five most productive offensive players returning in QB Sam Neale, the speedsters Rakeem Davis and Tre Durrett, and of course rising junior fullback Sabias Folley. I'm talking the 54 points on Louisa and 56 on Western Albemarle type of offense. The defense, however, did take some blows with graduation. So I expect some high scoring games on Cville's schedule, and that said, I personally think anywhere from 6-4 to 8-2 is realistic, but it's very possible to be worse...or better...
Totally agree with you on this one DSH. The Cavs have added a new D coordinator and were tough last year with an inexperienced team. The schedule is rough, but I think they will make a run at the playoffs.
This time of the year there are hundreds of coaches and fans that think 10-0 or 9-1 is going to happen. Unfortunately, things can change quickly and an injury here or there will derail that dream pretty quickly. There are teams that could make a run at that coveted record, but its a daunting task. One way or another I am ready for some football.
I agreee also. They have some good runningbacks that are at least 6' and 200+ pounds.They will drive you down the field and eat up clock if you don't stop them. As long as they fix the defense they will win more games. If they can get into the playoffs, they will make some serious noise. Their schedule looks challenging.
Did the O-line take any hits...or was it instrumental in helping the offense last year anyway?
I think Charlottesville will be similar to the teams that JF produced in 2014 and 2015. This Charlottesville team, however and no disrespect to those remarkable JF teams who played in the best district West of Richmond , will be more than a 3 man show on offense. As BKP said, they return a lot of firepower on offense. Now I'm not saying that they're going to be state champs, but I think their schedule favors them and I think they'll be a legitimate threat come playoff time to win some ball games. Looking at this schedule, IMO, the only game that I don't have them favored is the JM game but I think the BKs can pull it off. Charlottesville will be able to outscore their opponent similar to what those JF teams did. Unless a team like Louisa or Glass or Albemarle just has a nasty shutdown defense, you'll see this Charlottesville team outscore teams. A lot can change between now and November. They've shown that they can put up big numbers and they have a lot of excitement in the program and momentum going forward. Could be a big year in Charlottesville.
Blacksburg will go as far as their OL/DL will take them. They have some key guys to replace in those positions and Idk how they'll do. What I will say is the program has a lot of momentum from last year's success and they'll probably have a higher turnout this fall and higher participation in the weight room year around. If I knew the lines were as experienced as the "skill players" I'd make a real bold prediction, but with what I know I'll say 6-8 regular season wins with at least one playoff win. If the lines don't do well I'd agree with DP. If the lines protect well then you probably don't want to see them in the playoffs because the skill guys can put up points if they have time to operate. (They are a team with very good potential)
I think the key to success in 4A is defense. That will be a big question mark for both Charlottesville and Blacksburg. Both return a lot of key offensive personnel, but how will the lines do and how will the defense perform?
I agree - a lot of people on this board who think Blacksburg will stumble significantly will be disappointed.
I'm just not sold on Blacksburg in 4a. It's a huge step. I look at the 2 MV state teams who lost to a middle of the pack 4a team in GW Danville both years, get blown out by JF in 2015, and barely beat a middle of the pack 4a team in Byrd both years, but they beat the 3a teams they played pretty bad. It's a huge step playing teams like Salem, LT, Dinwiddie, and Monacan. Blacksburg has a good schedule for a 3a team, but not 4a. To me, beating Giles and Richlands isn't going to be enough for me to be a believer in this team and isn't going to prepare them for those elite 4a programs come playoff time. If this team runs the table and beats LB, Amherst and Salem then we can talk! I just don't see them finding any success at this level even with the skill guys. Same for GW Danville, they have to beat the big boys to make me a believer.
Last edited:
With respect to Blacksburg, I'll hedge my bet just a little. But I'll stand by my prediction until proven wrong.
There are some notable differences between Lafayette's move up to Class 4, and Blacksburg's. But, you still need to look at the end results of Lafayette's playoff runs.
Lafayette plays in a very weak district. Some make the argument it is the weakest district in the VHSL. I don't know if I embrace that as fact, but it is a weak district. Consequently, Lafayette typically goes 10-0 and gets a very high seed in the playoffs. The first round or two of the playoffs for them are very winnable. They had the power points and played lesser teams, and got to play them in the friendly confines of their home field.
Blacksburg many not have the advantage that the Rams have. They play a much tougher schedule, and will probably be on the road as a lower seed against pretty stiff competition. And this will be the situation starting with their first round playoff game.
Yeah, I know they are reigning state champs, but they now make that step up to 4a, (Class 4 for you purist). I saw them at Williamsburg last year. Are they a good team? Absolutly. Did they compare favorably with the two 4a teams in the state championship game? Not at all. They would have lost to Salem or Dinwiddie by four or more TD's.
And that is exactly the level of competition they will face in the playoffs this fall. They will get there one year, just not this year.
There are some notable differences between Lafayette's move up to Class 4, and Blacksburg's. But, you still need to look at the end results of Lafayette's playoff runs.
Lafayette plays in a very weak district. Some make the argument it is the weakest district in the VHSL. I don't know if I embrace that as fact, but it is a weak district. Consequently, Lafayette typically goes 10-0 and gets a very high seed in the playoffs. The first round or two of the playoffs for them are very winnable. They had the power points and played lesser teams, and got to play them in the friendly confines of their home field.
Blacksburg many not have the advantage that the Rams have. They play a much tougher schedule, and will probably be on the road as a lower seed against pretty stiff competition. And this will be the situation starting with their first round playoff game.
Yeah, I know they are reigning state champs, but they now make that step up to 4a, (Class 4 for you purist). I saw them at Williamsburg last year. Are they a good team? Absolutly. Did they compare favorably with the two 4a teams in the state championship game? Not at all. They would have lost to Salem or Dinwiddie by four or more TD's.
And that is exactly the level of competition they will face in the playoffs this fall. They will get there one year, just not this year.
Last edited:
Whole new physicality that Balcksburg hasn't experienced , but I wouldn't undersell them because they have solid athletes . Now The whole Danville young buck predicting Charlottesvile , is a bold statement and I respect it , lol . I like it!
Hammy, I'm going to hi-jack your thread for a minute with this playoff question.
Somebody explain to me how a Region can possibly have more than 8 playoff teams?
There are only five weeks for playoffs.
The final week is the championship game.
The fourth week is Region A champ vs the B champ, and C vs D. (By VHSL mandate).
So we only have three weeks to name a regional champ in each region.
Week one is eight teams play down to four.
Week two is those four teams play down to two.
And week three is those two teams play down to get a regional champion.
One notable forum member had previously stated that a certain region was going to have 10 teams in the playoff. How?
(I know there are regions that will have less than eight teams eligible, so less than eight will be it's own unique format.)
Somebody explain to me how a Region can possibly have more than 8 playoff teams?
There are only five weeks for playoffs.
The final week is the championship game.
The fourth week is Region A champ vs the B champ, and C vs D. (By VHSL mandate).
So we only have three weeks to name a regional champ in each region.
Week one is eight teams play down to four.
Week two is those four teams play down to two.
And week three is those two teams play down to get a regional champion.
One notable forum member had previously stated that a certain region was going to have 10 teams in the playoff. How?
(I know there are regions that will have less than eight teams eligible, so less than eight will be it's own unique format.)
Another prediction
If we're doing a top 10 for 4a I'm going with
1. Salem
2. Dinwiddie
3. LT
4. Sherando
5. Monacan
6. Charlottesville
7.Eastern View
8. Lafeyette
9. Blacksburg
10. Courtland
HM: Danville, Amherst, JF, Louisa, Millbrook
If we're doing a top 10 for 4a I'm going with
1. Salem
2. Dinwiddie
3. LT
4. Sherando
5. Monacan
6. Charlottesville
7.Eastern View
8. Lafeyette
9. Blacksburg
10. Courtland
HM: Danville, Amherst, JF, Louisa, Millbrook
That's why I like you DSH , you got some kahunas to throw that out there! That's a great list , I hope my team is where you say they are going to be, but I will wait to see the defensive line first, we got some big boys , but it takes more than size , it takes heart in the worst situations to prove you can be that team. Top DT Isaiah Allen will need to step up and be a leader , Sherando will have the Lb's and DB's . Points will not be a problem . Speed is everywhere no doubt
I don't think we can underestimate EV either , quality coaching and they a have real good weight program there. They will be tough
Hey, I say some things but I'll be the first to tell you when I'm wrong lol! I think your boys will be there come December. Don't know if any of the teams in your region is good enough to compete with y'all for 4 quarters.
