My Class 1A State Top 10 (15) after Week 4

[uvacavs1]

Virginia Class 1A State Top 10 (heck, I'll go to top 15) after Week 4 by uvacavs1

September 17, 2017

1) Riverheads
2) Essex
3) Galax
4) Sussex
5) Northumberland
6) William Campbell
7) Washington and Lee
8) Patrick Henry
9) West Point
10) George Wythe
11) Narrows
12) Colonial Beach
13) Altavista
14) Middlesex
15) Hurley

-8 teams are west of middle of state, 7 are from east of it (geographically)
-Luray and FC would have been up there but are now 2A

 

[Twobyfour]

Luray is 2A?

 

[riversportsfan]

I think Luray did move up this cycle. You think Essex should still be ahead of Sussex even though Sussex won the head to head and is still undefeated? Colonial Beach played a close one, but CB did win the district last season and made it into the third round of the playoffs where they fell victim to the eventual champs. William Campbell may be the real deal. I thought they were impressive last season when they played Essex in the first round.

 

[uvacavs1]

I think Luray did move up this cycle. You think Essex should still be ahead of Sussex even though Sussex won the head to head and is still undefeated? Colonial Beach played a close one, but CB did win the district last season and made it into the third round of the playoffs where they fell victim to the eventual champs. William Campbell may be the real deal. I thought they were impressive last season when they played Essex in the first round.

It was a tough call to place Essex above Sussex for the reasons you stated.

I meant no disrespect to any Tiger fans as they are a very strong team. I just felt before the CB game that Essex would probably beat Sussex if they played again. So after the CB game, it basically confirmed my suspicions (imo).

I certainly could be wrong though and am open to being convinced that Sussex is the better overall team than Essex.

It will be interesting to see how William Campbell does this upcoming weekend. It will be good for Riverheads to have some competition in Region B.

 

[Scagmowers]

Chilhowie??????? They are top 15 for sure

 

[TIGER...NATION]

It was a tough call to place Essex above Sussex for the reasons you stated.

I meant no disrespect to any Tiger fans as they are a very strong team. I just felt before the CB game that Essex would probably beat Sussex if they played again. So after the CB game, it basically confirmed my suspicions (imo).

I certainly could be wrong though and am open to being convinced that Sussex is the better overall team than Essex.

It will be interesting to see how William Campbell does this upcoming weekend. It will be good for Riverheads to have some competition in Region B.

No need to try to convince you...its your opinion. It is alright for people to disagree. i mean it is a message board lol. Honestly I can respect your opinion. Sussex has alot to improve on before being considered for a top 2 spot. I look forward to seeing if they can improve! Either way win or lose #TigerPride

 

[trutiger16]

No need to try to convince you...its your opinion. It is alright for people to disagree. i mean it is a message board lol. Honestly I can respect your opinion. Sussex has alot to improve on before being considered for a top 2 spot. I look forward to seeing if they can improve! Either way win or lose #TigerPride

Rodney Dangerfield !

 

[trutiger16]

I think Luray did move up this cycle. You think Essex should still be ahead of Sussex even though Sussex won the head to head and is still undefeated? Colonial Beach played a close one, but CB did win the district last season and made it into the third round of the playoffs where they fell victim to the eventual champs. William Campbell may be the real deal. I thought they were impressive last season when they played Essex in the first round.

Hell Colonial Beach scored 12 points on the Tigers , why not rank Sussex under Colonial Beach ?

 

[OHandEIGHTwhatNOW?]

Since I can only speak on the Eastern half of the state (Regions A and B and I admit I'm a little A biased) I'll throw my Top 12 Eastern out there. I picked 12 because of the old East/West playoff format

1. Riverhead
2. Sussex Central
3. Essex
4. William Campbell
5. Colonial Beach
6. Northumberland
7. Washington & Lee
8. West Point
9. Altavista
10. Franklin
11. Lancaster
12. Middlesex

Outside Looking IN
13. Rappahannock

Notes: 1,2&3 will probably stay 1-3 all season. The order might change but those 3 are the most solid. 5,6,7 & 8 are interchangeable. Playing in the Tidewater will benefit West Point while 5,6 and 7 will all play each other. I have Northumberland ranked 6 but they are a different team with their QB Palmer but he is out injured right now. At the bottom Middlesex will get in on the benefit of the weaker Tidewater district as opposed to Rappahannock in the Northern Neck

 

[trutiger16]

1. Riverhead ( Undisputed )
2. The Sussex Central Tigers ( Defense is Great)
3. William Campbell ( Qb is special)
4. Northumberland ( New King Of NN ?)
5. Essex ( Are they ready to retire the throne to Northumberland?)
6. GW

 

[NND Sports Fan]

I'm wondering how William Campbell got so much better? I mean Essex whipped them 55-20 in the plahoffs last year

 

[the___kid07]

1. Riverhead ( Undisputed )
2. The Sussex Central Tigers ( Defense is Great)
3. William Campbell ( Qb is special)
4. Northumberland ( New King Of NN ?)
5. Essex ( Are they ready to retire the throne to Northumberland?)
6. GW

Like NND Sports Fan said Essex pretty convincingly beat William Campbell 55-20 last year & they also beat Norththumberland pretty badly last year if I remember correctly. Just curious how you have both ranked above Essex. Especially considering the competition differences between Essex and Norththumberland this year....Norththumberland hasn't faced anyone worthwhile in my opinion.

 

[nnkalumni2]

Yes Northumberland hasn't played anyone but it doesn't take a genius to tell that these guys have a lot of talent with arguably the best player in the NNK and maybe even 1A.

 

[the___kid07]

Yes Northumberland hasn't played anyone but it doesn't take a genius to tell that these guys have a lot of talent with arguably the best player in the NNK and maybe even 1A.

I'm not saying they aren't good, but a lot of people here seem to be prematurely hyping them up after playing honestly bottom level teams. It's not hard to look talented against Surry, Northampton & Mathews come on now. I honestly think Colonial Beach is unfairly underrated and is the 2nd best team in the district. I hope Norththumberland gives Essex a good game but I honestly think their hype train is a little misguided.

 

[riversportsfan]

I would say Essex played their best game of the season last year against William Campbell. Tim Johnson was injured in that game and I am not saying Essex would have beat Riverheads, but I think Essex was still a top five 1A team last year despite the record if they had Johnson. WC was gashed against Essex's single wing attack, but you could tell WC had tremendous athletes and a lot of those players returned. I am a big believer on experienced teams when it comes to playing big games. I do believe Northumberland is talented, but a lot of teams are talented in the NND. Question is, do you know how to win when everything is on the line? And do you know how to handle adversity when things are not going your way? Time will tell. Middlesex will give them their toughest test so far. The next five games will tell what they can be capable of.

 

[HighestPoint]

We had the same debates about Northumberland last season and they turned out to be a pretty solid team but were far from competing for a State title.
Everyone speaks as to how good they have looked and the scores indicate that. They're also pretty notorious for trying to tack a score or two on late in the game. If I'm not mistaken Palmer got hurt in the 3rd quarter of the Surry game when the game was well in hand but they still had their starters in. They beat Northampton but don't forget that game was 7-0 at the half and 15-6 pretty late in the game. Albeit a sloppy rainy game but both teams played in the rain, not just the Indians. Matthews is really down with low numbers this season.
Let's wait and see how they do when district play starts. They were 5-0 last year before dropping 3 straight in the district.
Before you guys call me a hater, I'm not saying the Indians aren't good. I think they are good and have the potential to be very good. It may take more than 4 verts and Palmer running to get there though. But it sounds like they're defense is much improved, especially if them only allowing their opponents to cross the 50 5 times thing is true. Now if they beat Essex in a few weeks.... That should get us taking!!

 

[MT FAN 91]

I'm wondering how William Campbell got so much better? I mean Essex whipped them 55-20 in the plahoffs last year

Because they're a team from the east...apparently the West is the Rodney Dangerfield of 1A...lol

 

[trutiger16]

Because they're a team from the east...apparently the West is the Rodney Dangerfield of 1A...lol

I didn't pick any west teams because I don't have enough information, I'm sure the west has a couple of great teams that should be in this discussion but I just don't have any info. Please make us aware of what is happening out west.

 

[riversportsfan]

This is mainly east guys talking about east football. Bottom line is, very few teams in the east could take down a Galax or GW. There is a lot of football to be played to make it to the western teams for Region A. Heck I don't think anyone of the east teams can even beat Riverheads so it is all talk. It would be fun to see more east vs west match ups throughout the year.

Some of these teams that are getting talked about haven't even won big regular season games, much less playoff games. These teams can change that in a single season for sure, but it takes a change of mentality. You see some teams win in the playoffs year after year and it is not a coincidence.

I was thinking about Essex's great player from recent teams Malik Martin. He started in 15 games his freshman year, 15 games his sophomore year, 15 games his junior year, and 13 games in his senior year (first round bye). 1 game away from the maximum for his high school career. 18 playoff games! Do you think him and his teammates were shook in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd round of the playoffs? Mentality comes from the culture of the team, and expectations for themselves. Northumberland may have the coach and guys in place to start a new culture, but they are going to have to prove it on the field.

 

[Twobyfour]

If the score was 7-0 at half of Nhmpton and Numbld, that proves to me they dont have much more than Palmer. That is the best team they played so far, and every other team in the NNK would beat them by 30-40 easily. Not knocking Nhmpton, they are much improved over the last decade. Mathews is way down, not even capable of fielding a JV team and will be lucky to score a td in any game. Same with Surry. MSex will be a test, but they arent exactly a title contender either. But thats why they play on the field. Good luck to all and stay healthy

 

[Twobyfour]

If the score was 7-0 at half of Nhmpton and Numbld, that proves to me they dont have much more than Palmer. That is the best team they played so far, and every other team in the NNK would beat them by 30-40 easily. Not knocking Nhmpton, they are much improved over the last decade. Mathews is way down, not even capable of fielding a JV team and will be lucky to score a td in any game. Same with Surry. MSex will be a test, but they arent exactly a title contender either. But thats why they play on the field. Good luck to all and stay healthy

 

[MT FAN 91]

I didn't pick any west teams because I don't have enough information, I'm sure the west has a couple of great teams that should be in this discussion but I just don't have any info. Please make us aware of what is happening out west.

Just playing around with you a little, but to be honest with you I do think the east is better than the West this year. GW seems to be down form their normal standards this year but thats not to say they will not come together amd make a run this year. The tough game they played last week might be what they needed to get over the hump. Galax seems to be improving each week but their competition the last couple of weeks hasn't been real strong, they have a week off and then they have a tough 3 week stretch that will tell a lot about them. They go to a tough 3A North Side, have a good 2A Fort team come to town and then it's off to GW for a tough match up. Guess we'll know a lot more about Galax and GW in the coming weeks and they're probably still the two top teams from the West followed by Chilhowie, PH Glade spring and narrows in no certain order. You never know which team will come out of the coal fields and make a run.

 

[MT FAN 91]

GKKing is one of the more knowledgeable posters on here and can give you a better break down about the West teams.

 

[trutiger16]

Just playing around with you a little, but to be honest with you I do think the east is better than the West this year. GW seems to be down form their normal standards this year but thats not to say they will not come together amd make a run this year. The tough game they played last week might be what they needed to get over the hump. Galax seems to be improving each week but their competition the last couple of weeks hasn't been real strong, they have a week off and then they have a tough 3 week stretch that will tell a lot about them. They go to a tough 3A North Side, have a good 2A Fort team come to town and then it's off to GW for a tough match up. Guess we'll know a lot more about Galax and GW in the coming weeks and they're probably still the two top teams from the West followed by Chilhowie, PH Glade spring and narrows in no certain order. You never know which team will come out of the coal fields and make a run.

How are Bath and Honaker doing this year ?

 

[uvacavs1]

Chilhowie??????? They are top 15 for sure

Chilhowie was definitely considered and was in my 1st poll. I pull for Chilhowie because I enjoy Chilwar25's posts.

I know that they almost beat GW but imo Wythe is not that good this year. Sorry, they are average (a tad above average) in my ranking tier system.

I went with western teams like Patrick Henry, Narrows, GW, and Hurley. Would Western fans put Chilhowie ahead of them? If so, I will rethink them.

Unlike a few posters (not referring to any western posters) who seem to think opinions are set opinions and do not change, I prefer to adjust my thinking due to reason, facts as I understand them and continued positive debate. This is true whether the discussion is sports or politics.

I hope that Chilhowie does great! However, right now they are 2-2. The two teams they have defeated have a combined record of 0-7.

 

[the___kid07]

Can someone who knows the west teams pretty well post their own top 10 of the west teams???

 

[2kings4]

Chilhowie is one of the top four teams in the west. Don't get last Friday twisted, they will be licking their chops if they get another shot at GW again this year.

I didn't want to take away from the maroons victory because they needed it and got it. However I was at the game and Chilhowie was the better team but their youth and inexperience caught up to them.

They were not expecting the success they had early and could not hold on or finish. Their nerves and composure late shined the brightest to me.

Chilhowie down 21-24 had the ball on the one foot line, fourth down with 52 seconds remaining. They never got the play off because two backs went in motion. After the penalty they had their field goal to tie the game blocked.

The drive before that, Chilhowie drove the ball inside the five before fumbling it back to the maroons.

After GW blocked the field Chilhowie had two opportunities to get the ball back because after taking a knee on first down, GW had incomplete pass on second down. (um um)On third down there was an incomplete pass with the refs calling a pass interference on Chilhowie, giving GW another down.

They ran jet sweep and the back ran out of bounds but a late hit, personal foul on Chilhowie ended their night giving GW a fresh set of downs.

 

[uvacavs1]

I'm wondering how William Campbell got so much better? I mean Essex whipped them 55-20 in the plahoffs last year

Wise post NND Sports Fan.

Yes I may have been premature in ranking William Campbell that high. WC is 3-0 that's true but I'm not sure yet how good they are. If they beat a 1-3 Altavista this Friday, their stock will rise.

However, the more I consider it, I expect Atavista to defeat WC this weekend.

 

[uvacavs1]

This is mainly east guys talking about east football. Bottom line is, very few teams in the east could take down a Galax or GW. There is a lot of football to be played to make it to the western teams for Region A. Heck I don't think anyone of the east teams can even beat Riverheads so it is all talk. It would be fun to see more east vs west match ups throughout the year.

Some of these teams that are getting talked about haven't even won big regular season games, much less playoff games. These teams can change that in a single season for sure, but it takes a change of mentality. You see some teams win in the playoffs year after and it is not a coincidence.

I was thinking about Essex's great player from recent teams Malik Martin. He started in 15 games his freshman year, 15 games his sophomore year, 15 games his junior year, and 13 games in his senior year (first round bye). 1 game away from the maximum for his high school career. 18 playoff games! Do you think him and his teammates were shook in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd round of the playoffs? Mentality comes from the culture of the team, and expectations for themselves. Northumberland may have the coach and guys in place to start a new culture, but they are going to have to prove it on the field.

Well said. I agree with all except GW.

I will be brutally honest. I expect Riverheads to win it all. I hope not though and there still is a chance for Region A (for a few select teams).

1) Region B is overall horrible. Not one Region B team will come even close to Riverheads.

Region B is a complete joke. They have only 7 teams (only 5 schools are even competitive in sports, any sports).

Region A has 17 teams. 15 schools are competitive in most sports.

That means Region A has 3X the number of schools than Region B and each region gets to advance only one team to states (in ALL sports).

 

[uvacavs1]

Because they're a team from the east...apparently the West is the Rodney Dangerfield of 1A...lol

lol MT Fan 91. I can see that from your perspective but to me and other Eastern Virginians William Campbell is way out West! So is the mighty Riverheads.

From Heathsville (home of the rising Northumberland Indians), it is over a 3 and a 1/2 hour drive west to WC. Heck, from Northampton its like well over 4 hours out west.

Virginia is one long a-- state, at least at the bottom ha.

I would say I have more Western teams than Eastern in the top 15 (plus the West just lost FC and Luray to 2A).

To me, it looks like Galax is the West's best hope to defeat Riverheads. I seem to recall they might know the secret recipe .

 

[Xcross]

Wise post NND Sports Fan.

Yes I may have been premature in ranking William Campbell that high. WC is 3-0 that's true but I'm not sure yet how good they are. If they beat a 1-3 Altavista this Friday, their stock will rise.

However, the more I consider it, I expect Atavista to defeat WC this weekend.

I looked at William Campbell early at the Riverheads jam and can honestly say they are much better than they have been the last couple years . Just how good has yet to be seen .

 

[Scagmowers]

Can someone who knows the west teams pretty well post their own top 10 of the west teams???

IMO!
1.Galax
2.GW
3.Chilhowie
4.PM.
5.Narrows
6.Grundy. ? At Honaker this week will tell us something
7.PH Glade Spring
8. Covington
9.Honaker
10.J I Burton

 

[G MASTER BLASTER W]

Scagmowers has it pretty well nailed. The only reason I would have GW o er Chilhowie is they let the W slip away late. Now as I've seen above that win might have been what sparks GW to play real football. But if I don't see a huge jump in ablity to move the ball against Auburn and Honaker over the next 2 weeks. You all will Blaster pick against his beloved MAROONS when Galax comes to town. The old West is on a silver for Galax to take. And imho it will be Galax vs RH in Salem. That's no disrespect to anyone but those 2 are the class of 1A this year. And RH has the crown and I don't see anyone taking it this year. But again Galax has that crabby patty secret formula so you never know lol.

 

[Chilwar25]

I agree Uvacavs that Chilhowie shot themselves in the foot via " youth " last week against GW. You seen the game, just like everyone else that was present. Chilhowie has the potential to compete every week with anybody. Their mistakes are their own worst enemy. Chilhowie is 8 points from being unbeaten. They lost to A 4-0 Marion team by 5 pts, and a 3 pts loss to GW. Their wins are not impressive, but JI Burton Wiil come on strong in the 2nd half. If Chilhowie can solve their mental mistakes, they have very good potential to become a tough team. We will take them one at a time and see what happens. I would hope that a lot was learned on the field last week, as well as on the side lines.

Take nothing away from the players or staff; Chilhowie came to play, and play they did. As I said before, they need to learn to close the games, and cut down on those darn mistakes. One other thing: As the season goes along, Chilhowie has a hard time of improving their play. It seems they stay at the same level at the end of the year, as when the year began. Let's hope this year will be different and improve will be obvious in the second half of the season. Irregardless a lot of folks are very proud of the team, and of those guys who coach them.

God makes some pretty good people; we just don't take the time to thank him for what he has given us!

 

[Chilwar25]

2kings4, there is not much that you said that I could disagree with. When opportunity knocks, you best answer the door. Chilhowie did the knocking at the door ( goal line ), but just did not take care of business. It sort of like going to the kitchen, but you forgot what you wanted once you were there.

Football is a very unforgiving sport. I am not sure how much is mental, compared to how much is physical.
In a lot of cases, it depends what spot on the field you are standing. It seems like the game becomes even more unforgiving as you enter the so called red zone. Any mistakes in that area WILL come back to bite you in the rear, no matter if you are on O or D.

I have a feeling those Warriors will get things straighten out, and play some good mistake free ball. They have all the ingredients for a very good squad.......they just need to jell into that monster that is knocking at their door.