Next up on our team by team discussion is...?

[DinwiddieProud]

The Basset Bengals.

Though Bassett does not have the dismal record of our most recently reviewed team, Caroline, they still have struggled for years. If my source is correct, it has been since 2008 since they have won more than four games in a season.

Perhaps more telling is how badly they have been defeated in their loses. Losing by 40 or more seems to be the norm.

But the question is, are they poised to take a step in the right direction?

They lose a lot of senior experience to graduation, but they doesn't always tell the story. Maybe the younger kids are primed and ready to lead a turnaround?

We need some input from you good folks out that way. What can we expect from the 2016-17 campaign?

 

[southbottomU]

Magna vista seems to have all the talent in that area

 

[DinwiddieProud]

Magna vista seems to have all the talent in that area

I can't argue with you that MV isn't heads and tails above the surrounding communities. But why? Do they feed the kids better in that school area? Of course not. It's simply that they have a better, much better, program than most in the area. Football, in fact all athletics, is a higher priority at MV than it is in other Martinsville area schools.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? It depends on your perspective, I guess. To me personally, I think the lessons learned through a good emphasis on athletic programs is extremely important to the big picture of a kid's high school education. Conversely, I further believe that a school or school district that is satisfied with mediocrity in athletics is doing the kids it serves an injustice.

 

[southbottomU]

Martinsville high has a great athletic tradition. Won many many state championships in basketball. I believe another one this year. The area still hasn't recovered economically. Probably highest unemployment rate in Virginia. Only two schools in Henry County now . Used to be four. Martinsville has dropped down to a 2a school. Magna Vista has had a good run of athletes and good coaching. It has also helped them dropping to 3a. Bassett staying in 4 a has been tough on them

 

[SpartanOfYore]

Hopefully I'm not doing the Bengals a disservice when I say that their football history is not chock full o' highlights. That extends back to the days of the old Bassett High School. They did have a good stretch from '04 to '08. The '07 Bengals were actually a very good squad, losing 10-7 in a hard-fought Region IV title game.

That was Bassett's last hurrah. I can't claim to know any specifics, but based on both recent and not-so-recent history, I wouldn't expect too much from the Bengals this fall, either.

 

[mike salem]

Hopefully I'm not doing the Bengals a disservice when I say that their football history is not chock full o' highlights. That extends back to the days of the old Bassett High School. They did have a good stretch from '04 to '08. The '07 Bengals were actually a very good squad, losing 10-7 in a hard-fought Region IV title game.

That was Bassett's last hurrah. I can't claim to know any specifics, but based on both recent and not-so-recent history, I wouldn't expect too much from the Bengals this fall, either.

With nothing to really go on it's hard to see Bassett breaking out of the doldrums that have been with them the last 8 years or so. They made the playoffs a few times since '07, but I don't think they've had a winning record and they didn't win any playoff games in that time-frame either. I don't really expect anything different this year. With only 12 spots in 4A West I don't see it happening.

 

[DinwiddieProud]

I agree with all of the comments. As a percentage, it's hard to believe that any area has lost more jobs in the last 15 years. I think I saw where the jobs lost is something like 14,000. I guess it's just natural that even high school athletics suffers right along with other aspects of society during times like this.

With very little info to go on, I'm projecting 2-8 this year.

 

[SpartanOfYore]

I agree with all of the comments. As a percentage, it's hard to believe that any area has lost more jobs in the last 15 years. I think I saw where the jobs lost is something like 14,000. I guess it's just natural that even high school athletics suffers right along with other aspects of society during times like this.

With very little info to go on, I'm projecting 2-8 this year.

Your points about economic downturn are well taken, and I'm sure those factors haven't helped Bassett. However, even before all the jobs began disappearing, the Bengals' football fortunes were never that high. They had a few excellent players, such as Maurice Deshazo, and the occasional good team, but for whatever reasons, chasing the ol' pigskin around the gridiron has never been Bassett's strongest activity.

Two to four wins again this year is probably correct.

 

[DanvilleSportsHead]

Bassett will be lucky to beat Patrick County and maybe even Martinsville this upcoming season. They play a massively hard schedule with Pulaski, LB, GW, and Magna Vista.They will have a 3rd year starter at QB but that won't be enough to contend with GW and MV. Unfortunately, the Piedmont will only send 2, maybe 3 (depending on how Tunstall fares against Dan River, Chatham, Gretna, Pat County, Martinsville, Bassett, Halifax and Rustburg) to the playoffs this year. Probably the worst district in the State as far as being top heavy with GW and Magna Vista. Bassett has dealt with a lot of transfers out of their school, I know of 6 significant in the past 4 years that has either went to MV, Franklin County, or Morehead in nearby Eden NC. I think it's time for a change of direction. Bassett was a power in the Piedmont middle to late 2000's. I think they made the state semi's, what 3 times losing to Salem and Amherst...But those days are far far behind as this program mirrors Bluestone and Patrick County.

 

[DinwiddieProud]

Bassett will be lucky to beat Patrick County and maybe even Martinsville this upcoming season. They play a massively hard schedule with Pulaski, LB, GW, and Magna Vista.They will have a 3rd year starter at QB but that won't be enough to contend with GW and MV. Unfortunately, the Piedmont will only send 2, maybe 3 (depending on how Tunstall fares against Dan River, Chatham, Gretna, Pat County, Martinsville, Bassett, Halifax and Rustburg) to the playoffs this year. Probably the worst district in the State as far as being top heavy with GW and Magna Vista. Bassett has dealt with a lot of transfers out of their school, I know of 6 significant in the past 4 years that has either went to MV, Franklin County, or Morehead in nearby Eden NC. I think it's time for a change of direction. Bassett was a power in the Piedmont middle to late 2000's. I think they made the state semi's, what 3 times losing to Salem and Amherst...But those days are far far behind as this program mirrors Bluestone and Patrick County.

Sad really, DSH. What I think about when I hear about programs that are, or have become, perennial bottom dwellers is what it does to the kids. Kids get just one chance to be a high school football player and to be born to a school that makes no real effort to improve is just sad. After all, for 99% of kids, high school football is the pinnacle of their playing career. To be part of program that goes out game after game, year after year, and be embarrassed is just not right.