How many Starters are back for Both teams?
Does either team have any opt outs or early
College enrollees?
Does either team have any opt outs or early
College enrollees?
Players to Watch in GW vs LB game
- Thread starter Mic Honcho
- Start date
A little bit about LB:
They return Army commit Hunter Rice (6'0 220) at RB and MLB and he appears to be fully healthy after suffering through quite a few injuries last season and he is an absolute beast on both sides of the ball. Runs well, hard hitter, very physical... just a load.
Up front they return a ton of talent. They have two OL, Colston Powers (6'5 290 and Troy Everett 6'4 285) that committed to Appalachian State and had offers from many schools. Trey Reiter (6'0 250) is also very good up front and then they have Junior Gunner Givens (6'6 290) who is the number 26 ranked overall recruit in the entire country on 247 with offers from practically every major school in the country. Givens will also play on the defensive line and you might see some of Powers and Everett there as well. Lehigh commit Xavier Stephens (6'3 260) is another player up front to watch on both sides of the ball. They also have JMU commit Zach Horton (6'4 231) who transferred over from Northside at defensive end/tight end. He is easily one of the best defensive ends in the entire state. Of all of the players I mentioned here, Horton might be the best player on the field, in my opinion.
Then outside they have another Appalachian State commit in WR Kyle Arnholt. This is something that makes LB very hard to defend... you have to completely load the box against their heavy run formation and are practically forced to go straight one-on-one outside and he is a very difficult matchup at 6'4 205. He is a very good basketball player as well and despite being pretty new to football has put up big numbers and has a full-ride at a very quality D1 program.
It will be interesting to see what route they go for QB. They have a freshman named Jakari Nicely that was one of the best athletes I have ever seen in my life in middle school (Football basketball and baseball) and he is already listed at 6'0 180, throwing the ball around 60 yards. It will be interesting to see if LB will start a freshman at such a crucial position but he certainly has the talent.
Some other players to look out for are Dylan Wade and Evan Overbay.
The strength of their team is definitely up front on both sides of the ball and at LB/RB. They are going to have a new QB starting his first game and might not be as strong in the defensive secondary as they are in other places but this should be a VERY, VERY good football team. They have, in my opinion, the best weight training and conditioning program at any level of the state. This odd season and timing might actually help give them in even bigger advantage than they normally have and I think it plays right into their hands.
They return Army commit Hunter Rice (6'0 220) at RB and MLB and he appears to be fully healthy after suffering through quite a few injuries last season and he is an absolute beast on both sides of the ball. Runs well, hard hitter, very physical... just a load.
Up front they return a ton of talent. They have two OL, Colston Powers (6'5 290 and Troy Everett 6'4 285) that committed to Appalachian State and had offers from many schools. Trey Reiter (6'0 250) is also very good up front and then they have Junior Gunner Givens (6'6 290) who is the number 26 ranked overall recruit in the entire country on 247 with offers from practically every major school in the country. Givens will also play on the defensive line and you might see some of Powers and Everett there as well. Lehigh commit Xavier Stephens (6'3 260) is another player up front to watch on both sides of the ball. They also have JMU commit Zach Horton (6'4 231) who transferred over from Northside at defensive end/tight end. He is easily one of the best defensive ends in the entire state. Of all of the players I mentioned here, Horton might be the best player on the field, in my opinion.
Then outside they have another Appalachian State commit in WR Kyle Arnholt. This is something that makes LB very hard to defend... you have to completely load the box against their heavy run formation and are practically forced to go straight one-on-one outside and he is a very difficult matchup at 6'4 205. He is a very good basketball player as well and despite being pretty new to football has put up big numbers and has a full-ride at a very quality D1 program.
It will be interesting to see what route they go for QB. They have a freshman named Jakari Nicely that was one of the best athletes I have ever seen in my life in middle school (Football basketball and baseball) and he is already listed at 6'0 180, throwing the ball around 60 yards. It will be interesting to see if LB will start a freshman at such a crucial position but he certainly has the talent.
Some other players to look out for are Dylan Wade and Evan Overbay.
The strength of their team is definitely up front on both sides of the ball and at LB/RB. They are going to have a new QB starting his first game and might not be as strong in the defensive secondary as they are in other places but this should be a VERY, VERY good football team. They have, in my opinion, the best weight training and conditioning program at any level of the state. This odd season and timing might actually help give them in even bigger advantage than they normally have and I think it plays right into their hands.
Last edited:
Just my thoughts:
GW Players to Watch:
QB - Jeb Byrnes (Brother of former GW QB Hunter)
RB/DB - Willie Edmunds (Cousin of NFL players Tremaine, Terrell, and Trey) (Not sure about what offers he has)
WR/DB - Jakobe Dixon
WR/DB - Zavion King
WR/DB - Sha’Kobe Hairston (AHOP Prep Commit)
WR/DB - Donovan Howard
OL - George Jackson
DL - Ahmad Poole (Brother of Liberty football players Carl and Carlos)
TE/LB - Chad Johnson
TE/DL - Jalen Strange (Couple of D2 HBCU and D3 offers)
WR/DB - Isaiah Pritchett
I heard that Robert Carter who was Dan River’s best player for the past few years has transferred to GW to be able to play football this spring but don’t see his name on the roster so he might’ve not. I’m sure others probably know more.
LB Players to Watch:
WR/OLB - Kyle Arnholt (App State Signee)
OL - Colston Powers (App State Signee)
OL - Troy Everett (App State Signee)
DL - Xavier Stephens (Lehigh University Signee)
LB - Zach Horton (JMU Signee)
OL - Frank Sawyers (Bluefield State Signee)
TE - Bryson Oliver (Charleston Southern Signee)
RB - Hunter Rice (Army West Point Signee)
K/P - Mikey Rago (Concord Signee)
OL/DL - Gunner Givens (Top 30 player in c/o 2022 and is crystal balled to Clemson)
OL/DL - Trey Reiter (Several D1 PWOs)
Going to be a really good football game. Opportunity for GW to prove that they have D1 talent and opportunity for LB to show that they are a powerhouse in VA football with the amount of guys going to play in college that they have.
GW Players to Watch:
QB - Jeb Byrnes (Brother of former GW QB Hunter)
RB/DB - Willie Edmunds (Cousin of NFL players Tremaine, Terrell, and Trey) (Not sure about what offers he has)
WR/DB - Jakobe Dixon
WR/DB - Zavion King
WR/DB - Sha’Kobe Hairston (AHOP Prep Commit)
WR/DB - Donovan Howard
OL - George Jackson
DL - Ahmad Poole (Brother of Liberty football players Carl and Carlos)
TE/LB - Chad Johnson
TE/DL - Jalen Strange (Couple of D2 HBCU and D3 offers)
WR/DB - Isaiah Pritchett
I heard that Robert Carter who was Dan River’s best player for the past few years has transferred to GW to be able to play football this spring but don’t see his name on the roster so he might’ve not. I’m sure others probably know more.
LB Players to Watch:
WR/OLB - Kyle Arnholt (App State Signee)
OL - Colston Powers (App State Signee)
OL - Troy Everett (App State Signee)
DL - Xavier Stephens (Lehigh University Signee)
LB - Zach Horton (JMU Signee)
OL - Frank Sawyers (Bluefield State Signee)
TE - Bryson Oliver (Charleston Southern Signee)
RB - Hunter Rice (Army West Point Signee)
K/P - Mikey Rago (Concord Signee)
OL/DL - Gunner Givens (Top 30 player in c/o 2022 and is crystal balled to Clemson)
OL/DL - Trey Reiter (Several D1 PWOs)
Going to be a really good football game. Opportunity for GW to prove that they have D1 talent and opportunity for LB to show that they are a powerhouse in VA football with the amount of guys going to play in college that they have.
Last edited:
If true that Robert Carter is at GW then that’s a huge game changer. He wanted to come to GW last year but I don’t know what happened. He’s a big time playmaker. Is Shy Watlington not at GW anymore?
Is LB considered a powerhouse if they will not schedule Salem? Potentially they can be good but you know what they say about potential.
I assume he opted out because he’s not on the roster.
True but it’s hard not to be considered one of the best in the state when you have as many D1 guys as they do.
Was just told that Robert is still at DR and Shy has opted out.
Looks like Colston Powers is already at ASU. That is the only one I can find right now.
How about this question:
If you have 2 turf fields to practice on, a multi million dollar football only stadium, proximity to thousands of athletes, cheap tuition, a lax non resident policy that give you access and opportunity to every good player in driving distance that doesn't live in the district, multiple outside groups that support the program, a budget that is probably 3 times what other schools have, a football only weight room/fieldhouse, middle school coaches that make more than other schools varsity head coaches, more paid assistants than probably 3 other schools combined and a single school system that allows the program to get whatever it needs without having to give it to other schools does it make you a powerhouse when you only compete with schools that have none of those things or maybe one or two of those things ? Or does it just give you massive advantages that stack the deck against everyone else you play in the state in your division and specifically your area that allows you to take on the appearance of a powerhouse program playing on an absolutely uneven playing field? Just some food for thought
I'm not sure if you are referencing Salem but those "facts" you labeled are incorrect. But hey, this is a public place so you have a right to your opinions. Maybe LB can get over the hump and win the big one when they start competing against teams that can match them both physically and athletically. I believe Salem challenges themselves by scheduling Martinsburg and Dinwiddie and teams of the caliber they will see deep in the playoffs.
A couple of things. First off, I disagree with the notion/comment that LB has to schedule Salem to prove anything. They ARE a powerhouse and are the odds-on favorite to win it all this year in 3A after reaching the Championship game last year... they are LOADED and VERY well coached.
Salem only has one turf field that it sometimes practices on but that is the lacrosse field.
The weight room is not football-only. Every single sport at Salem that has players that lift weights uses that weight room. It is hard to consider having your own fieldhouse an advantage when it comes to actually playing football games.
I am not sure where you got the "middle school coaches making more money than other schools varsity head coaches" idea from. I just simply do not know if that is true or not but maybe you have more information on this.
I would argue that money, resources, stadiums/weight rooms/fieldhouses are FAR MORE important at the college level, especially when it comes to recruiting but you don't see teams and coaches complaining about the "uneven playing field" as an excuse when it comes time to play the games or reflect after a game is potentially lost.
Did Henderson opt-out for Hopewell? Because I have a hard time seeing Hopewell not repeating unless they just lost absolutely everyone. Henderson just shredded LB and I think Hopewell as a team ran for like 9 YPC. Kid is filthy beyond belief and I have a hard time seeing LB stopping after he did what he wanted last year.
Would assume LB represents this side of the state, though.
Would assume LB represents this side of the state, though.
It looks like he is already up at Ohio State. His brother is a freshman at Hopewell though.
Ah, well that's good news for LB then, I'd definitely agree they are the 3A favorites in that case.
Henderson’s going to Ohio State.
@1MoreHokie Hopewell is still the favorite. Henderson’s little brother (freshman with an offer from UVA already) will lead their running game along with two other backs with D1 offers. Hopewell is loaded.
Mixed up Malik Newton LT to Pitt, Henderson Hopewell Oh St
LB football team will send about a dozen football players to collegiate programs
Football recruiters are very familiar with Daleville, Virginia after the success the Lord Botetourt football team has enjoyed in recent years. The Cavaliers are 78-23 in the eight seasons since Jamie Harless took over as head coach, including two trips to the state championship game. A ninth...
fincastleherald.com
Similar threads
