RH-21 Essex-8 FINAL!!!
- Thread starter G MASTER BLASTER W
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Its 8 but whos counting? LOL Safe travels and hope for a good game next week.
Sounds like GW gave Grundy all they wanted and more today. If they play that way next weekend it'll be sure to be one heck of a game.
Hey now some of us have to wait a decade to be here I forgot one sorry haha.
Yeah Grundy did not see the same team from weeks ago. GW got healthy and clicking at the right time and showed what they're capable of.
No disprespect for Essex, but I'm beginning to wonder if Essex will ever beat Riverheads. This Essex team was just loaded with talent and elite, and I just don't know what else you can do if your Essex. That's about as talented as a Class 1 team can get that doesn't come along but so often. If this 2022 Essex team can't beat Riverheads, I just don't know how it's possible in the future unless Riverheads just comes completely apart or something with its football program.
They wont have to worry about it for the foreseeable future as we move up to 2A next year.
Good riddance to the red machine and take Essex with you neither one of yall belong in 1A.
Can GW make a game out of it with Riverheads? If Essex couldn't hang with them I've got my doubts for GW.
I like GW as Raddy and GW has had some battles over the years and I hope a fellow Region C team can take it home, but dude I just don't see how to beat them. I know Central, Appo, and Graham, Glenvar, and Radford and all are tough, but I don't know if of these 4 would beat em. I think all 4 could beat em, but I think Riverheads could beat them too.
Congratulations to Riverheads on their win today. Maybe we can add you guys to the non-district portion of our schedule for the next cycle. Good luck in Class 2A.
Minus the 5 turnovers, I question why we didn’t utilize every WR that we had. This year I’ve seen multiple games with multiple WRs contributing and scoring. This game today, I didn’t see that and the opportunities were there being that the focus was on Kam and Dorian.
To the 12 Essex seniors, thanks for a wonderful year of football. Good luck to the ones who are going to play at the next level.
Essex underclassman…it’s never too early to start training for next season. Let’s keep this thing rolling.
Minus the 5 turnovers, I question why we didn’t utilize every WR that we had. This year I’ve seen multiple games with multiple WRs contributing and scoring. This game today, I didn’t see that and the opportunities were there being that the focus was on Kam and Dorian.
To the 12 Essex seniors, thanks for a wonderful year of football. Good luck to the ones who are going to play at the next level.
Essex underclassman…it’s never too early to start training for next season. Let’s keep this thing rolling.
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I wouldn’t say Essex couldn’t hang. It was 8-7 Essex until RH scored with seconds before the half to make it 14-8 at the half. RH didn’t score again til the 4thQ with 6min plus remaining in the game to make it 21-8 Final. The biggest one of Essex’s 5 turnovers came in the 3rd Q when Essex took the opening 3rdQ kickoff and drove to RH 10 or so yard and lost a fumble. That hurt big time! Might could have scored to make it 14-14 or 15-14 Essex. Can’t make those mistakes against RH.
Since there are three different threads discussing this game, I am not sure where to tune in with my recap but I will take this one. As others have already said, this game was every bit the classic we expected it to be, and both sides left it all out on the field. But in the end the primary factor that decided it was turnovers. Riverheads won that battle 5-2 and two especially crucial fumbles by the Trojans occurred deep in Riverheads territory when they were driving for a score.
Two other key factors were time of possession and overall poise and discipline on the part of the Gladiators. As for the time element, the Big Red took almost 7 minutes of the first quarter clock to earn their first TD and they had a few other long drives as well. On the other hand, Essex had a few big plays but very little in the way of sustained drives. If I had to estimate, I would say that T O P for this game was at least 30 to 18 in favor of RHS and possibly more lopsided than that.
As for the remaining factor, this might be the one Gladiator fans could be most proud of......discipline. Several times this season, some of our own fans have maligned the Big Red and expressed concern that Coach Norcross did not have the same level of discipline as Casto did, and that such and such would have never happened under Casto, etc. But I cannot honestly see how the Gladiators could have played a more focused and poised game than they did today.
For one thing, to the best of my knowledge, Riverheads was not flagged even ONCE in this game and Essex was only called for two offsides penalties, and both of those were in the fourth quarter. So for both teams to play three full quarters in a game of this magnitude with no penalties was amazing. So whatever immature plays that had some of our fans losing faith earlier in the season were most certainly cleaned up today.
Yes, we had one fumble and one interception, the latter leading directly to Essex' only touchdown, but the fumble came late and caused no harm, other than some anxiety in the stands.
Overall it was a superb game and from start to finish, fans on both sides knew that Essex was just one big play away from taking the lead and maybe even pulling out the win. Even when RHS moved in front by two scores midway through the fourth quarter, you knew the game was not necessarily over.
Recapping...................that first drive culminated in a short CCC run as Riverheads moved 65 or so yards all on the ground. Zac Brooks added the PAT.
Essex then went three and out on its first possession as RHS took early control of the momentum. However on Riverheads next possession, that momentum swung over to the visitor's side as Robinson came up with a big play on defense as he intercepted a Riverheads pass and returned it to the 34. A couple of plays later, he caught a pass thrown into double coverage in the end zone, and added the two point conversion on a similar play to put Essex ahead 8-7 early in the second quarter.
With everyone aware that Essex would receive the second half kickoff, it was crucial for RHS to do something positive before halftime. Triple C did the honors as he stepped in front of a pass intended for Robinson and put RHS back in business.
The Big Red then went on another sustained drive to take a 14-8 lead into the locker room. Triple C again did the honors, scoring from about 5 yards out just seconds before the break.
As mentioned, Essex received to start the second half and immediately produced its biggest play of the game, a 50-yard pass play to Robinson that was thrown into what looked like triple coverage. That had the Trojans in the red zone with a chance to tie and most likely take the lead on a conversion.
But on their most damaging miscue of the day, they coughed it up on a fumble and RHS recovered. The Gladiators then took more time off the clock but failed to score. The action headed to the fourth quarter before the Big Red finally put the clinching TD on the board on a one-yard Luke Bryant run.
However, the game was far from over as a frantic final five minutes was spent almost entirely in the Riverheads end of the field as Essex tried valiantly to get back in the game. All of us knew that a touchdown and an onside kick could easily win the game for them.
They got off to a great start with a long kickoff return following the Bryant score that had them in business around the RHS 35. A couple of passes into the end zone kept everyone on the edge of their seats but did not find the mark. Their final fumble of the day turned it back over to the Big Red with maybe 3 minutes to go.
Instead of salting the game away, Riverheads then committed its only fumble of the day, giving the Trojans one last chance for a miracle. This time they just ran out of downs and RHS was able to celebrate the hard-fought win.
So hats off to both teams who definitely had the right game plans and the necessary determination to win this game but the turnovers were just too costly for the Trojans, especially that fumble in the third after the long pass.
As someone mentioned, these two have likely seen the last of each other, since RHS graduates to Class 2 play next year. So maybe we will see the beginning of a Bison/Trojan rivalry next season!!!
Good luck to the Gladiators next week. Fans will certainly know the way to Salem. And another red hot tip for Big Red fans........basketball season will start as scheduled this Wednesday night with a home opener against Bath County. Coach Weller will have the challenging task of trying to win that one with a skeleton crew of non-football players. The full team will then be available the rest of the season.
Two other key factors were time of possession and overall poise and discipline on the part of the Gladiators. As for the time element, the Big Red took almost 7 minutes of the first quarter clock to earn their first TD and they had a few other long drives as well. On the other hand, Essex had a few big plays but very little in the way of sustained drives. If I had to estimate, I would say that T O P for this game was at least 30 to 18 in favor of RHS and possibly more lopsided than that.
As for the remaining factor, this might be the one Gladiator fans could be most proud of......discipline. Several times this season, some of our own fans have maligned the Big Red and expressed concern that Coach Norcross did not have the same level of discipline as Casto did, and that such and such would have never happened under Casto, etc. But I cannot honestly see how the Gladiators could have played a more focused and poised game than they did today.
For one thing, to the best of my knowledge, Riverheads was not flagged even ONCE in this game and Essex was only called for two offsides penalties, and both of those were in the fourth quarter. So for both teams to play three full quarters in a game of this magnitude with no penalties was amazing. So whatever immature plays that had some of our fans losing faith earlier in the season were most certainly cleaned up today.
Yes, we had one fumble and one interception, the latter leading directly to Essex' only touchdown, but the fumble came late and caused no harm, other than some anxiety in the stands.
Overall it was a superb game and from start to finish, fans on both sides knew that Essex was just one big play away from taking the lead and maybe even pulling out the win. Even when RHS moved in front by two scores midway through the fourth quarter, you knew the game was not necessarily over.
Recapping...................that first drive culminated in a short CCC run as Riverheads moved 65 or so yards all on the ground. Zac Brooks added the PAT.
Essex then went three and out on its first possession as RHS took early control of the momentum. However on Riverheads next possession, that momentum swung over to the visitor's side as Robinson came up with a big play on defense as he intercepted a Riverheads pass and returned it to the 34. A couple of plays later, he caught a pass thrown into double coverage in the end zone, and added the two point conversion on a similar play to put Essex ahead 8-7 early in the second quarter.
With everyone aware that Essex would receive the second half kickoff, it was crucial for RHS to do something positive before halftime. Triple C did the honors as he stepped in front of a pass intended for Robinson and put RHS back in business.
The Big Red then went on another sustained drive to take a 14-8 lead into the locker room. Triple C again did the honors, scoring from about 5 yards out just seconds before the break.
As mentioned, Essex received to start the second half and immediately produced its biggest play of the game, a 50-yard pass play to Robinson that was thrown into what looked like triple coverage. That had the Trojans in the red zone with a chance to tie and most likely take the lead on a conversion.
But on their most damaging miscue of the day, they coughed it up on a fumble and RHS recovered. The Gladiators then took more time off the clock but failed to score. The action headed to the fourth quarter before the Big Red finally put the clinching TD on the board on a one-yard Luke Bryant run.
However, the game was far from over as a frantic final five minutes was spent almost entirely in the Riverheads end of the field as Essex tried valiantly to get back in the game. All of us knew that a touchdown and an onside kick could easily win the game for them.
They got off to a great start with a long kickoff return following the Bryant score that had them in business around the RHS 35. A couple of passes into the end zone kept everyone on the edge of their seats but did not find the mark. Their final fumble of the day turned it back over to the Big Red with maybe 3 minutes to go.
Instead of salting the game away, Riverheads then committed its only fumble of the day, giving the Trojans one last chance for a miracle. This time they just ran out of downs and RHS was able to celebrate the hard-fought win.
So hats off to both teams who definitely had the right game plans and the necessary determination to win this game but the turnovers were just too costly for the Trojans, especially that fumble in the third after the long pass.
As someone mentioned, these two have likely seen the last of each other, since RHS graduates to Class 2 play next year. So maybe we will see the beginning of a Bison/Trojan rivalry next season!!!
Good luck to the Gladiators next week. Fans will certainly know the way to Salem. And another red hot tip for Big Red fans........basketball season will start as scheduled this Wednesday night with a home opener against Bath County. Coach Weller will have the challenging task of trying to win that one with a skeleton crew of non-football players. The full team will then be available the rest of the season.
Y'all know my love for GW but as a football fan I'd be lying if I said I was really! Worried about The Big Red Machine. But I mean honestly who the hell in all of 1A could say different they are the gold standard for football in Virginia. And imo that's regardless of class 1A-6A that's not me saying RH would compete with the elites of 6A. I'm just saying if you're running a football program in Virginia you should be studying what's going on in Greenville. They have built a culture not just for winning but for what it means to be a team a unit a family. Those young men believe in the system and the coaching and damnit it pays off. I mean hell fellas if they beat GW that means every kid for the last 8 years has a ring. That is 2 groups from Fr-Sr year's that doesn't know what it means to end a season with a loss.
GW should and will be a huge underdog next Saturday and smart money says pick RH and pick them big! But we all know anything can happen on the field and crazier things have happened before. And if it's one thing I can promise you it's GW will not lay down and take it those kids will fight and try to do what they're being told they can't. No one believed Galax could beat them years back but they pulled the miracle and won by 1 point that's the last State Championship loss for Big Red. It is possible for GW to win believe it or not. This isn't a bad GW team and we are clicking at the right time and these kids believe they can win and that's all I can ask as a fan. Believe you can win and do not back down no matter the opponent and as someone who knows these kids I know for a fact they believe and they will not back down. So no matter the outcome I'm happy GW is playing in mid December and boys the football is good.
Good luck to The Big Red Machine next Saturday and safe travels to all who are coming to Salem to watch the game. Congrats to all 4 teams who competed today for great seasons. And thank you to every senior who played their last game today thank you for busting your ass during the heat and the cold so us old heads have something to talk about.
They absolutely can win, played tough games against Radford and Graham. Our defense is young and somewhat vulnerable to the pass. Put it in the air anything can happen.
U know whats coming at ya with the run but it is very hard to stop for 4 quarters, today Luke had 112 yards and CCC had a 172, so the 2 headed monster is hard to stop, as for the rings I think smiley and Armstrong are the only ones with 4 rings at rhs with those starting on varsity as freshman, but Dunlap the QB started as a freshman and can get number 4 with a win on Saturday
Just watched replay — small tidbit #2 the riverheads quarterback plays offense and defense which isn’t unheard of especially in 1A but the interesting part is he runs to the sideline after each offensive play to get the next play let’s say they run 60 plays that about 2 miles ran just getting plays. Hats off to you young man
Coach Norcross will certainly remember as most of us fans do that GW gave us a heck of a game in the 2015 semi-finals...the week before we lost the 7-6 heartbreaker to Galax. Of course that did not involve any of the current players but we can assume the culture is still the same both places. So as for what kind of game it will be, I would say to come prepared to expect ANYTHING.
As I always do, I am checking weather forecasts already and at this point they are making it sound like we will have periods of rain Tuesday through Friday with another chance next Sunday, but that Saturday will be dry and in the 50s. Would we really get THAT lucky???
As I always do, I am checking weather forecasts already and at this point they are making it sound like we will have periods of rain Tuesday through Friday with another chance next Sunday, but that Saturday will be dry and in the 50s. Would we really get THAT lucky???
This one hurt! Essex was in it the whole game. Riverheads did not beat Essex, Essex beat themselves! Essex was the better team yesterday. The Essex defense held riverheads, they bent but never broke.
Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers...can't do it against the gladiators, especially 5 times!! Although the Essex player appeared to be down on the fumble on the 10.
Play calling was what hurt Essex the most, even with all those turnovers they still were in the game until the end. Just one example...riverheads punts the ball, Essex is up 8-7 with a few minutes left in the 2nd quarter....RUN the ball, it's what got you there! Atleast take time off the clock and take the lead going into half. Instead, the trojans throw a interception on the first play and riverheads eventually takes the lead into half.
Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers...can't do it against the gladiators, especially 5 times!! Although the Essex player appeared to be down on the fumble on the 10.
Play calling was what hurt Essex the most, even with all those turnovers they still were in the game until the end. Just one example...riverheads punts the ball, Essex is up 8-7 with a few minutes left in the 2nd quarter....RUN the ball, it's what got you there! Atleast take time off the clock and take the lead going into half. Instead, the trojans throw a interception on the first play and riverheads eventually takes the lead into half.
@RappriverEHS I have to disagree. Essex was by far the more by athletic team but the were not the better TEAM.
Would love to see what essex could do with the riverheads staff on their sidelines.
One more observation...it seems that there were quite a few fans and players from other local schools in that area on the Essex side, pulling for essex. No love for the local big red team outside of Greenville? I figured local schools would still support region b.
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I kind of agree and feel there were some misses by those guys but they are great coaches too. Our coaches added a few wrinkles and made great in game adjustments yesterday.
As for local fans, there were a pile in our stands too so it just depends. There are two schools that have serious hate for us as well as a few that don’t like us but respect the program. I am fairly certain you guys probably have the same vibe from your rivals too.
One other tidbit to note, there were a few people there watching this game looking at players to play on Saturdays. Not my place to say who or what schools but at least 2-P5 schools and one other that I am aware of.
As for local fans, there were a pile in our stands too so it just depends. There are two schools that have serious hate for us as well as a few that don’t like us but respect the program. I am fairly certain you guys probably have the same vibe from your rivals too.
One other tidbit to note, there were a few people there watching this game looking at players to play on Saturdays. Not my place to say who or what schools but at least 2-P5 schools and one other that I am aware of.
As an outsider looking at film from miles away-Looks like 1A championship was played out Saturday in Augusta County. Some of us old timers are planning on making the trip up from EastTn/SW Va to see what a dynasty looks like. Now will the dynasty continue in 2A?
Not taking anything away from Essex, they had a great season but Essex was not the better team. I would say they were pretty evenly matched. They didnt run the ball because they couldnt run the ball. Riverheads totally shut down there offense. They only had 124 yds for the game. Youre not going to win many games with only 124 yds and only scoring 8 points Yes they had turnovers, but RH defense caused those turnovers. RH had close to 300 yds rushing, I wouldnt call that holding RH.
They were and a couple of conversations were had with players flying under the radar currently. The two big recruits get attention and rightfully so, but there were a few others that were surprises.
Well said Mr hot pocket ha ha, keep it rolling next week and get ring number 10
They definitely got their yards on the ground, but didn't get those long TD runs like they have been all season. They only scored 21 points after essex gave them the ball 5 times. Lowest scoring of the season? Two essex turnovers were in RH territory....a lot points were left out on the field in my opinion. The Essex defense did enough to win that game yesterday, the offense not even close.
Agree, Essex defense played well enough to win. LB held RH to 21 but CCC got injured on the 2nd series of that game and never returned, so probably would have scored more. Essex defense was the best I have seen this year that we faced. I was really impressed with the way they flew to ball and were rarely out of position. Our backs definitely earned their yards against that D.
LOL, im sitting in my parents basement in my underwear eating that pocket for breakfast as I read these posts. Haha
Ok, but just like Essex limited the run game to no home runs, the Riverheads D turned Essex over and kept them out of the end zone except when they had the short field on one of our TO. True your offense didn’t do enough but the Gladiator defense had some to do with that.
Essex defense was very good and by far one of the fastest we faced this season. I am going to sound like an ass but offensively outside of Robinson nobody scared me as a fan. I know Harris can get it going at times but he wasn’t consistently getting positive plays.
Essex was averaging north of 40 coming into the game and left with one score. It wasn’t just on the offense not doing enough, the Riverheads D flat played better than them.
Definitely agree! Robinson has all eyes on him rightfully so but Harris was the star on offense all season...essex's other wide receivers had the gladiators secondary beat but the qb just couldn't connect...George wythe needs to use that to their advantage. That's the weakness of the gladiators defense.
Ye pass defense has never been our strong suit over the past 25 years. On several occasions I saw receivers with nobody covering them. 2 was wide open numerous times.
Not sure I agree with parts of that. I know coach Jones called time and “fussed” about spreading the ball around. I could hear that from my perch on the fence. The QB had a better arm than I thought prior to the game but he didn’t look at many of those other receivers so it didn’t matter how open any of them were. As for Harris, he did have a few carry’s that seemed like he might get it going but they didn’t stick with it for long.
Again that is a phenomenal defense and Robinson is special, but teams that throw have to play mistake free. Between misses stopping the clock and drives dying without scores, the defense ends up on the field a lot. That’s tough and to their credit they held their own.
Again that is a phenomenal defense and Robinson is special, but teams that throw have to play mistake free. Between misses stopping the clock and drives dying without scores, the defense ends up on the field a lot. That’s tough and to their credit they held their own.
Unfortunately our QB thought Robinson was the only one playing yesterday.
I agree with RappRiver. I do feel like Essex loss was more self inflicted than anything. Both defenses played exceptional! I don't think I've ever seen Riverheads turn the ball over or punt as much as they did yesterday. Essex also turned that ball over quite a few times as well. Both defenses did their job.
I feel like Essex biggest issue yesterday was the lack of awareness on offense and the questionable play calling. Prime example; Essex puts together a superb drive which resulted in a Kam Robinson TD and 2 Pt conversion. Riverheads made the obvious adjustment by taking #11 completely out of the game and replacing him with #12. I'm not sure why Essex would try to go back to Kam Robinson on the first play of the next drive but it resulted in a interception by Caden Cook-Cash (helluva play by him). You're not playing one of those local NNK teams that fail to make adjustments. I understood the idea of trying to expose the matchup there but the adjustment was super obvious. The fumble in the redzone was super costly as well. Dorian Harris had just ran for 3-4 yards on 2nd down. Why not give him the ball again? It's 3rd and 1. You're on the verge of possibly going ahead in this game and you run a QB sneak which results in a fumble. That made no sense whatsoever. I seen Essex try to do a bunch of different things on offense that they didn't do all season.
The slot receivers were UNCOVERED A LOT. Riverheads had shifted their focus to Kam Robinson so much that the slot receivers didn't have a defender on them about 75% of the time. The few times that #25 from Riverheads were covering the slots, they ran right by him once the ball was snapped. This could've resulted in big plays but Essex didn't capitalize on it. They ran a lot of short pass plays that weren't really effective against that Riverheads defense. Essex QB missed out on a couple big plays by trying to force the ball to Kam when other receivers were wide open. Missed opportunities.
All in all, great job to Riverheads on getting the win yesterday. May the state championship streak continue next weekend. Good Luck!
I feel like Essex biggest issue yesterday was the lack of awareness on offense and the questionable play calling. Prime example; Essex puts together a superb drive which resulted in a Kam Robinson TD and 2 Pt conversion. Riverheads made the obvious adjustment by taking #11 completely out of the game and replacing him with #12. I'm not sure why Essex would try to go back to Kam Robinson on the first play of the next drive but it resulted in a interception by Caden Cook-Cash (helluva play by him). You're not playing one of those local NNK teams that fail to make adjustments. I understood the idea of trying to expose the matchup there but the adjustment was super obvious. The fumble in the redzone was super costly as well. Dorian Harris had just ran for 3-4 yards on 2nd down. Why not give him the ball again? It's 3rd and 1. You're on the verge of possibly going ahead in this game and you run a QB sneak which results in a fumble. That made no sense whatsoever. I seen Essex try to do a bunch of different things on offense that they didn't do all season.
The slot receivers were UNCOVERED A LOT. Riverheads had shifted their focus to Kam Robinson so much that the slot receivers didn't have a defender on them about 75% of the time. The few times that #25 from Riverheads were covering the slots, they ran right by him once the ball was snapped. This could've resulted in big plays but Essex didn't capitalize on it. They ran a lot of short pass plays that weren't really effective against that Riverheads defense. Essex QB missed out on a couple big plays by trying to force the ball to Kam when other receivers were wide open. Missed opportunities.
All in all, great job to Riverheads on getting the win yesterday. May the state championship streak continue next weekend. Good Luck!
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