My takeaways from watching this were.....
Both teams are very, very good. There was a high level of play on the field. Union is not just good, but near perfectly well coached and this showed last night. No offense to Ridgeviews coach, but Union's Coach gets 100% out of his team.
Poliet from Union is one of the top 3 AA players in the state. He has to be. I'm sure he gets some props at RB because he's a tough runner and RB's get the headlines, but his ability at Linebacker and watching how many tackles he makes and how many plays he changes are remarkable. There is a case for this kid to be 2A overall player of the year. He's up there along with Lester from Graham as both are special on both sides of the ball.
Union's size is small, but line is vicious. I have seen Union 3 times over the years and never have I seen a Union team that is not very big or huge. Well, this line isn't terribly big, but incredibly stocky and strong and good. Same for Ridgeview. Both Union and Ridgeview are very close. If they were to meet again, it probably will go down to the wire I would think.
Jenkins for Union is an absolute baller on both sides of the ball. He's the kind of kid that puts himself in every perfect spot on the field to make a play and the kind of kid that will beat you or make a big play when the momentum may be changing. Polier is the same, but Jenkins for Union on defense is smooth.
Ridgeview-The running back is unbelievable. He's a legitimate D1 kid. Union's 11 knew he was getting it and they contained him pretty good, but the RB also got his against what is a stout defense. He's very quick and has incredible vision and incredible strength. The most underrated player I was or a guy that hasn't been talked about is a Wide Receiver Ridgeview has. This guy has unbelievable hands and quicks, and I was a bit taken back why this kid isn't getting more hitches or bubble screens. He's dynamic and he plays on a running team, but if this kid played in a pass offense, he would be first team All State and put up video game numbers.
Awesome game between two awesome teams and kind of what I thought going in. It appears Union, Ridgeview, Graham, and Richlands are neck and neck and having now seen Graham, Union, and Ridgeview, and Radford, Gretna, Glenvar, and Appo vs Buckingham, the 4 in the west are better than all of them with the exception of Buckingham. Buckingham is equally as good as the 4 in the west and they are very close. I am sure that by now, Appo, much like Richlands, has also caught up and right there in the mix. I've seen the teams mentioned above with the exception of Richlands.
Having seen the teams above, I still believe that the best of the bunch regarding their ceiling, or if they bring their best game, is Graham. They have talent all over the field, but Graham can easily be beat in my opinion by Ridgeview, and Union as we have seen, and I suspect Richlands also. If Graham plays their A game, they won't be beat. Only my opinion of the west. As for Buckingham, they are the real deal. They can play with those in the West. Not saying who wins, but they are good enough and legit.
