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Nobody played well tonight. QB did a good job the first 2 games, certainly struggled tonight. OL still has a lot of work to do. Defense had their good moments and not so good moments as well. A lot of room for improvement. Tonight was sloppy for sure. As far as overated, I guess it depends on where you are getting your rating from. Are they a top 10 team in C4? They haven't really looked like it yet, but it's game 3! The key to success will boil down to the OL play. Right now it's not there, but it's not time to throw in the towel.
Franklin County lost to Salem and Glass. They can surely be 8-2 though.Franklin County just beat the brakes off Magna Vista and have a good shot of finishing 9-1, they're going to look like a very good win by season's end.
Franklin County just beat the brakes off Magna Vista and have a good shot of finishing 9-1, they're going to look like a very good win by season's end.
Franklin County lost to Salem and Glass. They can surely be 8-2 though.
By the way, tell your parents that my dad is doing a little better and hopefully I can get him to a couple of games or two. Got him watching on the tv.
Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to make it Mark. Having to rent a van is just prohibitively expensive. I'll be listening on the radio, hoping to be able to watch it on a live feed.Looking forward to another terrific Blacksburg-Salem battle Thursday night. The Bruins-Spartans games are becoming “must see” HS football games in SWVA every year. I’ll try to jump down from the booth to say Hi again, Mike, if I can. The pre-game coach’s interview goes about 10 minutes and is pre-recorded, so that will be my chance - at about 6:20 or so. If I don’t see you, know that I will have tried.
Not sure why you think they will struggle with PC. They (PC) barely squeaked by Byrd 19-14. If Byrd does not fumble on the PC 25 going in they win the game. PC has NO offensive identity and no playmakers. The defense and playing teams not really that good have been the difference thus far. We will know more about PC in the second half of the season when they actually start playing some competitive teams.Look, North side and Franklin County are nice above average football teams. Salem struggled to win both of those games. Is Salem Good enough to beat Cave Spring, Hidden Valley, and Christiansburg--yes. But it looks like they will struggle with Pulaski and Blacksburg. They are going to get beat handily by Martinsburg. This is a playoff team that probably loses in second round. But for good or bad all Salem teams get compared to the best in the State, wouldn't want it any other way. Right now Salem is a good team, not a great team and certainly not a State contender.
Really? Didn’t they win? GeezSalem overrated. QB and offensive line are not good. Thought defense was better than it is. Unbelievably poor performance.
By the end of the year I don't think anyone is gonna want to play them.Thanks they needed that win badly
Let’s give Northside a little credit. This surely wasn’t Salem's best effort, but I don’t think it was a pitiful one, either. It takes two to tango, and Salem still would have cruised by a lot of teams with last night’s effort. Northside looked pretty good to me, better than I thought they would be, honestly. The Vikings spent most of the first half shooting themselves in the foot with holding penalties, and still scored fourteen in the half. And yes, Salem had plenty of problems on offense, but credit Northside’s defense for some of that. I thought the Norsemen gave a determined effort.
About that problematic Salem offense....it was different issues at different times. As others have observed, the O-line definitely did not take a step forward tonight. There were several successful running plays, but not many instances when they were strung together. There were a few successful passing plays, but overall, the pass blocking wasn’t very good. When Chaney did have time, he had trouble connecting. He overthrew an open Ferris. He overthrew an open Collins. He overthrew a wide-open Wood on what would have been a touchdown, or a first down inside the five. On a fourth and two play, a pass got tipped at the line, and Northside intercepted. Chaney just wasn’t sharp for most of last night. However, he did make a great throw to Ferris on a crucial third down, which led immediately to Wood’s winning TD run. Salem spent most of the first half in Viking territory, and came away with seven points.
I thought Salem’s defense played pretty well. This was one of those nights where a lot of tough calls went against the Spartans, and two of those combined to greatly aid Northside’s first score. The “roughing the passer call” against Salem was a big early momentum changer. I’m not saying it was a bad call, as I wasn’t watching the qb; just that it was a borderline call that had a big impact. [The Salem fan sitting beside me said Salem got away with roughing the passer on a crucial play in the fourth quarter, so maybe that evened out.] Salem weathered several of those type calls last night. Of all of them, the only one I would definitely say was a bad call was the personal foul for a horse collar tackle. I had a good view of that one, as it took place almost in front of me. If I had to testify in a court of law, I would swear - based on my single naked eye, real-time viewing - that the Salem defender brought the ball carrier down by grabbing a fistful of his jersey, below the numbers. But the ref didn’t see it that way, and Northside got a first down. At any rate, despite that and other tough breaks, the Spartan D kept Northside off the scoreboard after halftime.
Timeout for Joe Fan In The Stands to second-guess the coaches: actually, Northside’s coaches. I believe it was early in the fourth quarter when Northside lined up to attempt a 42-yard field goal. Based on his kickoffs, I thought there was no way the kicker had the leg for that distance. And he didn’t, as the attempt didn’t even reach the end zone on the fly. I don’t know why Northside didn’t just go for it there, on fourth-and-nine from Salem’s 25 yard line, with a tied game.
Now, for Joe Fan In The Stands to second-guess Salem’s coaches. Grepiotis’s first three kickoffs had all been good, deep ones; all inside the ten, and two of the three near the goal line. More importantly, all three had been well-covered, with Northside unable to return any of them much past the 20. That has been an issue thus far this season, so - good job! And yet - on the kickoff following Wood’s marvelous run to put Salem up 21-14, Grepiotis squib kicked it, and Northside set up shop at their own 37. Now, I know the last thing you’d want to do there is give up a long return. But, 1) that hadn’t been an issue all night, and 2) if you squib kick it, the ball is still in play. You’re at least giving the opponent the ball close to midfield, and at worst, you’re still risking a run-back. If you’re going to do that, why not just drill it out of bounds? I don’t get stuff like that, so I’m open to explanations.
I was heartened to see some level of improvement in Salem’s special teams. As I just noted, kickoff coverage was good. The execution on all three extra points was good, which is always crucial in tight games. The first two long snaps on punts were bad; Logan did a great job both times to corral the ball and get pretty good kicks away. After that, all the snaps were pretty good. Logan did a very good job punting. On a couple of occasions from in or near his own end zone, he got the ball out to near or even past midfield. Had Northside only had to cover 25 yards instead of fifty on those occasions, things might have gone differently. And of course, one of the biggest plays of the night came when Logan hit Wood for a huge gain on fourth down out of punt formation. It’s nice having a good punter who’s also a great athlete, like Logan.
Salem’s return game continues to be feast or famine. Collins and Wood are both very good return men, and kickoff returns were good all night. Punt returns were much more of a mixed bag. It seems Collins is always a threat to take it deep - unless there’s a block in the back, of which there were two last night. And Collins did fumble at the end of a great return with the game tied in the fourth quarter. Hard to fault him, though, as the young man was giving a tremendous effort in fighting for extra yards.
So, Salem went .500 last night in the two big areas that needed improvement. Special teams - affirmative; offensive line - not so much. It’s still early, so I’m not overly concerned. As I said, Northside’s no pushover, and it’s not as if everyone outside of Glass has looked like world-beaters. As someone pointed out, Pulaski County needed some late luck to beat Byrd, and Byrd is awful. As of right now, I’d say Salem is probably ten to fourteen points behind Glass, but at least as good as anyone else in Region D. For me, the big takeaway from last night is that, playing in someone else’s house, and despite wildly inconsistent execution, a pretty good opponent, and several tough calls, the Spartans hung in there to get a gritty, come-from-behind win. Yes, a win that underscored there’s still much work to be done, but there is yet time.
Just beat the brakes off MV? It was a 2 point game midway thru 4thFranklin County just beat the brakes off Magna Vista and have a good shot of finishing 8-2, they're going to look like a very good win by season's end.
Just beat the brakes off MV? It was a 2 point game midway thru 4th
For what it’s worth Magna vista is a class 3 team while franklin county is a class 6 or class 5, ultimately they should be able to wear them down they nearly double them in student population which equates to more available bodies. Best of luck to both teams but let’s not skew the narrative of who and what teams are, in perspective Franklin is a playoff team but I doubt they make much noise at their level.
I’ve come to learn (begrudgingly) to NEVER doubt Salem; especially come playoff time.Look, North side and Franklin County are nice above average football teams. Salem struggled to win both of those games. Is Salem Good enough to beat Cave Spring, Hidden Valley, and Christiansburg--yes. But it looks like they will struggle with Pulaski and Blacksburg. They are going to get beat handily by Martinsburg. This is a playoff team that probably loses in second round. But for good or bad all Salem teams get compared to the best in the State, wouldn't want it any other way. Right now Salem is a good team, not a great team and certainly not a State contender.
This is such a nonsense post you're only making because FC won. There's tons of terrible D5 and 6 teams. They don't magically have better football teams because there's more students. FC doesn't march out 150 varsity players (using your logic, FC nearly doubling MV's school enrollment should equal far higher football numbers). It's also weird for you to make excuses for why MV shouldn't win then go "but FC's really not that good in D6 and won't make it far in the POs". The gap between D6 and D3 isn't some unclimbable mountain. Phoebus beats D5 and D6 Tidewater teams all the time, Lake Taylor does the same (although maybe there's a huge gap between D3 and D4, who knows).
I mean, these teams played last year when MV finished 5-6 and MV won. And in 2017. And 2016. And 2015. And 2014. And 2013. And, no, FC actually won in 2012. Maybe they wore them out with their superior numbers that year.
I won't act like I can judge Salem football nearly as well as those who have been loyal to the program for decades. However, just looking at recent history shows to not sell them short after the first few games. In 2016, Amherst hung 42 on them the first game and they barely got by Byrd on a late score in the following game. Even later in the season, PH played them close despite the fact that they just nipped a 2-8 Jefferson Forrest squad during the second game that year. Salem then went on to beat a Dinwiddie team for the title that I would put up there as one of the best teams they had ever played. In 2017, Dinwiddie got there revenge early and then two weeks later the Spartans got absolutely smashed by Blacksburg. Well, Salem only went on to a third straight state championship beating a Louisa team that had just rolled over undefeated Monacan and Dinwiddie.
I like this team. As a coach, if I'm having to choose between offensive and defensive issues early in the season, I'm taking offensive all day long. Defensively, Salem is solid. I didn't say perfect. Yes, they've had a few slips and will have more, but overall at this point of the season, the defense seems better than both the 2016 and 2017 championship teams. Offensively, the O-line is struggling. However, even with modest improvement, they have the athletes to light up the scoreboard. Not having Persinger hurt last night, but the sophomore Leftwich looks to be improving and Wood is like 1More mentioned, a monster! They certainly have more threats at wideout than last year (and most years). QB Chaney was rusty last night, but played well against Amherst and FC. I also love seeing Logan as a decent punter who can take off and run or throw at any give time. Teams will have to prepare for that after seeing the FC and Northside films. One more thing to mention is the bye week. In four years of playing varsity football at Northside, we never played one of our best games after the week off. Hickam hated that week. There's just something about getting out of the normal routine, pattern, mindset, etc... that often translates into sloppy play that next game for some teams.
Awesome review. I wrote my original post at halftime. However, Salems offense is based on running inside and play action. I have seen two scrimmages and three games. The inside run game is not there and therefore the play action is not there. Salem has playmakers in the backfield and receiver positions, but they will be rendered ineffective when the offensive line is ineffective. Special teams actually won the game for Salem. A punt return to the 5 in the first half and a fake punt down to the 8 in the second half. After the two scrimmages I thought the defense would be dominant, and at times especially in the first quarter they were. But, Franklin County and North side had some success running right at Salem. Why Northside ever passed I'll never know. Look, Salem is good, but I judge them by a tough standard---9 State Championship teams and two runner ups. That's a tough standard, but that's the way it is in Salem. It's not about having a nice season, it's about can you win a State Title. Right now can Salem play with Broad Run, Tusccaro (sp). Louisa, Lake Taylor, Dinwiddie, Glass, and Eastern View-----No. Could this Change? Anything is possible but there have been very few signs of this improvement so far. By the way, this has nothing to do with Coaching, sometimes you just don't have the talent to compete at an elite level.
No one is questioning coaching. Salem just isn't as talented up front as it needs to be to be elite. Tough standards in this town.I remember some Salem fans sounding like this or worse a couple years ago and even questioned the coaching. And wouldn't you know it your team got better and actually won a championship
No one is questioning coaching. Salem just isn't as talented up front as it needs to be to be elite. Tough standards in this town.
I won't act like I can judge Salem football nearly as well as those who have been loyal to the program for decades. However, just looking at recent history shows to not sell them short after the first few games. In 2016, Amherst hung 42 on them the first game and they barely got by Byrd on a late score in the following game. Even later in the season, PH played them close despite the fact that they just nipped a 2-8 Jefferson Forrest squad during the second game that year. Salem then went on to beat a Dinwiddie team for the title that I would put up there as one of the best teams they had ever played. In 2017, Dinwiddie got there revenge early and then two weeks later the Spartans got absolutely smashed by Blacksburg. Well, Salem only went on to a third straight state championship beating a Louisa team that had just rolled over undefeated Monacan and Dinwiddie.
I like this team. As a coach, if I'm having to choose between offensive and defensive issues early in the season, I'm taking offensive all day long. Defensively, Salem is solid. I didn't say perfect. Yes, they've had a few slips and will have more, but overall at this point of the season, the defense seems better than both the 2016 and 2017 championship teams. Offensively, the O-line is struggling. However, even with modest improvement, they have the athletes to light up the scoreboard. Not having Persinger hurt last night, but the sophomore Leftwich looks to be improving and Wood is like 1More mentioned, a monster! They certainly have more threats at wideout than last year (and most years). QB Chaney was rusty last night, but played well against Amherst and FC. I also love seeing Logan as a decent punter who can take off and run or throw at any give time. Teams will have to prepare for that after seeing the FC and Northside films. One more thing to mention is the bye week. In four years of playing varsity football at Northside, we never played one of our best games after the week off. Hickam hated that week. There's just something about getting out of the normal routine, pattern, mindset, etc... that often translates into sloppy play that next game for some teams.
OP for sure jumped the gun with this thread and I know because I felt the same way around half until I found out why Persinger was being held out and then the D stonewalled NS and Salem did what it usually does in close games which is execute well and wait for the other team to screw up because they usually do. Like, sans-Persinger this team is probably susceptible to being beaten on a given night by a good team but you can say that about a ton of teams without their star TB. We missed his speed and ability to stretch the sidelines.
Is this team capable of a deep run? Depends very much on OL development going forward (and there's still almost 2 months until the POs) but they could dip out in the 2nd round or they could go face Glass for a shot at state if things come together.