I think I mentioned the Riverheads team of 5 years was really good, today’s team without CCC yeah 5-5. Galax just won state 7-6. Radford has beaten Galax more times than Galax has beaten them. I have been watching Radford football for 49 years and outside of the Tommy Edward’s team and the 1986 team this was right there with them
State Championship, Riverheads vs Radford. Who you got?
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Stop your whining dude. I'm sure people can take your enrollment numbers and stack them up against the seven previous opponents and say the same thing.
Guess what? Not every school in every classification has the same enrollment. News flash in case you didn't realize that.
I guess both winning and losing with class is a bit difficult to do for you. And I can't find it, but did you use similar excuses when Central beat Riverheads in the season opener? Doubtful.
We would respect this take if you weren’t ready to drop back down. I feel very confident in what I saw today that RH wouldn’t escape C or D. Most people are just tired of the act. It has a place with the LCAs and John Marshall’s of the world. Yes, I am reveling in watching my no offer defense make CCC tap out in the 4th.
I'm not a fan of Riverheads honestly. I've made my feelings about how the divisions should be broken down on here many times, not that the VHSL will ever adopt them. If they did, Riverheads would be staying at 2A and Essex/GW/Grayson would be joining them.
I'm with you on LCA.. I do not like how the VHSL immediately went away from the 1.5 multiplier they were promising to use when factoring LCA in. I know about the John Marshall issue but am at a loss for how to deal with that one.
Congratulations on the state title btw.
Nope sure didn't. As previously stated Radford was the better more athletic team but to say RH was very unimpressive and lacked athletes is a joke. At 400 more kids to the mix and and hopefully you pull 4 or 5 more athletes for your team. Not an excuse for why we lost an excuse for why we have less athletes. Reason we lost is Radford was the better team today. Just like Riverheads was the better team the last 7 years.
You believe Radford has “400” more kids than RH? I’m confused. I just looked at the ADM sheet in which they did realignment in 2022 with and Radford has ~200 more kids. I’m curious where you are getting your information from.
There's your problem, you are doing a Google Search. Radford is barely 2A, so is Graham. Get a clue before you start spouting off numbers.
Graham is on the smaller side, but Radford is not. Radford is the largest 2A school. At least according to the 2022 ADM.
Yeah, just noticed that. I must have been thinking of their #'s a few years back, which were closer to Graham's.
These are the correct numbers. Where are you seeing that Radford is barely 2A? They have 562 kids, which is the largest in 2A.
Use this when referencing school size. This is the document VHSL posted after the realignment.
Then navigate to the “March 31, 2022 ADM With Adjustments”. This will give you the information you need.
It is true that Radford is one of the biggest Class 2 schools while Riverheads is one of the smallest. That being said, bringing it up after losing in the state championship isn't really relevant. I would love to see how many kids at Riverheads are zoned for Riverheads. Maybe it's zero, but I have certainly heard of kids in Augusta County who play football for Riverheads outside of their zone. Happens all over the place.
In my opinion, I think every team in Class 2 would have matched up bad with Radford. I think all of the Region A and B contenders would have had a similar result, if not worse because I think the Riverheads offense was able to score on Radford more than any of the others could have. Honestly, Graham's defense had the best shot at slowing them down, and they did to an extent, but it didn't matter. The fact of the matter is that Clark was the difference maker. Riverheads did not have the athletes to match up with the air-raid offense. Every single time Radford had a third and long, I always felt like there was a decent shot they could convert and they did. Riverheads needed to get a couple more stops and then it would have been a different ball game.
Congrats to both teams. I am sure Riverheads will be back, though maybe not quite as strong losing CCC. Overall, I do think Regions A/B were weaker than C/D, but I also think Riverheads would certainly not finish 4th or 5th in those other regions. Them vs Graham or Union would be a great game. When it's all said and done, Radford had the best team in C2, as we all know. 15-0, state champs. Congrats Bobcats.
In my opinion, I think every team in Class 2 would have matched up bad with Radford. I think all of the Region A and B contenders would have had a similar result, if not worse because I think the Riverheads offense was able to score on Radford more than any of the others could have. Honestly, Graham's defense had the best shot at slowing them down, and they did to an extent, but it didn't matter. The fact of the matter is that Clark was the difference maker. Riverheads did not have the athletes to match up with the air-raid offense. Every single time Radford had a third and long, I always felt like there was a decent shot they could convert and they did. Riverheads needed to get a couple more stops and then it would have been a different ball game.
Congrats to both teams. I am sure Riverheads will be back, though maybe not quite as strong losing CCC. Overall, I do think Regions A/B were weaker than C/D, but I also think Riverheads would certainly not finish 4th or 5th in those other regions. Them vs Graham or Union would be a great game. When it's all said and done, Radford had the best team in C2, as we all know. 15-0, state champs. Congrats Bobcats.
Do you know what the with adjustments mean? I do believe VHSL looks only at 9-11 which puts riverheads at 357 aka 119 per class add another 119 and you have 476 take radford which has an average of 188 per class and that gives them 276 more students so the google search gives nearly the same numbers because the podcast from radford today talk about the abnormally large class they have in one of the years putting a 4 year total over 800 but VHSL adjusted had them in 2a because of the average of the 3 normal sized classes. Still to my point not an excuse to lose because yes you will have big and small schools in each class but the bigger schools will have more athletes when you have more to choose from. So to the clown that put how unimpressed he was with the athletes riverheads had compared to Radford GFY!
Graham held us to 279 total yds. Our defense won that game. We really stepped up against Graham and Riverheads against the run. In Class 2, mobile QBs matter. If you go back to Glenvar, then Appo and Scruggs, Cam Allen and Graham in 2018, Lawing and Appo, King William and Robinson, Graham and Meadows, and now our guy at Radford, it's just very rare that a Class 2 team without a dynamic QB wins titles going back for quite some time.
That was me. Please remember, I was referring to RH’s athletes in comparison to other 2A teams I’ve seen this year. I didn’t realize that it was a big secret that RH doesn’t have a ton of athletes. I always thought it was kind of a badge of honor that RH fans loved to wear. Basically, we will never be the most athletic team, but, we still win at a high level. All I ask is please keep the same energy about enrollment numbers when RH drops back down 😂😂😂
I thought it was because they had 200-300 more students than most other schools
Not a Riverheads fan but I live in Augusta County. Here’s some truths.
Riverheads and Wilson are the only 2 schools in the county with growing enrollment. By next cycle there will be over 300 single family homes built in the Riverheads school district. Enrollment is growing so much at Riverheads that they are currently building a new middle school.
The second best running back at Riverheads is a Draft kid. He’s not the only one. That’s right, Riverheads excepts transfers with open arms just like everyone else.
My advice would be learn how to throw the football or learn to lose with grace and Red Pride. You weren’t complaining about being out athleted when you beat Wilson, Waynesboro, Staunton, and Christiansburg (all 3A schools) and Central who was the 2A state runner up last year.
Welcome to 2A!! Pray you get to stay there. Because Greenville is growing up. 3A could be a possibility they way they’re building houses behind the school and off the Old Greenville Road exit on the Staunton bypass.
Riverheads and Wilson are the only 2 schools in the county with growing enrollment. By next cycle there will be over 300 single family homes built in the Riverheads school district. Enrollment is growing so much at Riverheads that they are currently building a new middle school.
The second best running back at Riverheads is a Draft kid. He’s not the only one. That’s right, Riverheads excepts transfers with open arms just like everyone else.
My advice would be learn how to throw the football or learn to lose with grace and Red Pride. You weren’t complaining about being out athleted when you beat Wilson, Waynesboro, Staunton, and Christiansburg (all 3A schools) and Central who was the 2A state runner up last year.
Welcome to 2A!! Pray you get to stay there. Because Greenville is growing up. 3A could be a possibility they way they’re building houses behind the school and off the Old Greenville Road exit on the Staunton bypass.
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I’ll keep it real for you because I was in attendance. Radford beat you up
And down the field today. It wasn’t close you don’t belong in the same stratosphere as us. You have 1 player and in 2023 2A football that won’t win a state title. Sorry. Landen and max ate you alive. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Radford spotted you 7 and still won by 3 tds. No reason to be butt hurt. Deep down you knew it would go this way. Don’t whine about enrollment numbers it wouldn’t have helped today. Take the loss on the chin and come back next year for another runners up trophy.
So funny cuz i seen a post after the game from a Riverheads fan talking about transfers that radford had 😆
If Riverheads has the same team as last year, you would not say that about them, Riverheads was down this year and still made it to the big show, Radford was just better this year. We will see if your program will be back next year, I can guarantee we will have 40 kids in the weight room Monday. Not a bad season with 477 kids playing against 825 today.
I agree. Thats why I picked Riverheads initially cuz they just ran all over everyone. But in reality their opponents just weren't that strong.
I cant stand that offense. I have to say i enjoyed seeing them get down by multiple scores and have no answer. Nothing personal to Riverheads, I would feel the same way about any team so one dimensional.
The reason the numbers look high for Radford is because Radford city schools is the host virtual school for Region 7 in Southwest VA. These students never set foot in the schools. The VDOE has backed the numbers out because it does not show a true reading of Radford High School’s numbers. There are 497 physical students that attend Radford High School.
Radford doesn’t have 825. Never has. They had 600 in the 80’s. I was part of a class of 93 students that graduated. The school couldn’t handle 825 students, it not that big.
Yeah, bringing up that they lost to a "larger school" is laughable, now you know how every single A team Riverheads played felt for years and years.
Great Post. Riverheads whining about enrollment numbers of all things...when they have played A with 2A numbers for years, smh. Everybody knows they fudge their numbers to stay in single A. Heck, they're going back in 2025. It's not like they're playing Oscar Smith or Robinson or something, good grief..
Yeah, this is closer to the number they had just a few years back. I was wondering why the sudden increase in numbers. Thanks for the clarification.
Agreed. They play with a pee wee offense and it got shut down today. They will be back with east mont soon and can go back to bragging about winning. It was evident to everyone they aren't on Radford, graham, or Appomattox level.
How did they fit all of those kids on the field, that's almost 1300 kids total out there playing. I thought it was only supposed to be 11 on 11?
I am late joining the party but here are my thoughts on the day's events.
First of all, be sure to read the details about the 1-A championship. Talk about a weird way to win a 7-6 game!!!
But now about ours. The first thing I have to do is take back all the promises I made you guys all week about the weather. Not sure where today's rain came from but it certainly was not in any forecast I ever heard. However I really don't think it impacted the game.
My next gripe is about this GoFan ticket business. I don't have a problem with it being an OPTION, but today from what I saw it was a mess. It takes too much time and a lot of fans as well as the gate attendants themselves have problems with it. A much better option would be to have folks order tickets online and print them out in advance like you do for concerts. Then a very simple scan at the gate and poof you are done. But today, the lines got too long and I am quite certain there were people that missed the first score or two. Of course since when is good old cash considered a bad thing?
OK on to the game.........and by the way I am not going to get into all that enrollment business and who should be in what class. I will leave that to the rest of you.
Clearly the difference today was that Landon Clark came as advertised. And what a great name for football by the way! So I would be curious to hear from some Radford folks as to whether this was his best game of the year or was it just a case of business as usual? I know we compared this Radford team to the Eastern Montgomery team of 2010, but I sure don't remember that quarterback and that offense being anywhere near as dynamic as Radford was today.
Clark was as good a runner as he was a passer. I can specifically recall three occasions in which Riverheads had them in a third and long situation, but he broke loose and ran for the first down. One of the stories I have read already said that Radford was 11 for 11 today on third down conversions and that is an amazing statistic at any level.
His 50 yard strike just prior to halftime was a college or even pro level pass and was clearly the most important Bobcat TD of the day. If the score had only been 19-14 at the break, Riverheads would have had a better chance. Which brings me to my observations on the Gladiators' performance today.
Obviously they had no answer for Clark. But I sure don't think the Big Red was chopped liver out there today either.
CCC's rushing total was just a shade under 200 yards. Not too shabby. But as I see it, Riverheads spent the entire afternoon looking for a turnover or defensive stop that might have changed the complexion of the game and it just didn't come. When they came out of the locker room and drove straight down the field to cut the lead to 25-21, that was their best shot to get fired up on defense and make something happen to turn the tide in their favor. But Radford was just too efficient to let that happen. And speaking of efficient, I am sure you guys noticed that nobody punted today. So every possession either ended in a score, a turnover (two each by my count) or a failure to convert on fourth down.
Those two stops on fourth and one, one in each half I believe, were drive-killers for Riverheads as each one occurred well into Radford territory. So we will never know what might have happened if they had converted those fourth downs and scored on those possessions.
But if you had to hone in on the one play or one sequence that really sealed the deal today, it had to be the fumble at midfield, followed immediately by the aforementioned 50 yard bomb. The score was 19-14 at the time, and Riverheads still had all three timeouts to work with. Their offense being what it is, it might have been difficult for them to score and take the lead, but within about 15 seconds time, the game changed drastically with that fumble and Radford's gutsy call to go for the home run ball.
I see we haven't had a whole lot said about the officiating. If I had to mention one play that looked questionable and directly impacted the game, it would be the late hit called against Riverheads in the second quarter. I think they were ahead 14-13 at the time, so that call gave Radford the chance to continue that drive and take the lead for good.
Now it may very well have been a great call. I was too far away to have a clear view, but the frustrating thing about it was that the official right on top of it did NOT call it, but instead we got a delayed flag from a guy who came running up the sideline to call it. I am sure Gladiator fans recall a home game this year in which out of position officials made more calls than the ones who should have been making them.
Anyway, the best team clearly won, but Riverheads gave it the old high school try and with a break or two here and there, they still might not have won, but it could have been a lot more interesting.
As for the future, again I am not touching all that enrollment/classification business, but with each team losing its marquee player, it will be interesting to see if either or both are back in Salem next year.
First of all, be sure to read the details about the 1-A championship. Talk about a weird way to win a 7-6 game!!!
But now about ours. The first thing I have to do is take back all the promises I made you guys all week about the weather. Not sure where today's rain came from but it certainly was not in any forecast I ever heard. However I really don't think it impacted the game.
My next gripe is about this GoFan ticket business. I don't have a problem with it being an OPTION, but today from what I saw it was a mess. It takes too much time and a lot of fans as well as the gate attendants themselves have problems with it. A much better option would be to have folks order tickets online and print them out in advance like you do for concerts. Then a very simple scan at the gate and poof you are done. But today, the lines got too long and I am quite certain there were people that missed the first score or two. Of course since when is good old cash considered a bad thing?
OK on to the game.........and by the way I am not going to get into all that enrollment business and who should be in what class. I will leave that to the rest of you.
Clearly the difference today was that Landon Clark came as advertised. And what a great name for football by the way! So I would be curious to hear from some Radford folks as to whether this was his best game of the year or was it just a case of business as usual? I know we compared this Radford team to the Eastern Montgomery team of 2010, but I sure don't remember that quarterback and that offense being anywhere near as dynamic as Radford was today.
Clark was as good a runner as he was a passer. I can specifically recall three occasions in which Riverheads had them in a third and long situation, but he broke loose and ran for the first down. One of the stories I have read already said that Radford was 11 for 11 today on third down conversions and that is an amazing statistic at any level.
His 50 yard strike just prior to halftime was a college or even pro level pass and was clearly the most important Bobcat TD of the day. If the score had only been 19-14 at the break, Riverheads would have had a better chance. Which brings me to my observations on the Gladiators' performance today.
Obviously they had no answer for Clark. But I sure don't think the Big Red was chopped liver out there today either.
CCC's rushing total was just a shade under 200 yards. Not too shabby. But as I see it, Riverheads spent the entire afternoon looking for a turnover or defensive stop that might have changed the complexion of the game and it just didn't come. When they came out of the locker room and drove straight down the field to cut the lead to 25-21, that was their best shot to get fired up on defense and make something happen to turn the tide in their favor. But Radford was just too efficient to let that happen. And speaking of efficient, I am sure you guys noticed that nobody punted today. So every possession either ended in a score, a turnover (two each by my count) or a failure to convert on fourth down.
Those two stops on fourth and one, one in each half I believe, were drive-killers for Riverheads as each one occurred well into Radford territory. So we will never know what might have happened if they had converted those fourth downs and scored on those possessions.
But if you had to hone in on the one play or one sequence that really sealed the deal today, it had to be the fumble at midfield, followed immediately by the aforementioned 50 yard bomb. The score was 19-14 at the time, and Riverheads still had all three timeouts to work with. Their offense being what it is, it might have been difficult for them to score and take the lead, but within about 15 seconds time, the game changed drastically with that fumble and Radford's gutsy call to go for the home run ball.
I see we haven't had a whole lot said about the officiating. If I had to mention one play that looked questionable and directly impacted the game, it would be the late hit called against Riverheads in the second quarter. I think they were ahead 14-13 at the time, so that call gave Radford the chance to continue that drive and take the lead for good.
Now it may very well have been a great call. I was too far away to have a clear view, but the frustrating thing about it was that the official right on top of it did NOT call it, but instead we got a delayed flag from a guy who came running up the sideline to call it. I am sure Gladiator fans recall a home game this year in which out of position officials made more calls than the ones who should have been making them.
Anyway, the best team clearly won, but Riverheads gave it the old high school try and with a break or two here and there, they still might not have won, but it could have been a lot more interesting.
As for the future, again I am not touching all that enrollment/classification business, but with each team losing its marquee player, it will be interesting to see if either or both are back in Salem next year.
Honestly outside of the 2nd Glenvar game, Clark has a career game for other players. Along with 2 tds against Graham he had 2 interceptions and 17 (yes 17) tackles. He also punts. I think he had one 8 touchdown game against Gate City and multiple 7 touchdowns games. Last season he threw one interception all season. One. Graham would be my pick to make to Salem next season but it’s way too early at this point. Kanipe is an amazing receiver as well. He broke all Radford records. Radford should have a stronger running game next season as Grubb is just a freshman.
Better team won today period. I knew we were at a speed/athleticism disadvantage but thought we might get a stop or two and make it a game. Didn’t happen as Radford scored on every possession but the fumble. Congrats to them on an excellent season and a great game on championship Saturday.
To the poster taking about 2nd best RB “transferring”. He moved prior to his freshman season due to his fathers marriage. Not that it’s any of our business at all but those things happen.
As to the enrollment numbers, I personally could care less where we play. Will we win a championship in 2A? Maybe not but there are 15 or so other 2A schools who would have loved to have been there to have a shot yesterday. For most schools getting there and competing would get a nod of acknowledgment for that accomplishment alone. Being happy and celebrating that Riverheads lost shows the respect you don’t want to give anyway. Haters are secretly their biggest followers and watch closer than some fans do. That’s a compliment in itself.
To the poster taking about 2nd best RB “transferring”. He moved prior to his freshman season due to his fathers marriage. Not that it’s any of our business at all but those things happen.
As to the enrollment numbers, I personally could care less where we play. Will we win a championship in 2A? Maybe not but there are 15 or so other 2A schools who would have loved to have been there to have a shot yesterday. For most schools getting there and competing would get a nod of acknowledgment for that accomplishment alone. Being happy and celebrating that Riverheads lost shows the respect you don’t want to give anyway. Haters are secretly their biggest followers and watch closer than some fans do. That’s a compliment in itself.
In fairness, it was a Riverheads “fan” that opened the enrollment door by whining about Radford having 825 students based on his Google search. Which, in and of itself, is laughable and deserving of ridicule.
Fair enough on the numbers point. But there was much more written prior to and on the other board about not competing with basically all of Region C or D. Matchups make fights and today Riverheads was the little brother. I will die on the hill that there wasn’t another team that was as prolific as Radford so that argument is silly. And frankly other than Union I don’t think any other defense stops Riverheads on 4th down 3 times. Much respect for that
Speaking of those other teams, Union had some diversity and a solid defense so my opinion is that would have been the other “problem” matchup. Graham while very very good were a running team that I don’t think would have been as bad of a matchup. Appo, Gretna, Glenvar and the host of other teams mentioned were good but let’s be honest and say they didn’t have a Clark, Clements or Anderson that demand attention. Central was fairly one dimensional with Forbes being their bell cow yet most of SWVA was all in on them coming back to Salem and competing against whomever the West sent. That’s kinda speaking out both sides of your mouth celebrating one teams one dimensional approach while slamming another.
With all due respect to everyone and their take on yesterday, Clark was much better then I realized and no other team had a “him” on their team. As good as CCC is, the best player on the field was Clark.
Speaking of those other teams, Union had some diversity and a solid defense so my opinion is that would have been the other “problem” matchup. Graham while very very good were a running team that I don’t think would have been as bad of a matchup. Appo, Gretna, Glenvar and the host of other teams mentioned were good but let’s be honest and say they didn’t have a Clark, Clements or Anderson that demand attention. Central was fairly one dimensional with Forbes being their bell cow yet most of SWVA was all in on them coming back to Salem and competing against whomever the West sent. That’s kinda speaking out both sides of your mouth celebrating one teams one dimensional approach while slamming another.
With all due respect to everyone and their take on yesterday, Clark was much better then I realized and no other team had a “him” on their team. As good as CCC is, the best player on the field was Clark.
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