State Semi-Final Highland Springs vs. Stone Bridge
- Thread starter BleedingNavy
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I am pulling for the Springers, but I think they are vulnerable to the upset. They have started slow and been pretty utilitarian in their efforts of late. Maybe they have played down to their competition? That is not uncommon? They had better bring their A game this week. Stone Bridge knows them as well as any opponent they have faced. This has a potential to be one of the “ shockers” next Saturday.
I suspect you may be right about the slow starts and who they were playing. It is hard to fathom a team that beat Chambers and crushed Martinsburg not winning it all. I will say that Stone Bridge is playing much better and is a bit healthier than they were earlier in the season. In Class 5, the four teams remaining are all capable of a title and have separated themselves from the pack for sure. All 4 teams had running clocks at some point in the 2nd half of their regional championship games.
I know HS's coaching staff was not pleased with the 2 slow starts. I have a strong feeling that will be fixed! Is Stone Bridge going to be ready to face the #1 defense in the state? ... and even with slow starts HS's offense is as dynamic as any any other out there. The Springers know who's coming and they will be ready.
Stone Bridge will be ready….but by no means does that mean they will win. Highland Springs can make a really good team look average fairly quickly. Springer76, can you believe that this will be the first time SB will play on HS home field (3 neutral site games, 1 at Varina, and 1 at Stone Bridge). Sort of crazy
It is! When they started building the new school 4 years ago, they tore down the old football stadium and we didn't have any home games at all for 2 years! Our new school AND brand new stadium are fantastic! I hope you bring all of your fans to the Springs!
We are proud of what we have in our facilities and our team! #1 facility and #1 team
Can’t wait to see your new facilities. I’m sure we will travel well. We’ve always had great interactions with Highland Springs fans regardless of where the games have been played. Really going to miss this budding rivalry next year. Are you sure the VHSL won’t allow HS to move to Class 6….say tomorrow. Why wait?
Stone Bridge and Highland Springs has been a great rivalry!!! I came up to Stone Bridge last year and we had a great time there! We were even allowed to tailgate in your parking lot! Everybody inside the stadium was very friendly as well. It was a great trip even though we lost and felt slighted by the officials on the after TD touchdowns that kept us from having successful PATs. We really wanted the opportunity to tie the score, but it didn't turn out that way. Maybe redemption this year??? We'll have to wait and see!
Our old school and the new school are adjacent to each other with the football stadium sort of tucked in between the 2 buildings. It sort of resembles a small college setting, with LED lighting and the biggest seating capacity in the Richmond area! We have a dynamite tailgate setting in the parking lot of the "old school"! Music and plenty of food.
With HSHS's new and high-tech school, it is bigger and has more to offer for the students. Therefore, HS's enrollment has jumped. It's probably going to grow even more, so the numbers are already there for Class 6. Thomas Dale is the largest school in our area, but HS will challenge them for that too.
Here we go again. Both of these teams are the epitome of excellence with regards to VA HSFB, I’ll take Springers by 10.
This will be another classic battle between these two elite programs. I agree with @mbonape1. Stonebridge will keep it close, but Highland Springs will pull away late and win 27-14.
I think Stone Bridge wins again. Springers have a lot to clean up and have been fortunate that they’ve played a scared Freeman team and an offensive incompetent Bird team. Those teams aren’t going to make you pay for mistakes but the Bulldogs will.
Everything points to HSHS being the better the team this year plus they have a bit of a revenge factor going. . . . . But after the 1st three rounds of the playoffs it looks like Stone Bridge is putting complete games together while the Springers have been sleepwalking through the playoffs. Will they come out sleep this week? I doubt it, but the slow starts against clearly inferior opponents gives some pause for concern. Stone Bridge's defense will be better than Bird and Freeman and we know their offense will come out firing unlike those teams. While there has been much talk of HSHS's schedule I don't see it as being much harder than Stone Bridge's. They both navigated them fairly easy and dominated like teams of this caliber do.
The Freedom game for SB looks bad but that team might just be another planet this year(2018 Manchester, 2018 HSHS etc.). Also a humbling like that will make a team Like SB lock in and have laser focus.
Stone Bridge just seems to have unlocked that championship mojo and I think their coaches will have an airtight game plan ready for the Springer athletes.
Stone Bridge 21 - HSHS 18
With all that said let's hear it Springer fans. . tell me how wrong I am
The Freedom game for SB looks bad but that team might just be another planet this year(2018 Manchester, 2018 HSHS etc.). Also a humbling like that will make a team Like SB lock in and have laser focus.
Stone Bridge just seems to have unlocked that championship mojo and I think their coaches will have an airtight game plan ready for the Springer athletes.
Stone Bridge 21 - HSHS 18
With all that said let's hear it Springer fans. . tell me how wrong I am
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Martinsburg lost in the semifinals last week to Huntington. The team they crushed in the title game last yr
I'm not going to compare oranges to apples in this case. It's going to be decided on the field Saturday afternoon! May the best team win!
No dog in the fight in the semifinal round so I will be venturing to Highland Springs this Saturday for a game for the first time ever. Any food recommendations near the stadium? Also, how are your concessions there?
Concessions, good food, long lines! Our concession area looks like a carnival going on. White Oak Shopping Center on Laburnum Ave. (about 2 miles from the school) has Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Long Horn Steak House, Cracker Barrel, several seafood restaurants across from the shopping ctr. All of your typical burger joints are everywhere. My favorite spot for a great burger or other goodies is a local owner business called "Fat Boys Bar and Grill". 2 W. Williamsburg Rd. Sandston, VA 23150. It's about a mile away from the school. https://www.yelp.com/biz/fat-boys-bar-and-grill-sandston
Aslo, Roma's Italian Restaurant right down the street from Fat Boys. 325 E. Williamsburg Rd. Sandston, VA 23150. https://romaitalian.com/sandston/
Either way, good food and service!
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At first…. all I was going to say was…. wow!
I laughed so hard the first two times I read this, I couldn’t even get through the whole thing. 18 points?! SMH Stonebridge could not hold them to 18 points last year when they were freshman,sophomores ,and juniors. 16 starters return from last year‘s team including the best quarterback Stonebridge has seen all year….including freedom. HSHS will EASILY be the best defense they’ve faced all year.
I’m not gonna compare the schedule, because that’s a joke. We only had one common opponent, and highland springs did not need an onside kick to win their game vs CForge. I guess Stonebridge wasn’t quite focused enough after taking that beating from freedom to face CF the next week. Everyone saw the beating HSHS gave Cforge IN A DOWNPOUR! For the record…it’s calling for rain Saturday. Both of these teams roughed up on the “scabs”. Which team was dominant against the playoff level teams? I’m sorry,but neither team faced quality teams in the playoffs. I don’t recall Stonebridge having a running clock against any quality teams,and I darn sure don’t see anywhere Highland Springs gave up more than 20 points in any game. Bridge has given up more than 28 or more points 3 times. The STARTING HSHS defense has given up 3 TDs all year(NONE on the ground), and none since week 2. I guess they played a weak schedule!
HSHS 34 SB 14
Lol….I’m glad Stonebridge played such better opponents! Offensively incompetent Mountain View lost to Colonial Forge! Lol HSHS played just as much garbage in the playoffs as Stonebridge did. The springers even played Freeman without both starting offensive tackles that have D1 offers. We saw how dominant they can be ALL year,regardless of the opponent,and regardless of how far they had to travel. This team shows up when they have to,and they’ve proved it all year.
Looks like it will be about 68 on Saturday around kick-off. I think we will all sign up for that. On a side note, Max Preps has a 5.1 difference in strength of schedule (17.2 for SB and 12.1 for HS) so far through 13 games. Should be fun….and yes HS should be the favorite. Really looking forward to seeing the new facilities.
I wish I could be there live. I know the atmosphere is probably going to be best in the state this weekend. But I'll be in Dinwiddie rooting for the Generals. Let's just hope the refs let the teams play and they both stay healthy.
I've heard you bring up the refs many times in regards to last years Highland Springs loss. I was at the game and agree they were bogus calls. These teams were evenly matched and played a great game on both sides. You never mention the fact that Stone Bridge drove right down the field at the end of the game and had an easy field goal but kneeled. Highland Springs wasn't getting to OT with or without the PATs. Stone Bridge, the better team, wins by 3.
...and I also said for this coming game, I'm not going to compare apples and oranges! May the best team win! I'll leave it right there. We'll see Saturday... if you want an arguement, I'll pass this one off to Hoosprings. His memory is sharper than mine!
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Sounds great. Thanks so much! I love supporting local businesses so I may get a little something from the concession stand before the game and then stop by Fat Boys on the way home.
Fat Boys is "quaint" (kind of small and old fashioned). TVs on with whatever sports event might be on and the food here is to die for! I eat here often and have never been disappointed! I've taken friends for their 1st time and they all go back on their own. The owner is the chef, his wife runs the front and they have a small child (cute as a button) usually there with them.
Ive seen both teams play this year. I think Stonebridge is gonna be a little too tough for HSHS in what will be a great game. Both these schools recruit well and are exceptionally well coached. This will be the championship game right here.
I saw Stone Bridge absolutely dominate Mountain View on both sides of the ball. They looked great. I hope their center didn't get hurt bad. His back up did fine but is much smaller. Based on Highland Springs wins this year and dominance I'd have to think Highland Springs wins this one at home. Hoping Stone Bridge keeps it close and pulls the upset.
I don't want a fight, just painting a complete picture of what happened. Good luck this week, hopefully it's a close game.
There is ZERO CHANCE you have seen HSHS play if you’re making this post with any seriousness! HSHS has ZERO players that didn’t play for their middle schools or JV. Most of these kids are 2nd generation players.
As far as SB a “little too tough for HSHS”….well….I guess we’ll see how that turns up.
SB lost a huge core of last years team. They were really good! Last year, HS was loaded with sophomores and juniors and struggled through the regular season with 3 losses and hung close with SB in the semifinal. HS this year on the other hand, had the large majority of last years team return this year and they have looked like a different team!!! Hence the 13-0 record, 605 points for and only 57 points against!!!!!! We're only averaging 46 points per game! LOL... Just because we had 2 "slow starts" during the playoffs, (35-0 DS Freeman and 33-10 Bird). To me, those kind of scores in playoff games doesn't look like a team suffering from weakness! Slow start? Go ahead Wolverinedad. We'll see about this weakness you see!
I keep hearing how SB dominated Mountain View, they should have, who did Mountain View play this year to validate they were a top tier team. Mountain View lost to Colonial Forge, SB struggled against Colonial Forge, and HSHS beat the brakes off of Colonial Forge. People are discounting how good LC Bird was this year, they almost beat Manchester and Manchester was a good squad this year, just young. LC Bird was a better team than Mountain View and HSHS still beat them 35-0 despite the turnovers and silly mistakes.
Lol!!!!!!!! Man stop it. The more I sit back and read your stuff and you try hard to act like you know what you’re talking about, the more and more difficult it is NOT to call you out on your misinformation and fibs. So Khristian Martin went to Fairfield or Elko for middle school? Please be sure to answer since there were “ZERO” players who didn’t come from the HS zone on your team….
I guess reading isn’t fundamental these days. REREAD the statement. Khristian DID play for the HSHS JV,like I stated. I know you know this,but Rolphe ALSO feeds some of HSHS. Mekhi Becton and his current little brother live on that weird county line. Remember,Ali Jennings started out at Hermitage,but finished at HSHS,but actually lived in the HSHS district the entire high school time. My statement is,HSHS DOESN’T NEED TO RECRUIT! If you follow the youth programs,you’d know that. That poster said we are good recruiters,but fact is,HSHS doesn’t have to recruit. They are constantly fed talent and those kids are taught to play the “right way”! Laugh all you want,but currently 16 of those players have been asked to play at the next level. The Springers do it the right way!
I'm not sure what your talking about, maybe confusing me with someone else. I said HS was going to win this weekend. All I said was last year if HS got their extra points to tie SB was in position to kick a short field goal to win. Stone Bridge that destroyed a confident Mountain View team this year is better than Freeman and Bird. Highland Springs looks on the level of the 2018 year team so it will be a very tall order for Stone Bridge to pull out a win, especially at Highland Springs. I will say nobody will be happier than me if they pull the upset as you're one of the cockiest fans on this forum. I enjoy every time HS loses so I can see you eat crow after all your "we are invincible" talk. Last year was a great year.
Martin went to Brookland Middle School. Last I checked those kids aren’t anywhere close to HS’s zone. He’s not an East End kid and has been playing with the Herm/GA/Tucker kids his entire life. I know the entire story on why he ended up at HS instead of his home school, Herm. There’s others but since he’s your star, no not all of that firepower is homegrown. Just stop spreading misinformation. You’re wrong, just admit it and move on.
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I like you a lot. Need more of this on these boards, especially with the respectful tone you use.
