Hoos, list is about as close to accurate as you will get. All season I thought Monacan was the best team in the east; however, Louisa ended their season. I kept telling the people close to me that I was extremely concerned with Louisa and actually made the same statement to the Lions announcers before the game. Why? because, Dinwiddie's defense consistently struggles against big and punishing runners (Rogers-Hanover, Cheatham-Hanover, Ashton -Sherando, Fox-Salem, Ramsey-Salem, Johnson - LT, Kraegenbrink -Lafayette and Bell -Louisa).
I make this point, because matchups completely muddle things. Believe it or not each team listed in the top ten is vulnerable to something. In my opinion, Louisa and Salem had the fewest weaknesses of all the teams being discussed. They deserved to be in the final period. After #2, no one on this board could definitively justify what order teams fall. I can tell you without a shadow of doubt Blacksburg, Monacan, EV, and Dinwiddie were very similar in style and talent. The champions (Salem) had their struggles with Blacksburg and Dinwiddie. Monacan and EV would have played them close as well, but would they fair any better than Louisa? Nope, because none of the aforementioned teams would have beaten Louisa.
Before you crucify me lets look at why. The above teams all utilize the spread or variation of it. Whether on the ground or through the air they score fast and score often thus putting the defense back on the field. Louisa was extremely successful at absorbing blows and eating up the clock. It only takes one turnover or punt and boom they were up 14. Playing catch up or matching scores against Louisa just added to the defensive issues. They didn't care if you passed all night on them, but you were not going to run. I know Beck's quality, just like I do the other teams talented backs, but Louisa just wouldn't let teams get traction on the ground. You can argue with this all day long, but please consider adding 20-25 defensive plays a game to your players that go both ways workload. Its hard to run the ball when you expend so much energy on defense.
Guys, the record book says Salem #1, Louisa #2 and the rest of us went home early. Lets focus on the upcoming season.