When it comes to East vs West..
Eastern teams: LT, Dinwiddie, Monacan, patrick henry ash, Heritage NN will have played elite 5a and 6a teams for example LC Bird, manchester, thomas dale, hermitage, HSHS etc in richmond and the 757 teams will have played norview, hampton, salem Vb, oscar smith etc..
Western half of the state is primarily 4A and below... but there are more quality 4a squads in the west due to the sheer number of 4a teams.
If there is an undefeated west 4a and east 4a... i would lean east as having a harder path but tht is where it ends. Keep in mind I am also from the east
. I'd say at the top level the east and west is very close when you are talking about the top 4A teams. I believe we are 2/2 since the re-alignment?
Winning a state championship is a huge acheivement and the path is very hard on both side. Plus you never know what will happen when u play an unfamiliar opponent for the first time.
Winning a 4A title is harder than ever before since the re-alignment!