Rivalries

Jefferson Forest and Brookville battled last week, but this week features a rivalry for the Old-Timers. E.C. Glass will host G.W. Danville in a battle that marks the last Western Valley District game between the two, before the Hilltoppers drop down to the Seminole. Thus, I had recieved more comments on certain rivalries from the Central and Southwest Virginia area. Here are some more responses that I recieved to these questions

1. What do you think is the best high school rivalry and why?

2. What is your most memorable moment from a rivarly that you are involved in now (or one that you were involved in) and what made it memorable? (If you played/coached more then one sport, please specify the sport from your answer)

Warner Dyke (Head Girls Basketball & Head Golf Coach at Brookville High School)
1. For me, it would have to be brookville versus J.F. It doesnt matter the sport, it is always the biggest crowd of the year. Year in and year out in most sports it seems like we are competing for one of the top spots in the district with each other.

2. I know this sounds cliche but I really dont get wrapped uo in the rivaly's like the kids do. But I guess the best moment with J.F. for me would be the year that we were the only team (girls basketball) in the district to beat them.

Mike Cartolaro (Head Boys Basketball Coach at Altavista High School)
Well, most coaches will say it is one they are in. Certainly the one with us and gretna over the years has been good. Maybe the last couple of years it has lost a little of the shine, but I am not complaining since we have been fortunate enough to win those games. We had the V-T game in bristol: Virginia High and Tennessee High. That was very intense. We beat them on a half court shot one year, when both teams were very good we went to the state double a playoffs and they also qualified.

John Earich (William Campbell Assistant Head Coach for the Varsity Football team)
1. Massillon versus Canton McKinley in Ohio since 1894. Because Ohio football is the best in the nation.

2. Our victory over Gretna in 2002. 33-30 overtime. Watching Vernon Vassal do cartwheels after Josh Moon kicked the winning field goal.

More to come

More Rivalry Comments

The lateest comments on rivalries. The questions again

The questions
1. What do you think is the best high school rivalry and why?
2. What is your most memorable moment from a rivarly that you are/were involved in?

The newest answers

Paul Smith (Jefferson Forest Boys Basketball Head Coach)
Not being from this area for very long, it is hard to have a real "feel" for this. However, in my short time here I do see that JF and Brookville is a big rivalry for the long time JF people. I can tell on game night that the game has a much different atmosphere.

Mark Hanks (Pulaski County Head Boys Basketball Coach and former Liberty Minutemen Head Coach)
From my days at Liberty, I really enjoyed coaching against Jim Hawley at JF. He always was light years ahead of me preparation wise and we had the studs to even it up !

More to come

More on Rivalries

More responses from the questions sent out on rivalries.

The questions

1. What do you think is the best high school rivalry and why?

2. What is your most memorable moment from a rivarly that you are/were involved in?

The newest answers

Brantley Shields (Head Boys Basketball Coach at Appmattox, former Tunstall Trojans and Averett Basketball player)

2. Tunstall vs. Dan River in 1997-1998. We trailed in a game at home by 25 points headed into the 4th quarter and came back and won. The game was highlighted by a thunderous alley oop dunk by Lorenzo Preston off of an inbounds play under the basket. One of the greatest games I've ever been a part of.

Dave Close (Assistant Football Coach at Altavista High School)

1. The best High School Rivalry that I have ever seen is in Northeast Ohio, Canton McKinley v.s. Massilon. The game is played in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium (Massilon), or Faucet Stadium (McKinley) (were the Hall of Fame game is played). It is the most intense game that I have ever attended. It is considered to be one of the oldest and fiercest rivalries in the country. The stadiums are full(with nearly 20,000 people there) and the football is great. Massilon shuts down @ 5:00 on Fridays for there football games.

2. I have not been at Altavista long enough for any memories of Rivalries, but when I was at Rustburg, we played Liberty in 2006, we had just scored to tie the game with less than a minute left, we lined up in 2 tights & power backs, we sent Jake Wade in motion and threw a flat pass to him, he caught it and muscled his way into the endzone for a two point conversion to win the game.

Stewart Grant (Head Baseball Coach at Liberty (Bedford) High School, Former Athletic Director)

1. If you went with one sport in the area, it would be Gretna/WC in football. Both teams have had alot of success in this decade with both teams winning multiple state championships. If you went with two schools and all sports, it would be Brookville/JF. Both schools have winning traditions in multiple sports combined with the close proximity makes this a clear cut choice.

For an out of the area choice, this would have to be Graham/Bluefield in football. Both teams share the same city and 10,000 seat stadium that overflows when this game takes place. It has been ranked in the top ten nationally by ESPN for rivalry games.

Brad Bradley (Head Football Coach at William Campbell High School)

1. I would pick the William Campbell-Gretna game because every year it is a very competitive game that draws a huge crowd. It has turned into one of the biggest rival game in the state of Va. Whenever William Campbell and Gretna get together, it is a great atmosphere for high School football.

2. It would have to be in 2002 when we beat Gretna 33-30 in OT. Josh Moon kicked a field goal to win the game only after our defense had held Gretna 4 downs from the 10 yard line. That gave us our 2nd 10-0 undefeated season and led us to to the 1st ever state championship in school history.

More to come....

Greatest Rivalries Part 1

Here are some responses that I have gotten back to two questions I asked on what the greatest rivalries are in high school sports. Here are the two questions

1. What do you think is the best high school rivalry and why?

2. What is your most memorable moment from a rivarly that you are/were involved in?

Here are some of our first answers

Dan Stephens (Head Boys Basketball Coach-Heritage High School)

1. Well, the Sam Rayburn Texans and Pasadena Eagles, of course. The best since I've been a Virginian would have to be Heritage and E.C. Glass. Unfortunately, it is less about the game and more about being seen AT the game. A loud social event-some positive, some not so much.

2. My first exposure to the Heritage-E.C. Glass game as a coach was to walk into the hallway leading to the gym during the JV game and finding one of our varsity players sitting on the floor hyperventilating. I knew then that this wasn't just another game.

Ryan Gilleland (Assistant Baseball and Football Coach at Jefferson Forest High School. Also has served as head baseball coach and was Junior Varsity Boys Basketball coach for a spell as well)

1. Obviously, JF - Brookville. You can throw both teams records out in this rivalry in all sports. The emotion and passion to win this game is higher than any other game we play.

2. I remember in 1991 when JF-Brookville were both 9-0 in football and played against each other the last game of the year at Brookville. JF won the game in the last minute or so and was probably the craziest memory I have of the rivalry. For me, some of the best memories I have of playing against Brookville was scoring a touchdown my Junior year at Brookville as we won the game. In basketball my senior year, I remember playing at Brookville with Frank Beamer in the stands, there to see Anthony Poindexter. Anthony drove the lane late in the game and threw done a thunderous dunk against the Bees as we won the game. From baseball, we beat the Bees in the final game of the year my sophomore year to clinch the regular season Seminole District Championship at Brookville

Dwayne Hamlette (Assistant Football Coach and Former Football Player at William Campbell)

1. William Campbell and Gretna: For the simple fact that these two small areas produce great football teams year in and year out, and the 30 minutes distance helps too. People plan time off from work for these games and it is usually for the district and the winner and loser usually makes a deep playoff run. The really funny thing is both schools have trouble scheduling local teams to play them, especially the larger schools.

2. The rivalry between JF and William Campbell. We played them first the first game of the year my sophomore and junior year and it was a dog fight. We also ended up playing them in the playoffs my junior year and won on a deflected pass that was taken to the endzone. Our two teams didn't like each other at all. Before one of our battles at William Campbell, both teams were side by side under the goal post and had to be separated by the coaches....great times!

More to come. Keep checking back for more memories of great high school rivalries (from all over the map)

Rivalries

On the eve of the big Seminole District showdown between Brookville and Jefferson Forest, I thought it would be a good time to explore high school rivalries. I have inquires out to current and former high school coaches, athletes, athletic directors and so forth, to find out their favorite rivalries and the moments from those rivalries. I'll get it kicked off and share mine first.

Being a student manager in high school (at Jefferson Forest) for the football and volleyball teams I saw some good rivalries in the Seminole District. In my time as a broadcaster for WKDE (with primary focus on Altavista Boys Basketball and WIlliam Campbell Football), I have experienced new rivalries.

From my high school days, there was nothing better then a contest between Jefferson Forest and Brookville. It didn't really matter what the contest was, but the intensity between Jefferson Forest and Brookville was unmatched. No one memory sticks out to me, but just the collection of the years on the football field, in the gyms, wherever, when Jefferson Forest and Brookville met, there was a lot of intensity in the house.

Focusing on football, even before the game was to begin, I'd get pumped up (and I was just a manager. I can only imagine how the players felt) and by the time the game was ready to start, I was ready to go as well. I just remember how bad our guys wanted to beat Jeff Landrum, Jeff Woody, James Lomax, Peter Givens and so forth. On the other side, I am sure those guys wanted to beat Anthony Poindexter, Nick Mistretta, Jerton Evans and so on. From my eyes in the sky (broadcasting booth), watching William Campbell and Gretna, has probably been some of the more enjoyable high school games that I have seen in any sport. The intensity (from players and fans) and excitement of these games have been breathtaking.

From the volleyball/basketball standpoints, the crowds were hostile to the opposition. The students (both sides) were probably teetering on the border of rude to the athletes. From the broadcasting side, Altavista and Brookville have had their battles on the basketball court, but the best basketball rivalry in my opinion in the Dogwood/Seminole District area is Altavista and Gretna. The rivalry was at it's height (for me) during the Kenny Hunt era in A-Town, but even when it has been Huntless (which in Altavista and Gretna, to not have one Hunt in the game is near impossible) it's still been games to behold.

What will others say? Stay tuned and find out.

Like Sausage? Check out these Links

As you can see, my catchy and comedic talents overflow with catchy titles for blog postings. Check these links out from the high school season of 07-08.







Comprehensive High School Sites


Virginia Preps


Roanoke Times High School Sports Page




High School Football Sites


Friday Football (News Channel 10's, News & Advance and Register & Bee's coverage of High School Football)


Friday Football Extra (WDBJ 7's Flagship High School Football Show for the past 25 years)


Friday Football (ABC 13's High School Football Coverage)


Virginia High School Football's Reference Page







School Sites


Brookville Bees Sports


GW Danville


Pulaski County


Other High School Links







Photos


Cougar Dave's Page (Pulaski County Sports Photos and More)







2008 High School Football Previews


Ones below courtesy of WSET's Football Friday


VES Bishops


Cave Spring Knights


Magna Vista Warriors


Martinsville Bulldogs


Lord Botetourt Cavaliers


Tunstall Trojans


William Fleming Colonels


Franklin County Eagles


Bassett Bengals


Rockbridge County Wildcats


Patrick Henry Patriots


Parry McCluer Fighting Blues


Salem Spartans


Altavista Colonels
Liberty Minutemen


Rustburg Red Devils


William Campbell Generals


Nelson County Governors


LCA Bulldogs


Chatham Cavaliers


GW Danville Eagles


Appomattox Raiders


Brookville Bees


E.C. Glass Hilltoppers


Staunton River Golden Eagles


Amherst Lancers


Jefferson Forest Cavaliers


Gretna Hawks


Heritage Pioneers

Check out more links later.

High School Football Thoughts so far

With the temperatures falling (wait, they aren't falling), and the heavy rains we have had over the summer and on Friday nights (wait, that isn't true either). Well, heck who cares about the weather. It's September and it's Friday, so that means high school football. Here are my thoughts so far.

The Brookville Bees are 3-0 and I am surprised. I am as big a Jeff Woody fan as anyone, and I have even told Brookville's head man that I am surprised his team is 3-0. It has nothing to do with the talent that the Bees have. I think everyone expected great things of the Bees with players like Logan Thomas, Stacey Houston, Zack McCray and others. But, it's no small task to head to Amherst and Salem and come out with victories. The Bees have two more non district tilts with Blue Ridge foes, Lord Botetourt and William Byrd the next two weeks. But for the number 1 team in several polls (Virginia Preps.com, Friday Football Extra, WSET's Football Friday), the Bees next big tilt is October 3rd at Jefferson Forest.

Gretna has only had to play one football game since losing Nick Miller before the season began. The Hawks, who defeated Martinsville on August 30th, this week will travel down to Dry Fork to battle Tunstall. I don't know if you can judge the Hawks based on one game yet, but what you can judge the Hawks on is this: they have athletes and with Chris Thurman on the headsets, the Hakws are not going to drop off the face of the earth.

William Campbell dropped their 1st tilt of the season to North Carolina powerhouse, Thomasville. Without Baron Adams, the Generals still looked good, but with him they had their way with Sussex Central. The Generals, whose only big loss of last season's personnel was safety Spencer Slayton, return everyone from a team who was only 1 point away from advancing to last year's State Semifinal.

I helped Dave Hoehne broadcast this past Friday's Altavista-James River tilt in Buchanan. I was extremely impressed with Mike Scharnus' squad. The Colonels looked crisp with running backs, Chris Clark, Jamison Robinson and Hunter Shelhorse. James River is going to win their share of games as well, I thought the spread looked okay for them, they had a talented skill kid in Davon Ross, and I think they are going to be a tough game for anyone in the Pioneer District.

Congratulations to Richard Trent and the E.C. Glass Hilltoppers on a big win this past Friday night against Hill City rival, Heritage. Special teams killed the Pioneers, as the Hilltoppers collected 21 points on special teams. To read Chris Humphreys article on the game check out the story from Saturday's News & Advance

Finally, good news (I hope) for all you fans of "The Sports Buffet" podcast. It looks like "The Sports Buffet" will be making a return sooner then later. Due to a hard drive crash, and my office still sharing my youngest daughter, Katie's room. The "Buffet" has had to take a backseat lately, but soon my office is scheduled for a move to the basement and I will then be able to hopefully make more phone calls and get more things posted. I still have postgame from Week 1's William Campbell and Thomasville game to post, as well as previews on Virginia and Virginia Tech from the News and Advance's Andy Bitter and Nathan Warters, as well as an interview conducted last night with Brookville Bees head football coach, Jeff Woody.

The thing I have come to realize about the "Buffet" is this. For one, as long as the "Buffet" is not a moneymaker, it can't be the biggest priority in my life. Second, as long as I have two kids (which I hope is for a really long time), they and my family as to be the biggest priority in my life, and any coach or interviewe that is reading this, I feel sure would agree with me, and if they didn't agree with that, I'd be surprised.