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Who Is That Team?

CRF4Dan

CRF4Dan

All-Conference
Staff member
Dec 17, 2012
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I know it is early but what team are you excited or curious about seeing next season? Who is that team that you think could make a splash? Looking for a team didn't make a deep run in the playoffs, maybe didn't even make the playoffs but you saw something that could position them for better in 2026.
 
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1964Coldcold

Redshirt
Aug 21, 2025
40
33
18
In class 3A I'm looking to Hopewell bounce back to along playoff run maybe a state run. Alot of returning talent and young talent quarterback who's really good, led the jv team to 7-2 record and 5 shutouts. They've really good skilled players coming back receivers and running back also. But Time will tell. With transfers and players moving around its hard to predict.
 
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Hales Bottom

Freshman
Jan 12, 2025
100
87
18
In Class 2, the Graham GMen will be fantastic. Young team last year that returns most of the cupboard. They will also likely start out 0 and 1, as they open always with their usual crosstown/cross-state rival, Bluefield High, WV, who lost in the West VA AA title game on basically the last play of the game. Bluefield has a D1, upcoming Junior QB, and returns pretty much the entire team and will be favorites to win the West VA AA title. Graham will be very good and much better, and they will have a shot at beating Bluefield in game 1, but the team Graham plays in week 1 might be the best team it sees through 15 games, if Graham were to get that far. Graham will play Princeton, WV again, (the town of Princeton sets beside Bluefield) and Princeton won the West VA AAA state title last month, but they come to Graham and they lost over 20 seniors. Princeton beat Graham and throttled Bluefield last year in regular season. Next year, both Graham and Bluefield will be favored over Princeton.

The goal and expectations for both Bluefields next year, Bluefield, VA (Graham High), and Bluefield, WV (Bluefield High) are 2 state titles and anything less than that will probably be considered a disappointment locally because both teams, at least locally, are expected to be that good.
 
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Gridiron60

Senior
Jul 23, 2019
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Hales Bottom said:
In Class 2, the Graham GMen will be fantastic. Young team last year that returns most of the cupboard. They will also likely start out 0 and 1, as they open always with their usual crosstown/cross-state rival, Bluefield High, WV, who lost in the West VA AA title game on basically the last play of the game. Bluefield has a D1, upcoming Junior QB, and returns pretty much the entire team and will be favorites to win the West VA AA title. Graham will be very good and much better, and they will have a shot at beating Bluefield in game 1, but the team Graham plays in week 1 might be the best team it sees through 15 games, if Graham were to get that far. Graham will play Princeton, WV again, (the town of Princeton sets beside Bluefield) and Princeton won the West VA AAA state title last month, but they come to Graham and they lost over 20 seniors. Princeton beat Graham and throttled Bluefield last year in regular season. Next year, both Graham and Bluefield will be favored over Princeton.

The goal and expectations for both Bluefields next year, Bluefield, VA (Graham High), and Bluefield, WV (Bluefield High) are 2 state titles and anything less than that will probably be considered a disappointment locally because both teams, at least locally, are expected to be that good.
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Where will they play the Bluefield game since it’s a home game for Graham and they don’t have a completed stadium? Tazewell or Richlands? That’s what the school board made Graham do last season for some games. Dumb.
 
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Hales Bottom

Freshman
Jan 12, 2025
100
87
18
At Mitchell Stadium with a deal worked out for the Graham-Bluefield game sometime in late spring before the school year ends.
 
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Gridiron60

Senior
Jul 23, 2019
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Hales Bottom said:
At Mitchell Stadium with a deal worked out for the Graham-Bluefield game sometime in late spring before the school year ends.
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Hope you’re right. School board should have just caved to city & signed the 3 year contract (although I understand why they didn’t) If next season is like last, I say just play all home games on Saturday at Graham. It stinks because it doesn’t have the same feel as Friday night under the lights. I’ve lost faith in school board and supervisors to do right by Graham.
 
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Hales Bottom

Freshman
Jan 12, 2025
100
87
18
Gridiron60 said:
Hope you’re right. School board should have just caved to city & signed the 3 year contract (although I understand why they didn’t) If next season is like last, I say just play all home games on Saturday at Graham. It stinks because it doesn’t have the same feel as Friday night under the lights. I’ve lost faith in school board and supervisors to do right by Graham.
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Once we get seats and lights, all of that will change. Graham is the home team this year, so Bluefield High and the city of Bluefield will feel more pressure and blow back from its own fans to make a deal for this year because their fans will complain about playing the game in a tiny stadium. Graham's best weapon to play the game at Mitchell for this year in 26 will not be Graham fans or TCSB, but it will actually be the Bluefield High, WV, fans who will add the most pressure
 
Real Sasquatch

Real Sasquatch

All-Conference
Oct 10, 2016
1,642
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Hales Bottom said:
In Class 2, the Graham GMen will be fantastic. Young team last year that returns most of the cupboard. They will also likely start out 0 and 1, as they open always with their usual crosstown/cross-state rival, Bluefield High, WV, who lost in the West VA AA title game on basically the last play of the game. Bluefield has a D1, upcoming Junior QB, and returns pretty much the entire team and will be favorites to win the West VA AA title. Graham will be very good and much better, and they will have a shot at beating Bluefield in game 1, but the team Graham plays in week 1 might be the best team it sees through 15 games, if Graham were to get that far. Graham will play Princeton, WV again, (the town of Princeton sets beside Bluefield) and Princeton won the West VA AAA state title last month, but they come to Graham and they lost over 20 seniors. Princeton beat Graham and throttled Bluefield last year in regular season. Next year, both Graham and Bluefield will be favored over Princeton.

The goal and expectations for both Bluefields next year, Bluefield, VA (Graham High), and Bluefield, WV (Bluefield High) are 2 state titles and anything less than that will probably be considered a disappointment locally because both teams, at least locally, are expected to be that good.
Click to expand...
Graham will also be playing Heritage (Lynchburg) at home this year., for a one year deal, dropping Galax (by mutual agreement)..... That could be another loss.
Bluefield also has a WR that just got a D1 offer to the University of Maryland (upcoming junior). Bluefield will be very athletic and fast and physical up front. Their new strength and conditioning coach is former Graham strength and conditioning coach, Mike Horton. That is huge for Bluefield.
Bluefield's QB is very smooth, accurate and has a quick release. Graham's defense can bring the pressure, but he makes decisiions so quickly and gets rid of the ball with great timing. I think the outcome of that game will be determined by, if Graham can match Bluefield score for score, they will certainly have the talent on offense, but will have an unproven (but very athletic) QB.
 
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Real Sasquatch

Real Sasquatch

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Oct 10, 2016
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In 2A, I'm curious to see how the new consolidated school in Buchanan County does. The Southern Gap Eagles is a consolidation of Grundy, Twin Valley and Hurley. They may be a force to deal with in region D and could emerge as another threat to Graham, Union and Ridgeview.

They will be playing a mix of 1A and 2A schools this year and will officially join the Southwest District next season. (Scheduling difficulties because it's the middle of a 2 year cycle).
 
Real Sasquatch

Real Sasquatch

All-Conference
Oct 10, 2016
1,642
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Gridiron60 said:
Hope you’re right. School board should have just caved to city & signed the 3 year contract (although I understand why they didn’t) If next season is like last, I say just play all home games on Saturday at Graham. It stinks because it doesn’t have the same feel as Friday night under the lights. I’ve lost faith in school board and supervisors to do right by Graham.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, Graham High School has been neglected since the school came into existence. When will the folks on the Eastern end of the county say they have had enough and demand better? It's not going to change until the people on the Bluefield end of the county start demanding better for their kids. They deserve equal facilities to the other schools in the County. Nothing will change until the adults demand better and for the past 87 years.....they haven't.
 
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Hales Bottom

Freshman
Jan 12, 2025
100
87
18
Graham and Bluefield game at Richlands....for now. We'll see as it gets closer. At Graham, we've been treated worse by Bluefield, WV, than we have the rest of Tazewell County. We got to play in one of the nicest, most historic football stadiums in America for 90 years. The tax payers of Tazewell County paid those rent fees along with us in Bluefield. We've been so "impregnated" by Bluefield, WV, that when probably over half of the Bluefield,VA, citizens wanted to change the town name to Graham, a few years ago, we didnt go through with it because we didnt want to offend our Controller in Bluefield, WV, because the name change could have "hurt their economy."

Lots of the shi$ we are going through is on us. We did some of this to ourselves. For our 2026 schedule, 40 percent of the regular season teams (4 out of 10) will have either played in a state semifinal game last year (2 of them) or will have played for a state title game last year (the other 2) in their respective classifications and states (Va and WV).
 
O

oldfool2

Senior
Nov 17, 2019
1,154
739
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CRF4Dan said:
I know it is early but what team are you excited or curious about seeing next season? Who is that team that you think could make a splash? Looking for a team didn't make a deep run in the playoffs, maybe didn't even make the playoffs but you saw something that could position them for better in 2026.
Click to expand...
Hmmm
 
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CountyBoyGeneral

All-Conference
Sep 23, 2014
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CRF4Dan said:
I know it is early but what team are you excited or curious about seeing next season? Who is that team that you think could make a splash? Looking for a team didn't make a deep run in the playoffs, maybe didn't even make the playoffs but you saw something that could position them for better in 2026.
Click to expand...
Hopefully Salem is back this year. I’m looking forward to Dinwiddie making the trip out there this September. That game is always good for the state of Virginia.
 
DinwiddieProud

DinwiddieProud

All-American
Dec 9, 2013
9,497
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Danny, locally, Prince George. Coach Hall has had time to institute his methods and standards, so if he has fostered “buy-in”, this year should show it.

Amelia is on the rise.

Winsor was on a roll early last season. I think the program is greatly improved and on solid footing. They just need to stay healthier and get more athletes to come out for football.

I’ll be really curious to see if new Southern Gap can get the studs from four different schools to all pull the wagon in the same direction. If so, they should be a force in their area.
 
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