Class 6 news that affects Class 4 Monacan.

DinwiddieProud

All-American
Dec 9, 2013
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Bobby Henderson, brother to highly respected Monacan Head Football Coach Jim Henderson, and currently an assistant at Monacan, is the new Head Coach for James River High School, (Midlothian).

A loss for the Chiefs for sure, but a big catch for the Rapids. I have no doubt that the genes run true and Coach Bobby will quickly be successful. JRHS has been on the upswing of late, and Coach Henderson may be just what is needed for the Rapids to take that next step.
 
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DinwiddieProud

All-American
Dec 9, 2013
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Not good for Monacan I can tell you that. We have been having our way with James river as of late. Scary if all the 6A's start running the spread now.

But you know as well as I do, that's the way the world works. Almost every head coach was somebody's crackerjack assistant prior to becoming a HC themselves.

Remember, we lost long time assistant coach Buzz Edwards to Colonial Heights this year. So we feel your pain. As much as we will miss him, I can't be sad. He is a great coach, and an even better person. He certainly paid his dues, and earner the privilege of being a head coach. Like Coach Mills eluded to this past Sunday at the football banquet, we all hope Coach Edwards wins every game next season, except one!!!
 

mbonape1

All-Conference
Aug 23, 2015
2,172
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But you know as well as I do, that's the way the world works. Almost every head coach was somebody's crackerjack assistant prior to becoming a HC themselves.

Remember, we lost long time assistant coach Buzz Edwards to Colonial Heights this year. So we feel your pain. As much as we will miss him, I can't be sad. He is a great coach, and an even better person. He certainly paid his dues, and earner the privilege of being a head coach. Like Coach Mills eluded to this past Sunday at the football banquet, we all hope Coach Edwards wins every game next season, except one!!!

JR moved in on our zoning for the district and now they are taking our coaches... bahumbugg lol.
 
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hamspear

All-Conference
Nov 3, 2009
5,128
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Not good for Monacan I can tell you that. We have been having our way with James river as of late. Scary if all the 6A's start running the spread now.
Spread Smead, if I was the tidewater teams I would be heading out west to look at how smash mouth teams like Salem are consistent winners every year. Just my one cent.:). It's execution and tough defense. Most high school teams don't have the personnel to win with the spread.​
 
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mbonape1

All-Conference
Aug 23, 2015
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Spread Smead, if I was the tidewater teams I would be heading out west to look at how smash mouth teams like Salem are consistent winners every year. Just my one cent.:). It's execution and tough defense. Most high school teams don't have the personnel to win with the spread.​

Salem is an anomally. Don't confuse your programs success with the norm. Athlete's operating in space is always a good thing. Trust me a pass centric offense is a lot of programs path out the cellar.

A few teams in the richmond area had running backs close to 2000 yrds but couldnt win any games... example glenn allen and clover hill.

The Salem formula obviously works. I do agree if you can out physical a team you always should but most teams are not going to be able to do tht and you are relying too heavily on your roster. The spread allows you to have success with a lighter roster.

The 6a teams in richmond have 2200 kids and they go against those Nova schools with 3400 - 4000 kids. Its hard to ground and pound your way to a st championship
 

mbonape1

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Aug 23, 2015
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@DinwiddieProud Its confirmed he's running the no huddle over at JR. SMH... The Dominion used to be a power football conference. Now its turning into basketball on grass.
 

SpartanOfYore

All-Conference
Sep 15, 2009
1,995
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Salem is an anomally. Don't confuse your programs success with the norm. Athlete's operating in space is always a good thing. Trust me a pass centric offense is a lot of programs path out the cellar.

A few teams in the richmond area had running backs close to 2000 yrds but couldnt win any games... example glenn allen and clover hill.

The Salem formula obviously works. I do agree if you can out physical a team you always should but most teams are not going to be able to do tht and you are relying too heavily on your roster. The spread allows you to have success with a lighter roster.

The 6a teams in richmond have 2200 kids and they go against those Nova schools with 3400 - 4000 kids. Its hard to ground and pound your way to a st championship

"Don't confuse your programs success with the norm."

While we appreciate hamspear's words of support, he is a dyed-in-the-wool Sherando fan. Of course, we're always happy to accept converts.
 
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71ShadesofNavy

All-American
Dec 4, 2013
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I agree with everybody on this one, but realistically you have to design your offense around the personnel you have. I honestly doubt Dinwiddie could line up in a power I formation and be as successful. We just don't routinely have the big bodies to do it. Look at the traditionally successful teams in 4a. Their offenses are geared toward there strengths. Unfortunately, some coaches attempt to instill the "spread" or "smash mouth" systems when they don't have the talent or depth to implement it. This always spells disaster. No disrespect intended, but when we played Lake Taylor this season we did not see their vaunted veer in heavy doses. Some of it was their attack plan (power running up the middle and double moves on corners), but I tend to believe they over thought it and got away from what has made them successful. They did the same thing against Salem in the 2015 Championship game. The Titans failed to gain yardage on the pitch or cut a few times in the first half and gave up on it. Yes, Salem's defense played a part in the change, but you cannot abandon your strength. I will give Salem credit. They usually put in a few wrinkles, but they generally stick to their strength. That is why they consistently win.

Other factors regarding the change in offensive strategies include: The constant change in rules to protect the players, (Like it or not its here to stay), declining interest in football (depth) and the overall speed of the defenses. It is extremely hard to run the ball on the outside in todays game.. A majority of the yards gained on the ground come through counters, dives and traps. I think we scored 14 rushing touchdowns on plays between the guard and tackle.

mbonape1, don't get discouraged you still have LC Bird to keep the ground and pound game alive. .
 

mikesalem

All-American
Nov 2, 2009
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"No disrespect intended, but when we played Lake Taylor this season we did not see their vaunted veer in heavy doses. Some of it was their attack plan (power running up the middle and double moves on corners), but I tend to believe they over thought it and got away from what has made them successful. They did the same thing against Salem in the 2015 Championship game."

I agree with you BN on LT getting away from their gameplan in the 2nd half against Salem. Hughey only ran the ball a handful of times during the game. Obviously, they wanted the ball in the hands of Palmer, Davis, Smith & Tucker-Dorsey on the ground, but they didn't really utilize the QB keeper as much as I thought they would. He did a pretty good job of distributing the ball to his playmakers, but I thought he could have made a pretty big impact running the ball a little more.
 
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