I’m never ashamed of the truth! Can’t handle it...don’t read it! If it hurts your feelings...oh well! I believe in facts! This team is probably the 14th or 15th best team in the RVA area...not exactly National schedule worthy! Hopefully IMG won’t drop 100 on them!
Glass Vs. Life Christian Benefit Game
- Thread starter VolNation85_rivals
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You got it. That team has over 17 players with D1 offers on their team. That coach is giving kids, many from the inner city who don’t have any means out BUT to play football, an opportunity to get exposure and compete against the best. Grown men are here bashing that..But you have it. It’s really sad.
I don't know how many wins they will have this year, all I was saying is comparing their schedule with Roanoke Catholic was ludicrous. If it's true that they have 17 kids with college offers on the table then that's way more than Roanoke Catholic and I also would venture that you will not find 14 or 15 teams in the Richmond area who are better than them. I have no dog in this fight, but not sure why you, who I assume is an adult, has so much disdain for this school and these kids.
Their best player against Glass is going to Liberty but they have several players with Power 5 offers so you may want to reconsider that opinion. They probably won’t compete well against IMG or St. Frances but no one in the state of Virginia would. They will win at least half their games this year.
I suspect most people see it as the adults putting those kids in a bad situation. That’s how I see it. A HS curriculum of online classes & flights to Florida & Texas for what? Isn’t education important or is it all about football by any means necessary?
Don’t act like those kids couldn’t get scholarships playing for their zoned schools. Can we get a roster for LifeCA that shows the zoned public school that they would have attended? I suspect those schools know how to market kids for scholarships too. To me, it seems like some rich adults using their wealth to live vicariously through these kids, even as the kids are being served up as sacrificial lambs to IMG etc...
In the end, LifeCA has their plan & they are free to do what they do, but not all critics are “haters”.
I’ll say this and I’m leaving it alone... Life Christian is the only private school in Virginia that are stepping out and playing the big schools. Their basketball team played Melo Ball at Virginia State back in January. He and his Spire (Ohio) team had been selling out arenas all over the country and was a hot ticket. LCA actually almost beat those guys, but even more important, about 4 kids from LCA got an offer that night. So no, most public zoned kids wouldn’t get that opportunity. Look at Marchellus Avery, who transferred from Armstrong. Kid wouldn’t have had the platform at Armstrong and most importantly, LCA took him out of that environment where he may have gotten in trouble or fail by. Chi has over 10 power 5 basketball offers and growing. The same thing will happen when they play SFA, IMG, DeMatha, etc in football. Most of their kids are coming from Southside and East End Richmond. If you’ve ever been to these places then you can’t have a heart if you don’t want those kids to be successful. So if LCA is using “wealth”, “God”, or any of the things that your traditional private school uses to get students? Why can’t LCA? If they take online classes? As long as they’re accredited and is getting them prepped for college what’s the issue? I know the answer (sure a lot of you do too) but out of respect of what Mike has asked us I won’t get into politics and I’ll keep it sports/academics related. Y’all have a good Sunday!
NDRam, the vicarious comment was about the parent/booster last year talking about how these kids are getting incredible experiences (talking about flying places to get crushed). If you think online classes (accredited or not) prepare a kid for college, you are sorely mistaken.
I do appreciate the reference to the Armstrong kid & I agree he’s getting better exposure than he would otherwise. You reference the east end like those schools aren’t getting kids exposure. Huh???
I’ve been around high-level HS athletics long enough to recognize wealthy people using HS athletes for their own advancement & that’s what I smell at LifeCA. Playing all these other sports factories that pretend to be schools at least puts LifeCA in the correct peer group, so that’s a plus.
LifeCA is just doing what Bishop Sullivan tried to do except minus the real education.
I do appreciate the reference to the Armstrong kid & I agree he’s getting better exposure than he would otherwise. You reference the east end like those schools aren’t getting kids exposure. Huh???
I’ve been around high-level HS athletics long enough to recognize wealthy people using HS athletes for their own advancement & that’s what I smell at LifeCA. Playing all these other sports factories that pretend to be schools at least puts LifeCA in the correct peer group, so that’s a plus.
LifeCA is just doing what Bishop Sullivan tried to do except minus the real education.
I know nothing about LCA, just what I have read here recently and it sounds like they are really talented. So since you brought it up, who are these 14 teams better?
As far as the academics part, I have no clue if the classes are helping, hindering, or doing nothing for them.
But I will comment on being bad for the kids losing. Winning isn't everything, and if playing some of the best teams in the nation helps kids advance their education and have an opportunity after high school I can't see how anyone can think that is a bad thing?
You nailed it. It has little to nothing to do with preparing kids for life after football. The program is subversively built around providing opportunities. Anybody with even a smidgeon of knowledge about football knows that colleges will find a capable athlete no matter where he or she is.
I'll ask this. Were the talented kids in the areas that LCA drew them from being ignored? Hell no. The same recruiters would have found them on a 0-10 team anywhere in the state.
There are only two possible reasons that LCA has poured untold money into this effort. To fill a void, or to satisfy egos. No void existed, so there is your answer.
I'll add, if they attached their football program to a rigorous college preparatory academic effort, then yeah, I might have a different opinion. But we all know, the opposite is true.
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I totally agree with you on the online education aspect, but look at where we are now with education. You have so many kids in your regular high schools taking Edgenuity courses and people in “college” getting online degrees. I don’t agree with it but that’s just where we are with times. Education is watered down. Edgenuity courses are way cheaper than paying a teacher 45k+ and you’d be surprised the number of kids at your public schools who are taking these classes.
Lastly, when I referred to the East End, I’m speaking of Richmond City and my apology for not stating that. They wouldn’t get those opportunities. I worked at George Wythe for some time and I’ve come across a lot of great athletes that if you take them out of their environment, their life changes for the better. Chester isn’t like going to Woodstock (Massanutten), Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) or Chatham (Hargrave), but it d*mn sure beats Creighton, Mosby, hell the whole western corridor of Mechanicsville Turnpike where all Armstrong kids live, Midlothian Village or Hillside ANYDAY of the week.
We don’t disagree NDRam & I agree that kids should take any lifeline to give them a better future. My beef is with the people driving LifeCA (admin/donors/coaches).
Those scholarship opportunities that seem to be the focus won’t mean much for some kids due to those academic shortcuts. That’s what bothers me about LifeCA.
I promise I do have a good handle on how many kids take online classes in schools, because the public school where I teach in the metro Richmond area freely shares that info to its teachers & community stakeholders. You are overstating those numbers. Does LifeCA make their numbers public or keep it hidden?
Those scholarship opportunities that seem to be the focus won’t mean much for some kids due to those academic shortcuts. That’s what bothers me about LifeCA.
I promise I do have a good handle on how many kids take online classes in schools, because the public school where I teach in the metro Richmond area freely shares that info to its teachers & community stakeholders. You are overstating those numbers. Does LifeCA make their numbers public or keep it hidden?
We’ve talked in the past and I know you’re a great dude and have the kids’ best interest. From one educator to another, keep up the great work brother.
I worked at one of the public high schools in Henrico County who has been a powerhouse for a while in football and recently basketball. A large number of those guys are Edgenuity kids and are going to reputable schools. A lot of times these kids can’t pass English to save their life and other subjects that they need to get those 22 credit hours. I’m not disputing you, I’d like to see those numbers too.
I can't speak for the quality of academics, but St. Frances has a storied history as a school and has been around long before any of us posters. The similarities may lie with both schools recent push for football.
You’re right that every school is different. The principal in each building has a lot of control when it comes to getting kids to graduate. I think Edgenuity should be used as a last resort to ensure graduation, not a normal curriculum choice. Appreciate your replies.
A D1 institution won’t bother with a school that has sham academics, maybe the online courses aren’t what the norm to you or your area but they are a modern form of learning that actually better prepares a kid for college than classrooom instruction (IMO). At these large institutions the work is Autonomous, versus somebody guiding you through.
LCA(rva) has some d1 prospects but let’s not over exaggerate on them. They aren’t all P5 or nationally ranked, but they do have more talent depth than the avg public. They will be competitive in their schedule and they are playing teams many dodge but I don’t see them becoming more relevant or pull more students than the public’s in rva.
LCA(rva) has some d1 prospects but let’s not over exaggerate on them. They aren’t all P5 or nationally ranked, but they do have more talent depth than the avg public. They will be competitive in their schedule and they are playing teams many dodge but I don’t see them becoming more relevant or pull more students than the public’s in rva.
@WP02alum and @NDRam (welcome back), I have really enjoyed this fair debate without any malice or disrespectful tone. I have worked with the worst of the worst kids for 31+ years and believe everyone deserves and opportunity. I also agree that LCA (RVA) is giving the kids more exposure than they would receive in a public high school. Most of the big schools they play televise their games and college recruiters attend the games in droves.
Personally, I have no clue if Life can compete with these teams, but I do know from an inside source that the academic standards are questionable. I will give Life a pass as they are only starting season two. If these recruited players fail to meet admission requirements in the next two years then we will all know what the alleged motives of the powers to be are. I do know of one student who continued to play basketball there even though he failed everything and was a constant disciplinary problem (he was not from the inner city either). Played three years, did not earn a single credit and has yet to pass the GED. Aside from losing an occasional player, this has been the concern for those of us who have lived in the Tri-Cities and know Life (formerly Evangel Christian) well.
Best of luck to the kids! I think I'll just wait and see before judging.
Personally, I have no clue if Life can compete with these teams, but I do know from an inside source that the academic standards are questionable. I will give Life a pass as they are only starting season two. If these recruited players fail to meet admission requirements in the next two years then we will all know what the alleged motives of the powers to be are. I do know of one student who continued to play basketball there even though he failed everything and was a constant disciplinary problem (he was not from the inner city either). Played three years, did not earn a single credit and has yet to pass the GED. Aside from losing an occasional player, this has been the concern for those of us who have lived in the Tri-Cities and know Life (formerly Evangel Christian) well.
Best of luck to the kids! I think I'll just wait and see before judging.
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The first RVA poll released has:
Highland Springs(15)
Manchester
Thomas Dale(1)
Varina
Hopewell
LCBird
Henrico
Dinwiddie
Atlee
Monocan(#10)
Hm by vote in order: Benedictine,Hermitage,Glen Allen,Petersburg,and Goochland FOLLOWED by LCA!
There are a few,at the most,I question,but not many! I would have Benedictine,Hermitage,and Glen Allen in the top 10 ahead of Atlee & Monocan. I don’t know enough about Goochland but quite honestly I would not have Life Christian ahead of any of these teams. So,I agree with the teams ahead of LCA.
TDale actually got a first place vote ahead of HSHS on someone’s ballot!
Whoever, voted Thomas Dale #1 over HSHS was partaking from the peace pipe. News media talking the Knights up again this season. I would love to see Thomas Dale play for the Class 6 "Ship", but they they start with Bird, then two weeks later play Petersburg and Hopewell back to back. Then they finish the regular season up with a battle tested young Dinwiddie. If they go 10-0 then I may buy a deep playoff run.
They play one team (Cosby) of their own classification. Why? I get the Bird game, but the Knights need to upgrade their ther two out of district games.
They play one team (Cosby) of their own classification. Why? I get the Bird game, but the Knights need to upgrade their ther two out of district games.
My Richmond top 10 would be:
HSHS
LCA
Thomas Dale
Manchester
Varina
Hopewell
Dinwiddie
Henrico
Benedictine
LCB
HM: Monacan, Atlee, Petersburg, Trinity, Goochland, Clover Hill, Glen Allen, Motoaca, DF, Midlothian, Mills Godwin, Powhatan, Huguenot.
I think seeds 2-5 are basically interchangeable
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I know I shouldn’t judge it,but LCA and Benedictine BOTH faced Avalon last year. LCA lost 21-20 while Benedictine won over Avalon with a 2nd half running clock(the Benedictine QB is at HSHS now). I know this is a different year,but Benedictine already showed they’re just as good as last yr in their first win. I saw LCA play Hampton and more than anything,their lack of discipline could hurt them vs the top tier teams. Sorry,but no way I have them beating Varina or TDale! Idk much about Manchester this yr or Henrico at QBbut those teams depth,IMO,would overwhelm LCA,because they definitely don’t have more talent than either of the bigger schools. Don’t think I give LCA an advantage over Dinwiddie or Hopewell because of the discipline at coaching. Hopewell and Dinwiddie are both better than Hampton this year! Hard to overcome 100yds in penalties vs a well disciplined coaching staff.
JMO
Glass scrimmaged Dinwiddie and they are a very good team but lca would have crushed them.
With LCA’s lack of discipline,I doubt seriously they’d crush Dinwiddie or ANYONE else good for that matter. Dinwiddie is better than Hampton this year! I watched LCA & Hampton! Easily 100yds in penalties EACH!
I did not see any lack of discipline, they were very well behaved only had one late hit.
I wasn't comparing them to Roanoke Catholic. I really don't care about any of those teams. I was only comparing how they got their players. You sound hurt? Did you go to Life Christian? Or maybe you played in the NFL?
#1, I wasn't even referring to you. Hence why I didn't highlight your post. #2, I've been out of high school for 24 years and Life Christian has only been in existence for 2 years, so you do the math on that one. #3, No, I didn't play in the NFL and I know absolutely nothing on LC other than what I've read on here. I was just defending a bunch of kids who I felt like were being attacked by grown men. The End. Have a great evening.
I know next to nothing about Life Christian except for reading a story in which the coaching wanted to continue coaching on the hihg school level and approached Evangel Chrisitan about starting a program. Assuming the players possess a football background, the can reclassify and continue to build on their strengths.My primary question would center around if this is a boarding school or not. It appears as if the head coach wants t0 give the kids an opportunity to compete against schools with higher talent levels
@NND Sports Fan, I know it is not a boarding school; however, since their players come from NOVA, 757, and Richmond I am sure the church families and coaches assist the kids with housing. I will ask my friend who attends the church about it. Good question.
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Can you provide a link to this poll or at least the source? No way an 0-10 Hermitage team from last year is in anyone’s poll, let alone ahead of Goochland or LCA (RVA).
Channel 6 poll. CBS final score Friday preseason poll. https://t.co/qu3PDIYyPu?amp=1
Thanks for providing the link. There should be a disclaimer with that poll too. "All voting participants are coaches at schools that will not play Life Christian." LOL
I'm not saying that poll is very accurate, but I would take the Highland Springs JV team over half of the old Central Region schools. I saw them at a 7v7 and the kids on the HS JV would start for 95% of the other varsity schools in the area. The only reason they are on JV is because of the incredible talent on the HS Varsity squad.
Have you seen the JV?! I would not discredit it so fast! JV is big and fast and nasty! They have a quarterback that would be starting on most any other team in the area as a freshman!
I am very familiar with the HSHS programs. I have seen their Jv team several times and I'm not discrediting the HS Jv team. What I'm discrediting is the credibility of a poll that even allows someone to vote for a Jv team in a varsity poll.
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I think he gave them a 10th Place vote as a joke. It was one of the announcers on the weekly Richmond game of the week on the radio
I think the poll was probably taken before the Bedwell news broke. Hence, why many figured Hermitage would be much improved.
I hate these polls that rank across all VHSL classes, and include private schools. Just give me the good ole Virginia Preps rankings, and I'm happy.
I hate these polls that rank across all VHSL classes, and include private schools. Just give me the good ole Virginia Preps rankings, and I'm happy.
Life Christian Update...27-0 loss to start the season against Lee County (GA). Lee County is the back to back defending 6A state champion in Georgia.
https://www.albanyherald.com/sports...cle_eb035be4-cbf1-11e9-ad26-a338695460b2.html
Interesting article on Life Christian. Apparently they went down to GA and had to end the game early due to their sideline issues. Wow.
Interesting article on Life Christian. Apparently they went down to GA and had to end the game early due to their sideline issues. Wow.