Honest conversations need to be had.

[CountyBoyGeneral]

47-0 Varina
44-0 Oscar Smith

Loudoun County and North Stafford had no business playing in these games. They’ll never do it because it’s all about money, but it’s past time for the VHSL to cut to 5 divisions. A whole redesign of this playoff system. The VHSL football and basketball championships have been pure trash these past 5 years, collectively. Watered down past the top 3-4 teams, who on average, come out of the same region.

 

[SBOEDog]

I would like to see brought back down to 4 classifications with an automatic reseeding of the 4 regional champions per classification.

 

[KGBob]

Exactly! We wanna make a big deal about these transfer rules and rightfully so… but their is a bigger issue here… no way VHSL watches this and thinks this is doable because they wanna he greedy and care about money. The product being put out is not good enough for the last couple years and they do nothing about it.

 

[CountyBoyGeneral]

Varina had 434 yards of total offense. Loudoun County had 21. I feel for every spectator to spend $20 to watch that crap!

 

[KGBob]

Varina had 434 yards of total offense. Loudoun County had 21. I feel for every spectator (like myself would be) to spend $20 to watch that crap

Crazy part is I think every team that made the region 4B playoffs could beat London county no disrespect just pure facts. That’s how loaded it was. An 8-2 team was the 7th seed

 

[WestGraham]

47-0 Varina
44-0 Oscar Smith

Loudoun County and North Stafford had no business playing in these games. They’ll never do it because it’s all about money, but it’s past time for the VHSL to cut to 5 divisions. A whole redesign of this playoff system. The VHSL football and basketball championships have been pure trash these past 5 years, collectively. Watered down past the top 3-4 teams, who on average, come out of the same region.

Here's an idea.......send better teams to the final.

 

[KGBob]

Here's an idea.......send better teams to the final.

Agreed. I know people hate the best 32 seeding but this the only thing that makes sense to fix it

 

[Hales Bottom]

Seems to me you fix it by having all the teams other than Varina and Oscar Smith get better.

 

[Virginia HS Football Fan]

I was at the North Stafford/Oscar Smith game. Thank God for the two most beautiful words in VHSL Football…”running clock”.

It could have been 65-0 to be honest.

 

[RawMeat92]

When I was in school(granted, this was 4 decades ago), we had 'A', 'AA' and 'AAA', and there was not a huge talent disparity from top to bottom. My high school won 4 state titles in a 6 year span, and we never had anyone 'transfer' to play for us. Back then, your home address dictated what school you went to, and thus, the coaching was the biggest factor in how good you were. We had a HOF head coach(Ken Brown), and a future HOF head coach as an assistant(Tim Coleman)...which was the biggest factor in why we were so good, not because we had more talent. That's just not the case today. It's real easy to tell teams to just get better, but when the best athletes prefer certain schools over others, and are able to attend the schools of their choice, you end up with what we have today. It's like telling Maryland and Rutgers to just get better so they can compete with Ohio State and Michigan in the Big Ten...it's just not gonna happen. I can't blame the kids, because the 4/5 star recruits are obviously going to want to play for a team that garners more attention, as opposed to a team that has no chance. So I'm not sure what the answer is. I'm watching Maury rolling over Highland Springs right now. It would be nice if there was a way for Maury, Varina and Smith to be able to compete against each other for the title...that would entertaining, and way more competitive. But what we have now is just not very good.

 

[KGBob]

When I was in school(granted, this was 4 decades ago), we had 'A', 'AA' and 'AAA', and there was not a huge talent disparity from top to bottom. My high school won 4 state titles in a 6 year span, and we never had anyone 'transfer' to play for us. Back then, your home address dictated what school you went to, and thus, the coaching was the biggest factor in how good you were. We had a HOF head coach(Ken Brown), and a future HOF head coach as an assistant(Tim Coleman)...which was the biggest factor in why we were so good, not because we had more talent. That's just not the case today. It's real easy to tell teams to just get better, but when the best athletes prefer certain schools over others, and are able to attend the schools of their choice, you end up with what we have today. It's like telling Maryland and Rutgers to just get better so they can compete with Ohio State and Michigan in the Big Ten...it's just not gonna happen. I can't blame the kids, because the 4/5 star recruits are obviously going to want to play for a team that garners more attention, as opposed to a team that has no chance. So I'm not sure what the answer is. I'm watching Maury rolling over Highland Springs right now. It would be nice if there was a way for Maury, Varina and Smith to be able to compete against each other for the title...that would entertaining, and way more competitive. But what we have now is just not very good.

Great response

 

[EPJr1947]

Here's an idea.......send better teams to the final.

exactly Varina played in the toughest region in the state, teams that finished 8-9-10 put up a better fight than this.

 

[G-Men2012]

With transferring becoming so rampant over the past decade, you have seen the development of super teams as a result.

 

[Army83]

When I was in school(granted, this was 4 decades ago), we had 'A', 'AA' and 'AAA', and there was not a huge talent disparity from top to bottom. My high school won 4 state titles in a 6 year span, and we never had anyone 'transfer' to play for us. Back then, your home address dictated what school you went to, and thus, the coaching was the biggest factor in how good you were. We had a HOF head coach(Ken Brown), and a future HOF head coach as an assistant(Tim Coleman)...which was the biggest factor in why we were so good, not because we had more talent. That's just not the case today. It's real easy to tell teams to just get better, but when the best athletes prefer certain schools over others, and are able to attend the schools of their choice, you end up with what we have today. It's like telling Maryland and Rutgers to just get better so they can compete with Ohio State and Michigan in the Big Ten...it's just not gonna happen. I can't blame the kids, because the 4/5 star recruits are obviously going to want to play for a team that garners more attention, as opposed to a team that has no chance. So I'm not sure what the answer is. I'm watching Maury rolling over Highland Springs right now. It would be nice if there was a way for Maury, Varina and Smith to be able to compete against each other for the title...that would entertaining, and way more competitive. But what we have now is just not very good.

You guys ran a mean Wing T in those days....

 

[Bridgewatereagle47]

Every team that made the 4B region playoffs would have beat Loudoun County? Having watched Caroline, Spotsy, Courtland, and Louisa that just is a very uneducated statement to make. Varina, Huguenot, and Dinwiddie for sure but let’s not go crazy.

 

[CountyBoyGeneral]

One competitive game all day which was Kettle Run/Lake Taylor.

 

[Anon936285]

Varina had 434 yards of total offense. Loudoun County had 21. I feel for every spectator (like myself would be) to spend $20 to watch that crap!

they had that in the 1st half, ended up like 611 to 58 for the game

 

[acoles]

Crazy part is I think every team that made the region 4B playoffs could beat London county no disrespect just pure facts. That’s how loaded it was. An 8-2 team was the 7th seed

Varina had 600 and some yards total offense and Loudoun county only had 58 yards total offens.

 

[EPJr1947]

Varina had 600 and some yards total offense and Loudoun county only had 58 yards total offens.

you folks need o start playing schools from 4A and 4B during the regular season to see what you are up against.

 

[Bridgewatereagle47]

I would encourage you to suggest the teams down that way do the same. Looks like Varina showed up once on Hanover’s schedule (not Caroline, Courtland, Louisa, or Spotsy or GW) and Huguenot and Dinwiddie didn’t show up once. Loudoun County, Loudoun Valley, Handley, Sherando certainly would benefit from playing schools from other districts. While there is no question the top tier teams are greatly divided there is more parity under those top teams in my opinion.

 

[Anon1751902864]

I would like to see brought back down to 4 classifications with an automatic reseeding of the 4 regional champions per classification.

There were always 6 classifications in football. Why are so many people in this thread making the same mistake?

 

[Lorkie12]

When I was at Oscar Smith from ‘08-12 and it was A,AA,AAA, you still had 6 state champions but I believe there were more teams in each division so more good teams playing each other earlier in the playoffs. Maury, Smith, Varina & Highland Springs were all AAA Div.6 lol. I personally don’t look at all these State title appearances the same. You wound have all these schools making 5-6 appearances in a row. It was just too difficult. It’s definitively easier now. That to me is the only way to fix it is by going back

 

[Lorkie12]

When I was in school(granted, this was 4 decades ago), we had 'A', 'AA' and 'AAA', and there was not a huge talent disparity from top to bottom. My high school won 4 state titles in a 6 year span, and we never had anyone 'transfer' to play for us. Back then, your home address dictated what school you went to, and thus, the coaching was the biggest factor in how good you were. We had a HOF head coach(Ken Brown), and a future HOF head coach as an assistant(Tim Coleman)...which was the biggest factor in why we were so good, not because we had more talent. That's just not the case today. It's real easy to tell teams to just get better, but when the best athletes prefer certain schools over others, and are able to attend the schools of their choice, you end up with what we have today. It's like telling Maryland and Rutgers to just get better so they can compete with Ohio State and Michigan in the Big Ten...it's just not gonna happen. I can't blame the kids, because the 4/5 star recruits are obviously going to want to play for a team that garners more attention, as opposed to a team that has no chance. So I'm not sure what the answer is. I'm watching Maury rolling over Highland Springs right now. It would be nice if there was a way for Maury, Varina and Smith to be able to compete against each other for the title...that would entertaining, and way more competitive. But what we have now is just not very good.

They would’ve all played each other when I was in school in ‘08-12

 

[Hales Bottom]

There were always 6 classifications in football. Why are so many people in this thread making the same mistake?

Thats false. There were not always 6 classifications. Virginia went to 6 classifications in 1986. From 1970 to 1985, there were 3. In 1986, Va went to 6 classifications with Group A Div 1 and 2, Group AA Div 3 and 4, and Group AAA Div 5 and 6

 

[EPJr1947]

There were always 6 classifications in football. Why are so many people in this thread making the same mistake?

THERE USED TO BE;
AAA
AA
A

 

[EPJr1947]

I would encourage you to suggest the teams down that way do the same. Looks like Varina showed up once on Hanover’s schedule (not Caroline, Courtland, Louisa, or Spotsy or GW) and Huguenot and Dinwiddie didn’t show up once. Loudoun County, Loudoun Valley, Handley, Sherando certainly would benefit from playing schools from other districts. While there is no question the top tier teams are greatly divided there is more parity under those top teams in my opinion.

RVA regions do not have to play a district schedule . So the stronger teams do not have to play their weak sisters in the district unless they want to.

 

[Bridgewatereagle47]

RVA regions do not have to play a district schedule . So the stronger teams do not have to play their weak sisters in the district unless they want to.

As long as we agree that they are weak sisters I get it.

 

[CRF4Dan]

Here is something to think about outside the teams reaching the finals and the outcomes.

Why are we playing these championship games in big college stadiums when the fan turnout is so low? VHSL has to be losing money here. You could play games at VSU, VUU, CNU, Hampden Sydney, etc... Seems silly as I remember back in the 90s-00s when games were played at City Stadium in Richmond, the stands were filled.

And if we are going to continue to hold these games at these massive college stadiums, how about spreading it out? Harrisonburg, Salem and Lynchburg. It is a bit of a haul for the casual fan to go to watch a championship game. I do believe you get better turnout if you spread the games around the state.

 

[EPJr1947]

Here is something to think about outside the teams reaching the finals and the outcomes.

Why are we playing these championship games in big college stadiums when the fan turnout is so low? VHSL has to be losing money here. You could play games at VSU, VUU, CNU, Hampden Sydney, etc... Seems silly as I remember back in the 90s-00s when games were played at City Stadium in Richmond, the stands were filled.

And if we are going to continue to hold these games at these massive college stadiums, how about spreading it out? Harrisonburg, Salem and Lynchburg. It is a bit of a haul for the casual fan to go to watch a championship game. I do believe you get better turnout if you spread the games around the state.

how about putting some in the big population centers again.

 

[Lafayette Rams]

Well Dinwiddie lost to
Varina 34-0 so let’s not go too hard on LC. These teams Varina, Oscar Smith and Maury and even Phoebus just stack their team with best players in the region. Hopefully the new transfer rules will finally even things out . I remember for my team just a few years ago our top receiver who went all to all years of our Hs and named senior team Captain in August suddenly bolted to Phoebus. Everyone is reasonable competitive except for these few teams. I await to see what happens. I do remember years ago only the top 4 teams in the region made playoffs. Made everything a lot better.

 

[Lafayette Rams]

how about putting some in the big population centers again.

Agree, I would have gone yesterday if it was a reasonable distance like Richmond or Charlottesville. But over 3 hours to Lynchburg? Never.

 

[G-Men2012]

3 of 6 state title games were running clock....RUNNING CLOCK! 5 of the 6 were 3 score or more points differentials which is to say decisive wins

 

[Anon1751902864]

Nm

 

[CountyBoyGeneral]

Well Dinwiddie lost to
Varina 34-0 so let’s not go too hard on LC. These teams Varina, Oscar Smith and Maury and even Phoebus just stack their team with best players in the region. Hopefully the new transfer rules will finally even things out . I remember for my team just a few years ago our top receiver who went all to all years of our Hs and named senior team Captain in August suddenly bolted to Phoebus. Everyone is reasonable competitive except for these few teams. I await to see what happens. I do remember years ago only the top 4 teams in the region made playoffs. Made everything a lot better.

Dinwiddie would also beat Loudoun County 40+ to nothing. That team had no business playing in the state championship game.

 

[Anon1751902864]

Thats false. There were not always 6 classifications. Virginia went to 6 classifications in 1986. From 1970 to 1985, there were 3. In 1986, Va went to 6 classifications with Group A Div 1 and 2, Group AA Div 3 and 4, and Group AAA Div 5 and 6

Sorry. I didn't move to Virginia until 1989. But still, that was 1986 to 2013 with 6 classifications in A, AA, AAA format. And then 6 for 12 years after that. You people are crying about something that has been the same way for 40 years!

 

[Anon1751902864]

And even if you changed it back for the non-football sports, John Marshall still kicks the crap out of all the Class 1 schools you just merged with Class 2. Do you think the football championships will be closer if L.C.A. is in the same class as Rappahannock?

 

[Anon1751902864]

Recruiting and high school transfer portal are the reasons super teams are blowing people out in state championships.

 

[Bridgewatereagle47]

Country Boy I don’t disagree and they would have beat LC too. Dinwiddie would have lost 34-0 to Varina on Saturday too. We know this because they did. You guys are acting like somebody got robbed. Varina is the best in the state and on a different level than Dinwiddie and Huguenot who are better than anything 4A and 4C has to offer. It was a race to second place all year. If you want to say Dinwiddie is the 2nd place team in 4A I won’t argue with you. But whether it’s LC or DHS it’s a distant second.

 

[ThevinStealberg]

Here is something to think about outside the teams reaching the finals and the outcomes.

Why are we playing these championship games in big college stadiums when the fan turnout is so low? VHSL has to be losing money here. You could play games at VSU, VUU, CNU, Hampden Sydney, etc... Seems silly as I remember back in the 90s-00s when games were played at City Stadium in Richmond, the stands were filled.

And if we are going to continue to hold these games at these massive college stadiums, how about spreading it out? Harrisonburg, Salem and Lynchburg. It is a bit of a haul for the casual fan to go to watch a championship game. I do believe you get better turnout if you spread the games around the state.

THIS. The chip games at City Stadium were top notch!

I watched a few of NC's chip games this year. They were held at Lenoir Rhyne (7200 capacity) and Durham County Memorial Stadium (10k). It looked much better on TV as opposed to Carter Finley (53k+) as there weren't many empty seats.

VSU would be perfect as Rogers holds 13k, centrally located, and has easy access to 95 and 85.

 

[KGBob]

Here is something to think about outside the teams reaching the finals and the outcomes.

Why are we playing these championship games in big college stadiums when the fan turnout is so low? VHSL has to be losing money here. You could play games at VSU, VUU, CNU, Hampden Sydney, etc... Seems silly as I remember back in the 90s-00s when games were played at City Stadium in Richmond, the stands were filled.

And if we are going to continue to hold these games at these massive college stadiums, how about spreading it out? Harrisonburg, Salem and Lynchburg. It is a bit of a haul for the casual fan to go to watch a championship game. I do believe you get better turnout if you spread the games around the state.

Definitely agree. Too many empty seats and doesn’t give it a championship level type vibe. Needs stands to be filled and the energy will feel different