Maybe we can all get together and form a team so everyone can relive there glory years. Until then it's all talk from a bunch of old farts. 
Thoughts on Salem 49- Amherst 14 game.
- Thread starter southbottomU
- Start date
I really liked that Salem started 3 Sophomores and 1 Freshman on defense. Also another Sophomore played a lot of the 1st half on defense and offense. In total all 10 underclassmen took the field by the end of the game and did an amazing job. It's been a while since that many underclassmen took the field right from the start of the year. Kind of reminds me of the 2015 season.
Amherst will improve, but their schedule is very difficult. I like #3 Williams he's a player. The QB is solid. Ross and Brogdon are good in space as well.
Amherst will improve, but their schedule is very difficult. I like #3 Williams he's a player. The QB is solid. Ross and Brogdon are good in space as well.
Thanks. Amherst always schedules tough. I had a fan ask me why all the other teams in the Seminole schedules weak teams and gets wins under their belts to start the season. I tried explaining it to her the best I could. It helps with points for the playoffs and makes them stronger but if you lose all three what does that really do. All Salem wins helps Amherst and WF doesn’t really help Heritage. Just asking opinions, is it time for Amherst to quit scheduling such a tough schedule and play other teams? Please share your thoughts
Generally speaking, Amherst plays at least 3 teams in the district that win 7 or 8 games during the regular season and 2 others that win around 4 or 5 games. Honestly, even without any good OOD games they would usually have enough points to get a good seed. That being said, I hope we continue our rivalry beyond 2020. There is a balancing act with gate, points, and being ready for the playoffs when you get there. It's impossible to pick opponents a couple of years in advance and predict how many wins they'll get, so sometimes it's just luck. I really respect Amherst for scheduling such a challenging group of opponents.
The front 7 is pretty nasty. You can't double team everybody. A dual threat QB will be more challenging obviously, but when Salem applies pressure that can force the QB to make a mistake and this really helps the young secondary. They picked off 2 and had another, but it was dropped.
It doesn't particularly apply anymore because the conference sans Bama is mediocre but it is 100% the reason the SEC's OOC is pure trash; the Seminole is tough enough and it does the playoff points work for you.
One tough OOC game is fine but two or three is simply overkill in most cases. If you're Salem or Dinwiddie then sure, use a hard opening schedule to set the pace for the season when odds are you're making a deep run but Amherst isn't in that position right now as a program. They haven't made it past the 2nd round of the playoffs since 2009 and there's a good chance this season will be the 3rd sub-.500 season in the past 6. It's too much right now. Dial it back, get some confidence builders back in there, and when the program is on more stable footing then ratchet it back up some.
That is what the fans are saying, you can’t start out 0-3 every year. Although they did beat Salem in 2016. I think after they get this year behind them and get a coach that will stay, the program could swing back in the right direction.
I agree Mike. It was only the first game, but after seeing them do the same thing against Magna Vista in the benefit game, Salem is very talented up front on both sides of the ball. Maybe I'm wrong, but they seem ahead of where they were last year at this point. Missing in some of the conversation about Ross from Amherst earlier was the fact that Salem's defense just flat out played really well against him. FWIW, I do think Ross is extremely talented and will likely have another big year once the Amherst offense gets more reps. However, Salem's defense most definitely bottled him up and deserves credit for one of their better first game performances in the last few years. What makes that all the more interesting is their youth you referenced in the secondary. All in all, Salem's play was really good and probably exceeded most's expectations. At least, that's the feeling I got after watching them and talking to both fans and foes alike.
Cardwell definitely caused some issues on both sides of the ball. He was great last year, but seems even more aggressive so far the two times I've seen him this year. Close is also a beast! I counted numerous times where Caldwell, Close, and Sutphin met up in a near three way collision in Amherst's backfield. IMO, Salem will make up for a small decline of explosiveness on offense for what they bring defensively this year.
Amherst was a little disorganized (which was to be expected with the chaotic off-season) having a couple of delay calls and early timeout usage. My general rule of thumb is to give a team 3 games before you make too many judgements. Heck, Salem didn't hit full stride on both sides of the ball against a tough opponent till GW last year.
Every team is different, hopefully they both continue to improve and make progress for the playoffs.
Every team is different, hopefully they both continue to improve and make progress for the playoffs.
Last edited:
You are correct about the explosive defense. One unsung beast that will get lost in the middle, is Compton. He is extremely strong and his job is to plug the middle. His play forces adjustments by the defense which frees up somebody else. Haupt and Close are tough to contain from the ends. I wouldn't want to gameplay that defense. A dual threat QB will change the gameplan some obviously, but the front 7 will pose problems for most teams.
No Salem fan expected that level of play. A lot of people were singing the blues after the Brookville scrimmage (which I could write 500 words on why that didn't matter) but it was probably never as bad as people wanted it to seem for a multitude of reasons. However, that set the standard so playing as well as they did this past week easily exceeded expectations.
Mags is usually extremely reserved in praise but he seemed very satisfied with the game for the most part, that weighs a lot in my mind as I think of the quality of team they have this year.
Like I said, if Amherst turns out to be an average or poor team this year then Salem did exactly what they should have to a team like that and if the Lancers turn out good then the win looks all the better. 10 weeks and a lot of football left to play but for where most (Salem) fans thought they'd be this year they certainly seem ahead of schedule.
Shout out to #44 Wheeler for Amherst. That kid plays hard every single play and is as tough as they come.
While Amherst schedule is brutal I would not agree that all other Seminole teams play weak OOD. GW is on the schedule for 3 different teams, two teams have scheduled Appomattox, and two teams have MV. Some games are cross county or bordering county rivalry games that are played yearly.(which I thought Amherst used to play Rockbridge) I agree with Mike that it's very difficult to predict the future when schedules are made so what may appear as a easy game could have just as easily been the other way around. Amherst is a program rich with tradition and will continue to progress as the season moves forward.
The Rockbridge game was a fill in I believe, but rarely does Amherst schedule weak. It was when Porter Abell was the QB and they were good then. I'm glad we don't have that game anymore.
Well said and I Totally agree. Some of the early season games are part of an ongoing series. I’m a huge fan of the border games to start the season
Amherst may need to schedule down for a couple of years to rebuild their program and establish new coaching staff
The fans would like that. I just think it brings players down if you start out 0-3 because of the schedule. No one in the Seminole schedules like that. Not sure if it really benefits anymore
Shout out to 66 for Salem, the smallest lineman but, like his father, one tough cookie. His father has been a mentor in life for thousands of Salem youth. His father, an Army veteran, and also was a very good player on the 1986 division 6 Salem team that lost to Hampton in the state championship 14-0.