So I sat back the other day and took time to absorb the past season. 14-1 and a third state championship.
Then I took in what transpired over the past 3 years. To think the Raiders went 44-1 over the past three years is truly amazing! That's 4.5 years of games packed into 3 seasons. Those kids and those coaches have sacrificed bunch (not that they would trade it) for what they have earned.
44-1 with that "1" coming to the team that darn near won the state title in 3A (Heritage).
Congrats to those kids, coach Smith, and his staff.
It also shows in my opinion how hard it is to win just one state title, and it really points out how tough it is to win a total of 3 titles in a row and here's why.
What if Richland's holds on in 2015 to beat Appo when they had a 2 TD lead with about 6 minutes or 7 minutes left in the game? Added to this, what if Union or Lee beat Appo this year. Both were close. Now, these are "what ifs, buts, ets" and they DID NOT happen because Appo has been the best AA or Class 2A team in Virginia over the past 3 years, but even Appo had close calls and the 44-1 could have easily been 42-3, and you can see the difference in 44-1 compared to 42-3. The difference could have been only 1 state title, even though it has been obvious Appo has been the best Class 2A team in Virginia the past 3 years by a pretty dang substantial margin. But....we could be talking about 1 state title. This is why its impressive to what Appo has done. They just didn't slip up. When they were in a few close games or even in a game that looked like they were in major trouble against Richlands in 2015, they found a way to win. This is exceptionally rare for a High School Team to run off this many, and these types of wins over a long stretch, yet Appo has done that.
What's equally impressive in my opinion, but will likely never be talked about or remembered much in 20 years is what Richlands did from 2005 to 2016. Look at their numbers in those 11-12 seasons and its absolutely stupid scary good. But, having only 1 title and slipping up probably 4 times in which they were likely the better team if they played that team 10 times, they win 7, but.....the big games matter and titles matter. If Richlands adds 3 more titles in that 12 year run and has a total of 4, it would be talked about for years and years to come. The overall record is as impressive or more than any AA or Class 2A team since the 1980's when Virginia went to 6 divisions, but.....the lack of winning that final game matters just as much, which again in my opinion, points out how special the run by Appo has been.
