Clintwood

I'm not old. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Most folks think I'm just out of high school. Wish we could have met up. I'll probably make it to one of the JIB playoff games. See you there. Good luck to the Raiders.

First off, there is no disrespect intended by this, just an honest opinion. Burton is NOWHERE NEAR the team that I thought by the way everyone has been talking. They are the weakest team up front that I have seen all season. They do have some incrediable athletes however. Both teams played relentless football. It was by far one of the best games I have ever witnessed. I dont know how many turnovers there were all together from both clubs but it has to be close to some kind of record. Both teams absolutely played there guts out and Burton has my respect. Stewart is going to be one heck of QB.

p.s. GC will kill Burton. GC-28 Burton- 7

no disrespect taken.
The thing about games like this is, it is a shame someone has to lose. In Burton would have lost we would be on here pointing out our fumbles and interceptions that hurt us or the dropped passes that we don't drop in most other games. passes that were in our hand's in the endzone. In this type of game, the team who lost will feel like the "better" team didn't win because it was so hard fought on the part of both teams.
I wish Clintwood would make the playoffs but it will be tough if it is still possible

John Elway made an appearance at the 16th annual Lions Bowl.

Not really, but J.I. Burton quarterback Ethan Stewart did his best impersonation of the NFL legend.

Stewart led the Raiders to a dramatic 6-0 win over Lonesome Pine District foe Clintwood at Lawson Fitchko Stadium on Friday night.

With the win, Burton (9-0, 6-0) clinched at least a share of the LPD championship for the first time in 33 years - and only for the second time since the district's inception in 1960.

After struggling for much of the game, Stewart led Burton on its only scoring drive of the night - a six-play, 60-yard assault with less than three minutes remaining.

"I was rushing a lot of things in the first half," Stewart said. "I didn't allow the play to develop like I should have.

"I knew we had to get the win there at the end, though. I just tried to focus, slow things down, read it and make a play."

The sophomore's 26-yard touchdown strike to senior Jon David Reed came with just 1:12 left, and erased what had been a subpar effort from the Raider offense.

"I tell you, he really stepped up on that final drive," Burton coach Jimbo Adams said. "He put the ball on the money and made the play we needed."


Before then, both teams appeared to have caught the spirit of Christmas giving early - combining for 10 fumbles and nine turnovers.

Three turnovers inside the Raiders' 20-yard line stymied several legitimate scoring chances for the Green Wave. Add to that a pair of lost fumbles on punt returns, two interceptions and a missed field goal, and you have a recipe for disaster.

"You can't win any football game with that many turnovers," Clintwood coach Rick Mullins said. "The ball was slick and they made some great plays.

"With our mistakes, the game probably shouldn't have been as close as it was."

But Clintwood's defense continually made plays behind C.J. Phillips. The Green Wave held Burton six times inside the Clintwood 30-yard line.

The Raider defense was no slouch, either, recovering a fumble inside its own 20 to start the fourth quarter, then forcing a Green Wave punt to set up the winning drive.

It was that kind of effort that earned the entire Raider defense player of the game status, shared with Clintwood's Phillips.

"Man, it was a very physical, defensive football game," Adams said. "I thought both defenses were relentless."

Stewart agreed: "Our defense just dominates. They keep us in it. We have good faith in the defense and that allows us to take chances."

Next week, Burton travels to Gate City for a showdown that will decide whether the Raiders will be outright champions.

Adams might be pleased with a piece of the crown, but he definitely wants it all to himself.

"The worst thing that can happen is we're LPD champs," he joked. "But you know, we want to beat Gate City.

"I know it's going to be a monumental task, but we have nothing to lose, and we're going over there with one thing in mind - to win."

Reed has no qualms about it, he wants the LPD to himself, and was inclined to quote legendary Alabama coach Paul Bear Bryant to sum it all up.

"Co-champions ain't good enough," he said. "Bear Bryant once said, "?A tie is like kissing your sister.'

"We want it all to ourselves, we don't want to share."

I honestly feel like that Burtons past 2 teams were much, much better than this years team. Seems like last year and the year before they were much stouter up front and had a decent running game to go along with the passing threat.

I also wasnt all that impressed with there defense. Yeah they held us in check but they did not dominate us. Hell we had at least 3 solid 50-60 yard drives just to cough the ball right back up to them. I dont know a whole lot about D-1 teams away from here, but with JIB line of scrimmage, I just cant see them doing a whole lot. Skill positions only get you so far in football, eventually you are going to play somebody where you have to buck up and be able to get 3 yards at time and grind it out.

no doubt that this year's O-line is smaller and it shows. Just look at Thackers numbers up the middle. Last year they could grind it out with Thacker, like they did in the State game. It was the only thing they could do on a consistant basis, only to get in the redzone and start throwing the ball.
That said, the Defense is much better than the last couple years too. not the best trade off but it beats being weaker on the o-line and not improving the defense on the other side of the ball.

Records aren't all that determines which teams are better. JIB could have a better this year because the competition they've played. If this years JIB team were to play last years PV, last years CW, who knows, maybe they'd have two losses. I think the year that GC lost to GW in the playoffs, they were better than the year they won state. Just because someone says they think a team had a better team in either of the two years before is not a slight at this years team. They don't have to be better than teams in past years, just whoever they line up against each week this year. Over the past few years CW has beaten who they should. They beat PV this year, I'd say that was a big game. They probably should have had one loss coming into the JIB game, early season injurys put a kink in that plan. I don't think there has been any bickering between CW/JIB fans in this thread. Actually, it's been nothing but complementary from both sides. You're the one talking about sore losers. And supposedly you don't even have a dog in the fight.

Burton is not playing no where near the competition that there has been the past couple of years. Burton like Clintwood, GC, and PV are down from what they have been recently in my opinion.

Burton will be brought back down to earth in hard way this week.

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Burton will be brought back down to earth in hard way this week.




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I have the same feeling. It would be much better for them to be playing GC at JIB. GC is a completely different team at Legion.