I will start this rant with one sentence, "IT IS TIME TO ROLL OUT THE SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AND REGION D WELCOME WAGON TO GEORGE WYTHE AND RADFORD HIGH SCHOOL AT VIRGINIA HIGH SCHOOL IN BRISTOL, VIRGINIA ON SATURDAY AS EARLY AS CAN BE POSSIBLE."
They may be coming in for a game.... they may be the ones taking a road trip... but they are taking the road trip for a reason. I want to call out all of Gate City, the Lonesome Pine District and Region D to come out in full force at Virginia High and let these people from up north find out that they may be able to help choose the place... but they had better hope they bought a pre-paid ticket to get a seat.... that is if they are any left. If it was me and I had the money, I'd buy a ticket for every person I saw in Gate City, Weber City, Duffield, Big Stone Gap, Norton, Wise, Clintwood, Pound, Appalachia, Kingsport, Jonesville, Pennington... anyone interested in wanting to go to a basketball game to represent TRUE SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA.. I'd buy them one.
The big bunch of crap that the VHSL pulled on Gate City is the biggest snow job that I have ever seen in tournament history. I am not saying this just because I am a fan of the Blue Devils... I would be saying the very same thing if this had been Castlewood as well. Castlewood, if they won, would not be able to play at home anyway. Gate City on the other hand who had both team playing at Castlewood and both teams coming away with the Region D Championship had every right to play there if they wanted to.
As a former basketball player in the LPD who graduated from Gate City before the school went to the Southwest District, I have taken a huge offense to how our Blue Devils of Gate City have been treated in being told where to play their games this weekend. I not only take it as an offense to Gate City but to our Region D as a whole. Our Blue Devils not only represent the town of Gate City but we are representing all of the LPD and all of Region D and its member schools. Yes there are rivalries galore for the Blue Devils and their LPD opponents.... but Gate City is proud to represent the LPD this year... especially since it is their last year representing the Lonesome Pine. The Lonesome Pine helped to give birth to the proud Gate City tradition in its early years.....playing great teams such as the Clintwoods and Powell Valleys and Nortons and so on. Even in winning the Region D Championship, I'm not going to get into the game that took place at Castlewood or anything like that. Castlewood is a member school and I am proud to have them as the other participant in this State Quarterfinal representing us in Region D against James River. I wish them all the best and hope that they also can take down the Region C Champions. They lost their amazing point guard and while other teams would probably wither... theirs have been a team to come together and also leave their hearts on the floor no matter what the odds. The game that Castlewood and Gate City played against each other was a classic between two teams with players that were leaving it all on the floor... battling their hearts and lives out for the right to be called Region D Champion and now for what? Every year that I can remember that Gate City has been in Group A... the Region D Champion has been able to choose the place in which they were supposed to play. I remember the Blue Devils played Honaker one year in the Region D Final only to lose to the Tigers... the Tigers hosted their Region D Final at Clinchco.. and the Region D Runnerup that season was none other than Gate City... a team who had to play the George Wythe Maroons at MARION SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL.... THE HOME OF THE REGION C TOURNAMENT THAT YEAR. Before I go on... if you can tell me that Marion is a better site to hold a state quarterfinal than Castlewood or Virginia High... I'll ask you how many pounds of Mary Jane you have sold in the past ten years. Twin Springs won the Region D Championship against Council at Castlewood and Gate City at Clintwood... each time they played their state quarterfinal game... they played at one of those two schools. Twin Valley... they were the Region D Champions of last year... and where did they play their state quarterfinal......at Clinchco... same place where they won the Region D Tournament. Council and Brad Nuckles.... they won their Region D Championship at Castlewood.. where did they play at? If memory serves me correctly... they played it at Castlewood as well. Now, Gate City has won the Region D Championship for the first time in 8 years. A team of hard working individuals have laid their hearts on the floor only to be told where they, The Region D Champions, will play their game at.
As of right now, the location of the game does not matter. I am very proud of the success of this Blue Devil team no matter what happens on Saturday. I know that we have a very proud bunch of Blue Devils who will leave their hearts and souls on their floor to have a chance to advance to Richmond.
That is why I am calling out all of TRUE Southwest Virginia. I am calling out all the proud supporters of Blue Devil Athletics... not football supporters... not baseball supporters... not volleyball supporters.. not softball supporters... supporters of BLUE DEVIL ATHLETICS. We can be an armchair quarterback or be an armchair point guard or coach all we want. We, GATE CITY, VIRGINIA have had the pleasure of having a large group of individuals who have represented GATE CITY HIGH SCHOOL in a very classy and proud manner. We have a large congregation of girls who have done nothing but help build the respect, reputation and tradition of Gate City on the girls side and we have had nothing but a group of hard working individuals on the boys side who have done nothing short of remarkable for as much injury and hardship that has been suffered as well in some sports. I know the Gate City Boys Basketball team, while young and inexperienced after last run to the Final Four with the Class of 2005, was supposed to be on its down cycle. What this group of young men have done in their time on the floor has been nothing short of remarkable. Last year in 2006, a team that lost a lot of starters lost in a 3 OT classic to eventual Final Four participant Twin Springs. In that game.. young men grew up quick and it has shown as they have again went out and throwing inexperience and youth out the window have went out and obtained their goal of Region D Champions and gave the school its first region championship since the days of Tony McDonald, Justin Seaver, Jeremy Houseright and so on in 1999.
I am proud of what this team has accomplished... and I would like to do nothing else but walk in to Virginia High on Saturday and whether you be wearing Gate City blue, Wise red, Powell Valley red and blue, Pound red and black, Appalachia blue and gold... I dont care... if you are in the LPD you are with us. We play for GC, we play for the LPD, we play for Region D... and Saturday we play for Southwest Virginia. TRUE SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA..... not the yahoos up in Charlottesville or Richmond Virginia. It is time for fans of Southwest Virginia to stand tall and stand true and show up in force.. and let everyone up north around that if its a battle they want.....its a battle they get. Southwest Virginia will not and will never back down to a bunch of yankee wannabes. Politices was the reason that we the state of Virginia broke off from our West Virginia cousins.... evidently... the West Virginia family tree skipped a few generations and ended up in Charlottesville during this generation.
The way everything is going on now... I wouldnt be surprised if Northern Virginia tries to be readmitted to West Virginia as an act of war that went wrong. You can say all you want about why Virginia seceeded from the Union at the time... I myself feel that it was because they didnt want to feel as if their history and heritage would be walked upon by Northerners who were trying to push their politics on them. It was about being proud of who you were and being honorable and respected to your state and to your family.
As a Blue Devil representing Gate City, I know that I not only represent Gate City but everywhere I go... I proudly represent Southwest Virginia. We are very lucky to be living here... and I for one will be the last one to let some Northern Virginian who thinks the state of Virginia ends at Roanoke walk all over my proud Southwest Virginia way of life and the kids I am so proud of.
In honor of Bobby Knight, college basketballs all-time winning coach... I proudly state this...
Southwest Virginia has been my home and been the place that gave birth to my name. It is the place where I have admired the beauty of this world while taking in the love and passion of a wonderful and beautiful game.
That is why when it be time for them to cover me up in the Southwest Virginia sod and let me drift off to sleep to go on and see the face of God....
I hope my friends bury me upside down in a coffin laden with brass so that if someone from Northern Virginia come down and take over my land and remove my resting place, the first thing they will see on my honored and respected soil will be my rosy red [censored].
GATE CITY BLUE DEVILS..........THIS PROUD SOUTHWEST VIRGINIAN IS STANDING BEHIND YOU AND WILL BE THERE IN FULL FORCE ON SATURDAY.
GATE CITY STUDENT BODY.......YOU ARE THE BEST STUDENT BODY IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. YOU NEED TO MAKE VIRGINIA HIGH SCHOOL.....THE NEXT CAMERON INDOOR ARENA ON SATURDAY. IF YOU DO.. I'LL BE RIGHT THERE IN THE MIDDLE OF YOU.
GO BLUE DEVILS!!!!!!!!
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