Article On Coeburn

[Unchained]

BY TIM HAYES

Bristol Herald Courier

COEBURN ? The Coeburn High School football team will open the season on Aug. 24 with a game at Clintwood.

However, it won't be the typical season opener for the Blue Knights.

After being a Lonesome Pine District school for nearly 50 years (47 years was the count according to research done by boys' basketball coach Jeff Adkins), Coeburn will begin its initial season as a member of the Cumberland District in the 2007-08 school year.

Rivals like Clintwood, Pound, J.J. Kelly and J.I. Burton will now be non-district opponents, while Coeburn will compete for Cumberland District championships with Ervinton, Castlewood, St. Paul and three other schools.

"We're excited about the move and I think the kids are excited," Coeburn football coach Greg Mullins said. "We're going to miss some of the rivals we've played for 50-some years. We're not going to see Powell Valley, Gate City or Appalachia on our schedule, and that's the first time we haven't played Appalachia or Powell Valley in 40-some years.

"We're going to continue to play J.I. Burton, Clintwood, J.J. Kelly and Pound. Those were traditionally our biggest rivals inside the district ... With losing those schools, we're just as excited about starting new rivalries with some teams we've already been playing over the past 5-10 years."

The possibility of those new rivalries, a more even playing field as far as enrollment goes and the new challenge has energized those around the Coeburn athletic program.

"Yeah, I'm excited about it," said Kayla Mitchell, a girls' basketball, softball and volleyball standout at the school.

Ready for the Move

Perhaps nobody is more excited about Coeburn's move to the Cumberland District than Blue Knights softball coach Suzi Atwood.

"I'm from Castlewood, so it's kind of like I'm going home," Atwood said. "They're always had a good tradition of softball in the Cumberland District with Castlewood and St. Paul, too."

The Cumberland will be even stronger with the addition of Atwood's team. The Blue Knights came within a game of reaching the Region D tournament this spring and feature one of the area's top pitchers in Hannah Light.

"Our theme this year was to start a tradition, so we hope to carry that on," Atwood said. "We're really excited about going to the Cumberland."

The thought of being more competitive is appealing to most of Coeburn's athletes.

"I'm excited about possibly competing better than we did before," Coeburn football standout Shane Bright said. "That's in all sports, really."

Bright knows something about good competition. He rushed for over 1,000 yards last year against a LPD schedule that included Southwest Virginia powerhouses like Gate City, Powell Valley, J.I. Burton and Appalachia.

However, Coeburn had just two wins to show for it.

"It's really tough to rebuild in the Lonesome Pine District, just because you play so many tough schools night in and night out," Mullins said. "In a given year, you can have five teams from the LPD that make the playoffs. That means you're talking about five of your seven district games are playoff teams.

"It's a tough road. In the Cumberland, Rye Cove has a really good program, Castlewood and Ervinton split the district championship last year, St. Paul has been strong over the past few years. It's not going to get any easier."

Coeburn will enter the school year as the largest Cumberland District school with 396 students. Under the current numbers, the Blue Knights would have been the fourth-largest LPD school.

"Overall, I think it's going to help our athletic programs ? all the way through from football to baseball and softball," Adkins said. "I think we can compete. Not saying that we're going to win it, just that we can compete. Maybe we get more numbers out that way too.

"That's a big key. Our numbers haven't been the greatest, but maybe winning will bring people out and that will change here."

Like Adkins said, it's not going to be easy for the Blue Knights. Andrew Adkins knows that well.

The head coach's son and the 2007 LPD boys basketball player of the year, he realizes the challenges that await he and his teammates on the hardwood.

"The Cumberland has a great tradition in basketball, so it's going to be a real different change playing over there," Adkins said. "Hopefully, we'll step up to that challenge."

Mullins hopes to meet a similar challenge on the gridiron.

"We're going into my third year and third year with the same coaching staff and with the kids we have coming back, continuity is the biggest thing we have going for us," Mullins said. "Not necessarily a move to a new district, it's the fact we're seeing the same faces day in and day out and building something that we think is going to be successful, no matter where we play."

Region D Restructured

Region D will have a radical new look this year. Coeburn's addition to the Cumberland District now makes it the largest of the Region D's four districts.

The Clinch Mountain District will debut as Lee High, Gate City, John Battle, Lebanon and Virginia High will form the new district. The five schools are the biggest in Region D, with Lee having 797 students in the VHSL's latest enrollment numbers.

"It's shaken things up," Jeff Adkins said. "I think it's unique how they've done it. But I think in the long run, it's going to have to split again [with other schools] coming down [to Group A]."

As for Coeburn, the move will take some adjustments for the school's fan base "? but that excitement that the coaches and players mentioned is prevalent.

"They're excited," Adkins said. "If you look at all the sports, they haven't been down, but we've been in the middle of the pack ... A lot of people are excited about this move. Some are taking the standoffish approach ? of let's stand back and wait and see. If we have a pretty good football year, it's just going to be a stream roll and get everybody excited."

That quest and the beginning of a new era at Coeburn begins Aug. 24

[SWVA-Football]

Coeburn should do better this year with the adjusted schedule .. it's going to be interesting for sure. Best of luck to everybody else in the LPD as well. Can't wait to see how some of these new matchups turn out.

[TheBeast]

They are full of chit. We have finished 3rd-4th and not been a competitor for the title in that district the past 5 years in football and are going into a stronger basketball district where we did compete in the LPD we will be fighting for 3-4 now, wrestling will be no different since the schools that have a program compete in the LPD anyway, girls B-ball will be about the same, softball we were always competitive in the LPD so where is the benefit here.

How are the kids gonna react to the letdown of not walking into the district and walking off will all the titles and still finishing the same as they did in the LPD. After all they have heard is how they are gonna dominate in the lowly Cubmberland.

Oh well that's my little rant for the day.

[SWVA-Football]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: TheBeast</div><div class="ubbcode-body">They are full of chit. We have finished 3rd-4th and not been a competitor for the title in that district the past 5 years in football and are going into a stronger basketball district where we did compete in the LPD we will be fighting for 3-4 now, wrestling will be no different since the schools that have a program compete in the LPD anyway, girls B-ball will be about the same, softball we were always competitive in the LPD so where is the benefit here.

How are the kids gonna react to the letdown of not walking into the district and walking off will all the titles and still finishing the same as they did in the LPD. After all they have heard is how they are gonna dominate in the lowly Cubmberland.

Oh well that's my little rant for the day. </div></div>

You don't think they'll do any better in football this year? I think that when it comes to football, being in the Cumberland district will give them a slightly better chance of achieving success.. now of course nothing is for certain and I don't know how the team is looking thus far, but I think being in the LPD is a bit tougher.

Sorry to bring up a bit of an old topic, but can someone link me to the new football schedules (for Coeburn especially) if they're available? I remember them being posted before I think but I never bookmarked the site. Heck, maybe I'm wrong .. maybe the schedule ISN'T any better.

I can't really comment on basketball or wrestling or even baseball for that matter because I know absolutely nothing about those sports or how powerful the teams are/will be.

[MNB32]

Here is a link to the master schedule from VHSL.
http://www.vhsl.org/Football%20Calendar.pdf

[NotSoSilentBob]

They've been playing quite a few Cumberland teams over the last few seasons and haven't exactly dominated them.

In the boys sports Coeburn will be top 3 in football every year, would never happen in the LPD. The best season Coeburn has had the last 8 years was 6-4 and finished 5th in the district. Basketball will be about the same. In Baseball Coeburn will dominate.

[Widespread_Panic]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: lpd_blue</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> In Baseball Coeburn will dominate. </div></div>

I think Castlewood will continue to win the Cumberland title in baseball. St. Paul will also be competitive with Coeburn. Either way, with J.J. Kelly, VA High, John Battle, or Lebanon waiting on them in region play does it really matter who wins the Cumberland District?

Coeburn will dominate the Cumberland in Baseball I promise you.

But you are right about the Region D tourny though a lot of good groups of baseball players out there, Coeburns group just happened to be freshmen last year, so their time will come.

[TheBeast]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">In the boys sports Coeburn will be top 3 in football every year </div></div>

Try and pump it up all you want and say how weak the Cumberland is compared to the LPD in football but the facts remain the same we haven't been top 3 in that district the past 5 years why would it be any different now just because we are in the district. Lest you forget we have been playing RC, TS, TW, SP the past 5-7 years and have not finished top 3 but once in that district. Yes they may finish 2nd or 3rd in the Cumberland and guess what still won't be in the playoffs.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Coeburn will dominate the Cumberland in Baseball I promise you.</div></div>

And that means what? Just because you get a district trophy doesn't mean anything, we will still be going to regions the same. We don't have a problem competing in baseball in the LPD. And you can't discount SP & Castlewood that readily.