I had a tough time getting the thread title just right and I realize that it's not really all that clear, so I'll tell you what this thread is about:
What do you think are some of the strangest/most magnificent atmospheric high school football games that you've personally attended?
If you can, please give the names of the teams, the year, and where the game was played..
Here is my list:
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1997 - Appalachia @ Powell Valley [Season game]
This is the most exciting high school football game I've ever seen in my life. I was only about 7 or 8 years old at the time but I remember it was pretty cold outside and it seems like there was even a slight drizzle (but I may be wrong.)
I remember the amount of effort on both sides was just phenomenal and I'd never seen anything like it. There were so many people there yelling and cheering both teams on, it felt like I'd landed in another world. It's hard to believe that such an exciting night could unfold at a place like Bullitt Park.
That was back when Appalachia and Powell Valley were absolutely unstoppable. Both of them won the state championship that year, and you could tell by watching them that it was like putting two monsters in a cage only to watch them shred one another to pieces.
Though Powell Valley held out and won the game, both teams were winners that evening.
It wasn't just a high school football game - it was a historical event and perhaps one of the greatest football games ever played in the state of Virginia.
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2002 - J.I. Burton @ Appalachia [Playoff game]
It was freezing in Appalachia and the 'Dawgs' had come into the playoffs after a very successful season. However, there was a very big problem for this game: Poor field conditions.
If I remember correctly, it had been raining for a few days and the field was soaking wet. Add a football game to a wet, muddy field and what do you get? A mud-bath.
Because of the field conditions, neither team could execute all that well. It was strange watching Appalachia struggle so badly against a team that they'd beaten (29-18) earlier that year, but what made it even stranger was listening to the announcers struggling to identify players due to their mud-covered jerseys. The numbers were literally covered in mud and you couldn't tell who was who - sometimes it was even tough telling what team you were looking at.
The game certainly wasn't just a freak show, either. Both teams tried very hard and it actually went into overtime, making matters that much worse. Would such a strong Appalachia team with such players as Josh Mabe, Stephen Grimes, and even Jeremy Price fall to the Raiders in one of their best seasons in many years??
In the end, Appalachia squeezed out with a 6-14 overtime win.
The low score shows just how close this game was and helps to exemplify just how much bad field conditions can affect a football team.
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2006 - Coeburn @ Powell Valley [Season game]
This one isn't notable because it was a nail-biter (anything but, actually), but because it was played on such an "empty," unenthusiastic and eerie evening.
It was on a Saturday due to bad weather conditions rain/snow(?) the day before and I had just arrived from the Clintwood/Burton game which was played earlier that day.
When I got there, the first thing I noticed was just how damned windy it was. I kid you not - leaves were flying everywhere, signs along the fences were flying off and all over the track, trash cans were turning over and rolling all over the place, and overall it just made it that much harder to comprehend what was going on.
The game started and Powell Valley just started annihilating from the first few plays of the game until the end. Coeburn didn't seem like the same team for some odd reason .. granted, they weren't having a good season in the first place, but something still just didn't seem right.
Everything was odd about the game - the crowds on both sides were mostly quiet and pretty empty when compared to your average Friday night football game. The wind continued to blow and the trees over in the park were almost leaf-less. The cold air sent chills down my spine and reinforced the atmosphere.
We left at half-time and Powell Valley's score was up in the 30s or 40s while Coeburn still had 0.
Not only was it one of the most one-sided football games I've ever seen, but it was also one of the strangest games I've ever been to. It didn't even feel like a football game.. it was like I was living a dream, or even nightmare.
I hope I never have to watch football on a day like that ever again. It was frighteningly sickening.
Well, that's all for now. I don't feel like typing anything else, but I do have a few more games I can mention if anyone wants me to.
I look forward to your input and I hope that some of you have experienced other football games in which the atmosphere was magnificent or just downright strange.
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