Clintwood vs Galax, State Championship Predictions

**1inStripes** · December 9th, 2011, 12:14 AM

Originally Posted by homerun15

The running back and the 6'6 defensive end have small D-1 schools like JMU and Emory scouting them. I love the fact that nearly everyone is downing Galax.

Wow, I didnt know I was a D1 athlete.....

**TheBeast** · December 9th, 2011, 11:00 AM

Originally Posted by 1inStripes

Wow, I didnt know I was a D1 athlete.....

Dang I wish Emory would have told me they were D1 on at least one the recruiting trips I made up there, I probly would have taken their offer and went there.

**gchs_devils** · December 9th, 2011, 11:23 AM

Hahahaha and you LPD guys were riding my ass? Look at that bs they are talking. They obviously dont know who Clintwood is. They will learn quick. Clintwood will pack the house and be ready to rock some jocks. You know whats worse than a greenwave? A pissed off greenwave!! Emory D1? Bahahha. Try ncaa D3 you idiot. Gah this makes me want to go tmrw so badly.

**green&white** · December 9th, 2011, 11:32 AM

All the trash talk reminds me of the good ole days on here. Carry on!

**homerun15** · December 9th, 2011, 12:54 PM

My bad on Emory being D-1 the local paper posted incorrect as well. To make this clear Galax only played 1 AA school Carroll County and dismantled them. No doubt Galax has played some weak teams, but the past 3 games have been against winning records. Lunenberg who played several larger division schools like Buckingham, Amelia County, and Goochland none of these powerhouses beat Lunenberg like Galax did and the coach pulled the starters mid way in the 3rd. Whats a good game without some trash talking, tomorrow promises to be a good game.

**homerun15** · December 9th, 2011, 01:04 PM

Thought I would post what Galax coach Mark Dixon stated in an interview yesterday:

This state championship will be settled between two solid, athletic, well-coached, well-rounded football teams. One just happens to be bigger than it is fast, and the other happens to be faster than it is big.

“There are two misconceptions, I think,” said Galax coach Mark Dixon. “Number one is that they don’t have speed, and number two is that you can wear us down. Those are the two things that I hear that I think are the most erroneous. They’re not going to wear us down and we’re not going to outrun them. I don’t see either thing happening. I think we’ll hang in there fine and I think they can cover anything we do. It’ll just come down to who plays better.

“The thing that strikes me first is how good they are defensively,” he said. “From reading about them I assumed that we’d be able to throw the ball, but it just doesn’t look like it’s there. They have good enough speed, especially at the corners, to cover our guys. And I don’t think it’s realistic to think we can pound it at them 25 or 30 times and average enough per run to keep their offense off the field.”

“I keep looking for an area to attack, but he’s such a good coach,” Dixon said. “He has his defense set up where his personnel matches up well. Any area you think you can go he’ll have somebody behind him who’s a stud.”

“I feel more pressure here than at any level I’ve ever played,” said the former Miami Dolphin. “I feel responsible for kids who have given me everything they have for two years, every day. There’s a ton of pressure not to let them down. I owe them the best I’ve got this Saturday.”

**CoeburnCane** · December 9th, 2011, 01:47 PM

Well said by your coach. I'm sure Rick Mullins (HC at Clintwood) shares his sentiments.

When you get teams who get to this level, especially at 12-2 and 14-0, you get some fans who simply can't comprehend that their team could lose. I think we're seeing a bit of that on both sides of the coin. Clintwood folks of course think they won't lose, and have valid reasons. Same for Galax folks. When the two meet, tensions rise and some folks take offence...no need to do so.

I think it'll be one helluva game. There's been some great ones in Salem, and this one may be one of the better matchups yet.

The one thing I will say that's been overlooked is that this is THIS Galax squad (meaning the players') first time in the state title game. That could work against them. I know the first group of kids from Clintwood that I saw play Buffalo Gap a few years back had some major jitters and it showed on the field. You had guys miss chances to make plays that they hadn't missed all year long--it was inexplicable. They could have the best thing happen and have some quick success and never let down, but that's not normally how it goes for teams making a championship game debut. A bunch of these Clintwood kids were either at these prior state title game appearances as fans, or as very young players. They know the atmosphere, and some of them have been on the field for this game before. The nerves seem less likely to affect Clintwood than they will Galax.

One of my best buddies (my brother from another mother) lives down in Charlotte now, but is originally from Galax. We've talked a lil back and forth all week long, and it's been fun. Best of luck to BOTH squads tomorrow.

**gchs_devils** · December 9th, 2011, 02:15 PM

Galax and Clintwood, more than what meets the eye.

Clintwood-Galax: There

**Bostic** · December 9th, 2011, 02:44 PM

Here is the preview from Virginia Preps if some of you have not saw it already!

VirginiaPreps.com - Division One State Championship Preview

**LPDman** · July 3rd, 2012, 01:50 PM

Sorry for posting so late on this game. Had to leave 3 days after the championship match on some overseas duty. What a game...it was a nail-biter right down to the last play...was not sure we were going to pull this off! Hat's off to the Galax players;they played much better than I thought they would against our "D." I think the coach of Galax summary provided the best pre-game analysis (see below) by far. My post-game review is that the teams were mostly even but Galax just simply got out coached at key times (pass play, fake punts it the perfect time and executed perfectly, too..etc). I can see why our coach was COY, he deserved it and was the difference in that game, hands down. Galax obviously has some great athletes from what I can read, now that I'm back. They boys teams were runner-up in football, won 2nd basketball championship in a row, won state championship in baseball and state golf championship, all this year....not bad. Their quarterback was a starter on the basketball and baseball too. I'd be surprised to see that done again at many single A schools. They had a lot of key seniors leave their football team, therefore I don't think they will make it out of districts this coming year;Greenwave has another good shot again in 2012-12...go wave! I did see where they are building a new wieght and sports facility for their sports program....so they might be investing in the future and I hope we get shots at them in the not so distant future. They seem like a close-knit community too.

Originally Posted by homerun15

Thought I would post what Galax coach Mark Dixon stated in an interview yesterday:

This state championship will be settled between two solid, athletic, well-coached, well-rounded football teams. One just happens to be bigger than it is fast, and the other happens to be faster than it is big.

?There are two misconceptions, I think,? said Galax coach Mark Dixon. ?Number one is that they don?t have speed, and number two is that you can wear us down. Those are the two things that I hear that I think are the most erroneous. They?re not going to wear us down and we?re not going to outrun them. I don?t see either thing happening. I think we?ll hang in there fine and I think they can cover anything we do. It?ll just come down to who plays better.

?The thing that strikes me first is how good they are defensively,? he said. ?From reading about them I assumed that we?d be able to throw the ball, but it just doesn?t look like it?s there. They have good enough speed, especially at the corners, to cover our guys. And I don?t think it?s realistic to think we can pound it at them 25 or 30 times and average enough per run to keep their offense off the field.?

?I keep looking for an area to attack, but he?s such a good coach,? Dixon said. ?He has his defense set up where his personnel matches up well. Any area you think you can go he?ll have somebody behind him who?s a stud.?

?I feel more pressure here than at any level I?ve ever played,? said the former Miami Dolphin. ?I feel responsible for kids who have given me everything they have for two years, every day. There?s a ton of pressure not to let them down. I owe them the best I?ve got this Saturday.?