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Only repeating what I was told Husker
Not sure about gate city's formations and who knows about if they lie or not only they know that but I do know that something must go on if they've been AA for so many years and then drops down to A. In my opinion they've ruined the excitement in the regional playoffs. They kill everyone. If I was them i'd WANT to play AA for competition. But there is no doubt they are a good ball team
I heard clintwood was going to be good this year
In SWVA, what does these teams have in common with Gate City?
George Wythe - Wytheville
John S. Battle
Lebanon
Patrick Henry
Grayson County
Narrows
Floyd County
Giles
Radford
These are schools that have had declining enrollments in the past 10-20 years and dropped from Group AA to Single A. Most of these schools dropped down as soon as they became Single A eligible according to attendance. GC petitioned the VHSL each year for 10-15 years to be able to play Group AA. Gate City High School drops down in 2001, and besides the fact that these other schools have also dropped down in the recent past, nothing is made of it. Or did people not want to think coherently and just point fingers at GC proclaiming they lie about enrollment?
There is no industry in Gate City. While quite a few people do work in nearby Tennessee, many decide to leave Scott County and either have moved to Northeast Tennessee (closer to acceptable employment) or even further away from "home". Some families have stayed, but most of the younger set/families have seemed to venture away from the confines of our county. GC's attendance in grades 10-12 (the VHSL's method of determining attendance) is around 450. In 2001 & 2002, GC's first 2 years afer RETURNING TO THE LPD, Powell Valley and J.J. Kelly both had more students in attendance than GC. This upcoming year (2003), GC has about 30 more than PV and about a half dozen or so more than JJK. If you have ever been to Big Stone Gap, Wise and Gate City, it is evident which town is the smaller of the three. Gate City has only two stoplights within the city limits, one new car dealership, few restaurants, no entertainment value to speak of (shopping centers, movie theatres, etc). Does this sound like the metropolis some people make it out to be?
When I was in school at GC more than 15 years ago, there was less than 500 in grades 10-12. My two younger sisters had graduating classes even smaller than my own (one 3 years younger, one 6). GC could have been Single A for quite a number of years if they had decided to do so. Few people realize they were an LPD district team before 1970. It's not like they haven't been a part of the LPD before 2001. Some of us are old enough to either remember those years or remember stories of fathers, uncles, older brothers or men in the area who played in the LPD.
Do some people want GC to go back to Group AA? Most certainly. It's comments like the above (proclaiming something fishy about GC dropping) that makes me want to have GC stay right were they are. It's not like GC did not have success on the AA level. In 30 years of Group AA football, GC won 18 District titles, 12 Regional titles, 2 state runner-up and 3 State titles. There are quite a few people who are glad GC is no longer AA now too.
I just wanted to add my $.02 to the prior posting(s). I hope my post has been informative as well as educational. I don't think it will have most people thinking "Hey, what he posted had factual information, merit and inside knowledge to the GC community." I believe most will keep on making postings such as the ones that I responded to. Good luck to all BDD teams this upcoming year and may all be kept safe from serious injury.
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ August 12, 2003 10:22 PM: Message edited by: I-Catching ]</font>
Man you gate city people are touchy lol But I see your point. I want to know how grundy is AA when they have over a hundred or so less kids than gate city and they have no problem staying AA.
Not just Grundy Dunduin but what about Graham. I hope they stay AA because they might be in the BDD if they dropped down. Gate City is legal they have the right number of students. Do they cut corners?? I'm not sure but they should be single a. Now the comment made about industry in Gate City. I think this guys need to venture down to Haysi or Hurley or Ervinton or Council. These areas don't have any industry. I have been to Gate City and it is a lot better than you think it is as far as industry goes.
No, not touchy in the least but I have learned from past message board experiences that you have to be very concise in your postings to prevent others from raising the "BS Flag" on you. I did not mean to offend anyone with my initial posting, I just wanted to make myself clear and provide factual information on that subject.
Yes, Grundy has a lower enrollment currently than GC, as well as Bluefield Graham. It is/was both schools (school board, AD, et al) decision to stay group AA by petitioning the VHSL annually just as GC had done for many years in the past. They have the right to drop down to Single A just the same as GC did in 2001, which was not a very popular move in many peoples eyes and still isn't for that matter. It does allow GC to compete with schools with like enrollments (not only in football) as well as keeps travel costs significantly lower. The state semis against George Wythe was the first time GC fans did not have to stay overnight in the Lynchburg area (or further up the road) to attend the game. In the recent past, GC has faced Jefferson Forest, John Handley, Brookville, Rustburg and Broadway just to name a few. Most if not all of these schools have attendance figures above 800 (more than 350 students than GC in grades 10-12). Can you really blame the decision makers at GC that decided to drop to Single A instead of continuing to travel those distances, running up huge travel costs and playing schools of that size?
When I played football in the old SWD, several of the schools that I listed in my initial post were part of our district (Lebanon, PH, JSB, may have left one out, not sure). Honestly I never thought we would drop to Single A like those others. I thought we would do the same as Graham and Grundy. I have mixed feelings about the move (just like others), but there is not a dang thing I can do about it. I just support the Blue Devils 100%, no matter where and who they play.
HuskerFan, I am sure that Ervinton, Hurley, Haysi and the surrounding areas don't have much industry either. That is not a question mark in my mind. The bottom line is that no high school in the far corners of SWVA has great numbers (with the exception of Lee High, but look how many high schools combined there) But why would GC be "cutting corners" as you called it, which I consider making accusations of lying about numbers, when they had to petition the VHSL for 10-15 years just to play Group AA ball with Single A numbers? I would have thought that would be clear to most. Oh well, maybe not. GC did not drop to Single A to rain on anyone's parade in the BDD or LPD for that matter. They aren't untouchable, as you seen in basketball season. They won't win the LPD in football every year, trust me.
Just an ending note (I have to get up early), but does anyone realize that during the mid 80's through most of the 90's that Powell Valley had more students in attendance than Gate City? I never heard any negative comments about that fact when PV was running roughshod through Region D all of those years. If it wasn't GC, who would the finger(s) be pointed towards?
I agree Powell Valley did have a lot of kids. Personally in my opinion they need 4 groups. Haysi, Honaker and the Cumberland schools have no chance against teams such as J.J. Kelly, Powell Valley and Gate City. The numbers of those schools are too much.
That doesn't sound bad Husker Fan, but then you would have Honaker and/or Haysi with the large attendance. Honaker defeated Grayson County last season but I never heard anyone having a problem with their enrollment, which is 150+ more students in grades 10-12 than Gate City. Personally, I don't think it is numbers in this case. If GC was 5-5 or 4-6 every year nothing would be said about their program, good or bad (well, maybe bad...I have seen the making light of the decline of Pound's program on this forum). Washington & Lee, the 2001 Division 2 State Champion, has the exact total enrollment that GC happens to have this year. Is there a problem with the current alignment? I think so. Just keep in mind that not so long ago, there were only 3 state champions in football, which made it ever more difficult for the smaller schools to be successful in the post-season. Virginia is a much larger state than Tennessee (which has 5 state champions). Either a 4 or 5 classification system should be put into place and I think it will eventually transpire. Here is a link to a proposed 4 classification system based on enrollment:
http://virginiapreps.rivals.com/show...4&sid=&style=2
In this classification recommendation, both Honaker and Haysi (as well as the rest of the BDD) would still be facing J.J. Kelly, Powell Valley, Lebanon, Giles, Radford and George Wythe with the addition of Bluefield Graham and Grundy Sr. Not only would Graham and Grundy be in this classification facing the current BDD Division 2 teams in the playoffs, but also the current BDD Division 1 teams as well. If you also notice, GC is at the bottom of the 2A classification. If their enrollment was to drop slightly (15-20 students or so), then GC would also be in the 1A classification.
This is based on the VHSL current school enrollment figures mentioned on the link provided by Matt Gilliam, who in turn gathered his information from current VHSL reclassification minutes/notes of meetings being held by the powers that be.
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ August 13, 2003 03:15 PM: Message edited by: I-Catching ]</font>
i found two "Four A" models on the redistricting reclassification page. One just seems to be based on attendance, but it uses 9-12 numbers and not 10-12. How are groups based in the "equal four classification"? Looks like in equal four there could be a fourth district and Region D with Kelly, Graham, Grundy, and PV, shew talk about travel! I'm sure they'd let all the schools decide on districts though.
http://www.vhsl.org/more.htm
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ August 13, 2003 07:21 PM: Message edited by: Stormy_Waters(the_second) ]</font>
Nevertheless, I was not accusing Powell Valley of so called "cutting corners", lying about enrollment, etc. All I was stating was that their attendance figures that announced by the VHSL more often than not were higher than GC during that period, even though GC remained Group AA while PV stayed Single A. I'm not saying PV wasn't legitimately Single A, only that GC had less students and could have been Single A as well.
Everyone now has a problem with GC dropping down although they have had legitimate Single A enrollment numbers for many years. Then someone in this thread says "Oh no, we don't want to have Graham in the BDD!". Sounds like sour grapes to me.
Maybe the VHSL can fix up a region with the Cumberland District, Sisters of Mercy School for Girls and other weak-kneed competition so that certain people will cease to complain and make unfounded allegations.
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<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ August 14, 2003 08:43 AM: Message edited by: I-Catching ]</font>