Vinton County 35 River Valley 0

[Laertes]

You guys are quick to forget the previous coach struggled for the first couple years in his stint at RV. Of course, RV had only won 6 games in the previous 4 years, according to Joe Eitel.

Coach Peck inherited the Raiders at a point where they have been above .500 over the past 4 years.

Give it time. It can only get better...right?

[Sports101]

RV was about to run it’s previous coach out of town after 2 2-Win seasons in the loaded OVC, let alone a defeated season. The previous coach got lucky with 2 stud classes and enough time with them, Peck was given a solid football team with enough to compete if not win EVERY game but 2.

[Howard Cosell]

RV was about to run it’s previous coach out of town after 2 2-Win seasons in the loaded OVC, let alone a defeated season. The previous coach got lucky with 2 stud classes and enough time with them, Peck was given a solid football team with enough to compete if not win EVERY game but 2.

Not sure what kind of Gatorade you are drinking but people in the coaching community all knew RV was headed into a rebuild this year. Not to mention that going from a spread offense to a meat grinder offense is quite a change in thinking for the kids. Btw they read this stuff and don’t need to see you or any of the other so called RV “fans” trashing any aspect of the program.

[Howard Cosell]

Rv has had a coaching problem all year. Now that we are going in to week 8 with no wins the kids don't trust the coaching staff and they don't have the heart.

Same goes for you genius

[Howard Cosell]

As much as I hate to say this, I look for VC to win this one. From what I've seen this year, all the weight lifting hasn't helped with playing the game. Fundamental have not been taught to this team, without fundamentals having strength from weight lifting is worthless. RV need to get back to basics and they need to start in the youth program and junior high. All of that goes back to the coaching. Plus, I see no real leadership on the team but I do see a lot of me, me, me players. Until they learn to play as a team, learn fundamentals, we will continue to see this team lose and I am not enjoying that at all! One other thing, when a team puts in their JV team it has always been football etiquette for the other team to put in their JV's. Who knows, the JV's might have been able to do something once the Varsity is defeated and hanging their heads in the game. Hoping that RV can get a win this Friday.

Oh look
Another “expert” who has racked up 38 hours of watching College game day and probably won two consecutive championships on his x box.

As the song goes .....humble yourself....sit down!

[Laertes]

RV was about to run it’s previous coach out of town after 2 2-Win seasons in the loaded OVC, let alone a defeated season. The previous coach got lucky with 2 stud classes and enough time with them, Peck was given a solid football team with enough to compete if not win EVERY game but 2.

Not sure what kind of Gatorade you are drinking but people in the coaching community all knew RV was headed into a rebuild this year. Not to mention that going from a spread offense to a meat grinder offense is quite a change in thinking for the kids. Btw they read this stuff and don’t need to see you or any of the other so called RV “fans” trashing any aspect of the program.

People in the coaching community knew they were rebuilding? Give us more insight since you are obviously in this circle. From the outside looking in, all I saw was a lot of sophomores that were turning into juniors that people seemed to be high on. I have to admit, they aren’t a bad looking kids physically. All I have seen is a program going in the opposite direction from what it was a couple of years ago, coaches who get out-coached, then yell at the kids for them getting out-coached, and then refuse to adjust and get out-coached again until the other team puts the JV players in.

I don’t buy that crap about the change in thinking about going from the spread to a “meat grinder” offense. It is the job of the coach to put the kids they are coaching in the best possible position to succeed. Period. Can they say that they are doing this with this “meat grinder” offense? And if this is a “meat grinder,” exactly what part of the operation are they? Judging by 56 rushing yards last week against a bad Alexander team, it got “grounded”up pretty good. It looks more like a brick wall offense, like “let’s line up our kids and run them straight into a brick wall until we can run through it. Let’s not try to run around it or pass over it.... we are going to run through it!” As a long-time supporter, it is frustrating to watch us have the worst offense in the state after watching RV have offensive success for the past few years and a couple of different groups of players. Are these kids just not talented? I doubt that.

FYI - if you are in the coaching community ... stay off of Preps. Leave Preps to the real Arm Chair Coaches... us.

[RVThrows]

As much as I hate to say this, I look for VC to win this one. From what I've seen this year, all the weight lifting hasn't helped with playing the game. Fundamental have not been taught to this team, without fundamentals having strength from weight lifting is worthless. RV need to get back to basics and they need to start in the youth program and junior high. All of that goes back to the coaching. Plus, I see no real leadership on the team but I do see a lot of me, me, me players. Until they learn to play as a team, learn fundamentals, we will continue to see this team lose and I am not enjoying that at all! One other thing, when a team puts in their JV team it has always been football etiquette for the other team to put in their JV's. Who knows, the JV's might have been able to do something once the Varsity is defeated and hanging their heads in the game. Hoping that RV can get a win this Friday.

Oh look
Another “expert” who has racked up 38 hours of watching College game day and probably won two consecutive championships on his x box.

As the song goes .....humble yourself....sit down!

Expert, Thanks, yeah, and not from watching college game day but from playing the sport (not just high school but college), coaching the sport and officiating the sport (can you say that?) doubtful, so yeah, that would make me more of an expert than you. If you think this team knows fundamentals then you are part of the problem with the system. Just saying.

[madpolecat]

Gonna throw this out there...

In 2016, the Raiders ran variations of GAP schemes (Power O, F Counter, or Dart) on 218-of-353 running plays (62%). They also ran 22 wedge plays that year. With those calls added in, 68% of the run game was inside. We did not use inside or outside zone that season.

Often these were executed from one back/two TE sets, not four-wide formations. We may have called ourselves a spread team, but the presence of D.Brown and J. Mabe as fullback/TE/Big H types meant that were built for down-down-down, kick and wrap.

The team finished 6-4 with close losses vs. Meigs and Athens. The Waverly score was close for the first three quarters.

PLEASE.

Do not argue that RV hasn't had or doesn't have the kind of kids who can run downhill football plays.

[Prep Expert]

Still waiting for bevo to tell me why sparling abandoned ship. Not sure why he isn’t getting the blame for the situation River Valley football is in. He had a pathetic weight lifting program his entire tenure, then he decided to beef up the schedule, AND THEN resigns. Wow. Let’s face it sparling benefitted from a once in every 20 year class.

[madpolecat]

PE --

There are probably only a couple of people on PREPS who know Sparling better than I do (I don't know if Fred and Chuck are on here), and I'm gonna suggest that having a three children aged five and under played no minor role in his decision. Father/husband trumps football coach in most cases.

If the weight program sucked under Sparling, I guess that's my fault, because he handed me the keys to the weight program, so to speak. I dunno, ask the kids who went through the program if they got stronger and better. If they didn't, I will apologize to them all personally.

It will be interesting to see what direction the new RV weight program takes. My brother was a key part of designing workouts for the SG weight program, so I'm curious to see how the philosophy diverges now that he's not on Peck's staff.

Will he continue with the Westside Barbell/powerlifting protocols or will he look in other places?

-- Coach P

[Howard Cosell]

As much as I hate to say this, I look for VC to win this one. From what I've seen this year, all the weight lifting hasn't helped with playing the game. Fundamental have not been taught to this team, without fundamentals having strength from weight lifting is worthless. RV need to get back to basics and they need to start in the youth program and junior high. All of that goes back to the coaching. Plus, I see no real leadership on the team but I do see a lot of me, me, me players. Until they learn to play as a team, learn fundamentals, we will continue to see this team lose and I am not enjoying that at all! One other thing, when a team puts in their JV team it has always been football etiquette for the other team to put in their JV's. Who knows, the JV's might have been able to do something once the Varsity is defeated and hanging their heads in the game. Hoping that RV can get a win this Friday.

Oh look
Another “expert” who has racked up 38 hours of watching College game day and probably won two consecutive championships on his x box.

As the song goes .....humble yourself....sit down!

Expert, Thanks, yeah, and not from watching college game day but from playing the sport (not just high school but college), coaching the sport and officiating the sport (can you say that?) doubtful, so yeah, that would make me more of an expert than you. If you think this team knows fundamentals then you are part of the problem with the system. Just saying.

Wow! A college player! I dont count the fact that you probably played at Potomac State Community College as actually having played. But hey measure it however you want. If you are/were a coach. Shame on you for participation in the social media dismantling of a program. I have an idea since you know so much, send RV your resume' I am sure they could use someone with your experience.

[Lonesome Polecat]

If the weight program sucked under Sparling, I guess that's my fault, because he handed me the keys to the weight program, so to speak. I dunno, ask the kids who went through the program if they got stronger and better. If they didn't, I will apologize to them all personally.



-- Coach P

My guess is that the weight program at RV during that time was well thought out and well executed.

[Laertes]

I’ve said this on another thread.... this is actually the softest total schedule in a few years if you look at all 10 games.

2018 - 1 playoff team on the schedule. Athens isn’t getting in, but them and Coal Grove are good teams.

2017 - Two playoff teams and a good Athens team.

2016 - Two playoff teams and a good Athens team.

2015 - 3 playoff teams, 4 if you count the actual playoff game. Meigs and Athens were good that year too.

2014 - 2 playoff teams.


Didn’t RV have the most success, all-state players, and kids getting an opportunity to play in college during those years? I’m glad they were able to overcome a terrible lifting program to accomplish these things.

[Prep Expert]

I know some of them went to college but most of those players didn't last a season in college. I'm not sure any are still playing. I'm sure those players have racked up a lot of tuition debt at those private colleges. Just hope Sparling considered the debt that those players have.

[galliagrad89]

I know some of them went to college but most of those players didn't last a season in college. I'm not sure any are still playing. I'm sure those players have racked up a lot of tuition debt at those private colleges. Just hope Sparling considered the debt that those players have.

Your post is dumb…. Why would it be Sparling's fault if they left or quit playing? He opened doors for kids to get an opportunity to further their education when otherwise they may not get that chance. If they quit then that is on them and their parents not Sparling. Not too many HS coaches go out of their way to do this.

[Laertes]

PE is officially the Mark May of SEO Preps. Hater of the year, unanimous choice.

In this thread, he is on record for the following claims:

1. It is Sparling’s fault for the teams current lack of success, even though he has not coached them since October of 2017.

2. Sparling’s weight room was terrible.

3. It is Sparling’s fault that some of his players went on to the world of college football, quit, and racked up debt from the cost of tuition.



What I’m really wondering now is what atrocity did Coach Sparling commit to Prep Expert? He must have bagged up dog poop, set it on fire on PE’s front porch, rang the doorbell and ran. Certainly, this much hate cannot stem from high school football.

PE- just give it up dude. You may not have liked or agreed with him, but the man won, filled the stands, and made the playoffs... all at RV. I know, I was there. I think anyone who went to that playoff game would have said that he must have done a few things right to get the Raiders that place. Sure, he had a couple of nice classes, but those kids were in junior high when he got there. Someone had to develop them and change some things, because RV history said they were destined for less than 10 wins in their 4 years in the black and silver. I am personally greatful my son was able to be a part of this and I would go back and let him play for him again in a heartbeat.

Just because he didn’t do it the way you would have doesn’t discredit the things the Raiders accomplished in his time. In fact, what have they accomplished in the time before or after him? Can any other RV coach say they accomplished similar things? Thankfully, your opinion doesn’t mean anything, so it does not actually stain anything that was actually accomplished by the players and staff that worked so hard to change RV.

[madpolecat]

What happens if a mad polecat and a lonesome polecat join forces?

[madpolecat]

And HAMLET is just about my favorite play of Shakespeare's.

[Laertes]

My apologies to the Vinton County SEO Prep readers for the ignorance that has appeared on this thread. We are currently having a lot of issues here at RV.

Not to be a jerk, but you guys might be able to relate. You had Justy, we currently have his protégée. We are experiencing similar issues to that of what you guys went through.

[Lonesome Polecat]

What happens if a mad polecat and a lonesome polecat join forces?

POLECATS ALWAYS WIN! We need a semipro team called the polecats!