Week 5--Gallipolis at Pt. Pleasant

[jottings]

Pt. Pleasant has won 18 straight regular season games, best in the state. Against Logan, W. Va., last week, PPHS totaled 413 yards before halftime. Big Blacks led 63-8 at halftime. Subs played the second half. QB Adam Yates, Gage Buskirk, Cody Mitchell, Garrett Litchfield and Gran t Safford have been unstoppable this year.

[kvnchambers]

I agree superblue. I know we have cancelled some jv games already. And i agree the program is in disarray. I do have to say. i don't really here a lot of negative things about this coaching staff so maybe if they stay for a while things will get on the right track. There is some talent here and some decent football players but absolutely no depth. And when you only have 33 players in grade 9-12 for this size school it is sad. The thing is unless some kids that played last year and did not come back out don't come back next year. I don't know how long it takes you to get it fixed. there were like 16 freshmen last year and i think this team has like 5 or 6 sophomores at most.

The way the classes had been trending i thought this would of been first year we would of had 50 in a long time. and i thought next year they would be pushing 60. now they will be lucky to probably have 35 again next year unless some kids come back. ON a positive side of that. several underclassmen who did not come back this year i have heard talk about missing it. does not mean they will be back out but at least a chance.

My biggest fear for this team is getting beat up so bad the next 2 weeks that they will not be healthy enough to compete in league. i thought they could compete with Warren and Portsmouth and had an outside shot at Logan.

The offensive woes in second half Friday is what i am a afraid may come way to often. I do not blame the coaching staff or play calling on that. It is hard to get a drive going when you don't even know what players will be available from play to play. You run a play out of a set and you realize that in that formation you have a kid that can exploit a weakness in defense and that kid asks out after the play and can't go for 5 or 6 snaps and the drive is over.

Not the boys fault either most of them giving 100%. just a tough time right now. I even thought this team had a shot to win a big game in week 6. as the blue devils at full strength match up well against belfry and having that game on the slow surface at memorial stadium i thought was winnable not likely but winnable. But unless you just set a bunch of boys against point i don;t see any chance.

The biggest disappointment to me on Friday was when Marietta went to power running game late. we had no answer. that is what every team except Portsmouth will do to us the rest of the way. Unless we can defend it better i don't know what game we can compete in. let alone win. It is what belfry exposed in week 6 last year and everyone else besides Portsmouth played us the same way.

[Gobigblacks]

Junior running back Cody Mitchell continues to add onto an amazing resume for his career. Last week, he scored 7 touchdowns in a game, all in the first half. 5 rushing, 1 receiving, and 1 interception return. This was a new school record.

[jottings]

During the past 80-years, Gallipolis and Pt. Pleasant have played some outstanding games. There have been many upsets, one big fight, and two interruptions in the long series.

Old-timers say that a Blue Devil black player named John Rippey intercepted a PPHS pass and ran 60 yards down the Big Blacksidelines for the winning TD in the final seconds of play for a 6-3 win in 1926 and continued running to a ferry boat nearby.

Bill Rariden, a GAHS graduate, played against PPHS in 1919. He moved to Pt. Pleasant afterwards. His son Bill Raiden, Jr. played for Pt. Pleasant in 1947 and 1948 against Gallia's "Golden Era" teams and the Blue Devils won 21-6 and 35-0..

First big upset came in 1932 when the West Virginians held the SEOAL champion Blue Devils to a 7-7 tie, snapping the Gallians twe-year 18-game winning streak.

The 1938 Big Blacks upset favored GAHS 14-0 on a cold snow covered field (six inches) on Thanksgiving Day. The following year, GAHS won the last Thanksgiving game, 18-7. In 1940, Bill Safford played for GAHS but the Devils did not play PPHS that year.

Since there was no game in 1940, it was made up with a post-season game during World War II (1944) when GAHS won, 18-6.

In 1945 Lonnie Safford played for GAHS as the Big Blacks won, 19-0.

My sophomore year (1949) GAHS upset PPHS 13-7. However, my junior and senior years PPHS upset GAHS 19-6 and 7-0 behind Jack Fowler's outstanding play.

Bobby Swan, a Gallipolis product until his sophomore year, transferred to PPHS after his parents moved across the river and he led the Big Blacks to 28-7, 29-7 and 41-13 wins over the Blue Devils.

In 1966,Gallia's Rod Gilkey tossed an 80-yard TD pass in the final seconds of play to beat PPHS, 12-6.

In 1968. PPHS blanked GAHS 19-0, but the game ended in a fight and the series was terminated until 1977.

In 1977, Coach Steve Safford's Big Blacks pounded GAHS 40-0 to resume the grid series

In fact, Safford's Big Blacks won six of the next seven games to take a series lead over GAHS.

After a 24-20 loss to a 1985 post-season playoff PPHS team , GAHS won 17 of the next 23 games to take a 40-34-5 series advantage. The current 10-game winning streak started in 1999 when Jeremy Payton's late field goal toppled PPHS 10-7, and continued to 2008 when Austin Wilson recovered a PPHS fumble late in the game and ran
about 90 yeads for a 28-21 victory.

The series was terminated again when PPHS joined a new league in West Virginia.


.

[Gobigblacks]

1985 game on YouTube. Posted this a few years ago.

http://youtu.be/ZbSfbYLWUow

[superblue]

Logan Locos just updated the SEOAL website and I was able to look at Gahs"s roster. The numbers tell the story, 8 sr, 11jr, 4 soph, 11 fresh.... numbers may be off some but the future doesn't lool very bright.... If everyone returns next year we would only have 25 upper classmen which translate into having freshmen on the varsity... not good... We need to get the numbers up and this will take time.... Some D-7 schools have more kids than this... any ides on why this is happening at GAHS?

[galliagrad89]

Logan Locos just updated the SEOAL website and I was able to look at Gahs"s roster. The numbers tell the story, 8 sr, 11jr, 4 soph, 11 fresh.... numbers may be off some but the future doesn't lool very bright.... If everyone returns next year we would only have 25 upper classmen which translate into having freshmen on the varsity... not good... We need to get the numbers up and this will take time.... Some D-7 schools have more kids than this... any ides on why this is happening at GAHS?

Look towards the youth program. Half of the kids are going to Big Ben when the rest play in a disarray league in town and even some of the better kids are going to RV. I would focus on improving that situation and maybe numbers will increase.

[G.W.A.]

The mothmen by 50 +

[Auburntgrfan]

Sorry to say this, but PP by a bunch. 49-7. Wish "The Blue Devils" the best.

[me22]

Logan Locos just updated the SEOAL website and I was able to look at Gahs"s roster. The numbers tell the story, 8 sr, 11jr, 4 soph, 11 fresh.... numbers may be off some but the future doesn't lool very bright.... If everyone returns next year we would only have 25 upper classmen which translate into having freshmen on the varsity... not good... We need to get the numbers up and this will take time.... Some D-7 schools have more kids than this... any ides on why this is happening at GAHS?

Open enrollment has not helped the situation, if kids don't like the amount of playing time they are getting or the position they are playing they can just switch schools. There are at least a few kids on the rosters at either South Gallia or River Valley that started out playing JR High at GAHS. There is probably always a little bit of politics or favoritism for positions or playing time at any small town high school.Whether its true or not GAHS has a very bad reputation for this. Need establish some long term stability with the coaching staff and hopefully the perceptions will change and kids will get excited about playing football again.

[jottings]

Had the series not been interrupted twice for a total of 13 years, Friday's game would have been the 94th.

[91blue14]

Logan Locos just updated the SEOAL website and I was able to look at Gahs"s roster. The numbers tell the story, 8 sr, 11jr, 4 soph, 11 fresh.... numbers may be off some but the future doesn't lool very bright.... If everyone returns next year we would only have 25 upper classmen which translate into having freshmen on the varsity... not good... We need to get the numbers up and this will take time.... Some D-7 schools have more kids than this... any ides on why this is happening at GAHS?

you can thank the mighty wing t for some of the problems. this junior class was loaded with athletes the wrong offense for the type of players they had. subpar coaching at the junior high level is a problem

[kvnchambers]

Numbers went on the down turn with varsity soccer. continued down when junior high soccer started so now kids can play soccer from like first grade on. Under coach Eddy in his last year it seemed like we were making in roads into the participation problems. we had a sophomore class of 11. a freshmen class of like 18. and the 8th grade and 7th grade classes like had 20 each. 8 of those sophomores are now seniors. out of the 18 freshman 14 still there as juniors. last years there were like 18 freshmen. only 4 of them came back out this year. out of the kids that would be freshmen like 11 of 20 still there.

I know last years coaching staff only here one year but a lot of things happened that turned a lot of boys off and that spread through the halls like wild fire. A lot of boys having fun and working hard this year on a team that is not really good. The momentum is turning positive but i don't know how long it will take. As long as this years football experience ends up being positive for the boys. i think most or all will be back you always lose one or two here or there but not this mass exodus. I think they all know there if for a tough road the rest of way. but from what i can tell the boys and the coaching staff are sticking together. no finger pointing or blame, just working on getting better.
The one thing i see this year being done differently then last year is all kids are being coached. A kid with less talent or natural ability isn't being ignored. This really turned a lot of kids off. it was not entire staff fault. There is a coach there telling him and working with him telling him look you don't have the natural ability you have to work harder play smarter and want it more. You need to work on these things and get better and work through the off season.
These are the same sort of things that were done under coach Eddy, he didn't do it himself. he didn't have time for all the underclassmen and less talented kids but he made sure someone did and was working with those kids making them better and stronger. With coach Eddy giving the occasional word of encouragement keep working were going to need you. Several kids turned in to good football players under that watch.
Last year a lot of those kids were ignored and did not come back. that is how you go from 17 freshmen to 4 sophomores. it also doesn't help when you schedule a freshmen game. you have 17 seventeen freshmen. you bring 6 to 8 sophomores so you have plenty of kids. Then you start the 6 to 8 sophomores and your freshmen set the bench until the 4th quarter of a freshmen game. Then you have jv game and tell half the freshmen not to even dress. you upset a lot of kids. i could go on and on.


The one thing that i will say in the last 4 years of being around blue devil varsity sports is the reputation of it matters whose kid you are or who you know on how much playing time is way over blown. My son sat the bench a lot. did not play a lot in a lot of sports. did i think he was as good as some people receiving a lot more playing time you bet i did. Was he better by a substantial amount no. when that sport had a open practice did i see my son working as hard and paying as much attention as the boys getting the playing time no. that is why he was not getting it he was not giving 100% at practice he was goofing around. Did he think he was giving 100% yes.
Maybe win 2 kids are absolutely equal maybe it has some factor but not much.

I can't think of a coach at Gallia right now that is going to sit a kid that is better then another kid because of who one of the kids are. Now are you going to ask me are they all treated the same absolutely not but that is more a function of reality then favoritism. They are maybe given a little more benefit of doubt in certain situations. But that is the way life is.

[kvnchambers]

Logan Locos just updated the SEOAL website and I was able to look at Gahs"s roster. The numbers tell the story, 8 sr, 11jr, 4 soph, 11 fresh.... numbers may be off some but the future doesn't lool very bright.... If everyone returns next year we would only have 25 upper classmen which translate into having freshmen on the varsity... not good... We need to get the numbers up and this will take time.... Some D-7 schools have more kids than this... any ides on why this is happening at GAHS?

you can thank the mighty wing t for some of the problems. this junior class was loaded with athletes the wrong offense for the type of players they had. subpar coaching at the junior high level is a problem

The kids that are juniors now unless they left in 8th grade i can't see who left beside Devin Henry and he left after one year in the spread as far as skill guys go. 2 of the other 3 that i know of as freshmen moved and didn't move close. subpar coaching at junior high level may be true. as a matter of fact i think it is probably to but have to admit have not scene a lot of junior high football in years.

[jottings]

Before the current series was terminated, the Gallipolis and Pt. Pleasant Rotary Clubs sponsored a traveling trophy. Will the two clubs continue this Friday? Or has the trophy been retired by Gallipolis?

[kvnchambers]

Good luck tommorow night blue devils. If you Play your best you can make it interesting. Hope for an injury free game for both. Teams

[RJ7171C71R]

Point Pleasant easy! 54-6

[moonshine]

Is the mercy rule in effect in WVa?

[bdubya]

West Virginia does not have the 30-point continuous clock rule that ohio adopted. The only way the clock will run is if both coaching staffs agree at halftime to let the clock run.

[bevo]

Numbers went on the down turn with varsity soccer. continued down when junior high soccer started so now kids can play soccer from like first grade on. Under coach Eddy in his last year it seemed like we were making in roads into the participation problems. we had a sophomore class of 11. a freshmen class of like 18. and the 8th grade and 7th grade classes like had 20 each. 8 of those sophomores are now seniors. out of the 18 freshman 14 still there as juniors. last years there were like 18 freshmen. only 4 of them came back out this year. out of the kids that would be freshmen like 11 of 20 still there.

I know last years coaching staff only here one year but a lot of things happened that turned a lot of boys off and that spread through the halls like wild fire. A lot of boys having fun and working hard this year on a team that is not really good. The momentum is turning positive but i don't know how long it will take. As long as this years football experience ends up being positive for the boys. i think most or all will be back you always lose one or two here or there but not this mass exodus. I think they all know there if for a tough road the rest of way. but from what i can tell the boys and the coaching staff are sticking together. no finger pointing or blame, just working on getting better.
The one thing i see this year being done differently then last year is all kids are being coached. A kid with less talent or natural ability isn't being ignored. This really turned a lot of kids off. it was not entire staff fault. There is a coach there telling him and working with him telling him look you don't have the natural ability you have to work harder play smarter and want it more. You need to work on these things and get better and work through the off season.
These are the same sort of things that were done under coach Eddy, he didn't do it himself. he didn't have time for all the underclassmen and less talented kids but he made sure someone did and was working with those kids making them better and stronger. With coach Eddy giving the occasional word of encouragement keep working were going to need you. Several kids turned in to good football players under that watch.
Last year a lot of those kids were ignored and did not come back. that is how you go from 17 freshmen to 4 sophomores. it also doesn't help when you schedule a freshmen game. you have 17 seventeen freshmen. you bring 6 to 8 sophomores so you have plenty of kids. Then you start the 6 to 8 sophomores and your freshmen set the bench until the 4th quarter of a freshmen game. Then you have jv game and tell half the freshmen not to even dress. you upset a lot of kids. i could go on and on.


The one thing that i will say in the last 4 years of being around blue devil varsity sports is the reputation of it matters whose kid you are or who you know on how much playing time is way over blown. My son sat the bench a lot. did not play a lot in a lot of sports. did i think he was as good as some people receiving a lot more playing time you bet i did. Was he better by a substantial amount no. when that sport had a open practice did i see my son working as hard and paying as much attention as the boys getting the playing time no. that is why he was not getting it he was not giving 100% at practice he was goofing around. Did he think he was giving 100% yes.
Maybe win 2 kids are absolutely equal maybe it has some factor but not much.

I can't think of a coach at Gallia right now that is going to sit a kid that is better then another kid because of who one of the kids are. Now are you going to ask me are they all treated the same absolutely not but that is more a function of reality then favoritism. They are maybe given a little more benefit of doubt in certain situations. But that is the way life is.

The Jr class was decently talented, not loaded. That class is the best for prob 4 years. The 8th grade has a few good athletes 7th like 2 and it's a tossup after that?? Talent is as bad as I can remember.