G-Men take aim at VHS after hard lesson from school of hard knocks

Sep. 22—BLUEFIELD, Va. — Much as a Bearcat is not to be confused with a Bear, neither should Virginia High be confused with Union.

Even so, Graham is unlikely to look past its Bristol, Va. opponent in tonight's Southwest District game at Mitchell Stadium.

Virginia High (1-3) is coming off a 43-3 chastizing at the hands of unbeaten Radford, which is making a lot of noise in region 2C. The G-Men (3-1) are coming off a 27-14 loss to Union — the only regular season defeat of any kind Graham football has experienced over the previous three seasons.

"We didn't play well, we didn't deserve to win ... and we didn't win," said Graham head coach Tony Palmer, whose team had won 33 consecutive regular season football games before the Bears nipped it in the bud last Friday night.

As fate would have it, Union was the last team to beat Graham in regular season play before the winning streak started. Call it synchronicity or some kind of cosmic symmetry. Palmer prefers to call it a highly-touted defending state champion team with its heads in the clouds getting brought back to earth.

"I think we disrespected winning. We hadn't lost a regular season game since 2019. I think it was kind of good for us to have a reality check so our kids can get back to being more focused, more disciplined and play harder," Palmer said.

Inheriting the state champion traditions of Appalachia and Powell Valley high schools, Union has placed a premium on physical courage from the get-go. But Graham also has a well-deserved tradition of physicality.

In review, the Bears' advantage at the line of scrimmage and other areas boiled down to the mental aspects of the game — basically, to execution.

"I don't think our kids laid down. I just think it was an execution problem. I think we lost that game Monday through Thursday. I don't think we lost it on Friday night," Palmer said.

"I just don't think we prepared well the way we should be preparing. You've got to respect winning of things like that will happen," the Graham head coach said.

"We didn't play well enough to win and we didn't deserve to win. Bottom line," he said.

The Bearcats don't have a flashy record or reputation as formidable as Union, but Palmer noted that Virginia High has talented athletes, as always. The G-Men remain a prestige opponent and can expect to see their Bristol, Va. opponent turn things up a notch.

"I think our guys are a little more focused than they have been," Palmer said. "It's never good to lose, but I think [last week's] loss was kind of good for us in a way. We now realize we can't take winning for granted. We have to prepare to win each week."

The playing status of star running back Ty'Drez Clements remained a day-by-day matter as of Thursday. But the G-Men have a stable of capable running backs, including Daniel Jennings and Jamel Floyd.

Princeton (4-0) at Tazewell (2-1), 7 p.m.

The Tigers are coming off a 49-40 win over Pulaski County, Va. The Bulldogs are coming off of a 44-34 win over Fort Chiswell. Princeton is currently ranked No. 4 in this week's WVSSAC Class AAA rankings.

Princetons' Chance Barker is building his resume toward becoming one of the most prolific passing quarterbacks in West Virginia, following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Grant Cochran.

Since Barker's career at Princeton begins with his sophomore season, odds seem to be against him overtaking Cochran's all-time career passing numbers which spanned four seasons. However, Barker passed for 260 yards and four touchdowns against the VHSL Class 3 Cougars last week. His career is unquestionably off to a very respectable start.

In the meantime, the Bulldogs' Carter Creasy is already a multiple school recordholder at Tazewell. Last week he completed 34-of-51 passes with four TDs for 437 passing yards. and two touchdown passes while rushing for two more.

Ayvree Ziegler — who rushed for 101 yards and a score while also shining on the routes. Brady Patterson and Logan McDonald are Creasy's top targets.

Team-leading receiver Dom Collins, Brad Mossor — who executed a kickoff return for a score against Pulaski County last week — have been among Princeton's leading pass-catchers along with running back Marquel Lowe, who has excelled in a dual skill role for the Tigers.

Lowe is also one of Princeton's most aggressive defensive playmakers. His Tazewell counterpart would be LB Brock Alley, who has been leading the Bulldogs defense with a broken hand.

Not to leave the Big Men out, Princeton has an extraordinary 2-way senior lineman in Eli Campbell (6-foot-3, 280) while Gabe Beavers (6-3, 327, So.) is Tazewell's heavyweight on both sides of the ball. Both line standouts are surrounded by capable teammates.

Conventional wisdom gives the edge to Princeton, a Top 5 Class AAA team with the momentum of coming off a thrilling shootout victory. But the Bulldogs also have some momentum — plus the mental edge of having begun the season with Riverheads — one of the most daunting programs in the VHSL. There should be no fear factor here.

Grayson County (4-0) at Giles (1-2), 7 p.m.

The Blue Devils are coming off of a 40-24 win over Floyd County. The Spartans are coming off of a 29-28 loss to Narrows. This matchup is Giles' fourth consecutive meeting with an unbeaten opponent.

The Spartans' single wing offense very nearly rained on Narrows' parade last week. The question now is whether Giles has enough resolve in reserve to put up the same kind of stiff resistance in a road game at Independence.

Richlands (0-4) at Lebanon (1-3), 7 p.m.

Richlands is coming off a 37-7 loss Abingdon on Saturday. The Pioneers are coming off a 49-6 win over Castlewood on Friday.

Bland County (0-3) at Twin Valley (1-3), 7 p.m.

The Bears are coming off of a 20-6 loss to Phelps, Ky. The Panthers are coming off of a 37-6 loss to Northwood.

Montcalm (2-0) at Hannan (0-1), 7 p.m.

The Generals are coming off an open date. Prior to last week, they beat Paden City 30-0. Hannan lost to Paden City 73-6 on September 1.

River View (1-3) at Van (1-3). 7 p.m.

The Raiders are coming off of a 40-27 loss to Hurley. The Bulldogs are coming off of a 46-14 loss to Tolsia.

Mount View (0-4) at Buffalo (0-3), 7 p.m.

Mount View is coming off of a 51-0 loss to Paden City. The Bison are coming off if a 59-0 loss to Greenbrier West.

PikeView (0-4) at Shady Spring (2-2) 7 p.m.

The Panthers are coming off of a 49-6 loss to Westside. The Tigers are coming off of a 63-12 loss to Independence