FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[Bwana]

The Smokey Pig maybe?

Is that place still there? I love that place. It's been at least 7-8 years since I was last there.

My thoughts exactly on all counts counts...except it has been about ten since I last hit the place...

[Jacketlawyer]

I did these calculations myself as soon as I saw today's results, and quite honestly I could not be more thrilled.

This will be the most important The Game since 1993. Obviously the first time the ODAC title is on the line since then, but deciding a playoff bid will be a thrill.

Obviously the Jackets can't look past next week.

My guess would be an ODAC would have to be 9-1 to feel really good about its at-large chances. The 8-2 at-larges would very likely have to have played a lot of teams who went on to have very good seasons or have another win over a regionally-ranked team or something, and I can't think of any ODAC non-con games that would qualify there.

Jacketlawyer, we gotta talk ...

I'm thrilled beyond words, but Bridgewater is this week, and I'd be a fool to look beyond that.  As I told Hasanova yesterday on the phone, we're very happy.  I'm especially happy for Pedro and his upperclassmen players.  They've put in some hard work over the past few years, and it appears to be paying off.

K-Mack we will talk.  8) I'll be at the November 10 game and I'm considering a trip to Bridgewater on the 3rd.

[Jacketlawyer]

The Smokey Pig maybe?

Is that place still there? I love that place. It's been at least 7-8 years since I was last there.

Smokey Pig is still there, and still good.

[wasper68]

Toughts about E&H Football,

The best the Wasps can do is  to finish 6-4 and there is a good chance they may go 4-6. Monty recently made a statement to the Bristol,Va newspaper that Wasp football had made the turnaround. He made the same statement last year right after the Guilford win.Is going 6-4 or 4-6 this year making the turnaround? I think not. There was a great deal of pre-season hype by E&H that this could be the year.
Again I think not. Last season .Monty stated after going 1-9 the year before, "the
kids have to buy into my system".Looks like no one has bought into his system.
Don't dare blame the players.....they are not responding for a reason. The E&H coaches need to fix whats broke and take a good look in the mirror and ask WHY?

Looks like Mt. Union football ain't in SW Va. yet.I don't care how big and fast you have gotten in the pre-season if the coaches aint coaching the players up....YOUR
Not Going To WIN!

Looks like the Wasps are on the road to Neuterville.

E&H Dad

I am sorry, but as a longtime Wasp supporter, I have to say that I totally disagree with this post.  It is obvious that they have made the "turnaround" under Monty - is it like it was in the prime of Coach Wacker's era - not yet, but the program is in better shape today than it was 3 years ago.  The kids have bought into his system - they wouldn't have beat some of the teams they have in the last 2 years if they hadn't bought into it.  Also, as a BC fan stated above, "players probably dictate success more than the plays do" - that is a great statement, and one that some fair weather wasp fans should take to heart.  And finally, they have struggled at times due to their inexperience - that isn't an excuse - that is a fact; but that is also what will make them better in the future. 

Come on EHC supporters - don't start pointing fingers because we have lost a few - things have gotten better, and they will continue to get better!!

I've got to disagree with you, ehcwasp00.  While I posted earlier that Monty stated repeatedly that the turnaround was made after my class graduated last year, he's stated in the past few weeks that the program is still turning.  I personally find that to be offensive, contradictory, and degrading to what last year's seniors and the whole team that was able to accomplish so much. We don't need Mitt Romney type flip-flops from the Coach-in-Chief. I know that the tradition was reinstated by my class.  In Friday's BHC he said the team might need to suffer some "tough losses" to learn character.  A 1-9 season was enough character building to last for a long time.

As for your comments about the team being inexperienced, that's pure hogwash.  6 starters returned on offense and 9 on defense.  Not only that, many of the guys that are rotating in have seen significant playing time at the JV and varsity levels the in Monty's first two seasons.  Next I imagine that you'll pinpoint the offensive woes on Booher (who apparently has been playing with a hernia the past four weeks).  Besides the fact that he's one player, he played a full slate of JV games last year and performed remarkably.  He also had the opportunity to run the offense versus Marshall Doss and the starting D last year (with the exception of the team period when the first and second offenses worked against the scout D and vice-versa).

I've seen all three home games thus far and listened to every away game on the internet.  The difference between the team that dominated Ferrum and NNA and beat H-SC in a close one and the team that lost to RMC, BC, and now Catholic, is a lack of intensity.  The program is in place and the players have faith in it, but intensity (as opposed to overconfidence) comes from the top-down.  Excuses about still turning the program around, needing to lose some close games, and inexperience are a bunch of crap. 

EHC52 & eh dad - don't come on here talking smack about something you don't know about!! No one could win with 8 turnovers. 

As someone who played under Wacker during the prime years and someone who is close to the program now I can tell you that we are a whole lot better off than we were 3 years ago.  When Monty came in he could have built the program back in a year with a bunch of transfers but he wanted it built the right way.  Rome wasn't built overnight and the program will be back dominating soon.

The ODAC as a whole is much more competitive than it ever has been and I can assure you that there is noone more intense than Monty.

Either support the program or don't be a part of it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry to the other posters who have to read this negative post but this bandwagon jumping is pure bulls**t.

[muchacho]

Hey TheEHC52, remember this post you made???

"Catholic at Open - Ricca still throws five picks in the off-week.  Only two are returned for TDs though.  I kid, I kid."

Bet you wish he was your qb yesterday, huh!

E&H qbs threw as many passes to Nick Olivero (3 INTs) as they threw to any of their receivers (E&H threw 5 INTs in 22 attempts.)

P.S. Hope you didn't injure yourself leaping off the Coach Montgomery bandwagon, wonder if he'll welcome you into anymore film studies? I kid. I kid.

Great Post!

[muchacho]

Congratulations to Catholic on their first ODAC win of the year. With all of the progress that the program has made this year, it would have been frustrating to go 0-6 in the conference. I don't want to say I enjoy seeing Guilford back at the bottom of the ODAC heap, but I won't mind if the Cards give them a beating next Saturday at Dufour. A win next week will guarantee at least 6-4, and a tie for the program's best record since 2000.

Congratulations also to Coach Arruza and the Jackets. I never saw this coming and the game between the Jackets and Tigers is looking like an event even for a guy with no connections to either school.

[TheEHC52]

I'm not jumping off of any bandwagon.  If I was going to jump off the bandwagon I would've quit playing during Monty's first year.  I support E&H more than anybody will ever know.  The whole point of my posts is that too many excuses are being made for why things are going wrong all of a sudden.

- The program is still turning around.  Then why say it turned around last year.  Beating NCWC, BW, and Guilford seem like a turnaround to me.
- Tough losses to get some luck.  A 1-9 season was enough to do that and is still fresh in the minds of the upperclassmen.
- Youth.  16 seniors (more than we've had in a quite a long time) and 25 juniors.
- Inexperience.  6 starters returned on offense, 9 returned on defense and a whole bevy of guys rotating on the varsity and playing at the JV level the past two years.

My thing is that these are all moot points.  The program and the players are there.  You don't go from beating H-SC to losing three straight without examing things from the top-down.  You call me a bandwagon jumper, I call it constructive criticism.  Excuses never win championships.

[Llamaguy]

Well gentlemen it seems it is time for some teams to adjust their goals this year. On the other hand it is time for some new teams (RMC/HSC) to try to elevate theirs.

We all are diehards for our teams and our programs. Everyone can be a Saturday afternoon coach or quarterback. I tailgate weekly with parents at BC and can tell you firsthand how bad it hurts to see your son not having an opportunity to have the playoff experience or an ODAC Championship. That being said, everyone must remember that this is D3 where even losing is a life lesson. Our kids don't go on to the NFL. In 10yrs when these players are making tough business decisions that loss will still suck! But the team experience and their great education will be what perpetuates them to have their children follow in their same footsteps.

D3 Football is what brings us together, win or lose. A few losses is not the end of the world as it sure makes you appreciate winning that much more.

So lets let the coaches, coach, the players, play and at the end of the day be thankful that we have such a great little divison of football to follow, win or lose, each Saturday!

Peace,
The Llamaguy

[allsky7]

I also congratulate the Gennies.  They took it to us on both sides of the ball.  It is not only our seniors that need to do some soul searching.  It goes all the way to the coaching staff and the paucity of plays on the offense and the skill levels on both sides of the ball.  WE used to bring good athletes in and coach them to get better, but today it seems they come in and they don't improve like they used to.  That needs improvement.  Oh and I'm sick of off tackle to the left, off tackle to the right , throw on third and punt.  We need to use the talents of the personnel we have --it's a sin to have so much talent and not to improve on it or use it effectively.

In answering a question on his blog in May, Coach Clark said "...the players probably dictated the success more so than the plans." He was talking about the Eagles offense in 2001.

I think that can be said for this 2007 team. I know since Coach Colbert left, fans have been giving the Eagle playcallers (Coach Clark and Soltis) a hard time whenever we have a close game or even lose, but as Clark said about the 2001 team, players (probably) dictate the success more than the plays do.

Again, I think we have a very talented squad. Anyone in the ODAC, other than BC, would be thrilled with an 8-2 record (2006) or to start off 6-2 (2007). But us BC fans were spoiled by the teams we had from 2000 to 2005. We sure enjoyed one heck of a ride, but we can't start pointing fingers at particular players or coaches just because we lose. How about just admitting that the team that beat us was simply better? It doesn't mean they have more talent, or that they have better coaches. It simply means they executed their game plan better than we did, made more of an adjustment than we did, and came out on top.

I don't think we could have done anything different offensively that would have won us this game. W&L kept the pressure coming and tackled well. Kudos to them.

As a BC fan said to me after the game, "someone has to win and someone has to lose." And that holds true even if there are two talented and well prepared teams like there were today.

     Great  post kid. I think you have to put this in perspective. The Eagles have had a great run. I doubt very seriously that BC is done. I think it just a matter of the parity in the ODAC. Perhaps the Eagles aren't quite as talented as previous years but they still have a bunch. Talent levels at all schools will ebb and flow. If you are in this business long enough, you realize it is much more difficult to stay on top than it is to get there. Remember the comments that were posted on character in recent weeks. This is where the fair weather friends will jump off the bandwagon and criticize everything under the sun. I know that every single one of you Eagle faithful that I have met in the last year will not be in that group. I suspect that you will support your team come hell or high water.  8)

[EHCPride]

As someone who played under Wacker during the prime years and someone who is close to the program now I can tell you that we are a whole lot better off than we were 3 years ago.

Writing a check doesn't make you close to the program.

[allsky7]

I'm not jumping off of any bandwagon.  If I was going to jump off the bandwagon I would've quit playing during Monty's first year.  I support E&H more than anybody will ever know.  The whole point of my posts is that too many excuses are being made for why things are going wrong all of a sudden.

- The program is still turning around.  Then why say it turned around last year.  Beating NCWC, BW, and Guilford seem like a turnaround to me.
- Tough losses to get some luck.  A 1-9 season was enough to do that and is still fresh in the minds of the upperclassmen.
- Youth.  16 seniors (more than we've had in a quite a long time) and 25 juniors.
- Inexperience.  6 starters returned on offense, 9 returned on defense and a whole bevy of guys rotating on the varsity and playing at the JV level the past two years.

My thing is that these are all moot points.  The program and the players are there.  You don't go from beating H-SC to losing three straight without examing things from the top-down.  You call me a bandwagon jumper, I call it constructive criticism.  Excuses never win championships.

    Me thinks it more important for the Wasp (or any other team for that matter) to focus on the classroom, weightroom, to being one unselfish cog in the wheel, to getting a little bit better each day, and everything else will take care of itself. Who cares what Monty says to the paper or when/where/if the program is "turned around". From my view, E&H is in a much better spot today than they were 3 years ago.  8)

[D3Waterboy]

Yeah, I know it was written in 1851, but the last 3 lines of Lord Alfred Tennyson's poem "The Eagle" seems aimed squarely at BC's loss: 

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.

[e h dad]

Wasper68,

Thank you for pointing out that no one can win with eight turnovers. While it is highly unlikely, following this logic would the outcome have been the same if Catholic had committed nine turnovers? You made the statement "either support the program or don't be part of it". I can guarantee you, that I've been directly and indirectly involved with E&H football a lot longer than you have. My family has three generations that have played football at Emory and Henry which includes two All Americans and one All-South Region Academic. So don't tell me how to support this program. Evidently, your porch light is on but no one is home. My posts have nothing to do with being on the bandwagon or falling off the bandwagon. You can support a team without looking at them through rose-colored glasses. My posts in the past are basic Football Psychology 101. The coaches and players said that they don't read this board. I highly doubt that that is the case. I'm just trying to get them motivated and fired up. I have never, personally ridiculed any player or coach, merely criticized their actions. Don Montgomery is a fine man and an excellent coach. He has some large shoes to fill coming behind Lou Wacker. Montgomery is more your Bill Cowart type of coach and Wacker is more of a Don Landry. They have distinct coaching styles and philosophies. Does this make either one right or wrong? No. The only thing I can say is Wacker must have done something right during his tenure at E&H. He may not have a National Championship, but his record stands on its own merits. Most people would have resented your remark about my post being "BS", but just remember that "BS" is fertilizer and makes things grow. Wasper68, do yourself a favor. Think before you speak(write). God bless you.

Peace,
E&H Dad

[Jacketlawyer]

Congratulations also to Coach Arruza and the Jackets. I never saw this coming and the game between the Jackets and Tigers is looking like an event even for a guy with no connections to either school.

It'll be a good one, but I want to get by Bridgewater first.  So for all practical purposes, there is no Hampden-Sydney, to loosely paraphrase "The Matrix."

There is no spoon.

[CNU85]

Well gentlemen it seems it is time for some teams to adjust their goals this year. On the other hand it is time for some new teams (RMC/HSC) to try to elevate theirs.

We all are diehards for our teams and our programs. Everyone can be a Saturday afternoon coach or quarterback. I tailgate weekly with parents at BC and can tell you firsthand how bad it hurts to see your son not having an opportunity to have the playoff experience or an ODAC Championship. That being said, everyone must remember that this is D3 where even losing is a life lesson. Our kids don't go on to the NFL. In 10yrs when these players are making tough business decisions that loss will still suck! But the team experience and their great education will be what perpetuates them to have their children follow in their same footsteps.

D3 Football is what brings us together, win or lose. A few losses is not the end of the world as it sure makes you appreciate winning that much more.

So lets let the coaches, coach, the players, play and at the end of the day be thankful that we have such a great little divison of football to follow, win or lose, each Saturday!

Peace,
The Llamaguy

Exactly! Couldn't be said any better than that!!

Hey Llama - does Mr Boone have any CNU colored options?