Dakoda Shrader interview. #100

A season can change a town, and sometimes a single point can change a life. We revisit a 15-0 run that opened and ended with overtime thrillers, stitched together by conditioning, trust, and a single-wing playbook that punished angles and rewarded courage. From Blacksburg’s tone-setting two-point call to a kick return that flipped Christiansburg, from Graham’s track-meet chaos to Galax’s bruising brilliance with Steven Peoples, every week demanded a new answer. We break down the quiet moments that decided everything: a strip on the sideline, a special teams surge, and a defensive stand that kept hope alive when the offense sputtered.

The playoffs raised the stakes and the stakes raised the execution. Grayson County brought chippiness; composure won out. Appomattox came with the second-round ghost; preparation and a drilled field goal exorcised it. Richlands knew the plays; speed beat knowledge. Riverheads turned the game clock into a metronome—two passes, forty-eight minutes, and a respect for discipline. And Brunswick? A blur of athletes, a punt return called back, and a final drive that lives rent-free: a fourth-and-eight run, a perfect ball to the sideline, the catch, the miss, and overtime redemption after six turnovers. Final score: 20–19. Title secured.

Along the way, injuries reshaped roles and revealed a deeper truth: depth isn’t a luxury, it’s a culture. Seniors stepped in, backups practiced like starters, and coaches drilled game-winning scenarios until pressure felt familiar. Years later, the brotherhood still holds—county rivals turned colleagues, All-Star sidelines with former foes, and a community that paints pride onto grass every November. If you love small-town high school football, rivalries that feel like family business, and final drives that test belief, this story belongs in your queue. Tap follow, share with a teammate, and leave a review telling us the clutch play you’ll never forget.

Chapters

• 0:46 Old Friends And A Rivalry Rekindled
• 3:46 2013 Season Framing And Overtime Openers
• 10:00 Conditioning, Scrimmages, And Blacksburg’s Two-Point Call
• 14:45 Christiansburg Swing And Special Teams Sparks
• 18:55 Narrows Memories And The Fire Extinguisher Fiasco
• 23:10 Track Meet At Graham And Turf vs Grass
• 28:45 Galax, Steven Peoples, And Defensive Grit
• 35:00 Auburn’s Rebuild And East Mont Notes
• 40:15 Radford Grind And Unsung Plays
• 45:30 Glenvar Respect, All-Star Links, And VHSL Talk
• 53:45 Playoff Formats, Seeding, And Power Ratings
• 1:00:25 Grayson County, Composure, And Community Field Pride
• 1:06:48 Appomattox Wall, Second-Round Narrative, And The Kick
• 1:12:52 Richlands Scouting, Speed Up Front, And Early Strikes
• 1:17:07 Riverheads’ Wing-T And The Fastest Game
• 1:22:47 Community, Atmosphere, And Brotherhood
• 1:28:07 Brunswick State Final:
• 1:34:47 The Catch, The Miss, And Overtime Edge
• 1:41:07 27 Straight wins, Glenvar Loss, And Perspective

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:31

Hey everybody, welcome back. I have a good friend, old friend I've known for a long time, Dakota Schrader, on the phone. We're gonna be talking about our playing time and um what he's doing now, a little bit of what he's doing now. And hey Dakota, how are you doing?

SPEAKER_04: 0:47

Doing well. Well, Josh. Uh I appreciate you having me on. Uh been looking forward to it this week. I'm glad it worked out. Um do want to say though, um, unfortunately, um this is gonna be prior to Virginia Tech going up to Scott Stadium and taking care of UVA. I think you did this on purpose and kind of had our interview set up for the tech UVA game just because our I feel like our rivalry goes pretty far back with each other.

SPEAKER_01: 1:13

Oh, it does, man. We used to call each other all the time. Well you you used to call me after every game. We were calling each other. And I I only had immediately I only had the privilege of doing it one time in football, and I think Morgan made you answer the phone because you did not want to.

SPEAKER_04: 1:31

I did not want to, but I I took no chance and I think my direct statement to you was this has been a long time coming, and I I also told you that I did not want to answer the phone, but that you had answered every time that I called you after tech one, so I I had to rightfully answer.

SPEAKER_01: 1:47

That's true, yeah.

SPEAKER_04: 1:48

Yeah, we hadn't done that in a while, but you know, I mean but um maybe Oh well don't get any big ideas if y'all won't win the date. If you call me, I'm I'm ignored.

SPEAKER_01: 1:59

Okay, I might just send you a text message. And listen, someone I someone someone said y'all are probably gonna beat us, is like I don't know. I've seen UVA well I know that we got the better team this year, but I've seen us lose the tech so many times it wouldn't shock me, man.

SPEAKER_04: 2:15

Uh uh well I mean as a tech fan I would I'd be very happy if we went up there and played spoiler, but yeah. I I don't know.

SPEAKER_01: 2:24

Yeah, but if we go to ACC championship, you gotta root for your Virginia fellow Virginia school to win. Um Yeah, I know you had a I know you had a hard time when they were in the national championship with Tony Bennett, but you know.

SPEAKER_04: 2:41

Oh yeah. Yeah, well, that's after they got beat by a sixteen, so you don't forget.

SPEAKER_01: 2:45

Okay, yeah, we did, and you called me after that too, but we won the we won the next we won the next year.

SPEAKER_03: 2:54

I don't quite remember that as well.

SPEAKER_01: 2:55

Oh, okay. Yeah, it was it was the year before everything uh went down.

SPEAKER_00: 3:00

So that'd be twenty nineteen.

SPEAKER_01: 3:03

So Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, twenty nineteen. But yeah, let's so I've known Dakota for a very long time. Went to s uh went to school together, elementary school, high school, went to church together for a very long time. Um and uh you know, I r I moved three years ago down to Chihuahua, so I live further south than west and he moved to the other side of the river. Um but um that's alright. But um so yeah, just uh the um the twenty thirteen season I remember very well. And I remember the m the majority of the games have all of them on DVD except uh Christiansburg. And uh um but uh the thing that stands out to me when I was looking at the scores and I remember uh our very first game, which I know we're fast forwarding past uh our two skirmishes, but our very first game we played Blacksburg and we won in overtime 38 to 37 by one point, and our very last game we won in overtime by one point too. So that kind of um kind of mashed well together.

SPEAKER_04: 4:15

Yeah, it did. It was I mean, it's kinda funny how that worked, and you you talk about winning by a point in a state championship game, and I feel like the majority of the state championships that Giles has won have have been by point.

SPEAKER_01: 4:28

Yeah, I was looking back at that too. So I believe that was a point game, yeah. So it was I think every one but one, I think there was one that we won by uh two touchdowns, and maybe that was ninety-free. Were you at that game, Dakota?

SPEAKER_04: 4:52

The O five one?

SPEAKER_00: 4:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04: 4:55

I was uh actually was sitting, I'll mention two people that you know and are familiar with. I was sitting with Trenton Reid and Stuart Meyer. It had snowed up in Harrisonburg, because that was a mistake game, was that James Madison? But it had snowed up in Harrisonburg and they had went that morning and cleared the bleachers out, and there was snow in the bleachers, man, it was freezing.

SPEAKER_01: 5:17

Maybe that's that was just a little bit of um foreshadowing to you to your college days in Harrisonburg.

SPEAKER_04: 5:30

Or right now, Bridgewater's actually in, I guess it's in Rockingham, but uh it is right beside it's like Bridgewater's campus is about ten minutes from James Massel.

SPEAKER_01: 5:38

Right, right. 'Cause I I remember I drove right I I went I I I do feel bad because I was thinking about this. I should have went and saw you play more. I did go to I went to about four or five of your games when you played at Bridgewater. I feel bad I should have gone to more. But I um No shit, dude.

SPEAKER_03: 5:56

I I appreciate you coming to just one of 'em.

SPEAKER_01: 5:59

Yeah, yeah. Well, um, and I had a real good time because you got to play John Teats. Um we both played with him and you got to play against him. Uh he was playing for Apprentice and uh so I I had a a great time seeing both of y'all play for different teams.

SPEAKER_04: 6:17

So fun bogging. I had a couple people from uh from Giles coming and coming down for it. And uh there's actually uh Cameron Perkins also played on that team the year that uh you come down, we played at Apprentice.

SPEAKER_01: 6:30

That's right, he did, yeah. Yeah. Um yeah, 'cause I know Cam played there for a little bit. And uh I haven't heard from John in a long time. But um but every time I talk to Brett Sarovsky, he says John's doing well, so I'm glad.

SPEAKER_04: 6:46

Um and he is uh I see his grandfather pretty often. Um just he'll come in the shop that my dad owns and I get to talk to him and he tells me how John's doing. He's in the military now, so he travels pretty frequently.

SPEAKER_01: 6:59

Yeah, he's been a little bit of a he's been in the military since he's he's been in the military a long time. Um He did.

SPEAKER_04: 7:05

He finished out of stuff at to be a friend of school and uh then pretty much went into the military right after. So in twenty I guess probably since about twenty seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, somewhere around that time frame.

SPEAKER_01: 7:17

Yeah, and um not not to not that we're gonna lose focus, but that this is a podcast. This is not radio time, we can do whatever we want. But um you know, John John was um one heck of a ball player on both sides of the ball, but I remember him mostly for his defensive ball play and just how intense of a football player he was. And how how hard, how hard of a hitter he so when I when we played J V and I was playing, I always played scout defense. I tried my best to help y'all out, tried to be the best I could. Um when I played scout, and I played a lot of scout. And uh and he was our blocking back in J V. Now they moved him the wing back, and every single time we ran seven-hole, no one blocked me, and John would come and he would he would hit me as hard as he could and put me in the ground, and I knew it was coming and I couldn't stop it, man.

SPEAKER_00: 8:18

It just wondered.

SPEAKER_04: 8:21

I remember playing like you were talking scout team, and I remember for like if you recall, we used to love to go to scout team our junior and senior year just to talk trash to each other.

SPEAKER_00: 8:31

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_04: 8:32

Like I'd I'd go over and play receiver on scout team just so I could talk about it.

SPEAKER_01: 8:36

Well, I don't know if it was channel seven or channel ten came over and I don't know if someone got played a week or whatever, but channel seven and ten were regularly at our practice field.

SPEAKER_00: 8:48

And they they muted you guys. They just put the sound on mute because y'all were trash talking each other so bad.

SPEAKER_04: 8:59

That was that was right after it was our senior year, I do believe. It was. It was our senior year. Brett Whitlow had got player of the week from the Blacksburg game. I believe it was Blacksburg. It was either Blacksburg or Christopher. Nonetheless, and you are correct. They had to mute the background of the interview to nothing. I mean, it was just soundless because we were talking so much.

SPEAKER_01: 9:22

I would I would love to have the unmuted conversation of that. That would be great.

SPEAKER_04: 9:30

Was it the FCC that runs it? That may be an FCC violation.

SPEAKER_01: 9:33

Oh yeah. Yeah, no, they it it would definitely be an FCC violation. Um but no, uh the y'all were hilarious and um but yeah, um, but I just want to go through real quick everyone. Uh just we can just go real quick through these games. Or anything that stood out. Is there anything that stood out to you before we got to Blacksburg during those you know, then what we called Hell Week and just everything in particular? Uh we had a really, really good group of guys, and uh once you get once we get done with the interview, I'll read off the roster so no one feels uh unimportant, but um man, um I know I know talking to other people that actually had real two days, we didn't have real two days. We had a five minute break, we ate our crackers, and then Coach Williams said we had second practice. But that week was a rough week. They ran us to death.

unknown: 10:30

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_04: 10:31

Yes, they did. I mean, they I will say going into going into Blacksburg, you know, obviously hindsight 2020 win that game in overtime. I did feel like we were conditioned to play an overtime game. You know what I mean? Like and that was a high scoring ballgame. Like every it wasn't one like it wasn't like a 2018.

SPEAKER_01: 10:50

It was thirty thirty-eight-thirty seven.

SPEAKER_04: 10:53

Yeah, thirty-eight-thirty-seven, and I'm I I felt like we were conditioned for that. And I mean Blacksburg was a four eight team, had some great players here, I believe. Yeah. Um Isaac Johnson was a quarterback on that team. They had uh oh shoot, what was her running back's name?

SPEAKER_01: 11:09

I don't know. Um I know that one of our athletes though. I know one of our teachers when we were in elementary school, and I I'm not trying to get real off track, but Mr. Weddle, you're me uh not Mr. Weddle, forgive me. Um, shoot, turn out I get now I'm having a hard time. Um, everyone loved him. It was real Mr. Rupert. Um he was he was our history teacher in sixth grade, and we ended up playing against his son, I think, our senior year. Maybe not junior.

SPEAKER_04: 11:40

He uh yep, his son played for Blacksburg. He actually coached a little bit over at Blacksburg uh as well a little bit after we had graduated.

SPEAKER_01: 11:48

Oh, okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_04: 11:49

He had coached soccer at Giles for a while, and then he coached, I believe it was at Blacksburg.

SPEAKER_01: 11:54

I was about to say I thought he was a kicker. Yeah, I thought he was a kicker.

SPEAKER_04: 11:58

But Corbin Kendricks was a running back now that that name came to me. They had some good him, Morgan McCoy, uh Shelton was on that team.

SPEAKER_01: 12:07

I I'll I'll give I'll give us credit and Steve Wilson. They always scheduled us, we always played teams that were bigger than us, bigger schools than us, and we always um our group, you know, we we fought against them hard, you know. We had good games. Um we pulled above our weight.

SPEAKER_04: 12:29

I feel like that's also what started the Christiansburg rivalry. I mean, that there for a while it was a pretty big rivalry between Giles and Christiansburg.

SPEAKER_01: 12:36

Yeah, and they before we got in there, they had beat us three or four years in a row, and we just um we just couldn't beat 'em. But I think our team is the first one that beat them.

SPEAKER_04: 12:50

I I would have to go back and I'm not as familiar with that, but I do know that they had they beat us quite a while. Like I beat us pretty handily for a couple years in a row. Yeah, and I know they also had some good teams. I mean, they went to a state championship our freshman year.

SPEAKER_01: 13:06

Yeah, and I know J V is different than varsity. But I was on the field uh the year before, and this is not your fault. You blamed yourself for this. It was not your fault, but there was a bad snap, and you just picked up the ball and we lost in overtime by one point.

SPEAKER_03: 13:24

And uh we did miss the extra point.

SPEAKER_04: 13:26

I got tackled at like a half yard line.

SPEAKER_01: 13:29

Yeah, and you blamed yourself for that, and it was not your fault, by the way.

SPEAKER_04: 13:32

Well, I should have I I should have gotten should've gotten me into that's what I should have done.

SPEAKER_01: 13:37

Well, and it just prepared us, and I don't know why I'm talking about JV ball here, but you know. Um but so is there anything that popped out about that game before we move on to Christiansburg?

SPEAKER_04: 13:51

I think just the Blacksburg game was a as a tone setter. You had mentioned our two previous scrimmages. I mean, we we had scrimmage Kid Valley, which is a bigger school, scrimmage Giovanni, which is a bigger school. And I think those two scrimmages really got us prepared to compete against a school like Blacksburg and fight fight out a nail bottom and overtime remember going we went for two to win that game. And Coach Williams is very prepared. Uh I mean, we scored, and it was immediately Coach Williams was like, hey, we're going for two. We got the momentum, we're gonna win the ballgame, and I believe it was 44 to Brian Man that got in there and got us the victory in the end.

SPEAKER_01: 14:27

Yeah. Well, I hadn't watched that game in a while, but uh I might need to. I rewatched the state game before I called you. But um, yeah, it was um it was a good game. And Coach Williams was never afraid to go for it, even when sometimes I thought he probably shouldn't go for it. He was he was an aggressive ball coach for sure.

SPEAKER_04: 14:47

He was, and I think that just goes to the you know the trust that he had in us. Because I mean, you know, as a as a coach now, if you if you don't have the the trust in the in the play or the trust in your coordinator, the trust here and there, you know, you typically don't go for it in situations like that. But I felt like he was always you know, he always had the confidence in us and was always prepared to to go for two to win a ballgame if it need be.

SPEAKER_01: 15:10

Sure. Well you know any faults about Christiansburg? We won 28-24. That was a tough ball game.

SPEAKER_04: 15:17

Yeah, Christiansburg was a very I mean, again, Christiansburg was a great team, Charlie Jackson, a quarterback. He wound up playing division one football for BTSU. But that was a back and forth game. I remember Tyler Purdue had a second game against Christiansburg. He returned a kick that pretty much sealed the deal for us. I mean, we were down at the time, and he uh housed the kick up right after Christensburg scored, and that really sealed the deal. And again, just another big win against against an opponent who pretty much had our number for quite a few years before that.

SPEAKER_01: 15:48

Did you do your homework before this game, or you just remember all the games pretty well?

SPEAKER_03: 15:54

Uh I remember them pretty well.

unknown: 15:56

I uh didn't I didn't check on anything, but I I just that's just suffered up.

SPEAKER_03: 16:01

You're gonna ask you what it stood out now. So that's that's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_01: 16:03

Oh, I know, I know, I know. Well heck, I can I think I can remember them halfway decent. But so next week um the next week after that um might might feel a little awkward. I I actually think we had a bye week in between uh Christiansburg and Nair's, but then the or next week we played was at Nair's. Well we won forty-seven to eight. And I gotta say, back then Nair's was not what y'all have them now. They were in a slump for quite a while. And y'all have um you know, y'all guys um have really improved quite a bit since we've been playing.

SPEAKER_04: 16:44

That's you know, I I could talk about the game against Narrows, but if you recall the one thing that I remember from that game was, you know, that was Agiles. And remember we knocked the fire extinguisher off in the ag game.

SPEAKER_01: 16:58

Oh my gosh, yes, I do remember that. I I think it was horrible. Well, I remember I think you took off really quick. Everyone took off quick. But we were trying to get out of smoke. Well, yeah, we well, Cody Rhodes hit it. I remember like I don't remember him hit it. He hit it with his arm. And we were all trying to rush to the door and there was a huge jam. And you c and I got I got so choked, and I remember those were the worst warmups of my entire life. And by the time I start, you know, breathing again, we go we go back, uh, have a little pregame speech. We go back onto the field. I'm I'm okay at this point, and I put my mouthpiece in when uh to go on field goal team, and it is my mouthpiece is embedded with all that foam. And it just uh is so nasty, man. So nasty.

SPEAKER_03: 18:00

Yeah, it's but that's that's what I remember about that game was knocking the fire extinguisher off before. Oh my gosh, that was we went out and that was horrible.

SPEAKER_01: 18:09

Yeah, I'm uh I'm terrified of fire extinguishers now. Just that mouth that mouth I remember Coach Ratcliffe was giving me like a piece of gum and I was squirting out my mouthpiece. That's the nastiest taste I've ever had. Oh now. And uh well, um and well, you know, um then we moved on to Graham, and that was one of the most high scoring football games. Max Preps has it 52 42, but for some reason I think they might I don't know, I feel like they might have had forty-six for some reason, but um I just remember that game. There was no defense on both sides, it was just a track fest.

SPEAKER_04: 18:52

Oh yeah, I mean they had a uh Graham had a ton of athletes, which is kind of the staple of Graham. I mean, just athletes on athletes, and I you're exactly right. It was an absolute track fest with no defense plate whatsoever.

SPEAKER_00: 19:04

Right.

SPEAKER_04: 19:05

But that they had speed, man. I mean, we were fast, but they had they had some wheels, and that's again fortunate.

SPEAKER_01: 19:13

This was and that was our first being able to to turn out another tight one. And that was well, we had had some experience on turf with uh our scrimates at Hidden Valley. That is our first uh game on turf, and it's um now you've played on it more than I have. I did and did Bridgewater have turf or was y'all were y'all grass?

SPEAKER_02: 19:34

We were turf.

SPEAKER_01: 19:36

Okay. So you've played you've played about half and half then. So would do you prefer turf just as a wide receiver and an end, or did you because I I it does make your cuts easier.

SPEAKER_04: 19:49

It does I would rather So the thing with turf is it takes the field out of being a factor, obviously. You know, if it's raining or something and you're a power run football team, it's tough to keep your feet sometimes. But turf definitely takes that factor out of the game. But I'd I'd rather play on grass. It's it's softer. You don't see as many injuries on grass, so I'm I'm I'm a grass person. I'd I'd rather play on Bermuda anytime.

SPEAKER_01: 20:15

Okay, yeah. Yeah, and and the worst thing about turf is I remember we had a scrimmage in JV and Hunter Smith got so much hot turf in his eye. They had to squirt or squirt him down with water and it was I just remember if you don't water it in the summer, it gets so hot and it and those little beads of rubber get all in your cleats. And it's um but I don't know. I don't know if you had a problem with that at Bridgewater if they did a good job of keeping it cool for you.

SPEAKER_04: 20:48

But Yeah, but it it's it's hot. I remember actually uh we had a game not to again get off the topic up there talking about some cool, but we had a game, we played Thomas More at home my sophomore year. And we actually weren't allowed to go out on the field and play. We were almost an hour and a half delayed because it was too hot.

SPEAKER_02: 21:08

Really?

SPEAKER_04: 21:09

And they put a bunch of the rules and stuff in for player safety, but yeah, it was too hot, so the game was delayed due to turf to picture.

SPEAKER_01: 21:16

Oh, okay. Yeah, I believe it. That turf gets super hot, man.

SPEAKER_03: 21:20

And um So that burns you burns your cleats up, man.

SPEAKER_01: 21:24

Right. And uh but um so Galax, um now I actually remember Galax. I I remember all the games pretty good, but Galax definitely sticks out for me because um they had uh probably uh with all love to the Ian Mans, Brian Manns, and Brett Whitlows of the world, Steven Peoples I think is probably the best high school running back I've ever seen play.

SPEAKER_04: 21:50

Steven Peoples is definitely the best running back I played against. I mean he ran probably, he just ran angry. He yeah, that's he's a stud.

SPEAKER_01: 22:02

Well he I mean Well I mean his his uh I mean he went on to play for Virginia Tech at fullback, so um, you know, had a great career.

SPEAKER_04: 22:12

He did actually uh started running back at tech for a while, won the game against UPA the senior year, recovered to follow the end zone.

SPEAKER_01: 22:21

But we're talking about high school football right now. But Oh, you didn't want me to bring that up so but no, um but he was just one heck of a b of a ball player and and right before he played us, I think he's in the car, Eric. And he still um he still came out and uh I think he had over two hundred rushing yards and we held him to the least amount of rushing yards that year. And then the next week he went to Mitchell Stadium and played Graham and beat the Virginia w record in West Virginia. And I think it still stands.

SPEAKER_04: 22:58

I think it does too. Five hundred and eight yards, and if you recall, you know, he didn't play in the fourth quarter because he had rolled an ankle and did not play the entire fourth quarter.

SPEAKER_01: 23:09

Okay. Well, I remember Austin Cunningham hit him very hard. Is that when he went out of the game?

SPEAKER_04: 23:16

That's pretty much yeah. I mean, given us Yeah, we were leading at the time, but that they were driving down the field. That pretty much won us the ballgame. Now, don't get me wrong, uh when Steven wasn't in the game, Joseph Dixon was a running back, and I mean he wasn't no slots either.

SPEAKER_01: 23:30

Right. No, that was a tough ball team. That was a tough ball game too. Uh so all of our football games except for Nairs were very close games that could have won either way.

SPEAKER_04: 23:41

Very very physical games too.

SPEAKER_01: 23:44

Oh, absolutely they were. Um that that I think that helped prepare us in the playoff, but um we did not that uh that's a pretty tough schedule. Blacksburg, Christmasburg, Graham, Galax. Um and Galax was very uh Gaylax back then was really good. Um yeah, they were their their coach played for the Miami Dolphins at the time. I don't know who coaches them now. I think so. Am I right about that, Coda?

SPEAKER_03: 24:11

Yeah, Mark Dixon.

SPEAKER_01: 24:13

Okay. Yeah, and uh so s and Steven is the only b guy I ever saw catch Brian Mann from behind. And Brian I thought everyone thought he was gone. He's the only person he played on defense too, and he caught Brian Mann from behind. I remember that.

SPEAKER_04: 24:29

I remember him wearing the dog and print cleats too.

SPEAKER_01: 24:33

Yeah. And I think I think Don I think um John Teats caught an interception to end that football game, if I'm right.

SPEAKER_03: 24:43

Uh that's a possibility now that you mentioned that.

SPEAKER_01: 24:47

Yeah, it's been a long time. I th I I thought that's what happened though. I could be wrong. I know John had an interception that game, but Yeah, I I remember him having an interception.

SPEAKER_04: 24:56

I just can't remember if we held him on fourth down, because that was the drive that uh Peoples took himself out after cutting him and slanted through and and got him. But I could I could be just having an interception. I just yeah, I can't remember exactly what part of the thing.

SPEAKER_01: 25:13

I could be I could be mismer misremembering that remembering that because that was that's been twelve years ago, so Yeah, it's been it's been a little while. Yeah. For twelve years I think we've got a pretty good memory of our playing time though. Um but uh so Auburn um uh we beat 4914, and that might sound like a blowout, but compared to what we had beat them uh previous years before we got there, that's improvement from them. And they were uh they got a new coach and they were really trying to rebuild and they got they made it to the playoffs that year.

SPEAKER_04: 25:54

They did. That was the that was when Jack Turner first got to Auburn. And I mean, they had some ball players. I mean, they had a couple guys on that team that played Division I football. I remember uh Fleener was on that team, played at JMU for a year before he transferred to Emory. Uh Taylor Knaff was on that team, he went to Marshall for a little bit. Michael Hinckley played at Bluefield. I mean, they had some guys that that played ball at the next level and were successful.

SPEAKER_01: 26:17

Yeah. And um but the year bef was it the year before when we were sophomores, um, we had to go to Reiner, and it was like 40 to nothing at in the end of the first.

SPEAKER_04: 26:32

I mean they they were not very good that year or sophomore year, but they turned around. So Yeah, Coach Turner's he got it turned around and he's actually at Pike B now, just got them in the playoffs, uh no, given they they lost to Bridgeport in the first round, but okay. Some Pike V Pike hasn't been to the playoffs in a while and he was able to get him in this year. So he he's in the process of turning another program around.

SPEAKER_01: 26:58

That's good. That's good. Hopefully he can, you know, get him a a uh get him a team that can go pretty far one year.

unknown: 27:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 27:07

Uh I mean he's he's definitely a winner. So Eastmont um um it was at East Mont. Um I I'll be honest, um I'm confusing this game with another game, but when we were s uh freshmen when we moved up from JV, we went to East Mont and probably won the coldest regular season games ever with all that rain, um, our freshman year. But um we we beat East Mont pretty good 56-12 our junior our junior year. Do you have any m memories of that?

SPEAKER_04: 27:42

Uh I mean, that was also the East Mont team that Daryl Manns and Ron Ford was on, and that was before Daryl Manns transferred, because if you recall our senior year, he transferred to Glimmer and wound up playing us on that Glimmer team. And though they Ron Ford was a Ron Ford and Daryl were two very good players that we got to play against. Uh Ron Ford had actually beat Whitlow out the year before for Sizzle and Sophomore, if you recall.

SPEAKER_01: 28:07

No, I don't remember him beating Whitley for Sizzle and Sophomore, but I do I I do remember the guy you're talking about that transferred to Glenver, so um but um so we move on to Rafford. And uh I this is the team this to me this was our true rival when we played. Um, you know, the Nairs game was fun and you know it's a county rival, but to me the team I could not stand won the most. Um Rafford was up there. We we won a very tough game at Rafford. It was 14 to 7. Um and it was the only game where Brett Sarowski had a bad snap. He had two bad snaps. Brett, if you're listening to this, I ain't making fun of you. He had a great year. Okay, he had a great career. But there's he had two bad snaps um at Rafford.

SPEAKER_04: 29:02

Um I I think the cr the crucial was not not the crucial snap, but you know, they had a stud linebacker, uh, Eric Benitez was his name. And he gave us fits all night. And I remember, you know, it was 7-7. And we ran Coach could call it 43. And everybody on the team thought that we were running the reverse. And I remember Coach Williams had grabbed it and Brian was like, you're gonna fake the reverse. And everybody on the team, and even Ramford, thought we were running the reverse, and then next thing I know we're looking up and there's running down the art. But I also remember too when Tamil Purdue meant to think of a play was always, you know, come to think of it when you think of like big plays like throughout that season. Calla Purdue was always there.

SPEAKER_01: 29:55

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04: 29:56

Um the big play against Christian Bird filled the deal. Um, you go to Radford and remember Radford's running back, I believe it was Marcus Finley, that went down the sideline. And I mean, they were getting in position to score and time the ball game back up, and then Tyler stripped him and was able to get the ball, and we kind of uh build it out from there.

SPEAKER_01: 30:15

And I agree, and and Tyler does not get enough credit at all for the year for the year we had. And um, I'll give you credit. You've always gave Tyler tons of credit, and that's always frustrated me because he was just one heck of a ball player. on both sides of the ball. And um and the thing that when I think about Tyler though, I don't normally think about football. I think about playing little league baseball with him. My gosh, he was one heck of a baseball player in the little league.

SPEAKER_04: 30:44

And uh yeah he was a stun athlete. I mean I agree. And I don't think he gets enough credit for you know he was he didn't put up a lot of stats on defense because nobody ever screwed killing because he was so fundamental. I mean he was just shut down on his eye and yeah he he did enough credit but he always like it comes to the big moments and you think back through that season. Yeah you pretty much get guaranteed that Tyler Purdue had had some impact in that game.

SPEAKER_01: 31:11

Tyler was very humble guy. I remember I ran one I ran into him one time in uh in Blacksburg um and he was working for the post office then and uh I talked to him it's been several years ago I was trying to find I was trying to find some place and he he led me right to it. I didn't know where I was going but he led me to it. Oh yeah yeah it was it was just it was just such an oddity. I was I was um looking I I had a security job I had to I had to get my fingerprints and I was having a hard time finding where I needed to go and I I just ran up on Tyler said hey to him told him what I was doing. He was like oh I know where you're going he just told led me right to it so I was like well uh you know I didn't expect him here right now but I appreciate it and uh but no Tyler's a great guy and uh so Floyd County we won forty t uh forty two to eight um and um I think this is so this would be the year after they had that phenomenal running back I'm I'm pretty sure if you remember who I'm talking about I can't even get his name yes I absolutely an absolute phenomenal running back our sophomore year and I think he he graduated that uh uh our sophomore year but yeah he did and he they were Coach Bill was over there in a little bit of a rebuild that year but that's another team that you know Floyd was always very physical though the score doesn't necessarily show sometimes but Floyd was a very physical football team. Right, right and uh yeah and um I always like I I never mind going to Floyd. We always had some good football games and uh when we were in J V I think um I think we beat Floyd barely and but there was a uh I remember there was a play that they did a squib kick went right over David Eads's head at in Floyd County if I remember right. Um but man it's that's really digging deep into my archives there.

SPEAKER_04: 33:18

So but Coach Bill always did a good job of getting them boys from Floyd Ray.

SPEAKER_01: 33:25

Well yeah and he coached there for a very long time so I I think my uncle co played against him in the eighties and uh so um you know he he was there for a very long time. Very nice guy too he's a super nice guy. Um but then uh we played Glenver uh one of our other big rivals and uh we we won that week 5721 at Glenver. Um this isn't the game uh so there's a few Glenver moments I remember. Most of them are good and then there's one that I don't like talking about as much. But uh We won't discuss that one. Yeah but um I remember uh in JV we were uh this would be our freshman year. It was a close game and they scored on us real real late in the fourth quarter and it looked like they were going to win and they kicked at the Brett Whitlow and he ran it all the way back. And we won the game.

SPEAKER_02: 34:25

Yes he did.

SPEAKER_01: 34:26

And uh and I think Coach Clifford's son what was Coach Clifford's son that was quarterback very good quarterback. Uh Zach Zach Zach got hurt that game and Jensen dolphin broke his collarbone I remember that um but us and Glenn Ver we just had at the same time at the same time we had two state championship talent worth of teams playing each other. And uh we we now by the numbers we won more than they did but they got us at the end. Um and they won Yeah they they got us and uh I wish I wish like a Dickens I think about that game sometimes and uh I wish that it was a best two out of three but that's not what football is so um yeah sometimes you sometimes the a game just gets the better of you and they in the game that you're talking about where they did beat us uh you know they were they were prepared and we played them in the re uh regular season.

SPEAKER_04: 35:27

Right last game of the year is normal so tough to beat a good football team twice.

SPEAKER_01: 35:31

No I agree with you and um and you actually got to play for Coach Clifford didn't you in this in the All-Star game.

SPEAKER_04: 35:39

I did and you know I was nervous about that just because you know you you rivals with him and you know you're an 18 year old kid you're just like it's gonna be bad and shoot. He took great care of us that week I mean it was you know my roommates are our teammates Brett and John and we go eat and you know he did everything as a team but man Coach Clifford was always fine to see just to sit down with us. He'd come in a room give us more time and leave I mean he he was he's awesome and I actually still keep up and talk to Coach Clifford.

SPEAKER_01: 36:09

Yeah like today well heck they're still they're still doing good they're um they're undefeated right now in the state semifinals so oh yeah probably have one of the better football players individually in the state and I'm Brady Doyot Glenver is a tough tough opponent and I hated them in a in a way as a high school rival but I definitely always respected them and um and I I respected Coach Clifford he's he's a heck of a coach and he's really done a a phenomenal job there at Glenford right um they they've always been competitive but just couldn't get over the hump of Giles and he he's not only got over the hump he just put them yeah in a in his I mean they're a powerhouse in 2A now right right well and um you know um in my mind uh in my mind 2014 I I know it couldn't have happened because uh we're in the same region but really the the best two teams in the state was us and Glenburn and that should have been the state championship game.

SPEAKER_04: 37:17

Um I agree and they had had some injuries earlier in the year that had caused them to lose a couple ball games. No, they were undefeated yeah um yeah they were undefeated and they w they wound up getting like the three seed didn't they I don't remember I know they weren't the two seed because if they would have been the two seed we wouldn't have played them until the state championship game because that was when you cross bracketed the state semi they got ready to cross bracket.

SPEAKER_01: 37:49

I wish I kind of wish they'd bring them back.

SPEAKER_04: 37:51

I do too because I mean if you think about it the two best teams in single A at that time were also all the best in Essex and they're on the same side. Right, right and speak and speaking of Essex not to completely bounce around they just lost they were very much projected to win single A.

SPEAKER_01: 38:09

And they just got upset by Ratman okay yeah yeah and uh um yeah I wish we did the cross bracket. The VHSL changes so many things. I know you're still a coach and you can't say anything bad about 'em really but they've they they changed so many things so frequently it gets flustrating.

SPEAKER_04: 38:32

Yeah and they also went away, you know when we were in school it was just east west in the region. It wasn't region A B C D. So you had one through sixteen on the East and the west as opposed to now you're one through eight in region A and one through eight in region uh B C and D.

SPEAKER_01: 38:48

Right and um yeah some of that stuff gets messy and um and I actually think that they gave they've so they've basically told the regions now that you can decide how the playoffs how who gets seated in the playoffs and how if you want to do a power ranking if you want to do something else but everyone just stays with the PowerPoints.

SPEAKER_04: 39:13

If I PowerPoints is and I mean you could say what you want about them but powerpoints is probably the most consistent way to do playoffs.

SPEAKER_01: 39:22

Yeah I know I know a ton of people hated them at first but I I think they're probably the most fair way. I I I don't think it's fair that you can barely lose your district 'cause b before it used to be the district champs went no one else did. I don't think it's fair if you can barely you know you win your district um you barely lose your district but another team in a weak district wins it and they get in. I I I've never thought that was fair so yeah that's uh I think the PowerPoints is the most fair way to do it.

SPEAKER_04: 39:56

I do wish they would go back to the East West where it was and I know they won't because of travel. Like that's a lot of money that the HSL would have to pay in travel but I do think they need to go back specifically in football to the one through sixteen combined region A and uh B combined region C and D to do that. And it eliminates me talking as a coach it eliminates the playing of the teams that you've already played the regular season.

unknown: 40:21

Right.

SPEAKER_01: 40:23

You may catch uh a team that you played in the second or third round but the first round matchup you're not going to play a team that you've already played.

SPEAKER_04: 40:31

Yeah and the regions used to be a lot bigger and that's why because you had you didn't have region A B C and D you just had east and west so C and D working behind region A and B working behind.

SPEAKER_01: 40:43

Yeah. Um but you know um but that's some VHSL talk and you could talk about VHS. Nonetheless we got a we got a little bit off track no no it's okay you can found that to matter you can talk about VHSL stuff all the time and and really one of the best persons uh for Ford at is uh Steve Wilson honestly when it comes to that oh yeah and he's um he's just an encyclopedia of uh of um VHSL and Spartan football and so um we're I'm just operating off of what I I was experienced to now so but uh some of those guys that go back to the 80s they got a they got a uh much larger larger uh library to pull from but you are correct but no um so that was our last regular season game was Glenville then we uh then we played uh Grayson County which is the they they are currently the uh oh shoot region champs I they I guess they're Region D now they'd be used to be Regent C but they're D now. And uh no they're still Regen C. Okay, well now okay I was just wondering because I know Chilhoey's Region D and I figured they were Marvel.

SPEAKER_04: 41:57

Yeah Chill yeah Chill Howe's Region D but no Grayson's their Regency out of Mountain Empire.

SPEAKER_01: 42:03

Okay yeah so yeah that's right we're in the same oh okay now we're so we're all the districts and stuff has changed so much.

SPEAKER_04: 42:10

But yeah Giles is Mountain Empire now used to be Free River um that's you know Grayson obviously Giles was 2A at the time that you and I played and Grayson was also 2A at that time.

SPEAKER_01: 42:20

And we've both dropped down to one. And um so we beat Grayson County 42 to 12 um you know I d I remember this game because it's the only time anyone's ever hit me in a football game after a play.

SPEAKER_04: 42:37

Grayson was there's a lot of sports and like penalties.

unknown: 42:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 42:42

I don't know how they are now but they I don't understand it because we just kicked the field goal and we were winning uh very largely and someone just hit me as hard as they could in a face mask. It was like it it didn't it didn't hurt me man. It just you hit your bare you hit your bare knuckle against a metal face mask.

SPEAKER_04: 43:04

Yes it was they they were definitely they're a different team now. But yeah they a lot of us worth it like calling that game I remember I remember Coach.

SPEAKER_01: 43:15

I remember Coach Williams yelling he's like do not retaliate it's it'll be okay.

SPEAKER_04: 43:20

Just don't you know and he was right so we kept our composure and again just good we're the one seed so very good first round one playoff one.

SPEAKER_01: 43:32

Yeah and that and that's when uh you know it used to be now I I've seen us kind of break with this a little bit but um that's when we started painting our ball field and that's when we put you know first week we painted the single wing and then we started adding more and more and we had a very decorative football field that year.

SPEAKER_04: 43:52

Yeah that's uh yeah it kind of brought pride out when you add something to the field each week that you get to host of it or get to host against you. But that was always fun. Like the further you went in the playoffs the more paint design went on the field.

SPEAKER_01: 44:05

Oh no well yeah it's very and your dad he your dad used to help with the painting I think. He did he did he he much he enjoys that was something he always and now it is amazing. Joya sent me so my uh my stepmom she works at Giles and she sent me a photo of this machine going off of GPS that paints the entire football field now which is amazing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04: 44:28

They have a robot now it doesn't it's I mean it's pretty neat to watch.

SPEAKER_01: 44:31

And I guess y'all have one too.

SPEAKER_04: 44:33

We don't we actually still paint the field.

SPEAKER_01: 44:35

Oh okay yeah the the robots are pretty cool. Y'all need the good robots or um or just ask to borrow our robot. So um we uh so we um next week we played Appomattox and that was the um outside of the state championship game I think that's the toughest ballgame we played.

SPEAKER_04: 45:01

I I'd agree with that you know Appomattox is a good team and the other thing that goes into that too was um you know the second round kind of was a low for Jones. Yeah we hadn't we we never had trouble in the first round but we just couldn't see to get out of the second round while we were in school article before the game title the title of the article was uh second round lose and it was a big article on losing the John Battle the year before and then it went on to talk about you know if we were going to be able to get out of the second round I mean Apple matic was a great team.

SPEAKER_01: 45:48

Oh yeah yeah for sure and I had just um that just lingered over our head what could we get out of the second round and that team our sophomore year which well we both moved up and you played a little bit that year. I I didn't really do I didn't play that that much I got I might have got two or three plays in that year when I I moved up and uh Ian man and those boys they were very talented and I always thought that I thought out of our sophomore our uh junior and our senior I thought we had free state caliber teams now our sophomore year they weren't as talented but they were still very good. I mean we had Brett Whitlow playing his sophomore year and we had Hunter Epperly starting and Cody Rhodes. Um that was a good ball team Jensen Dolphin also started he was the Mike Backer that's true because he had he had two senior uh two senior years or whatever Coach Williams tried to say but uh yeah so we had a a lot of our classmen were on were starters on that team.

SPEAKER_04: 46:55

Yep like you said Hunter started uh Whitlow started I'm trying to think of sophomores Jensen was the other one. Right. It was him that Chad Randall played uh Mike and Sam.

SPEAKER_01: 47:05

Mm-hmm. But he but we just um Ian just got hurt and it just I think it just um he got hurt early on. I think it just uh took all the motivation and all the uh momentum out of us that year.

SPEAKER_04: 47:24

So And it you know he came back and played because he did he did a little bit against Christians Burke he played and but the big thing with that was John Battle it went down and I mean we were winning a ballgame and it blocked a punt took it back for a touchdown and that was kind of the momentum swing that they needed and they ran away with it after that.

SPEAKER_01: 47:41

And that's a long bus ride so so I actually live I don't live that far from John Battle now. It's here it's right it's well um so I live I live pretty close to uh Abenden area and John Battle's in Washington County so they're just the county over from me. Right. Or on the border so um that I remember that being a long bus ride. It's not as bad it's not as bad in a car in a bus. It's pretty long.

SPEAKER_04: 48:09

And it was even longer coming back after a loss.

SPEAKER_01: 48:12

Yeah yeah it's true. So uh but um so we we beat Appomattox uh I rem the biggest play was definitely we uh kicked the field goal to win it and I you know we just had our 10 year class anniversary which you organized you and Hunter Epperly and uh Bree and uh Chantry I think I got everyone on a um and uh y'all organized our class reunion and I was talking to Brett and I said you know um I said you know Brett I said I I know you get kind of a hard time for missing that extra point. You did a a lot that year and Brett's like you're right and no one brings up the kick I made at Appomattox and um and that and that was uh for a high school field goal what was that like a 25 yard field goal that wasn't a chip shot I just think it was about thirty yards it wasn't it was not a chip shot we were hashed I just remember I with that Appomattox called the timeout to icing.

SPEAKER_00: 49:12

Right.

SPEAKER_04: 49:13

And if you remember Brett turned to the stadium and was just like pumping up the crowd.

SPEAKER_01: 49:17

I mean you could just tell he was locked in and I think I think that helped him because I find I think that the um I don't I don't think they should have called timeout. So what people don't understand is how much Brett was doing he was our running back and he was our kicker. So he would break he would break a long run and a lot of times when you break a long run it was 38 or 36 and right up the middle and uh you know run a 50 yard play oh touch score touchdown kick the extra point he just broke a pretty long run and then he had to come uh take take the extra point I mean the field goal I and I agree with you I think that I think the timeout let him focus back in and I mean he was like when they called that timeout you could just tell he was ready to go. Yeah and um and you were his holder so you and you have held so many extra points for him um and and field goals and we practiced man we practiced a lot of field goals when we were so another another thing we talked earlier I just felt like you know Coach Williams always had us prepared.

SPEAKER_04: 50:26

And that was another situation you know we had practiced game winning field goals where we had to run the field goal unit on and you know I just again testament to him I I I felt like we were prepared for that moment and we executed like he had coached us to do.

SPEAKER_01: 50:39

Well you know and and you know I I got I didn't start but I played field goal team every and I used to have people aggravate me all the time I was like listen we can win the game by one point. I remember one person was aggravating me I was like we won the state championship by one point guys. It's kind of important too Yeah and and you were a great I mean you just had great hands. I mean um you know we threw the ball to you and but you also had a great hands when it come to uh holding extra point which is not an easy job. And the snaps not an easy job either so Saroski to you to Whitlow was a um y'all y'all got that thing down really well Pat and but when I think of that though Dakota we had Giles has just always been a good school for kickers when I went we had um we had uh Carson um we had uh sorry Cody Jr who went on the Virginia tech and kicked he was an amazing kicker he um he was part of that blacksburg game where they went into a billion overtimes um and uh I remember that and his brother Carson he didn't play varsity but he that would have been his senior year for some reason he just didn't play we won't get into that but he was an outstanding kicker as well he kicked for us in JV football and if if Brett would have had either Carson or Stuart Myers kicking he could have got a little breath and both of them both of them could have played and they were great kickers. I'm not fussing on them. They they got I mean they were great athletes and did what they wanted to. I'm just saying our school produced a lot of good kickers.

SPEAKER_04: 52:26

Yeah they didn't I mean you didn't even mention like the likes of Zach Keaton uh Garrett Lee before that I mean both of them went to play college football I think they wound up a concord together Garrett would punt and uh Zach was a kicker.

SPEAKER_01: 52:39

Yeah and I remember Garrett had one of the longest punts I ever saw in my life in a in a football practice. It was like si 60 or 70 yards and that sounds unreal but the wind was so heavy it just blew the ball forever and I was like my gosh Yeah he had a leg on him man. But yeah Zach Keaton um and all then they were we had some great kickers and uh but um Brett was just in a situation where um he just had the he had to run the ball he had to kick it so um he's pretty good at both of them. Yeah um then we had um Richlands and I remember everyone was getting pretty scared to play Richlands because um their former coach played on our 1980 state championship team and um Bance was a a a great football coach he still coaches football he coaches in South Carolina now and uh but they knew our plays but our team was just so fast they couldn't stop it. Um I remember um John Teats would say the defense would call our plays before we called them and we would run the plays and it would go 40 yards you know it was a tough game you know Coach Mance is a heck of a coach.

SPEAKER_04: 53:58

And like you said coach in South Carolina now still got his team in the playoffs. But the big thing was at the time you know him and Jeff were connected family wise. So we played that game on a Friday and Coach Williams and Coach Mance are sharing the Thanksgiving table the day before.

SPEAKER_01: 54:15

Yeah yeah and um so and the funny thing from that for me up on a personal note I've become really good friends with uh of a man uh with a guy he used to be involved in politics he's a pastor now his name's Caleb Crewe he graduated uh in twenty fourteen one year before us and his dad was a school bus driver and I I'm I'm good friends with uh good friends with them and he actually used to drive the football team so his dad drove the football team to Giles yeah I know it was it's pretty cool we had a we had a good conversation he said you know we had a good team that year but uh you know we just couldn't do anything with jaws they were y'all were too fast and I wound up being I believe we we scored on the very first play from scrimmage. Yeah. Yeah but we you know I think I can't remember if it was Brian or um play that we got that we had the ball.

SPEAKER_04: 55:18

We scored twice very early in drive open that game up.

SPEAKER_01: 55:21

Yeah and Richland's was not it's not that they were a slouch. We were just that we had great personnel on the offensive line and they were so fast. And uh you know um the next week we played Riverheads and I didn't I realized that they were a good football team. I did they run the wing T they ran a s a a very hard nose running offense I thought. I thought they ran the ring wing T, but maybe not. Maybe it was Yeah. Yeah. And we go ahead.

SPEAKER_04: 55:57

No I was just gonna say you know that's the fastest football game I think I've ever played in in my life 'cause you know I think there was two passes thrown the whole game and both of them were by us.

SPEAKER_01: 56:05

Yeah. And uh so No, so so someone got some was it you that got a a weird some there was some kind of weird flag or weird call or something. Hey you're breaking up with me code. Can you hear me now? Yeah. Did you hear the question? We got some kind of weird flag is like def I don't know defensive chop block or something is that you Yeah that was on me. I thought it was Yeah How did you get called with a defensive chop block?

SPEAKER_04: 56:41

Because I was just taking them dude's legs out man I mean that the guard that they had went to pit to play and I was just yeah I was like I'm not let everybody can lay on me and we'll make a tackle.

SPEAKER_01: 56:53

And so one year after we graduated Riverheads won the state championship and they won eight in a row I think.

SPEAKER_04: 57:02

They won quite a few they were Coach Casto just it seemed like he lived at Salem Stadium.

SPEAKER_01: 57:07

Yeah he just dominated so it just shows to me that they are very well coached programmed.

SPEAKER_04: 57:12

They were knocking on the door of greatness and they eventually got there a few years later and uh they did and they they they went on a run of him them and Galax just about every year.

SPEAKER_01: 57:23

Yeah and I I thought they won like eight or seven in a row. I mean it was it was yeah I was I I can't remember the specific I don't know if they won eight or seven in a row or it went to how many but I mean it's still they went to a lot of state championships them and they um they they've dropped now the one A.

SPEAKER_04: 57:44

Yep. They did they actually dropped to single A after our senior year.

SPEAKER_01: 57:49

Oh okay.

SPEAKER_04: 57:50

So they've been single A long now they're yeah now they're kind of fluctuating back and forth. They'll go to two A for two years and it'll be back down because they have the every two years it's reclass.

SPEAKER_01: 57:59

They're kind of on the border of one and two but um and we won twenty eight to seven I remember my dad said man we we whipped them pretty good I was like maybe the scoreboard said that but that was a physical game man. That was Oh yeah but uh you know and that it I remember that we had the the man this is the we had the whole Spartan head on the on the heel there. GHS was um on the handicap ramp and we had um the end zones were beautiful. They were our blue our color blue and it just said Giles on the um on it and man it it was absolutely beautiful. The community came together and kind of kept the field nice and but we put tarps and tires on the field and we removed them and I just you know football in Giles County whether it's in Parisburg or Nairs really brings people together. Brings a community and uh I mean I know that was heck of an atmosphere to play in.

SPEAKER_04: 59:04

I mean there were so many people at that game and both teams are red. So it was just a sea of red at Stephen C. Ragsdale field I mean it's a great atmosphere to play in.

SPEAKER_01: 59:13

Oh I know it is I loved it I you know had a ball but um so after that we um the game m we've been talking to and referring to and um reason why we're talking about twenty thirteen instead of fourteen or twelve be the state championship game at Brunswick. Well so we're undefeated four and oh and I think Brunswick is twelve and two and uh they're from the eastern part of Virginia. Not quite at the tidewater but they're in the eastern part and we're we're you can't get as more west than Giles so um and uh we um we met up they were they were a very very the uh fast school this is the fastest team I think we played I don't disagree with that man you were talking earlier about just athletes golly they had athletes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04: 1:00:11

I mean they there's a ton of them and it's their linemen were studs.

SPEAKER_01: 1:00:16

Who was their number eight? I know he was exact Xavier Wood or something. He was a great ball player he play played defensive MT Yes good gosh he I went up against him he hurtled me twice but he didn't block a field goal so I know you like

SPEAKER_04: 1:00:35

I mean, they were just they were just stubborn, man. They had just phenomenal athletes all around that team. And it's actually funny not coach track now. And I was at the state meet a couple years ago. And you know, they track the 1A and the 2A state track meet are held at the same place at the same time. And Brunswick is now single-A. And I was walking behind their track coach. And we kind of locked up. And I'm like, I know you, you know me, and I was like, hang on. So their quarterback, Bear Mellons, is their track coach.

SPEAKER_00: 1:01:08

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_04: 1:01:08

He's great, but him and I now like we see each other once a year and we always talk. I mean, very friendly conversation with him and I. But it's it's just funny how the world comes full circle in the sense of, you know, both of us coach tracked now. We saw each other. It's like, shoot, kind of like crazy that ten years ago we played against each other. I I tell him every time I'm like, dude, you are you are a phenomenal guy. You're just gonna tackle the guy.

SPEAKER_00: 1:01:34

He was big, man.

SPEAKER_04: 1:01:36

He was big, he was shifty, he was fast. I mean, he he was a heck of a daggone quarterback.

SPEAKER_01: 1:01:41

Yeah. Well, and well, you know, it's I mean, you get to see it a little bit more than I did since you're a coach now. But it um even when I remember Twitter when we were on high school is not like Twitter today. Mostly everyone is off Twitter today that I went to school with except me, because it's mostly politics, and I just I'm in that world too, so I stayed on Twitter. But um but Twitter when we were in high school were just student athletes all following each other, and we had a blast keeping up with each other from different schools.

SPEAKER_04: 1:02:16

Yep, and I actually, you know, you had mentioned earlier I'm fortunate enough to play in the All-Star game my senior year, played with two of the guys that were actually on my team because that's when they they still played at East and West, but you didn't necessarily just have to be from the East or be from the West. They kind of drafted. So two of my teammates were from Brunswick.

SPEAKER_01: 1:02:34

Oh, okay. I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_04: 1:02:38

Yeah, Jacole Williams, he played uh I was I got to play receiver that game, and I was the split on one side and he was the split receiver on the other.

SPEAKER_01: 1:02:46

And there's a weird thing that some people outside of sports don't realize. But even though that you are opponents, there is a common respect there, and you might be hitting each other every single play on uh uh you know in practice. Um just I I mean I mean I had one heck of amount of respect for people like Brett Sarovsky and stuff like that, that where we would just go to war with each other and we were best friends afterward because we know we were in a common grant grind even if we were playing against someone else. Now I wasn't a starter, so you you saw that more on the other side of the field. And um but there was there's just a common respect there.

SPEAKER_04: 1:03:29

Yeah, you respect, I mean competition.

SPEAKER_00: 1:03:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04: 1:03:32

That's I think that's what it comes like. You respect and I you understand the work that goes into the game of football and the physicality that goes into the game of football, and you just have, like you said, a common respect with with the person across from you, the person beside you, the person behind you, just because again, you you know the work that it takes to be where you're at and the work that it takes just to play the game of football, and you respect that from the other person.

SPEAKER_01: 1:03:55

Not to get political, I don't I won't give you a heart attack. But sometimes and when I look at the world and how divided we are politically, it just makes me think, man, maybe it would have been better if everyone just played football or basketball or something and they could have had a common respect there, you know.

SPEAKER_04: 1:05:35

But yeah, because uh fo football definitely makes it uh you know like you and I haven't talked as often the past couple years, but can pick up the phone and I mean pick up right where we left off.

SPEAKER_00: 1:05:49

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04: 1:05:49

That's just that's football definitely makes friendships that last a lifetime.

SPEAKER_01: 1:05:53

Yeah, and I I remember so uh Josh Fleener, um, you know, super one heck of a guy, super nice guy, you know.

SPEAKER_04: 1:06:03

Yeah. And I another guy I actually ran into him down at the uh I went down and watched Vivinia Tech in South Carolina play in Atlanta and ran into him at the game and kind of talked to him a little bit during halftime to catch up with him. So just again, just things like that where you don't talk to him every day, but you pass him in Walmart or run into him in Christiansburg somewhere and you pick up right where you left off.

SPEAKER_01: 1:06:25

Yeah, yeah, for sure. I was so I actually went up this summer. I I go I'm in Giles about once a month at least. I went back to back weeks this time because of Thanksgiving. But I'm at I'm in Giles quite a bit. And I went with my niece, I have a six-year-old niece now, and uh we took her to a park in Christiansburg, very nice park, and uh someone saw my hat. He's like, You did you go Giles? And you we just start talking about we football, he was um you know, he's from Christensburg, I was from Giles, and common respect there, common rivalry, and and just you know, reliving moments, you know, and I've I've done that with several people in the you know New River area, so right, and that's again just the common respect that that you share as a competitor, uh athlete. Yeah, yeah, and uh but that so that Brunswick game, um you can't just pick one moment, man. There are so many moments. I just watched it. One thing that stands out to me that Chantry uh Pennington are starting nine man, uh, right next to the center. Um he um he goes down pretty early, he's hurting the game. And Brad Limes, um, we we put him in there. And Brad, he he was voted captain, he was a great athlete. But Brad had had uh a pretty tough senior year and junior year with injuries. He played b baseball too. And he would I remember him, I mean, he just got beat up so bad. He didn't play much of that year. But in the moment we needed him, you know, um we stuck him back in at nine, and he did a a good job blocking for us.

SPEAKER_04: 1:08:12

Did a phenomenal job stepping at this again, he was he was voted captain for a reason.

SPEAKER_00: 1:08:17

Right.

SPEAKER_04: 1:08:18

Uh like you said, it got dinged up earlier in the year, Chantry kind of slid in and held down the nine-man spot for the remainder of the year, but goes into a state title game, starter, like you said, gets hurt, and Brad steps in just like a senior would, and was prepared, laid his absolute tail off at that position.

unknown: 1:08:37

Oh, yeah. It was a huge moment in the ball game.

SPEAKER_04: 1:08:40

I mean, you was a you was your nine man, you was any starter in the single wing, you're in trouble. But I mean, he stepped in and did not miss a beat. And again, he talked battled injuries, but you know, he was a practice every day, busting his tail when he could. So, I mean, it it paid off and great moment for him. And again, just this a testament to his work ethic and ever everything that he had done in the year just to be able to step in and and play as well as he did. And I mean, huge huge moment for us. I mean, big, big moment of the game when Chantery goes down, but just Brad stepping in and not missing a deal.

SPEAKER_01: 1:09:14

And uh and another another thing is so Brett Sarovsky didn't start our first game uh against Blacksburg, even though he was a phenomenal lineman, uh a phenomenal center. Um um shoot uh um Jonathan Jr. Yeah, Jonathan. And Jonathan broke his hand. And we ended up moving him to eight. And uh so that was just how talented we were. People don't realize we were we if one guy went down that wasn't gonna break us. We just were gonna substitute someone else that was working and practicing just as hard for the team. And um Coach Wilson Will Wilson and J V, and he was uh he's still super even though he's a J V coach, he's the athletic director, st super involved with the varsity program. I think Coach Wilson has I mean, I know he's never been the head coach, but he's I mean, he to me he is the um person um he is he is Spartan football in my mind, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_04: 1:10:17

But you're talking about death. I mean, I didn't play like I rotated plays in offensively, but I did not play defense for the first five games of the season. Um Zach had that freak accident in the machine shot.

SPEAKER_01: 1:10:30

Right.

SPEAKER_04: 1:10:30

That pretty much wound up taking him out from all but the state game after who were we playing. That was east spot that was the first thing. You know, Zach gets hurt. Zach here cuts his finger off on a Wednesday. Coach got me prepared to be able to step in there and kind of hold down Zach's spot until he was able to come back and then he he came back, played a little bit in the Riverheads game, and then you know, it was really a big moment there because you know Cody was a powerhouse.

SPEAKER_00: 1:10:59

Right.

SPEAKER_04: 1:11:00

But the speed of Brunswick was causing us some fit. So with Zach back, we were able to put me on one side, Zach on the other, and run a little more speed than what Cody had at the time.

SPEAKER_01: 1:11:09

That really was a big factor in playing defensively against so really in the long run, and you know, hate hate what happened to Zach, but those injuries uh kind of helped us in the long run because we were able to get Brett Sarovsky at center, and then John Jonathan Janelle at eight man, and then we was able to put you in more um defensively.

SPEAKER_04: 1:11:35

That's it, I they say everything happens for a reason. I mean, and it did. Because you look at that, you know, obviously you don't want Zach to go down.

unknown: 1:11:42

Right.

SPEAKER_04: 1:11:43

Zach Zach gets hurt, and I mean, you know, he coached me the whole entire year. Like if I had a question like Zach would help me the whole entire year until he was able to come back and again. Another big moment of that state game was the ability to put the two of us, and I'm not saying it's like sound like I'm talking about myself, but to put a little more speed out there where Cody was getting beat by the quarterback because he was able to run a little bit faster. Being able to go with two speed ends helped us out again having Zach back there. And just that's a testament to Zach of just how engaged he stayed throughout the whole year and just when his name was called, he was prepared.

SPEAKER_01: 1:12:14

Well, he did he it would have been very easy for Zach to say, I did my part, I'm never gonna play football again. But he, I mean, he put back in there and uh he became a captain uh later in that year. And with they he had one of the biggest cast and foam fitting I've ever seen. I had to play one one time in JV because I hurt my arm, but his was huge.

SPEAKER_04: 1:12:40

And he just I mean he had a massive surgery 'cause I mean he almost cut his finger off.

SPEAKER_01: 1:12:47

Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04: 1:12:49

And yeah, he he did. He played with a big old club on.

SPEAKER_01: 1:12:53

Mm-hmm. Yeah, and I remember that that was that was awful, and I'm glad they could save his hand. And I I just remember the stories and hearing hearing about all the blood and the at the shop and you know.

SPEAKER_04: 1:13:05

Yeah. He was very fortunate, but again, just a testament to him that they locked into that year and you know, he was caught on big time in that state championship game, and he stepped up and did his part.

SPEAKER_01: 1:13:15

Yeah, and um so you know, um, that state game. At one time there was one play that scared me. Uh they had kicked it, put pinned us back real deep at the one, and we punt it we got the ball out a little bit, we had to punt, and they ran the punt back for a touchdown, and that uh at that point in the game I was like, that does this isn't looking good now. But thankfully there was a a little bit of laundry on the field.

SPEAKER_04: 1:13:45

Yeah, that they say to I mean to win a state title, you gotta have a little bit of luck, and yeah, we had some luck there. I mean, obviously I know the calls happened, but that was a big one because that that would have put them up pretty good and it almost seemed like momentum had shifted in their favor.

SPEAKER_01: 1:14:00

Oh yeah, yeah, and uh um and really, you know, our offense did great all year, but really, I'll be honest with you, our defense won that state championship.

SPEAKER_04: 1:14:10

Um yeah, we we I mean defense stepped up big time. Because I mean both offenses were pretty much stagnant in the second half.

SPEAKER_01: 1:14:17

Right, yeah, nobody scored a touchdown in the third quarter.

SPEAKER_04: 1:14:21

And I believe we had six turnovers just to be able to win the ball, it just tells you how well the defense played. Because I mean six turnovers is not good at all.

SPEAKER_01: 1:14:29

So we turned over the ball six times. I knew we turned it over a lot, I didn't count. Because we had we had what, free interceptions, a couple fumbles, so yeah, I guess that was.

SPEAKER_04: 1:14:40

Yeah, we we had turned it over quite a bit, and I mean loss turnovers.

SPEAKER_01: 1:14:44

But you got now you got pulled from the game a little bit. You got hurt.

SPEAKER_04: 1:14:48

I yeah, I got dinged up here a little bit in the third quarter. It's that danger, man. I got my friendly fire, Cody Rhodes ran into me.

SPEAKER_02: 1:14:56

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_04: 1:14:57

I guess it casts a nerve or something in my neck, man.

SPEAKER_01: 1:14:59

I I never want Cody Rhodes running into you. That was a big boy. And um man, I I hate it. Scout I always volunteer for Scout. I did my best to try to make us a better team. And I I really believe Coach Wilson when he would say to all the backups, he said, you never know, you could be starting one day, but if you're not, you make your team better by practicing hard. And man, I think our I really do think our backups helped us by practicing so hard.

SPEAKER_04: 1:15:30

Again, just how competitive we were. We just did not want the other person to win.

SPEAKER_01: 1:15:35

Yeah, it's true. And we were um, you know, um, there were some games that I think were easier for you guys than our practices were.

SPEAKER_04: 1:15:46

I I don't disagree with that one bit.

SPEAKER_01: 1:15:49

But um and um so I on six-hole when Hunter Epperly was um on the offensive line before we before he became a right-in or senior year, and Cody Rhodes that would double team me on that play. That was an awful experience, man. That was that was an awful experience. I was lining up against two college caliber, and they both played college ball. Uh Cody played a little bit for tech, and Hunter played a little bit for Concord. I was going against two college caliber football players there, and that was not fun, man.

SPEAKER_03: 1:16:24

Yeah, I'd say you had a pretty tough job.

SPEAKER_01: 1:16:27

Yeah, it was it was rough. I I eventually got Hunter, I was like, man, you just please tell me when y'all run six holes so I can sling. This is killing me, man. And he would, he would, he block. So but um but um yeah, so that last drive, um we were running low, and uh you actually caught two two passes, and no one this is the only time I'm gonna fuss on you the whole time. No one ever brings up your fumble. The dusty fumble.

SPEAKER_04: 1:16:59

Nobody ever brings up the fumble, and that's that's a huge play on that drive. You know, I we ran and I've caught the ball, turned around, and the guy from Brunson gets you from behind, and I fumble it straight forward and thankfully right there to jump on it. Oh, your heart sunk. You should have been me.

SPEAKER_00: 1:17:16

Oh, I'm sure, man. I'm sure, man.

SPEAKER_04: 1:17:18

I was cleaning out my drawer for the next three plays.

SPEAKER_01: 1:17:22

Yeah, but you redeemed yourself, you I mean, Dusty, Dusty, and Dusty was one heck of a ball player too. He was just a tough farm boy, man.

SPEAKER_04: 1:17:30

Stud, hard nose farm boy, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01: 1:17:32

Him and Jensen Dolphin in the Grayson game had like one of the most beautiful blocks on a kickoff return that happened like simultaneously. You remember that block you know the block I'm talking about?

SPEAKER_03: 1:17:47

I do. On that block, yes sir, I do.

SPEAKER_01: 1:17:49

That was those they were beautiful. They happened at the exact same place and time. And um and uh, you know, and and back then we would alternate our wing backs. Well, so John would go into play, then Dusty would go into play, and that w they would run into play. Um so which is probably better for you, but um because I remember Coach Williams when he would run into play with you, um, that he would grab you by the back of your horse collar, and he would change his mind two or three times, and we had got two or three delayed game penalties, and Coach Williams would fuss on Tyler Martin. Why aren't you snapping the ball quick enough, but he kept changing the play.

SPEAKER_04: 1:18:33

We didn't change the play five hundred times, just run forty-four.

SPEAKER_01: 1:18:38

You're just gonna end up where you started out, Coach. Let's just go.

SPEAKER_03: 1:18:42

Just stay with stay with forty-four and let's go.

SPEAKER_01: 1:18:44

Yeah. That's great, man. And um, but um, so we run 38 during a four about a fourth and eight. And Brent gets it. We spike the ball. We go into trips, and um Tyler Martin, I mean, oh shoot, forgive me. Um Tyler Perdue. We snapped the ball to him. Um the uh I've seen the play a billion times. I don't know, you've probably watched it once or twice. And uh um our blocking back, uh Tyler Martin, kinda got a little bit of him, but kinda missed the block. So he's under a little bit of pr pressure and uh throws it up to you. You were in single coverage, and then the other guy pulls off to try to cover you a little bit. You jump up and make probably the best uh catch I've ever seen in high school sports. Definitely is, yeah.

SPEAKER_04: 1:19:40

That's yeah, that everything happened on that play, you know. Nobody talks about the the fourth and eight play that we run 38 and you know that's oh yeah, I remember that. It takes some some guts to to run the ball of fourth and eight, and you know, we didn't have any timeouts at the time.

SPEAKER_00: 1:19:57

Right.

SPEAKER_04: 1:19:58

We had ran it. We wouldn't have a time because I think we don't want the numbers to send them the point of the ball game because we send it up as twins. Again, that was because the time okay, yeah. Well, I guess you remember better than I do, because I know we spanked the ball a couple of times, and I think I think we didn't we had read the play before, but because we pretty incomplete. Right. I mean, I mean, again, kind of something so that Tamar could have tamper. I mean, Tamar Flood is like absolute beautiful, because I mean you know, he wasn't sitting in the back and he was a treatment. At least backflip. I mean, you could you could pick some walmart that could catch a ball. That was that pretty pretty.

SPEAKER_01: 1:21:18

So that was not a hard catch for you to make. It was right in your hands, right?

SPEAKER_04: 1:21:23

I mean, shoot, Tyler put it where only I could catch it. Right. I mean, actually anybody could have made that catch. I mean, Tyler made an absolute heck of a throw. I mean, like I said, all uh all eleven people did what they were supposed to do on that play right there.

SPEAKER_01: 1:21:33

Absolutely, yeah. I wasn't trying to pick on our uh noble blocking back there, but I was just trying to describe the play because he he did a lot better than I could have done. And um but uh he uh but yeah, Tyler Purdue definitely put the ball right where it needed to be. And I'm not taking anything away from you. You you ran your route well and you you caught the ball and uh and then then you had to get up and hold the extra point after but you ran like a fives of miles before you went uh you know you I I just wanted to make sure I gave Brett plenty of time to think about the kick. Yeah. Well, and I I talked to Br I've talked to Brett several times about the kick just because I think people aggravate him too much, and I told him that. And he's just told me, I know who's told you, he was just so nervous. Imagine being in his shoes, man.

SPEAKER_04: 1:22:27

Oh yeah. I mean you've duped out four quarters of a ball game and I mean with I mean, obviously that's a guy that we call on in big times to make plays and that's just a tough moment, but just to skip that, you know, we're fortunate enough to over time.

SPEAKER_01: 1:22:43

I was I was just so filled with relief and joy. I remember you caught the ball and in my in my mind is like my my friend just caught the state championship. I was so happy for you. And then I run onto the field and I get w and uh I know he's a coach now, so any of his students or football players watching, um don't think I'm being mean to him. I love Brent Sarovsky. I'm such good friends with Brett. Brett is trash talking Brunswick the whole time. I'm like, Brett, shut up. I mean, I remember he's like, How's it feel to lose?

SPEAKER_00: 1:23:20

And then we missed.

SPEAKER_01: 1:23:24

Oh yeah, then he he's like, uh he's like, Man, that was dumb.

SPEAKER_04: 1:23:30

And I you know, just skip forward, you know, there's still a couple seconds left. We had to kick off because I'm able to stop him on kick-off. We go into overtime. And I think another crucial moment, again, I was talking earlier about you need a little bit of luck to win. I think us getting the ball first in overtime was because we had the momentum. I don't know that we would have scored if we didn't, because we we weren't gonna stop having the ball first. I mean, we went on a pretty methodical I think it took us three plays to get in there and kicked the extra point there.

SPEAKER_01: 1:24:07

And Whitlow had a pretty good point. Whitlow had a pretty good run to set us up.

SPEAKER_04: 1:24:12

Yeah, and that's you know, and you you don't talk about like, you know, Brian scored all of our touchdowns in that game. Right. Yeah, but you know, Bretthead, when you think of crucial runs during that game, Brett had quite a few of them set us up and Brian winds up sticking in 44 and Well Brian, you Brian and you scored all the touchdowns in that game.

SPEAKER_01: 1:24:32

Um Brian had a phenomenal game. Oh, absolutely. Brian was a great great ball player and uh and you know, so they line up uh the kick the extra point. There's uh we make it, but there's a fl well, they so they no, we don't make it. There's a flag on the field and they jumped off sides, according to the referees. I wasn't I wasn't gonna volunteer in for any information if if I might have uh uh sneezed a little bit before the play, but um uh we uh um we kicked the extra point. Um we make it. Uh we held them to about a free uh I think uh on third down they had a long touchdown play. Uh they kick their extra point and make it, and there's a little laundry on the field, we back it up, and then he just misses it and we win 20 to 19.

SPEAKER_04: 1:25:27

Yeah, and uh I mean I just remember the call after going back and watching the game. Just party time in Parisburg. That is it'll always be one of the greatest calls in my playing career. But just an awesome moment, again, just a testament to the the work that we had put in as a team and the the brotherhood that we had 'cause I mean I don't think people understand. They talk about how teams are close, teams are this, teams are that like we were a very close team.

SPEAKER_01: 1:25:53

Yeah, I'm I I know a lot of stuff hanging out and I know I don't talk to you as much as I used to and uh or all the guys, but I think about y'all quite quite often, all of y'all. And um so um, you know, um I think about you, Hunter Epperly, Brett Sarovsky, I think um the ones I was real close with, and then I think about some of the people I wasn't as close with but still care about and and uh sometimes I wish we could all get together, you know, have some kind of reunion or do something. And um I know we had our class reunion, but I'd I'd love if we could all have some kind of um you know, celebration or something. I was hoping we could do something our tenth year anniversary. Um maybe we do something at the fifteenth, we don't have to wait all the way to twenty years, but yeah, just maybe get together just to just see everybody. Well you're the you're the great organizer of the group, so I wouldn't go that far. Yeah, so uh yeah, that'd be great. Um but um but you know, we had one more year and we had a great my our senior year was a great year too. We won we won our group won twenty seven games in a row and we you know, we ended up losing to Glen Ver in the game. I wish we we we I wish we could have had a best two out of three, but that's not how football works and um you know we had a great year both years. Do you feel when you think about the twenty fourteen year, do you just um do you focus more on the the good times or is it just hard to overlook the Glenver loss?

SPEAKER_04: 1:27:28

I think I mean I think the Glenver loss overshadows things, but you know again we're we were fortunate enough to I mean we won a lot of ball games. We lost five games, our our class lost five games in four years. And I think I think you just gotta focus on what an opportunity and that we had. I mean what a great opportunity. Lose five games in in four years, win a state championship. I mean, it you just gotta focus on the good stuff. Oh, I know, I know.

SPEAKER_01: 1:27:55

Yeah, and and this is my thing. And and that Glenver loss had stuck with it stuck with me for s more several years, I still think about, but I mean really hurt me for several years. And um, but it's it probably didn't hurt you as bad.

SPEAKER_04: 1:28:11

But but uh it stung, I mean it it stays. I don't like to lose, and especially with them. But you know. But this is the thing I think as life goes on.

SPEAKER_01: 1:28:25

Well, this is the way I think about it though. We won twenty-seven games in a row, and I don't know if any other Spartan team's gonna be able to do that.

SPEAKER_04: 1:28:33

Um Yeah, that's I mean, that's tough for any team.

SPEAKER_01: 1:28:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04: 1:28:37

Again, I I think we were very fortunate to um to have the opportunity that that we had as a collective unit.

SPEAKER_01: 1:28:43

Yeah, yeah, we had a great ball team and uh um you know, great captains, great coaches. Um and uh so after after that, after 2014, you go on the Bridgewater and uh become a very successful college football player.

SPEAKER_04: 1:29:02

Again, I just very fortunate. I was very fortunate to be able to play um notes. Goes back to high school coaching, I mean Coach Williams, Coach Wilson, those guys. I'm Coach Wright now, the head coach of Jiles. I mean, he just some they really helped me out.

SPEAKER_01: 1:29:19

Yeah, and we were his first group. We were Coach Wright's first group as a coach.

SPEAKER_04: 1:29:23

Yeah, and that's yeah, I just felt like I was well coached and again it just blessed with a great opportunity to go and coach you probably don't know this, Dakota.

SPEAKER_01: 1:29:33

But so my mom's side of family's from Bland County, you probably know that. But my aunt actually babyset at Coach Wright when he was a baby.

SPEAKER_03: 1:29:42

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01: 1:29:43

Yeah, yeah, um it it and that that ended up coming out and I was like, well, small world, you know. Um so my my mom, my uh my two aunts, they they knew they knew the rights halfway decent and she babyset them when he was a baby and that's pretty neat. Um you know, well bland and blend and Giles is you know, um they're not that far from each other. So when you drive past the prison, the prison's in the blend, but ha uh part of the land's in Giles. So uh I uh you know, I've never been in the prison. Hope hope not to, but um Yeah, but I I I've took a I've looked at it a lot of times going back to um Hungry Holler. Uh so um but uh and now you're the offensive coordinator of Nair's. You uh you coached one year for Giles, I think, and then got a job at NARES High School and you're doing like I said, y'all are doing phenomenal. Yeah, I think y'all have beat us uh at least twice, maybe three times since you've been coaching at Nairs and Giles beat Nairs for forty years in a row. Um sorry, not forty, not that long, but uh around thirty years in a row.

SPEAKER_04: 1:31:03

So that's yeah, that's coach Coach Low does a great job, man. And he's he's put in a lot of time. Yeah, I think. I was I was actually coaching at Giles when Nairs won the first time that they had won since 2002, I believe.

SPEAKER_02: 1:31:19

Okay.

SPEAKER_04: 1:31:20

Yeah, coach Coach Lowe does a phenomenal job. I mean he he cares about the kids, he gets them prepared, and again, just I'm just thankful to have the opportunity to coach.

SPEAKER_01: 1:31:29

Nair Nares and Giles football is extremely interconnected, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_04: 1:31:35

Um yeah, it's and very, very, very competitive. It's and it's always a good atmosphere. The county class is always a great great atmosphere.

SPEAKER_01: 1:31:43

It's a great rivalry. Everyone knows someone on both sides of the river, and uh both are f they're all family and friends, and uh it's a good rivalry, and uh you know I know um I know you know the crew at WNRV. I don't know them personally, but I love how they do the game that you have one Giles announcer and one Nayers announcer when they're calling the game.

SPEAKER_04: 1:32:05

And uh it's always a good and uh theory does a good job of the radio. Yeah. Again, like you said, switching off and on having they switch both people through how to call the game. It just gives you a good little nod.

SPEAKER_01: 1:32:17

Right, right. And uh it makes me think too, uh, you know, um, so Coach Ragsdale's uh Coach Stephen C. Ragsdale's dad coached it at Nairs, and uh there's two fields in the county, and one's named Ragsdale Field, one's Stephen C. Ragsdale Field. And uh Coach Ragsdale went to Nairs High School. Um so I always heard from people in Nairs um that the reason Spartan football is so good is because of Nairs and and every great Spartan was once a Green Wave. I remember hearing that so many times. It got on my last nerves. But now uh when y'all got when you eventually become head coach and hopefully win a state championship, I will be able to say that um um every great uh green wave was once a Spartan. Well I hope that winds up being the case, I h I hey man, I was hoping so hard that we would get we would finally get the um the county playoff game because uh for years Giles was 2A and Arous was one A. But we lined up together and but George Wiff beat both of us and and that happens, that's football, but I think one one year I think it'll eventually happen. And that's gonna happen. And it'll it'll be it'll be a crazy experience for sure.

SPEAKER_03: 1:33:46

Um it'll it'll be a must.

SPEAKER_01: 1:33:49

Must see. Must see TV. Must see TV. Yeah, hey, uh you know how amazing it is that where I live I live an hour and half away. But I can watch Giles football on my TV. That is how amazing uh technology is now that I would never imagine that to have to have a a small high school football. I mean, we're not talking about Oscar Smith or something like that. We're talking about Giles and there. And I keep up with y'all guys too. If we're not if we're at a if we're at halftime or something, I go over and I'll try to listen to y'all guys. So um, but it's um you know it's I love football um so much and it's a fun game. I I just like being a fan of the game now. I'm so proud of you and Hunter Epperly and Brett Sarowski all coaching and being very successful, and I knew y'all would always have a successful life and career after high school, and you've done it, and uh I'm very proud of you, and um, you know, I also I you know, uh your mom and dad were great people, Kirsten, great people. Um I s you know, we used to see each other all the time at school, at church, and uh and you know, I hope this is okay I bring this up. I know it's sad, but I used to think the world of your grandma too. I really did.

SPEAKER_03: 1:35:14

Oh yeah. And that's uh she she loved uh like loved coming to our ballgames.

SPEAKER_01: 1:35:20

Oh I know it. And I I was in deep fear for the officiating crew because of your mom and your grandma. And uh and man, I remember I um especially when y'all play basketball games, they would get so mad. It's not Giles County, it's just Giles. And uh, you know, they um I thought I fought the world of y'all guys, I still do. Um but um if there's anything else you want to add about any anything in life, and uh you just got married to Morgan uh a few months ago, so congratulations.

SPEAKER_04: 1:35:57

And appreciate that. I'm gonna get up here and we'll go down help her clean, I guess for a little lunch of I guess a little lunch technically, I guess. But thank you again for having me on a visually dumb to the union, like you said earlier. It's been a little bit, I know we just seen each other recently at the reunion, but it's been a little bit sense and we'll just be able to pick up another like we miss a minute.

SPEAKER_01: 1:36:26

No, I love I've loved it. It's a great sport. Um and uh I I'm glad I got to play ball for you and uh everyone else. Uh we had a special crew and I don't r I don't regret a down of it. Um you and me both. But uh, you know, uh I d I will say before we leave, I think it's awesome. Uh I just popped in my mind. We both, you know, Ri Richie Miller were both our old youth pastor, and uh I just grew up around Kirsten and Eden. And now I'm I'm sorry, Christian and Eden. And now you are coaching Christian. And I think that is awesome. And Christian Christian is, you know, he's young. He's just he's a freshman, I think, and he he looks like he's gonna be a pretty good athlete.

SPEAKER_04: 1:37:13

So he is a pretty good athlete, and again, it's just crazy how it doesn't seem like we're that old, but uh I gr you know, I remember Christian being real, real time, and now us having the opportunity to coach him and you know, still have a relationship with Pastor Richie. It's it's a pretty neat experience.

SPEAKER_01: 1:37:28

Yeah, and uh um and now uh Richie's uh head pastor of First Nayers. I actually went uh last time when we were at the reunion, I spent the night and uh went to Richie's church, had a great time, great beautiful service, and uh saw Richie and uh uh another guy you know pretty pretty familiar in the ciles county car shop and uh but uh the car world. But um but uh yeah, it was it was a great time and uh well man um if there's anything is there anything you want to let go and then we'll I will head out of here. I I probably need to read the names of the team just so no one gets left out just because I'll do that after we hang up, but it's uh just I don't want anyone to feel left out, so I have to pull up an old roster or something.

SPEAKER_04: 1:38:16

No, like I said, just I appreciate you having me on. I've I've enjoyed talking to you, and I guess the last thing uh I'll say before I tell you goodbye is uh go hookies.

SPEAKER_01: 1:38:26

Alright, well go who's and everyone, that has been Dakota Schrader. Alright, guys. I just wanted to uh do I want to do this podcast for a little bit now. Um I really think about this team a lot. It means a lot to me still. I know you get older, you gotta move on some, but I just want to read you guys the names of all the players. Some of these guys are JV players that moved up, but they're still part of the team. And uh, you know, it was fun. Um, you know, it means a lot to me still today. And I'm so glad Dakota Schrader came on. But I'm gonna read you guys some um gonna read y'all guys the uh names of the players. Hunter Smith, Tyler Marshall, Tammy Tom Tom oh sorry, Tammy Tony, uh Zach Sizemore, Austin Shrewsbury, Trent Pennington, John Laws, Zach Williams, Ben Pratt, Matthew Midkiff, Brandon Harris, Harless, Chantry Pennetton, Austin Cunningham, Dylan Graham, Christian Kemp, Anthony Metis, um Hunter Collins, Brian Mann, Brody Dumford, Bride Lyps, Press Roski, Brett Whitlow, John Teats, Zach Simmons, Tyler Perdue, Dusty Bogus, Tanner Martin, Jared Cook, Zane Martin, Jensen Dolphin, Josh Scott, Logan Merrick, Jonathan Jernell, Hunter Epperly, Cameron Perkins, Caleb O'Neill, Buddy Bracken, Jacob Kirk, Anthony Jones, Hunter Wright, David Edes, Cody Rhodes, Andrew Searles, Shane Clark, Gobin Chavla, Matthew Gillespie, Dakota Schrader, coaching staff coach, head coach Jeff Williams, assistant coach Brian Strader, Jackie Evans, Dusty Stump, Anthony Ratcliffe, Steve Wilson, Sam Wright, Tim Muncie, and Brian Hurley. And uh, man, I know this is a long episode, but uh, I just had a ball. Um just had a ball. This is uh it will it will be hard for us to ever do a 15-0 season again. There's a reason why we hadn't won state in a long time. So um hopefully we will come back and win a state championship again. But um sometimes I like to wonder if we would have beat the 05 team. I wish I would have asked Code of that before I let him go. But um, I was talking to Coach Ellison one day. He never coached me, but he's been a he was a big staple in the Spartan coaching world. And uh it would have been I would have absolutely loved it if we could had uh if we could had uh played the O five team. Um if you did a tournament of all the the four state championship teams 80, 93, 05, and 13. Had a had an interesting tournament due to a round robin or something. But um God bless you guys. I hope you all had a fun time with this episode of overopinionated. Uh God bless y'all and have a great day.