Question for Straight Scope or other long time posters

[Middle Sound Heel]

Straight Scope,

I know you rarely if ever post here anymore but if so can you please answer from way back.

Years upon years ago there was a Virginia based poster here talking smack about VA ball. You posted in detail about how Indy went against a powerful Tidewater team in a scrimmage in Charlotte and absolutely shredded them and how the Indy passing game absolutely made their DBs look silly. It was part of some multi team jamboree. This was going all the way back to either the Leak or Cox QB years. Can you provide any details on this? I think the VA team was Phoebus but I could be mistaken. Can you recall what team it was and what year? Thanks.

 

[bigdadd11103]

Straight Scope,

I know you rarely if ever post here anymore but if so can you please answer from way back.

Years upon years ago there was a Virginia based poster here talking smack about VA ball. You posted in detail about how Indy went against a powerful Tidewater team in a scrimmage in Charlotte and absolutely shredded them and how the Indy passing game absolutely made their DBs look silly. It was part of some multi team jamboree. This was going all the way back to either the Leak or Cox QB years. Can you provide any details on this? I think the VA team was Phoebus but I could be mistaken. Can you recall what team it was and what year? Thanks.

Not Scope but remember the scrimmage. It was 2002 Power Prep Challenge. It was Chris Leak/Indy vs. Hampton Phoebus at Memorial Stadium. This was when Phoebus was very very good. Indy absolutely destroyed them. Leak was on another level. West Charlotte Scrimmaged that day also vs. Marlboro County. It was a multi state battle. Crest and Richmond County were there too.

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

Was this a 7 on 7 or a full scrimmage type of event?

 

[btango]

Full scrimmage 2002 v Phoebus at Memorial Stadium

 

[Straight Scope]

What BigDad and Tango said was exactly right.

Phoebus was a big, strong team, but they could not defend the pass. The Independence receivers kept getting behind their DB's with ease. I'm pretty sure the score was 28-0.

By the way, Phoebus was undefeated last season (15-0), and beat a team 104-0, so they will run the score up if they get a chance.

 

[Greengold_4ever]

That may have been the greatest concentration of talent and ability ever assembled in a single event in North Carolina. Every team there was loaded, it was a great day for a high school football junkie. North Carolina flexed big time against the South Carolina and Virginia teams of course i may be a bit biased.

 

[bigdadd11103]

What BigDad and Tango said was exactly right.

Phoebus was a big, strong team, but they could not defend the pass. The Independence receivers kept getting behind their DB's with ease. I'm pretty sure the score was 28-0.

By the way, Phoebus was undefeated last season (15-0), and beat a team 104-0, so they will run the score up if they get a chance.

Indy was on a complete different level that day. It may have been 28-0 at the half/quarter IIRC. Wasnt even close. Hampton looked like they had never defended a pass. As the 2002 season played out alot of teams looked the same way Hampton did.

 

[MagisterO]

Can’t remember if it was ‘01 or ‘02 but Indy, Prov, and Butler? Were in a scrimmage that included Phoebus and Byrnes at Memorial stadium.

 

[bigdadd11103]

That may have been the greatest concentration of talent and ability ever assembled in a single event in North Carolina. Every team there was loaded, it was a great day for a high school football junkie. North Carolina flexed big time against the South Carolina and Virginia teams of course i may be a bit biased.

EXACTLY. Stayed out there all day myself. The NC teams did very well on the field. Indy dominated Phoebus, West Charlotte beat up on a good Marlboro County team. Crest, Richmond also did well.

-The folks really came to see Syvelle Newton, Phoebus and Leak as those were the top draws during that time period. We have to remember back then Ronald Curry, Mike Vick, and AI had really put the Tidewater area on the map. Many folks got Hampton/Phoebus/Phantoms and Hampton Crabbers mixed up. It was a big debate that day which team was playing as Phoebus was getting killed so bad by Indy.

-The bigger story lines were where Leak and Newton would go to college. Most thought Leak to Tenn, and Newton to Clemson. Both were wrong. LOL

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

I was in the Navy stationed in Norfolk for alot of years the bulk of the 80s till the mid 90s. Hampton Crabbers were considered the gold standard then. I went to see them once in a state playoff game against First Colonial in 1988. For whatever reason the game was played at Kellum HS in VA Beach. Hampton stomped them. But First Colonial did get revenge as they beat Hampton the following year in the 89 playoffs. When they beat Hampton it was a pretty big deal as it was the first time a Southside team beat Hampton High in a long time. Perhaps a decade or longer as I recall it at the time. Then in the 90s Bethel with Iverson and Phoebus kind of fought it out with the Crabbers for local and state supremacy with each of the teams winning state throughout the 90s.

 

[btango]

Indy was on a complete different level that day. It may have been 28-0 at the half/quarter IIRC. Wasnt even close. Hampton looked like they had never defended a pass. As the 2002 season played out alot of teams looked the same way Hampton did.

It was not a standard full length "game." Think it was a half. Indy was going to play Marlboro if I am not mistaken but it started raining in a second half later in the evening. Marlboro players and fans were talking huge trash that they would beat Indy down. Marlboro was strong that year making a deep run with Syvelle Newton at QB but I think they would have struggled to stop Indy. Think that was the year Marlboro was involved in the brawl with the stands clearing and players getting attacked viciously.

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

Scotland beat Marlboro that year in a close game played the same night as Indy beat Spartanburg in 2002. I looked up some data on VA that year in 2002 Phoebus won state title in 2002 at 14 and 0 and only gave up either 64 or 69 points total that year on defense. Scotland gave Indy a fairly close game in the playoffs that year in 2002 seemingly held Indy to well below their normal total in points, seem to recall Indy winning something like 20 to 6 or in that proximity.

For reference the Hampton Crabbers uniforms are a mix of Red, white, and black.

Phoebus is a mix of blue, yellow, and gray.

Bethel is green and gold similar to Indy and Richmond.

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

Wanted to add that when I went to that Hampton vs First Colonial High playoff game Hampton QB was the big, tall Eric Hunter. He was a highly ranked prospect. He later was a starter at Purdue as QB. But evidently he had mental/emotional problems at Purdue and there was an incident of him having a mental breakdown on campus that was highly publicized I forget the details. Supposedly when he didn't get drafted into the NFL it furthered his emotional decline. Later in life he returned to Hampton and died in a gun violence incident.

The team they were playing was First Colonial. I decided to go to the game because I lived right off First Colonial Road and I somewhat considered them my local team, I actually though living on First Colonial road was closer to Cox HS, the two High Scools were amazingly so close to each other.

First Colonial was undefeated and was lead by their star O'Dell Joyner a huge prospect who signed with Wake Forest.

So for that reason I decided to attend that game because of my proximity to First Colonial and my desire to see the legendary Hampton Crabbers in person. But like I said for whatever reason the game was played at Kellum High School in VA. Beach. Hampton crushed them.

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

Still a bit confused. Did a Google search and found an article stating it would be Hampton Crabbers in attendance not Phoebus. But this article was published prior to the event. Maybe Hampton couldn't attend for whatever reason and was replaced by Phoebus. Wanted to attach screen shot of lineup from article but can't do it here. Article was posted by SC varsity website. Cited the Crabbers and referred to their legendary Coach Mike Smith. Said also East Meck would be there and Orangeburg Wilkinson and Marlboro from SC.

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

From article posted 3-31-2002 on Palmetto Preps regarding lineup for event:

Hampton Crabbers:

Coached by Mike Smith the Crabbers were 10-2 in 2001. They are 58-6 in the last five seasons. They have won nine Virginia state championships since 1980, and are the all-time winningest Virginia football program. Coach Smith's record is 329-48-2.

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

Just trying to get details because I went on you tube on a random Phoebus video and mentioned a long time ago Indy beat them in this scrimmage. One poster asked me when this game took place. So I'm just trying to get my facts straight. The article I found above about the line up and Bigdads reply about confusion of which team Hampton or Phoebus was there has left me a bit confused is all.

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

The article listed 8 teams in the event:

Crest
East Meck
Orangeburg Wilkinson, SC
Richmond
Indy
Hampton,VA
Marlboro County, SC
West Charlotte

Said each team would get 90 minutes of scrimmage time against 3 opponents. So sounds like a 30 minute scrimmage against one opponent.

 

[MagisterO]

I thought that I still had a shirt from the one Phoebus was in, but do not.

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

Despite the article it had to be Phoebus there. Because I read in another article one of the Orangeburg Wilkinson player comment about how they did well against "Phelpus" from Virginia in the scrimmage.

 

[Straight Scope]

Two other comments that are slightly off the main subject.

Independence had quite a few really excellent receivers during the Knotts years and I'm sure the coaching was a team effort, but it always felt to me that receiver assistant coach Steve Shipp may not have been given enough credit. It just seemed to me the Independence receivers used better technique than other teams, and they made a lot of hard plays look easy. I'm sure BigDad knows him from his playing days at West Charlotte.

The other comment concerns the earlier mention that Scotland gave Independence a good playoff game in 2002, and that is true. I don't know that it mattered at all, and this is in no way an excuse for anything, but that was the only time Knotts was too sick to be at a game while he was at Independence, and the final decision to hold him out was made very late. The other thing that stands out in my mind about that game was a Scotland DE pressuring Leak the whole game. (Sorry I'm too lazy to try to look up his name, but I'm sure the Scotland people know who I am talking about). I believe the DE went on to UNC, and played a couple of seasons with the Panthers. He wasn't overly huge, but he was quick and fast, and knew how to maneuver around and through the OL.

 

[btango]

Two other comments that are slightly off the main subject.

Independence had quite a few really excellent receivers during the Knotts years and I'm sure the coaching was a team effort, but it always felt to me that receiver assistant coach Steve Shipp may not have been given enough credit. It just seemed to me the Independence receivers used better technique than other teams, and they made a lot of hard plays look easy. I'm sure BigDad knows him from his playing days at West Charlotte.

The other comment concerns the earlier mention that Scotland gave Independence a good playoff game in 2002, and that is true. I don't know that it mattered at all, and this is in no way an excuse for anything, but that was the only time Knotts was too sick to be at a game while he was at Independence, and the final decision to hold him out was made very late. The other thing that stands out in my mind about that game was a Scotland DE pressuring Leak the whole game. (Sorry I'm too lazy to try to look up his name, but I'm sure the Scotland people know who I am talking about). I believe the DE went on to UNC, and played a couple of seasons with the Panthers. He wasn't overly huge, but he was quick and fast, and knew how to maneuver around and through the OL.

Shipp did a great job with the receivers. The list of Indy receivers was crazy from 2000-2009 seasons.

Think the DE was Hillee Taylor. Tall and slim at that time with a big motor.

Knotts had mengitis and was hospitalized. If you know him that is crazy to even think of. It was also really cold that night if I remember correctly but its over twenty years.

 

[btango]

Despite the article it had to be Phoebus there. Because I read in another article one of the Orangeburg Wilkinson player comment about how they did well against "Phelpus" from Virginia in the scrimmage.

It was definitely Phoebus. I expect the guy that wrote it only had something with Hampton listed and researched them for his article.

 

[bigdadd11103]

From article posted 3-31-2002 on Palmetto Preps regarding lineup for event:

Hampton Crabbers:

Coached by Mike Smith the Crabbers were 10-2 in 2001. They are 58-6 in the last five seasons. They have won nine Virginia state championships since 1980, and are the all-time winningest Virginia football program. Coach Smith's record is 329-48-

Mentioned previously there was confusion on the day of the scrimmages on which Hampton team it was. IIRC it was Phoebus as they were blue. Folks also mentioned Phoebus being there that day.

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

That may have been the greatest concentration of talent and ability ever assembled in a single event in North Carolina. Every team there was loaded, it was a great day for a high school football junkie. North Carolina flexed big time against the South Carolina and Virginia teams of course i may be a bit biased.

Who did Richmond go up against that day?

 

[Greengold_4ever]

The other thing that stands out in my mind about that game was a Scotland DE pressuring Leak the whole game. (Sorry I'm too lazy to try to look up his name, but I'm sure the Scotland people know who I am talking about). I believe the DE went on to UNC, and played a couple of seasons with the Panthers. He wasn't overly huge, but he was quick and fast, and knew how to maneuver around and through the OL.

Hilee Taylor was the player from Scotland. That 4 years of him wrecking offensive game plans for us, he was a great player.

As far as who Richmond played at the scrimmage, I was thinking we played Orangeburg/Wilkinson, Phoebus and finished with Indy. I maybe wrong long time ago.

 

[Champ_24]

Would Chris Leak ever come back to coach in Charlotte??

 

[btango]

Would Chris Leak ever come back to coach in Charlotte??

Wife is from Florida, they met in college. My guess would be he does not leave Florida for NC.

 

[mpj2k8]

Can’t remember if it was ‘01 or ‘02 but Indy, Prov, and Butler? Were in a scrimmage that included Phoebus and Byrnes at Memorial stadium.

I believe 2003 Butler was in a Power Prep scrimmage with Phoebus, I believe Indy was there too.

 

[Bullzye]

Hilee Taylor … played at UNC, yes. He played 4-years for the Panthers. Then, he played 2-years at Sakatchewan (CFL); he was instrumental in back-to-back Grey Cup championships during his tenure there. Without a doubt, he was one of the most amazing kids I ever coached.