Albemarle @ West Stanly

[steady99]

Schools only have so much control over scheduling. Every school is looking for a certain number of OOC games and it's a matter of finding somebody with an opening on the same date. Plus there aren't many 1A teams outside the YVC within a reasonable drive.

Love that AHS played Concord again for the first time in 30+ years but agree that the timing was terrible.

 

[steady99]

Money is a factor also as others have pointed out. Since Concord was an endowment game, the NCHSAA got a cut of ticket proceeds, with the schools splitting the rest. Assuming Concord drew a decent crowd to that game (I wasn't there), AHS probably made about half of what it'll make all year in FB money last Friday night alone.

 

[btango]

AD is doing a spectacular job and we have never had 360 kids. We are just north of 500 now. Last year we had 411 after the week long open enrollment.

If the redistricting was not completed AHS was projected around 380 students to start the year per a system administrator.

 

[bulldog nation2014]

If the redistricting was not completed AHS was projected around 380 students to start the year per a system administrator.

Not sure the freshman class coming in was large without redistricting. Also I'm pretty sure we didn't gain 120 kids off of redistricting btango we only gained 80

 

[OJ and the Electric Company]

The talent level dropped off sometime around 2011 or 2012. Not very noticeable, but enough for a team like Murphy to win the West regional final. Akins left....I understand that his wife had a connection in Randolph County. Other assistants left. But what also left was the emphasis on the Oak Tree defense. Coach Seth Smith for some reason tweaked a winning formula. What also hurt was that the pipeline from middle school started to taper off...again not noticeable at first but it wasn't the same as years before. I also noticed a certain level of complacency that took over the program. Albemarle used to be a happy go lucky place but a wave of negativity somewhat crept in. All these little things contributed to why Albemarle will be lucky to win three games this season.

To answer your question, the drop in leadership shouldn't be at the feet of the kids although some had trouble with keeping their noses clean. The problem was a lack of leadership within the Albemarle community and within the fan base.

 

[Buddy Rich]

Thank you, finally someone with some sense lol. I don't know how many times we have to repeat ourselves here, Albemarle is an aging community. We will never fill the stands like we did the past 20 years. Most of the alumni are the age of @Buddy Rich for gods sake, and the other half that my age have caught the next flight to "Paradise" and only keep up with Albemarle through facebook..

It's hard to keep up 4 high schools when there are more deaths than births... I've said in the past I was for merging the high schools, but there needs to be 2 "Brand New" high schools in order for me to accept that move. If that happens, our kids will be able to compete again.

As far as the arse whoopings go....ol well lol

Who you calling old sway. I'll have you know I will be a young 79 this Friday..lol

 

[sway1532]

and the Electric Company, post: 366143, member: 13541"]The talent level dropped off sometime around 2011 or 2012. Not very noticeable, but enough for a team like Murphy to win the West regional final. Akins left....I understand that his wife had a connection in Randolph County. Other assistants left. But what also left was the emphasis on the Oak Tree defense. Coach Seth Smith for some reason tweaked a winning formula. What also hurt was that the pipeline from middle school started to taper off...again not noticeable at first but it wasn't the same as years before. I also noticed a certain level of complacency that took over the program. Albemarle used to be a happy go lucky place but a wave of negativity somewhat crept in. All these little things contributed to why Albemarle will be lucky to win three games this season.

To answer your question, the drop in leadership shouldn't be at the feet of the kids although some had trouble with keeping their noses clean. The problem was a lack of leadership within the Albemarle community and within the fan base.

I agree with you fully, I made a post about the talent level dropping off at Albemarle. And you are correct on the leadership disappearing. When I was in high school, Mr. White was the head principle followed by Barringer and another guy(forgot his name, but he was from Thomasville), the teachers were strong and there wasn't as much rucks like the 2013-2014 incident at the school. The community itself was at an all-time high coming off its first state championship. But I knew it was about to be different at AHS when I graduated. They were hiring younger fresh out of college teachers.

Fast forward to 2013-2014. Different principles, the teachers that were once a foundation at AHS either retired or left. Younger teachers were brought in to replace them, and they haven't dealt with inner city youth and basically had no clue on how to deal with them. Absolutely no jobs in the community unless its fast food. etc etc etc.

You know what they say, once you let the inmates run the asylum...well this is what you get.

But now we have a good foundation. Order has been restored. Now its time to climb out this abyss we've been in and get back to being great...

 

[billythekid75]

Does anyone have a roster for AHS? They do not update their maxpreps account for roster's or stats. As a bulldog fan trying to stay in the loop, this is really annoying. Keeping the fans in the loop is a part of getting fans back in the stands. Every team they play submits their stats and other information. I couldn't tell you 3 kids names on our roster. I would love to see how many fresh/soph/jr/seniors we have and their numbers. Out of the freshman/sophs, how many start and what positions do they play? Can anyone help out with this information instead of throwing out random numbers?

Freshman and sophomores= A LOT
Juniors and Senior= Not A lot

 

[btango]

Starmount don't want any of this! lol. By that time @Deana_King, Albemarle will be handing out the "Expectations!", ya'll might get embarrassed!

Heck we might have to start scheduling Mallard Creek or somebody in the next 2 years or so...mark my words.

Let's stay realistic!

Starmount is too far away. Got to get as much at the gate as possible. It is a balancing act, competitive opponent that allows you to be in a ball game and pull a good gate.

Some good opponents: West Stanly, East and South Rowan, Mt Pleasant, and Lexington.

 

[steady99]

Agree those would all be great OOC games. I can only recall one game against E Rowan since the early 80s even though the schools are 20 mins apart. Don't think we've played Lex since maybe the 70s.

Akins leaving was the start of the slide. I will be interested to see whether he can get anything going at SWR, which has zero tradition in FB and maybe a smaller pool of talent than AHS.

AHS suffered a lot from some experienced teachers defecting to Gray Stone.

 

[OJ and the Electric Company]

It does seem like the discussion has been monopolized about Albemarle. This topic has two equations to it and the other part is West Stanly. Only four years ago the Colts were as bad as this year's Albemarle team. It took four years for this program to show any marked improvement. The Colts were plagued by players quitting and a lack of excitement about football. They also had some administrative issues that hopefully have been ironed out. It took 4 long years but West Stanly is the cream of the Stanly County football schools. These kids persevered when many wrote them off. They aren't going to win the state but they might finish in the top 3 of their conference. The Colts will have no problem moving the ball against the Bulldogs and their defense will create many three and outs. This game will be snooze-fest. The Bulldogs really should work on their special teams during this game. Something tells me that their special team play might be the difference between a win and a loss against teams like Union Academy and South Davidson.

 

[Earnhardt Forever]

It does seem like the discussion has been monopolized about Albemarle. This topic has two equations to it and the other part is West Stanly. Only four years ago the Colts were as bad as this year's Albemarle team. It took four years for this program to show any marked improvement. The Colts were plagued by players quitting and a lack of excitement about football. They also had some administrative issues that hopefully have been ironed out. It took 4 long years but West Stanly is the cream of the Stanly County football schools. These kids persevered when many wrote them off. They aren't going to win the state but they might finish in the top 3 of their conference. The Colts will have no problem moving the ball against the Bulldogs and their defense will create many three and outs. This game will be snooze-fest. The Bulldogs really should work on their special teams during this game. Something tells me that their special team play might be the difference between a win and a loss against teams like Union Academy and South Davidson.

Great points OJ. West Stanly has built the program from the ashes so maybe Albemarle can do the same thing over a four year period.

 

[Buddy Rich]

I'm afraid the only home game with a decent gate will be NS...

 

[OJ and the Electric Company]

Btango is right, and why would anyone in their right mind at Starmount want to schedule Albemarle? Albemarle can't hang with Starmount. Albemarle won't bring the rears to Boonville either. If you can only get 75 fans to Thomasville you won't be getting much more than 50. Starmount admins...if they care about the moola, will do some calculations. For every dollar of admission you might get a dollar in concession. So $6 ticket and $6 concessions gets you $12 per person. Multiply it by 50 and you get $600. Someone suggesting this match-up is being facetious. Scheduling games are not always about healthy competition.

One team no one mentioned was Central Academy. Might be a good game in a few years. The two schools aren't far away either.

 

[Deana_King]

Dang I wasn't being funny and people it was just an idea. Starmount's schedule is full for the next few years. I even said it.

 

[susancoleman]

It does seem like the discussion has been monopolized about Albemarle. This topic has two equations to it and the other part is West Stanly. Only four years ago the Colts were as bad as this year's Albemarle team. It took four years for this program to show any marked improvement. The Colts were plagued by players quitting and a lack of excitement about football. They also had some administrative issues that hopefully have been ironed out. It took 4 long years but West Stanly is the cream of the Stanly County football schools. These kids persevered when many wrote them off. They aren't going to win the state but they might finish in the top 3 of their conference. The Colts will have no problem moving the ball against the Bulldogs and their defense will create many three and outs. This game will be snooze-fest. The Bulldogs really should work on their special teams during this game. Something tells me that their special team play might be the difference between a win and a loss against teams like Union Academy and South Davidson.

They weren't as bad. But pretty bad.

 

[Buddy Rich]

My thoughts on this game. I think it will be WS all the way. Sounds like the last 4 years of hard work are about to pay off. We will be lucky to keep it respeciable. Have seen the dogs kick their butts for many years, so now its payback time. The only thing I have against WS is Melvin Poole. He just want give it up. He was defeated for SB but now back in the running again in Nov. He in my opinion is one of the MAIN reason SCS is in the shape it is in today. Man I hope he get defeated . If he wins it will set up back another 20 years. What an EGO..........

 

[BulldogsFollower]

It went a little longer than 2010. Remember losing to Murphy every chance We had to be back into the State Championship. Some of the Players get dogged at Home because They ain't winning. That's why all of those State Championships set the Players up to now having to deal with all of this

 

[Abiggdogg11]

Where's that 1 point after the touchdown gonna come from? lol.

Excellent point Sway. I don't know what I was thinking. (Evidently, I wasn't.) 35-6 is my revised prediction.

 

[sway1532]

It went a little longer than 2010. Remember losing to Murphy every chance We had to be back into the State Championship. Some of the Players get dogged at Home because They ain't winning. That's why all of those State Championships set the Players up to now having to deal with all of this

I agree, but when you play for a great program, the bar of expectation is set high. Take Independence High for example. They are basically in the same boat we are in. Not body wise, but they too are catching hell for not winning anymore. Which was once a powerhouse football program, they are now mediocre. They probably will never return to the early 2000s form again.

Loyal fans just want Albemarle to compete, the bandwagon fans want Albemarle to win every single game that includes a championship.

I'm looking forward to our future. It should be a good one.

 

[Deana_King]

Look at Elkin...they win 1 or 2 games now.

 

[Buddy Rich]

Look at Elkin...they win 1 or 2 games now.

They seem to have come upon hard times like us, Deana. What are their problems?

 

[Deana_King]

In all honesty it's the whole area....Starmount used to have 45 to 50 varsity players...last year we had around 25 and this year is just about the same. The Rams are not like they used to be in the past. We are lucky to have a 200-lb OL. It just seems like at Elkin a lot of the talent is just not playing.

 

[goousu]

support from parents teachers and the public goes along way in any sports program. if you let a young athlete know up front that it takes a lot of hard work to excel and encourage them along the way, you may be surprised at what becomes of them. the problem with a lot of programs is the support systems just aren't there anymore.

 

[Sleehrat84]

Deanna we have one thing in common...B.W. Holt. My first head job, I was the second coach to follow coach Holt. His influence was strong. Former players were uncles of the kids I had....etc. The community expected a lot on Friday nights from the team. That was about 7 years after he had left and I still had boosters leaning on the fence saying "I wonder if B. W. woulda done this on that play?" Starmount felt his influence for a long time. It is a shame, but we have a generation of adults who never played under the likes of a coach Holt. They truly believe their 150 pound "receiver" with his 14 trophies from rec ball is a recruit that Notre Dame would love to sign. We can only hope that the Elkins and Starmounts and Albemarles of our nation come back.

 

[Abiggdogg11]

In all honesty it's the whole area....Starmount used to have 45 to 50 varsity players...last year we had around 25 and this year is just about the same. The Rams are not like they used to be in the past. We are lucky to have a 200-lb OL. It just seems like at Elkin a lot of the talent is just not playing.

I remember traveling to Starmount years ago for a playoff game. I swear, I think that's the coldest that I ever remember getting at a game.

 

[sway1532]

I remember Starmount "Cheated" us out of a Western Regional Championship lol! 1996 I believe @Buddy Rich help me remember, I was just a chap then...

 

[Deana_King]

How did Starmount cheat? Your Bulldogs were stopped inside the 5 on 4 downs. The refs called no touchdown so how did the Rams "cheat?"

 

[Buddy Rich]

Starmount did not cheat. The whole issue was over the refs. We were inside their 5 yds line. We had 2 or3 tries to get in but the refs said no. On WBTV that night it clearly showed we scored twice, but to no avail. I was there and saw it. But the refs have the final say. That is football. Sometimes you get the call and sometimes you don't.

 

[Deana_King]

Hey Buddy...you are exactly right...we have been on the other side of bad calls too...part of the game.

 

[sway1532]

Not rolling with it lol!

I remember Baxter saying that there was one particular ref that was making the calls, and he was banned from refereeing at any more Albemarle games. True story lol.

 

[sway1532]

I believe someone paid him. But we got some get back in our championship runs...

 

[Deana_King]

Your issue is with the refs then not Starmount. We have been on the other end of bad calls as well.

 

[sway1532]

Your issue is with the refs then not Starmount. We have been on the other end of bad calls as well.

 

[sway1532]

I believe we beat T-Ville for the first time in "Forever" that year.

 

[Buddy Rich]

Was that the year we beat Thomasville 7-0 at our place. God was it cold...Burrrrrrr

 

[sway1532]

I believe so. We went undefeated that year if I'm not mistaken. But that was also the year our main running back and a few other players got into some trouble, so I don't believe they played the Starmount game. If they did, it would've been a blowout I assure...

 

[Buddy Rich]

If memory serves me it was the only time we beat an Allen Brown coached Thomasville team. All the wins in our championship runs, Benji Brown was the head coach.....

 

[sway1532]

Yes, Allen Brown made Albemarle look like South Davidson in my eyes. I went to a game in 1997 and the final score was 42-10, remember it like it was yesterday. And Albemarle was had a lot of talent. They had a nasty LB forgot his name, but he was mean as hell.

Allen's philosophy was to put all of his "Great" athletes on defense, have a Stud QB and RB with a monster OL.

Heck when T-Ville got off the bus, they looked like a division 2 college team...

 

[Buddy Rich]

Yes sway he beat you with a great defense.......