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Best Swain, Robbinsville and Murphy team

Vik-Val 86

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May 20, 2020
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Just like I did with the other 2A-4A topics, I thought to put out several for the 1A. Who would you say had the best team for each of these 3. Swain, Robbinsville, Murphy. I did this just to give posters something to respond. Thanks for response. It’s always interesting to see what fans have to say about their team.
 
I like the old teams and they were good..Big and tough and mean..But today's kids are so much bigger ,faster ,stronger and so much more athletic in my opinion. I played on an old team and I thought we were good..If a lineman bench pressed 250 lbs when I played he was considered a stud..Now we have juniors that are benching almost 400 pounds.
I see no way we could have competed with this years Robbinsville team or even the 2014 team. Just way too many fast kids and a much much stronger line.This years team was plenty mean too.Looking back, I don't know of many Robbinsville Championship teams that would have beaten this years team.
Possibly the 1976 or 1980 team.

1980 Robbinsville or 2019
1988 Swain
1987 Murphy
 
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You can't go wrong with '86 or '87 for Murphy. '86 will get the nod for some since they ran the table but in terms of overall talent it's '87. Some old timers would also advocate for the undefeated '74 2A title team, what they did was highly impressive especially when you consider their premier player Willie Brown spent virtually the whole playoffs as decoy because of a bad injury.

If you take out the first Swain game in '87, when they no showed, there would be no debate in my opinion. '87 never broke a sweat in any of their other games (including the Swain rematch) and starters were almost always out early in the games. You could say the same for the '86 team in most of their games but they did have one truly tough game against Sam Gash and Hendersonville.

Both were undeniably great but when '87 were locked in there are very few 1A teams in the history of this state in the conversation with them.
 
You can't go wrong with '86 or '87 for Murphy. '86 will get the nod for some since they ran the table but in terms of overall talent it's '87. Some old timers would also advocate for the undefeated '74 2A title team, what they did was highly impressive especially when you consider their premier player Willie Brown spent virtually the whole playoffs as decoy because of a bad injury.

If you take out the first Swain game in '87, when they no showed, there would be no debate in my opinion. '87 never broke a sweat in any of their other games (including the Swain rematch) and starters were almost always out early in the games. You could say the same for the '86 team in most of their games but they did have one truly tough game against Sam Gash and Hendersonville.

Both were undeniably great but when '87 were locked in there are very few 1A teams in the history of this state in the conversation with them.

That 86 game against Hendo was a classic!
 
They were awesome..But how do they compare to today's athletes..does anyone have that answer?
I get what you're saying but it works both ways. Give those guys from back in the day modern nutrition and workout regimens and see how it goes.

I can't speak for Robbinsville but when it comes to Murphy a lot of those guys on those stud 80's and 90's teams were definitely better pure athletes.
 
I get what you're saying but it works both ways. Give those guys from back in the day modern nutrition and workout regimens and see how it goes.

I can't speak for Robbinsville but when it comes to Murphy a lot of those guys on those stud 80's and 90's teams were definitely better pure athletes.

Agreed. Kids are bigger, faster, stronger, more athletic but not as tough mentally or physically. Weights weren't as much of a thing back in the day because kids got physical exercise and built strength through working. Now the only physical activity kids get is through sports.
 
It's pretty much impossible to ever compare different eras but in my opinion the best comparison is this... Kids of today would beat the older teams 9 times out of 10 ON the football field, as they are bigger, better, and faster overall athletes now. Butttt... Those same kids of today would lose in a fist fight 9 times out of 10 with the older teams OFF of the football field, as they were just tougher mentally & physically as was previously said.

If all of the great teams previously mentioned from the big 3 were in the same winner take all tourney, which team from what year would win it?
 
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It's pretty much impossible to ever compare different eras but in my opinion the best comparison is this... Kids of today would beat the older teams 9 times out of 10 ON the football field, as they are bigger, better, and faster overall athletes now. Butttt... Those same kids of today would lose in a fist fight 9 times out of 10 with the older teams OFF of the football field, as they were just tougher mentally & physically as was previously said.

If all of the great teams previously mentioned from the big 3 were in the same winner take all tourney, which team from what year would win it?

First guess would be 1987 Murphy BUT Swain beat them so who knows
 
I’m not so sure kids are faster or stronger now than in the 70s and 80s but they are bigger due to peds and protein supplements. I’d say this though the 86-87 Murphy teams, the 88-89 swain teams would have mopped the floor with teams today. The reason is athletes. You have to be a hell of an athlete to play d1 football. You have to be extraordinary to play in the nfl during any era. Both those teams had future nfl players and in high school that makes a tremendous difference. Mid 80s throughout the 90s players lifted weights and as said before also worked on farms and in factories during the summer. Most kids today wouldn’t work in a pie factory tasting pies.
 
Which year did we beat then Sylva Webster 12-7 Robbinsville won the 1a and Babe and crew won the 2a. Someone hug a sign in the outfield that said " welcome to Robbinsville , Home of the 1A & 2A state football champs " Babe Howell was the baseball coach and back then there were no mercy rules > Your final SW 36 Robb 3 in baseball.
 
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