Lucasville Valley 2015

[Mad-Dogg]

It would be silly to think Valley will not beat East, especially returning 95% of a Regional Championship team. The Indians will have a chance to win every game they play in, and yes even against Madd Doggs Pirates. I'm not saying they will go 9-0, but they will have a chance to win every game.

I believe some people said the same thing last yr and correct me if I'm wrong didn't burg beat valley

[courier]

I believe everyone who knows SOC II football knew the Burg was the team to beat last year. They had the experience horses up front and the supporting cast. Of course, the other teams and their supporters weren't going to roll over and play dead and hand it to the Burg. It's a four team race to the league title this year. If Valley stays healthy they'll be in the mix....If they don't then they won't..I haven't seen any Valley poster anywhere on this forum say they are the hands down favorite...As coop said, they have the POTENTIAL to win all their games...as does the Burg, Minford and West! It's what makes league parity so exciting for TRUE football fans vs homers!! :122245

[Westfan]

Valley has an excellent team returning. Also the experience they received and the confidence they gained from those playoff games will be beneficial.
But you have to keep perspective of what region they played in when people use Regional champs as a measuring stick. The difference from D5 to D6, especially in these southeast regions is tremendous. Returning 9 starters from a team that did that well is impressive though.

[battlecats]

80's to mid 90's

[black76]

So much bull on every thread makes me laugh out loud.

[coop]

It would be silly to think Valley will not beat East, especially returning 95% of a Regional Championship team. The Indians will have a chance to win every game they play in, and yes even against Madd Doggs Pirates. I'm not saying they will go 9-0, but they will have a chance to win every game.

I believe some people said the same thing last yr and correct me if I'm wrong didn't burg beat valley

Just because they didn't win the game last year has no bearing on what they can do this year, and as far as that goes...Valley put the Regional Championship trophy in the spot the SOC trophy was supposed to go in

Having won 3 of the last 4 SOC II titles, and a BIG core of players returning, they will have a chance to win every game, just like I stated. Will they? We wont know until the season plays out.

To say they "don't have a chance" against Burg would be foolish, but then again....I'm talking with Mad_Dogg

[lineman7]

I think the most impressive thing about Valley last year was how they progressed. The team that lost to West/Burg was not the same team that played in the State Seminfinal game against the perennial power up there Kirtland. Valley was given 0 chance to win and it was said they would be ran out of the house, yet with less than a quarter left it was 14-7, Valley had all the momentum and Kirtland was clearly on the ropes (a missed tackle changed all that quickly of course).

To me if Valley keeps the progress they gained at the end of the last year and continues to grow this year will be the most special year in the history of the program. They have all the pieces in place, leadership with plenty of experience and one of the best coaching staffs in the area.

The only obvious weakness I see in the team is depth (which we won't really get an idea about until practices start) and the health of the team. Injuries to any key positions (such as the MLB, QB, or RBs) could be devastating.

I believe the SOC2 will be wide open this year and I am really looking forward to watching games every weekend.

[courier]

Yep, lineman7.....the defense really came together in the playoffs...Not sure if that's because of the linemen that returned from injury or because they finally started to understand their roles but they really played well down the stretch..

[Izladoom]

I'm hearing romanello will be playing wr this year instead of te

[4thgoal]

I'm hearing romanello will be playing wr this year instead of te

That would make sense because their only real receiver graduated. Honestly, I am not sure if that is a good move or not. He was really effective last year because he was faster than the LBs who were trying to cover him. Put him on the outside against faster corners and he may not do as well.

Valley's key this year will be their health. They have a good core group of kids, but depth could be an issue. With more kids playing both ways, they can't afford any injuries at all. If they all stay healthy, they will be tough.

[EastBeast06]

Valley v. East was always a really good matchup for about a decade or so ending when Valley moved up to the SOC II but obviously the two schools have taken different directions over the years. East lost 2 good players already, one we already all know is an OSU commit so I highly doubt they have the horses to keep this game close at all but it will still be cool to see due to the history between the two.

I know from 1996-2006 Valley was 11-0 against East, and in the 2006 season Valley joined the SOC II, so the decade before that would have been the one I just spoke of. I don't think any of those games were within 2 scores...maybe it was a good matchup in the late 80s-early 90s.

One good East/Valley match-up I remember was during the 2004 season was when Valley was up 14-7 with only seconds remaining. The final score ended up being 20-7 at the hands of a pick six by a Valley defender.

[Piratefan2]

I think East won't be any push over this year and if the Indians let their guards down, East may surprise them with a long run for the TD and win 21-20??????

[Badboy]

I think East won't be any push over this year and if the Indians let their guards down, East may surprise them with a long run for the TD and win 21-20??????

Please pass that bottle you are chugging down to me before it runs out. Seems like good stuff!

[coop]

It looks to be set in stone that Valley will play a 9 game schedule...how's everything else looking?

[Izladoom]

It looks to be set in stone that Valley will play a 9 game schedule...how's everything else looking?

How will this affect their playoff chances?

[courier]

Winning takes care of any concerns of a playoff bid. If you aren't competitive and winning in your league then you probably don't deserve a playoff game. I suspect Valley will do just fine as long as they stay healthy. I believe the expert numbers cruncher will say it won't hurt them at all as long as they win the bulk of their games.

[Crab's Brother]

A 9 game schedule won't hurt the playoff chances at all in this Region.

As far as some of the other things people are "hearing" honestly crack me up.

I stopped by team camp last night and there looked to be about 70 kids out (That includes 20-25 (I would guess) Jr. High kids), so the numbers are there. I believe there will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 seniors so everything is in place. There looks to be plenty of depth in the trenches both ways. There are a lot of kids in those spots that can really contribute. Valley's skill kids are as good and probably better than basically everyone around, but there is a large lack of depth there. Rolfe, Howard, and Romanello will be the best QB, RB, and TE in the league and on the schedule, but the drop off is pretty severe.

All and all, I look for a very nice season out of the Indians including a shot at the league title and another run at the Region 21 championship.

[buckeyes41]

I dont see any reason why a school in Ohio cant fill as schedule. If it doesnt hurt you to only play nine games, then why doesnt everyone do that. Thats one less game you dont have to worry about kids getting injured. There should be some kind of penalty for not playing a full schedule. I get that they may be good enough that they could still make playoffs but if it came down ( for that 7-8 spot) between a school that only plays 9 games and a school that played a full schedule. I think the the full schedule should get those spots. IMO. Again, I just dont get not being able to fill a 10 game schedule.

[eagles73Taylor]

Buckeyes the problem is the Soc II with only 4 league games. Only independents would have weeks 3,4,5, and 6 open! Unless you want to travel to the ends of the earth! I couldn't imagine trying to find games, I know for a fact how hard it is to find weeks 1-3 for Piketon.

[4thgoal]

I dont see any reason why a school in Ohio cant fill as schedule. If it doesnt hurt you to only play nine games, then why doesnt everyone do that.

To me, the top reason not to do that is because the season is short already with 10 games and the team (especially the seniors) deserve to be able to play a full schedule. Another top reason not to play a 9 games schedule is gate/concession money. At nearly every school, this money is counted on by the entire athletics department and if you take 20% of the cash away, something has to give. Other reasons not to play a 9 game schedule include reducing the number of times the band and cheerleaders have to perform.

Wheelersburg was also close to ending up with a 9 game schedule as well. Maybe this will make the SOC reconsider an alignment change for football to bring Oak Hill or another team to the SOCII.