Reply Board: 2A Powerhouses

[Fortfor5]

Abbeville, Saluda, and Gray Collegiate are undoubtedly the three best teams in 2A.

In my personal opinion, if all three of these teams moved up to 3A, they would still be among the top 5 teams in the state. Will catch some slack for this, but, Gray handily took down the second ranked 3A team in the state, Saluda took down a perrenial 3A contender in Strom Thurmond (52-20 at their house), and Abbeville would hands down, still dominate in 3A and would probably be a top contender in 4A.

Any thoughts or stats we have to prove me wrong?

Disclaimer: Not trash talking, just trying to spark some conversation for the bunch. Y'all play nice

Probably so. But a lot of thier fans think they can hang with top 5 ot so 5 a teams in tbe state .
I mean is a upset possible sure .even a blind squirrel finds. Nut once in a while .but absolutely not in 5a .
Bit yeah they can hang with a few teams .

Like Df our oline is big 325 290 c260 325 280
D line has size too.

[Ddub14]

In a one shot deal could Abbeville upset a top team absolutely . But take this scenario for instance.
Could they play Greenwood and beat them , maybe.
Could they beat Greenwood , Greenville , Lauren’s , and Greer in successive weeks I would say that’s a hard sale.
The numbers and the grind take a toll when you start playing those type teams week in and week out. And those are 4A schools. Abbeville should be proud of what they do every year. They have the perfect system for the situation their in and have mastered it .

[Itsmeoclock21]

Why doesn’t Abbeville play Byrnes Greenwood Dorman or Gaffney in non-region. Or some of the top teams in 4A. I’m sure that would bring a lot of fans big gate money.

[Ddub14]

Greenwood makes sense
Those other schools already got so many bullets being slung at them that I can see why they don’t play. I would Daniel to play them. Better competition in non region playoff only helps. But they have so many built in rivalries already, they can’t play everybody.

[spectator]

Abbeville ran all over Hartsville a few years ago........

[Ddub14]

Yea we know. Again I don’t think anyone is questioning how good Abbeville is and what they can do in a one off situation. The question is could they mantain throughout a season against top level competition. We will never know so it’s kind of a mute point .

[Creekwater Werts]

Why doesn’t Abbeville play Byrnes Greenwood Dorman or Gaffney in non-region. Or some of the top teams in 4A. I’m sure that would bring a lot of fans big gate money.

Can't speak for all, but I know some are scared. Abbeville proved to Hartsville they can win at that level. You start looking at the pros and cons for bigger schools to play them, and it's not really in their favor.

If I'm a 4A school and schedule a 2A non-region opponent, the pros are:
-Maybe higher ticket sales
-....

Cons:
-Beat a 2A school, don't move up in power rankings
-Lose to a 2A School
-Players lose confidence if they lose, and no confidence gained if they win.

If a 4A/5A team wins, it doesn't necessarily make them look better. If they lose, it ruins reputation, culture, become a 4A laughing stock, and could cause tension for HBC's job security.

It's not really worth it even if they win, and I don't blame them. But at the same time, I feel like there is a lot of 4A coaches who know what would happen, and would never begin to schedule a game with them.

[Creekwater Werts]

Greenwood makes sense
Those other schools already got so many bullets being slung at them that I can see why they don’t play. I would Daniel to play them. Better competition in non region playoff only helps. But they have so many built in rivalries already, they can’t play everybody.

True.

Unfortunately, since realignment, Abbeville is forced to schedule some rivalries out of conference. This limits their space to expand on non-region games.

Don't think they are scared though. Honestly think they've probably tried to schedule some elite teams. You're exactly right though, elites really have nothing to gain, and a lot to lose, so probably not many return calls.

[Atown97]

Why doesn’t Abbeville play Byrnes Greenwood Dorman or Gaffney in non-region. Or some of the top teams in 4A. I’m sure that would bring a lot of fans big gate money.

I was a Senior and captain on one of the greatest abbeville high teams ever...1996 team blistered greenwood 30 to 0...no one ever talks about it. They thought we was the little 2aa school from abbeville. We slap them so hard that win established so much over the years. I always remind people from greenwood when they start talking about little abbeville

[Creekwater Werts]

Why doesn’t Abbeville play Byrnes Greenwood Dorman or Gaffney in non-region. Or some of the top teams in 4A. I’m sure that would bring a lot of fans big gate money.

I was a Senior and captain on one of the greatest abbeville high teams ever...1996 team blistered greenwood 30 to 0...no one ever talks about it. They thought we was the little 2aa school from abbeville. We slap them so hard that win established so much over the years. I always remind people from greenwood when they start talking about little abbeville

This is the kind of stuff that really does make me think otherwise. I'm a 2016 Saluda grad myself, and we didn't really turn things around until my senior year, so we don't have many upper classifications wins under our belt like you guys. A few dominant games against low-grade 3A teams and Strom Thurmond, but outside of that, the only 4A/5A competition we get is usually limited to scrimmages. Hard to make an argument off of that. Abbeville on the other hand, has done it for a long time, and embarrassed a solid Hartsville team only a few years ago.

Regardless. Over the last 5 years or so, whenever I have seen Abbeville and Saluda play stiffer competition, they've still won convincingly.

I've seen upper class teams say we have too many folks playing both ways. We do have a few skill positions that play both ways, but, those are also easily rotatable positions. I think I speak for Atown and Saluda when I say, you guys would be surprised at the few numbers of players we actually use both ways. Especially in the trenches.

Obviously, we are thinner, and would be hurt more by an injury than say a 4A team would. But speaking specifically to players going both ways, I don't think it's as big of a deal as people make it. Especially if those guys are a buck 70 and in the best shape of their life.

In my opinion, injuries are the only thing that could prevent either Atown or salu from making a run in a higher classification. If there is an injury at a 2A school, there is a hole. Sometimes you'll have a decent backup, but not as replaceable as an injury on a 4A/5A team.

A few players going both ways though? You still gettin popped. Week in and week out, barring injuries.