Meigs @ Belpre
Re: Meigs @ Belpre
First, let me say that otterslide was at the game as I spoke with him as he was coming into the stadium. As for Gregg811, I didn't see him but I don't always get to, but I sat with with at the last soccer game and he does so much for these kids, feeds them etc, and gets very little thanks in return. In addition, he spends alot of time attending games at another school to watch his niece play ball. When he is not there in person, he is there in spirit for the kids.
As for me, I was on the Meigs side, the Belpre side and in between. I was even out on the field with the seniors as I had the honor to walk across the field with my wife and our son as he was honored along with the other Belpre seniors. (I might add that prior to this, the names of the Meigs senior football palyers and cheerleaders were read in recoginition of their last game in a Meigs uniform for fall sports). My son is not a football player but a soccer player. We were easy to spot as we were the last family to walk across the field. If you visited the concession stand on the visitor's side, there was a good chance that I either waited on you or flipped your burger or roasted your hot dog.
I spent the last half of the 3rd quarter in our pressbox. While Meigs had a nice crowd there, it was not impressive from a standpoint of the size of school Meigs is and also considering the fine band that they brought with them. In fact, they were the best band that I have heard at any of our games this year. We dropped band because of low numbers. We hope to have it back in a few short years IF the numbers and interest continues to climb. I say this because there are some folks who come to the game not for football, but to watch their girls cheer or their boys and girls play in the band. We don't have the parent following of a band at our games and that hurts our crowd. My point is, that from being on both sides of the field, there were the same numbers in both bleachers. Ours look smaller because the home side is bigger than the visitors and when you sit in the bleachers (visitor or home side) you get the impression the stands are fuller than what they are.
We have fought low numbers in football at Belpre for years. A few years ago we dressed 18 players in grades 9-12. Our enrollment is declining - this hurts. We have a 2.0 GPA - this hurts. And, there are other factors that come into play. Last year and this year, we had enough players to play some JV games. The year we went to the playoffs, we didn't play JV ball. We didn't play a full JV schedule the past 2 years as we need to count quarters as to not affect a players eligiblity and with some injuries, games get cancelled. But, we are trying to get in as many JV games as we can.
The glory days of Belpre are past in the sense that we can no longer field seperate 7th, 8th, 9th grade, JV and varsity teams as we did when I was in school 30 some years ago. There were many games in which we pitted 15 year old players against 18 year players on friday night and it showed. The Meigs game was one of them as 2/3 of our starting backfield were in dress clothes and the other 1/3 was not playing his primary position. However, our kids played their hearts out. Parents, while frustrated with the result, showed patience and hopefully will stay the course for next year. We used many combinations of players to try and find success on both sides of the ball. We had kids play one position one week and a completely different position the next to adjust for injuries etc. To the best of my knowledge, the players did this without complaint.
As stated earlier, our community raised nearly $130,000 last year in less than 6 months for a new $300,000 lighting system (if we had let someone else do the installation) while at the same time raised over $80,000 to install new science labs (in less than 6 months) so our kids could have a state of the art lab for chemistry and physics. There is pride in our kids and our school. However, there does need to be more pride, win or lose.
While Belpre may never run 60 varisty football players through a tunnel of over 175 band members as we once did while being lead by 20 cheerleaders, the heart still beats and the desire is still there. We will play every year even if we are 0-10 as long as boys want to play. But, a vast majority of our players have moved on to basketball or wrestling, as they should. We do not expect our kids to play one sport, but as many as they are able to handle. My hope is that the ones that don't play a winter sport will work out instead of sitting, but, you can only lead the horse to water, drinking the water is his choice.
I salute our players, coaches, parents and fans for their efforts in this season. 26 years ago, we celebrated our first 10-0 season and a trip to the playoffs at Ironton Tanks Stadium. This year, we nurse the wounds of our first winless season in nearly 60 years of Belpre football. The final record does not reflect the hard work put in by all. Lets learn from this and build for next year because next year has already started and the clock is ticking to week #1 against Warren.
To are old friends in the TVC Ohio, good luck and good healthnext year. To our new friends in the TVC Hocking, we will have the chin straps tight. Hope you do the same.
As always...
LETS GO EAGLES!!!
As for me, I was on the Meigs side, the Belpre side and in between. I was even out on the field with the seniors as I had the honor to walk across the field with my wife and our son as he was honored along with the other Belpre seniors. (I might add that prior to this, the names of the Meigs senior football palyers and cheerleaders were read in recoginition of their last game in a Meigs uniform for fall sports). My son is not a football player but a soccer player. We were easy to spot as we were the last family to walk across the field. If you visited the concession stand on the visitor's side, there was a good chance that I either waited on you or flipped your burger or roasted your hot dog.
I spent the last half of the 3rd quarter in our pressbox. While Meigs had a nice crowd there, it was not impressive from a standpoint of the size of school Meigs is and also considering the fine band that they brought with them. In fact, they were the best band that I have heard at any of our games this year. We dropped band because of low numbers. We hope to have it back in a few short years IF the numbers and interest continues to climb. I say this because there are some folks who come to the game not for football, but to watch their girls cheer or their boys and girls play in the band. We don't have the parent following of a band at our games and that hurts our crowd. My point is, that from being on both sides of the field, there were the same numbers in both bleachers. Ours look smaller because the home side is bigger than the visitors and when you sit in the bleachers (visitor or home side) you get the impression the stands are fuller than what they are.
We have fought low numbers in football at Belpre for years. A few years ago we dressed 18 players in grades 9-12. Our enrollment is declining - this hurts. We have a 2.0 GPA - this hurts. And, there are other factors that come into play. Last year and this year, we had enough players to play some JV games. The year we went to the playoffs, we didn't play JV ball. We didn't play a full JV schedule the past 2 years as we need to count quarters as to not affect a players eligiblity and with some injuries, games get cancelled. But, we are trying to get in as many JV games as we can.
The glory days of Belpre are past in the sense that we can no longer field seperate 7th, 8th, 9th grade, JV and varsity teams as we did when I was in school 30 some years ago. There were many games in which we pitted 15 year old players against 18 year players on friday night and it showed. The Meigs game was one of them as 2/3 of our starting backfield were in dress clothes and the other 1/3 was not playing his primary position. However, our kids played their hearts out. Parents, while frustrated with the result, showed patience and hopefully will stay the course for next year. We used many combinations of players to try and find success on both sides of the ball. We had kids play one position one week and a completely different position the next to adjust for injuries etc. To the best of my knowledge, the players did this without complaint.
As stated earlier, our community raised nearly $130,000 last year in less than 6 months for a new $300,000 lighting system (if we had let someone else do the installation) while at the same time raised over $80,000 to install new science labs (in less than 6 months) so our kids could have a state of the art lab for chemistry and physics. There is pride in our kids and our school. However, there does need to be more pride, win or lose.
While Belpre may never run 60 varisty football players through a tunnel of over 175 band members as we once did while being lead by 20 cheerleaders, the heart still beats and the desire is still there. We will play every year even if we are 0-10 as long as boys want to play. But, a vast majority of our players have moved on to basketball or wrestling, as they should. We do not expect our kids to play one sport, but as many as they are able to handle. My hope is that the ones that don't play a winter sport will work out instead of sitting, but, you can only lead the horse to water, drinking the water is his choice.
I salute our players, coaches, parents and fans for their efforts in this season. 26 years ago, we celebrated our first 10-0 season and a trip to the playoffs at Ironton Tanks Stadium. This year, we nurse the wounds of our first winless season in nearly 60 years of Belpre football. The final record does not reflect the hard work put in by all. Lets learn from this and build for next year because next year has already started and the clock is ticking to week #1 against Warren.
To are old friends in the TVC Ohio, good luck and good healthnext year. To our new friends in the TVC Hocking, we will have the chin straps tight. Hope you do the same.
As always...
LETS GO EAGLES!!!
Re: Meigs @ Belpre
Fasteach, for your information, I was at the game. I have not missed a home game in over five years let alone only a few away games. My restuarant feeds these kids every game, home and away. I am one of the last people these kids see after a home game before they leave and am there when the bus pulls in from an away game.
I see these kids several times a week, as I previously stated, they know that I will be there for them no matter what. And furthermore, I and my restuarant supports other sports and other activities as well. I know the majority of these kids by name. I do what I do for the kids because I truley care about them. So don't ever question my support for THE BELPRE EAGLES or this community because you are barking up the wrong tree.
GO EAGLES!!!
I see these kids several times a week, as I previously stated, they know that I will be there for them no matter what. And furthermore, I and my restuarant supports other sports and other activities as well. I know the majority of these kids by name. I do what I do for the kids because I truley care about them. So don't ever question my support for THE BELPRE EAGLES or this community because you are barking up the wrong tree.
GO EAGLES!!!
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Howard Cosell
- All Conference
- Posts: 838
- Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2008 11:44 am
- Location: The city that never sleeps.... Dexter, Ohio!
Re: Meigs @ Belpre
fasteach wrote:otterslide apperantly you can't read. what i clearly said was the kids deserve better.if i upset some parents, good. the kids gave 100% 9 seniors is more than meigs had but belpre did not play as if THEY thought they could win. this attitude comes from the community. yes belpre was once not to long ago a power not just in the tvc but in SE ohio. what happened? 2 years ago you won the tvc with this group of seniors. as i recall they only had 22 and no coach until august. the community has lost it's desire for football when you have more kids trying for basketball than football not the kids!
as for eagle pawpaw. i counted 25 but of those 25 only about 15 played. take out the 9 seniors and you have 6 who played who where not seniors and 10 who would be jv. that means that 15 divided by the remaining grades 9-11 is about 5. most schools have more starting to play in the 9th grade and some quit as they go until there are fewer 12th graders than any other grade. after these kids are done who will belpre have next year? 6. again as i have said many times this year. meigs played new lex last year in the play-offs. they had 20 seniors. that is the type of commitment a school needs to be really good. meigs needs that! meigs had 6 seniors on a squad of 45. you get there, not by the kids ( who want to play), but by the parents who are willing to sacrifice to make it so. i don't know the belpre community, but it is NOT THE KIDS WHO DON"T CARE! it is the town!!
both of you if this hurts to hear good. the kids have given a commitment to sweat their butts off all summer nto for themselves FOR THE CHANCE TO REPRESENT YOU.pay them back show up to the games. cheer for them. get on here and tell the area that belpre is great. there was 2 posters on here saying that belpre had a chance. 2. is that how many boosters belpre has? 2? you're mad at me but i have been on here every week through a 5-5 season, pro meigs to the bone, the kids on the field did not quit and i did not quit on them. it really bothers me when meigs plays a team and at the game meigs fans out number the home fans 2 to 1. we drive 30 miles and you can't be bothered to drive 2? again that ain't the kids. that is the community. if you can't get excited about football then do something else. putting these kids last when about 5 seniors are going into the military, which means they will have given 1/2 their lives representing you, is on you...not me
belpre football players i think you are great. i salute you. you deserve the town's support. you got mine.
PLEASE, take down your avatar and quit admitting to people that you are from Meigs. You are embarrassing the rest of us...
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ronnie88richards
- JV Team
- Posts: 329
- Joined: Fri Jul 28, 2006 2:26 pm
Re: Meigs @ Belpre
I think Belpre will do much better next year being in the TVC Hocking an hopefully some more people will come out for football, its always good to have a good scout team to help out the number one offense/defense. I was looking through some old belpre yearbooks today at the library, an seen Belpre went undefeated for the first time back in 55-56' season an I thought it was cool that my grandpa r.i.p. played on that team Russell 'Ray' Richards his nickname was razor-blade probably for his haircut he had back then, he was 5-10 163lbs playing right tackle thats crazy, pretty small an his number was 23, how things have evolved since them days.