2016 Western MD Football Schedules
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Cumberland isn't in Maryland. Anything this far west is better off in WV from athletics to politics to money. Hasn't anyone just accepted this yet?
When was the last time FH or Allegany played top quality Maryland teams on a consistent basis? Sure there were small term deals here or there seldom at best, but since the old CVAL broke up...notta. Hell, it's like pulling teeth just to get an adjacent Washington County team on the slate.
To follow up on what was already posted, who would be considered a quality 1A or 2A football opponent in the entire state? A few teams in or around DC or Baltimore possibly and how do you get them to sign a two year deal to travel this far for one of the games? You don't, even if they had a hole in their league schedule.
The quality opponents for Cumberland are going to be from WV, VA and on an occasion PA. Look at a map, LOL. That's they way it's been for a long time and that's the way it's going to remain.
When was the last time FH or Allegany played top quality Maryland teams on a consistent basis? Sure there were small term deals here or there seldom at best, but since the old CVAL broke up...notta. Hell, it's like pulling teeth just to get an adjacent Washington County team on the slate.
To follow up on what was already posted, who would be considered a quality 1A or 2A football opponent in the entire state? A few teams in or around DC or Baltimore possibly and how do you get them to sign a two year deal to travel this far for one of the games? You don't, even if they had a hole in their league schedule.
The quality opponents for Cumberland are going to be from WV, VA and on an occasion PA. Look at a map, LOL. That's they way it's been for a long time and that's the way it's going to remain.
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Honestly, I like it this way. I love the different flavor the WV, VA, and PA teams bring to the table. Much better fan bases, much better football atmosphere. Maryland has a lot of talent but there are very few 1A and 2A teams that can provide the atmosphere, fan base, ticket sales, etc. that say a Keyser, Sherando, Hollidaysburg, etc. bring. Besides, if Fort Hill gets the job done, as they have for 3 straight years, they're going to get a guaranteed 4 straight playoff caliber Maryland teams in the playoffs.
South doesn't have a consistently successful program. Before last year's South game most of the people on this board predicted FH would win by at least 2 TD's. And as I've noted before, 3A/2A/1A is conveniently used as an excuse. There are programs that are dedicated to football and programs that are not. If you can play 4A Walter Johnson (a school not dedicated to football) why can't you play the better 3A schools? Keyser has a good program and I'm not saying take Keyser off the schedule, I was stating a fact that they will be in rebuilding mode this season.
"4 straight playoff caliber Maryland teams in the playoffs"??? Last season that included Northern 6-5 and Forestville 6-7, lol
South is 40-12 since 2011 with two playoff appearances and would have two more had they not been stuck in 3A West. That's consistency.
Why can't FH play the better 3A schools? And the 1A schools that do play the better 3A's are?????
Again...why MARYLAND?? Why do the quality opponents have to be Maryland? Hollidaysburg is a quality 2A small 3A school. Sherando is a quality 4A school. I mean whats the difference what state they are from? You take the games you can find. If you want to leave South off the list, then fine. But FH plays a quality 4A school, a quality 2A school, and 2 quality 1A schools on this schedule. Being from MD is moot. You're not making any new in-roads on your argument that you've been rehashing for years.
Don't read into this any more than what is says. I don't care how good they are, the fact is that if you make it all the way to The Bank are you not in fact playing 4 straight Maryland Playoff teams. My point is why worry about stacking the Fort Hill Schedule with winning Maryland teams when the reality is if you get the job done, 4 Maryland Playoff teams will be automatically added to your schedule......period, I'm not saying they're good, but they are, at least, playoff eligible. Honestly, I get no joy out of playing these Maryland schools with no fan base, it's embarrassing playing some of these "good" or "decent" Maryland schools that literally can't muster up enough fans to fill a few station wagons. I'll travel up into PA and play at Clearfield or Central or Hollidaysburg to play in front of a few thousand people who love football and great concession stand food and atmosphere rather than playing some Metro team that doesn't even bring 1 parent per player to Greenway. Central, PA was like a College Atmosphere, much like Greenway can be. You parked in some neighborhood and walked past a bunch of people throwing tailgate parties in their front yard. Go to Keyser, thousands of fans, great atmosphere. Seriously, who needs these boring Maryland opponents, you're going to get 3 or 4 of them in the playoffs.
Fans love it, most importantly the kids love it, and you're going to get a battle out of many of these teams that makes the kids tougher, not just a track meet in front of 32 visiting fans. I know Frederick High is no good, but to illustrate a point, when they played Allegany at Greenway this year I hand-counted the Frederick fans.....there were 12 of them, 12, literally a dozen, no exaggeration. 5 of that 12 came from the same family. People can say it isn't about the fans and it clearly isn't, it's about the kids, but do you think the kids would bust their tail and give it their all if not for the fact that they are worshiped and adored by throngs of thousands. These big games in front of thousands and the big atmosphere associated with them help the program, help with the excitement, and the excitement helps with the motivation.
Why do posters like Boyz always yap about the FH schedule? Its not hard to figure out. I can understand you are tired of FH winning. But My god, I looked at Alco's schedule and blew milk out of my nose. That thing is completely embarrassing. This from a team that played FH to the wire twice last year. Why the different standard Boyz? Also, no one associated with the team cares about the state media poll. There is no need for any 1A school to prove they belong in a top caliber 4A competition. Winning titles is the goal. Your repeated pleas for FH to play a powerful 3A and 4A team does not reflect a higher intelligence. Which is sad because I sense you know football. You just lose sight of things when it comes to an obsession with FH playing bigger and better Maryland schools who won't or cant schedule FH to begin with. Everytime some one points this out you kept bringing up Walter Johnson. Seriously? Of couse the is a difference between WJ and other 4A schools. DAH!
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I've always supported FH and Alco but I'm a realist. I'm going to question people who say South is a quality opponent, or say the 1A playoffs are filled with good teams. And you are correct, I do have an issue with State Media Poll because it's very poorly done. I've said consistently that no 1A team (in recent years) should be on the poll, I didn't just single out FH. I know it makes you mad, but FH and Alco simply aren't top 20 teams in Maryland.
According to commentary on this board and people I've talked with in person, the schedule is designed to win the 1A title and it's been successful for three years in a row. And I've said for three years (and I even said it earlier in this thread) that it's a smart strategy. Last year for example, I think Douglass 2A (PG) over-scheduled and it probably cost them the state title. They missed the playoffs mainly because they lost to 4A Wise when they could have played an easier opponent.
For a 1A school, any 1A school, South Hagerstown is a quality opponent. Not world beaters, but a quality opponent.
I actually agree with you on the state media poll thing. They should do 2 polls like they do the all-state teams. One fo 1A/2A the other for 3A/4A. I have stated before that no 1A team should be on that list including some of the great Dunbar teams.
On the other hand I still believe FH could beat some of the teams in that Top 25 list. Then again many teams don't belong in that Top 25 list.
On the other hand I still believe FH could beat some of the teams in that Top 25 list. Then again many teams don't belong in that Top 25 list.
I am not knocking any of the local teams schedule. One thing I will say and it is not a slam towards FH is that they do a great job of marketing their games. Last year for example when they played South, Sherando and the team from PA FH people had these games billed up to be the biggest games on the planet that weekend. Nothing wrong with Alco's schedule their fan base just does not support them the way FH does. Correct me of I'm wrong but don't FH and Alco have 5 common opponets?
Ok, with the exception of Clearfield name two teams on Alcos schedule that even came close to comparing to SH or Sherando? While Clearfield was touted as a quality program, they did not live up to the level of FH or Alco. Their coach/principle/AD an absolute coward for not honoring the two year contract for a return game.
Lmao , you all on the north side of town should focus on your own schedule , honestly I don't give 2 $hits about the schedule as long as FH takes out ALCO, honestly you should focus on your coaching staff probably a good place to start.. KEEP DOING THE SAME OLD THINGS,,GET THE SAME OLD RESULTS .
Still didn't answer my question. Which team on Alco's schedule came close to SH that wasn't a common opponent on FH's schedule. You stated nothing was wrong with Alco's schedule.
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Boyz, what specifically is your definition of a quality opponent? Here's mine: a team that consistently has winning seasons of 6 or more wins, a team whose win/loss percentage is higher against teams of similar size and competition, and a team that matches up in most areas of performance, size and athleticism.
South fits. But for example, Northern doesnt. They have winning teams and have a high win/loss percentage - but they don't really match up in all areas of performance or athelticism.
I fail to see where South High doesn't fit those parameters. But I'm open to other definitions.
Using that same definition, Keyser is a quality opponent, which I notice you didn't immediately dismiss. The only difference between them and SH is that over the last 10 years of playing, Keyser has a few wins over FH. Fort Hill hasn't been playing South for that long, but I'm not sure the Rebels wouldn't have also won a game or two over FH in the last 10 years as well. As would have several other of the newer teams FH is playing.
The problem with not being in a league or having traditionally set games is that we only get a very small example of how the teams match up. In any given 1 or 2 year chunk, Fort Hill may win both games...but over 5 years, 10 years, etc...when rosters and talent levels change, we see different results. So yeah, FH defeated Clearfield pretty badly last year even though we thought it might be a better game. But how well did Clearfield know FH? Was this their strongest team in the last 10 years? If they had been playing FH for a few years, would they have different strategies for equalizing game play? etc..I mean, that's why Alco always plays Fort Hill so tough. In the last few years FH has, on paper, been the heavy favorite - but Alco knows FH better than any other team out there. Because they have a history. Same with Keyser.
So just because FH beat Cleafield handily, after one year...can it be established that would be the norm? No. I'd love to see us play these teams over a long range, but with the way scheduling is...it's just not feasible. Thus, FH basically plays a brand new set of opponents for 50% of their schedule every year or two. How can you determine trends from that?
South fits. But for example, Northern doesnt. They have winning teams and have a high win/loss percentage - but they don't really match up in all areas of performance or athelticism.
I fail to see where South High doesn't fit those parameters. But I'm open to other definitions.
Using that same definition, Keyser is a quality opponent, which I notice you didn't immediately dismiss. The only difference between them and SH is that over the last 10 years of playing, Keyser has a few wins over FH. Fort Hill hasn't been playing South for that long, but I'm not sure the Rebels wouldn't have also won a game or two over FH in the last 10 years as well. As would have several other of the newer teams FH is playing.
The problem with not being in a league or having traditionally set games is that we only get a very small example of how the teams match up. In any given 1 or 2 year chunk, Fort Hill may win both games...but over 5 years, 10 years, etc...when rosters and talent levels change, we see different results. So yeah, FH defeated Clearfield pretty badly last year even though we thought it might be a better game. But how well did Clearfield know FH? Was this their strongest team in the last 10 years? If they had been playing FH for a few years, would they have different strategies for equalizing game play? etc..I mean, that's why Alco always plays Fort Hill so tough. In the last few years FH has, on paper, been the heavy favorite - but Alco knows FH better than any other team out there. Because they have a history. Same with Keyser.
So just because FH beat Cleafield handily, after one year...can it be established that would be the norm? No. I'd love to see us play these teams over a long range, but with the way scheduling is...it's just not feasible. Thus, FH basically plays a brand new set of opponents for 50% of their schedule every year or two. How can you determine trends from that?
I actually see your point about South because it seems like their program is on the rise. They were 9-2 and 10-1 in 2013 and 2014, but they had three small teams on the schedule. Last year they stepped up their competition level and although they were 6-4, they didn't have a bad loss. Everyone they lost to was a playoff team.
Sherando will have a lot of young talent this year, but I don't expect them to be a challenge for Fort Hill at home to win. They will still be a tough opponent , but in my opinion not a team to win up in Cumberland this year. Still might be the toughest team on FH schedule this year along with Martinsburg.
Silver Oak will be playing FH and Allegany on their campus on Saturday afternoons this season instead of at a local rec field. FH and Allegany are Silver Oak's only 2 home games that I have so far.
Silver Oak Academy:
Week 1 (9/2)- at Steelton Highspire (PA)
Week 2 (9/9)- at Francis Scott Key
Week 3-
Week 4 (9/24)- Fort Hill
Week 5 (10/1)- Allegany
Week 6 (10/8)- at Mount Saint Joseph
Week 7 (10/14)- at Easton
Week 8 (10/21)- at Caravel (DE)
Week 9 (10/28)- at Avalon
Week 10 (11/4)- at Saint Frances
Week 11 (11/11)- at Friendship Collegiate (DC)
Silver Oak Academy:
Week 1 (9/2)- at Steelton Highspire (PA)
Week 2 (9/9)- at Francis Scott Key
Week 3-
Week 4 (9/24)- Fort Hill
Week 5 (10/1)- Allegany
Week 6 (10/8)- at Mount Saint Joseph
Week 7 (10/14)- at Easton
Week 8 (10/21)- at Caravel (DE)
Week 9 (10/28)- at Avalon
Week 10 (11/4)- at Saint Frances
Week 11 (11/11)- at Friendship Collegiate (DC)
Most folks in Allegany County understand and accept what Southern has been made to endure these last few football seasons. But the sympathy is gone now because picking up Alco only was a horrible decision in terms of long term relationships. It crushed the respect factor.
I've heard it explained by certain Southern people the schedule just worked out that way, that Southern just needed to fill week 1. No chance. They had other weeks open and everyone knows it. This decision wasn't an "Accident". If Southern ever wants to play FH again they are probably looking at a 6 year contract minimum, otherwise they are just picking and choosing what years they might be descent and that's a low down Frankfort maneuver.
I've heard it explained by certain Southern people the schedule just worked out that way, that Southern just needed to fill week 1. No chance. They had other weeks open and everyone knows it. This decision wasn't an "Accident". If Southern ever wants to play FH again they are probably looking at a 6 year contract minimum, otherwise they are just picking and choosing what years they might be descent and that's a low down Frankfort maneuver.
I understand what you may think or believe but here are the facts, as I understand them:
1) phone calls were made to both Fort Hill and Alco,the same day, advising both that SHS had the first week open. Whoever returned the call first, SHS would play. All other play dates, at the time these calls were made, were full.
2) SHS had played Fort Hill for 14 straight years (TD Helmick can verify that # I could be wrong), the SHS program was in very poor condition (not crying the blues and not looking for sympathy) and it was agreed to drop Fort Hill for 2 years. However, SHS could not find an opponent for week 1 so both Cumberland schools were contacted.
3) there is a possibility that SHS will be on Fort Hill's schedule again in 2017. I know that TD Helmick deals with the athletic director @ SHS ( who has the utmost respect for TD) and maybe he could shed some light on this.
If you look @ my posts, I have ALWAYS questioned why area schools do not play each other, but in reality, I don't know if that has ever happened. Many years ago when the SHS program was strong, they had to travel to Ohio or PA to play schools due to schools not willing to play them. I truly understand why Fort Hill would be upset with area schools not playing them but to claim this was some sort of "Accident" on the part of SHS is unjust.
I
1) phone calls were made to both Fort Hill and Alco,the same day, advising both that SHS had the first week open. Whoever returned the call first, SHS would play. All other play dates, at the time these calls were made, were full.
2) SHS had played Fort Hill for 14 straight years (TD Helmick can verify that # I could be wrong), the SHS program was in very poor condition (not crying the blues and not looking for sympathy) and it was agreed to drop Fort Hill for 2 years. However, SHS could not find an opponent for week 1 so both Cumberland schools were contacted.
3) there is a possibility that SHS will be on Fort Hill's schedule again in 2017. I know that TD Helmick deals with the athletic director @ SHS ( who has the utmost respect for TD) and maybe he could shed some light on this.
If you look @ my posts, I have ALWAYS questioned why area schools do not play each other, but in reality, I don't know if that has ever happened. Many years ago when the SHS program was strong, they had to travel to Ohio or PA to play schools due to schools not willing to play them. I truly understand why Fort Hill would be upset with area schools not playing them but to claim this was some sort of "Accident" on the part of SHS is unjust.
I
Devils advocate here...but if this was FH's schedule every year:
1 - Keyser
2 - Northern
3 - Southern
4 - Hancock
5 - Ridge
6 - Frankfort
7 - Hampshire
8 - Smithsburg
9 - Boonsboro
10 - Allegany
...I'd ask when we could go back to Keymar to play Silver Oak. With the yearly exception of weeks 1 and 10, and sometimes 9, and rarely 5...this schedule would suck.
1 - Keyser
2 - Northern
3 - Southern
4 - Hancock
5 - Ridge
6 - Frankfort
7 - Hampshire
8 - Smithsburg
9 - Boonsboro
10 - Allegany
...I'd ask when we could go back to Keymar to play Silver Oak. With the yearly exception of weeks 1 and 10, and sometimes 9, and rarely 5...this schedule would suck.
Every school has to do what is best for their own students and some times that course of action may not be beneficial to other schools. It all goes back to this silly, stupid regional playoff set up. Time and time again I have referenced this idiotic system. Fort Hill has to live in it like everyone else. Sorry to continue beating this drum, if the playoff system were different then FH would be better off not playing a local/regional schedule in football. It would be great to play Martinsburg, Morgantown and Linganore on a regular basis. It just cannot be so under this umbrella.
Either force teams in each region to play each other or do away with the regional system. One or the other.
Either force teams in each region to play each other or do away with the regional system. One or the other.
I hate Allegany's schedule. I'm an Alco fan and I understand how hard it is to put together a schedule but as a football fan it is snooze city.
That's why I like the Pa system where only sectional games count. Their system allows teams to play up in competition and not be penalized. I really think that this is the only format that would encourage loading the schedule with more challenging teams. A 1-16 seeding still encourages weaker schedules. (With a few exceptions, this is a State wide issue.)
Any other insight or news on Northern's schedule. According to Eagles post on the Baltimore Sun forum, Northern is playing Brunswick Week 5, but other than that haven't heard anything else on the changes. Wonder if Clear Spring is off the schedule or just moved to one of the other open weeks, are they only playing 9 games or picked up someone else? Most of the WV schedules are filled, at least the teams that would be possibilities. Just curious, not looking to rehash the whole schedule debate, it's been debated into the ground....
Just missing Week 9 for Northern now:
Northern Garrett:
Week 1 (9/2)- at Smithsburg
Week 2 (9/9)- Tucker County (WV)
Week 3 (9/16)- Clear Spring
Week 4 (9/23)- at Frankfort (WV)
Week 5 (9/30)- Brunswick
Week 6 (10/7)- Moorefield (WV)
Week 7 (10/14)- Mountain Ridge
Week 8 (10/21)- at Allegany
Week 9-
Week 10 (11/4)- at Southern Garrett
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