(1997) Appalachia at Powell Valley

The undefeated Appalachia Bulldogs (9-0) travel to Bullitt Park to take on the equally undefeated Powell Valley Vikings in an epic Lonesome Pine District finale featuring a clash of titans.
Played in front of a massive crowd, many consider this game to be the greatest of all time in Southwest Virginia, and for good reason. The amount of talent on the field was unreal, including multiple NCAA Division 1 recruits. Among them were future NFL running back Julius Jones, Wake Forest tight end Josh Warren, and Virginia Tech/Eastern Kentucky quarterback Travis Turner.
Both Appalachia and Powell Valley would unsurprisingly go on to win the Group A, Division 1 and Division 2 state titles, marking the third time the two perennial powerhouses brought home "twin titles." Both schools also won twin titles in 1989 and 1994.
Also worth noting: In 1997 the Gate City Blue Devils won the Group AA, Division 3 state championship and finished the season at 12-2, their only two losses to--you guessed it!--Appalachia and Powell Valley. Needless to say, 1997 was a phenomenal year for football in Southwest Virginia and it hasn't been the same ever since.
Appalachia and Powell Valley combined in 2011 to form the Union High School Bears. The Bears are coached by none other than Travis Turner, son of legendary Appalachia coach Tom Turner and Appalachia's starting quarterback from 1994 to 1997.

[@ethanalan1976]

These games are awesome! I'm glad to see you're putting videos up again. I think you should continue with this channel...SWVA has a tremendous atmosphere for football.

[@SWVAFootball]

Thank you for the support! More footage is on its way!

[@jiggy23]

A lot of fantastic athletes able to cover ground, quickly. Get caught guessing get motored by looking silly back in them days.