Alleghany Mountaineer head baseball coach Gary Rice has retired. He was the head coach for 51 years and was varsity head man for the last 40 years for the Mountaineers.
Galax head girls basketball coach Howard Mayo has stepped down. He has excepted the girls head coaching job at Fort Chiswell High School.
The Bobcats football team got bad and good news. First, the bad news is assistant coach Pierson Prioleau has left. He has been named an administrative football coach for Va. Tech. The official title is the director of player development for the defense. Prioleau is a former Hokie and went on and played in the NFL. He played for Buffalo, Washington, and New Orleans. He won a Super Bowl ring while playing for the Saints. He had been the co-defensive coordinator for Radford the last six years. His son P J had over 1,000 total yards for the Bobcats last year as a sophomore. The Prioleau’s will remain living in Radford.
The good news for the Bobcats is they have gotten two transfers. Kip Green formerly of Giles and Xavier Cobbs formerly Pulaski Co. will now play football for the Bobcats come August.
Junior lineman Ben Cox of Radford High School Bobcats has verbally committed to Vanderbilt University. The offensive lineman helped the Bobcats to the state semifinal game of Class 2 last fall. Cox is 6-4 250 lbs.
VHSL Class 1 team has been announced and State Champion Auburn Eagles are well represented. Carter Keith, Keith Reed, Taylor Newcome, and Austin Kirtner have been named to the Class 1 first team. Galax’s Kolby Barnes and Cade Ashworth also made the first team squad as did Chilhowie’s Greg Sanchez. Auburn’ head coach Eric Altizer was named Coach of the Year.
POOL A
Fri. June 28– vs Launch OTK – 1:30 pm – @ King Univ.-Field 1
Sat. June 29– vs Morristown Senators- 11:15 am – @ ETSU
Sat. June 29– vs Knox New Balance- 3:45 pm – @ Milligan College-Field 1
Sun. June 30 – TBD
Radford… The NRV Tigers 18U showcase team won three games and lost two in their opening weekend of travel baseball. They did make it to the Blue Ridge Invitational Championship game that took place at Radford University.
Things went well for the first three innings as the Tigers had a 7-2 lead over the Diamond Elite team from Northern Va. before a lightning delay. The delay of 30 minutes seemed to make the two teams switch uniforms, as the Elite team then produced their own thunder and lightning scoring eight runs in the fourth, two in fifth and four more in the sixth to win the championship game, 18-10.
The Tigers committed five errors in the championship with four of those happening after the delay. Head coach Todd Davis remarked, ” The delay seemed to really hurt us and help them. Our outfield had played so well the first four games but they had their problems after the delay. We hit the ball well, got good pitching for the first-weekend playing together. There’s room for improvement.”
The Tigers were lead in hits by Carter Plunkett and Shawn Campbell, both with eight. Nick Funk had 12 RBI and Plunkett had 11. Drew Dalton had five RBI and Leighton Dunford four. Campbell scored seven runs, Dalton and Plunkett both scored five. Funk, Punky Foster, and Blake Stanley all scored four runs each. Plunkett hit three homers, as Dunford, Funk, and Daniel Cook hit one each.
The Tigers lost their Friday game 11-7 to the RBI Tri-Cities team. They would then beat the Dirtbags 12-1 and Va. Venom 12-5 Saturday. Sunday they beat the U. S. Elite squad 4-0 to advance to the championship game.
The Tigers have players from area high schools: Pulaski Co., Auburn, Fort Chiswell, Grayson Co. Carroll Co., Princeton WV. just to name a few.
The squad will now travel to East Tennessee St. University to play June 28-30.
Class 1- Auburn 9 Lancaster 0- Congrats to Auburn Eagles!!!!!!
Class 2 – Chatham 23 Lebanon 5
Class 3- Fluvanna Co. 16 Tabb 10
Class 4- Lafayette 9 Riverside 8
Class 1- Lancaster 3 PH- Glade Spring 1
Class 1-Auburn 4 Riverheads 3
Class 2- Lebanon 11 Page Co 1
Class 2- Chatham 11 Stuart’s Draft 7
Class 3- Tabb 4 Brookville 3
Class 3- Fluvanna Co. 5 Brentsville 4
Class 4- Lafayette 8 LCA 2
Class 4- Riverside 3 Great Bridge 0
Fri. June 14- Probably @ Wm. Byrd HS- Vinton
NRV vs RBI Tri-Cities Titans- 12:30 pm
Sat. June 15- @ Va. Tech
NRV Tigers vs Dirtbags – 9 am
NRV Tigers vs Va. Venom – 5:45 pm @ Ferrum College
Sun. June 16 – place – time – TBD- Pool plays decides where & when
Thurs. June 13 – State Semifinals @ Kiwanis Field -Salem
9 am – Class 4- Riverside ( 17-7) vs Great Bridge ( 18-6)
12 noon – Class 4 – LCA ( 25-1) vs Lafayette ( 17-7)
3 pm – Class 3- Brookville ( 19-8) vs Tabb ( 20-3)
6 pm – Class 3- Fluvanna Co. ( 21-3) vs Brentsville ( 21-3)
Fri. June 14 – State Finals @ Kiwanis Field – Salem
9 am – Class 4 – winners
12 noon – Class 3 -winners
