Dublin…Sports fans, another high school sports year has come and gone. It was exciting and at times, disappointing. It was “The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat“ just like the old Wide World of Sports show use to say.

There are many people I need to recognize for this past sports season such as Fort Chiswell Pioneer athletic director, Jeff Molinary, and Greg Wade, athletic director at Radford High School, as well as Scott Vest, the Pulaski Co. High School athletic director, for their help and for keeping me informed.

Then there are the coaches, Todd Tiller, Fort Chiswell football, and his staff and Matthew Saunders, Radford football and his staff. I appreciate you for letting me have access to both of your programs and letting me hang out. Andrew Hart, the Pulaski Co. Cougar basketball head coach, for allowing me to cover him and allowing me to keep his scorebook along with his assistants, Jonathan Penn and Brandon Smith for their help. Derrick Jackson head basketball and baseball man at Fort Chiswell allowed me to cover him and his staff in both sports. I appreciate Rick Cormany of Radford basketball for letting me cover him and his staff for their help. I also need to say I appreciate Fort Chiswell principal, Dyer Jackson, and Radford principal, Jeff Smith. Other people I’d like to thank are Darden Freeman, Ken Keister, Mike Roop, Shane Roop, Harriet Farris, Guenther Schlottman, Scotty Scott, Rupert Hill and Tina Quesenberry. Todd Davis of the NRV Tigers baseball tam has also helped to keep me up to date with his travel baseball team.

That brings me to baseball, and besides Coach Jackson of Fort Chiswell, Greg Ridpath of Radford has let me be a nuisance. Lastly, I need to say I appreciate Jared King and Zac Chrisley for allowing me to be in the Cougar dugout. Jared King, I hate to see you leave the dugout. I’ve enjoyed covering you these last five years of coaching the Cougars.

As of this writing Pulaski Co. is in the process of interviewing for a new head baseball coach. I understand there’s been a lot of interest and here’s hoping the right person will be hired to head the Cougar baseball program. One finally thing on Jared, the hottest I saw him was this season at Christianburg. A call was made that, in my eyes, was not correct. Jared went from the third base coaching box to home plate in nothing flat, telling the umpire he missed the call. He wasn’t thrown out because, in my opinion, the ump missed the call and let Coach King have his say. I didn’t know Jared could still move that fast. He will be missed.

Speaking of baseball, VHSL needs to step up and find some way of getting this pitch count of pitchers coordinated. In the Radford at Giles game there was a pitch count mistake or error made by the home team. Home team count is suppose to be the official count, but when there’s a miscount in a close game that keeps the home team pitcher in longer, something has to be done to correct that! Then there was a team that tried to re-enter a baseball player versus the Cougars at Cougar Field, but that wasn’t the person that they tried to put back in order for. Things happen that you have to keep an eye on.

Speaking of being at home and being official, there was a problem at Patrick Henry back in late January. The scorekeeper was trying to keep an eye on her child and keep the official scorebook as well. The game came to the seventh foul called on them and she had marked only six. Up to then we both had six on the Patriots. But no, that foul was the sixth instead of Cougars going into one and one. Referee comes over and says that we have to go with home book. They keep the official count. They were wrong, but official! Obviously hard to babysit and try to keep scorebook at same time, well duh.

Basketball saw Salem use a player that his jersey number wasn’t in the book. Coach was told. He wanted to put the name and number in the book and I said sure, after we call the ref over to tell him. Couple shots at free throw line later, the matter was straightened out. At Fort Chiswell during their Christmas Tournament, no foul shots were given on what should have been one-and- one. One of the best times this past season was when I got to keep score for Pulaski Co. versus Gate City at the Adam Ward Basketball Classic in Salem. Cougars played a heck of a game but lost. Gate City’s Mac McClung scored 44 points that afternoon as the Georgetown University bound player hit all sorts of shots. Then to be at Radford University to cover Gate City and Radford State Semifinal game was a big thrill. Gate City played their best defensive game of the year to beat the undefeated Bobcats. The place was packed and the line to get into was all the way around the Dedmon Center. Here’s hoping VHSL goes back to supersites for the regional semifinal and finals. It sure is great to see different teams in one place and the different styles the teams play, instead of one game here, one game there. I’m also happy to say the Cougar basketball team will participate in the Fort Chiswell Christmas Tournament this coming season. It will be three games in three days. Beside the Cougars, Fort Chiswell and Radford both are entered. The other five teams are to be announced. The games are played at Fort Chiswell High School after Christmas but before New Year’s Day. There also is a junior varsity tournament played there over the Holiday break.

Fort Chiswell Pioneer football went 7-4 and made the playoffs for the second year in a row. That’s not bad for a program that three seasons ago went 0-10. They are 16-8 the last two years. They will be competitive again this year as they lost only four starters off of the 7-4 squad. That brings me to Radford Bobcat football. They had one of those seasons that, if it would go wrong, it did. That explains their 2-8 record. They used, I believe, five different players at quarterback. They lost a player to cancer. One player got hurt walking out onto the practice field. Seven of their eight losses were by a total of 37 points. They led going into the fourth quarter in seven of those eight losses. Injuries, inexperience and just plain bad luck cost them that losing season. For those people that have been calling for a new football coach there, things could be lot worse. Try to support and back the coaches. They have won before and will again.

Well, that about does it for me and looking back at the high school sports season. Football is just around the corner. Football scrimmages start around August 10 and benefit games August 17. Regular season gets under way Friday August 24. Before all those dates though, there are seven-on-seven practices, weight lifting and practices. Then there are the good ole two-a-days. Have a great summer and hope to see you on a football field near you.