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Nothing about education is easy. One of the most overworked, underpaid professions there is.

My wife is a teacher and I've worked in education for 23 years. I would disagree. Being a classroom teacher with constant student interaction from 8 am to 3:30 pm, plus bus duty days with little to no breaks, M-F, in addition to using your planning period to remediate students and call parents. Then, grading papers and answering student and parent questions throughout the evening. I'm sorry but assistant principals don't even come close to that level of continuous work. You might argue that they deal with parent complaints, but these days, most administrators dodge, deflect and refer parents back to the teacher. If they don't, then the teacher gets yelled at, still not escaping. Remember, everything flows down hill.

I may not be a smart man but even I know a horses ass when I smell it.

Put your money on Rich Valley. If they can get past Garden, nobody in the East will touch then.

So, is Trivette coming to Central to play football?

Update: Tazewell had a skid steer show up at the field this week. It still hasn’t done anything, but it’s there. Still no work started.

This is insane and what’s wrong with sports right now you got kids quit because someone gets a job. People do not realize how hard it is to find coaches period! And we want to quit because someone is on staff. You already had one head coach step down because the star player wanted threatened to leave. It’s stupid back in the day your coach was your coach and you listened and got coached by him. If you didn’t like them you suck it up and play because of your teammates and love for the sport. And parents didn’t let them quit either

If it’s his son and the kid threw his helmet down, then I’m sitting out the crucify him mentality . If it’s not his kid then that changes the dynamics of the situation considerably.

Great hire. Proven winner and knows how to run a program.

We prefer Corrections Officers no doubt, Prison guards are what you saw in Shawshank, Like all professions, there's bad apples, but the vast majority of us are hardworking solid folks just trying to feed our families. BTW Sturgill hasn't been in the business for many years.

But... If you don't teach, you can recruit outside of the school.

I understand a portion of it was sent to McDowell County, WV, as a token of thanks for all the memories created.

Call me sentimental, but I miss the grass field. Now, I wouldn’t want to be responsible for upkeep, but I wholeheartedly believe that natural grass results in fewer injuries. I occasionally miss the dealing with the elements when a team that relies on power suddenly has an advantage when it comes to rain, snow, and mud.

Just paint the gravel green and blue and call it a day. It'll make the kids tougher in the long run.

He’s a prick, always has been

Coaches coach!!! Players play!!! Parents shut the hell up and enjoy watching your kid!!!

That's definitely not his son. Doesn't matter if it is or not. No place for a coach to put his hands on a player.

Well there are two teams close to each other that should be in class 2 and not 1...

Chilhowie with coaching? I will say a very strong tradition but PH in last 10 years would be hard to pass on tradition. Rye Cove willt be the tea to beat. Look for RR and Eastide to be top 4 along with another HOGO school

AJ Ashworth of Galax signed as a preferred walk-on with ODU.

I think Pocahontas or Jonesville will have a thing or two to say about Rich Valley and Garden

What about a secretary, janitor, shrink (psychiatrist), collar (priest), mailman, or carney (carnival worker) or a person with a degree in culinary arts known as a "cook." None of the above set well either. Interestingly, most police officers seem cool or ok with being referred to as a cop. Prison guard definitely doesn't go over well with corrections officers. That's a tough job and wears on people mentally, emotionally because they are dealing with people everyday with the intent on zapping them emotionally, mentally, and sometimes physically.

It has been 68 days since this job has been open the fact that it has not been filled should be alarming to fans and players. If they are hiring from outside there is a good chance the coach cant get there until the end of the school year but why wouldnt you go ahead and announce it so the guy can get to know his players even if he can be there in person. I am not sure when the next school board meeting is but it has to be soon. regardless they have let at least 2 meeting come and go without putting up a name. At this point it is a lose lose situation for who ever gets this job. The hire is probably going to look like a bad one in year one just because the guy is going to have 3 months to develop his players where everyone else has been working since the end of last season. Hopefully the patient and understanding fan base of Wise Central gives this guy some time and is not calling for his head after one bad season.

A lot of good football players in our area are also soccer players. If I was a football coach I would encourage my players to play soccer. The conditioning and physicality of it translates well.

Let's be real though. Most kids who play soccer aren't playing football other than being a kicker/punter. Kicking/punting can be practiced anytime, therefore a kid could practice both sports in an afternoon and no soccer is being played on a Friday. Baseball and even softball for that matter lose kids to soccer because they can't do both for the most part as games/practices happen at the same time.

^ This. Soccer should be in the fall. Baseball is killing themselves with the bat rules. Forcing folks to spend $200-$500 every year for bats is criminal.

Baseball used to be rather inexpensive for a kid to play. That's no longer the case. My brothers son played for the Lake Norman Flyers, LKN Fury and LKN Thunder (USSSA) for a number of years. The cost, travel and dedication was exorbitant. My nephew burned out and hasn't played baseball at all since his freshman year of high school. Soccer is relatively inexpensive and can be played almost anywhere. Soccer has and will continue to hurt baseball numbers across the country. High School soccer being played during baseball season in Virginia hurts some as well. Most other states around us play soccer in the fall.

As long as soccer, golf and tennis exist, baseball is in no danger of being the most boring sport. And, yes, it can be boring, especially if the teams aren't good.

I'd say going from next to last in the district last year to a state semifinal appearance this year would say she was pretty impactful.

This is sarcasm right? They had 18 more wins this year than last year and made the state playoffs winning the region.

Snails pace, like everything else around here.

Smart choice in my opinion, but that's looking at it from the outside. Each person and situation is different and unique and there is no one size fits all. Kid's a baller and from watching him a few times, tough as nails.

everyone that has been arguing with me for years abt this can no longer say that gobble isnt a piece of crap. He’s been like this ever since his oldest son started travel ball. Glad to see that everyone is finally opening their eyes

Doesn't matter if it's his son or not. The coach is WAY out of line and should be unemployed, and possibly unemployable as a coach going forward. I had to testify in court in a similar incident 15 or so years ago. Coach/dad beat the crap out of his catcher/son in the dugout between innings after the catcher attempted a pick-off on 3rd and airmailed the ball into left field allowing two runs to score. I was the plate umpire. Mama bear had coach/dad on the ground begging for his life before we even realized anything was going on. Coach/dad was arrested on the spot. The moral of the story, you cannot, under any circumstances, put hands on a kid!

Traditional regional boundaries, at least as far as D/C have been moving East for some time. As Far SWVA continues to lose population that will continue, consolidation won't change that

Wow I didn’t know they had him for another year. However it is hard to build a team around one great lineman. Easier to do with a great skill player

I believe Rye Cove should be pretty good with a lot returning.

The new coach for the Walmart Warriors will be Josh Spurlock. You heard if here first, from Hardee's dining area in Norton this morning

BRISTOL HERALD COURIER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF YEAR: Parker Bandy, Honaker BRISTOL HERALD COURIER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF YEAR: Hill an 'enforcer' for the G-Men BRISTOL HERALD COURIER FOOTBALL COACH OF THE YEAR: Tiller spreads the fun factor in football and life Hopefully these will open to read. Reading story on Bandy, knew he had transferred from Richlands, but didn't realize who his family was. I knew his grandfather James, his great-grandparents and his grandfather's sister. Small world. Firm I worked for did accounting work for James, his father and their businesses.

On the eve of the NCAA Tournament starting up... I began to think. What would our state look like with a free for all in basketball? If Virginia went one classification for a 3 year cycle in basketball like Kentucky what would it look like? It will never happen but why not dream a little bit. I decided to try my hand and see what Southwest Virginia might look like with one classification basketball. The state divided up into 16 regions from 64 districts. If anything it gives Southwest Virginia at least two entries into the pot for a state championship. It would also put all the big city teams Richmond, Ronaoke, Norfolk, etc into a pot of their own to duke it out also. It will never happen but fun to think about what it might look like. I put together at least 2 of the 16 regions as to what I think it might look like if Virginia were one classification basketball. All region winners go to John Paul Jones Arena for a Sweet Sixteen in Charlottesville. Winning a region championship has a lot more importance in this format than what we have now. Teams play up to a 30 game regular season max. Teams play each district team twice. All other teams in their region once...and rotate home and away each year for a total of 18 games. Allows for up to 12 other games with six other opponents or up to 4 other opponents and a tournament with max 4 games to play or two other opponents and two tournaments with a max of 4 games each tournament. Region Championship played at choice of each district each year. District 1 chooses region tournament location one year then D2 the next year, D3 and so on. Region Champion advances to Sweet Sixteen at John Paul Jones Arena Here is what I came up with. Postseason Format Each Year: Districts rotate each year playing each other D1 Rup vs. D2Champ, D3 Rup vs. D4 Champ D2 Rup vs. D1 Champ, D4 Rup vs. D3 Champ Winners meet in Semis, Winners of Semis meet for Region Championship game Next year D1 Rup vs. D3 Champ, D2 Rup vs. D4 Champ D1 Champ vs. D3 Rup, D2 Champ vs. D4 Rup Winners meet in Semis. Winners of Semis meet for Region Championship game. Next year D1 Rup vs. D4 Champ, D2 Rup vs. D3 Champ D1 Champ vs. D4 Rup, D2 Champ vs. D3 Rup Winners meet in Semis. Winners of Semis meet for Region Championship game Region 1 – District 1 Thomas Walker Lee High Rye Cove Twin Springs Region 1 – District 2 Union JI Burton Central Wise Eastside Region 1 – District 3 Gate City Virginia High John Battle Abingdon Region 1 – District 4 Ridgeview Castlewood Lebanon Honaker 2024 Postseason R1 D1 – Twin Springs, Rye Cove R1 D2 – Union, Eastside R1 D3 – Gate City, Virginia High R1 D4 – Honaker, Ridgeview D1 Champ Twin Springs vs. D2 R Up Eastside D1 R Up Rye Cove vs. D2 Champ Union D3 Champ Virginia High vs. D4 R Up Ridgeview D3 R up Gate City vs. D4 Champ Honaker Semis - Eastside vs. Union, Virginia High vs. Gate City Championship - Union vs. Virginia High Region 1 Representative - Virginia High Region 1 Championship played at choice of each district by year. District 1 chooses region tournament location one year then D2, D3 and so on. Region Champion advances to Sweet Sixteen at John Paul Jones Arena Region 2 – District 1 Buchanan County (once consolidated) Richlands Tazewell Graham Region 2 – District 2 Patrick Henry Holston Northwood Chilhowie Marion Region 2 – District 3 Bland County Rural Retreat George Wythe Fort Chiswell Region 2 – District 4 Grayson County Galax Carroll County Pulaski County 2024 Postseason R2 D1 - Graham, Richlands R2 D2 – Patrick Henry, Chilhowie R2 D3 - George Wythe, Fort Chiswell R2 D4 - Carroll County, Pulaski County D1 Champ Graham vs. D2 R Up Patrick Henry D2 Champ Chilhowie vs. D1 R Up Richlands D3 Champ George Wythe vs. D4 R Up Pulaski County D4 Champ Carroll County vs. D3 R Up Fort Chiswell Semis - Graham vs. Chilhowie, George Wythe vs. Carroll County Finals - Graham vs. George Wythe Region 2 Representative - George Wythe Region 2 Championship played at choice of each district by year. District 1 chooses region tournament location one year then D2, D3 and so on. Region Champion advances to Sweet Sixteen at John Paul Jones Arena

Yeah that would be the same one.

2nds apparently didn't provide any clarification, and a new mystery candidate will be given a interview this coming week. Rumor is he will get the job. Not heard of any transfers but heard a lot of disgruntled parents at Central, but thats par for the course with Central parents(and really parents in general)

I think I have a similar story to you. Grew up playing baseball but somewhere around the time I got into high school, I just lost that interest and I’ve never been able to get it back. I worked for the Salem Red Sox for 2.5 seasons when I was at VT and it’s fun to watch in person, but I just can’t watch it on TV. Or commit to paying attention for 162+ games in a season. To me, even the NBA with their 82 is far too much for my attention span lol. Soccer is so fun once you figure out the nuances and intricacies. And even before you gain that understanding, go to a MLS match at Charlotte and sit near the supporters. You won’t be disappointed at the party atmosphere this sport is bringing to the country. I’m so excited to see where the sport is in 20-30 years from now.

What a win by the Pioneers. Down 5-2 in the top of the 7th when Chance Parker hits a 3 run homer to tie it up 5-5. In the bottom of the 7th Boone had bases loaded with 1 one out. Lebanon escapes the inning with a double play to leave 3 stranded and to force an 8th inning. Lebanon out scores Boone 6-1 in the 8th (with another Chance Parker HR, a double) to win the game 11-6.

You explained what I was as getting at. I think baseball vs. soccer is a personal preference and you’ll have a hard time changing anyone’s mind on the subject. I only became a soccer fan a few years ago but I’m hooked now. It takes a while to learn it to the point that you understand it. And if you’re only watching SWVA high school soccer it’s going to take you much longer. Ultimately I enjoy the fast pace and the strategy of the game. Nothing is wrong with being a baseball fan. I, as I imagine most everyone else here did, grew up watching and playing it. Somewhere in the mid 2000’s I lost interest in it and haven’t been able to pick it back up. I think mainly it’s just hard for me to commit to all the down time that takes place during the games. so given the choice I would choose to watch a soccer match over most baseball games. Just preference. Soccer is gaining a lot of traction in the USA currently. If you’re even thinking of giving it a chance now is a great time. Arguably the greatest player to ever play is now playing in Miami and playing in the MLS which has helped the image of the league to help recruit higher level players to America. Stadiums around the country are opening up their stadiums for international friendlies which is bringing some of the top talent in the world within driving distance of us. The player that most people consider to be the best current player in the world is going to play a match in Charlotte this summer. Plus we will have the World Cup here in 2026. Give it a chance if you haven’t yet.

I think this is a fair point. Baseball is certainly favored in this area per tradition and some personal preferences, but I certainly concede that soccer skills and conditioning are certainly more transferable to not only football, but other areas of health and every day life. Just my opinion, but I think my RB and WRs benefit from the sprints and cutting while playing soccer more than running the bases 3-4 times per game and/or tracking down a handful of fly balls in the outfield.

Most of these schools, like on the West Virginia side, utilize soccer players as their punters and placekickers. It would work in Virginia too. Baseball number would shoot up most likely.

On the softball side, you seem to be discounting the Mountain 7 teams awfully early in the season

Yeah that’s what it seems like, family simply moved and she is going somewhere else. Kinda refreshing tbh, an athlete moving for no nefarious or self-centered reason.

My son , Brock Alley (Tazewell) committed to Ferrum College on Wednesday evening