sixcat

With George Wythe coming into the MED, I expect GW-Galax to become one of the regions best rivalries in every sport very quickly.

Won't get an argument from me. Galax could have done much more with the field, seating, restrooms and concessions with the staggeringly rediculous amount of money they are spending on the turf and storm water collection system.

Fries! But I may be a tad bias.

I will refrain from a top 10 list for the time being. Seems like a lot of uncertainty around the George Wythe and Galax programs right now. In talking to an assistant coach last night, both programs have apparently seen several returning players quit football and athletics as a whole. I know this has been an issue for Galax for a year now. I'm not certain what is going on but have heard a litany of rumors. Nothing I feel safe in sharing at this time, though. If the roster Galax posted on the district website yesterday is any indication, Galax has lost several starters and key contributors from last years team. Also, 16 of the 26 players on that roster have never seen varsity action with 10 of them being freshmen and sophomores. But, it's still July, things may change in a few weeks. And like other "big news" coming out of Galax in recent months, it could all be bullshit anyway!

The Mountain Empire and Three Rivers have moved to 7PM as well. I also noticed Grayson will be the lone member of the MED competing in Region D. Not sure how I missed that before?!?!? Must be some concession involving Grayson jerking the VHSL around over the move to the SWD. Not sure but interesting.

Conferences are gone. It's a 4-region set-up as it was in years past with a few caveats. Several districts in our area have/are changing significantly. Specifically, the Mountain Empire, Three Rivers and Southwest. http://www.vhsl.org/doc/upload/alignment-final-24-region-alignment-plan1.pdf http://www.vhsl.org/doc/upload/alignment-2017-18-2018-19-final-district-alignment-plan.pdf

George Wythe lost to Shady Spring in the lower varsity division (Varsity 2) championship game. Fort Chiswell and Galax each won a game before getting hammered by Cave Spring and Elizabethton respectively.

I said it several pages back, it would be hard for me to pass up an opportunity at any Ivy League school. It's instant credibility regardless of field or profession. Not to mention the networking that comes from being a member of the Ivy fraternity.

According to MileStat, 10.41 would rank 4th in the VHSL all-time record book!

Dam, my bad. According to the Carroll News, she threw 251 pitches!

Sydney Nester from Carroll pitched 18 innings last night against Loudon. She struck out 21, walked none and allowed 10 hits while throwing 225 pitches. So, yeah, no pitching rules for softball! Sydney is crazy good though and only a junior. She has a career record of 55-1 with an era of 0.55. She has signed with NC State.

I saw several snow/leaf blowers being used at Salem during the D3 National Championship game once. Been several years ago but I would assume that would/should be commonplace. Seems like they were only concentrating on the 5 and 10 yard lines though. Not the entire field I also recall some controversy over the use of some form of "ice melt" chemical compound that led to several players receiving severe skin irritations requiring medical treatment. I don't believe that took place in Salem though.

It would be hard for me to turn down any Ivy League school that came calling! He needs to make the best decision for himself but the instant networking that comes along with an Ivy League education would be difficult to walk away from.

Be aware, it's never just one thing when dealing with permitting agencies for purposes of construction. Stormwater collection, treatment and effluent systems will be required to some extent before any turf surface is allowed to be installed. A stormwater collection system necessary to meet those permitting agency requirements will cost a quarter-of-a million-dollars minimum. When the turf needs replacing in 10 years, the stormwater system will again have to be brought up to meet whatever the requirement is at that point. The old saying is, new governor, new stormwater reg's. It's a vicious cycle that will never pay for itself.

The "something" I mentioned before that has gotten the attention of city council is very likely the fact that this appears to be a coordinated effort to attempt to force city council to pay for the football field renovations. City council has made it clear, school board will have to figure out how to pay for the field on their own. The $1.7 million dollar winning bid was accepted at the school board meeting Tuesday night. Yes, you read that right. $1.7 million dollars. Many grade levels at Galax are making due without textbooks yet school board approves this fiasco. Shows where priorities lie. Many, many local residents have lost a tremendous amount of respect for Dixon for this "orchestrated-strong-arm-tactic" (city council members words, not mine), myself included! It's time for local residents to elect city council members who are willing to fix these issues with school board rather than ignore them and hope they go away!

Check your private messages.

I haven't heard anything about it and it wasn't discussed at the city council meeting last night. I will pass along anything relevant from tonight's school board meeting. Plus, there is this.....https://www.applitrack.com/gcps/onlineapp/default.aspx?Category=Athletics%2fActivities Something is going on that has gotten the attention of city council, though We were at the city council meeting last night and administration was chastised publicly for issuing construction plans for bid for the new "stadium" without city council approval. That whole fiasco is getting quite contentious. Edit to add.....school board meets the second Tuesday of each month which would have been a week prior to his resignation, not the day after.

Virginia Tech spring game is at 2:30, not 1:00. http://www.hokiesports.com/football/schedule/

I wouldn't hold my breath! That is wishful thinking coming from the kids from what I understand.

Not in Galax!

Rumor has it, Shane Allen is the front runner for the Galax job.

Very nice!

I have had four confirmed by medical professionals. The first was backyard football with friends that left me with 14 stitches. The second was from an Oklahoma drill during jv football where a varsity player knocked me loopy stupid. The third was during an American Legion baseball game in Roanoke. I rounded first after singling up the middle. I'm still not sure what the first baseman was attempting to do but he was ejected from the game for his actions. The ball was in center field so I know he wasn't attempting a tag, which is what he claimed after getting ejected. As I rounded first, he swiped my helmet off my head with his glove. Meanwhile, the center fielder relayed the ball in to the shortstop who turned a fired behind me at first. But the first baseman was in an argument with the first base umpire and the ball hit me square in the back of the head. I didn't lose conscientiousness but couldn't focus my eyes to see anything beyond a hazy blur for about a half-an-hour. The forth was a car wreck when I was 19 years old. Honestly, extremely lucky to walk away from that one. My date wouldn't return phone calls following. I couldn't imagine why?

Women's NCAA basketball already uses four 10-minute quarters. The same could easily be done for the men's game. I'm not sure how necessary it is though. Referee stoppage of play has gotten out of hand. I saw more than a few instances last weekend where a referee stoppage iced a free throw shooter. Most NCAA Division-1 games and all NCAA Tournament games have an alternate official on stand-by. He should be in charge of making the call while play continues and the game officials confirm at the next timeout. As GMan said, high school basketball is no place for a shot clock by-in-large. Coaches don't have enough time as it is to coach fundamentals. High school games are not played to a high level anyway. Add a rushed environment and the level play would suffer greatly. Oak Hill type schools may be different but not for typical high school play like we experience around here.