sixcat

This is true. Carroll consolidated it's high schools more than 40 years ago. During the old New River district days, it was never an issue but when Independence and Fries consolidated to form Grayson County, Galax stopped bringing in kids who lived outside the city limits. Those kids were now forced to go to either Grayson or Carroll, depending on which side of Galax you lived on. Galax enrollment dropped significantly, while Grayson and Carroll's enrollment went up significantly. People forget, before this snowball affect happend, Galax was a AA school with an average enrollment of nearly 800. Galax dropped to A as well as George Wythe, Giles and Narrows. Giles and Narrows joined the MED and GW joined the Hogo. When Radford dropped to A a few years later, the MED split to form the Three Rivers and the MED.

Very true. No solution is a perfect solution. Galax already plays Carroll in every sport (benefit game in football) so that would not change but the other three would not have to. A lot of people on this site talks about bringing back the "old" or "original" SWD. Carroll talks about bringing back the "old" New River District. Carroll has never been a good "fit" in the SWD. Maybe someone is trying to see that Carroll gets into a district that "fits" a little better.

Read the newspaper article pasted in this thread. Carroll would not have to play Bland or Narrows, or any other school 2 classes below themselves. The VHSL is already doing this with another district. It's a cumulative issue. Trade a few long trips for ALL long trips.

Drive from Hillsville along US 58 toward any Piedmont District school and you will quickly see the gripe. Lovers Leap has an elevation drop of very nearly 2,000 feet in 5 miles along with continuous switchbacks. It is also an average travel time of 1 hour and 45 minutes to each Piedmont District school excluding Patrick County.

I could be wrong but the point seems to be, having a school or two, like Graham, that is of some distance away is OK but having all district games more than an hour away, like Cave Spring, Hidden Valley, Salem, Franklin County among others, is difficult at best. Halifax County has similar issues. Isolation for schools of that size.

Again, I have no dog in the fight but I have traveled these areas for work often over the past several years and my children attend Galax schools. The issue with the Piedmont would be travel on US 58 across Loves Leap Mountain. This is a horrible ride in a car, much less a bus. When the old New River District disbanded, Carroll athletic participation declined because of parents travel concerns to Richlands, Graham, Grundy, etc. Parents don't want academics suffering because the kid does not have adequate time to spend on school work. I have to agree. The likelyhood of a kid making a living in athletics is far less than having a career that requires an education. Forget numbers and give the kids a chance to compete.

I am not defending Carroll County because I agree, they will duck anybody to have an easier schedule. They dropped Galax from it's regular season football schedule because of "lack of competitive balance" several years ago just like Floyd. Galax has waxed Carroll in a benefit game each of the past 3 seasons. The problem is the travel to Rocky Mount, not travel time. There is no easy way to get to Rocky Mount from Hillsville. You either take on Bent Mountain or Lovers Leap and I would not want my child making that trip on a bus several times per year.

My address to the VHSL By Craig Worrell, Sports Editor Tuesday, August 28, 2012 Two weeks ago, I would have found the idea of Carroll County entering the Mountain Empire District as ludicrous. When I first heard a rumor that Carroll was pursuing such a move to avoid placement in the Roanoke-centered River Ridge District, my reaction was what I imagine a lot of others’ would be. I laughed. I think the rumor, at least when it was circulating, was unfounded, but it piqued my interest. And the more I looked at it, the more sense it made. I have no dog in this hunt, and I’m not standing before the VHSL to plead a case. If I were, though, this is what I would say: Good morning, and thank you for allowing me to discuss Carroll County being placed into a district other than the River Ridge pending the VHSL’s approval of the six-classification system. While the Piedmont District has been mentioned as a secondary option, facts will show that membership in the Mountain Empire District would not only benefit the students of CCHS but would also be favorable to the River Ridge, the Piedmont and even the MED. It will also become clear that there is nothing of benefit to either Carroll County or any member of the River Ridge or Piedmont should CCHS be placed in either of those districts. As a lifelong resident of the county, the son of a longtime teacher-coach at CCHS, a student-athlete there and, for the past 22 years, as a sportswriter, I have watched CCHS become increasingly isolated by the dwindling populations of surrounding school districts. Its athletic program now stands on an island because of school enrollment figures and geographic location, and is on course to be devastated for those reasons. No matter where it lands, Carroll will be an unwelcome member of its new district. Though the VHSL is the governing body of public high school athletics in the state, I am certain that the academic pursuits, safety and general well-being of the students it oversees are given a much higher priority than anything that happens on the playing field. For that reason, several factors considered together are more than sufficient to warrant membership for Carroll in the MED. 1. Travel High school athletes are classroom students first, and the amount of travel required of CCHS as a member of either the River Ridge or the Piedmont is reason in and of itself to place Carroll in the MED. According to Google Maps, placement in the River Ridge would have CCHS’s students facing an average distance of 56 miles and an average travel time, one-way, of 1 hour and 20 minutes for district road games. Some of those games would be reached by traveling solely on two-lane U.S. 221 and would include a descent down a dangerous Bent Mountain. In the Piedmont District, and excluding Patrick County, CCHS would have an average distance of 81 miles and 1 hour, 45 minutes. All of those games would include at least 50 minutes on two-lane U.S. 58, and a descent down Lover’s Leap Mountain. That would be similar to Richlands traveling to Johnson City, Tenn., for the average district road trip. Google Maps doesn’t offer calculations for travel by school bus, so actual times will be greater. In either district, the amount of class time missed, either in early dismissals for departures or in late arrivals the morning after, would be huge. It should also be noted that CCHS is the county’s only high school and some athletes have a drive of 45 minutes by car just to get to or from school. In effect, by placing Carroll into the River Ridge or Piedmont, the VHSL would be asking many students to choose between giving up athletics or giving up studying. They shouldn’t be forced to ask that of themselves. By comparison, the average time and distance from CCHS to the six current Mountain Empire District schools stand at 37 miles and 47 minutes, or roughly half that of the River Ridge distances. 2. Size Differences Carroll would be a 4A school in a district with two 2As and four 1As. That is the biggest argument against such a move, but an unnecessary one. First, the VHSL has already set a precedent for such a district by placing 6A Franklin County and Patrick Henry in the River Ridge with four 3A schools. Five other proposed districts would include spreads over four classifications. Second, no school is required to play a district member in any sport that is three classifications larger or smaller. Four current MED schools would not be made to play Carroll. Again, the VHSL has set a precedent. In two other proposed districts, the River Ridge and the Colonial, at least half the memberships would be exempt from competing against other district team(s) for reasons of size discrepancy. 3. Competition From a competition standpoint, placing Carroll into the MED would not create a significant imbalance in most sports. It would not be like placing Salem or Hidden Valley into the Pioneer District. In its 43 years, CCHS has never won a state championship in a team sport and has never won a district championship in football. Region championships in any sport are very few. And under the 6A system, district championships would have no bearing in determining postseason berths, and each school would participate past the district level only against like-sized schools. CCHS plays projected 1A school Galax in all sports and 2A Grayson County in everything but girls’ basketball and wrestling. Those games are competitive on a regular basis. Graham has been on Carroll’s all-sports schedule as recently as 2010, and Fort Chiswell has been on Carroll’s football schedule as recently as 2000. Bland County and Narrows would most likely have no desire to play Carroll, and vice versa. They would not be required to do so, nor would Galax or Fort Chiswell unless they so chose. In that same vein, Carroll’s enrollment can be a very misleading figure. A school of 1,200 students in a rural location, drawing from a widely-dispersed population, is far from being on equal footing with an urban or suburban school of the same size, and is utterly incomparable to a city school of 1,900 students (Patrick Henry) or to any school of nearly 2,200 (Franklin County). Carroll County is fewer than 80 students away from qualifying as a 3A school under the 6A format, and the true pool of students from which Carroll has to draw its athletes is more comparable to that of an average-sized Group A school. Just 9 percent of Carroll students – 114 of 1,195 in four grades, male and female – are participating in fall sports. For example, Carroll County and Bassett are virtually identical in size. Carroll has 54 football players total on its varsity and JV teams, Bassett has 44 on varsity alone. Ten of Carroll’s players are also listed on the JV roster, leaving 30 varsity-only players, the same number as Galax. By comparison, projected 2A Grayson’s numbers are in the 60s, grades 9-12, with 40 on the varsity roster. 4. Finance Secondary to all this but still noteworthy is the financial impact of Carroll’s placement into the River Ridge or Piedmont. Football is the main fundraising arm of the athletic department. With the flexibility in scheduling local nondistrict opponents virtually eliminated in an eight-team district schedule, coupled with a lack of desire by fans to travel from the Roanoke Valley or Rocky Mount to Hillsville, gate revenue for Carroll County would plummet. Conversely, gate receipts would be robust for Carroll in the MED, and for any MED school that hosts it. At the same time, the River Ridge or Piedmont schools would be free to schedule one more attractive nondistrict opponent that could all but ensure a large gate. I believe that if the MED members objectively consider the revenue, competition, potential ratings points and the fact that four current members would not be obligated to compete with Carroll against their wishes, such a move would not be viewed as an outrageous one, contrary to first impressions. Many in Southwest Virginia perceive their schools as not being worthy of a second thought by the VHSL when it comes to legislation. I ask that you put your children in the places of these CCHS students, and yourselves in the place of their parents, and that you reflect upon whether or not you would subject them to what you would be requiring academically, financially, competitively and socially should they be placed in the River Ridge or the Piedmont. I am not talking only about athletes. These are student-athletes, young men and women who willfully pull the double duty and endure the long hours necessary to maintain both their studies and their level of competition on the field of play. There is no good option for Carroll County, but there is a best option. The MED is that option. If you truly hold the welfare of these students in your interests, you will allow them to compete in the MED. There is no other solution that simultaneously can be fair to the students of CCHS, to those of the River Ridge and Piedmont districts, and be acceptable to the Mountain Empire District while exhibiting and upholding the integrity of the VHSL. Thank you for your time.

Man, you win a state championship on a non called pass interference in the end zone and gripe about loosing a regular season game over a non called pass interference. Expectations run high! :)

Abingdon Mt. Airy, NC Marion Richlands Graham Princeton Rural Retreat J.I. Burton Honaker Grayson Clintwood Eastside Holston Twin Valley Thomas Walker George Wythe Grundy Harlan Co., KY Tennessee Boise St. WVU UVA Alabama Georgia Tech GotW Winner and points John Battle 44

I agree the BCS is, and always has been, broken. As blueinbama pointed out, it does get it right most of the time but a playoff settles it on the field. I think that is the underlying issue, the national championship is not settled on the field in a traditional sense. Now lets hope they don't overkill the playoff format and invite 38 teams to the dance. I think 4 is perfect and 6 would be acceptable.

LSU never played Illinois in 2006 or in 2007, the year they won the national championship with two losses. Using Wikipedia, I went through every season schedule from 2004 through last season and LSU did not play Illinois during that period. During the 2007 national championship season, they lost both games in triple overtime, one to Kentucky and one to Arkansas, both ranked in the top 18 at the time of the game. Ohio St. was unbeaten and expected to walk through whoever they played for the national championship. It didn't happen as LSU beat them rather handily. It is my opinion that people justify their hatred of the SEC any way they can. The truth is, no other conference has matched the SEC in success on the football field. Read through NFL rosters for the proof. There are more players in the NFL from the University of Mississippi than Virginia Tech and West Virginia combined.

Virginia High Bassett Marion George Wythe Patrick Henry J.I. Burton Haysi Hazard, KY Eastside Galax Honaker Rye Cove Ft. Chiswell John Battle Grundy Central Union **Games of the Week** (Winners and total points) Bluefield 55 Richlands 41

I'm game!

I agree that Alabama is sneaky, historically so is LSU and Georgia. Again, to be fair, most schools tend to play one decently attractive game per season, if possible, and the rest of the OoC schedule is weak at best. Alabama schedule over the past 5 seasons does not look any different than Virginia Tech, Clemson, LSU, Texas or any other top 10-15 program. Sure, Alabama plays Western Carolina and Western Kentucky but Virginia Tech plays Austin Peay and Bowling Green. Which is the tougher road? Both will be heavy favorites. I don't intend to get "Hokie hater" banter going because I am sure we would be greatly outnumbered on this site. I was just using them as an example based on this site and the fact they usually get killed in the media every year for their perceived willingness to not play anybody OoC.

To be fair, schedules are made years in advance. Especially out of conference home and home series between big name schools. It's not Alabama's fault Penn St. was "grossly overrated" last year. They have played Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Penn St. out of conference recently. That is much tougher than most SEC schools given the fact they play in the toughest conference in the history of college football. For example, they play at Missouri and Tennessee, home against Mississippi St., go to LSU and host Texas A&M in a 5 week stretch this year. That's a tough 5 weeks.

I don't think height is going to be as much of an issue as the amount of money they paid Flynn. It will be hard to bench a guy making more than any other two members of the team. They will give him every chance to succeed before passing the torch to Wilson by mid-season.

So, do you think Elton Brand got into Duke, Ralph Sampson got into UVA, or pick one in the past 25 years got into Maryland on their own academic merits? If not then, like I said, it goes on more than we realize. I understand the difference between cheating and federal crimes but that line got blurred on college campuses many years ago. Point is, UNC is not the only one doing it, just the only one to get caught so far. Schools will take the risk for the millions in return.

This goes on at a lot more places and with a lot more regularity than we know or are willing to admit. Most of these programs have dozens of athletes who would never be admitted to the school under their own academic merit. To think differently is naive. I am not a Nascar fan but "if you ain't cheatin, you ain't tryin".

Never happen. Pulaski and Carroll both have enrollments above 1,300. Bland, East Mont and Auburn have nearly 1,000 below that. Carroll will complain no matter what the options are.

National Championship: Oklahoma (Big 12 Champ) vs USC (PAC 12 Champ) Rose: Wisconsin (BIG Champ) vs Oregon (PAC 12 at large) Fiesta: Texas (Big 12 at large) vs Clemson (ACC at large) Sugar: Michigan (BIG at large) vs South Carolina (SEC Champ) Orange: Louisville (Big East Champ-at large) vs FSU (ACC Champ)

My brother lives in Cornelius which, at the moment, filters into North Mech High. They are building a new high school in the Davidson University/Cornelius area so his kids will go there when old enough. He will have plenty of kids to pull from with an enrollment approaching 2,000. The school is kind of infamous though after being featured on 60 minutes a couple of years ago for having one of the most unsanitary cafeterias in the United States.

I have very few fond memories of high school. My high school closed after my freshman year and we were bounced from one school to another for the next three years while parents and administration fought over who would pay for our new, longer bus rides. I have great memories of my time spent in the military and college and have far more interaction and contact with the friends I made there than those from high school. As a matter of fact, I can't remember the last time I saw or spoke to anyone I graduated with. Enjoy your time but build for the future. You will learn more from education, experiences and about yourself during your college years than any other time in your life.

I don't care a thing in this world about either of the programs at UVA or VT but wasn't Lalich dismissed from Oregon St. as well. It just seems to me like he has burned several more bridges that Journell. With that said, someone from Giles County told me last fall that "you can take the boy out of Giles but you can't take Giles out of the boy" when discussing Journell getting kicked of the football team. Not my opinion, just quoting a longtime Giles resident.

You are not wrong. Mr. Emmert stated that they would be dealt with by the NCAA after the legal system is finished with them.