sixcat

I am not sure I completely agree. To an extent, the NCAA is making an example out of Penn St. I agree with that totally but it does not tell the whole story. I think it is easy to forget that football is the only sport the NCAA does not completely control. The tug of war between the NCAA, BCS and bowls has been going on for decades. I think this is a clear message to the BCS and any organization who may arise from the new playoff format that the NCAA will have the last say.

Grafton is coached by former Galax head coach Jarred Van Aker.

It's just my opinion but if it is proven that the university leaders in place at that point chose to hide/cover-up/ignore what was going on for the sake of maintaining the football program, recruiting, or the reputation of the athletic department and the people who run it, they deserve to be without football for a year or two. It will send a very clear and direct message to anyone else who may have skeletons in the closet. In the attached video, NCAA president Mark Emmert says as much. Take a listen to the first 10 minutes. http://video.pbs.org/video/2257100910

If you are looking for something in Savannah, try Crosswinds Golf Club right by the airport. It runs around $45 with twilight specials for around $25. Great track with 27 holes. PGA Tour player Brian Harmon grew up on that course. http://www.crosswindsgolfclub.com/ If you want something along the way and your route is taking you through Columbia, SC, try Oak Hills. I loved that place when I lived there. It runs $35-$45 depending on time and day of the week. http://www.oakhillsgolf.com/ If your route is I-74 out of Charlotte to I-95, try Santee Cooper Country Club near Florence, SC. http://www.santeecoopergolf.com/santee_cooper_country_club.html You can't go wrong with any of the three. Great tracks that are always in great condition. We used to take a trip in early spring every year to Santee. They have 17 courses around Lake Marion with stay and play packages that are very affordable.

ESPN was reporting at lunch that Pitt would also join in the fall of 2013 but has to wait until all of the formal paperwork is done to be officially announced.

They sellout........................every show they do!

I think Graham has a great chance to be at the top end of the MED. My early prediction is every MED team will have a district loss and it could be a 3 way tie at the top.

Not to keep beating a dead horse but Austin Pack has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Mathodist University in North Carolina, not Concord. Jordan Vauaghan (#33) has signed with Concord. I am not sure where the rumor of Packman going to Concord came from but it has taken on a life of it's own. But as stated above, best of luck to both Austin's and Jordan.

Jacob Fisher and Frankie Shalabi will be impossible to replace. They have motors that never stop.

I agree that Fort may be the team to beat in the MED but the MED will be down overall from last year. Grayson may make the playoffs but will not go anywhere and I think Galax has too much to replace to make any kind of run.

Fort will be in a similar position as Galax in terms of varsiity returners but they have a lot of talent coming in from the JV team. I officiated the Fort/Galax JV game last fall and it was UGLY. Fort could have picked a score but the coaching staff called off the dogs. One particular play stands out. Fort was facing 3rd and 35 from their own 3 yard line after a fumbled QB/center exchange on the previous play. One simple counter off left guard and the FB went 97 yards UNTOUCHED. Everyone in shouting distance saw it coming except the Galax defense who all went the other way on the counter. Much too simple a play call to go 97 yards untouched by a kid with absolutely no speed. Fort's coach remarked that he was just trying to get away from the goal line to punt.

Galax lost more than just talent, they lost the leadership of several 4 year starters. They will be some pleasant surprises and I think the QB position will be just fine. Timmy Gable would have started in most other programs last fall. They have a lot of returning talent at the varsity level but you can't get around a JV team that got hammered all season. They will get little to no production coming up from JV. Austin Pack is a once a generation kid. He will not, however, be headed to Concord as stated above. He has signed a letter on intent to play basketball at Methodist University in North Carolina. Jordan Vaughan has signed to play football at Concord. They will also miss Frankie Shalabi who was the MED Defensive player of the year and may have been region C also, I can't remember.

Galax lost 80% of the roster and the JV team was terrible. Grayson lost a lot less in terms of numbers but very key positions and a lot of experience. They did not, however, loose their QB. Max Rodgers was only a sophomore last year and will be one of if not the best player in this part of the state. He is a special player and leader.

It can easily be a culture changer for the kids watching the accomplishments of this group. The senior class is graduating with 29 state championship rings. That is not a typo, 29 championship rings. What is more impressive is that each and every one of these young men are better people than athletes. That should be celebrated as well.

Great game for the D-1 title. Galax 9 - Holston 8. Fittingly, to end his prep career, Austin Pack strikes out the final batter for the state championship. This group of seniors have truly been a special class, changing the culture for all athletic programs going forward in Galax. Eddie Hanks and Jonathan Alouf finish their careers with 6 state championship rings each, 3 each in golf, 2 in basketball and 1 in baseball. Travis Cockerham finishes his career with 4 state championships, 3 in golf and 1 in baseball. Austin Pack, Travis Garvey and Trevor Quesenberry finish with 3 rings each. Congratulations to all these young men for bringing a community together and for all the memories.

Speaking of accomplishments, Eddie Hanks and Jon Alouf are competing for their 3rd state championships in 7 months. Golf won the title in October and both were key contributors to their 3rd title in 4 years along with a 2nd place finish two years ago. Basketball won its 2nd straight title in March and now baseball. Eddie and Jon currently have 5 state titles each and are competing for number 6 today. Great high school athletes but better young men.

I have had the pleasure of getting to know Austin in the short time I have lived here. He will be successful in whatever he does in life. I am not sure "IT" has ever been defined but he definitely has it. He has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Methodist University in North Carolina. http://www.roanoke.com/sports/highschool/wb/309970 Nice article from the Roanoke Times.

Under the same conditions, yes, but certainly not under the same circumstances. I live in Galax, the game was played in Dublin, 45 minutes away. I have never been to Clintwood but it is a far greater distance from Clintwood to Dublin than 45 minutes and to have to make that trip 3 days in a row has to be taxing, and expensive.

Galax beat Clintwood 11-7 after being suspended due to weather on Tuesday with CW up 7-6 in the 3rd inning and postponed again yesterday for the same reason. I hate that for the Clintwood kids, I wish the game could have been played under normal circumstances.

I feel for the kids, especially those in high school that will be most affected by having to attend a new/different school. I grew up in Fries and was in 8th grade when the announcement was made that Fries High School would cease to exist after the upcoming school year, my freshman year. Since Fries sits on the border of Carroll and Grayson Counties, with roughly half of the town lying in each county, it was a fight to see which county was responsible for sending buses to get the kids in the Fries area. If memory serves, the state eventually stepped in and declared each county responsible for its own residents and therefore, must send buses to pick up those kids. The old handshake agreements between the Town of Fries and Grayson and Carroll Counties as to where the cutoff point would be for school districts was no longer valid. It was years before the resentment subsided. I was sent to Carroll County where a Fries kid was in a fight almost every week. Kids were mainly repeating what they were hearing from their parents but the resentment contiued at Carroll until the majority of the Fries kids had completely stopped attending Carroll County schools. A few ended up at Fort Chiswell like Dyer and Derrick Jackson and a few others went to Galax but eventually, Grayson County realized how valuable the Fries athletes were and started getting the majority of the Fries kids to come to Grayson. The 1997 baseball state championship team is a prime example with the core of the team and 5 or 6 starters all coming from Fries. Independence High School was never dominant in any sport until the arrival of the Fries kids and that continues today.

Typical! In the short time I have lived here, it seems as if a large portion of the state from, say, Radford east and north, think that is the ending of the state.

The pin was middle left and I pulled it (chickened out) and was in the left waste area in one of those fingers. The wind was in my face and hurting a tad when standing over the ball so it wasn't blowing directly inland but sort of along the contour and really was not blowing hard for that area. I didn't get up and down so i made bogey but still won a skin for that hole. We played from the Dye (blue) tees and if I remember correctly, it was 2004. Before moving to my wife's hometown (Galax), the company I worked for did a lot of contract work for Verizon so the team I was on got the opportunity to play several excellent courses all along the southeast, on someone else's dime :D.

Yes it would be. I meant The Ocean Course as I have played it as well.

Like I said in another forum, golf is my deal :D. I have played the Old White, along with several other regular tour stops, therefore I know it is not up to tour standards. If they keep making the necessary changes to bring the course up to meet modern equipment, it can be. Sedgefield in Greensboro is on par with The Old White and I have played it with a Champions Tour regular. Great layout, aesthetically appealing classic old course but limited due to modern equipment. especially the ball. Harbour Town is the only course Pete Dye has ever built that I have played that I liked and I have played several. Watch this years PGA Championship in August from Harbour Town, phenomenal course. I will give Mr. Justice credit, from where The Greenbrier was when he purchased the property to now is remarkable. I played there a few years ago and it had been let go to a certain extent and was not in very good condition. I played there a month before last years tournament and it was much better.

Galax will be better than the "experts" suggest after loosing the best senior class in school history. Of all boys teams this school year, only track failed to qualify for state. Two seniors, Eddie Hanks and Jon Alouf graduated with 5 state championship rings. That is impressive. Grayson returns a lot of talent and if they can replace Daren Anderson and Xavier Rodriguez, they can do some damage. Max Rodgers may be the best player in this half of Virginia.