sixcat

Grayson loses the majority of their team from the past couple of years unless they can find another crop of homeschool kids that haven’t turned 20 yet. GW will be a load for the next couple of years if they can replace Smith and Houston. They were very young last season. Galax has a solid group coming up through middle school right now. But I think the next couple of years will be down.

I can't recall a single coach that wasn't a teacher back in my high school days. But it is becoming more and more common for coaches to either be in non-teaching positions within the school system or not employed by the school system at all.

Sorry for the delay in responding. There was golf to be played after leaving the office yesterday afternoon. Coaches don't have to actually teach class to be employed within a school system. It's simple for a school system to create a position for a coach. Mark Dixon was listed as a school psychologist. That doesn't mean he actually did anything in that official capacity. Shane Allen is an aide in the Special Education Department. As a matter of fact, only 3 varsity head coaches at Galax actually teach class. The volleyball coach teaches World History, the girls basketball coach teaches Geography and Personal Finance, and the boys basketball coach teaches Gym. The baseball coach is an aide in the Middle School. The Swim & Dive, Cross Country, and Track & Field coaches run the Galax Recreation Center. One is Director, the other is the Assistant Director. The Wrestling coach lives in North Carolina. I have no idea what he does professionally but he doesn't work for the school system. The Golf coach is the General Manager of Blue Ridge Country Club. The majority of assistant coaches are listed as "paraprofessionals" on the school website but have no clear classroom responsibility. I assume they are aides. Stephen James doesn't teach anything at Grayson. Seth Greer doesn't teach anything at Carroll. Both are listed on their schools directories but neither have a position listed. Greer was a state trooper for a decade prior to getting into coaching.

Is teaching a prerequisite in Wise County? Not too many football coaches teaching class anymore. At least not out this way (Region C).

I know the entire coaching staff at PH Roanoke. Both Johnson's are in their mid-60's and have been coaching in Roanoke for 40 years. Lee Johnson is PH's AD. I don't see either as a possibility. Both Drakeford's are PH royalty. PH and Ferrum College Hall-Of-Fame. They would also be a terrible fit in Wise County so, I don't see either as a possibility. Josh Dix has an incredibly successful business in Roanoke. I highly doubt he's leaving that behind to move to Wise County. Tommy Jones is in his 60's and one of the best Track & Field coaches in Virginia. He's been at PH for 30 years. I don't see that as a possibility. That leaves Jay Goad. The only one I don't know anything about. But I'm reasonably certain, none of the coaches on this list have a daughter playing basketball, including Goad. The head coach, Alan Fiddler, has a daughter named Shelby playing basketball at Niagara University. She just finished her sophomore season where she appeared in all 35 games.

Anyone have an answer?

I agree. Even though it means Galax wouldn’t have won the state championship in football last fall. Shout-out Yandel Vera!!!

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.

Not sure the quoted message above is the flex you seem to think it is. The Mountain 7 is the toughest district for girls basketball of the lower 3 classifications in the state. Central Wise might have been the favorite to win the Class 3 state title.

Alan Fiddler or one of his assistants?

I’m not entirely sure. Troy Barkley took over in the late 00’s and won 5 state championships before going to Pulaski, where he attended high school. Since that time, it’s been one-and-done.

Was and is.

“Futbol is life!!!” ~Dani Rojas~

This recipe can be made spicy by mixing in one fan base speaking a language the other doesn’t understand.

Downtown Richmond is on lockdown. Fatal shooting just across the James River from the Siegel Center.

What the hell are you talking about, man? It's golf season!!!

I used to catch some in practice for his uncle back in the 80’s. Mike was drafted by the Expos and played in the Twins organization.

I knew Brock and his family well. He’s a Fries native, as am I. Brock’s dad is the head girls basketball coach at Grayson County. His sister is in administration at Galax. Very happy for the whole Funk-Moore extended family!!!

Eastside leads Brunswick 27-23 at halftime.

Not everything requires mental gymnastics. This could very simply be a case where she moved when the family did. Not like she had another option. Then decided she didn't want to give up high school softball so she transferred to THS.

Carroll beat LCA twice last season by 30-plus. When they played last week, LCA had a whole new roster. Funny how that happens.

That’s what Auburn does. That’s what’s made them a dynasty in Class 1 basketball over the past decade. They are terrific at taking away your strengths and capitalizing from your tendencies. I’d bet money Millirons can describe in great detail, what he picked up on film to expose Keene the way he did. Auburn always starts slow. Once they feel out their opponent, they make small adjustments and take advantage of what the opponent is doing. Coaching matters and Auburn has the best in this state.

Auburn outscored Honaker 49-29 after the first quarter. One official accounted for a 20 point swing in a high school basketball game?

There is a homeschool girls basketball program locally called State Line Rush. They have sent a girl or two to college to play basketball every single year for over a decade. Not hard to see why Galax and Grayson County High Schools have seen a sharp decline in girls basketball talent in that timeframe. They fundraise like crazy and play all over the eastern seaboard. Probably play 50 games a year. Of the former SLR players that I know, one starts at George Washington currently, one starts at UT Chattanooga currently, and one started 77 games at Liberty between 2019-2023. https://www.maxpreps.com/va/galax/state-line-homeschool-rush-rush/basketball/girls/schedule/ https://www.facebook.com/statelinerush/ That is where I see youth athletics in the future. What State Line Rush is doing will be the rule rather than the exception. Edit to add: That 2018 NACA National Championship SLR won (on Facebook link) was with an extraordinary team. All three D1 players mentioned above plus three girls that played D2 basketball in South Carolina and another that played D2 basketball at Lee University. One of the D2 girls was an All-America selection.