sixcat

I won't swear these are accurate. I got them from local high school marching band schedules. They were likely put together by Band Boosters while preparing for summer Band Camps. Carroll County 8/30 - Patrick County 9/6 - Grayson county 9/13 - @ Galax 9/20 - @ George Wythe 9/27 - @ Glenvar 10/4 - OPEN 10/11 - Floyd County 10/18 - @ Giles 10/25 - Alleghany, VA 11/1 - @ Radford 11/8 - James River Grayson County 8/30 - @ Alleghany, NC 9/6 - @ Carroll County 9/13 - @ Rural Retreat 9/20 - West Wilkes, NC 9/27 - OPEN 10/4 - @ Bland County 10/11 - @ Auburn 10/18 - Fort Chiswell 10/30 - George Wythe 11/1 - Hart County, KY 11/8 - Galax

I know several guys locally who left the AOA for the Roanoke Association. They work the Three Rivers, Blue Ridge and River Ridge most often. My brief experience with the AOA left me with the distinct impression, it’s disorganized chaos. My cousin attempted to leave the Roanoke Association a couple years ago to help out the AOA since he lives in Galax. His first 4 games were at Lebanon, Castlewood, Grundy and Lee. Hell of a haul from Galax for a guy with a full time job! He went back to the Roanoke Association after 4 games.

Probably doesn't matter from a variety of standpoints.

We're both wrong! Bill Guthridge was named head coach on October 9th, 1997. He was born July 27, 1937. He had turned 60 a little more than 2 months before becoming head coach. I mistakenly thought he turned 60 after becoming head coach. Gregg Marshall was born February 27, 1963, making him a little over 56 years of age. Only 4 years older than Guthridge at the time of his hire at UNC. My point remains, with so many other attractive candidates, why hire someone nearing retirement age?

Actually, he was 3 years older than Gregg Marshall is right now.

That's what everyone said about Bill Guthridge when Dean Smith retired!

It won't be Gregg Marshall. His name comes up virtually every time a quality job comes open. It's easy to forget or overlook the fact that Marshall makes over a million dollars more at Wichita State than Buzz did at VT and doesn't have to contend with football. And by all outward appearances, VT isn't going to offer a coach what Marshall makes at Wichita State. Plus, I don't see Babcock going after a 56 year old head coach. As an AD, you only get so many shots at getting these things right. Babcock has a great track record in replacing coaches (golf excluded) but the percentages suggest he has to get one wrong at some point. Replacing the most successful basketball coach in school history only to have to replace him in a few years due to retirement isn't a very attractive proposition for Babcock, I would imagine. Ryan Odum has an ACC pedigree and his son is a sophomore at Oak Hill Academy. That would be my best guess. Word out of Texas is Shaka Smart isn't well liked by the ridiculous Longhorn "boosters." He would be another interesting choice. Then again, Babcock hasn't gone "chalk" on many of these coaching hires in his tenure at VT.

Galax 2019 football schedule 8/30 - @ Glenvar 9/6 - Martinsville 9/13 - Carroll County 9/20 - Rural Retreat 9/27 - @ Northside 10/4 - OPEN 10/11 - Fort Chiswell 10/18 - @ George Wythe 10/25 - Auburn 11/1 - @ Bland 11/8 - @ Grayson County

I have known this family since childhood. The younger brother has been baseball and basketball coach a decade longer than the older brother has been principal. How does that equate to nepotism?

I don't know him personally but have heard some really good things. Ironically, several current members of the Grayson wrestling team transferred from Galax when Coman was hired. Two of them finished 4th in the state tournament.

Grayson will be very competitive on a state level coming down to Class 1 next year. They only had 3 seniors on this team. None of which competed in the regional or state tournament if I recall correctly.

So, if Machado and Harper are worth $300 million plus, does that mean whoever signs Trout to his next deal will just sign the franchise over to him? He would have to be worth a billion, right?

You would think!

Answer above!

Tough job if he's going to Person County. Rural school forced to play the schools in the Raleigh-Durham and Greensboro areas. To give you perspective, Person typically plays GW Danville or Halifax as a "break" from the gauntlet they face within their conference.

Maybe it's just me but Philly has spent generational money the past two seasons on high-end free agents. If 86 wins is all that money buys them, it would be poetic justice. Baseball needs some form of a salary cap and has for years.

Galax beat Pulaski 1-0 Wednesday. Pulaski was the only team to beat Galax in regulation last season.

I feel pretty certain Harper will. No fan-base in sports are as terrible as the ones in Philadelphia. On a splendid side note, Harper's contract will expire in 2031, at which point the Mets will still owe Bobby Bonilla 4 more years on his contract from 1998!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know a thing about M7 soccer but Galax returns almost everyone from last season's state championship team. Galax will be going after a third consecutive state championship and state title #5 in 6 years.

Josh Spurlin (138 pounds) and Caxton Vaught (160 pounds) both won individual titles for Galax. Spurlin won his 4th consecutive. Ty Townsend finished 2nd at 120 pounds.

Fort's principal was the principal at Rural Retreat at the same time Akers was coaching at Rural Retreat. I have no insight into the relationship but it can't be a coincidence. Unless Josh Wingate didn't want the job, he earned the opportunity to have the interim tag removed and see what he could do with Fort's program. This will prove to be as bad a hire for Fort as Tom Hale. It's sad too because Fort has some ridiculous talent coming into the high school over the next couple of years. Just my opinion.

Mr. Dowling was the Assistant Principal, coached the basketball team and taught social studies and civics at the small school I went to in Fries. I had him every year from 5th grade through the beginning of high school. @Optimal62also had Mr. Dowling for many years so, he may be able to shed some light as well. I won't get all the details correct but I will do my best. I was between 11 and 14 years old when this happened. He was one of a dozen or so finalists to be the teacher on board the Challenger. Obviously, he didn't win the competition but he did get some perks after some understandable delay given the tragedy. As a finalist, he got to represent the US at the Moscow Summit with president Reagan and the other finalists. A quick Google search suggests the Moscow Summit was in May 1988 following the Challenger disaster. I don't know if it was postponed because of Challenger. I would think it would have been more political than anything else. As a precocious kid, I was certain Mr. Dowling would never return from the evil Soviet Union. I just knew he would die in a Siberian gulag. He did return to share his memories, pictures and souvenirs with his students. He wasn't the most popular teacher mainly because he was tough and held his students accountable. He had expectations of us and was unrelenting in holding us to those expectations. We meet at the library occasionally. I will have to direct him to this thread next time I see him.