As we all know there are changes coming with another cycle of alignment and classification changes to take place between now and next season. So how does that impact next season?

Region 1A will return all 8 teams who made the playoffs in 2022.

Region 1B will return just 4 teams who made the playoffs in 2022; Buffalo Gap, Franklin, Sussex Central & William Campbell.

Region 1C returns 7 of the 8 playoff teams from 2022 in Bath, Galax, George Wythe, Giles, Grayson, Narrow & Parry McCluer. Who fills the other spot?

Region 1D returns 7 of the 8 playoff teams from 2022 in Grundy, Holston, Honaker, Hurley, Patrick Henry (Glade Spring), Rye Cove & Twin Springs. Who fills the spot vacated by Lebanon?

With Riverheads moving to Class 2... who takes the reigns in Class 1?

Something to think about between now and August.

Former Tunstall star D’dric Rogers signed a few weeks ago to play at St. Aug’s in Raleigh. Great signing. D’dric played this year at Southern Durham in NC.

Outdoor Track placed second at the Prep League Meet.
Great effort, boys!
#StCVATrack
@804Varsity
@TheRVASportsNet

Brek Hall, the newly appointed head coach of Woodside
has a deep-rooted connection with Newport News football.

Shenandoah District kingpin Wilson Memoria celebrated Senior Night in a big way tonight with a 14-4 victory over arch-rival Riverheads, in a game that was actually still within reach for the visitors before Wilson exploded for six runs in the bottom of the 5th and then wrapped things up with another tally in the sixth. The game ended at that point due to the run-rule policy.

The game opened with a battle between two sophomore starters as Eli Irving took the mound for the Hornets and Ethan Fitzgerald for the Gladiators. Irving needed only 11 pitches to retire the first three Big Red batters and in the bottom of the frame, Fitzgerald was momentarily doing even better than that as he had only thrown six pitches to record the first two outs, but the Hornets staged a three-run rally which put Riverheads in catch up mode.

The Gladiators then adjusted to Irving for the next two innings and to their credit, when that top third of the order faced him a second time, all three hit safely, which kept them in the game. They crept back to within 3-1, then 4-2, and in the top of the fifth, a dropped fly ball plated the final two Riverheads runs to keep them within striking distance at 7-4.

But a quartet of Gladiator hurlers just could not contain Wilson's potent offense as they put the game out of reach with that big fifth inning. Both teams have two more games next week to wrap up the regular season. Wilson will easily win the Shenandoah crown and will presumably have a high seed in the Region 3-C playoffs.

Riverheads will qualify in its final year in Region 1-B but the three recent losses they have suffered (Buffalo Gap and Fort Defiance being the other two) may have knocked them down a peg or two in the region's pecking order. Considering that their final two games are against Waynesboro and Staunton, the two teams who are at or near the bottom of the standings, the Big Red would like nothing better than to end the regular season on a high note by knocking off those two squads.

I can't comprehend just how awful it has become. Rappahannock, which is easily the class of Region 1A, won a game yesterday 30-0. Other scores I've seen from among teams in either the NND, Tidewater, Eastern Shore, and Tri Rivers districts include 22-4, 27-7, 21-0, 20-1, 23-0 21-3. In one of those instances a team that got whipped put a whipping on a team worse than it is!! I feel for Rappahannock come state tournament time. Hopefully they can overcome this lack of competition.

Announced today that Cave Spring hired DC Hunter Shepard from Staunton River to be their next head coach

Baseball: Essex 17 Westmoreland 2 Final.
Softball: Essex 18 Westmoreland 3 Final.

Danny wrote a nice little article summing up what’s been happening in the Greater Richmond football arena over the last couple of months. You have to be a member to gain full access to the story. (Just another reason why you should strongly consider becoming a member and supporting what makes this forum possible).

Danny, unfortunately it did nothing to satiate our hunger. Actually, it was more like throwing one bone into a pen with a pack of starving dogs. All it has done is to get us all riled up. We need more bones now.

Outstanding hire. I predict he will get Sherando back to where it used to be.

URG Sports Network
@BURGSportsnet

Loudoun County High School’s Boys Basketball Head Coach, Mark Alexander, best wishes in his future endeavors decided to step down as head coach! Park View’s Coach Evan Greening has been named the new Head Coach
@countylchs & Copyright : @BURGSportsnet /Mike Ferrara

Prince George County, VA Class 5A, is searching for two defensive assistant coaches.
Stipend pay is $3,600. PG County has multiple openings for teachers and support staff.
Starting salary FY24 is $53k DM or email sgirolmo.wnec@gmail.com w/interest.

Baseball: Essex 8 Colonial Beach 5 FINAL

Softball: Essex 19 Colonial Beach 1 FINAL

@pizzzzza hope you don't mind. I've been on this side of the mountains in the valley for a couple years now as a student at JMU, and have loved getting acclimated to the rich history of basketball over here. Wanted to ask if you had any good stories or memories from the old school valley district. I know RE Lee was a powerhouse back in the day, and it is sad now seeing how watered down the Staunton rivalry is with a lot of its old foes-especially Waynesboro, I am sure those were some awesome rivalry games. Little Giants have never been the same after making the 2011 state championship and Dewitt retiring in 2016. I am glad that Staunton has risen back out of mediocrity, should have a great year next year. I say mediocrity-that's not fair at all, they were one of the must successful Class 2 programs-glad they are doing well in a very tough Class 3 now. Throw them back in the valley district! Would love to hear if you have any old thoughts.

Excited to have such a great group of coaches developing our student athletes!!

@coachphilsims1
@CoachCSBailey
@CoachMarcus8
@CoachHailes
@RIPToniFleming
@DamonEtheridge1
@CoachTega757

VISAA Baseball @VISAABaseball


The 1st 2023 VISAA Baseball Poll has been released.
Check out http://VISAA.org for all spring polls.

The Gladiators snapped their two-game losing streak this afternoon with a tight 2-1 decision over neighboring rival Stuarts Draft. This was the first Shenandoah District opponent that the Gladiators had been able to sweep as they had won the first match-up easily, slaughter-ruling the Cougars 12-0 on their own field last month. With the win, Riverheads is now 6-3 in Shenandoah District play and still hopeful for a high seeding in the upcoming Region 1-B playoffs.

That 2-1 score would make you think this one was a classic pitchers' duel and on some levels it was. However, each team had multiple opportunities to score and in fact, out of the 13 at-bats in the game, only the final Cougar chance, the top of the seventh, featured a 1-2-3 put out. Prior to that, each team had at least one guy reach base in every at-bat, which tells you that there were quite a few baserunners stranded.

However, that is not intended to take away from the strong efforts of the five hurlers used today. RHS starter Levi Dunlap gave the Big Red four strong scoreless innings. Logan Austin pitched the fifth and although he gave up the only run the Cougars scored, he still kept them from any kind of big rally. But just when the Cougars needed to find their bats and pull out a miracle win, RHS got a great closing effort from sophomore Ethan Fitzgerald, who only used 18 total pitches to set the visitors down over the final two frames.

The Cougars however got their own gems on the mound in the form of a veteran and a promising newcomer. Senior Trenton Coffey worked the first five innings for the Cougars, tossing over 100 pitches and quite obviously kept the Gladiators from the big numbers they have shown most of this year. He was relieved down the stretch by freshman Spencer Gates, who pitched a very impressive sixth inning and showed himself to be someone to watch in the future.

As for the scoring that the teams did manage to produce, the major action was all crammed into the middle three frames. In the home half of the third, Bennett Dunlap was on second and a solid hit to the outfield seemed ready to post the first run of the game, but a perfect throw nailed him at the plate to keep the game scoreless.

However, in the bottom of the fourth the Gladiators finally dented the scoreboard when lead-off batter Trevor Lilly hit the deepest ball of the game, one that flirted with the fences, and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Camden Huffer. The Cougars however matched that run with one of their own in the top of the fifth.

Riverheads then appeared headed for a break-it-open bottom of the fifth when they loaded the bases. However they only got one run out of it, but that turned out to be enough, thanks to Fitzgerald's excellent closing effort. Ironically he was the same pitcher that completely handcuffed the Cougars in the earlier game between the two.

While this tight one was going on, it seemed at times as if the real game of the day might be happening next door on the softball field. Riverheads seemed to be in control as they built a 7-2 lead midway through the game. But a fired up contingent of Lady Cougar fans went ballistic and made everybody look as their team caught fire in the fifth inning and came back to tie the game at 7-7. Riverheads however did not wilt under the pressure, as they pushed across a game winner to hand SD a tough 8-7 loss. That slugfest was a direct contrast to the first meeting between the two which was a scoreless tie almost all the way before SD squeezed out a late-inning 1-0 victory.

So Gladiator fans went home happy today with a pair of one-run victories and I believe I heard that the Riverheads boys were in control of the JV game being played at the Draft. So not a bad day all around as the weather cooperated and they even dropped the price of pizza and hot dogs over the final inning. What more could you ask for??

The Gladiators will be jumping from the frying pan into the fire Friday when they travel to Wilson to face the red hot Hornets. Wilson won the first game 13-8, which means that this time Riverheads will be the team in danger of being swept. After Friday's game, only one week will remain in the regular season. Regardless of what happens Friday at Wilson, Riverheads will hope to finish strong with games against Staunton and Waynesboro.

Piedmont used to be the best Double A district in VA. Football, basketball (girls and boys). What is it going to take to get it back? Skill and player development is lacking behind the players in Roanoke and Lynchburg that Piedmont teams used to beat consistently. Needs to be a summer league in the area and teams need to venture out to college team camps/open periods outside of the area.