How did Alleghany and Carrol County get in the TRD next season

[GilesRules06]

Was it enrollment?
If it was for competition's sake why didn't Alleghany move to the closer district with Bath Co., Craig Co., Covington, etc. Same with CC going to a closer district with Galax, Grayson, etc. AA teams dropping down to a district of A schools just seems unfair.

 

[obguthr]

You're probably still thinking in terms of the old 3 tier system. Alleghany is apparently losing enrollment or not growing enough to stay 3A for much longer. The Blue Ridge is a 3A/4A district, so if you ignore geography, it makes sense for them to move to the TRD, which will be mainly 2A next year (1A Eastern Montgomery and Auburn are leaving). Let's be honest though, Alleghany's inability to compete in the Blue Ridge is a big part of it, even if no one admits it.

Carroll's move is ALL about competition. They can't compete with Salem or Pulaski even though they are similar in size. Moving to the TRD will involve MORE travel than staying in the River Ridge. Basically, they are trading a trip to Salem, for...another trip to Salem (Glenvar) PLUS trips to Clifton Forge and Buchanan. They also trade a relatively short trip to Dublin for a longer trip to Pearisburg.

I've said it before but I'll say it again. If you move Salem, Fleming, PH, and Byrd into their own 4A/5A district (like the old Roanoke Valley district) with possibly some of the Roanoke county schools and everyone else stays where they are, it all works out much better. I agree that it seems unfair, but our AD's must have signed off on it.

 

[maroons1]

Carroll County has one of the top softball programs in 4A. There are other sports out there other than football. Now, if Carroll drops down to 3A, I could understand. Otherwise, this is a bad move.

 

[Scagmowers]

It's all about the money.Carroll has lost revenue in the River Ridge. Nobody travels to see a bad game. They are hoping that the Radfords,Giles,Floyd's etc. will bring in more fans for gate money.This is what the A.D . Advised.

 

[obguthr]

It's all about the money.Carroll has lost revenue in the River Ridge. Nobody travels to see a bad game. They are hoping that the Radfords,Giles,Floyd's etc. will bring in more fans for gate money.This is what the A.D . Advised.

I doubt the JR-Carroll games are going to draw much of a crowd, just saying. I'd rather bring Hidden Valley or Cave Spring into the TRD than Alleghany and Carroll. It just makes zero sense for the Carroll buses to drive through Pulaski, Blacksburg, and Christiansburg to play district teams half their size. Weak.

 

[SpartanOfYore]

It's all about the money.Carroll has lost revenue in the River Ridge. Nobody travels to see a bad game. They are hoping that the Radfords,Giles,Floyd's etc. will bring in more fans for gate money.This is what the A.D . Advised.

Things usually are about the money, no doubt. But competition goes hand-in-hand with that. You said it yourself - nobody travels to see a bad game. Yes, Carroll's AD blamed the fans from the other RRD schools for all of his school's woes, but I called a massive load of BS on that in a lengthy post this past winter. Rather than admit that his school and athletic program face a lot of tough challenges that need to be addressed, he just threw all the blame at all the other district schools.

What he doesn't seem to understand is that as thrilled as he seems to be at the prospect of being a 4A school that will be playing bad 1A teams, the other schools in the River Ridge will be ecstatic to see Carroll County go. I suspect, I should say. No more mandatory trips to Hillsville; no more empty visitors' stands when Carroll comes to town; and best of all, no more one-win albatross around the neck when it comes to the VHSL football ratings scale.

Believe me, Giles will have absolutely no trouble with Carroll in football. It's hard to overstate just how wretched their program is. Carroll's AD thinks they're headed for greener pastures, but the ironic thing is, their football team will be hard-pressed to win more than two games in Three Rivers district play next year. Aside from Auburn, who will the Cavs have a good chance of beating? Of course, they're probably going to go 0-for-four years in the River Ridge (although C'burg might be sweating this year), so even one district win would be an improvement, I suppose. Still, I doubt people will flock to Hillsville to see a smackdown from Alleghany or Radford, any more than they flocked from Roanoke to see a shellacking from PH or Cave Spring. Most people don't want to travel to see one of the worst teams in the state, in some of the poorest facilities, when the outcome is a foregone conclusion. And I will add that, counter to what their AD claimed, Salem more than filled Carroll's visiting side in the Spartans' only visit there three years ago.

In just about every other sport except softball, and perhaps girls basketball, Carroll Co. might be competitive, and nothing more, in the 3RD. Aside from those two sports, they've been at or near the bottom of the River Ridge in most everything else. They will probably dominate district competition in softball for one year if the pitcher Nester is still there, but after that, I imagine they'll be like a normal 2A in that sport, as well. If I were a fan of almost any 3RD school, I wouldn't be too concerned about Carroll County.

 

[SpartanOfYore]

You're probably still thinking in terms of the old 3 tier system. Alleghany is apparently losing enrollment or not growing enough to stay 3A for much longer. The Blue Ridge is a 3A/4A district, so if you ignore geography, it makes sense for them to move to the TRD, which will be mainly 2A next year (1A Eastern Montgomery and Auburn are leaving). Let's be honest though, Alleghany's inability to compete in the Blue Ridge is a big part of it, even if no one admits it.

Carroll's move is ALL about competition. They can't compete with Salem or Pulaski even though they are similar in size. Moving to the TRD will involve MORE travel than staying in the River Ridge. Basically, they are trading a trip to Salem, for...another trip to Salem (Glenvar) PLUS trips to Clifton Forge and Buchanan. They also trade a relatively short trip to Dublin for a longer trip to Pearisburg.

I've said it before but I'll say it again. If you move Salem, Fleming, PH, and Byrd into their own 4A/5A district (like the old Roanoke Valley district) with possibly some of the Roanoke county schools and everyone else stays where they are, it all works out much better. I agree that it seems unfair, but our AD's must have signed off on it.

It's not just Salem and Pulaski that Carroll Co. can't compete with; the Cavs are 0-21 against River Ridge schools since joining the district in 2013. And a good bet to go 0-7 again this season, although they might have a shot at Christiansburg. In fact, Carroll hasn't won a game against any district competition since beating a historically bad Tazewell team in 2011. The Cavs went winless against Southwest District teams in 2012, despite being twice as large as most of those schools. I don't see them faring much better in the Three Rivers.

Carroll County, a 4A school, has not beaten another 4A team since Bassett in the first round of the playoffs - in 2010! That's almost six full years ago. The powers that be in Hillsville seem
more interested in putting their energies into finding someone they can beat, as opposed to tackling the roadblocks that stand in the way of improving their program.

Your 4A/5A district idea is interesting, but where would you see Pulaski County going in that scenario? Seems like the Cougars would have to go into that district as well.

 

[obguthr]

Your 4A/5A district idea is interesting, but where would you see Pulaski County going in that scenario? Seems like the Cougars would have to go into that district as well.

Pulaski, Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Carroll would remain in the 3A/4A River Ridge with Hidden Valley and Cave Spring. Hidden Valley's enrollment is growing and could conceivably move up to 4A and join the Roanoke Valley.

 

[Wingo-Dingo]

Things usually are about the money, no doubt. But competition goes hand-in-hand with that. You said it yourself - nobody travels to see a bad game. Yes, Carroll's AD blamed the fans from the other RRD schools for all of his school's woes, but I called a massive load of BS on that in a lengthy post this past winter. Rather than admit that his school and athletic program face a lot of tough challenges that need to be addressed, he just threw all the blame at all the other district schools.

What he doesn't seem to understand is that as thrilled as he seems to be at the prospect of being a 4A school that will be playing bad 1A teams, the other schools in the River Ridge will be ecstatic to see Carroll County go. I suspect, I should say. No more mandatory trips to Hillsville; no more empty visitors' stands when Carroll comes to town; and best of all, no more one-win albatross around the neck when it comes to the VHSL football ratings scale.

Believe me, Giles will have absolutely no trouble with Carroll in football. It's hard to overstate just how wretched their program is. Carroll's AD thinks they're headed for greener pastures, but the ironic thing is, their football team will be hard-pressed to win more than two games in Three Rivers district play next year. Aside from Auburn, who will the Cavs have a good chance of beating? Of course, they're probably going to go 0-for-four years in the River Ridge (although C'burg might be sweating this year), so even one district win would be an improvement, I suppose. Still, I doubt people will flock to Hillsville to see a smackdown from Alleghany or Radford, any more than they flocked from Roanoke to see a shellacking from PH or Cave Spring. Most people don't want to travel to see one of the worst teams in the state, in some of the poorest facilities, when the outcome is a foregone conclusion. And I will add that, counter to what their AD claimed, Salem more than filled Carroll's visiting side in the Spartans' only visit there three years ago.

In just about every other sport except softball, and perhaps girls basketball, Carroll Co. might be competitive, and nothing more, in the 3RD. Aside from those two sports, they've been at or near the bottom of the River Ridge in most everything else. They will probably dominate district competition in softball for one year if the pitcher Nester is still there, but after that, I imagine they'll be like a normal 2A in that sport, as well. If I were a fan of almost any 3RD school, I wouldn't be too concerned about Carroll County.

I believe Auburn is moving to the Mt. Empire district next year, so Carroll won't have any easy wins in football in the TRD

 

[SpartanOfYore]

I believe Auburn is moving to the Mt. Empire district next year, so Carroll won't have any easy wins in football in the TRD

It also occurred to me that any 1A schools in the district will not be required to play 4A Carroll County, since they are more than two classifications apart.

 

[CallMeCoach19]

If Radford moves to 2A, which is the indication, then it will be all 2A with 3A Ghany and 4A CC. If Ghany is losing enrollment and will eventually be 2A, welcome aboard! As for CC, I know many of the RR schools are dropping them in everything (disgusted was the word I heard used at Pulaski), and several TRD schools are working on a loophole to not play them. I personally say take the points. I'm a football, volleyball, and soccer guy, so those are easy wins for the other TRD teams. I just couldn't imagine being that coach: "Boys, you suck too much to play with schools your size, so we are going to let you go out there and get beat by much smaller schools!" Yikes...I see no upside for them.

 

[Hampton Roads 6]

A 4A school should not be in a district with 1A or 2A schools.

I drove by Carroll County one time when football team was practicing. I wish Gretna had some of those linemen Carroll County had. Looked as if they were all line and no skill position players.

 

[SpartanOfYore]

If Radford moves to 2A, which is the indication, then it will be all 2A with 3A Ghany and 4A CC. If Ghany is losing enrollment and will eventually be 2A, welcome aboard! As for CC, I know many of the RR schools are dropping them in everything (disgusted was the word I heard used at Pulaski), and several TRD schools are working on a loophole to not play them. I personally say take the points. I'm a football, volleyball, and soccer guy, so those are easy wins for the other TRD teams. I just couldn't imagine being that coach: "Boys, you suck too much to play with schools your size, so we are going to let you go out there and get beat by much smaller schools!" Yikes...I see no upside for them.

I may have come across as overly harsh on Carroll County. I have nothing at all against the kids and people, in general. I think the athletes in all sports are being done a disservice by the adults running things. How rewarding will it be, I wonder, for the typical Cavalier football player to play all 2A teams, and know he never has a shot at even making the 4A playoffs?

When Carroll learned they would be going into the River Ridge District four years ago, it seems like that would have been the perfect opportunity for some serious self-examination, and for meaningful changes to be implemented. The Powers That Be could have said, "We're going to be swimming with the sharks now. What do we need to do to toughen up, and make sure we not only don't get torn to ribbons, but also get our share of seal meat?*" But instead, they seem to have spent the last four years asking, "How can we get into the minnow pond?"

I realize Carroll County faces a lot of challenges that just don't exist for the other RRD schools. Equal numbers don't necessarily ensure equal opportunities and resources. However - there are plenty of examples of similarly-disadvantaged school systems overcoming those obstacles. There is no reason for Carroll County's athletics program to be as non-competitive as it is, in everything except for two girls sports. There's especially no reason for the football program to have sunk to the point where it's been six years since the Cavs have beaten another school in their classification.

*My apologies to all animal lovers for the seal analogy.

 

[Hampton Roads 6]

Some schools don't care about sports and it comes back to bite them. If a school has a good football team and good leadership, the school and community can feed off it. Too many schools do not care if their team wins state championship or goes 0-10, The number one cause for bad football teams is bad leadership and bad coaching..

 

[ClarkeFan83]

*My apologies to all animal lovers for the seal analogy.

I love seal. Tastes like spotted owl.