Page County 45 Bath County 6
- Thread starter PQMM
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Much respect to Coach Frye continuing to work with the numbers he has at Bath Co. to keep that program alive. Its a shame to see a school with such a rich football heritage drop to such its current state; but the mans doing what he can with what he has. The players will always remember the games and the fun they had during the season, which is worth as much as anything they will learn in the classroom.
I very well remember Bath County's state championship year. (I think it was only one year but may have been two.) Anyway, those stories of a super small school making it to the big time are what the sports world is all about. I can't think of any other schools that small winning a state title in football but I believe it has happened some in basketball over the years, hasn't it? Council for example....maybe Colonial Beach fits the bill.....others in either sport?
The Chargers actually won two titles during their heyday. And I think Appalachia may have been even smaller than Bath County was during their title runs during the 80's/90's. Back when WDBJ7's Friday Football Extra was worth watching they used to run a segment every year during their Preseason show on Chargers coach Carl Williams, their fields namesake. His was a touching story.
Obviously the biggest issue these schools deal with in the current times that was not an issue 20-30 years ago is participation in sports is down across the board, so we may never see title runs like that again.
Obviously the biggest issue these schools deal with in the current times that was not an issue 20-30 years ago is participation in sports is down across the board, so we may never see title runs like that again.
Yes Appalachia won several championships beginning in 1970. Twin Springs won a basketball championship in 1993 I think and maybe a couple runner up later. Castlewood won a baseball state championship and a couple runner ups under legendary coach Steve Banner. Know both of these schools had very small enrollments.
I remember their championship in the early 2000s. They had Jacob and John Phillips, QB and TE respectively. John went on to play in the NFL and I think Jacob played at W&M. I watched them come to RHS in the regular season and give Riverheads one of them take them behind the wood shed whoopins. We had no answer for the Phillips to Phillips combo. I remember after watching that game thinking they will have a great shot at winning state. Such a shame how they have fallen on hard times. Hopefully they can get their numbers back up and become competitive again.
Appalachia would have around 200 kids on the average, some classes a little bigger some smaller during that period.
John I Burton played in a couple state title games in recent memory and they're around 200 kids as well.
1A Jonesville High School in Lee County won the 1988 state football Championship in the last year of it's existence before it was closed down and consolidated into another school. I imagine their enrollment had to have been tiny. Head Coach John Cooke took a team that went 5-5 in regular season and reeled off 5 straight miracle playoff wins to take the title. He would go on to win another football state title at Roanoke Catholic High in 1994, making him the only coach in Virginia history to win a state football Championship in both public and private schools.
