I have had an association with WKDE Radio in Altavista for about 10 years now. I think I started with basketball first in January, and started as a sideline reporter for the football team the next year, but honestly it's been so long I can't remember. Anyways, the first guys I ever met on a football sideline were Robert Duff and Jeff Cocke. Now, I am not a native of Altavista, but one thing that I respect about small towns is the close bond that the town shares, you know where everybody knows everybody. In my mind, Robert and Jeff are probably two of the best people I could have first met. I remember that first year doing games I was always on the sideline and I would wear khaki shorts a lot (that dates back to my days as a student manager at Jefferson Forest, kind of superstitious) and so would Jeff. So anytime after that when one of us wasn't wearing shorts, we'd give the other a hard time about it. I would stand and just look at him and say "What are you doing? Where are your shorts?" and other times if I didn't have them on, he would say (and he had a great voice, I can't explain it, you just had to hear it) "Where are the shorts at tonight?" and I would come up with some excuse as to why I didn't have them on. Later in my broadcasting career, he became the clock operator for Altavista's boys basketball games and when I saw him in the hallway before games, I would go into the shorts stuff.
We talked more about things other then shorts, but never deep conversations, just passing stuff, but I always felt like Jeff was a friend. Going to Altavista games is not going to be the same for me this year, when I look down from the broadcast booth, it's just going to feel different not seeing Jeff sit down there next to Ryan "Soup" Mitchell (Altavista's scorekeeper) and the father of Delano Douglas (I must admit, I don't know his real name, I just know him as Tootie.) to Jeff's left. Oh yeah, Jeff was also a very good umpire for high school baseball as well, as I would see him at various games I would attend during the days of coverage for "Talking High School Sports".
You know it's funny, I think people look at high school sports, and they see people that they know like Mike Scharnus, Mike Cartolaro, and other various head coaches around the area. But, there are a ton of people that contribute to games running smoothly, whether it be officials, administrators, or support staff like the clock operators, scorekeepers and so on.
My prayers go out to Jeff's family, including his wife Vickie, his daughters, Jennifer and Christy, their husbands Jeff Monroe (Head Boys Basketball Coach at Liberty High School)and Brian Murray as well as others including grandchildren and other relatives.
I will be making the trip to Altavista's gymnasium for the visitation tomorrow at 1 pm. The service starts at 3. Normally, I look forward to going to Altavista's gym, because it means a basketball game of some sort, but out of all my trips to Altavista, this is one that I wish was never happening.
I hope I see Jeff in heaven one day, so I can say "Where are the shorts at?"
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Page County Wins Group A Div 1 Baseball Title
PAGE COUNTY EDGES RIVERHEADS TO CLAIM GROUP A DIVISION 1 BASEBALL TITLE
SALEM, Va. – Timmy Cave went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI and Patrick Cubbage tossed a complete game to lead Page County to a 3-1 win over Riverheads in the Group A Division 1 Baseball State Championship Saturday morning at Kiwanis Field as part of the 2011 Spring Jubilee.
As a team, Page recorded 11 hits.
Kyle Wilson and Cody Swisher led Riverheads with two hits each.
SALEM, Va. – Timmy Cave went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI and Patrick Cubbage tossed a complete game to lead Page County to a 3-1 win over Riverheads in the Group A Division 1 Baseball State Championship Saturday morning at Kiwanis Field as part of the 2011 Spring Jubilee.
As a team, Page recorded 11 hits.
Kyle Wilson and Cody Swisher led Riverheads with two hits each.
Jefferson Forest Captures Boys Soccer Title
JEFFERSON FOREST KNOCKS OFF TWO-TIME DEFENDING CHAMPS TO CLAIM FIRST STATE TITLE, 2-1
RADFORD, Va. – Matthew Crider’s 77th minute strike lifted Jefferson Forest to a 2-1 victory over Blacksburg in the Group AA Boys Soccer State Championship Saturday morning at Radford University as part of the 2011 Spring Jubilee.
Trailing 1-0 at the break, Jefferson Forest’s Drew Henderson collected a loose ball in the box to tie the score 14 minutes into the second half.
Blacksburg’s lone goal came from Garland Smith midway through the opening period.
This is Jefferson Forest’s first Group AA title, while the Bruins have appeared in 17, including six of the last seven.
RADFORD, Va. – Matthew Crider’s 77th minute strike lifted Jefferson Forest to a 2-1 victory over Blacksburg in the Group AA Boys Soccer State Championship Saturday morning at Radford University as part of the 2011 Spring Jubilee.
Trailing 1-0 at the break, Jefferson Forest’s Drew Henderson collected a loose ball in the box to tie the score 14 minutes into the second half.
Blacksburg’s lone goal came from Garland Smith midway through the opening period.
This is Jefferson Forest’s first Group AA title, while the Bruins have appeared in 17, including six of the last seven.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Preview of Rustburg & Liberty Boys Basketball
Tonight at Brookville high school, the Rustburg Red Devils and Liberty Minutemen will meet for the Division 3 share of the Seminole District title, before battling the winner of E.C. Glass and Amherst on Friday.
I had a chance to catch up with both coaches, one by audio, one by print.
Jeff Monroe joined me on "The Sports Buffet Podcast", to check out that interview, click here. Brantley Shields and I caught up via e-mail to talk about tonight's match-up with the Minutemen.
Bob Alvis: Anthony Reynolds is a stand out player for them, what all do you guys have to do to make sure Reynolds doesn't kill you all tonight?
Brantley Shields: We have to limit what he can do with the ball and where he catches it. A player like that it is impossible to stop. You just have to try and limit them and force them to catch the ball in positions where you can defend them.
BA: Who are some of their other players that you are worried about, and why?
BS: (Darius) McCoy and (Thomas) Clark because they can flat out shoot it. (Gaitlin) Wright gets solid penetration for them and we have to take away his drive.
BA: A lot of times coaches say that they know can't contain superstar players, but want to limit their touches. How important is it that you not only get the ball to Marshall (Wood), but put him in a good position to where he doesn't have to do a lot of work getting his shot or getting to score. Or is it a situation, where give Marshall the ball and everyone else get the heck out of the way?
BS: A little of both. I think it is impossible to limit touches for great players. They are going to get touches. Marshall has averaged the same shot attempts for just about every game this season with the exception of the last Glass game, and that was just because he got into foul trouble. What Liberty will do is try to turn him into a jump shooter which will do two things. 1. Take him away from the boards 2. Force him to take a lower percentage shot. They did a great job of that in the first game, in the second game Marshall did a better job of catching and reading. Marshall has matured tremendously in the past ten games and the key for us is to get him the ball in spots where he can be successful.
BA: What went right and who stood out for you guys against Brookville on Monday night?
BS: We played really good defense, especially in the second half. We also took really good shots and got to the basket, which allowed us to get to the foul line. That is the formula we try to play and we executed really well the other night, better than we have all season. Hopefully we can do it again tonight.
BA: We have talked about this before, but with the postseason comes a new level of play, what change have you noticed in you guys in terms of mindset and intensity coming into this game?
BS: Really, mentally I haven't seen much of a change. We really stressed consistency, focus, and poise all year. One game isn't more important than the next. Every drill, every play, every practice, every game is just as important as the next. Our kids really bought into that from the beginning. What I have noticed, is our players comfort level in our system increasing. That allows us to start playing through developed habits rather than having to constantly think through everything. This allows us to play faster and make adjustments quicker. I think that it is a big reason why we have played a lot better the past 6 games.
I had a chance to catch up with both coaches, one by audio, one by print.
Jeff Monroe joined me on "The Sports Buffet Podcast", to check out that interview, click here. Brantley Shields and I caught up via e-mail to talk about tonight's match-up with the Minutemen.
Bob Alvis: Anthony Reynolds is a stand out player for them, what all do you guys have to do to make sure Reynolds doesn't kill you all tonight?
Brantley Shields: We have to limit what he can do with the ball and where he catches it. A player like that it is impossible to stop. You just have to try and limit them and force them to catch the ball in positions where you can defend them.
BA: Who are some of their other players that you are worried about, and why?
BS: (Darius) McCoy and (Thomas) Clark because they can flat out shoot it. (Gaitlin) Wright gets solid penetration for them and we have to take away his drive.
BA: A lot of times coaches say that they know can't contain superstar players, but want to limit their touches. How important is it that you not only get the ball to Marshall (Wood), but put him in a good position to where he doesn't have to do a lot of work getting his shot or getting to score. Or is it a situation, where give Marshall the ball and everyone else get the heck out of the way?
BS: A little of both. I think it is impossible to limit touches for great players. They are going to get touches. Marshall has averaged the same shot attempts for just about every game this season with the exception of the last Glass game, and that was just because he got into foul trouble. What Liberty will do is try to turn him into a jump shooter which will do two things. 1. Take him away from the boards 2. Force him to take a lower percentage shot. They did a great job of that in the first game, in the second game Marshall did a better job of catching and reading. Marshall has matured tremendously in the past ten games and the key for us is to get him the ball in spots where he can be successful.
BA: What went right and who stood out for you guys against Brookville on Monday night?
BS: We played really good defense, especially in the second half. We also took really good shots and got to the basket, which allowed us to get to the foul line. That is the formula we try to play and we executed really well the other night, better than we have all season. Hopefully we can do it again tonight.
BA: We have talked about this before, but with the postseason comes a new level of play, what change have you noticed in you guys in terms of mindset and intensity coming into this game?
BS: Really, mentally I haven't seen much of a change. We really stressed consistency, focus, and poise all year. One game isn't more important than the next. Every drill, every play, every practice, every game is just as important as the next. Our kids really bought into that from the beginning. What I have noticed, is our players comfort level in our system increasing. That allows us to start playing through developed habits rather than having to constantly think through everything. This allows us to play faster and make adjustments quicker. I think that it is a big reason why we have played a lot better the past 6 games.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Seminole District Boys Tournament Action on Monday
Division 3 and Division 4 tournament action takes place tonight in the Seminole District for boys basketball. Rustburg travels to Brookville in Division 3 with a spot in Wednesday's division 3 final against Liberty on the line. Then, in Division 4, # 1 seed, E.C. Glass travels to Jefferson Forest and Amhest will play Heritage on the same floor immediately after. We'll now take a look at how the matchups have gone this year.
Division 3
# 2 Rustburg at # 3 Brookville
Previous Meetings this season
Dec 13 2010 at Rustburg: Rustburg 54 Brookville 42
Jan 18 2011 at Brookville: Rustburg 49 Brookville 35
Rustburg recorded the sweep during the regular season against the Bees, but make no mistake, Brantley Shields views the Bees as a tough out. Marshall Wood is averaging 19 ppg in the series this year (14 in the first game, 24 in the 2nd matchup) and the Red Devils have depth up front with Adrian Stefek. The Bees can play big too though with Korren Kirven banging down low. Matt Blanks is probably the best pure shooter on the Bees.
Division 4
# 1 E.C. Glass at # 4 Jefferson Forest
Previous Meetings this season
Dec 13 2010 at Jefferson Forest: E.C. Glass 60 Jefferson Forest 35
Jan 18 2011 at E.C. Glass: E.C. Glass 58 Jefferson Forest 35
The Hilltoppers have been getting better as the season has progressed. A big win over Rustburg a couple weeks ago ended up being the district clincher for the Hilltoppers, as Heritage would upset Liberty, who would win the district outright. Malcolm Owens is a legit player of the year candidate in the league, but also has a strong supporting cast with D.J. Champion and others. Jefferson Forest surprised some teams early in the season with wins over Rustburg and others, but the Cavs have cooled as of late. However, you can't count a Paul Smith coached team out in the postseason.
# 2 Amherst vs. # 3 Heritage
Previous Meetings this season
Jan 21 2011 at Heritage: Heritage 55 Amherst 54
Feb 5 2011 at Amherst: Amherst 58 Heritage 45
Having seen both these teams earlier in the season, I would have said this would have been a no-contest then, but Heritage has really improved. In what may be one of Dan Stephens youngest teams at Heritage, they are starting to pick it up at the right time. The Pioneers scored a huge upset at Liberty down the stretch, and would like to ride that momentum into Wednesday's division 4 final, and a spot in the Region III Division 4 tournament. Eddie Carter has another athletic team in Amherst Co. and looks to get his team into next week's regional title with a win. Everyone always talks about Marshall Wood, Anthony Reynolds and Malcolm Owens when talking about Seminole studs, but don't sleep on A.J. Richerson, possibly the best player in the Seminole that isn't talked about.
Division 3
# 2 Rustburg at # 3 Brookville
Previous Meetings this season
Dec 13 2010 at Rustburg: Rustburg 54 Brookville 42
Jan 18 2011 at Brookville: Rustburg 49 Brookville 35
Rustburg recorded the sweep during the regular season against the Bees, but make no mistake, Brantley Shields views the Bees as a tough out. Marshall Wood is averaging 19 ppg in the series this year (14 in the first game, 24 in the 2nd matchup) and the Red Devils have depth up front with Adrian Stefek. The Bees can play big too though with Korren Kirven banging down low. Matt Blanks is probably the best pure shooter on the Bees.
Division 4
# 1 E.C. Glass at # 4 Jefferson Forest
Previous Meetings this season
Dec 13 2010 at Jefferson Forest: E.C. Glass 60 Jefferson Forest 35
Jan 18 2011 at E.C. Glass: E.C. Glass 58 Jefferson Forest 35
The Hilltoppers have been getting better as the season has progressed. A big win over Rustburg a couple weeks ago ended up being the district clincher for the Hilltoppers, as Heritage would upset Liberty, who would win the district outright. Malcolm Owens is a legit player of the year candidate in the league, but also has a strong supporting cast with D.J. Champion and others. Jefferson Forest surprised some teams early in the season with wins over Rustburg and others, but the Cavs have cooled as of late. However, you can't count a Paul Smith coached team out in the postseason.
# 2 Amherst vs. # 3 Heritage
Previous Meetings this season
Jan 21 2011 at Heritage: Heritage 55 Amherst 54
Feb 5 2011 at Amherst: Amherst 58 Heritage 45
Having seen both these teams earlier in the season, I would have said this would have been a no-contest then, but Heritage has really improved. In what may be one of Dan Stephens youngest teams at Heritage, they are starting to pick it up at the right time. The Pioneers scored a huge upset at Liberty down the stretch, and would like to ride that momentum into Wednesday's division 4 final, and a spot in the Region III Division 4 tournament. Eddie Carter has another athletic team in Amherst Co. and looks to get his team into next week's regional title with a win. Everyone always talks about Marshall Wood, Anthony Reynolds and Malcolm Owens when talking about Seminole studs, but don't sleep on A.J. Richerson, possibly the best player in the Seminole that isn't talked about.
Dogwood District QF's on Monday
Tonight, District Tournament play is taking place all over the place. Here is a portion of the schedule
Dogwood Boys BB (All games at 7:00)
# 7 William Campbell at # 2 Altavista
Previous Meetings this season:
Jan 7 2011 at Altavista: Altavista 58 William Campbell 37
Feb 1 2011 at William Campbell: Altavista 41 William Campbell 36
Notes: Reigning Dogwood Player of the Year Jerrell Jordan is averaging 10.5 ppg and 9 rpg against William Campbell this season, but Mike Robinson has been the real thorne in Robbie St. John's side. Robinson is averaging 18.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg. Robinson is shooting an astounding 84 % from the floor against the Generals. The last times these two teams met in the tournament was the 07-08 season, which Altavista won 73-45. William Campbell did defeat the Colonels in 2005-2006 at Altavista 51-50, a loss which kept the Colonels home from making the regional playoffs for the only time in their 8 years in Single A. (Shameless plug here) You can hear this game tonight on 105.5 KD Country
# 6 Nelson County at # 3 Appomattox
Jan 4 2011 at Nelson County: Appomattox 70 Nelson County 64
Jan 25 2011 at Appomattox: Appomattox 77 Nelson County 71
Nelson County could be without Trevor Martin, who suffered an ankle injury on Friday night against Dan River in Ringgold. The Governors do have solid pieces in place though if Martin can't go such as veterans Jordan Wooten and James Saunders along with Quincy Murphy. A big test might be how will Nelson point guard, Adam Pickett (freshman) fair in his first postseason game. Appomattox has versatility in the backcourt (Josh Wilson, Shaquan Moore) and in the front (Devanti Perkins) to name just a few. Perkins, who tallied 20 in the 1st meeting between the two, was sidelined with a one game suspension when the two met a 2nd time (2 technical fouls the game before). However, a combined 54 points from Josh Wilson and Shaquan Moore (29 from Wilson, 25 from Moore) carried the Raiders through. The Raiders have hit 23 3's in two games against Nelson County, with 9 coming from Shaquan Moore. The winner will meet the winner of Altavista and William Campbell either at Altavista or at Appomattox or Nelson County (should the Generals beat Altavista)
# 5 Chatham at # 4 Gretna
Dec 30 2010 at Averett: Gretna 55 Chatham 53
Jan 14 2011 at Gretna: Gretna 60 Chatham 50
Feb 8 2011 at Chatham: Chatham 62 Gretna 46
If you are going by what's in your mind the last, then you have to like Chatham. Aaron Rogers threw in 22 points and recorded 20 rebounds last Tuesday in Chatham to give the Cavaliers the victory. Gretna though has tallied two victories including the holiday shootout at Averett which threw in an extra meeting into the standard 2 between these teams. That meeting back in late December was won when Joe McGee's tip in won it for the Hawks. McGee finished with 24 in that affair, while backcourt mate Devonate Pannell chipped in 18. The winner of this will meet the top seeded Dan River Wildcats Wednesday in Ringgold.
Dogwood Boys BB (All games at 7:00)
# 7 William Campbell at # 2 Altavista
Previous Meetings this season:
Jan 7 2011 at Altavista: Altavista 58 William Campbell 37
Feb 1 2011 at William Campbell: Altavista 41 William Campbell 36
Notes: Reigning Dogwood Player of the Year Jerrell Jordan is averaging 10.5 ppg and 9 rpg against William Campbell this season, but Mike Robinson has been the real thorne in Robbie St. John's side. Robinson is averaging 18.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg. Robinson is shooting an astounding 84 % from the floor against the Generals. The last times these two teams met in the tournament was the 07-08 season, which Altavista won 73-45. William Campbell did defeat the Colonels in 2005-2006 at Altavista 51-50, a loss which kept the Colonels home from making the regional playoffs for the only time in their 8 years in Single A. (Shameless plug here) You can hear this game tonight on 105.5 KD Country
# 6 Nelson County at # 3 Appomattox
Jan 4 2011 at Nelson County: Appomattox 70 Nelson County 64
Jan 25 2011 at Appomattox: Appomattox 77 Nelson County 71
Nelson County could be without Trevor Martin, who suffered an ankle injury on Friday night against Dan River in Ringgold. The Governors do have solid pieces in place though if Martin can't go such as veterans Jordan Wooten and James Saunders along with Quincy Murphy. A big test might be how will Nelson point guard, Adam Pickett (freshman) fair in his first postseason game. Appomattox has versatility in the backcourt (Josh Wilson, Shaquan Moore) and in the front (Devanti Perkins) to name just a few. Perkins, who tallied 20 in the 1st meeting between the two, was sidelined with a one game suspension when the two met a 2nd time (2 technical fouls the game before). However, a combined 54 points from Josh Wilson and Shaquan Moore (29 from Wilson, 25 from Moore) carried the Raiders through. The Raiders have hit 23 3's in two games against Nelson County, with 9 coming from Shaquan Moore. The winner will meet the winner of Altavista and William Campbell either at Altavista or at Appomattox or Nelson County (should the Generals beat Altavista)
# 5 Chatham at # 4 Gretna
Dec 30 2010 at Averett: Gretna 55 Chatham 53
Jan 14 2011 at Gretna: Gretna 60 Chatham 50
Feb 8 2011 at Chatham: Chatham 62 Gretna 46
If you are going by what's in your mind the last, then you have to like Chatham. Aaron Rogers threw in 22 points and recorded 20 rebounds last Tuesday in Chatham to give the Cavaliers the victory. Gretna though has tallied two victories including the holiday shootout at Averett which threw in an extra meeting into the standard 2 between these teams. That meeting back in late December was won when Joe McGee's tip in won it for the Hawks. McGee finished with 24 in that affair, while backcourt mate Devonate Pannell chipped in 18. The winner of this will meet the top seeded Dan River Wildcats Wednesday in Ringgold.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
High School Sports News & Notes
* The Rustburg Red Devils wrestling team placed 9th out of 12 teams last Saturday at the Lancer Invitational. Rustburg dropped matches to Halifax & Northside, before bouncing back to defeat VES and a combined team from Amherst & Broadway.
Individual Standouts for the Red Devils
112: Hannah Gage 2-2
125: Chase Simpkins 4-0 (3 wins by pinfall)
130: Cort Bogan 3-1 (2 wins by pinfall)
135: Duane Waterstraat 1-3 (win by pinfall)
140: Taylor Bennett 3-1 (2 wins by pinfall)
152: Preston Rogers 3-1 (2 wins by pinfall)
160: Cody Presho 3-1 (2 wins by pinfall)
171: Colton Thompson 2-0 (1 pin); J.W. Hamlett 0-2
189: P.J. Kackley 3-1 (2 wins by pinfall)
215: Seth Brubaker 0-2; Brett Bussert 2-0 (1 win by pinfall)
285: Cody Everett 2-2
In High School Boys Basketball in the Dogwood District, the standings are jam packed
Dan River 6-0
Altavista 4-1
Gretna 2-3
Nelson County 2-3
Appomattox 2-3
Chatham 2-4
Appomattox 2-4
Teams being their 2nd go around in the district on Friday, and two games still need to be made up as Appomattox travels to Altavista on Monday, January 24th. Gretna will travel to Nelson County, that is TBA.
Individual Standouts for the Red Devils
112: Hannah Gage 2-2
125: Chase Simpkins 4-0 (3 wins by pinfall)
130: Cort Bogan 3-1 (2 wins by pinfall)
135: Duane Waterstraat 1-3 (win by pinfall)
140: Taylor Bennett 3-1 (2 wins by pinfall)
152: Preston Rogers 3-1 (2 wins by pinfall)
160: Cody Presho 3-1 (2 wins by pinfall)
171: Colton Thompson 2-0 (1 pin); J.W. Hamlett 0-2
189: P.J. Kackley 3-1 (2 wins by pinfall)
215: Seth Brubaker 0-2; Brett Bussert 2-0 (1 win by pinfall)
285: Cody Everett 2-2
In High School Boys Basketball in the Dogwood District, the standings are jam packed
Dan River 6-0
Altavista 4-1
Gretna 2-3
Nelson County 2-3
Appomattox 2-3
Chatham 2-4
Appomattox 2-4
Teams being their 2nd go around in the district on Friday, and two games still need to be made up as Appomattox travels to Altavista on Monday, January 24th. Gretna will travel to Nelson County, that is TBA.
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