rawdog

The Appalachian School of Law in Grundy is considering a merger with Roanoke College due to low enrollment and a lack of money.

The Buchanan County Board of Supervisors discussed the potential change during an emergency meeting Friday that was called just a day prior. 

It’s unclear why the meeting sprang up so unexpectedly. At the start of the meeting, board chair Craig Stiltner said its purpose was to decide whether to allow the private law school to merge with Roanoke College in Salem. Stiltner said that both the board of supervisors and the county industrial development authority would need to OK such a move.

The school was founded in 1994 in part to boost Buchanan County’s economy. A 1996 agreement between the law school and Buchanan County granted ASL its academic and library buildings, along with some renovation and operations funding. 

ASL president and dean David Western did not respond to an interview request on Friday about whether the terms of the compact could limit the school’s relocation options.

Toward the end of the nearly four-hour meeting, the board voted unanimously to table the issue and send it to a committee for further study. Stiltner and supervisor Trey Adkins will lead that committee.

“Roanoke College has been involved in confidential conversations with the Appalachian School of Law,” a spokesperson for the private college said in a statement late Friday. “We believe in their mission and although there are many details to consider, we remain eager about what could be possible together. At this time, no formal agreement has been met, but we will keep you apprised of any developments.”

Roanoke College, which has about 1,760 full-time students, does not have a law program of its own. College President Frank Shushok Jr. was present via Zoom for part of the meeting but did not speak.

A key point repeated by supervisors and a few stakeholders at the meeting, including representatives of the nearby Appalachian College of Pharmacy, was that the relocation of the school could be a major blow for the rural county’s economy.

Fewer than 200 students attend ASL, which employs around 40 full-time faculty and staff.

Buchanan County had a population of about 20,000 in 2020, according to Census Bureau data. Estimates from the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia show that the county’s population has dropped to about 19,000 over the past five years.

“Buchanan County has made tremendous efforts to diversify the economy and the law school is a leading example,” Del. Will Morefield, R-Tazewell County, said in a statement Friday. “For the law school leadership to wait until the last minute to propose such a significant change to [the] Board of Supervisors is unacceptable. The leadership of the law school should make every effort to work with local leaders to ensure the school remains in Buchanan County.”

Law school has financial runway of just a few months, dean says

Infrastructure constraints in the county are part of the college’s struggle to remain open, Western said by Zoom during Friday’s meeting.

“Even though we have [students] that are interested in coming to law school, we have no more houses on our housing list to help our students go to school here,” he said.

He also said that stricter federal student loan limits for graduate students under the Trump administration have made it more difficult for some prospective students to commit to attending.

The law school charges tuition of nearly $42,000, though Western confirmed to the board of supervisors Friday that tuition tends to get heavily discounted to recruit students, sometimes by as much as 70%. 

ASL currently has 184 students, Western said, but in order for the school to be sustainable, it needs 300 students enrolled.

The law school currently has a deficit of $500,000, Western said. Two years ago, it had a nearly $4 million deficit, he said.

ASL doesn’t have the cash flow to keep it afloat for much longer, Western said.

He told supervisors that the school needs about $2.5 million to remain open through spring 2026. For it to survive longer-term, it needs funds closer to $10 million.

Right now, the law school doesn’t have enough cash to show the American Bar Association, its accreditor, that it has sufficient money to teach out current classes if it were to close, Western said.

Supervisors expressed concerns that without financial help from the county, the school would close or leave. But they also worried that continuing to support ASL may not ensure long-term sustainability for it.

“If you walk away from hard, you’re only going to find more hard,” supervisor Jeff Cooper said.

The discussion about the future of ASL on Friday overlapped with conversation about the possibility of Buchanan General Hospital partnering with the University of Pikeville in Kentucky on a medical school program. 

A representative from that university attended via Zoom, but did not speak because Adkins demanded the meeting only cover the law school issue, the sole agenda item for which it had been called. 

Hospital leaders did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.

Dwayne Yancey contributed information to this report.

The post Appalachian School of Law considers merger with Roanoke College amid financial challenges appeared first on Cardinal News.

The Appalachian School of Law in Grundy is considering a merger with Roanoke College due to low enrollment and a lack of money.

The Buchanan County Board of Supervisors discussed the potential change during an emergency meeting Friday that was called just a day prior. 

It’s unclear why the meeting sprang up so unexpectedly. At the start of the meeting, board chair Craig Stiltner said its purpose was to decide whether to allow the private law school to merge with Roanoke College in Salem. Stiltner said that both the board of supervisors and the county industrial development authority would need to OK such a move.

The school was founded in 1994 in part to boost Buchanan County’s economy. A 1996 agreement between the law school and Buchanan County granted ASL its academic and library buildings, along with some renovation and operations funding. 

ASL president and dean David Western did not respond to an interview request on Friday about whether the terms of the compact could limit the school’s relocation options.

Toward the end of the nearly four-hour meeting, the board voted unanimously to table the issue and send it to a committee for further study. Stiltner and supervisor Trey Adkins will lead that committee.

“Roanoke College has been involved in confidential conversations with the Appalachian School of Law,” a spokesperson for the private college said in a statement late Friday. “We believe in their mission and although there are many details to consider, we remain eager about what could be possible together. At this time, no formal agreement has been met, but we will keep you apprised of any developments.”

Roanoke College, which has about 1,760 full-time students, does not have a law program of its own. College President Frank Shushok Jr. was present via Zoom for part of the meeting but did not speak.

A key point repeated by supervisors and a few stakeholders at the meeting, including representatives of the nearby Appalachian College of Pharmacy, was that the relocation of the school could be a major blow for the rural county’s economy.

Fewer than 200 students attend ASL, which employs around 40 full-time faculty and staff.

Buchanan County had a population of about 20,000 in 2020, according to Census Bureau data. Estimates from the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia show that the county’s population has dropped to about 19,000 over the past five years.

“Buchanan County has made tremendous efforts to diversify the economy and the law school is a leading example,” Del. Will Morefield, R-Tazewell County, said in a statement Friday. “For the law school leadership to wait until the last minute to propose such a significant change to [the] Board of Supervisors is unacceptable. The leadership of the law school should make every effort to work with local leaders to ensure the school remains in Buchanan County.”

Law school has financial runway of just a few months, dean says

Infrastructure constraints in the county are part of the college’s struggle to remain open, Western said by Zoom during Friday’s meeting.

“Even though we have [students] that are interested in coming to law school, we have no more houses on our housing list to help our students go to school here,” he said.

He also said that stricter federal student loan limits for graduate students under the Trump administration have made it more difficult for some prospective students to commit to attending.

The law school charges tuition of nearly $42,000, though Western confirmed to the board of supervisors Friday that tuition tends to get heavily discounted to recruit students, sometimes by as much as 70%. 

ASL currently has 184 students, Western said, but in order for the school to be sustainable, it needs 300 students enrolled.

The law school currently has a deficit of $500,000, Western said. Two years ago, it had a nearly $4 million deficit, he said.

ASL doesn’t have the cash flow to keep it afloat for much longer, Western said.

He told supervisors that the school needs about $2.5 million to remain open through spring 2026. For it to survive longer-term, it needs funds closer to $10 million.

Right now, the law school doesn’t have enough cash to show the American Bar Association, its accreditor, that it has sufficient money to teach out current classes if it were to close, Western said.

Supervisors expressed concerns that without financial help from the county, the school would close or leave. But they also worried that continuing to support ASL may not ensure long-term sustainability for it.

“If you walk away from hard, you’re only going to find more hard,” supervisor Jeff Cooper said.

The discussion about the future of ASL on Friday overlapped with conversation about the possibility of Buchanan General Hospital partnering with the University of Pikeville in Kentucky on a medical school program. 

A representative from that university attended via Zoom, but did not speak because Adkins demanded the meeting only cover the law school issue, the sole agenda item for which it had been called. 

Hospital leaders did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.

Dwayne Yancey contributed information to this report.

The post Appalachian School of Law considers merger with Roanoke College amid financial challenges appeared first on Cardinal News.

(Updated: A previous version incorrectly gave a different figure in the headline.)

After the NCAA announced the 12 teams that made this year’s College Football Playoff, a friend messaged me: “So how does it feel to be an alumnus of a football powerhouse?”

My alma mater, James Madison University, snuck in as the No. 12 seed — the only Virginia team to make the field. 

The way JMU made the cut is somewhat controversial, although that controversy has little to nothing to do with the Harrisonburg school and everything to do with the convoluted nature of college football. 

The top 10 teams as ranked by the CFP selection committee made it in, but numbers 11-19 did not. Instead, Tulane (ranked 20th) and James Madison (ranked 24th) did. Why? Rules, complicated rules meant to acknowledge the winners of lesser conferences such as the American Conference (won by Tulane) and the Sun Belt (JMU). That means No. 11 Notre Dame, which might be a better team than many of the ones that did get a bid, stays at home. 

If all that matters to you, well, you probably know all that already because it’s been all over sports talk shows. Maybe the CFP rules are dumb. Maybe Notre Dame is greedy, because it insists on remaining an independent, which puts it at a disadvantage under these selection rules. Like I said, tune into sports talk radio and they’re probably still arguing about all this.

All we need to know for our purposes today is that JMU is in — and that this column has very little to do with sports.

JMU stands out from this playoff bracket of 12 in several ways.

It’s not because the school is named after a person — Tulane is, as well.

It’s not the youngest school in the field, either. Texas Tech was established in 1923, a full 15 years after The State Normal and Industrial School for Women opened in Harrisonburg in 1908.

JMU is unusual because it’s the only one of the 12 schools that began as a women’s college.

It’s the only one whose nickname comes from a person’s name — the Dukes are named after former president Samuel Duke. (After all, James Madison didn’t think much of the dukes of British royalty.)

JMU is also the only school in the final 12 that has purple and gold as its colors.

But that’s not why we’re here today. 

What really makes JMU stand out is this: It has the highest mandatory student fee for intercollegiate athletics of any of these 12 schools.

Some of the schools don’t have any. When I started researching this, the media relations department at the University of Alabama asked me what in the world I was talking about — Alabama doesn’t have such a thing. I had to explain how Virginia colleges work — and how out-of-line JMU is even within Virginia.

Let’s sketch this out the way a coach might diagram a trick play. 

If you attend a public college in Virginia, you have to pay tuition (unless you’re blessed with a full-ride scholarship) as well as certain “mandatory fees.” 

These vary from school to school. They generally cover parking, student health services and intramural sports. They always include “student union and recreational fees.” And they always include something else: mandatory fees for intercollegiate athletics. You can see the full list here:

Maybe you never need to use the student health system, but the theory for charging a mandatory fee is that every student might need it at some point. I’m not going to quibble over intramural sports, which some students may never play, and go straight to that line for intercollegiate athletics — which only a relative handful of students are ever going to play. While in theory any student could “walk on” to the team, the reality is that’s almost impossible. When I was at JMU back in the dark ages, I played on an intramural softball team simply by virtue of signing up — nobody asked if I could hit or field (and my subsequent lack of a professional sports career suggests I couldn’t). However, there was no way I was going to be allowed to play on one of the official teams, but we all had to pay for them anyway.

I call your attention to several things on this chart.  You can skip the bottom two lines, which are two-year schools, Richard Bland College and the Virginia Community College System. At all but two of the four-year schools — George Mason and the University of Virginia are the exceptions — the mandatory fee for intercollegiate athletics is the highest of any fee.

At all but three — those two plus Virginia Tech — that mandatory fee is more than $1,000 per year. That will drop to two over the next few years; this fall, the Virginia Tech board of visitors voted 12-1 to raise the fee to help generate more money for athletics. (This was a board whose members are all appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, so this is a striking example of Republican appointees voting for what amounts to a tax increase.) 

At six schools, the mandatory fee tops $2,000 per year. At three, it tops $3,000. At one (Virginia Military Institute), it tops $4,000.

JMU is in that $3,000 range: $3,036 per year.

Let’s be clear: The figure is that high because JMU has chosen to pursue big-time college sports (particularly football) even though it’s not a big television draw (the way Notre Dame is) or in a conference with a big TV contract (the way Virginia and Virginia Tech are) or a conference with an even bigger TV contract (the way most of these other playoff schools are).

JMU is essentially taxing its students to help fund its big-time college athletic ambitions — and that clearly seems to be paying off, at least in terms of this year’s playoff.

Why, though, must students be forced to pay for that? If deep-pocketed boosters (the adjective knocks me out) or the free market don’t supply the funds for JMU to play at that level, why must my alma mater shake down teenagers (or their parents) to make up the difference? 

When the Dukes take the field against the Ducks on Dec. 20 in Eugene, Oregon, JMU will be playing a school where students don’t have to pay any mandatory fees for athletics. The University of Oregon did away with those fees in 2021; it used university licensing fees to make up the difference. 

Of the 12 schools in the playoffs, seven appear to have no mandatory athletic fees based on their published fee schedule, recently published news accounts or an email confimation to Cardinal (Alabama, Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon and Texas A&M). So more than half the schools in the field don’t make students pay for intercollegiate athletics.

Four other schools in the football playoffs do have mandatory fees for athletics, but the numbers are much smaller than any school in Virginia charges: $122.40 at Texas Tech, $126 at Georgia, $170 at Miami and $280 at Tulane.

Let’s put this another way: JMU’s mandatory student fees for athletics are more than four times higher than all the other College Football Playoff schools combined. (Updated: A previous version incorrectly gave a different figure.)

We’ll find out whether JMU is out of its depth on the football field, but we can say now that JMU’s mandatory fees are way out of line with these other schools. As the chart above shows, this isn’t just a JMU issue; it’s a Virginia issue — JMU stands out only by degree.

So for those schools that don’t charge any mandatory fee for intercollegiate athletics, or don’t charge much, how do they fund their programs? One thing we see is that most of those schools play in “power” conferences that have huge television contracts. Two years ago, Sportico, a news site that focuses on the business of sports, published a report on mandatory fees across the country. The lowest fees were in the two conferences with the biggest TV contracts (and the biggest brand names): the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference. That Sportico report said about half the schools in those leagues had no mandatory fee; the highest at the time in the Big Ten was $718 at Rutgers; in the SEC, it was $1,374 at Auburn. By contrast, the conference with the highest mandatory fees was the one in which JMU plays — the Sun Belt. Coastal Carolina, which plays in the Sun Belt, had the highest fees in that report: $3,634.

Here’s another way to measure these fees: as a percentage of the total cost that students must pay.

At JMU, tuition and fees for in-state students for the 2025-26 school year are $14,300. The mandatory athletic fee constitutes 21.2% of that.

For a student who lives on campus, the cost of room and board is another $14,212 for a total of $28,512. The mandatory athletic fee constitutes 10.6% of that. 

That’s not the highest percentage in Virginia. At VMI, it’s 14.0% of tuition, room and board. However, JMU’s is one of the highest. The statewide average, based on computations I made from data available from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, is 6.8%. At Virginia Tech, 4.4% of tuition, room and board is for mandatory athletic fees. At the University of Virginia, it’s 3.9%.

Our governor-elect, Abigail Spanberger, was elected on a platform of making life more affordable in Virginia. Here’s one place she could start: Ask the legislature to repeal the law that allows these mandatory fees. If they were banned, she could reduce the cost of a Virginia student attending a state-supported four-year school by an average of 6.8%. That would seem to be a big affordability talking point.

Otherwise, Richmond is complicit in a scheme whereby we force college students to subsidize what are increasingly professional sports programs — something not even the Alabamas and Ohio States of the football world do.

If any state legislator or college official would like to defend these mandatory fees, let me know and I’ll ask you to write an opinion piece to counter this. In the meantime, what do you, our readers, think on this subject? You can weigh in here.

Want more political news? Sign up for our weekly political newsletter, West of the Capital:

The post James Madison University stands out in College Football Playoff field. Its mandatory student fee for athletics is more than 4 times higher than all the other schools put together. appeared first on Cardinal News.

(Updated: A previous version incorrectly gave a different figure in the headline.)

Got something to say about this column? You can weigh in here.

After the NCAA announced the 12 teams that made this year’s College Football Playoff, a friend messaged me: “So how does it feel to be an alumnus of a football powerhouse?”

My alma mater, James Madison University, snuck in as the No. 12 seed — the only Virginia team to make the field. 

The way JMU made the cut is somewhat controversial, although that controversy has little to nothing to do with the Harrisonburg school and everything to do with the convoluted nature of college football. 

The top 10 teams as ranked by the CFP selection committee made it in, but numbers 11-19 did not. Instead, Tulane (ranked 20th) and James Madison (ranked 24th) did. Why? Rules, complicated rules meant to acknowledge the winners of lesser conferences such as the American Conference (won by Tulane) and the Sun Belt (JMU). That means No. 11 Notre Dame, which might be a better team than many of the ones that did get a bid, stays at home. 

If all that matters to you, well, you probably know all that already because it’s been all over sports talk shows. Maybe the CFP rules are dumb. Maybe Notre Dame is greedy, because it insists on remaining an independent, which puts it at a disadvantage under these selection rules. Like I said, tune into sports talk radio and they’re probably still arguing about all this.

All we need to know for our purposes today is that JMU is in — and that this column has very little to do with sports.

JMU stands out from this playoff bracket of 12 in several ways.

It’s not because the school is named after a person — Tulane is, as well.

It’s not the youngest school in the field, either. Texas Tech was established in 1923, a full 15 years after The State Normal and Industrial School for Women opened in Harrisonburg in 1908.

JMU is unusual because it’s the only one of the 12 schools that began as a women’s college.

It’s the only one whose nickname comes from a person’s name — the Dukes are named after former president Samuel Duke. (After all, James Madison didn’t think much of the dukes of British royalty.)

JMU is also the only school in the final 12 that has purple and gold as its colors.

But that’s not why we’re here today. 

What really makes JMU stand out is this: It has the highest mandatory student fee for intercollegiate athletics of any of these 12 schools.

Some of the schools don’t have any. When I started researching this, the media relations department at the University of Alabama asked me what in the world I was talking about — Alabama doesn’t have such a thing. I had to explain how Virginia colleges work — and how out-of-line JMU is even within Virginia.

Let’s sketch this out the way a coach might diagram a trick play. 

If you attend a public college in Virginia, you have to pay tuition (unless you’re blessed with a full-ride scholarship) as well as certain “mandatory fees.” 

These vary from school to school. They generally cover parking, student health services and intramural sports. They always include “student union and recreational fees.” And they always include something else: mandatory fees for intercollegiate athletics. You can see the full list here:

Maybe you never need to use the student health system, but the theory for charging a mandatory fee is that every student might need it at some point. I’m not going to quibble over intramural sports, which some students may never play, and go straight to that line for intercollegiate athletics — which only a relative handful of students are ever going to play. While in theory any student could “walk on” to the team, the reality is that’s almost impossible. When I was at JMU back in the dark ages, I played on an intramural softball team simply by virtue of signing up — nobody asked if I could hit or field (and my subsequent lack of a professional sports career suggests I couldn’t). However, there was no way I was going to be allowed to play on one of the official teams, but we all had to pay for them anyway.

I call your attention to several things on this chart.  You can skip the bottom two lines, which are two-year schools, Richard Bland College and the Virginia Community College System. At all but two of the four-year schools — George Mason and the University of Virginia are the exceptions — the mandatory fee for intercollegiate athletics is the highest of any fee.

At all but three — those two plus Virginia Tech — that mandatory fee is more than $1,000 per year. That will drop to two over the next few years; this fall, the Virginia Tech board of visitors voted 12-1 to raise the fee to help generate more money for athletics. (This was a board whose members are all appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, so this is a striking example of Republican appointees voting for what amounts to a tax increase.) 

At six schools, the mandatory fee tops $2,000 per year. At three, it tops $3,000. At one (Virginia Military Institute), it tops $4,000.

JMU is in that $3,000 range: $3,036 per year.

Let’s be clear: The figure is that high because JMU has chosen to pursue big-time college sports (particularly football) even though it’s not a big television draw (the way Notre Dame is) or in a conference with a big TV contract (the way Virginia and Virginia Tech are) or a conference with an even bigger TV contract (the way most of these other playoff schools are).

JMU is essentially taxing its students to help fund its big-time college athletic ambitions — and that clearly seems to be paying off, at least in terms of this year’s playoff.

Why, though, must students be forced to pay for that? If deep-pocketed boosters (the adjective knocks me out) or the free market don’t supply the funds for JMU to play at that level, why must my alma mater shake down teenagers (or their parents) to make up the difference? 

When the Dukes take the field against the Ducks on Dec. 20 in Eugene, Oregon, JMU will be playing a school where students don’t have to pay any mandatory fees for athletics. The University of Oregon did away with those fees in 2021; it used university licensing fees to make up the difference. 

Of the 12 schools in the playoffs, seven appear to have no mandatory athletic fees based on their published fee schedule, recently published news accounts or an email confimation to Cardinal (Alabama, Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon and Texas A&M). So more than half the schools in the field don’t make students pay for intercollegiate athletics.

Four other schools in the football playoffs do have mandatory fees for athletics, but the numbers are much smaller than any school in Virginia charges: $122.40 at Texas Tech, $126 at Georgia, $170 at Miami and $280 at Tulane.

Let’s put this another way: JMU’s mandatory student fees for athletics are more than four times higher than all the other College Football Playoff schools combined.(Updated: A previous version incorrectly gave a different figure.)

We’ll find out whether JMU is out of its depth on the football field, but we can say now that JMU’s mandatory fees are way out of line with these other schools. As the chart above shows, this isn’t just a JMU issue; it’s a Virginia issue — JMU stands out only by degree.

So for those schools that don’t charge any mandatory fee for intercollegiate athletics, or don’t charge much, how do they fund their programs? One thing we see is that most of those schools play in “power” conferences that have huge television contracts. Two years ago, Sportico, a news site that focuses on the business of sports, published a report on mandatory fees across the country. The lowest fees were in the two conferences with the biggest TV contracts (and the biggest brand names): the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference. That Sportico report said about half the schools in those leagues had no mandatory fee; the highest at the time in the Big Ten was $718 at Rutgers; in the SEC, it was $1,374 at Auburn. By contrast, the conference with the highest mandatory fees was the one in which JMU plays — the Sun Belt. Coastal Carolina, which plays in the Sun Belt, had the highest fees in that report: $3,634.

Here’s another way to measure these fees: as a percentage of the total cost that students must pay.

At JMU, tuition and fees for in-state students for the 2025-26 school year are $14,300. The mandatory athletic fee constitutes 21.2% of that.

For a student who lives on campus, the cost of room and board is another $14,212 for a total of $28,512. The mandatory athletic fee constitutes 10.6% of that. 

That’s not the highest percentage in Virginia. At VMI, it’s 14.0% of tuition, room and board. However, JMU’s is one of the highest. The statewide average, based on computations I made from data available from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, is 6.8%. At Virginia Tech, 4.4% of tuition, room and board is for mandatory athletic fees. At the University of Virginia, it’s 3.9%.

Our governor-elect, Abigail Spanberger, was elected on a platform of making life more affordable in Virginia. Here’s one place she could start: Ask the legislature to repeal the law that allows these mandatory fees. If they were banned, she could reduce the cost of a Virginia student attending a state-supported four-year school by an average of 6.8%. That would seem to be a big affordability talking point.

Otherwise, Richmond is complicit in a scheme whereby we force college students to subsidize what are increasingly professional sports programs — something not even the Alabamas and Ohio States of the football world do.

If any state legislator or college official would like to defend these mandatory fees, let me know and I’ll ask you to write an opinion piece to counter this. In the meantime, what do you, our readers, think on this subject? You can weigh in here.

Want more political news? Sign up for our weekly political newsletter, West of the Capital:

The post James Madison University stands out in College Football Playoff field. Its mandatory student fee for athletics is more than 4 times higher than all the other schools put together. appeared first on Cardinal News.

After the NCAA announced the 12 teams that made this year’s College Football Playoff, a friend messaged me: “So how does it feel to be an alumnus of a football powerhouse?”

My alma mater, James Madison University, snuck in as the No. 12 seed — the only Virginia team to make the field. 

The way JMU made the cut is somewhat controversial, although that controversy has little to nothing to do with the Harrisonburg school and everything to do with the convoluted nature of college football. 

The top 10 teams as ranked by the CFP selection committee made it in, but numbers 11-19 did not. Instead, Tulane (ranked 20th) and James Madison (ranked 24th) did. Why? Rules, complicated rules meant to acknowledge the winners of lesser conferences such as the American Conference (won by Tulane) and the Sun Belt (JMU). That means No. 11 Notre Dame, which might be a better team than many of the ones that did get a bid, stays at home. 

If all that matters to you, well, you probably know all that already because it’s been all over sports talk shows. Maybe the CFP rules are dumb. Maybe Notre Dame is greedy, because it insists on remaining an independent, which puts it at a disadvantage under these selection rules. Like I said, tune into sports talk radio and they’re probably still arguing about all this.

All we need to know for our purposes today is that JMU is in — and that this column has very little to do with sports.

JMU stands out from this playoff bracket of 12 in several ways.

It’s not because the school is named after a person — Tulane is, as well.

It’s not the youngest school in the field, either. Texas Tech was established in 1923, a full 15 years after The State Normal and Industrial School for Women opened in Harrisonburg in 1908.

JMU is unusual because it’s the only one of the 12 schools that began as a women’s college.

It’s the only one whose nickname comes from a person’s name — the Dukes are named after former president Samuel Duke. (After all, James Madison didn’t think much of the dukes of British royalty.)

JMU is also the only school in the final 12 that has purple and gold as its colors.

But that’s not why we’re here today. 

What really makes JMU stand out is this: It has the highest mandatory student fee for intercollegiate athletics of any of these 12 schools.

Some of the schools don’t have any. When I started researching this, the media relations department at the University of Alabama asked me what in the world I was talking about — Alabama doesn’t have such a thing. I had to explain how Virginia colleges work — and how out-of-line JMU is even within Virginia.

Let’s sketch this out the way a coach might diagram a trick play. 

If you attend a public college in Virginia, you have to pay tuition (unless you’re blessed with a full-ride scholarship) as well as certain “mandatory fees.” 

These vary from school to school. They generally cover parking, student health services and intramural sports. They always include “student union and recreational fees.” And they always include something else: mandatory fees for intercollegiate athletics. You can see the full list here:

Maybe you never need to use the student health system, but the theory for charging a mandatory fee is that every student might need it at some point. I’m not going to quibble over intramural sports, which some students may never play, and go straight to that line for intercollegiate athletics — which only a relative handful of students are ever going to play. While in theory any student could “walk on” to the team, the reality is that’s almost impossible. When I was at JMU back in the dark ages, I played on an intramural softball team simply by virtue of signing up — nobody asked if I could hit or field (and my subsequent lack of a professional sports career suggests I couldn’t). However, there was no way I was going to be allowed to play on one of the official teams, but we all had to pay for them anyway.

I call your attention to several things on this chart.  You can skip the bottom two lines, which are two-year schools, Richard Bland College and the Virginia Community College System. At all but two of the four-year schools — George Mason and the University of Virginia are the exceptions — the mandatory fee for intercollegiate athletics is the highest of any fee.

At all but three — those two plus Virginia Tech — that mandatory fee is more than $1,000 per year. That will drop to two over the next few years; this fall, the Virginia Tech board of visitors voted 12-1 to raise the fee to help generate more money for athletics. (This was a board whose members are all appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, so this is a striking example of Republican appointees voting for what amounts to a tax increase.) 

At six schools, the mandatory fee tops $2,000 per year. At three, it tops $3,000. At one (Virginia Military Institute), it tops $4,000.

JMU is in that $3,000 range: $3,036 per year.

Let’s be clear: The figure is that high because JMU has chosen to pursue big-time college sports (particularly football) even though it’s not a big television draw (the way Notre Dame is) or in a conference with a big TV contract (the way Virginia and Virginia Tech are) or a conference with an even bigger TV contract (the way most of these other playoff schools are).

JMU is essentially taxing its students to help fund its big-time college athletic ambitions — and that clearly seems to be paying off, at least in terms of this year’s playoff.

Why, though, must students be forced to pay for that? If deep-pocketed boosters (the adjective knocks me out) or the free market don’t supply the funds for JMU to play at that level, why must my alma mater shake down teenagers (or their parents) to make up the difference? 

When the Dukes take the field against the Ducks on Dec. 20 in Eugene, Oregon, JMU will be playing a school where students don’t have to pay any mandatory fees for athletics. The University of Oregon did away with those fees in 2021; it used university licensing fees to make up the difference. 

Of the 12 schools in the playoffs, seven appear to have no mandatory athletic fees based on their published fee schedule, recently published news accounts or an email confimation to Cardinal (Alabama, Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon and Texas A&M). So more than half the schools in the field don’t make students pay for intercollegiate athletics.

Four other schools in the football playoffs do have mandatory fees for athletics, but the numbers are much smaller than any school in Virginia charges: $122.40 at Texas Tech, $126 at Georgia, $170 at Miami and $280 at Tulane.

Let’s put this another way: JMU’s mandatory student fees for athletics are 23 times higher than all the other College Football Playoff schools combined.

We’ll find out whether JMU is out of its depth on the football field, but we can say now that JMU’s mandatory fees are way out of line with these other schools. As the chart above shows, this isn’t just a JMU issue; it’s a Virginia issue — JMU stands out only by degree.

So for those schools that don’t charge any mandatory fee for intercollegiate athletics, or don’t charge much, how do they fund their programs? One thing we see is that most of those schools play in “power” conferences that have huge television contracts. Two years ago, Sportico, a news site that focuses on the business of sports, published a report on mandatory fees across the country. The lowest fees were in the two conferences with the biggest TV contracts (and the biggest brand names): the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference. That Sportico report said about half the schools in those leagues had no mandatory fee; the highest at the time in the Big Ten was $718 at Rutgers; in the SEC, it was $1,374 at Auburn. By contrast, the conference with the highest mandatory fees was the one in which JMU plays — the Sun Belt. Coastal Carolina, which plays in the Sun Belt, had the highest fees in that report: $3,634.

Here’s another way to measure these fees: as a percentage of the total cost that students must pay.

At JMU, tuition and fees for in-state students for the 2025-26 school year are $14,300. The mandatory athletic fee constitutes 21.2% of that.

For a student who lives on campus, the cost of room and board is another $14,212 for a total of $28,512. The mandatory athletic fee constitutes 10.6% of that. 

That’s not the highest percentage in Virginia. At VMI, it’s 14.0% of tuition, room and board. However, JMU’s is one of the highest. The statewide average, based on computations I made from data available from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, is 6.8%. At Virginia Tech, 4.4% of tuition, room and board is for mandatory athletic fees. At the University of Virginia, it’s 3.9%.

Our governor-elect, Abigail Spanberger, was elected on a platform of making life more affordable in Virginia. Here’s one place she could start: Ask the legislature to repeal the law that allows these mandatory fees. If they were banned, she could reduce the cost of a Virginia student attending a state-supported four-year school by an average of 6.8%. That would seem to be a big affordability talking point.

Otherwise, Richmond is complicit in a scheme whereby we force college students to subsidize what are increasingly professional sports programs — something not even the Alabamas and Ohio States of the football world do.

If any state legislator or college official would like to defend these mandatory fees, let me know and I’ll ask you to write an opinion piece to counter this. In the meantime, what do you, our readers, think on this subject? You can weigh in here.

Want more political news? Sign up for our weekly political newsletter, West of the Capital:

The post James Madison University stands out in College Football Playoff field. Its mandatory student fee for athletics is 23 times higher than all the other schools put together. appeared first on Cardinal News.

(Updated: A previous version incorrectly gave a different figure in the headline.)

Got something to say about this column? You can weigh in here.

After the NCAA announced the 12 teams that made this year’s College Football Playoff, a friend messaged me: “So how does it feel to be an alumnus of a football powerhouse?”

My alma mater, James Madison University, snuck in as the No. 12 seed — the only Virginia team to make the field. 

The way JMU made the cut is somewhat controversial, although that controversy has little to nothing to do with the Harrisonburg school and everything to do with the convoluted nature of college football. 

The top 10 teams as ranked by the CFP selection committee made it in, but numbers 11-19 did not. Instead, Tulane (ranked 20th) and James Madison (ranked 24th) did. Why? Rules, complicated rules meant to acknowledge the winners of lesser conferences such as the American Conference (won by Tulane) and the Sun Belt (JMU). That means No. 11 Notre Dame, which might be a better team than many of the ones that did get a bid, stays at home. 

If all that matters to you, well, you probably know all that already because it’s been all over sports talk shows. Maybe the CFP rules are dumb. Maybe Notre Dame is greedy, because it insists on remaining an independent, which puts it at a disadvantage under these selection rules. Like I said, tune into sports talk radio and they’re probably still arguing about all this.

All we need to know for our purposes today is that JMU is in — and that this column has very little to do with sports.

JMU stands out from this playoff bracket of 12 in several ways.

It’s not because the school is named after a person — Tulane is, as well.

It’s not the youngest school in the field, either. Texas Tech was established in 1923, a full 15 years after The State Normal and Industrial School for Women opened in Harrisonburg in 1908.

JMU is unusual because it’s the only one of the 12 schools that began as a women’s college.

It’s the only one whose nickname comes from a person’s name — the Dukes are named after former president Samuel Duke. (After all, James Madison didn’t think much of the dukes of British royalty.)

JMU is also the only school in the final 12 that has purple and gold as its colors.

But that’s not why we’re here today. 

What really makes JMU stand out is this: It has the highest mandatory student fee for intercollegiate athletics of any of these 12 schools.

Some of the schools don’t have any. When I started researching this, the media relations department at the University of Alabama asked me what in the world I was talking about — Alabama doesn’t have such a thing. I had to explain how Virginia colleges work — and how out-of-line JMU is even within Virginia.

Let’s sketch this out the way a coach might diagram a trick play. 

If you attend a public college in Virginia, you have to pay tuition (unless you’re blessed with a full-ride scholarship) as well as certain “mandatory fees.” 

These vary from school to school. They generally cover parking, student health services and intramural sports. They always include “student union and recreational fees.” And they always include something else: mandatory fees for intercollegiate athletics. You can see the full list here:

Maybe you never need to use the student health system, but the theory for charging a mandatory fee is that every student might need it at some point. I’m not going to quibble over intramural sports, which some students may never play, and go straight to that line for intercollegiate athletics — which only a relative handful of students are ever going to play. While in theory any student could “walk on” to the team, the reality is that’s almost impossible. When I was at JMU back in the dark ages, I played on an intramural softball team simply by virtue of signing up — nobody asked if I could hit or field (and my subsequent lack of a professional sports career suggests I couldn’t). However, there was no way I was going to be allowed to play on one of the official teams, but we all had to pay for them anyway.

I call your attention to several things on this chart.  You can skip the bottom two lines, which are two-year schools, Richard Bland College and the Virginia Community College System. At all but two of the four-year schools — George Mason and the University of Virginia are the exceptions — the mandatory fee for intercollegiate athletics is the highest of any fee.

At all but three — those two plus Virginia Tech — that mandatory fee is more than $1,000 per year. That will drop to two over the next few years; this fall, the Virginia Tech board of visitors voted 12-1 to raise the fee to help generate more money for athletics. (This was a board whose members are all appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, so this is a striking example of Republican appointees voting for what amounts to a tax increase.) 

At six schools, the mandatory fee tops $2,000 per year. At three, it tops $3,000. At one (Virginia Military Institute), it tops $4,000.

JMU is in that $3,000 range: $3,036 per year.

Let’s be clear: The figure is that high because JMU has chosen to pursue big-time college sports (particularly football) even though it’s not a big television draw (the way Notre Dame is) or in a conference with a big TV contract (the way Virginia and Virginia Tech are) or a conference with an even bigger TV contract (the way most of these other playoff schools are).

JMU is essentially taxing its students to help fund its big-time college athletic ambitions — and that clearly seems to be paying off, at least in terms of this year’s playoff.

Why, though, must students be forced to pay for that? If deep-pocketed boosters (the adjective knocks me out) or the free market don’t supply the funds for JMU to play at that level, why must my alma mater shake down teenagers (or their parents) to make up the difference? 

When the Dukes take the field against the Ducks on Dec. 20 in Eugene, Oregon, JMU will be playing a school where students don’t have to pay any mandatory fees for athletics. The University of Oregon did away with those fees in 2021; it used university licensing fees to make up the difference. 

Of the 12 schools in the playoffs, seven appear to have no mandatory athletic fees based on their published fee schedule, recently published news accounts or an email confimation to Cardinal (Alabama, Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon and Texas A&M). So more than half the schools in the field don’t make students pay for intercollegiate athletics.

Four other schools in the football playoffs do have mandatory fees for athletics, but the numbers are much smaller than any school in Virginia charges: $122.40 at Texas Tech, $126 at Georgia, $170 at Miami and $280 at Tulane.

Let’s put this another way: JMU’s mandatory student fees for athletics are more than four times higher than all the other College Football Playoff schools combined.(Updated: A previous version incorrectly gave a different figure.)

We’ll find out whether JMU is out of its depth on the football field, but we can say now that JMU’s mandatory fees are way out of line with these other schools. As the chart above shows, this isn’t just a JMU issue; it’s a Virginia issue — JMU stands out only by degree.

So for those schools that don’t charge any mandatory fee for intercollegiate athletics, or don’t charge much, how do they fund their programs? One thing we see is that most of those schools play in “power” conferences that have huge television contracts. Two years ago, Sportico, a news site that focuses on the business of sports, published a report on mandatory fees across the country. The lowest fees were in the two conferences with the biggest TV contracts (and the biggest brand names): the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference. That Sportico report said about half the schools in those leagues had no mandatory fee; the highest at the time in the Big Ten was $718 at Rutgers; in the SEC, it was $1,374 at Auburn. By contrast, the conference with the highest mandatory fees was the one in which JMU plays — the Sun Belt. Coastal Carolina, which plays in the Sun Belt, had the highest fees in that report: $3,634.

Here’s another way to measure these fees: as a percentage of the total cost that students must pay.

At JMU, tuition and fees for in-state students for the 2025-26 school year are $14,300. The mandatory athletic fee constitutes 21.2% of that.

For a student who lives on campus, the cost of room and board is another $14,212 for a total of $28,512. The mandatory athletic fee constitutes 10.6% of that. 

That’s not the highest percentage in Virginia. At VMI, it’s 14.0% of tuition, room and board. However, JMU’s is one of the highest. The statewide average, based on computations I made from data available from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, is 6.8%. At Virginia Tech, 4.4% of tuition, room and board is for mandatory athletic fees. At the University of Virginia, it’s 3.9%.

Our governor-elect, Abigail Spanberger, was elected on a platform of making life more affordable in Virginia. Here’s one place she could start: Ask the legislature to repeal the law that allows these mandatory fees. If they were banned, she could reduce the cost of a Virginia student attending a state-supported four-year school by an average of 6.8%. That would seem to be a big affordability talking point.

Otherwise, Richmond is complicit in a scheme whereby we force college students to subsidize what are increasingly professional sports programs — something not even the Alabamas and Ohio States of the football world do.

If any state legislator or college official would like to defend these mandatory fees, let me know and I’ll ask you to write an opinion piece to counter this. In the meantime, what do you, our readers, think on this subject? You can weigh in here.

Want more political news? Sign up for our weekly political newsletter, West of the Capital:

The post James Madison University stands out in College Football Playoff field. Its mandatory student fee for athletics is more than 4 times higher than all the other schools put together. appeared first on Cardinal News.

Planning for future data centers will be on the minds of Montgomery County supervisors when they meet Monday.

The board will convene at 7:15 p.m. in the second floor board chambers at the county government center, 755 Roanoke St., Christiansburg.

The agenda includes a proposed resolution noting the increase in data center siting proposals in Virginia and across the nation. If approved, it will ask the county Planning Commission and county planning staff to “study, address and seek community comment and input on these particular land uses . . . and to recommend appropriate changes to the county zoning ordinance.”

The zoning law currently “does not define or allow data center facilities as a use,” the resolution notes. 

There are no data centers in Montgomery County’s unincorporated areas. But there is is one facility in Blacksburg that labels itself as a “data center” — the Brush Mountain facility in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center.

That facility is owned by Advanced Logic Industries, a company that has operated in the research center for decades, according to Town Manager Marc Vernier. But it is not the sort of large stand-alone data center that has proliferated in northern Virginia and occupies a large land footprint, Vernier explained in an email. 

The county planning commission is in the final stages of updating the five-section comprehensive plan. Sections that address community and economic development and health care and public services will be reviewed in January. The commission will hold a public hearing on the overall plan in February. County supervisors will conduct work sessions in January and February, aiming for a final public hearing in late February or early March.

Other notable agenda items for Monday’s meeting include:

— A resolution to delay assessing penalties and interest for late payment of real estate and personal property taxes that were due Dec. 5. It notes that snow and ice that day “made travel not advisable.” The proposal is to impose no penalties or interest if taxes were paid by Dec. 8. Supervisors will vote to set a public hearing on the proposal.

— A public hearing and a vote on a proposed ordinance that would establish a separate personal property tax classification for vehicles driven by volunteer rescue squad or fire department members. A volunteer would be able to register in this new tax classification one vehicle that is used regularly to respond to emergency calls or perform regular duties for the agency. 

The draft ordinance does not indicate whether a volunteer would receive any special tax benefit for said vehicles.

If adopted, the ordinance would take effect in 2026.

— Appointments to several boards, including: Appointing Gunin Kiran and reappointing Steve Fijalkowski and Todd King to the Public Service Authority, for four-year terms; appointing William Bulloss to the Montgomery Regional Economic Development Commission, for a two-year term; reappointing Lonnie Linkous to the planning commission, for a four-year term; reappointing County Administrator Angela Hill to the Metropolitan Planning Organization, for a one-year term; reappointing Hill to the New River Valley Emergency Communications Regional Authority, for a four-year term; appointing Hill, Fijalkowski and Sheriff Hank Partin to the regional jail authority for one-year terms, with Mary Biggs, Capt. Michael Cochran and Terri Mitchell as alternates; reappointing the county planning director to the New River-Highlands Resource Conservation and Development Council, for a one-year term; and reappointing county human services Director Alexandria Strickler to the Fairview Home board of directors, for a one-year term.

You can find meeting documents here.

The post Montgomery supervisors consider seeking study on data center zoning appeared first on Cardinal News.

Planning for future data centers will be on the minds of Montgomery County supervisors when they meet Monday.

The board will convene at 7:15 p.m. in the second floor board chambers at the county government center, 755 Roanoke St., Christiansburg.

The agenda includes a proposed resolution noting the increase in data center siting proposals in Virginia and across the nation. If approved, it will ask the county Planning Commission and county planning staff to “study, address and seek community comment and input on these particular land uses . . . and to recommend appropriate changes to the county zoning ordinance.”

The zoning law currently “does not define or allow data center facilities as a use,” the resolution notes. 

There are no data centers in Montgomery County’s unincorporated areas. But there is is one facility in Blacksburg that labels itself as a “data center” — the Brush Mountain facility in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center.

That facility is owned by Advanced Logic Industries, a company that has operated in the research center for decades, according to Town Manager Marc Vernier. But it is not the sort of large stand-alone data center that has proliferated in northern Virginia and occupies a large land footprint, Vernier explained in an email. 

The county planning commission is in the final stages of updating the five-section comprehensive plan. Sections that address community and economic development and health care and public services will be reviewed in January. The commission will hold a public hearing on the overall plan in February. County supervisors will conduct work sessions in January and February, aiming for a final public hearing in late February or early March.

Other notable agenda items for Monday’s meeting include:

— A resolution to delay assessing penalties and interest for late payment of real estate and personal property taxes that were due Dec. 5. It notes that snow and ice that day “made travel not advisable.” The proposal is to impose no penalties or interest if taxes were paid by Dec. 8. Supervisors will vote to set a public hearing on the proposal.

— A public hearing and a vote on a proposed ordinance that would establish a separate personal property tax classification for vehicles driven by volunteer rescue squad or fire department members. A volunteer would be able to register in this new tax classification one vehicle that is used regularly to respond to emergency calls or perform regular duties for the agency. 

The draft ordinance does not indicate whether a volunteer would receive any special tax benefit for said vehicles.

If adopted, the ordinance would take effect in 2026.

— Appointments to several boards, including: Appointing Gunin Kiran and reappointing Steve Fijalkowski and Todd King to the Public Service Authority, for four-year terms; appointing William Bulloss to the Montgomery Regional Economic Development Commission, for a two-year term; reappointing Lonnie Linkous to the planning commission, for a four-year term; reappointing County Administrator Angela Hill to the Metropolitan Planning Organization, for a one-year term; reappointing Hill to the New River Valley Emergency Communications Regional Authority, for a four-year term; appointing Hill, Fijalkowski and Sheriff Hank Partin to the regional jail authority for one-year terms, with Mary Biggs, Capt. Michael Cochran and Terri Mitchell as alternates; reappointing the county planning director to the New River-Highlands Resource Conservation and Development Council, for a one-year term; and reappointing county human services Director Alexandria Strickler to the Fairview Home board of directors, for a one-year term.

You can find meeting documents here.

The post Montgomery supervisors consider seeking study on data center zoning appeared first on Cardinal News.

Martinsville City Council member Aaron Rawls said he will release details about the firing of former Martinsville City Manager Aretha Ferrell-Benavides and a related investigation by city attorneys as early as next month.

In a Thursday afternoon press conference, Rawls said recent media coverage, including Cardinal News’ publication of an almost entirely redacted report about the investigation, has contributed to rumors and confusion. 

“I had innumerable phone calls from folks asking about various things going on in the city,” Rawls said at the press conference. “‘When are we going to get answers? Can you give us an interview? Can you respond to these allegations?’”

He said he plans to release investigation details sometime in late January or early February. In August, a split council declined to make the report public, citing attorney-client privilege. While Rawls voted to release it, he has declined Cardinal News’ requests to provide a less-redacted version of the report, which was prepared by the law firm Sands Anderson, acting as the city’s attorney. 

Rawls said in a phone call Thursday evening with Cardinal News that he plans to release much of the information contained within the report, but not the report itself. 

“These are statements by employees, written records by employees, stuff like that,” Rawls said, explaining why he won’t release the full report. “The reason the report is such a tricky subject is they wove legal advice and analysis throughout it, deliberately, to protect the contents of the report, which is a smart thing for … an attorney to do for their client. I don’t feel like it’s appropriate for a public government. It should all be public but I understand why they did what they did.”

Rawls said he is timing the release to an investigation by special prosecutor Wes Nance. Nance is the commonwealth’s attorney for Bedford County and was appointed to the special prosecutor role at the suggestion of Martinsville’s commonwealth’s attorney, Andy Hall. Virginia State Police are helping with the investigation, Nance has said.

Rawls said that the January-February timeline is based on when he believes there will be developments in the special prosecutor’s investigation. He said that the timeline gives officials ample time to move forward with possible charges or indictments. 

“If there aren’t charges or indictments, I’m just going to go ahead anyway,” Rawls said, later adding, “I’m ready to move, I’m tired of this.”

A forensic audit of the city’s finances and spending is also underway. Rawls said at the press conference that the audit has not been completed. 

Rawls is the plaintiff in a civil rights suit against Ferrell-Benavides stemming from a March incident in which a deputy removed Rawls from a public meeting. 

Ferrell-Benavides’ legal counsel has expressed their intent to pursue legal action against the city over the city manager’s firing; among the allegations is a claim that her termination was retaliation for an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filing Ferrell-Benavides made in July. 

The city council has not publicly disclosed its reasons for firing Ferrell-Benavides. 

“I think that’s absolutely fair that she was terminated. We had a job to do,” Rawls said during the press conference Thursday. “I think it’s unfair that the public has not been aware.” 

Rawls said he is confident that information from Sands Anderson’s report and the investigation by Nance will give residents a broader and more accurate scope of what’s happening in the city.

He said the reports and investigations won’t simply go away if given enough time.

Keeping things quiet was how the city traditionally handled things, he said. 

“Look, I get that,” Rawls said. “I understand that line of thinking that if we just keep it calm … we won’t mess up the things that are coming down the road. Here’s the problem: Things fester and grow and become worse than ever. 

“I don’t want to look back at my legacy and see that I was in a spot where I could have done something and sat by like … a coward.”

The post Rawls says he’ll release details about Martinsville city manager report as early as January appeared first on Cardinal News.

Jackson Gunter, a third grader at Highland Park Elementary School in Roanoke, has a vision for his local playground. 

In his vision, the park is clean, the playground equipment is in tip-top shape and the walkways are safe and intact for kids to run across.

But that hasn’t been Jackson’s experience playing at the Highland Park playground.

In a presentation for Monday’s Roanoke City Council meeting, titled “Updates to Highland Park Playground,” Jackson makes his case for some improvements at the park.

He cites issues such as litter, a broken fence, a brick walkway that is in disrepair, and broken playground equipment. He’s attached photos of trash on the ground and of caution tape wrapped around one section of the play area. 

Jackson lists some actions the city is already taking to clean up the park, including plans to replace the broken playground equipment, fencing and sidewalks, as well as cleanup work by city crews.

There are a few other things he’d like to see to improve his park, including “No Littering” signs, and installing more picnic tables and trash cans. 

He’s proposed that his fellow students at Highland Park sign a pledge to not litter, and work with the Parent Teacher Association to set up days for families and students to clean up the park.

The last slide, thanking the council, features a photo of Jackson standing in front of his school, smiling with his hands overhead, wearing shorts and a T-shirt. 

The council will be accepting a number of grant awards and receiving presentations from various groups during Monday’s 2 p.m. council session, before receiving Jackson’s presentation and holding various public hearings during its 7 p.m. session. 

The council’s full agenda for Monday’s meetings is here. Both meetings will be livestreamed on YouTube for those who cannot attend in person.

The post Roanoke third grader makes his case to city officials for park improvements appeared first on Cardinal News.

Here are some of the top headlines from other news outlets around Virginia. Some content may be behind a metered paywall:

Culture:

Drunk raccoon found in liquor store is a repeat offender, officials say. — The Washington Post (paywall).

Education:

Most Virginia schools meeting new state expectations, Virginia education department reports. — Virginia Mercury.

Politics:

At Virginia journalists’ forum, Spanberger talks energy policy, combating health care concerns. — Virginia Mercury.

Local:

Bedford supervisors reaffirm Second Amendment sanctuary status. — The (Lynchburg) News & Advance (paywall).

Amherst council votes to buy land for new public park. — Amherst New Era-Progress (paywall).

Economy:

$689 million rare earth magnet, copper manufacturing facility coming to Chesapeake. — The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot (paywall).

Breeze Airways launches Tri-Cities service with Orlando, D.C. flights. — Bristol Herald Courier (paywall).

Weather:

For more weather news, follow weather journalist Kevin Myatt on Twitter / X at @kevinmyattwx and sign up for his free weather email newsletter. His weekly column appears in Cardinal News each Wednesday afternoon.

The post Headlines from across the state: Drunk raccoon found in liquor store is a repeat offender, officials say; more … appeared first on Cardinal News.

Rappahannock High School’s football team came to Salem with a hydroelectric offense fueled by some devastating potential energy.

For the first half of the Virginia High School League Class 1 state championship game, Rye Cove High’s defense was a solid wall of protection from any oncoming spillover.

A tiny crack, just enough to start a trickle, formed early in the third quarter.

Then the whole dam broke.

Rappahannock hit the team from Scott County with a flood inside Salem Stadium, scoring six second-half touchdowns to run away with a 49-14 victory that gave the Raiders their first VHSL football title.

Rappahannock (13-2) trailed 14-6 at halftime, but senior running back Kenneth Madison scored three of his four TDs in the fourth quarter and finished with 225 of his team’s 415 rushing yards.

Quarterback Clyde Kelly Jr. fired a long TD pass and rushed for a pair of TDs highlighted by one of the longest plays in VHSL history.

Kelly rushed for 192 yards and passed for 95 as Rappahannock amassed a whopping 510 yards of total offense.

“It’s a great accomplishment, and it speaks volumes about the kids we put on the football field,” Rappahannock coach William West said. “They’ve been resilient all year long, playing hard, executing, and never putting their heads down. That’s what it’s all about. You talk about playing hard and being here, and then you’ve got to take advantage of all your opportunities.”

Rye Cove (11-4) made it to Salem courtesy of a defense that corralled Grayson County for a 7-6 semifinal victory. The Eagles solved Rappahannock’s offense for 24 minutes and had the Raiders backed up at the 4-yard line early in the third quarter.

Kelly took a shotgun snap, but instantly found himself in serious trouble in the left corner of the end zone. Rye Cove’s defense had the Rappahannock quarterback trapped, perhaps for a safety, but Kelly escaped through a pin-hole of daylight.

He cut through an opening and headed across the field. Soon, more potential tacklers were in Kelly’s wake as he neared the opposite sideline in front of the Rappahannock bench. Rye Cove’s last defenders had an angle, but Kelly was too fast as he completed a 96-yard TD jaunt that probably covered 150 yards of artificial-turf real estate.

“They thought they had me until I cut back and went to the right and we was gone,” Kelly said.

The play was doubly painful for Rye Cove. Carter Roach-Hodge, who scored both of the Eagles’ touchdowns, sustained a shoulder injury attempting to tackle Kelly that sidelined him for the remainder of the evening. Junior lineman Caden Bishop also exited with an ankle injury.

Rye Cove maintained a 14-12 lead, but soon the Eagles’ chances of winning their first state championship were submerged.

Rappahannock took the lead for good at 20-14 on a 66-yard TD pass from Kelly to Christian Destin.

Kelly opened the fourth quarter with a 6-yard TD for a 28-14 lead, then Madison added TD runs of 17, 35 and 16 yards with the last one of his career coming with 58 seconds to play.

The Raiders had the ball on the Rye Cove 5 at the end of the when Kelly took a knee, and the party back in Warsaw was under way.

“Unbelievable,” Kelly said. “We worked ever since ninth grade to be here.” 

West said there was no panic at halftime. Rappahannock overcame a nine-point second-half deficit in its 38-32 semifinal victory over Buffalo Gap. Saturday, the Raiders forced a punt on Rye Cove’s first possession of the second half to set the stage.

“We were fine,” he said. “We felt like we figured out some things on the defensive side of the ball. We filled gaps a little bit better, allowed our linebackers to come downhill and make plays at the line of scrimmage. If we could get some stops I felt like the offense … we just missed some blocks in the first half that we made in the second half.

“You’ve just got to play football. We’re one play away from making a play and we come out of the locker room and get a three-and-out and then the offense makes a huge play. We did what we had to do on that side of ball as well.”

Rye Cove coach Gary Collier was extremely wary of Rappahannock’s big-play potential.

“We talked about it before the game,” Collier said. “They’ve got some playmakers. They’ve got some speed we can’t match. If we can get [Kelly] in the backfield and wrap that up, then it’s a loss. He gets away, and they’ve got several of those kids who can run like that. Kudos to them. They’re a really good, talented football team.”

The Eagles’ early lead came from Roach-Hodge’s two TDs, a 6-yarder with 3:49 left in the first quarter and a 9-yarder with 4:47 to play before halftime.

Rye Cove struggled to move the ball consistently against Rappahannock’s red-clad defense. The Eagles were limited to 135 rushing yards on 52 carries and just 18 yards passing. No Rye Cove play was longer than 9 yards. William Rollins led the Eagles with 65 rushing yards on 17 attempts.

“We had a good game plan,” Collier said. “At halftime we were looking good. That first drive of the third quarter, you always look for that to be the game-changer. Then all of a sudden we get two of our best players hurt. It changed a little bit for what we had to do. We’re not real deep.”

Rappahannock’s trip to the Roanoke Valley was its second in two months. The Raiders filled a last-minute opening on their 2025 schedule with a hastily arranged game at Northside. It resulted in a 19-7 loss for the Raiders, but the experience might have paid off.

Rappahannock avenged a regular-season loss to rival Essex with a 19-16 victory in the Region 1A final.

Getting to a state championship game isn’t easy, and not because Rappahannock’s campus in Warsaw is 235 miles from Salem, while Rye Cove High is located 184 miles from the stadium.

“We felt like should have been here last year,” West said. “We had some injuries at a crucial time of the season. As good as we are this year, I felt like we were even better last year.”

Rye Cove was forced to stop a football game in 2021 because the team did not have enough players to continue.

See also: “Rye Cove goes from unable to finish a game to playing for the state championship.”

Collier took over the team in 2022, and in four years, the former Emory & Henry All-American quarterback took the program to heights never previously seen in the tiny Clinchport community.

“I just feel for these kids. You can see they wear it on their sleeve,” Collier said. “They’ve worked so hard to get here. That’s all I’ve got to talk about, how good these kids have been. This coaching staff and these seniors these four years … we’ve won a lot of football games. We went to battle a lot, went to war a lot. I would rather lose with this bunch than win with anybody else.”

Box score: Rye Cove-Rappahannock

Rye Cove……….7….7….0….0–14

Rappahannock……6….0…14…29–49

First quarter

 RC–Roach-Hodge 6 run (Cress kick), 3:49

 Rapp–Madison 45 run (kick blocked), 2:42

Second quarter

 RC–Roach-Hodge 9 run (Cress kick), 4:47

Third quarter

 Rapp–Kelly 96 run (run failed), 9:32

 Rapp–Destin 66 pass from Kelly (Kelly run), 3:29

Fourth quarter

 Rapp–Kelly 6 run (Madison run), 7:19

 Rapp–Madison 17 run (Setzer kick), 4:46

 Rapp–Madison 35 run (Setzer kick), 3:09

 Rapp–Madison 16 run (Setzer kick), 0:58

—

TEAM STATISTICS

………………….RC…….Rapp

First downs………..12………22

Rushes-yards……52-135…..38-415

Yards passing………19………95

Comp-Att-Int…….2-7-2…..6-10-0

Fumbles-lost………3-2……..3-1

Penalties………..2-11…….7-53

Punts………….4-42.8…..2-18.0

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

 RUSHING–Rye Cove, Rollins 17-65, Roach-Hodge 13-46, Barnette 15-36, Waldon 1-0, Shupe 4-(minus 7), Team 2-(minus 5). Rappahannock, Madison 19-225, Kelly 17-192, Team 2-(minus 2).

 PASSING–Rye Cove, Shupe 2-7-2–18. Rappahannock, Kelly 6-10-0–95.

 RECEIVING–Rye Cove, Jessee 1-12, Lane 1-6. Rappahannock, Destin 2-70, Ellis-Thomas 2-12, Sullivan 1-10, Brown 1-3.

The post Rye Cove holds strong for a half but can’t match Rappahannock’s speed appeared first on Cardinal News.

Rappahannock High School’s football team came to Salem with a hydroelectric offense fueled by some devastating potential energy.

For the first half of the Virginia High School League Class 1 state championship game, Rye Cove High’s defense was a solid wall of protection from any oncoming spillover.

A tiny crack, just enough to start a trickle, formed early in the third quarter.

Then the whole dam broke.

Rappahannock hit the team from Scott County with a flood inside Salem Stadium, scoring six second-half touchdowns to run away with a 49-14 victory that gave the Raiders their first VHSL football title.

Rappahannock (13-2) trailed 14-6 at halftime, but senior running back Kenneth Madison scored three of his four TDs in the fourth quarter and finished with 225 of his team’s 415 rushing yards.

Quarterback Clyde Kelly Jr. fired a long TD pass and rushed for a pair of TDs highlighted by one of the longest plays in VHSL history.

Kelly rushed for 192 yards and passed for 95 as Rappahannock amassed a whopping 510 yards of total offense.

“It’s a great accomplishment, and it speaks volumes about the kids we put on the football field,” Rappahannock coach William West said. “They’ve been resilient all year long, playing hard, executing, and never putting their heads down. That’s what it’s all about. You talk about playing hard and being here, and then you’ve got to take advantage of all your opportunities.”

Rye Cove (11-4) made it to Salem courtesy of a defense that corralled Grayson County for a 7-6 semifinal victory. The Eagles solved Rappahannock’s offense for 24 minutes and had the Raiders backed up at the 4-yard line early in the third quarter.

Kelly took a shotgun snap, but instantly found himself in serious trouble in the left corner of the end zone. Rye Cove’s defense had the Rappahannock quarterback trapped, perhaps for a safety, but Kelly escaped through a pin-hole of daylight.

He cut through an opening and headed across the field. Soon, more potential tacklers were in Kelly’s wake as he neared the opposite sideline in front of the Rappahannock bench. Rye Cove’s last defenders had an angle, but Kelly was too fast as he completed a 96-yard TD jaunt that probably covered 150 yards of artificial-turf real estate.

“They thought they had me until I cut back and went to the right and we was gone,” Kelly said.

The play was doubly painful for Rye Cove. Carter Roach-Hodge, who scored both of the Eagles’ touchdowns, sustained a shoulder injury attempting to tackle Kelly that sidelined him for the remainder of the evening. Junior lineman Caden Bishop also exited with an ankle injury.

Rye Cove maintained a 14-12 lead, but soon the Eagles’ chances of winning their first state championship were submerged.

Rappahannock took the lead for good at 20-14 on a 66-yard TD pass from Kelly to Christian Destin.

Kelly opened the fourth quarter with a 6-yard TD for a 28-14 lead, then Madison added TD runs of 17, 35 and 16 yards with the last one of his career coming with 58 seconds to play.

The Raiders had the ball on the Rye Cove 5 at the end of the when Kelly took a knee, and the party back in Warsaw was under way.

“Unbelievable,” Kelly said. “We worked ever since ninth grade to be here.” 

West said there was no panic at halftime. Rappahannock overcame a nine-point second-half deficit in its 38-32 semifinal victory over Buffalo Gap. Saturday, the Raiders forced a punt on Rye Cove’s first possession of the second half to set the stage.

“We were fine,” he said. “We felt like we figured out some things on the defensive side of the ball. We filled gaps a little bit better, allowed our linebackers to come downhill and make plays at the line of scrimmage. If we could get some stops I felt like the offense … we just missed some blocks in the first half that we made in the second half.

“You’ve just got to play football. We’re one play away from making a play and we come out of the locker room and get a three-and-out and then the offense makes a huge play. We did what we had to do on that side of ball as well.”

Rye Cove coach Gary Collier was extremely wary of Rappahannock’s big-play potential.

“We talked about it before the game,” Collier said. “They’ve got some playmakers. They’ve got some speed we can’t match. If we can get [Kelly] in the backfield and wrap that up, then it’s a loss. He gets away, and they’ve got several of those kids who can run like that. Kudos to them. They’re a really good, talented football team.”

The Eagles’ early lead came from Roach-Hodge’s two TDs, a 6-yarder with 3:49 left in the first quarter and a 9-yarder with 4:47 to play before halftime.

Rye Cove struggled to move the ball consistently against Rappahannock’s red-clad defense. The Eagles were limited to 135 rushing yards on 52 carries and just 18 yards passing. No Rye Cove play was longer than 9 yards. William Rollins led the Eagles with 65 rushing yards on 17 attempts.

“We had a good game plan,” Collier said. “At halftime we were looking good. That first drive of the third quarter, you always look for that to be the game-changer. Then all of a sudden we get two of our best players hurt. It changed a little bit for what we had to do. We’re not real deep.”

Rappahannock’s trip to the Roanoke Valley was its second in two months. The Raiders filled a last-minute opening on their 2025 schedule with a hastily arranged game at Northside. It resulted in a 19-7 loss for the Raiders, but the experience might have paid off.

Rappahannock avenged a regular-season loss to rival Essex with a 19-16 victory in the Region 1A final.

Getting to a state championship game isn’t easy, and not because Rappahannock’s campus in Warsaw is 235 miles from Salem, while Rye Cove High is located 184 miles from the stadium.

“We felt like should have been here last year,” West said. “We had some injuries at a crucial time of the season. As good as we are this year, I felt like we were even better last year.”

Rye Cove was forced to stop a football game in 2021 because the team did not have enough players to continue.

See also: “Rye Cove goes from unable to finish a game to playing for the state championship.”

Collier took over the team in 2022, and in four years, the former Emory & Henry All-American quarterback took the program to heights never previously seen in the tiny Clinchport community.

“I just feel for these kids. You can see they wear it on their sleeve,” Collier said. “They’ve worked so hard to get here. That’s all I’ve got to talk about, how good these kids have been. This coaching staff and these seniors these four years … we’ve won a lot of football games. We went to battle a lot, went to war a lot. I would rather lose with this bunch than win with anybody else.”

Box score: Rye Cove-Rappahannock

Rye Cove……….7….7….0….0–14

Rappahannock……6….0…14…29–49

First quarter

 RC–Roach-Hodge 6 run (Cress kick), 3:49

 Rapp–Madison 45 run (kick blocked), 2:42

Second quarter

 RC–Roach-Hodge 9 run (Cress kick), 4:47

Third quarter

 Rapp–Kelly 96 run (run failed), 9:32

 Rapp–Destin 66 pass from Kelly (Kelly run), 3:29

Fourth quarter

 Rapp–Kelly 6 run (Madison run), 7:19

 Rapp–Madison 17 run (Setzer kick), 4:46

 Rapp–Madison 35 run (Setzer kick), 3:09

 Rapp–Madison 16 run (Setzer kick), 0:58

—

TEAM STATISTICS

………………….RC…….Rapp

First downs………..12………22

Rushes-yards……52-135…..38-415

Yards passing………19………95

Comp-Att-Int…….2-7-2…..6-10-0

Fumbles-lost………3-2……..3-1

Penalties………..2-11…….7-53

Punts………….4-42.8…..2-18.0

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

 RUSHING–Rye Cove, Rollins 17-65, Roach-Hodge 13-46, Barnette 15-36, Waldon 1-0, Shupe 4-(minus 7), Team 2-(minus 5). Rappahannock, Madison 19-225, Kelly 17-192, Team 2-(minus 2).

 PASSING–Rye Cove, Shupe 2-7-2–18. Rappahannock, Kelly 6-10-0–95.

 RECEIVING–Rye Cove, Jessee 1-12, Lane 1-6. Rappahannock, Destin 2-70, Ellis-Thomas 2-12, Sullivan 1-10, Brown 1-3.

The post Rye Cove holds strong for a half but can’t match Rappahannock’s speed appeared first on Cardinal News.

A state football championship.

Strasburg’s football team had been there.

Glenvar had done that.

The Highlanders made the six-mile trip to Salem on Saturday looking to add a Virginia High School League championship trophy to the hardware they put in the school’s trophy case in 2014.

Strasburg made the trip down Interstate 81 to Salem Stadium seeking its first state title in six appearances in the finals, including last year’s loss to Graham.

Recent experience ruled.

For the second year in a row, Strasburg fell into a two-touchdown hole in the first quarter, but this time the Rams rebounded for a decisive 49-27 victory over Glenvar to deny the Highlanders a perfect 2025 season.

Strasburg, a Shenandoah County school which began playing football in 1929, finished with a 13-1 record by hoisting the championship trophy for the first time.

The Rams were Division 1 runners-up in 1987, 1988, 1992 and 1995 under longtime coach Glenn Proctor. Strasburg lost 31-8 to Graham in the 2024 Class 2 state final after falling behind 14-0 before running an offensive play.

Saturday Glenvar took a 12-0 lead, forcing a large Strasburg contingent on the visitors side to wonder if ill fate had cast its hand again.

Not this time.

Strasburg shrugged off the adversity with a dominant running game that produced a 21-19 halftime lead. Three more touchdowns followed in the third quarter, and the Rams’ 42-19 was too much to overcome.

“We started out in the same predicament last year,” Strasburg coach Tripp Lamb said. “We kind of tucked our tails and folded. I knew that was not going to be this group. I knew our guys wouldn’t quit. Once we got rolling, we were hard to stop.”

Proctor spent 44 seasons at Strasburg with 302 career victories but no state championship. It took Lamb, a 2004 Staunton River High School graduate, just two seasons as head coach to reach the pinnacle.

Strasburg’s straight T-formation running game was devastating.

The offensive line — tackles Hutson Conrad and Jacob Britton, guards Gate Gutierrez and Jacob Stickley, center Cooper Miller, and tight ends Alexander Mudd and Harper Sherman — opened huge holes in Glenvar’s defensive line.

The Rams’ trio of running backs — Quincy Williams (20 carries, 135 yards), Linkyn Bosworth (17-118) and Brady Knight (17-99) — combined for 352 yards rushing and five TDs while dividing 54 carries.

Strasburg entered the game averaging 363 yards rushing per game. Saturday the Rams finished with 362.

Just an average day at the office.

“Obviously they wore us down a little bit. We knew that was probably going to be the situation,” Glenvar coach Kevin Clifford said. “In a game like this you’ve got to play mistake-free. We didn’t. But it goes to them. Congratulations to them.

“We kind of ran into a buzzsaw. They were good today. Sometimes you have to tip your hat and say, ‘They were better today.’ That’s a hard pill to swallow.”

Both teams committed two costly first-half turnovers.

Knight and Williams coughed up fumbles by the Rams in the first quarter, while Glenvar quarterback Brody Dawyot threw two interceptions on an otherwise brilliant performance by the record-setting senior.

Glenvar turned the fumbles into a 12-0 lead on a 2-yard TD run by Dawyot and a 23-yard TD pass to Cooper Mullins.

“I tell our guys all the time that the toughest team we play is ourselves,” Lamb said. “We beat ourselves sometimes. When we don’t beat ourselves, we’re tough to beat.

“We knew coming into the game we were going to ride those big boys up front and try to wear them down. That’s been our strength all year.”

Strasburg had three possessions in the second quarter, and all reached the end zone.

Knight scored on an 8-yard run, then Williams had a 6-yard TD that wiped out Glenvar’s last lead of the game. Bosworth added a 10-yard run with 2:52 left in the first and the Rams were off and running at 21-12.

Bosworth’s score was set up when Williams intercepted a pass by Dawyot and returned the ball 22 yards to the Glenvar 18. It was a throw the VHSL’s career touchdown pass leader wished he could have had back.

“Things went our way in the first quarter, but after that I made a couple of mistakes and they took the lead from there,” Dawyot said. “They were sitting in a zone with people shooting out to the flats, and I should have seen it. I made some questionable passes.”

Dawyot needed to shoulder no blame, leading a 61-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard TD run that cut the deficit to 21-19 at halftime.

In the face of a fierce Strasburg rush that put him on his backside more than once, the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Charlotte signee completed 27 of 40 passes for 245 yards and two TDs while running for another 91 yards and two scores on 16 carries.

Dawyot either passed or ran on 56 of Glenvar’s 63 offensive plays. His two TD passes upped his VHSL career record total to 137.

See also: 2 unlikely brothers have led Glenvar to the doorstep of a state championship

“He’s awesome,” Lamb said. “I can’t wait to watch him on Saturdays on TV. I’ve been coaching high school football for 18 years and he’s by far the best player I’ve coached against. He really hurt us with his feet today. We do a pretty good job of gobbling people up with our defensive line, and there were some times out there he kind of made us look silly.”

Dawyot completed 14 passes alone for 133 yards to his brother, senior receiver Tre Dawyot. Mullins shrugged off a bum ankle to catch six passes for 55 yards.

However, Strasburg showed that the most direct way to the end zone is on the ground. The Rams threw just one pass as a wide-open Williams dropped a likely TD strike from Brayden Hough on the first play of the second quarter.

The Region 2B offensive player of the year more than made up for it with big plays on defense and the kicking game.

He returned the second half kickoff 52 yards to the Glenvar 47. It took the Rams just five plays for a 5-yard TD run by Knight.

Strasburg forced a punt and covered 64 yards in nine running plays for Bosworth’s 23-yard sprint and a 35-19 lead.

Then Williams applied the backbreaker.

Dawyot completed a short pass to Haden Henderson. However, the ball came loose, and Williams scooped it up inside Strasburg territory and bolted 55 yards for a TD for a 42-19 lead as he held up a No. 1 signal long awaited in Shenandoah County.

Glenvar (14-1) cut Strasburg’s lead to 42-27 when the Dawyot brothers hooked up for an 8-yard TD pass with 48 seconds left in the third quarter. The Highlanders gave a huge crowd on the home side of the stadium hope by forcing the Rams’ only punt, but when Britton and Sherman combined to sack Dawyot, the Highlanders’ dream of completing an undefeated season was done.

Glenvar reached the final with a 21-20 semifinal victory over previously unbeaten Union, but Strasburg was a different animal. The Highlanders also played without two injured starters — senior receiver/defensive back Jace Forster and defensive end Jake Franklin.

“Winning at any level is hard, and going 15 and 0 is even harder,” Clifford said. “I’ve lost a lot of games. You get over them. I’m disappointed for our seniors.

“Matchups are everything. Last week I thought we played really well but they run a little bit different offense than Union did. They try to spread you out, even though they’re running two [tight ends] and hit seams. And they’re good. They’re athletic up front and they move really well.”

Lamb, who played at Staunton River for head coaches Bob Gray and David Rocco, joined Strasburg’s coaching staff as an assistant coach in 2008 before he was promoted 18 months ago.

What explains such patience?

“The community,” he said. “It’s a great place to coach. It’s a great place to teach. It’s a great place to live. We’ve got the best kids. I hope to coach here another 25 years and retire.”

The post Strasburg’s running game blows past Glenvar as school claims first state football championship appeared first on Cardinal News.

After a ballot recount that took nearly 12 hours on Friday, Michael Sutphin was confirmed as Blacksburg’s mayor-elect by 18 votes — the same margin from the initial ballot count. 

In the recount, Sutphin received 5,574 votes (50.08%) and his opponent Pete Macedo received 5,556 votes (49.91%). The initial ballot count from Nov. 4 had Sutphin at 5,573 votes (49.35%) and Macedo at 5,555 votes (49.19%). 

Standing under a star-studded sky — finally clear after a day of snow flurries — Mayor-elect Sutphin addressed reporters: “It was a very long day, kind of stressful. I’d definitely like to thank everyone at the Montgomery County of Elections. I’d like to thank Pete for a very hard-fought race. If there’s any lesson to be learned from this election it’s that every vote matters. At the end of the day, I’m the mayor, but it’s very important for all perspectives in town to be taken into consideration when we’re making decisions and moving forward together as a community.”

Macedo, his eyes tired but his smile strong, also ended the day with remarks about gratitude and togetherness: “It was amazing to spend so much time talking to community members and learning from them. This was not just me. This was so many people … I can’t get over how responsive people were. … Everybody we reached out to [to be poll workers] was very excited to do it. … They thanked me for asking them to do this. When everyone is thanking each other, you know you’re doing something right.”

Sutphin is a four-term town council member whose platform centered on strengthening Blacksburg’s infrastructure. 

Macedo is the owner of Blacksburg Bagels and focused his campaign on the need for transparent and inclusive local leadership.

On Election Day in November the race was too close to call, with Macedo leading by 45 votes before more than 2,000 provisional ballots were verified. Most of those provisional ballots came from precincts heavily populated with Virginia Tech students.

After losing to Sutphin by 18 votes, Macedo requested a recount. Virginia law allows for recounts when the voting margin is 1% or less. Because the margin was not more than 0.5%, Montgomery County is responsible for the cost of the recount. Connie Viar, Montgomery County director of elections and general registrar, did not have a cost estimate as of Dec. 11, but said that the 16 recount officials will each be paid $250 for the day, plus reimbursed 70 cents per mile. Costs will also include paying for voting equipment and machine technicians. Equipment on a “normal” Election Day costs $1,475, according to Viar, but she did not know how much the equipment vendor would charge for the two-day recount. 

Suits and ties, khakis and cowboy boots, and 32 candidates’ representatives

The recount proceeded at the Montgomery County Office of Elections in Christiansburg in accordance with the Montgomery County court order. Five scanning machines and three hand-count stations were used to recount the ballots. A sixth scanning machine was approved for use at approximately 3 p.m. Ballots were first scanned by recount officials. Any ballots not readable or “otherwise amenable” to counting by the scanner were set aside to be hand counted. Any ballots that were hand counted on Election Day were also hand counted at the recount. Three judges were present in addition to local election officials and Macedo’s lawyer. The judges and lawyers wore suits and ties. Almost everyone else was in sweaters and sweatshirts, jeans and khakis, winter boots, cowboy boots, hiking shoes and — in the case of Tiffany Couch, clerk of circuit court — sparkly sneakers.

Sutphin and Macedo each had 16 representatives attend the recount, for a total of 32 candidate-chosen individuals closely watching the process. 

Eight of each candidate’s representatives were recount officials whom Sutphin and Macedo selected from a list of approximately 200 current Montgomery County election officers. 

The other eight of each candidate’s representatives were observers whom Sutphin and Macedo selected from the community. Sutphin’s observers were mainly members of the Blacksburg Town Council plus a college friend. Macedo’s observers were campaign contributors and local “stakeholders” who live within and outside town limits. 

Observers wore neon green “authorized” tags hanging from bright orange lanyards, while election officials had navy blue lanyards. Substitute observers filled in for observers who temporarily left the building for a variety of engagements including doctor appointments and job interviews.

Kim Kipling, chair of the Blacksburg Zoning Commission, served as an observer for Sutphin. He said that if Macedo had won the ballot count on Election Day, he wouldn’t have wanted Sutphin to call for a recount unless the margin had been only 4 or 5 votes: “[The recount is] elaborate machinery to do something very simple. It’s costing a lot of time and money that is not necessary.”

On the other hand, Leslie Harwood, one of Macedo’s observers, saw the recount as a necessity for “resolution. We worked so hard for so many months and thought we’d know something on Election Day, then the day after Election Day, then it was we’ll know something next week. So, resolution is what comes to mind of what the recount means to me.” 

She gripped a red soda can as she described the most important thing she’d learned Friday: “I realized even more how elected officials and everyone here want this to be a fair process. Officials see this as a necessary step to the truth.” Harwood said Friday’s recount was transparent, and she is “happy” with the process. 

Another of Macedo’s observers, Tracie Harrah, food entrepreneur and owner of Under the Green Umbrella, agreed with Harwood. “Today shows that the system works.” Harrah’s brother, Shayne Snavely, a political consultant and another of Macedo’s observers, also said that the process had been smooth and proved that “you don’t have to come in disliking your opponent or bashing the opponent.”

Jerry Ford, an observer for Sutphin and town council member, remarked that the process was “fascinating to watch. It’s encouraging to see the checks and balances and professionalism of the registrar.” 

Throughout the day, no one spoke of rigged elections or a broken system. Looking across the room, it was hard to discern who was representing Sutphin and who was representing Macedo.

Ballet of the ballots: ‘no tension, no nastiness’

Friday’s recount was the 22^nd election that election official Melissa Wright has worked. Breen, director of the Food Producer Technical Assistance Network at Virginia Tech, said, “We take it very seriously. Every ballot that comes through our hands is counted and treated equally whether it’s a student or the mayor. It doesn’t matter whether it’s someone who has lived in Blacksburg for six years or 60 years.” 

Wright viewed the recount as a “piece of the puzzle in guaranteeing that Virginia has free and fair elections.” The recount was Wright’s first experience with a recount and she hopes to learn “anything we can do better to help in the future.”

Highlighting differences between the two candidates, Macedo emphasized that his observers were a “diverse” group from the community in contrast to Sutphin’s observers who were primarily current town council members. 

Both Macedo and Sutphin chatted with their observers throughout the day. There was a hum of talk as officials and observers walked between long tables, the scanners, and various envelopes and stacks of ballots. As the day progressed, the snow tapered off. 

Several times, an election official hushed the group, “It’s getting a little bit too loud — keep it down.” 

Steven Gillespie, an observer for Sutphin, said, “Everyone is collegial, making sure the results are accurate. There’s no tension, no nastiness from the candidates.” Observers for Sutphin and Macedo snacked on Becca’s bars, gluten-free treats that Macedo had brought from his bakery. At 3 p.m., the judges approved a sixth scanner.

Earlier in the day, Sutphin, in a navy blue blazer over a navy sweater vest and navy tie, described his top emotion as the Will Ferrell meme “STRESSED.” 

Macedo, in a tan and black flannel shirt with deep pockets for a Rubik’s cube, his 21-year-old cat Liza’s goldfish-shaped toy and a blue ceramic orb in remembrance of his father, said he primarily felt excited. With the faint gleam of a tear, he said, “If I’m the new mayor or not, I want Blacksburg to know two things. First, you’ve got me however this goes down. Second, you is singular and plural — it’s not just me but all of us. So what I’m going to do, whether I’m mayor or not, is make sure everyone remembers that Blacksburg needs you.”

Sutphin, after a brief joke about taking a nap as his first action after the recount, explained that his initial focus after the results come in would be on town governance procedures. Sutphin said that if elected mayor, he would resign from his town council seat on Jan. 1 and lead the process to appoint a new council member for that seat within 45 days. A special election for that council seat will occur in November 2026. 

A thousand bagels (and a couple hundred sourdoughs) worth of learning

Considerably more votes were cast in the 2025 mayoral election (11,130) than any mayoral election in the last 20 years. In 2021, 8,506 ballots were cast for mayor; in 2017, 9,532 ballots were cast; and in 2013, 6,608 ballots were cast, according to the Virginia Department of Election’s historical elections database, which publishes state voting data from 2000 onward.

Asked if they were to do one thing differently in his campaign, Sutphin said he would have knocked on more doors and sent more postcards. Macedo would have changed the timing of “getting involved” on the Virginia Tech campus. He spoke strongly about the need for more ways that independent candidates can communicate with the public, since they don’t rely on political parties for backing. 

Macedo and Sutphin both ran as independents and both said that being the Blacksburg mayor is a nonpartisan role. 

They also both spoke of the recount as a valuable learning process. Sutphin, who did not hire a lawyer, said, “A lot more goes into elections that I didn’t know. There’s a level of complexity that I’m learning about.” 

Macedo, who did hire a lawyer and has so far raised about $5,000 toward the estimated $10,000 to $15,000 cost, said, “The fact that we get a recount is a win because it’s a learning experience. Getting to this point is a success because we get to learn more and [develop] resources for residents who want to run for office in the future.”

Macedo added that his number one motivation for running for mayor was “to learn the process and make sure everyone’s voice is heard.” He continued, “I didn’t say, ‘I want to run for mayor.’ People said, ‘You should run for mayor,’ and I agreed.” 

Macedo estimated that in the time it took for the recount his bakery could turn out 1,000 bagels, 200 sourdoughs and 200 pretzels.

Harwood, Macedo’s observer, hopes that people in Blacksburg know the importance of mayoral elections and aims to take an even greater role in community governance in the future. She said, “Local politics is where your voice as a community member can make a difference.”

This recount proves that local voices do make a difference. And the recount, as Sutphin said mid-afternoon, was held to “make sure that every voice is heard.”

Editor’s note 6:40 a.m.: The story has been revised to properly attribute a quote of Melissa Wright.

The post A (long) day at the Blacksburg mayoral recount: Sutphin prevails appeared first on Cardinal News.

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Six Virginia High School League football championships will be decided Saturday in games in Harrisonburg, Lynchburg and Salem. Here’s a preview of each:

CLASS 6

OSCAR SMITH (12-1) vs. NORTH STAFFORD (11-3)

At James Madison University, Harrisonburg

Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

 School locations: Oscar Smith (Chesapeake); North Stafford (Stafford)

 Nicknames: Oscar Smith (Tigers); North Stafford (Wolverines)

 Coaches: Oscar Smith (Chris Scott); North Stafford (Marquez Hall)

 How they got here: Oscar Smith was seeded No. 1 in Region 6A. The Tigers received a first-round bye and defeated L.C. Bird 50-0 and Thomas Dale 48-7. North Stafford was seeded No. 3 in Region 6B. The Wolverines defeated Independence 52-14, No. 2 Battlefield 21-6 and Woodbridge 49-33.

 State semifinals: Oscar Smith defeated James Madison 34-28; North Stafford defeated West Springfield 19-7.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Oscar Smith 67-17; North Stafford 27-18.

 Playoff history: Oscar Smith owns five Class 6 state titles (2024, 2021, 2020, 2011, 2008) and the Tigers had five state runner-up finishes from 2013-2019. North Stafford placed second in Class 5 in 2004 and reached Class 5 state semifinals in 2015 and 2018.

 Quick kicks: Oscar Smith High opened in 1954 after the closure of old South Norfolk High. The Tigers had four head coaches in a five-year period from 2015-19. North Stafford opened in 1981. Las Vegas Raiders receivers coach Chris Beatty was the head coach at North Stafford for three seasons from 1998-2000. Smith wide receiver Travis Johnson has signed with Michigan. North Stafford safety Kenaz Sullivan holds a number of Class of 27 offers including Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. 

CLASS 5

MAURY (13-1) vs. HIGHLAND SPRINGS (11-3)

At James Madison University, Harrisonburg

Saturday, 5 p.m.

 School locations: Maury (Norfolk); Highland Springs (Henrico County)

 Nicknames: Maury (Commodores); Highland Springs (Springers)

 Coaches: Maury (Dyrri McCain); Highland Springs (Loren Johnson)

 How they got here: Maury was seeded No. 2 in Region 5B. The Commodores defeated Woodside 64-6, Warwick 42-10 and No. 1 seed King’s Fork 49-6. Highland Springs was seeded No. 2 in Region 5C. The Springers defeated Glen Allen 28-9, William Fleming 37-7 and Hermitage 21-13.

 State semifinals: Maury defeated Stone Bridge 48-27; Highland Springs defeated Indian River 35-8.

 Series history: Highland Springs leads 4-2

 Last meeting: Maury won 38-7 in 2024 regular season.

 Playoff won-lost records: Maury 34-19; Highland Springs 62-35.

 Playoff history: Maury was the Group AAA runner-up in 1972, long before beginning a run of six Class 5 finals appearances from 2019-24 with championships in ’19, ’23 and ’24 capped by a 46-0 win over Briar Woods. Highland Springs has played in eight state finals, winning Class 5 titles in 2015, ’16, ’17, ’18 and ’22. The Springers were the Class 6 runner-up in 2023 and Group AAA runner-up in 1978.

 Quick kicks: Maury will be without linebacker Ike Simmons, a Pittsburgh signee, following an injury in the Region 5B final. Highland Springs coach Johnson was a defensive back at Virginia Tech from 1995-98. He has coached the Springers to 42 of their 62 career postseason victories. This is the only one of the six VHSL finals in which the opponents have played each other previously. Highland Springs defeated Maury 33-19 in the 2022 Class 5 final to complete a 15-0 season.

CLASS 4

VARINA (12-2) vs. LOUDOUN COUNTY (12-1)

At Liberty University, Lynchburg

Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

 School locations: Varina (Chesterfield County); Loudoun County (Leesburg)

 Nicknames: Varina (Blue Devils); Loudoun County (Captains).

 Coaches: Varina (Marcus Lewis); Loudoun County (Matt Reiedenbaugh)

 How they got here: Varina was seeded No. 4 in Region 4B. The Blue Devils defeated Courtland 47-6, No. 1 Dinwiddie 34-0 and Huguenot 21-12. Loudoun County was seeded No. 1 in Region 4B. The Captains received a first-round bye and defeated Heritage-Leesburg 14-13 and Loudoun Valley 28-14.

 State semifinals: Varina defeated Jefferson Forest 49-21; Loudoun County defeated Lafayette 25-23.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Varina 42-27; Loudoun County 15-19.

 Playoff history: Varina won the 2021 Class 4 title 28-21 over Broad Run. Varina was the Class 6 runner-up in 1998 and 1999, and lost 23-6 to Phoebus in the 2024 Class 4 final. Loudoun County made a Class 4 state semifinal in 2022 and region finals in 1985 and 2012.

 Quick kicks: Varina’s lone losses are to Class 5 semifinalist Maury (14-13) and North Carolina Class 7 semifinalist Greensboro Grimsley (21-14). Varina boasts a pair of UVa signees: lineman JaySean Richardson and athlete DaMari Carter, along with West Virginia signee SirPaul Cheeks, a running back. Loudoun County’s offensive line is powered by Clemson recruit Carter Scruggs and Catoctin District offensive player of the year Montez Dyson. Loudoun County also lost out of state, 35-34 to Jefferson (W.Va.).

CLASS 3

LAKE TAYLOR (12-2) vs. KETTLE RUN (13-1)

At Liberty University, Lynchburg

Saturday, 5 p.m.

 School locations: Lake Taylor (Norfolk); Kettle Run (Nokesville)

 Nicknames: Lake Taylor (Titans); Kettle Run (Cougars).

 Coaches: Lake Taylor (Hank Sawyer); Kettle Run (Delmar Christian)

 How they got here: Lake Taylor was seeded No. 2 in Region 3A. The Titans defeated Colonial Heights 49-6, I.C. Norcom 20-7 and Petersburg 40-26; Kettle Run was seeded No. 1 in Region 3B. The Cougars defeated Warren County 63-0, Brentsville 35-12 and Skyline 35-14.

 State semifinals: Lake Taylor defeated Magna Vista 27-21; Kettle Run defeated Liberty Christian 29-28.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Lake Taylor 45-27; Kettle Run 22-11.

 Playoff history: Lake Taylor owns state titles in 2012 (Class 5), and 2014 and 2019 (Class 4) with runner-up finishes in 2015, 2018 and 2021 (spring). The Titans’ last state final was a 28-20 home loss to Salem. Kettle Run reached a region final in its fourth year as a school in 2011. Kettle Run lost to Dinwiddie 65-20 in the Class 4 state final in 2022 and fell to Liberty Christian 42-6 in the Class 3 final in 2024. 

 Quick kicks: Lake Taylor has an 8-0 all-time record in state semifinals. Kettle Run’s Christian is a first-year head coach following the departure of Charlie Porterfield after nine seasons. Both teams won semifinals in thrilling fashion. Lake Taylor quarterback Kevin Adams hit Magerald Clark on a 27-yard TD pass to break a tie as time ran out against Magna Vista, while Kettle Run overcame a 28-9 deficit to eliminate two-time defending champion Liberty Christian.

CLASS 2

STRASBURG (12-1) vs. GLENVAR (14-0)

At Salem Stadium, Salem

Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

 School locations: Strasburg (Shenandoah County); Glenvar (Roanoke County)

 School nicknames: Strasburg (Rams); Glenvar (Highlanders)

 Coaches: Strasburg (Tripp Lamb); Glenvar (Kevin Clifford)

 How they got here: Strasburg received a first-round bye and defeated Central-Woodstock 35-6 and Stuarts Draft 54-7. Glenvar was seeded No. 1 in Region 2C. The Highlanders defeated Nelson County 50-0, Radford 27-3 and Gretna 41-6. 

 State semifinals: Strasburg defeated Poquoson 31-10; Glenvar defeated Union 21-20.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Strasburg 38-31; Glenvar 27-16

 Playoff history: Strasburg has lost all five of its state finals: to Parry McCluer (1987), Jonesville (1988), Appalachia (1992) and Bath County (1995) in Division 1; and to Graham 31-8 in Class 2 in 2024. Glenvar won the 2014 Division 2 championship with a 21-20 overtime victory over Wilson Memorial under Clifford in the school’s only previous trip to a state final.

 Quick kicks: Strasburg has won 10 games in a row since a 28-20 loss to Class 3 Broadway. The Rams have rushed for 4,725 yards in 13 games including 1,863 yards and 25 TDs by Region 2B offensive player of the year Quincy Williams. Lamb is a graduate of Staunton River High School who has guided Strasburg to state finals in both his seasons as head coach. Glenvar senior quarterback Brody Dawyot, who as returned to the lineup after suffering a shoulder injury in early November, owns the VHSL record for the most career touchdown passes with 135. Dawyot, a UNC Charlotte signee, has passed for 2,557 yards and 37 TDs with just four interceptions this season.

See also: “2 unlikely brothers have led Glenvar to the doorstep of a state championship.”

CLASS 1

RAPPAHANNOCK (12-2) vs. RYE COVE (11-3)

At Salem Stadium, Salem

Saturday, 5 p.m.

 School locations: Rappahannock (Warsaw); Rye Cove (Clinchport)

 Nicknames: Rappahannock (Raiders); Rye Cove (Eagles)

 Coaches: Rappahannock (William West); Rye Cove (Gary Collier)

 How they got here: Rappahannock was seeded No. 3 in Region 1A. The Raiders received a forfeit from West Point and defeated Northampton 55-18 and Essex 19-16. Rye Cove was seeded No. 3 in Region 1D. The Eagles defeated Holston 61-14, Chilhowie 21-13 and Eastside 32-12.

 State semifinals: Rappahannock defeated Buffalo Gap 38-32; Rye Cove defeated Grayson County 7-6.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Rappahannock 14-24; Rye Cove 14-17.

 Playoff history: Rappahannock reached state semifinals in 1988 and 1992.

 Quick kicks: Rappahannock’s Kenneth Madison rushed for 372 yards in a Region 1A semifinal victory over Northumberland and is averaging 13.5 yards per carry this season. Rye Cove’s victory over Grayson County was its first in a state semifinal, having lost to Grayson 40-34 in 2024 and to 42-18 to Bath County 42-18 in 2000. Both teams are seeking their first state championship.

See also: “Rye Cove goes from unable to finish a game to playing for the state championship.”

The post Six VHSL football championships will be decided Saturday. Here’s who’s playing. appeared first on Cardinal News.

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Six Virginia High School League football championships will be decided Saturday in games in Harrisonburg, Lynchburg and Salem. Here’s a preview of each:

CLASS 6

OSCAR SMITH (12-1) vs. NORTH STAFFORD (11-3)

At James Madison University, Harrisonburg

Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

 School locations: Oscar Smith (Chesapeake); North Stafford (Stafford)

 Nicknames: Oscar Smith (Tigers); North Stafford (Wolverines)

 Coaches: Oscar Smith (Chris Scott); North Stafford (Marquez Hall)

 How they got here: Oscar Smith was seeded No. 1 in Region 6A. The Tigers received a first-round bye and defeated L.C. Bird 50-0 and Thomas Dale 48-7. North Stafford was seeded No. 3 in Region 6B. The Wolverines defeated Independence 52-14, No. 2 Battlefield 21-6 and Woodbridge 49-33.

 State semifinals: Oscar Smith defeated James Madison 34-28; North Stafford defeated West Springfield 19-7.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Oscar Smith 67-17; North Stafford 27-18.

 Playoff history: Oscar Smith owns five Class 6 state titles (2024, 2021, 2020, 2011, 2008) and the Tigers had five state runner-up finishes from 2013-2019. North Stafford placed second in Class 5 in 2004 and reached Class 5 state semifinals in 2015 and 2018.

 Quick kicks: Oscar Smith High opened in 1954 after the closure of old South Norfolk High. The Tigers had four head coaches in a five-year period from 2015-19. North Stafford opened in 1981. Las Vegas Raiders receivers coach Chris Beatty was the head coach at North Stafford for three seasons from 1998-2000. Smith wide receiver Travis Johnson has signed with Michigan. North Stafford safety Kenaz Sullivan holds a number of Class of 27 offers including Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. 

CLASS 5

MAURY (13-1) vs. HIGHLAND SPRINGS (11-3)

At James Madison University, Harrisonburg

Saturday, 5 p.m.

 School locations: Maury (Norfolk); Highland Springs (Henrico County)

 Nicknames: Maury (Commodores); Highland Springs (Springers)

 Coaches: Maury (Dyrri McCain); Highland Springs (Loren Johnson)

 How they got here: Maury was seeded No. 2 in Region 5B. The Commodores defeated Woodside 64-6, Warwick 42-10 and No. 1 seed King’s Fork 49-6. Highland Springs was seeded No. 2 in Region 5C. The Springers defeated Glen Allen 28-9, William Fleming 37-7 and Hermitage 21-13.

 State semifinals: Maury defeated Stone Bridge 48-27; Highland Springs defeated Indian River 35-8.

 Series history: Highland Springs leads 4-2

 Last meeting: Maury won 38-7 in 2024 regular season.

 Playoff won-lost records: Maury 34-19; Highland Springs 62-35.

 Playoff history: Maury was the Group AAA runner-up in 1972, long before beginning a run of six Class 5 finals appearances from 2019-24 with championships in ’19, ’23 and ’24 capped by a 46-0 win over Briar Woods. Highland Springs has played in eight state finals, winning Class 5 titles in 2015, ’16, ’17, ’18 and ’22. The Springers were the Class 6 runner-up in 2023 and Group AAA runner-up in 1978.

 Quick kicks: Maury will be without linebacker Ike Simmons, a Pittsburgh signee, following an injury in the Region 5B final. Highland Springs coach Johnson was a defensive back at Virginia Tech from 1995-98. He has coached the Springers to 42 of their 62 career postseason victories. This is the only one of the six VHSL finals in which the opponents have played each other previously. Highland Springs defeated Maury 33-19 in the 2022 Class 5 final to complete a 15-0 season.

CLASS 4

VARINA (12-2) vs. LOUDOUN COUNTY (12-1)

At Liberty University, Lynchburg

Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

 School locations: Varina (Chesterfield County); Loudoun County (Leesburg)

 Nicknames: Varina (Blue Devils); Loudoun County (Captains).

 Coaches: Varina (Marcus Lewis); Loudoun County (Matt Reiedenbaugh)

 How they got here: Varina was seeded No. 4 in Region 4B. The Blue Devils defeated Courtland 47-6, No. 1 Dinwiddie 34-0 and Huguenot 21-12. Loudoun County was seeded No. 1 in Region 4B. The Captains received a first-round bye and defeated Heritage-Leesburg 14-13 and Loudoun Valley 28-14.

 State semifinals: Varina defeated Jefferson Forest 49-21; Loudoun County defeated Lafayette 25-23.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Varina 42-27; Loudoun County 15-19.

 Playoff history: Varina won the 2021 Class 4 title 28-21 over Broad Run. Varina was the Class 6 runner-up in 1998 and 1999, and lost 23-6 to Phoebus in the 2024 Class 4 final. Loudoun County made a Class 4 state semifinal in 2022 and region finals in 1985 and 2012.

 Quick kicks: Varina’s lone losses are to Class 5 semifinalist Maury (14-13) and North Carolina Class 7 semifinalist Greensboro Grimsley (21-14). Varina boasts a pair of UVa signees: lineman JaySean Richardson and athlete DaMari Carter, along with West Virginia signee SirPaul Cheeks, a running back. Loudoun County’s offensive line is powered by Clemson recruit Carter Scruggs and Catoctin District offensive player of the year Montez Dyson. Loudoun County also lost out of state, 35-34 to Jefferson (W.Va.).

CLASS 3

LAKE TAYLOR (12-2) vs. KETTLE RUN (13-1)

At Liberty University, Lynchburg

Saturday, 5 p.m.

 School locations: Lake Taylor (Norfolk); Kettle Run (Nokesville)

 Nicknames: Lake Taylor (Titans); Kettle Run (Cougars).

 Coaches: Lake Taylor (Hank Sawyer); Kettle Run (Delmar Christian)

 How they got here: Lake Taylor was seeded No. 2 in Region 3A. The Titans defeated Colonial Heights 49-6, I.C. Norcom 20-7 and Petersburg 40-26; Kettle Run was seeded No. 1 in Region 3B. The Cougars defeated Warren County 63-0, Brentsville 35-12 and Skyline 35-14.

 State semifinals: Lake Taylor defeated Magna Vista 27-21; Kettle Run defeated Liberty Christian 29-28.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Lake Taylor 45-27; Kettle Run 22-11.

 Playoff history: Lake Taylor owns state titles in 2012 (Class 5), and 2014 and 2019 (Class 4) with runner-up finishes in 2015, 2018 and 2021 (spring). The Titans’ last state final was a 28-20 home loss to Salem. Kettle Run reached a region final in its fourth year as a school in 2011. Kettle Run lost to Dinwiddie 65-20 in the Class 4 state final in 2022 and fell to Liberty Christian 42-6 in the Class 3 final in 2024. 

 Quick kicks: Lake Taylor has an 8-0 all-time record in state semifinals. Kettle Run’s Christian is a first-year head coach following the departure of Charlie Porterfield after nine seasons. Both teams won semifinals in thrilling fashion. Lake Taylor quarterback Kevin Adams hit Magerald Clark on a 27-yard TD pass to break a tie as time ran out against Magna Vista, while Kettle Run overcame a 28-9 deficit to eliminate two-time defending champion Liberty Christian.

CLASS 2

STRASBURG (12-1) vs. GLENVAR (14-0)

At Salem Stadium, Salem

Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

 School locations: Strasburg (Shenandoah County); Glenvar (Roanoke County)

 School nicknames: Strasburg (Rams); Glenvar (Highlanders)

 Coaches: Strasburg (Tripp Lamb); Glenvar (Kevin Clifford)

 How they got here: Strasburg received a first-round bye and defeated Central-Woodstock 35-6 and Stuarts Draft 54-7. Glenvar was seeded No. 1 in Region 2C. The Highlanders defeated Nelson County 50-0, Radford 27-3 and Gretna 41-6. 

 State semifinals: Strasburg defeated Poquoson 31-10; Glenvar defeated Union 21-20.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Strasburg 38-31; Glenvar 27-16

 Playoff history: Strasburg has lost all five of its state finals: to Parry McCluer (1987), Jonesville (1988), Appalachia (1992) and Bath County (1995) in Division 1; and to Graham 31-8 in Class 2 in 2024. Glenvar won the 2014 Division 2 championship with a 21-20 overtime victory over Wilson Memorial under Clifford in the school’s only previous trip to a state final.

 Quick kicks: Strasburg has won 10 games in a row since a 28-20 loss to Class 3 Broadway. The Rams have rushed for 4,725 yards in 13 games including 1,863 yards and 25 TDs by Region 2B offensive player of the year Quincy Williams. Lamb is a graduate of Staunton River High School who has guided Strasburg to state finals in both his seasons as head coach. Glenvar senior quarterback Brody Dawyot, who as returned to the lineup after suffering a shoulder injury in early November, owns the VHSL record for the most career touchdown passes with 135. Dawyot, a UNC Charlotte signee, has passed for 2,557 yards and 37 TDs with just four interceptions this season.

See also: “2 unlikely brothers have led Glenvar to the doorstep of a state championship.”

CLASS 1

RAPPAHANNOCK (12-2) vs. RYE COVE (11-3)

At Salem Stadium, Salem

Saturday, 5 p.m.

 School locations: Rappahannock (Warsaw); Rye Cove (Clinchport)

 Nicknames: Rappahannock (Raiders); Rye Cove (Eagles)

 Coaches: Rappahannock (William West); Rye Cove (Gary Collier)

 How they got here: Rappahannock was seeded No. 3 in Region 1A. The Raiders received a forfeit from West Point and defeated Northampton 55-18 and Essex 19-16. Rye Cove was seeded No. 3 in Region 1D. The Eagles defeated Holston 61-14, Chilhowie 21-13 and Eastside 32-12.

 State semifinals: Rappahannock defeated Buffalo Gap 38-32; Rye Cove defeated Grayson County 7-6.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Rappahannock 14-24; Rye Cove 14-17.

 Playoff history: Rappahannock reached state semifinals in 1988 and 1992.

 Quick kicks: Rappahannock’s Kenneth Madison rushed for 372 yards in a Region 1A semifinal victory over Northumberland and is averaging 13.5 yards per carry this season. Rye Cove’s victory over Grayson County was its first in a state semifinal, having lost to Grayson 40-34 in 2024 and to 42-18 to Bath County 42-18 in 2000. Both teams are seeking their first state championship.

See also: “Rye Cove goes from unable to finish a game to playing for the state championship.”

The post Six VHSL football championships will be decided Saturday. Here’s who’s playing. appeared first on Cardinal News.

New to Cardinal News? Sign up for one of our free newsletters to keep up-to-date:

Six Virginia High School League football championships will be decided Saturday in games in Harrisonburg, Lynchburg and Salem. Here’s a preview of each:

CLASS 6

OSCAR SMITH (12-1) vs. NORTH STAFFORD (11-3)

At James Madison University, Harrisonburg

Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

 School locations: Oscar Smith (Chesapeake); North Stafford (Stafford)

 Nicknames: Oscar Smith (Tigers); North Stafford (Wolverines)

 Coaches: Oscar Smith (Chris Scott); North Stafford (Marquez Hall)

 How they got here: Oscar Smith was seeded No. 1 in Region 6A. The Tigers received a first-round bye and defeated L.C. Bird 50-0 and Thomas Dale 48-7. North Stafford was seeded No. 3 in Region 6B. The Wolverines defeated Independence 52-14, No. 2 Battlefield 21-6 and Woodbridge 49-33.

 State semifinals: Oscar Smith defeated James Madison 34-28; North Stafford defeated West Springfield 19-7.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Oscar Smith 67-17; North Stafford 27-18.

 Playoff history: Oscar Smith owns five Class 6 state titles (2024, 2021, 2020, 2011, 2008) and the Tigers had five state runner-up finishes from 2013-2019. North Stafford placed second in Class 5 in 2004 and reached Class 5 state semifinals in 2015 and 2018.

 Quick kicks: Oscar Smith High opened in 1954 after the closure of old South Norfolk High. The Tigers had four head coaches in a five-year period from 2015-19. North Stafford opened in 1981. Las Vegas Raiders receivers coach Chris Beatty was the head coach at North Stafford for three seasons from 1998-2000. Smith wide receiver Travis Johnson has signed with Michigan. North Stafford safety Kenaz Sullivan holds a number of Class of 27 offers including Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. 

CLASS 5

MAURY (13-1) vs. HIGHLAND SPRINGS (11-3)

At James Madison University, Harrisonburg

Saturday, 5 p.m.

 School locations: Maury (Norfolk); Highland Springs (Henrico County)

 Nicknames: Maury (Commodores); Highland Springs (Springers)

 Coaches: Maury (Dyrri McCain); Highland Springs (Loren Johnson)

 How they got here: Maury was seeded No. 2 in Region 5B. The Commodores defeated Woodside 64-6, Warwick 42-10 and No. 1 seed King’s Fork 49-6. Highland Springs was seeded No. 2 in Region 5C. The Springers defeated Glen Allen 28-9, William Fleming 37-7 and Hermitage 21-13.

 State semifinals: Maury defeated Stone Bridge 48-27; Highland Springs defeated Indian River 35-8.

 Series history: Highland Springs leads 4-2

 Last meeting: Maury won 38-7 in 2024 regular season.

 Playoff won-lost records: Maury 34-19; Highland Springs 62-35.

 Playoff history: Maury was the Group AAA runner-up in 1972, long before beginning a run of six Class 5 finals appearances from 2019-24 with championships in ’19, ’23 and ’24 capped by a 46-0 win over Briar Woods. Highland Springs has played in eight state finals, winning Class 5 titles in 2015, ’16, ’17, ’18 and ’22. The Springers were the Class 6 runner-up in 2023 and Group AAA runner-up in 1978.

 Quick kicks: Maury will be without linebacker Ike Simmons, a Pittsburgh signee, following an injury in the Region 5B final. Highland Springs coach Johnson was a defensive back at Virginia Tech from 1995-98. He has coached the Springers to 42 of their 62 career postseason victories. This is the only one of the six VHSL finals in which the opponents have played each other previously. Highland Springs defeated Maury 33-19 in the 2022 Class 5 final to complete a 15-0 season.

CLASS 4

VARINA (12-2) vs. LOUDOUN COUNTY (12-1)

At Liberty University, Lynchburg

Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

 School locations: Varina (Chesterfield County); Loudoun County (Leesburg)

 Nicknames: Varina (Blue Devils); Loudoun County (Captains).

 Coaches: Varina (Marcus Lewis); Loudoun County (Matt Reiedenbaugh)

 How they got here: Varina was seeded No. 4 in Region 4B. The Blue Devils defeated Courtland 47-6, No. 1 Dinwiddie 34-0 and Huguenot 21-12. Loudoun County was seeded No. 1 in Region 4B. The Captains received a first-round bye and defeated Heritage-Leesburg 14-13 and Loudoun Valley 28-14.

 State semifinals: Varina defeated Jefferson Forest 49-21; Loudoun County defeated Lafayette 25-23.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Varina 42-27; Loudoun County 15-19.

 Playoff history: Varina won the 2021 Class 4 title 28-21 over Broad Run. Varina was the Class 6 runner-up in 1998 and 1999, and lost 23-6 to Phoebus in the 2024 Class 4 final. Loudoun County made a Class 4 state semifinal in 2022 and region finals in 1985 and 2012.

 Quick kicks: Varina’s lone losses are to Class 5 semifinalist Maury (14-13) and North Carolina Class 7 semifinalist Greensboro Grimsley (21-14). Varina boasts a pair of UVa signees: lineman JaySean Richardson and athlete DaMari Carter, along with West Virginia signee SirPaul Cheeks, a running back. Loudoun County’s offensive line is powered by Clemson recruit Carter Scruggs and Catoctin District offensive player of the year Montez Dyson. Loudoun County also lost out of state, 35-34 to Jefferson (W.Va.).

CLASS 3

LAKE TAYLOR (12-2) vs. KETTLE RUN (13-1)

At Liberty University, Lynchburg

Saturday, 5 p.m.

 School locations: Lake Taylor (Norfolk); Kettle Run (Nokesville)

 Nicknames: Lake Taylor (Titans); Kettle Run (Cougars).

 Coaches: Lake Taylor (Hank Sawyer); Kettle Run (Delmar Christian)

 How they got here: Lake Taylor was seeded No. 2 in Region 3A. The Titans defeated Colonial Heights 49-6, I.C. Norcom 20-7 and Petersburg 40-26; Kettle Run was seeded No. 1 in Region 3B. The Cougars defeated Warren County 63-0, Brentsville 35-12 and Skyline 35-14.

 State semifinals: Lake Taylor defeated Magna Vista 27-21; Kettle Run defeated Liberty Christian 29-28.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Lake Taylor 45-27; Kettle Run 22-11.

 Playoff history: Lake Taylor owns state titles in 2012 (Class 5), and 2014 and 2019 (Class 4) with runner-up finishes in 2015, 2018 and 2021 (spring). The Titans’ last state final was a 28-20 home loss to Salem. Kettle Run reached a region final in its fourth year as a school in 2011. Kettle Run lost to Dinwiddie 65-20 in the Class 4 state final in 2022 and fell to Liberty Christian 42-6 in the Class 3 final in 2024. 

 Quick kicks: Lake Taylor has an 8-0 all-time record in state semifinals. Kettle Run’s Christian is a first-year head coach following the departure of Charlie Porterfield after nine seasons. Both teams won semifinals in thrilling fashion. Lake Taylor quarterback Kevin Adams hit Magerald Clark on a 27-yard TD pass to break a tie as time ran out against Magna Vista, while Kettle Run overcame a 28-9 deficit to eliminate two-time defending champion Liberty Christian.

CLASS 2

STRASBURG (12-1) vs. GLENVAR (14-0)

At Salem Stadium, Salem

Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

 School locations: Strasburg (Shenandoah County); Glenvar (Roanoke County)

 School nicknames: Strasburg (Rams); Glenvar (Highlanders)

 Coaches: Strasburg (Tripp Lamb); Glenvar (Kevin Clifford)

 How they got here: Strasburg received a first-round bye and defeated Central-Woodstock 35-6 and Stuarts Draft 54-7. Glenvar was seeded No. 1 in Region 2C. The Highlanders defeated Nelson County 50-0, Radford 27-3 and Gretna 41-6. 

 State semifinals: Strasburg defeated Poquoson 31-10; Glenvar defeated Union 21-20.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Strasburg 38-31; Glenvar 27-16

 Playoff history: Strasburg has lost all five of its state finals: to Parry McCluer (1987), Jonesville (1988), Appalachia (1992) and Bath County (1995) in Division 1; and to Graham 31-8 in Class 2 in 2024. Glenvar won the 2014 Division 2 championship with a 21-20 overtime victory over Wilson Memorial under Clifford in the school’s only previous trip to a state final.

 Quick kicks: Strasburg has won 10 games in a row since a 28-20 loss to Class 3 Broadway. The Rams have rushed for 4,725 yards in 13 games including 1,863 yards and 25 TDs by Region 2B offensive player of the year Quincy Williams. Lamb is a graduate of Staunton River High School who has guided Strasburg to state finals in both his seasons as head coach. Glenvar senior quarterback Brody Dawyot, who as returned to the lineup after suffering a shoulder injury in early November, owns the VHSL record for the most career touchdown passes with 135. Dawyot, a UNC Charlotte signee, has passed for 2,557 yards and 37 TDs with just four interceptions this season.

See also: “2 unlikely brothers have led Glenvar to the doorstep of a state championship.”

CLASS 1

RAPPAHANNOCK (12-2) vs. RYE COVE (11-3)

At Salem Stadium, Salem

Saturday, 5 p.m.

 School locations: Rappahannock (Warsaw); Rye Cove (Clinchport)

 Nicknames: Rappahannock (Raiders); Rye Cove (Eagles)

 Coaches: Rappahannock (William West); Rye Cove (Gary Collier)

 How they got here: Rappahannock was seeded No. 3 in Region 1A. The Raiders received a forfeit from West Point and defeated Northampton 55-18 and Essex 19-16. Rye Cove was seeded No. 3 in Region 1D. The Eagles defeated Holston 61-14, Chilhowie 21-13 and Eastside 32-12.

 State semifinals: Rappahannock defeated Buffalo Gap 38-32; Rye Cove defeated Grayson County 7-6.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Rappahannock 14-24; Rye Cove 14-17.

 Playoff history: Rappahannock reached state semifinals in 1988 and 1992.

 Quick kicks: Rappahannock’s Kenneth Madison rushed for 372 yards in a Region 1A semifinal victory over Northumberland and is averaging 13.5 yards per carry this season. Rye Cove’s victory over Grayson County was its first in a state semifinal, having lost to Grayson 40-34 in 2024 and to 42-18 to Bath County 42-18 in 2000. Both teams are seeking their first state championship.

See also: “Rye Cove goes from unable to finish a game to playing for the state championship.”

The post Six VHSL football championships will be decided Saturday. Here’s who’s playing. appeared first on Cardinal News.

New to Cardinal News? Sign up for one of our free newsletters to keep up-to-date:

Six Virginia High School League football championships will be decided Saturday in games in Harrisonburg, Lynchburg and Salem. Here’s a preview of each:

CLASS 6

OSCAR SMITH (12-1) vs. NORTH STAFFORD (11-3)

At James Madison University, Harrisonburg

Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

 School locations: Oscar Smith (Chesapeake); North Stafford (Stafford)

 Nicknames: Oscar Smith (Tigers); North Stafford (Wolverines)

 Coaches: Oscar Smith (Chris Scott); North Stafford (Marquez Hall)

 How they got here: Oscar Smith was seeded No. 1 in Region 6A. The Tigers received a first-round bye and defeated L.C. Bird 50-0 and Thomas Dale 48-7. North Stafford was seeded No. 3 in Region 6B. The Wolverines defeated Independence 52-14, No. 2 Battlefield 21-6 and Woodbridge 49-33.

 State semifinals: Oscar Smith defeated James Madison 34-28; North Stafford defeated West Springfield 19-7.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Oscar Smith 67-17; North Stafford 27-18.

 Playoff history: Oscar Smith owns five Class 6 state titles (2024, 2021, 2020, 2011, 2008) and the Tigers had five state runner-up finishes from 2013-2019. North Stafford placed second in Class 5 in 2004 and reached Class 5 state semifinals in 2015 and 2018.

 Quick kicks: Oscar Smith High opened in 1954 after the closure of old South Norfolk High. The Tigers had four head coaches in a five-year period from 2015-19. North Stafford opened in 1981. Las Vegas Raiders receivers coach Chris Beatty was the head coach at North Stafford for three seasons from 1998-2000. Smith wide receiver Travis Johnson has signed with Michigan. North Stafford safety Kenaz Sullivan holds a number of Class of 27 offers including Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. 

CLASS 5

MAURY (13-1) vs. HIGHLAND SPRINGS (11-3)

At James Madison University, Harrisonburg

Saturday, 5 p.m.

 School locations: Maury (Norfolk); Highland Springs (Henrico County)

 Nicknames: Maury (Commodores); Highland Springs (Springers)

 Coaches: Maury (Dyrri McCain); Highland Springs (Loren Johnson)

 How they got here: Maury was seeded No. 2 in Region 5B. The Commodores defeated Woodside 64-6, Warwick 42-10 and No. 1 seed King’s Fork 49-6. Highland Springs was seeded No. 2 in Region 5C. The Springers defeated Glen Allen 28-9, William Fleming 37-7 and Hermitage 21-13.

 State semifinals: Maury defeated Stone Bridge 48-27; Highland Springs defeated Indian River 35-8.

 Series history: Highland Springs leads 4-2

 Last meeting: Maury won 38-7 in 2024 regular season.

 Playoff won-lost records: Maury 34-19; Highland Springs 62-35.

 Playoff history: Maury was the Group AAA runner-up in 1972, long before beginning a run of six Class 5 finals appearances from 2019-24 with championships in ’19, ’23 and ’24 capped by a 46-0 win over Briar Woods. Highland Springs has played in eight state finals, winning Class 5 titles in 2015, ’16, ’17, ’18 and ’22. The Springers were the Class 6 runner-up in 2023 and Group AAA runner-up in 1978.

 Quick kicks: Maury will be without linebacker Ike Simmons, a Pittsburgh signee, following an injury in the Region 5B final. Highland Springs coach Johnson was a defensive back at Virginia Tech from 1995-98. He has coached the Springers to 42 of their 62 career postseason victories. This is the only one of the six VHSL finals in which the opponents have played each other previously. Highland Springs defeated Maury 33-19 in the 2022 Class 5 final to complete a 15-0 season.

CLASS 4

VARINA (12-2) vs. LOUDOUN COUNTY (12-1)

At Liberty University, Lynchburg

Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

 School locations: Varina (Chesterfield County); Loudoun County (Leesburg)

 Nicknames: Varina (Blue Devils); Loudoun County (Captains).

 Coaches: Varina (Marcus Lewis); Loudoun County (Matt Reiedenbaugh)

 How they got here: Varina was seeded No. 4 in Region 4B. The Blue Devils defeated Courtland 47-6, No. 1 Dinwiddie 34-0 and Huguenot 21-12. Loudoun County was seeded No. 1 in Region 4B. The Captains received a first-round bye and defeated Heritage-Leesburg 14-13 and Loudoun Valley 28-14.

 State semifinals: Varina defeated Jefferson Forest 49-21; Loudoun County defeated Lafayette 25-23.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Varina 42-27; Loudoun County 15-19.

 Playoff history: Varina won the 2021 Class 4 title 28-21 over Broad Run. Varina was the Class 6 runner-up in 1998 and 1999, and lost 23-6 to Phoebus in the 2024 Class 4 final. Loudoun County made a Class 4 state semifinal in 2022 and region finals in 1985 and 2012.

 Quick kicks: Varina’s lone losses are to Class 5 semifinalist Maury (14-13) and North Carolina Class 7 semifinalist Greensboro Grimsley (21-14). Varina boasts a pair of UVa signees: lineman JaySean Richardson and athlete DaMari Carter, along with West Virginia signee SirPaul Cheeks, a running back. Loudoun County’s offensive line is powered by Clemson recruit Carter Scruggs and Catoctin District offensive player of the year Montez Dyson. Loudoun County also lost out of state, 35-34 to Jefferson (W.Va.).

CLASS 3

LAKE TAYLOR (12-2) vs. KETTLE RUN (13-1)

At Liberty University, Lynchburg

Saturday, 5 p.m.

 School locations: Lake Taylor (Norfolk); Kettle Run (Nokesville)

 Nicknames: Lake Taylor (Titans); Kettle Run (Cougars).

 Coaches: Lake Taylor (Hank Sawyer); Kettle Run (Delmar Christian)

 How they got here: Lake Taylor was seeded No. 2 in Region 3A. The Titans defeated Colonial Heights 49-6, I.C. Norcom 20-7 and Petersburg 40-26; Kettle Run was seeded No. 1 in Region 3B. The Cougars defeated Warren County 63-0, Brentsville 35-12 and Skyline 35-14.

 State semifinals: Lake Taylor defeated Magna Vista 27-21; Kettle Run defeated Liberty Christian 29-28.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Lake Taylor 45-27; Kettle Run 22-11.

 Playoff history: Lake Taylor owns state titles in 2012 (Class 5), and 2014 and 2019 (Class 4) with runner-up finishes in 2015, 2018 and 2021 (spring). The Titans’ last state final was a 28-20 home loss to Salem. Kettle Run reached a region final in its fourth year as a school in 2011. Kettle Run lost to Dinwiddie 65-20 in the Class 4 state final in 2022 and fell to Liberty Christian 42-6 in the Class 3 final in 2024. 

 Quick kicks: Lake Taylor has an 8-0 all-time record in state semifinals. Kettle Run’s Christian is a first-year head coach following the departure of Charlie Porterfield after nine seasons. Both teams won semifinals in thrilling fashion. Lake Taylor quarterback Kevin Adams hit Magerald Clark on a 27-yard TD pass to break a tie as time ran out against Magna Vista, while Kettle Run overcame a 28-9 deficit to eliminate two-time defending champion Liberty Christian.

CLASS 2

STRASBURG (12-1) vs. GLENVAR (14-0)

At Salem Stadium, Salem

Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

 School locations: Strasburg (Shenandoah County); Glenvar (Roanoke County)

 School nicknames: Strasburg (Rams); Glenvar (Highlanders)

 Coaches: Strasburg (Tripp Lamb); Glenvar (Kevin Clifford)

 How they got here: Strasburg received a first-round bye and defeated Central-Woodstock 35-6 and Stuarts Draft 54-7. Glenvar was seeded No. 1 in Region 2C. The Highlanders defeated Nelson County 50-0, Radford 27-3 and Gretna 41-6. 

 State semifinals: Strasburg defeated Poquoson 31-10; Glenvar defeated Union 21-20.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Strasburg 38-31; Glenvar 27-16

 Playoff history: Strasburg has lost all five of its state finals: to Parry McCluer (1987), Jonesville (1988), Appalachia (1992) and Bath County (1995) in Division 1; and to Graham 31-8 in Class 2 in 2024. Glenvar won the 2014 Division 2 championship with a 21-20 overtime victory over Wilson Memorial under Clifford in the school’s only previous trip to a state final.

 Quick kicks: Strasburg has won 10 games in a row since a 28-20 loss to Class 3 Broadway. The Rams have rushed for 4,725 yards in 13 games including 1,863 yards and 25 TDs by Region 2B offensive player of the year Quincy Williams. Lamb is a graduate of Staunton River High School who has guided Strasburg to state finals in both his seasons as head coach. Glenvar senior quarterback Brody Dawyot, who as returned to the lineup after suffering a shoulder injury in early November, owns the VHSL record for the most career touchdown passes with 135. Dawyot, a UNC Charlotte signee, has passed for 2,557 yards and 37 TDs with just four interceptions this season.

See also: “2 unlikely brothers have led Glenvar to the doorstep of a state championship.”

CLASS 1

RAPPAHANNOCK (12-2) vs. RYE COVE (11-3)

At Salem Stadium, Salem

Saturday, 5 p.m.

 School locations: Rappahannock (Warsaw); Rye Cove (Clinchport)

 Nicknames: Rappahannock (Raiders); Rye Cove (Eagles)

 Coaches: Rappahannock (William West); Rye Cove (Gary Collier)

 How they got here: Rappahannock was seeded No. 3 in Region 1A. The Raiders received a forfeit from West Point and defeated Northampton 55-18 and Essex 19-16. Rye Cove was seeded No. 3 in Region 1D. The Eagles defeated Holston 61-14, Chilhowie 21-13 and Eastside 32-12.

 State semifinals: Rappahannock defeated Buffalo Gap 38-32; Rye Cove defeated Grayson County 7-6.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Rappahannock 14-24; Rye Cove 14-17.

 Playoff history: Rappahannock reached state semifinals in 1988 and 1992.

 Quick kicks: Rappahannock’s Kenneth Madison rushed for 372 yards in a Region 1A semifinal victory over Northumberland and is averaging 13.5 yards per carry this season. Rye Cove’s victory over Grayson County was its first in a state semifinal, having lost to Grayson 40-34 in 2024 and to 42-18 to Bath County 42-18 in 2000. Both teams are seeking their first state championship.

See also: “Rye Cove goes from unable to finish a game to playing for the state championship.”

The post Six VHSL football championships will be decided Saturday. Here’s who’s playing. appeared first on Cardinal News.

New to Cardinal News? Sign up for one of our free newsletters to keep up-to-date:

Six Virginia High School League football championships will be decided Saturday in games in Harrisonburg, Lynchburg and Salem. Here’s a preview of each:

CLASS 6

OSCAR SMITH (12-1) vs. NORTH STAFFORD (11-3)

At James Madison University, Harrisonburg

Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

 School locations: Oscar Smith (Chesapeake); North Stafford (Stafford)

 Nicknames: Oscar Smith (Tigers); North Stafford (Wolverines)

 Coaches: Oscar Smith (Chris Scott); North Stafford (Marquez Hall)

 How they got here: Oscar Smith was seeded No. 1 in Region 6A. The Tigers received a first-round bye and defeated L.C. Bird 50-0 and Thomas Dale 48-7. North Stafford was seeded No. 3 in Region 6B. The Wolverines defeated Independence 52-14, No. 2 Battlefield 21-6 and Woodbridge 49-33.

 State semifinals: Oscar Smith defeated James Madison 34-28; North Stafford defeated West Springfield 19-7.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Oscar Smith 67-17; North Stafford 27-18.

 Playoff history: Oscar Smith owns five Class 6 state titles (2024, 2021, 2020, 2011, 2008) and the Tigers had five state runner-up finishes from 2013-2019. North Stafford placed second in Class 5 in 2004 and reached Class 5 state semifinals in 2015 and 2018.

 Quick kicks: Oscar Smith High opened in 1954 after the closure of old South Norfolk High. The Tigers had four head coaches in a five-year period from 2015-19. North Stafford opened in 1981. Las Vegas Raiders receivers coach Chris Beatty was the head coach at North Stafford for three seasons from 1998-2000. Smith wide receiver Travis Johnson has signed with Michigan. North Stafford safety Kenaz Sullivan holds a number of Class of 27 offers including Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. 

CLASS 5

MAURY (13-1) vs. HIGHLAND SPRINGS (11-3)

At James Madison University, Harrisonburg

Saturday, 5 p.m.

 School locations: Maury (Norfolk); Highland Springs (Henrico County)

 Nicknames: Maury (Commodores); Highland Springs (Springers)

 Coaches: Maury (Dyrri McCain); Highland Springs (Loren Johnson)

 How they got here: Maury was seeded No. 2 in Region 5B. The Commodores defeated Woodside 64-6, Warwick 42-10 and No. 1 seed King’s Fork 49-6. Highland Springs was seeded No. 2 in Region 5C. The Springers defeated Glen Allen 28-9, William Fleming 37-7 and Hermitage 21-13.

 State semifinals: Maury defeated Stone Bridge 48-27; Highland Springs defeated Indian River 35-8.

 Series history: Highland Springs leads 4-2

 Last meeting: Maury won 38-7 in 2024 regular season.

 Playoff won-lost records: Maury 34-19; Highland Springs 62-35.

 Playoff history: Maury was the Group AAA runner-up in 1972, long before beginning a run of six Class 5 finals appearances from 2019-24 with championships in ’19, ’23 and ’24 capped by a 46-0 win over Briar Woods. Highland Springs has played in eight state finals, winning Class 5 titles in 2015, ’16, ’17, ’18 and ’22. The Springers were the Class 6 runner-up in 2023 and Group AAA runner-up in 1978.

 Quick kicks: Maury will be without linebacker Ike Simmons, a Pittsburgh signee, following an injury in the Region 5B final. Highland Springs coach Johnson was a defensive back at Virginia Tech from 1995-98. He has coached the Springers to 42 of their 62 career postseason victories. This is the only one of the six VHSL finals in which the opponents have played each other previously. Highland Springs defeated Maury 33-19 in the 2022 Class 5 final to complete a 15-0 season.

CLASS 4

VARINA (12-2) vs. LOUDOUN COUNTY (12-1)

At Liberty University, Lynchburg

Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

 School locations: Varina (Chesterfield County); Loudoun County (Leesburg)

 Nicknames: Varina (Blue Devils); Loudoun County (Captains).

 Coaches: Varina (Marcus Lewis); Loudoun County (Matt Reiedenbaugh)

 How they got here: Varina was seeded No. 4 in Region 4B. The Blue Devils defeated Courtland 47-6, No. 1 Dinwiddie 34-0 and Huguenot 21-12. Loudoun County was seeded No. 1 in Region 4B. The Captains received a first-round bye and defeated Heritage-Leesburg 14-13 and Loudoun Valley 28-14.

 State semifinals: Varina defeated Jefferson Forest 49-21; Loudoun County defeated Lafayette 25-23.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Varina 42-27; Loudoun County 15-19.

 Playoff history: Varina won the 2021 Class 4 title 28-21 over Broad Run. Varina was the Class 6 runner-up in 1998 and 1999, and lost 23-6 to Phoebus in the 2024 Class 4 final. Loudoun County made a Class 4 state semifinal in 2022 and region finals in 1985 and 2012.

 Quick kicks: Varina’s lone losses are to Class 5 semifinalist Maury (14-13) and North Carolina Class 7 semifinalist Greensboro Grimsley (21-14). Varina boasts a pair of UVa signees: lineman JaySean Richardson and athlete DaMari Carter, along with West Virginia signee SirPaul Cheeks, a running back. Loudoun County’s offensive line is powered by Clemson recruit Carter Scruggs and Catoctin District offensive player of the year Montez Dyson. Loudoun County also lost out of state, 35-34 to Jefferson (W.Va.).

CLASS 3

LAKE TAYLOR (12-2) vs. KETTLE RUN (13-1)

At Liberty University, Lynchburg

Saturday, 5 p.m.

 School locations: Lake Taylor (Norfolk); Kettle Run (Nokesville)

 Nicknames: Lake Taylor (Titans); Kettle Run (Cougars).

 Coaches: Lake Taylor (Hank Sawyer); Kettle Run (Delmar Christian)

 How they got here: Lake Taylor was seeded No. 2 in Region 3A. The Titans defeated Colonial Heights 49-6, I.C. Norcom 20-7 and Petersburg 40-26; Kettle Run was seeded No. 1 in Region 3B. The Cougars defeated Warren County 63-0, Brentsville 35-12 and Skyline 35-14.

 State semifinals: Lake Taylor defeated Magna Vista 27-21; Kettle Run defeated Liberty Christian 29-28.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Lake Taylor 45-27; Kettle Run 22-11.

 Playoff history: Lake Taylor owns state titles in 2012 (Class 5), and 2014 and 2019 (Class 4) with runner-up finishes in 2015, 2018 and 2021 (spring). The Titans’ last state final was a 28-20 home loss to Salem. Kettle Run reached a region final in its fourth year as a school in 2011. Kettle Run lost to Dinwiddie 65-20 in the Class 4 state final in 2022 and fell to Liberty Christian 42-6 in the Class 3 final in 2024. 

 Quick kicks: Lake Taylor has an 8-0 all-time record in state semifinals. Kettle Run’s Christian is a first-year head coach following the departure of Charlie Porterfield after nine seasons. Both teams won semifinals in thrilling fashion. Lake Taylor quarterback Kevin Adams hit Magerald Clark on a 27-yard TD pass to break a tie as time ran out against Magna Vista, while Kettle Run overcame a 28-9 deficit to eliminate two-time defending champion Liberty Christian.

CLASS 2

STRASBURG (12-1) vs. GLENVAR (14-0)

At Salem Stadium, Salem

Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

 School locations: Strasburg (Shenandoah County); Glenvar (Roanoke County)

 School nicknames: Strasburg (Rams); Glenvar (Highlanders)

 Coaches: Strasburg (Tripp Lamb); Glenvar (Kevin Clifford)

 How they got here: Strasburg received a first-round bye and defeated Central-Woodstock 35-6 and Stuarts Draft 54-7. Glenvar was seeded No. 1 in Region 2C. The Highlanders defeated Nelson County 50-0, Radford 27-3 and Gretna 41-6. 

 State semifinals: Strasburg defeated Poquoson 31-10; Glenvar defeated Union 21-20.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Strasburg 38-31; Glenvar 27-16

 Playoff history: Strasburg has lost all five of its state finals: to Parry McCluer (1987), Jonesville (1988), Appalachia (1992) and Bath County (1995) in Division 1; and to Graham 31-8 in Class 2 in 2024. Glenvar won the 2014 Division 2 championship with a 21-20 overtime victory over Wilson Memorial under Clifford in the school’s only previous trip to a state final.

 Quick kicks: Strasburg has won 10 games in a row since a 28-20 loss to Class 3 Broadway. The Rams have rushed for 4,725 yards in 13 games including 1,863 yards and 25 TDs by Region 2B offensive player of the year Quincy Williams. Lamb is a graduate of Staunton River High School who has guided Strasburg to state finals in both his seasons as head coach. Glenvar senior quarterback Brody Dawyot, who as returned to the lineup after suffering a shoulder injury in early November, owns the VHSL record for the most career touchdown passes with 135. Dawyot, a UNC Charlotte signee, has passed for 2,557 yards and 37 TDs with just four interceptions this season.

See also: “2 unlikely brothers have led Glenvar to the doorstep of a state championship.”

CLASS 1

RAPPAHANNOCK (12-2) vs. RYE COVE (11-3)

At Salem Stadium, Salem

Saturday, 5 p.m.

 School locations: Rappahannock (Warsaw); Rye Cove (Clinchport)

 Nicknames: Rappahannock (Raiders); Rye Cove (Eagles)

 Coaches: Rappahannock (William West); Rye Cove (Gary Collier)

 How they got here: Rappahannock was seeded No. 3 in Region 1A. The Raiders received a forfeit from West Point and defeated Northampton 55-18 and Essex 19-16. Rye Cove was seeded No. 3 in Region 1D. The Eagles defeated Holston 61-14, Chilhowie 21-13 and Eastside 32-12.

 State semifinals: Rappahannock defeated Buffalo Gap 38-32; Rye Cove defeated Grayson County 7-6.

 Series history: First meeting

 Playoff won-lost records: Rappahannock 14-24; Rye Cove 14-17.

 Playoff history: Rappahannock reached state semifinals in 1988 and 1992.

 Quick kicks: Rappahannock’s Kenneth Madison rushed for 372 yards in a Region 1A semifinal victory over Northumberland and is averaging 13.5 yards per carry this season. Rye Cove’s victory over Grayson County was its first in a state semifinal, having lost to Grayson 40-34 in 2024 and to 42-18 to Bath County 42-18 in 2000. Both teams are seeking their first state championship.

See also: “Rye Cove goes from unable to finish a game to playing for the state championship.”

The post Six VHSL football championships will be decided Saturday. Here’s who’s playing. appeared first on Cardinal News.

Four years ago, things could not get worse for Rye Cove High School’s football program.

In game five of the 2021 season, the War Eagles suffered multiple injuries — so many that the team couldn’t continue the contest. There just weren’t enough players.

“They folded,” current head coach Gary Collier said Wednesday. “They shut down.”

Rye Cove suffered eight losses and didn’t win a game that year.

Oh, how far the War Eagles have come.

With 11 wins and only three losses in 2025, the team will travel to Salem on Saturday and play in its first state championship game, fighting for the Class 1 title against Rappahannock, with 12 wins and two losses. Kickoff at Salem Stadium is set for 5 p.m.

This is the first state title shot for both teams.

How did Rye Cove — a tiny school amid rural Scott County’s foothills — come so far in four years?

The secret is that there is no secret, says Collier, who was hired in 2022 — this milestone is the result of work, work, work. 

Good things come in small packages

The community of Rye Cove rests on a long, rolling plain of farmland and patches of forest, surrounded by the foothills of the Cumberland mountains and accessible only by two-lane and smaller roads. The nearest four-lane, U.S. 23, is miles away. The closest town, Duffield, is a wide spot at the intersection of 23 and Route 58 with a couple of dollar stores, a grocery store, several factories — and a population of 69 in 2024.

Until now, Rye Cove has been known to history beyond Scott County only because of a tragedy memorialized in a song — and centered on a community school.

On May 2, 1929, a midday tornado ripped through the Rye Cove School, killing 12 students and a teacher. It was the deadliest such storm in Virginia history.

Legendary country music pioneer and Scott County native A.P. Carter volunteered to help clean up after the disaster and captured the tragic scene in his song, “The Cyclone of Rye Cove.”

The site of the terrible event is marked by Cyclone Circle, a quick walk from Rye Cove High School. 

See our previous coverage of the 1929 cyclone.

The school serves fewer than 300 students in grades 8-12, drawn from the hills, hollows and pasturelands of Scott County’s northwest corner.

The community is not wealthy. Far from it. According to the Virginia Department of Education, more than 78% of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

But Rye Cove does a lot with its limited resources, consistently scoring above both the school division and state averages in math and science.

Football fortunes turn

When the Rye Cove football program could not get any deeper in the dumps, along came Gary Collier.

A native of Lee County’s Pennington Gap, Collier was a star quarterback at Emory & Henry College, graduating in 1988. The year before, he was ranked second in the nation among college quarterbacks for his passing record. He was named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press and player of the year by the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Collier graduated with seven national passing records and was inducted into the college’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.

But Collier didn’t pursue a career in sports or education. After graduation, he served on the Emory & Henry coaching staff for a couple of years, then started working in law enforcement. He served as a Virginia game warden — a job that took him to the Richmond area — then started a 24-year career as a Virginia alcoholic beverage control investigative agent, often working undercover.

His ABC career brought Collier back to Southwest Virginia, settling in Gate City, the Scott County seat and home to the largest of its three high schools.

Collier retired in May 2021, but he stayed busy doing private investigative work, he explained Wednesday.

Then, in 2022, Rye Cove persuaded him to return to the gridiron as head coach.

After shooting blanks throughout the 2021 season, the team finished the 2022 regular season under Collier’s leadership with eight wins and three losses.

In 2023, the War Eagles racked up 11 wins, with two losses.

In 2024, the team won 14 games, losing only once.

The War Eagles won the regional title that year and again this fall. 

“Football in Rye Cove has always held a special place in the DNA of our school and community,” Principal Michael Berry explained in a Thursday morning email. “We are so proud of the accomplishments earned by our football team. Playing in this game doesn’t happen by accident, this has been a goal our coaches and players have had for some time now, and to see them reach this point is something that I will never forget.”

Collier says the community embraced the revived football program eagerly. After so many disappointments, “they were hungry.”

Running in the rain

Wednesday afternoon, Collier and his assistant coaches — including two former Emory & Henry teammates — ran the War Eagles through play after play under a slow, steady, chilly rain, with temperatures in the mid-40s and a threat of snow.

They practiced roughly 40 minutes south of Rye Cove at Dobyns-Bennett High School, across the Tennessee line in the industrial city of Kingsport, also a hub for regional health care and retail businesses.

There’s a lot of money in Kingsport, population 57,000-plus. And a lot of the city’s manufacturing largesse is on display at D-B. With enrollment approaching 2,400 students, the school is swank, featuring a big stadium that many small college football teams would envy.

The War Eagles’ home field is regular grass turf. They’re practicing on D-B’s artificial turf because it’s closer to the conditions players will experience in Salem, Collier explained. 

When asked how Collier and colleagues have brought this team so far in four years, he said there is no magic formula. It comes down to hard work, with a focus on strength through weight training, he explained.

Rye Cove likes to run the ball, protected by a wall of big linemen. 

Collier began building this team with freshmen in his first year. Many of them have played football almost as long as they can remember. In a school with fewer than 300 students, he has managed to assemble a team of 42 players. A lot of them started playing as young kids in Little League, he said. 

Sixteen players are starters, each of them taking both offensive and defensive roles.

Standing heads above his teammates, one of the leaders is junior Ethan Lawson, hailing from the Pattonsville community near Duffield. 

An offensive and defensive lineman, Lawson already topped six feet, five inches and more than 300 pounds as an eighth grader.

A lot of great schools want Lawson’s talents, Collier noted proudly. Five Division I universities are looking at him, along with Division II’s University of Virginia’s College at Wise, about 30 minutes to the north in Wise County.

“I’ve played my entire life,” Lawson said. “I started in kindergarten. I just love the game.”

Collier acknowledged that some players come from households that often get by with limited means. Coaches serve as mentors and supporters beyond sports, he said. They offer a hug and encouraging words to help kids get through their troubles. Sometimes, Collier finds himself asking to make sure a student has gotten enough to eat that day. “Being a coach is more than Xs and Os.” 

The community at large steps up as well to support the team, often overcoming meager resources. Collier said he expects a significant contingent of fans to show up Saturday in Salem. 

There was a plan in the works to arrange bus travel for fans, he said, but there wasn’t enough interest to go forward. That’s because plenty of people will take it upon themselves to make the three-hour journey to Salem on their own, he believes. 

In fact, more than a third of Rye Cove students, about 100 kids, will make the journey as part of their duties, including players, cheerleaders and the school band, Collier noted.

Berry shared Collier’s faith.

“The support for this team is unwavering, and I know our fans will show up for them in Salem,” he wrote. “There have been countless individuals and groups who have reached out and offered support to ensure our kids have everything they need for this trip. For that, we are so thankful and so blessed.”

As the rain soaked them and the chill seeped into their bones, the War Eagles quietly pushed through play after play Wednesday, with plans to practice at D-B again Thursday. No chatter. No distraction. These young men are on a mission to rewrite Rye Cove history.

The rain and chill are no big deal, said fullback Will Rollins. It will be cold at game time Saturday as well. Knowing the team carries the hopes of a community on its shoulders, he intends to maintain a singular focus. “I’m just going to treat it like any other day of the week.”

Lawson, too, wasn’t bothered by the cold rain and refused to let his attention waver. “I just take what the Lord gives me.”

What matters is making the community proud. “The atmosphere is amazing,” Lawson said, with fans, family and the school rallying around the team.

Family extends to the field, he said. “I’m playing with my brothers.”

The post Rye Cove goes from unable to finish a game to playing for the state championship appeared first on Cardinal News.

When members of the Senate Finance Committee gathered at Radford University last month, they sat through hours and hours of charts and graphs detailing the state’s economic condition. 

Two of those charts deserve a closer look.

They came in a report from Anna Kovner, executive vice president and director of research for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Some of her key points I dealt with in my previous column on the retreat — layoffs are increasing, job postings are declining, wage growth is slowing for the lowest-paid workers, the overall economic hiring outlook looks pretty flat.

There were two charts, though, that required some follow-up questions. I now have those answers. They’re not particularly happy ones, but if you’re turning to economic reports to find joy, you’re usually looking in the wrong place.

The first chart was one that showed employment growth (or contraction) over the past year in most (but not all) of the state’s metro areas:

What we see here shouldn’t surprise anyone who has been following the changes in the Virginia economy, but some things are still worth underlining.

We see the fastest job growth in the Winchester and Richmond metros. Those are also the two fastest-growing metros, population-wise, and those two things are surely connected. Both are seeing job growth at twice or more both the state and national rates.

On the downside, that means every other metro in Virginia is running below the state and/or national rates.

What we should really pay attention to are the three metros at the bottom of the chart. Two of those three — Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads (listed here by the shorthand “Virginia Beach”) — are the two biggest metros in the state. When your two biggest economic engines are at the bottom of this chart, that’s not a good thing.

Northern Virginia shows absolutely no change. We all know the reason for that: President Donald Trump’s downsizing of the federal government. If anything, the surprise is that there’s enough other job growth to balance out those cuts — at least there was through August. Under the circumstances, maybe we should feel fortunate that Northern Virginia’s not on the negative side of the ledger. Still, when your biggest metro has no year-over-year job growth, that’s not a good sign.

Hampton Roads, meanwhile, is losing jobs. So is Harrisonburg, but it’s a much smaller metro — and we’ll come back to Harrisonburg. 

We’ve seen similar figures for Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads before, but here’s yet more confirmation that there are economic problems in both places. Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger was at the presentation, and was taking notes, so I hope she caught these figures when they went flashing by on the big screen. 

Next we come to wages, and this is where I was the one taking notes.

Once again, we see Winchester leading the way. 

We also see Virginia’s wage growth is far higher than the national rate — 8.8% v. 0.9%. 

Northern Virginia’s wage growth rate is low — 1.2% — but it is still growing and at a higher rate than the U.S., so we should take our wins where we can find them.

However, three metros in Virginia have wage rates that are contracting: Kingsport/Bristol, Lynchburg and, once again, Harrisonburg.

Kingsport/Bristol isn’t all that surprising given the economic challenges facing that region. Disappointing, but not surprising, so let’s move on to the other two.

Harrisonburg has been losing jobs, so maybe it’s not surprising that its wage growth is in the negative range. The bigger question is why, because that runs counter to what sure looks like a booming economy in the region. My inquiry to the Federal Reserve took me to Joe Mengedoth, a regional economist with the Federal Reserve, who said by email: “The losses are on the private side in both goods producing and services sectors, but more heavily on the producing side.” He also cautions that the chart shows percentages, so with Harrisonburg being a smaller MSA, so are the actual number of job losses — about 500. Bad for the Harrisonburg area but perhaps not that significant in the statewide scheme of things. 

Then there’s Lynchburg. At first glance, this makes no sense. Lynchburg is showing pretty good job growth — slightly behind both the state and national pace, but ahead of many other metros in Virginia. So why are wages going down?

Mengedoth had a simple explanation for how Lynchburg wound up in the minus range: Sure, the Lynchburg metro is creating jobs, he says, but it’s creating lower-wage jobs that are pulling the average down. 

Here’s more of what he had to say by email: “The average hourly wage data will move up or down depending on the wage rates of the jobs added vs. lost in a month. So if more high paying jobs are being added, all else equal, this would push up the hourly rate. And if more low paying jobs are being added, it would lead to a lower average. So my take would be that Lynchburg is growing in employment but the growth could be coming more from lower wage jobs. For example: retail employment is up 0.8% and professional business services employment is down 1.9% year-over-year. This is just one comparison of two sectors, but I’m just using that to highlight what could lead to lower average wages over time.”

Actually, things are a bit more complicated than that, he says, because “hours worked have fallen off over the last two years.” Even a higher wage won’t matter that much if workers can’t put in enough hours to take advantage of it.

Those two things together have conspired to pull Lynchburg’s average wages down.

These figures may be unique to Lynchburg, but the trends aren’t. 

A separate presentation at the Senate Finance Committee showed that Virginia overall was losing jobs in higher-wage sectors and gaining them in lower-wage ones. The biggest job declines were in sectors where the average pay is six figures ($116,000 per year in professional services, $115,000 in federal government jobs) while the biggest gains were in health care and social assistance, where the wage rate is half that. Virginia is creating jobs, but we’re effectively trading down in income. Lynchburg, it would seem, is simply doing the same.

It will be of no comfort at all to tell people in the Lynchburg metro that their community is a perfect example of what’s happening to the economy overall, especially when others are somehow defying these trends. Nonetheless, that appears to be what is happening. 

People in the Lynchburg metro should hope that someone other than me was taking notes on this. 

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Lynchburg city staff and council members are taking stock of the 2025 fiscal year, following the release of the annual finance audit, an abrupt change in finance committee leadership and the ripple effects of a chaotic budget season still fresh in residents’ minds. 

The city received a clean opinion from its outside financial auditor for the 2025 fiscal year — “the highest level assurance that we can give to a set of audited financial statements,” Chris Banta, a partner at Brown Edwards LLC, said when presenting the audit report at a specially called city council meeting Tuesday. The fiscal year under review ran from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.

Days earlier, on Dec. 3, Mayor Larry Taylor removed city council member Marty Misjuns from the council’s finance committee, which he had chaired. Taylor later named council member Stephanie Reed, who was already serving on the committee, as the new chair and appointed council member Chris Faraldi to fill the empty seat. 

Meanwhile, city council members and staff are still reeling from tense discussions during this spring’s budget planning period. The 2026 fiscal year budget, which took effect July 1 and will continue through June 30, 2026, was adopted at the eleventh hour after months of debates regarding tax rates and cuts to city services and staff positions.

With that backdrop, the new finance committee met Tuesday to hear city staff members’ last financial reports of 2025. 

In her opening remarks, Donna Witt, the city’s chief financial officer, said “overall, we did O.K.” in the 2025 fiscal year. Revenues came in about $2.3 million, or 1%, more than what was planned in the budget. 

“If you end up with, out of a $240 million budget, to have a surplus in revenues of $2 million, that’s a little closer than I like to be. That’s what keeps me up at night,” Witt said. 

The city ended the year with about $9.5 million in unassigned fund balance that can carry into fiscal year 2027, Witt said, largely thanks to department heads’ smart spending.

“At one point during the fiscal year, when I was seeing our consumption revenues like our meals tax and our lodging tax and our sales tax not grow like we anticipated, I did ask our department heads to kind of watch their spending,” Witt said. They “tightened their belts” in response, she said, bringing total operating expenditures down to about 96% of what was planned in the budget. 

The city’s unassigned fund balance for the 2025 fiscal year totals $47.4 million. The figure is best described as a “snapshot on June 30” that doesn’t capture commitments the city had already made for the pot of money, Witt said. The $9.5 million is what’s leftover, she said, after the rest of the money is saved in the city’s rainy day fund, in compliance with city financial policy, and allocated to the fiscal year 2026 budget to cover items such as first-quarter adjustments and the waived trash fee. 

Where does the $9.5 million go?

The economic outlook painted by Witt on Tuesday differed from the one presented by Misjuns days before. In a Sunday press conference, he said he wanted to “give the city of Lynchburg the best Christmas present they ever had” and lower real estate tax rates for the current fiscal year. It’s possible, he said, because the city had about $10 million “we didn’t expect to be there” — which is more than the $6.6 million it would take to bring the real estate tax down to an equalized rate. 

The current real estate tax rate — 84 cents per $100 of assessed value — was passed with votes from Misjuns, Taylor, Vice Mayor Curt Diemer and council member Jacqueline Timmer on June 30. The 84-cent rate represents a decrease in the tax rate from the 2025 fiscal year but an increase in tax payments for most residents due to uncharacteristically high real estate assessments.

Misjuns, Diemer and Timmer had pushed for an equalized tax in the two months leading up to the vote. The equalized rate, calculated at 76.7 cents, would have balanced out the increased assessment value and kept tax payments about the same for residents between the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years. 

The first payment of real estate tax for this fiscal year was collected at the 84-cent rate in November. The next of four total installments is scheduled for January, according to the city’s billings and collections department. 

Misjuns said in an interview Wednesday that his goal is to find ways to retroactively change the rate approved on June 30 and adjust future tax payments to reflect the equalized rate for the remainder of the fiscal year. 

Witt said in an emailed statement that the $9.5 million available in the unassigned fund balance cannot replace ongoing revenue, like real estate tax revenue. In following accounting principles, the $9.5 million is only available to cover one-time purchases. 

At the Sunday press conference, Misjuns posed the questions: “What comes next? Is the new rubber-stamping finance committee going to spend the surplus instead of giving back to the taxpayers?”

He answered himself in a Tuesday statement to his email subscribers, where he wrote that “when government collects more than it anticipated, the money should be returned to the taxpayers — not hoarded by bureaucrats for new spending.”

The city barely collected more tax revenue than it had budgeted for, Deputy City Manager Greg Patrick said at the finance committee meeting. Of the $2.3 million in additional revenue, only about $1.3 million came from taxes, he said. 

And only about $350,000 of that sum could be given out as a rebate, Witt added during the conversation. The General Assembly gives localities the opportunity to offer rebates only for real estate taxes and personal property taxes. Real estate tax revenue fell short of the budget goal in the 2025 fiscal year, according to the general fund quarterly report, so there’s no rebate to give. Personal property tax revenue came in about $350,000 more than planned, but would lead to a minimal rebate when divided among Lynchburg’s 80,000 residents, Witt said.

When asked to respond to Witt’s numbers, Misjuns wrote in a statement: “The fact that only $350,000 qualifies for a refund under the administration’s narrow definition does not change the broader responsibility we have to respond to a mistake of this size. The $9.5 million available in unassigned fund balance reflects excess taxation and inaccurate forecasting, and that is why Council should act by lowering the real estate tax rate for FY2026.”

In following accounting procedure, Witt said, the $9.5 million will come back into play during the budgeting process for 2027, which will begin this spring in preparation for the new fiscal year that begins July 1. Action from the city council is needed to use the funds for one-time purchases. 

“It’s important that we have that leftover money,” Witt said at the finance committee meeting, to go toward projects like maintaining city buildings that might not otherwise be budgeted for. 

New leadership on the finance committee

The 2025 reports came in the midst of a leadership change in the city’s finance committee. 

When Taylor removed Misjuns from the committee last week, he cited four reasons for his action, according to an email sent from Clerk of Council Alicia Finney to council members: Misjuns’ continued involvement in personnel matters, abuse of city staff, “bad behavior” and “misstatements regarding financial matters.” 

At the Sunday press conference, Misjuns labeled Taylor’s claims as “explained without evidence,” “arbitrary and capricious” and “false.” He added that it’s his job to “make sure that every penny spent is necessary” and “ask questions and hold government accountable.” 

In an interview, Taylor said he’d “rather not comment” on why he made the decision to remove Misjuns, then added that “actions speak for themselves.”

The city council’s rules of procedure only mention “chair” once, and state: “The Mayor shall make all appointments to, and select the chairs of, the Council’s two standing committees, Finance and Physical Development. Substitutes or alternates may participate on such committees only if so authorized by the Mayor. Committee members for such committees will serve two-year terms.”

Misjuns said that, because he had not yet served as chair for two years, his removal violates the rules of procedure. He added that he didn’t receive the due process he expected because the removal was so abrupt. Misjuns said he had one phone call with Taylor about the situation before being notified he was no longer the finance committee chair. 

Reed, a former mayor and now the new finance committee chair, said, “The mayor has the right to appoint committee members and remove committee members.”

Misjuns said he sees Taylor’s action as a step to “completely dismiss the fiscal conservatives on city council” — a group in which he includes himself, Timmer and Diemer. He cited Taylor’s abrupt removal of Diemer from the finance committee earlier this year.

“Why does this pattern keep surfacing? Vice Mayor Diemer was targeted immediately after he publicly called for identifying waste and mismanagement when he was on [the] finance committee. Now I’m being removed after raising similar concerns,” Misjuns said at the press conference.

Taylor said, “No one is being silenced.”

“I give everybody the opportunity to speak, and sometimes they just speak and speak and speak. And I try to make sure — if you notice, I look from left to right, right to left — that everybody has an equal opportunity to speak,” he said, referring to how he moderates city council meetings from a chair in the middle of the dais. 

The finance committee reviews the city’s financial reports on a quarterly basis and “serve[s] as a filter in determining specific budget/financial actions to be considered by City Council,” according to the committee’s guidelines. Financial items that need to be considered by the full council include deliberations of the annual budget and capital improvement program, considerations of using the contingency fund and discussions of new programs or changes in current programs that would affect revenues and expenditures. 

Reed said she takes her new title seriously, as “all committee members and chairs of those committees should.”

“Of course, if there’s anything concerning that I see, I will absolutely ask questions of city staff to make sure that things are being done appropriately,” she said in an interview.

As chair, she said she hopes to make finance committee meetings an opportunity for residents to be educated on confusing financial topics. She plans to run meetings “in a way that our citizens understand” and “provide transparency so that people do not feel confused or misled by anything that’s going on within the city’s finance department or with their taxpayer dollars.”

“I think it’s extremely important that our citizens have a better understanding of how their taxpayer dollars are being spent and invested by the city government so that they develop a better trust of at least our city government,” she said.

The city council will not meet over the winter holidays. The next full city council meeting is scheduled for Jan. 13, and the next finance committee meeting is scheduled for Jan. 27. 

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All 10 schools in the Danville Public Schools system are fully accredited for the first time in more than a decade, according to accreditation results released by the Virginia Department of Education this week. Eight of those 10 are meeting or exceeding state expectations, according to the department. 

This achievement is part of a larger momentum in the Danville school district, which is working to bounce back from declines in student performance, test scores and accreditation in the 2000s and 2010s. 

“No single test or report card shows the full story of our students’ learning, per the VDOE,” said a Wednesday release from the school system. “That’s why Virginia now uses multiple measures, not just test scores, to understand how schools are helping students grow, meet expectations, and prepare for the future.”

The Danville school system entered into a corrective action plan with the Education Department in 2020 after a majority of its schools lost accreditation. During the 2019-2020 school year, nine out of 11 schools in the district were not fully accredited.

Accreditation has increased under the Education Department support plan, which will remain in place until all schools are accredited for at least two years. 

The 2024-2025 academic year was the first time in a decade that five of Danville’s schools were accredited at the same time. 

Since 2011, it has been challenging for all city schools to achieve full accreditation simultaneously, Superintendent Angela Hairston noted in the release.

“Today, we are proud to report that every school in Danville Public Schools is now fully accredited,” the release said.

The Education Department revised its accreditation criteria this year, moving away from a heavy emphasis on student performance through the Standards of Learning tests and chronic absenteeism data, according to the release. 

Instead, a new accreditation structure focuses more on student progress and outcomes “to show how schools are doing overall and where they can improve,” says the release. 

The 2025-2026 school year is the first under this new framework, which was approved by the Virginia Board of Education in January. Schools are now placed in one of four categories: Distinguished, On Track, Off Track or Needs Intensive Support. A school can receive a performance score of Off Track or Needs Intensive Support but still meet the Operational Standards of Accreditation.

Galileo Magnet High School in Danville received the Distinguished designation. 

Seven schools — Forest Hills Elementary, George Washington High, O.T. Bonner Middle, Park Avenue Elementary, Schoolfield Elementary, Westwood Middle and Woodberry Hills Elementary — received the On Track designation. 

Arnett Hills Elementary, which opened this fall, will receive its rating after the 2025-2026 school year. 

E.A. Gibson Elementary received the Off Track designation and R.I.S.E. Academy was designated as Needs Intensive Support. 

Though most of the schools in the city are meeting or exceeding state expectations, the school system is “doubling down on key initiatives” to build on this success, according to the release. 

“This is not the finish line. It is a launching pad for even greater success,” Hairston said in the release. 

Those efforts include a division-wide literacy initiative; deepened support in math, science and history; expanded leader and teacher development; a focus on attendance, school choice and family initiatives; and other goals, says the release. 

“This recognition is a powerful reminder that sustained focus, high expectations, and collective effort leads to measurable results,” Hairston said. “For years, we have been working to change the trajectory of student achievement in Danville, and now the state is confirming what we already know, our schools are on the rise.”

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A new list of acts for the next FloydFest includes a band coming in for its 12th appearance there.

Railroad Earth topped the list of performers added to the schedule for FloydFest 26~Daydream, set for July 22-26. The Dip, a funk, soul and R&B outfit from Seattle, and Americana favorite Chuck Prophet & His Cumbia Shoes join Railroad Earth atop the list.

Also part of the festival’s Thursday announcement: Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Parlor Greens, Zach Person, Zion Marley, The Animeros, Cam Clark & His Orchestra, Joslyn & The Sweet Compression and Bella Rayne. FloydFest 25~Aurora On-the-Rise winner Florencia & The Feeling and runner-up Hash The Band round out the announcement.

Those acts join previously announced headliners Tedeschi Trucks Band, My Morning Jacket, Stephen Wilson Jr. and Lukas Nelson.

According to the FloydFest website’s list of previous performances, Railroad Earth made its first gig there in 2004, the fest’s third version. Since then, the group has played 10 more of the events. The New Jersey-founded septet delivers a melody-and-groove-centric, bluegrass-leaning Americana mix with plenty of instrumentally dense jams.

The Dip in April brought a seriously rhythmic set to Harvester Performance Center in Rocky Mount. The tick-tight seven-piece combo featured three blasting horns and induced plenty of audience movement.

Prophet and his old band, The Mission Express, played the Harvester in July 2018, but a few years before that did an unlikely bill at Parkway Brewing Co., in Salem, before the brewery’s live music space was built out. 

Neither memory nor Google surfaced the exact date, but it was not long after the place opened, and a load of people were getting their first pints of Parkway’s strong ales and porters. Plenty didn’t know what they were getting into, and got a bit wobbly, adding to the evening’s ambience.

The southern Californian’s new act explores the Latin American cumbia style, which he leaned on during treatment and recovery from a stage four lymphoma diagnosis, according to his record label.

Festival tickets are available at aftontickets.com/floydfest26daydream, and more information is posted at floydfest.com.

Correction 9:47 a.m. Dec. 12, 2025: Railroad Earth has played Floydfest 11 times to date. An earlier version of this article had an incorrect number.

The post FloydFest adds Railroad Earth and more to `26 lineup appeared first on Cardinal News.

Cardinal News: Then & Now takes a look back at the stories we brought you over the last 12 months. Through the end of the year, we’re sharing updates on some of the people and issues that made news in 2025. This installment: the fate of police surveillance technology in Martinsville.

A little over a year after incorporating additional surveillance technology throughout the city, Martinsville’s Police Department is in the process of scaling it back. 

Police Chief Chad Rhoads said the network of listening devices that the city installed near the beginning of the year has not yielded the kinds of results his department was expecting. The department began phasing out individual devices in October with plans to fully phase out the entire system around January. 

“The gunshot detection system, it does detect the gunshots but it’s not to the level that we would hope it to be,” Rhoads said. “It didn’t pick up gunshots in the homes where we knew gunshots had taken place, inside of residences, they didn’t pick those up.” 

Rhoads described incidents where a neighbor’s Ring doorbell would pick up the sound of multiple shots while a nearby sensor only picked up a fraction of them. 

The gunshot detection system consisted of 140 sensors placed around the city. The system uses three sensors to triangulate the location of sounds that are similar to gunfire. The system then sends the location to an officer, warning of a suspected crime. 

Rhoads explained that the technology is tuned for a specific sound and doesn’t pick up things like a nearby conversation. 

“Those are gunshot detectors,” he said. “They don’t really listen to anything; they just detect the sharp noise of gunshots.” 

The technology came from Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based tech firm. Martinsville police paid $80,000 in grant funding received from Operation Ceasefire Virginia, a program from the attorney general’s office.  

The devices are advertised to pick up gunfire while filtering other noises. Rhoads said this wasn’t always the case. 

“Originally we had thought it was going to be very, very accurate and it would be able to push the message out to our officers and the officers would be able to respond to the areas of the gunshots with a high degree of accuracy,” Rhoads said. “It’s just fallen a little bit short as far as its accuracy and its ability to pick up gunshots.”  

Throughout much of the year, Martinsville police experimented with the placement of sensors to find the optimal layout. 

Rob Fincher, who was police chief when the sensors first were deployed, described the department’s use of them as an “experiment.” After a year, Rhoads said he believes that his department would be better served without them. 

The listening devices were one among a handful of technologies the department has implemented in recent years. Prior to the listening devices, Martinsville police set up automatic license readers and cameras in certain intersections. Rhoads said those two systems left a more favorable impression and are still being used. 

“The rest of our Flock equipment, we’re really happy with,” Rhoads said. “They are very effective.” 

Rhoads described them as the “contrast” to the gunshot detectors. 

“They are very accurate,” Rhoads said. “They have helped us return missing persons, they have helped us recover stolen vehicles.” 

All three systems were designed by Flock. A Cardinal News investigation showed that smaller Virginia communities in particular have adopted Flock-designed systems in the past few years.

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