Middle school sports important to competing

By CODY DALTON
cody@southwesttimes.com



As of late, you will notice that I have not only been covering sports for the Southwest Times as I usually do, but now I have been doing regular news stories as well. After doing so, I never realized just how close the two sides could come until I went to cover a School Board meeting last week.

Proposed in the many budget cuts needed to close the large deficit is the $40,000 that is being spent every year on the many sports – including volleyball, basketball, football, track, and wrestling – being offered at the middle school level.

While it is necessary to make the cuts to get under the deficit, I think that $40,000 is hardly a scratch on the surface of the money that will be needed to get us out of the shortfall.

A while back, the issue was brought up about why are high school sports teams aren’t winning. Many school systems start from the bottom at the recreation leagues, develop to middle school and AAU, and by the time these kids reach high school, they are ready to compete at a high level.

Without these middle school programs, the competitiveness of our sports in the county will suffer tremendously, as many athletes will not be prepared for what they face at the high school level after coming straight from middle school.
If these cuts do indeed happen, we need to rely on our recreation league sports and AAU teams more than ever to keep our kids in great physical shape as well and have experience with athletic competition.

I think one thing that does sadden me is that if the two schools merge, the death of a Pulaski-Dublin Middle rivalry will also occur. It will no longer be the Orioles against the Dukes. Instead, we will be one unit together now.

However, that can be a benefit. If we were to keep middle school sports and merge the schools, there would be several extremely competitive unified middle school programs. After covering both middle school basketball programs, I cannot imagine taking some of the kids from both of the squads and putting them on the same team. That certainly will help their chemistry as they develop as a team to the next level.
I really think it is a shame that we have to look at this issue and many other issues as either a keep or discard issue. Hopefully, our town can get through this tough time and move on to much better times in the not to distant future.

– Cody Dalton is a writer for The Southwest Times in Pulaski. He can be reached at (540) 980-5220 or at cody@southwesttimes.com.

McDaniel running for record, past hurdles

By CODY DALTON
cody@southwesttimes.com



It's been a long and winding road for a former Pulaski County High School track star, which will culminate next Friday and Saturday at Duke University.
Lance McDaniel, who now competes in track and field for Concord University, will look to set the school's new record in the steeplechase.

The steeplechase is an interesting event, in which competitors run 3,000 meters (close to two miles). They will encounter hurdles throughout each lap of the event, which are compiled of barriers three lanes wide. After runners get through with the hurdles, they will encounter a water pit on the other side of the barrier.

The current Concord record was set by Ryan Kent in 2008 with a time of 9:46.60. McDaniel recently set a new personal best of 9:50.18 – just under four seconds of the record – when he finished ninth at the Wake Forest Open on March 19-20.

"I would love to break this record," McDaniel said. "I came so close last year. I was around 3 seconds off, so I hope I can do it this year."

While at Pulaski County High School Lance was a four-time district champion and a three-time AA All-State performer. Not only was he outstanding on the track, but in the classroom as well, making the All-River Ridge District Academic Team.
In 2007, Lance was All-Conference and Academic All-American in Cross-Country at Concord.

Lance's story is more than just the accomplishments in running though. At just the tender age of 3, doctors discovered that Lance had a heart issue and had to undergo open heart surgery.

"I had a hole in my heart about the size of a quarter when I was born and when I went in for my three year checkup my doctor at the time found it," McDaniel said. "My parents tell me that later doctors told them it was a miracle he found it because it was very hard to hear due to it's large size."

He had the surgery and worked over time to overcome the heart condition. By the time Lance was age 14, he was one of the top 50 runners in the country at his age.
However, Lance's health issues resurfaced in high school, but it was a different ailment that slowed down his pursuit of running. He began to develop a colles fracture, which is the sheering off of both bones in the lower arm.

"That put me out of running for a while in high school," McDaniel said. "I hated that because I love running so much, but that was just one of those things that showed me that God is in control of my life. I had to have a cast on it for a few months."

Lance's high school coach, Jamie McCarty, reflected on his time with McDaniel and the short time they spent together because of the injury.

"The only thing that I can look back and be disappointed about is that I didn't have him in my program longer," McCarty said. "I only really had him for a few weeks of his junior and all of his senior year. He is the kind of kid that is a 'lunch pale' kind of kid. He came here every day ready to go and you know you would get maximum effort, whether it was just practice or a race.

"He pushed the other kids the same way. He didn't let them slack or do the wrong things. He was always in the right place doing the right things, whether that was in school, out of school, or in cross country. He is one of those kids who you didn't have to worry about. You could tell them to do something and he would not only do what you asked, but do more."

Lance would once again overcome that ailment and return to what he loved most. He now stands a towering six foot, two inches tall after an incredible growth spurt and sits on the cusp of making history at Concord. After all he has been through though, Lance has grown past all of these challenges in his life and still remains humble about the potential accomplishment.

"There are also two freshman on the team that have the ability to break it as well," McDaniel said. "So I just hope one of us gets it. Whether I do it or not, that's up to God. I'll be just as happy if I get it as I will if they do."

Boy's tennis team rebuilding

By CODY DALTON
cody@southwesttimes.com



The Pulaski County High School boy's tennis team will look to rebuild this year, despite the fact the group is led by four seniors in the top six.

The team only returns three players from last season's team - seniors Nathan Miller and Justin Smith, as well as junior Ryan Blose. Miller was the team's number six player, but now assumes the number one role, while Smith and Blose are second and third respectively.

"Any of my top three will face one and two in the district," said fourth-year coach Jerry Danner. "They are going to have some tough matches on their hands. They are good and have developed their ball striking, which should get them some points."
New additions to the team include seniors Roland Tucker and Travis Cox, who will play in the fourth and fifth spot. Sophomore Trevor Hess completes the lineup in the six spot. From what he has seen so far, Danner expects one of these new additions to step up and play extremely well.

"I think Travis Cox, my number four player, is showing a consistent game," Danner said. "His points are very long and he is able to stay in rallies."
The Cougars are already off to a good start, winning two of their first three matches of the season. Danner feels that his team's non-district schedule will help play a big part into their success early on.

"Usually in our out-of-district matches with GIles, Galax, and Radford, we have matched up well," Danner said. "We hope to do the same again this year. We are basically lacking a bit of experience and aren't as deep as we have been in the past few years."

The difficulty in the schedule starts with the district schedule, where the Cougars will face both Hidden Valley and Salem. Hidden Valley is the state runner-up in AA boy's tennis to Salem, who swept both the singles and doubles titles last season.

"Our district is probably the toughest in the state," Danner said. "Over the last eight years, one of the three top teams in it has been to the state championship matches. With this kind of being a rebuilding year for us, I expect the team to get better by the end of the year. By the last match, they will have improved a lot."

Just like the girl's team, the boy's tennis team reaped from the benefits of the $1,500 donation made to the tennis program, which is helping them team with new uniforms and equipment.

"That was awesome," Danner said. "I knew the guy that donated the money and his son played here. That was some pretty good support to have."
However, the biggest need for the team could not be taken care of with the money received. Many of the courts that are used at PCHS by both the boys and girls teams are in poor conditions with a few cracks in them. Danner is hopeful that they will be fixed in the near future.

"I know if it is from the years of use from the public, high school, and P.E. classes, but the courts has really deteriorated," Danner said. "We have a crack that starts at court one and ends in court four. After this hard winter, I've noticed two cracks on this court too that I haven't seen before. They are really needing to be resurfaced."

Lady Cougars commemorate basketball season with banquet

By CODY DALTON
cody@southwesttimes.com



The Lady Cougar basketball teams celebrated the 2009-10 season with their annual basketball banquet on Sunday night in the PCHS Commons.

Raiven Patterson, Daisy Ball, Sydney Anderson, and Kasey Holcomb were honored for their seasons worth of accolades, which included All-River Ridge District teams. Hannah Chaffin was also awarded for her tremendous eight steal effort against Christiansburg twice.

The coaches from both teams also awarded honors based on their improvement in the program. For the junior varsity team, Morgan Cox picked up the Most Improved award and Sara Wright was given the Coaches' Award.

Shaniqua Banks was Most Improved and Elizabeth Thacker was given the Coaches Award for the varsity squad. Also honored at the event was the team's lone senior, Brittany Lawson. She was presented with a poster size framed picture and a gift.
Both a highlight DVD of the season and powerpoint presentation were shown to the players and parents in attendance.

The Lady Cougars varsity team finished the season with a 11-15 record under second-year coach Jason Grubb. They were also 4-6 in the River Ridge District, good enough for fourth place. For the second straight year, the Lady Cougars earned a Region IV playoff berth.

The junior varsity team was also impressive under second-year coach Tiffany Payne, winning 15 of their final 18 games after starting the season 0-2. They finished with a 15-5 record.

Lady Cougars’ tennis looking to rely on veterans this season

By CODY DALTON
cody@southwesttimes.com



The Pulaski County High School girl's tennis teams is looking to lean on the leadership of their veteran players this season.

The team features eight returning players from last year's team, including five of their top six players in senior Mindy Pierett, and juniors Amanda Salinas, Maddy Chitwood, Katelyn Armbrister, Magen Stacy.

"On this team, I have a lot of great returning players," said second-year girl's head coach Sarah Vaught. "I've got some strong leadership on the team. I have some strong leadership with my juniors too. So with that mixture, it should be another good season. I expect them to do really well this year. There is a lot of dedication on this team. Tennis is an individual sport, but we do win as a team and lose as a team along with winning and losing individually."

The team will look to improve this season upon their district record, but look to keep up to constant success they have had in their non-district schedule.

"Last year, in the district we didn't do as well," Vaught said. "We took Mindy, our number one, ended up seventh. We did really well out of district. We beat William Fleming and Giles. Graham is the only one we couldn't beat. They did really well last year. Last year, being my first year of coaching and not knowing much, they did really well."

Vaught has seen one particular group step up in just her second season under the helm as girl's head coach, which will help to be a part of the success the team experiences.

"This year, my juniors are the one who are here everyday," Vaught said. "Amanda Salinas, Maddy Chitwood, and Magen Stacy - they really have helped all the girls. Mindy Pierett practices with a private instructor sometimes. When she is here, she practices with our new senior, Mindy Hall, and she works with the other girls on the tricks she knows. They are all willing to go out there and hit and teach each other constructive criticism."

Just like every other spring sport, the tennis team's progress has been slowed by the large amount of snow received this winter. However, Vaught felt that it didn't affect her team in a large capacity.

"The first two weeks of practice, we were either in the gym or in the weight room and not really being able to play on a court," Vaught said. "With half the team returning, they all knew how to hit. The other players we have been able to work with them the few days we have been out on the court. Since we are on the asphalt, it is a lot easier to have practices because we don't have to wait on it to dry. It has been really nice with that. We had to set up a old net with volleyball poles in the gym and wooden boards in the middle of it. We practiced with the boys too, which is good."

Helping both tennis teams this year was a generous donation by Randy Eley, a lawyer from Pulaski. Before he passed away, Eley headed the organization "Friends of Pulaski Co. Tennis." His wife Donia sent a check to the team's in the amount of $1,500.

"Both teams were able to buy new score cards for the courts," Vaught said. "It has helped a lot because of the budget cuts. We don't have as much money as we normally do. our score cards were duct taped and falling apart. Our score cards help our courts look better. We are hoping donations can help keep our courts in good condition until we can resurface."

Three Point Stance: Spare high school sports, great and small

By CODY DALTON
cody@southwesttimes.com



Last week, I talked to our readers about why middle school sports should saved, even with the combined middle schools. Now I turn my attention away from the middle schools to the high school level.

Threatened among the many things in the budget are high school sports, more importantly the smaller sports like tennis, golf, and volleyball. I think it is a shame to have to make a decision on which sports are and are not worth saving. It shouldn't be looked at like that.
Every day, students at PCHS take their time and effort to compete in the sports they love, while also learning many trades along the way. They learn the qualities of a leader and how to direct people in a positive way. That will come in handy when they grow older and reach the workforce.
They are taught to work hard. That effort will help them to go far in this world, especially when it comes to college and at their job. Sports also teach discipline, which helps lead to balance and focus in all aspects of their life.
The most obvious of these traits as well is keeping in physical shape. We talk about a generation where we are starting to suffer from severe health problems and excessive obesity. Then we talk about eliminating one of the few things that causes enjoyment for those trying to battle it.
It doesn't matter if you are on the volleyball team, football team, soccer team, or tennis team; you are still trying your best to learn these qualities and to keep yourself in shape. It doesn't matter what sport you play, every one of them teaches these important life qualities more than any leadership class ever will.

– Cody Dalton is a writer for The Southwest Times in Pulaski. He can be reached at (540) 980-5220 or at cody@southwesttimes.com.

Lebanon stuns Radford

Pioneers’ Brown hits late lay up to end Bobcat's title defense

By CODY DALTON
cody@southwesttimes.com



BRISTOL – It took only 6.4 seconds in the game, but the Radford High School boy’s basketball team watched their state title defense end in dramatic fashion on Saturday.

Lebanon’s Justin Brown drove from one length of the court to the other, slicing through defenders on his way to a game winning lay up as the Pioneer defeated the Bobcats, 62-61, in the Group A, Div. 2 State Quarterfinals at Virginia High School.

“This set loss set our program back,” said Radford coach Rick Cormany. “There is absolutely no positive because this team absolutely did not deserve to win the basketball game. We didn't do anything smart or intelligent all night long, all the way to the very end when you let a guy – a post player – take the ball the length of the court and score to beat us. It was classic of how the whole game went. That was a defining moment.”

The game appeared to be in hand, as freshman William Minter connected on six of seven free throw attempts and junior Dontae Carter made all four of his attempts. Brown would take Minter’s one miss though and drive for the winning score.

The majority of the game was close, with the largest lead being just four points through the first three quarters. However, that would change in the fourth when Radford (17-7) fell behind a game-high ten points, 51-41, and it looked as if the game’s momentum was shifting towards Lebanon (20-5).

Lebanon’s best player, Jerome Cobb, would foul out on back-to-back personal and technical fouls in the third though, which limited the Pioneer offense late. Jerome Alexander and Dontae Carter capitalize and power the Bobcats back in the game. The duo combined for 16 straight Radford points, as the Bobcats stormed back to retake the lead, 57-54.

Realizing they had to score and foul, the Pioneers sent both Carter and Minter to the line one time each within the final minute. They would connect on all four attempts though and it looked as if Radford would head back to the State Semifinals and defend their title at the Vine Center.

Late mistakes though marred the repeat to Richmond. Two fouls committed late by Radford against Lebanon stopped the clock, allowed for free throws, and gave the Pioneers a fighting chance to win the game.

“There is no moral victory here,” said Radford coach Rick Cormany. “I don't believe in moral victories. We did not deserve to win the basketball game. We had too many mental breakdowns. We were not a smart basketball team.”

Lebanon, a team who had shot poorly from the free throw line, would make their opportunities late, which led to the dramatic final score for the victory.

Jerome Alexander scored a game-high 22 points and 12 rebounds. Dontae Carter added 16 points for Radford, who finishes the season with a 17-7 record and both the Three Rivers District regular season and tournament championships.

Senior wins three titles, also places second and seventh

By CODY DALTON
cody@southwesttimes.com



LYNCHBURG – Senior Amber Church added to a storied career at Pulaski County High School with yet another impressive performance at the VHSL Group AA State Indoor Track & Field Championships.

She added to her strong All-State performance a year ago in the 55-meter hurdles by capturing the State Championship in the event. In the process, Church also set a new state record in the hurdles.

Also impressive were her performances in the high jump and long jump. At last year’s meet, Church was eleventh both events. This year, she had an incredible leap and placed first in both, winning two additional championships.

“When I went in, I was just wanting to win the hurdles,” Church said. “I was seeded first in the hurdles, which was the only event I was seeded first in. My only goal in that was to break the state record and I did. I was surprised to high jump and long jump.”

“I knew she had a chance in those two events, but she had to work,” said coach Jamie McCarty. “There were some other girls out there who were pretty good. She wasn’t ranked number one in other two events that she won. She actually beat people that were ranked ahead of her in both of them.”

If not for an extremely tight finish in the 55-meter dash, Church may have picked up another championship. However, she was edged in a tight race and finished second. Church also improved on her thirteenth placing in triple jump last year to finish seventh.

With that tremendous effort, Church was the only runner from any school at the meet to win more than one championship. Her 40 points earned individually also helped vault her team into the fourth place overall.

“There aren’t a whole lot of words for that,” McCarty said. “It is a special performance with 40 points out of one girl. I’m sure if you had the time and could do the research and look back, you aren’t going to find a lot of girls at this level that can do that. It is pretty rare to see something like that.”

Church now owns four state championships total – the three from this year’s meet and a championship in the 100-meter hurdles at last year’s State Outdoor Track and Field meet. With these three championships now comes a huge opportunity as well. Church will turn her attention to Nationals in Boston, Massachusetts.

Many other Cougars also had great days at the meet as well. Picking up strong finishes for the boys was Ethan Barker in the 55-meter hurdles. He finished twentieth.

After his shocking win at regionals in the 55-meter dash, senior Robert Cobbs finished nineteenth in the event and also placed twenty-first in the 300-meter dash. Matt Songer finished nineteenth in the shot put.

For the girls, Grace England finished seventeenth in the 3200-meter run and Pearl Meredith placed twenty-third in the 500-meter dash.

“We were pretty pleased,” McCarty said. “We weren’t exactly where we wanted to be in a couple of people. Everybody ran pretty well. It shows how competitive our state is. We had a whole lot of state champions if you look at the River Ridge kids, especially from Blacksburg and Christiansburg. It is just tough. I don’t think everyone had a poor day, but there were some kids that I wished would have run better. All in all we were pretty happy across the board with our performances.”

All of these Cougars will now shift their sites to Outdoor Track and Field season, which is scheduled to kick off in just over three weeks at the Knights Classic Invitational in Salem on March 27.

Twine helps lead Eastern Mennonite program revival

By CODY DALTON
cody@southwesttimes.com



HARRISONBURG – Despite tearing the ACL in his right knee Feb. 15 against Virginian Wesleyan, former Cougar Austin Twine has helped to lead a huge turnaround for the Eastern Mennonite University men’s basketball team.

The 6-0, 175 pound senior is a former standout on the PCHS basketball team, where he earned River Ridge District Player of the Year and Second Team All-State in 2005. After his senior season, Twine made the choice to attend Eastern Mennonite for many reasons.

“I decided to go to EMU because coach Dean recruited me,” Twine said. “He was not only the kind of coach I had just played for in coach Hanks but was the same kind of guy. He was so much more than a coach on the court.”

Since then, Twine has helped contribute to the Royals improvement. The team is three years removed from a 7-17 record and 3-15 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC). However, a steady rise has occurred over the last few years. Following that season, the Royals improved to 9-17, 5-13 in conference in 2008 to 15-11, 9-7 last season.

Twine, who is a Business Administration major, credits last year’s junior class as the spark that helped to ignite the fire for the Royals.

“I would say that the turnaround came about last year,” Twine said. “We have an incredible junior class and I just tried to fit in and be the glue of the team and do whatever needed to be done to help get victories.”

The remarkable turnaround continued this season, when Eastern Mennonite finished with a 21-3 overall record and 14-2 in ODAC play. The team also handed Guilford, who was the top ranked tem in the country at the time, an embarrassing 90-63 defeat.

For Twine though, the season has not only been rewarding, but enjoyable along the way.

“This past year has been the most fun I have had playing basketball,” Twine said. “The environment on campus has changed tremendously as we have started packing the gym game in and game out. Just being apart of a winning team and seeing the support we have from the community is something I couldn't have imagined.”

The performance by the team this season earned them their first ODAC regular season championship since 1980 and only their second ever ODAC championship ever. The Royals were also as high as No. 7 in the NCAA Division III polls and currently sit at the No. 12 spot.

However, the Royals are missing just a few steps to truly complete the program’s comeback, the first of which is the school’s first ODAC tournament championship. Despite the fact that Twine can no longer play, he is going to try to keep his team focused on the real prize.

“The plans for us as a team in the ODAC tournament is to just keep on track and play the way we know how,” Twine said. “We can't take a step back now that we have accomplished one goal. We have worked hard to reach our goal. That goal is to get three championships. The ODAC regular season championship, ODAC tournament championship, and then we hope to get to the NCAA championship. Our focus has not changed.”

Radford’s Thompson signs with Mt. Olive

By CODY DALTON
cody@southwesttimes.com



RADFORD – While Amber Thompson started running track as a seventh grader and wasn’t sure if she would stick with it, the decision to do so paid off on Friday when she signed an official track scholarship with Mt. Olive College in North Carolina.

Both of Amber’s coaches – indoor/outdoor track coach Ken Keister and cross country coach Mike Carrow – were at the signing and were extremely proud of her accomplishment.

“Amber is an extremely dedicated runner,” said Radford indoor/outdoor track coach Ken Keister. “I have had the pleasure of coaching her since eighth grade. She never complains. She is always there. She is always on time and ready to work. She wants to do better. It shows that colleges are seeing this and now she gets an opportunity to run in college.”

“I have had Amber for three years on the cross country team,” said Radford cross country coach Mike Carrow. “Last year, she had a good season where she made All-Region. She barely missed out on making All-State. This year, our goal was to make All-State team and winning the district. She became the first girl from Radford High School to win the district. She finished third in the region and made All-State team. So it was a really good year and a good career for her.”

During her junior year in track and field, Thompson finished first in the 1600 meter relay and 1600 meter run. She also finished second in the Region C meet with her 1600 meter relay team.

Amber explained the many reasons for choosing Mt. Olive, which included many different aspects of the college.

“The coach showed a lot of interest in me,” Amber said. “It is close to the beach, so that was a plus. I met some of the runners from down there. They were really nice. I just liked the people down there.”

While at Mt. Olive, Amber plans to major in Exercise Science and ultimately wants to work in Physical Therapy.

Amber’s parents, Jim and Tabitha, displayed their pride for their daughter after the press conference was over.

“We are very proud of her,” Tabitha said. She has accomplished a lot. She has enjoyed being with her teammates. She looks like she will have a good coach in college too and hopefully will work with her to improve her times.”

“She is a very hard worker,” Jim said. “We think she will work hard in college because she has worked extremely hard in high school too.”

Warriors stop ’Cats dream season

Radford mounts comeback but falls short

By CODY DALTON
cody@southwesttimes.com



SALTVILLE – As the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Such was the case on Friday, when the Radford girl’s basketball team fell to Hogoheegee District champions Chilhowie, 47-42, to end their fantastic season.

Prior to the game, six Bobcats had come down with an illness, one of which put junior Maryah Sydnor in the hospital. Despite being sick, Radford would try to brave their conditions and advance to the Region C final. However, coach Kevin Conner believes that these illnesses affected his strategy more than his player’s abilities.

“It changed how I wanted to do things,” Conner said. “Our plan from the start was to pressure them and play man to man. I was worried about my girls and I didn’t think they would be able to do it. So I tried to save them. It didn’t affect my girls. It affected me and I let them down. I didn’t trust their heart, their character, and I didn’t challenge them enough. The bug affected how I coached.”

The Bobcats struggled to get baskets all game long and were down 12 points entering the final quarter. Chilhowie’s lead would eventually grow to 16 in the final 2:44, but Radford felt a sense of urgency. Senior Bobcat Pip Pattison would draw a charge on Chilhowie’s Krystal Patten, who scored a game-high 24 points. That would be her fifth foul and the Bobcats would look to capitalize.

“She [Patten] is an unbelievable player,” Conner said. “I thought that was a turning point for them. We were trying to draw some charges on here and get some fouls here and there, but they were all borderline. I thought the game was well called. If we could have gotten the fifth one on her sooner, and we tried, then we might have won. They had other girls step up and make free throws. I turned them loose a little too late. This one is on me.”

Without Patten’s ball handling ability, the Warriors struggled to in-bound the ball. That led to five turnovers and quick scoring opportunities. Pattison, Sydnor, and Rachel Wright used those opportunities and clawed in the final minutes, realizing they had to score and get steals in order to win. The trio scored the final 16 points in the game for Radford.

“We just showed a lot of heart and character,” Conner said. “I think they got to a point where they cut it loose. It got to a point where the girls decided they weren’t going to lose the game.”

Those scores cut the game to three points, 45-42, with just under a minute remaining. The Bobcats would not get a steal on the in-bounds, so they fouled, sending Chilhowie’s Nicole Mooney to the line. She would miss the first attempt, but was able to knock in the second.

Down 46-42 and realizing they needed a three, Pattison passed to Sydnor in the corner on the next Bobcat possession. However, her three point shot would roll around inside the rim and back out. Radford would foul Mooney again with just under 14 seconds remaining. Once again, she made one of her two attempts.

A final opportunity to get a three from Sydnor would by blocked by Heather Hash of Chilhowie. That sealed the game and a second state championship appearance in three seasons for the Warriors. Chilhowie advances to the Region C final, where they meet Glenvar. The Highlanders upset top-ranked Floyd earlier in the night.

The Bobcats finish their season with a 21-3 record and were Three Rivers District tournament champions. After the game, Conner reflected on his team and their tremendous season.

“We have a wonderful group of girls,” Conner said. “These seniors I have are great leaders and Maryah [Sydnor] is a great leader. The young ones came on too. This is just one loss. We had a wonderful year. Only one team goes on at the end of the regular season to get a win.

“What it disappointing for us? Yes, but we swept Carroll County and they in the AA State quarterfinals. We beat Floyd County two out of three times and they are one of the top programs in the state. We won two out of three against Glenvar and they are in the A State quarterfinals. I couldn’t ask for more than what I got out of those young ladies right there. I would lose with that bunch right there every game than win with anyone else.”

Seven Cougars running, throwing for state titles

By CODY DALTON
cody@southwesttimes.com



PULASKI – In just a few short days, seven Cougars on the indoor track squad will make appearances at the VHSL State Indoor Track meet at the Tolsma Center on Saturday.

For four of those Cougars – Matt Songer, Chuck Stone, Ethan Barker, and Grace England – it will be their first times competing at the meet. Songer and Stone throw shot put, England will be running the 3200 meters, and Barker competes in the 55 meter hurdles. Some are a bit nervous, but for the most part, they are looking forward to the experience.

“Regionals was the big meet because that qualified me for states,” England said. “I am usually not going to qualify for nationals. I am happy to go to state. I am sure I will get nervous before my race, but I am not worried about it now. I was more nervous at regionals.”

Both Songer and Stone, who are competing with the shot put, are both throwing for the first time this year at states. With limited experience though, both are looking forward to the opportunity.

“This is my first year throwing,” Stone said. “I just started three to four months ago. It’s pretty exciting that this is my first time going to states. I want to have a good time, but do the best that I can do.”

“I just started throwing last year.” Songer said. “It is pretty exciting that I could make it to states in just two years of throwing. Last year was my first year ever touching the shot put. I’m ranked around tenth going into states. It’s pretty exciting. We get to stay the night and leave the day before.”
Barker doesn’t expect there to be a change in the type of competition they will face because many of the runners will be familiar faces.

“Pretty much this is our district,” Barker said. “Our district is solid. We have a lot of the state leaders and top All-State guys and girls in our district too.”
Senior Amber Church is competing in six events, the most of any Cougar, including the 55 meter dash, 55 meter hurdles, high jump, long jump, triple jump, and 300 meter dash. She was unable to compete last year due to injures, but is expecting to be able to compete at full strength this year, which should translate into a lot of success at the meet.

“I got injured, so I had to drop out of most of the events,” Church said. “I did get third in the hurdles. I am stronger and faster this year, so I am excited. I haven’t had an injury, which is a first. Every year I have competed besides this one, I have had an injury.”

Another Cougar looking to impress is Robert Cobbs. The senior set the region record for the 55 meter hurdles with a time of 6.76 seconds on his way to his first ever region title. He also set his personal best time in the 300 meter dash and finished third.

“It has been a great season," Cobbs said. "It’s good when you can see all your hard work pay off. Now it’s just about going out and running as hard as I can. I just have to go for it and see what happens.”



The team has participated four times at the Tolsma Center at Liberty this season. Many of these athletes have a different opinion on competing at Tolsma compared to the Rector Fieldhouse at Virginia Tech. Both Stone and Songer prefer Tolsma over Rector.

“For me, I like Liberty better than I like the track that we used at districts and regionals,” Songer said. “I’m not sure for Chuck [Stone], but I like the atmosphere at Liberty and where the ring is for shot put. It is secluded, so you don’t get distracted when you are trying to throw.”
Barker thinks that the throwers may like the facility at Liberty better because of how good the shot put facilities are.

“I think the shot put area is better for them at Liberty, but the track in general is worse,” Barker said. “At Rector, the track is banked and at Tolsma Center, it isn’t. Tech has a better surface and you can breathe better too. That is one thing about Tolsma. The air is always dry in there. If you run a lot, you get real dizzy and a dry throat. You feel like someone is going to stick their arm out and trip you.”

“Just in general in the room, it feels really cramped at Liberty,” England said. “At Rector Fieldhouse, it has more room. I had to get used to that track the way it was banked and raised. Now I actually kind of like the sound of everything because I can hear the people behind me. I can’t at Liberty.”

Coach Jamie McCarty has been working hard with the group the last few weeks to try to get them prepared for the competition they will face.

“Basically, we have just stayed on the same track we’ve been on and doing a lot of the same work,” McCarty said. “We’ve been beating around in the gym a little bit and bouncing around in the field house doing some stuff. We are doing whatever running we can get in wherever we can right now. We still have a foot of snow on the track, so we haven’t been able to get out there yet. They have been working hard at what we are doing.

Despite the snow outside that has changed the Cougars routine to get ready for the event, McCarty doesn’t believe that the conditions will have a big effect on how the runners and throwers will do on Saturday.

“I don’t think it is going to be too bad,” McCarty said. “Most of them have been around it long enough now. Amber and Ethan are seniors. Ethan is a junior. They have been doing it a while. They have understood what we have had to do to make the necessary changes. We have still gotten some good work in. I don’t really think anyone is at a disadvantage because the whole state got pounded with snow. It’s not like we got snow and no one else did. I don’t think the snow will play a big part into preparation for state. Everyone is in the same boat with that.”

Cougars season ended by Bengals

By CODY DALTON
cody@southwesttimes.com

BASSETT – For the second straight year, the Lady Cougars went to the Region IV, Division 4 playoffs to face Bassett in the first round. Unlike last year though, the Cougars were bested by the Bengals as Pulaski’s season ended with a 56-45 loss on Tuesday.

“Bassett is a good team and well balanced,” said Cougars coach Jason Grubb. “They have some kids that can scores outside and some penetrators and post players that played really well tonight. I felt like our girls played hard and played a physical game.

“The difference tonight was free throws, when you look at our stats. We were pretty balanced with rebounds. Both us and Bassett were really close on that. Shooting percentage was really close. Neither team was really success from behind the arc tonight. The biggest difference was the number of free throws made and the number of fouls. That really hurt us tonight.”

Kasey Holcomb and Daisy Ball helped the Cougars jump out to the quick 5-2 lead in the first quarter with a 3-pointer and lay up respectively. By the end of the quarter though, Bassett had worked their way into the lead and built a five-point cushion, 12-7.

Ball would help with the Cougars offensive effort in the second quarter and help will her team back into the game. She used her distinct size advantage against a much smaller Bengal squad and scored seven points in the first half.

Despite Ball’s presence in the paint, Bassett would continue to exploit the Pulaski zone defense by spreading the floor. That allowed many baskets right down the right side of the lane. Julia Scales scored six points in the quarter that way, as the Bengals took a 23-16 halftime lead.

What had been a fairly clean first half as far as fouls go for both teams would change in a hurry. Pulaski would pick up seven fouls after just the first 4:14 in the second half. Despite having no fouls in the first, three of those fouls would be on Ball, as she sat on the bench in foul trouble.

With her not in the game, Bassett continued to work the paint and stretched their lead all the way up to 32-20. Ball would return in a big way later in the quarter for the Cougars. She scored six points before the end of the quarter and close that 12-point lead to just seven points, 37-30.

However, Pulaski’s foul trouble would mount in the fourth quarter. With just a few minutes off the clock, Sydney Anderson would pick up her fourth foul and Daisy Ball would foul out. Anderson and Raiven Patterson would also foul out with just three minutes left in the game, leaving the Cougars without many of their key offensive weapons.

Without the aid of the three, Kasey Holcomb would attempt to put the team on her shoulders and carry them back into the game. She drive to the basket and be fouled, going to the foul line eight times in the final quarter and make all eight attempts.

Her efforts would go in vain though, as Pulaski just couldn’t catch back up. Bassett would be fouled 27 times in the game and make 24 of their 36 attempts. Pulaski was fouled 17 times and hit 14-for-21 from the free throw line.

The Cougars end the season with an 11-15 record and two straight playoff appearances. Grubb reflected on his team’s season after the game.

“As far as the season goes, it is disappointing ending the season on a note like this, but there were a lot of positives to take away from the season and a lot of positives down the road,” Grubb said. “I think that this team was forced to handle a lot of adversity from the get-go. We experienced a lot of different injuries from a lot of different players. I think there were very few players who stayed healthy all season long and were available for every single game. We had two girls that were contributors tear their ACLs – one just before the season and one in January. The face of our team kept changing and our style of play kept changing. We had to keep making adjustments to it because our personnel kept changing.

“We did play some really good games, played some tough teams close, and had some success. We had some great team improvements and individual team improvements, when you how these kids have progressed through their high school careers. Brittany Lawson, our lone senior, had a good season, improved in every aspect of her game and was a leader on the court and in practice. Her shooting percentage increased, her rebounds increased, and her overall contribution to the team increased.

“Everyone else has an opportunity to come back and get even better next year. That is exciting that we have so much young talent and we can build on it in the future.”
Daisy Ball finished with a career-high 17 points. She also grabbed nine rebounds and blocked four shots. Kasey Holcomb scored 13 points, while Raiven Patterson added nine points and six rebounds.

Wojcik, Bowman place at state match

By CODY DALTON
cody@southwesttimes.com



SALEM – Cougar wrestlers Tommy Wojcik and Matt Bowman finished what was a success campaign for the wrestling team this past season. Both wrestlers placed at the state match, which was the first time that had happened since 2006.

Senior Matt Bowman capped off his PCHS wrestling career on Saturday, capturing seventh place at the 171-pound weight limit. For him, it was redemption from an opportunity he couldn’t capitalize on last season.

“I qualified last year, so this was something I was definitely looking forward to this year,” Bowman said. “I did a lot better than last year. Last year at states, I got knocked out because I got sick the day before. So I had to make up for it this year, especially being one of the two seniors on the team and a leader. That was important to me.”

Bowman defeated Tommy Neal of Jefferson Forest, 1-0, in the final match of his high school wrestling career. He now hopes to have college wrestling in his future and pursue athletic training while in school.

“Right now, I have been talking to some coaches and trying to get some scholarships,” Bowman said. “If I don’t get any, I will try to be a walk on in college for hopefully Virginia Tech or a few different North Carolina schools.”

Junior Tommy Wojcik also had an impressive outing, finishing eighth at the 189 pound limit. For him, the experience was something that he had hoped for since he first joined the wrestling team as a freshman.

“The past two years, my freshman and sophomore year, I didn’t get too far,” Wojcik said. “All I was able to do was go to regionals. I knew it was a big thing for me my junior year to get to states. Just going was one of the best parts of my season. Placing was even better. It just made my whole season better. That is what I have been wishing for since my freshman year. Hopefully, next year I can win it.”

Wojcik finishes the year with 99 career victories and will look to next season for his 100th. He already has his sites set on that mark for next year and even more goals past that.

“I’m going to try and get at least get 150 wins total before the year is over,” Wojcik said. “I’m trying to go undefeated next year and work my best at it. If I play football this year, I am still going to practice wrestling three days a week. I’m going to do anything to work towards my goals.”

Two for the show: Radford sweeps titles

By CODY DALTON
cody@southwesttimes.com



CHRISTIANSBURG – It was a clean sweep for Radford High School’s basketball teams on Friday night, as both the girl’s and boy’s squads picked up victories in the finals of their Three Rivers District tournament championship games.

It took overtime in the night’s opening action between the Floyd and Radford girls, but the Bobcats were able to overcome a four point lead late in the extra session to pick up the incredible 53-51 victory.

Radford (20-2) trailed Floyd (17-5) late in overtime, 51-47, before mounting a comeback in the game’s final moments. Elizabeth Carter would hit a crucial 3-pointer and pull the Bobcats within one point, as coach Kevin Conner took a timeout to set up a play with just 19.6 second left on the clock.

“I thought we had plenty of time,” Conner said. “A lot of teams in that situation will try to foul right off the bat. I didn’t want to. I felt that with 19 seconds that maybe we could force them into a 10-second call. So we were going to run a trap and try to get a steal. If they broke it and got past half court, then we were going to foul.”

What would happen in the next ten seconds though would shock the Floyd crowd and send the Radford fans into hysteria. The Buffaloes would in-bound the ball and attempt to get it past half court.

However, Radford guard Pip Pattison would get a steal and almost fall out of bounds, but she would find teammate Maryah Sydnor for the lay up just before falling out. Sydnor would be fouled as well on the play, as the game completely changed in one moment. Sydnor recalled the play after the game.

“I just thought ‘oh my gosh’,” Sydnor said. “We knew we had to go all out and I just got in their faces. Pip came up and made a big steal, saved the ball, and I knew she was going to throw it to me. I saw her looking at me. We made eye contact and I just made a play.”

“Pip just made an unbelievable play on the basketball,” Conner said. “You aren’t going to see a more athletic play than that right there.”

Sydnor would hit the ensuing free throw and a Floyd attempt to tie the game came up short, as the Bobcats defeated their rivals for the coveted championship.

Radford had trailed by double digits heading into the second quarter of the game. Floyd’s Brittany Ingram scored eight points in the first quarter, six of which came from 3-pointers. A career-high performance by Sarah Hale though would help lead the Bobcats to rally in the game.

Six of her 15 points in the game came in the second quarter, as Radford took an 11 point deficit and turned it into a two point margin, 34-32, heading into halftime. She finished with 15 points and eight rebounds.

“I feel like it was a game between two of the best teams in the state tonight,” Hale said. “It probably won’t be the last time we play them. I don’t want it to be the biggest game of the season though. I want us to go to bigger and better things.”

“This is her best game of the year and probably the best game of her career,” Conner said. “I thought she did a good job on [Carmen] Bolt. She got tired. We have been waiting for her to have a big night for us. She has been a solid role player for us and tonight she just stepped it up.”

That changed the game dramatically, as both teams continued to battle all the way to the final buzzer. Hale would also have the tying basket for Radford, which sent the game into overtime at 41-41.

Maryah Sydnor led Radford with 22 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks. Hale added a career-high 15 points and eight rebounds, while Pip Pattison didn’t score, but had nine assists and four steals, one of which helped five Radford the win.



In the boy’s championship game, it was hot shooting by Radford that gave the Bobcats the Three Rivers District Tournament Championship to match their regular season district championship.

It was all Mustangs early on in the game, as they would take a quick 12-2 lead thanks to four points each from Brad Wooten and Shawn Christian. That forced Radford into a timeout to regroup.

“I didn’t feel a sense of urgency or feel a sense of panic,” said Bobcats coach Rick Cormany. “I just felt like we needed to have a quick 30 second timeout and tell the guys it was going to be ok and that they had to defend harder and they are going to run out of steam. You can’t play at that pace if you don’t go to your bench.”

The Bobcats clawed their way back in the first quarter with clutch three point shooting, exploiting the Mustang’s zone defense. In total, Radford hit four three pointers in the first quarter to close the gap to 24-19 at the end of the first.
The hot shooting continued into the second, as a five point Eastern Montgomery lead quickly became a 15 point Radford lead before the quarter ended. Four Bobcats – Jerome Alexander, Jordan Alexander, D.J. Palmer, and Dontae Carter – would rally the effort, as the Bobcats hit five more three pointers.

While the Radford shooting remained consistently hot in the second half, Eastern Montgomery would struggle to get scores. That stretched Radford’s lead into the 20’s.
The Eastern Montgomery slump would end in the fourth, as they started to get some points, but the Bobcats never let up and answered every basket. That helped to seal the 82-61 victory and the Three Rivers Tournament Championship.

Jerome Alexander and Dontae Carter tied for scoring honors for Radford with 19 points. Alexander also grabbed 11 rebounds. D.J. Palmer scored 14 points and Jordan Alexander had a season-high 15 points.

After starting the season late and having a young team, Cormany talked how special this championship was with this group compared to last season.

“The thing about it is that it feels real rewarding and real special because I never would have thought we would run the table in our league like we did,” Cormany said. “I just didn’t think we were capable of doing that, especially with losing all of the players we lost. I think we’ve done it by committee and we’ve had different guys step up. We’ve been able to play so many players that we just kind of wear people down. We just keep the pressure on them. I think that is the best part of that.”
Carter reflected on winning two championships, first with a veteran group last season to a relatively young team this season.

“Last year’s team, we just had a lot of good leaders and a lot of seniors that helped encourage us and make us practice harder,” Carter said. “This year, it has just carried over from the leadership we had last year and helped realize what it takes to win a championship here. We’ve just brought that to the court and it has helped us.”

After their respective games, Radford’s Dontae Carter and Maryah Sydnor were both named Three Rivers Players of the Year. Cormany was also named Coach of the Year. Five Bobcats were given team honors, including Sydnor (First Team), Carter (First Team), Pip Pattison (First Team), Jerome Alexander (Second Team), and D.J. Palmer (Honorable Mention).

The Radford girl’s will return to the court for their first playoff action in Region C. Radford boy’s basketball team will also have a home playoff game on Wednesday. Pairings will be officially announced on Sunday on the Virginia High School League website, vhsl.org.

Basket bingo a success for Lady Cougars

Basketball team raises needed funds

By CODY DALTON
cody@southwesttimes.com



DUBLIN – Saturday’s “Lady Cougar Basket Bingo” was a success for the girl’s basketball program at Pulaski County High School. 35 people attended the event, which raised $1,678 dollars for the Lady Cougar basketball program.

The Lady Cougar Basketball Boosters extends a thank you to all of the sponsors and businesses for helping to contribute to a successful fundraiser.
Many used the event to cope with the ongoing round of snow storms that have been going on. Kathy Whitaker drove all the way from Galax to participate and have a good time playing with family.

“It’s a great way to get out from the cabin fever,” Whitaker said. “It’s going towards a good cause and you get to take your prizes home. We love it. This is what we do. We go far and wide to bingo. Not just bingo, but basket bingo.”
Sally Quesenberry came to the event to enjoy compete for the Longaberger baskets, play bingo, and support the team.

“I like Longaberger baskets and I like to play bingo,” Quesenberry said. “It helps that it is going towards a good cause.”
Jayvee coach Tiffany Payne, who helped organize the event, was pleased with the end result, but was mindful of what the turnout could have been after delaying the initial event due to weather.

“We had a good turnout,” Payne said. “The only thing that hurt us when it came to the amount of money we could have brought in was that we had to cancel it once. If we could have had it on the original day, I think we could have had a better turn out. With the people we had here, it has been great. It’s been a lot of fun and a lot of hard work.”

Among the bingo winners were Brenda Riggins (twice), Nicholas Chaffin (twice), Kevin Thomas, Stacy Whitaker, Frances Kemeny (twice), Kathy Whitaker, Linda Boadwine, Jamie Rasmussen (three times), Amy Myers, Tiffany Payne, Mike King (twice), Gayle Duncan, Carli Brewer (twice), Susan Holcomb, Faith Chrisley
Winning door prizes were Carli Brewer, Mike King (twice), Kathy Whitaker, Jamie Rasmussen, Brenda Riggins (twice), Peggy Dalton, Lori King, Shannon Honaker, Debbie Fogarty, Kelli Duncan, Susan Holcomb (twice), Linda Boadwine, Stacy Whitaker, Keith Thomas, Faith Chrisley (twice), Jordan Chrisley, and Rhonda Chrisley.

The Boosters have another event scheduled this month, as they will be conducting a fundraiser at Wendy’s on Feb. 25. 15 percent of everything sold from 5-8 p.m. in either the drive-thru or dine-in will be given to the Booster Association.

“A lot of the other programs have done that made $600 or more,” said Eddie Wright, President of the Lady Cougar Basketball Association. “Wendy’s in Dublin has been really good about helping all of the programs.”

With the success of the Basket Bingo, Payne has plans in place to make the bingo a permanent staple and fundraiser for the team.

“I really think we are going to try to do some more of these,” Payne said. “Hopefully the next time we have one of these, we won’t have to cancel and reschedule it.”

Cougars clipped by Spartans in semis

Pulaski plays Blacksburg for third place on Thursday

By CODY DALTON
cody@southwesttimes.com



SALEM – The Lady Cougar basketball team’s quest to repeat as River Ridge District Tournament Champions came up short on Tuesday, when they lost to top-seeded Salem, 49-29, on the road. The Cougars now meet Blacksburg on Thursday for third place.

“Salem is great team and they played well tonight,” said Cougars coach Jason Grubb. “Our kids played hard, but we just couldn’t find the bucket enough. Shooting percentage was way down. We were 22 percent overall, 38 percent from the free throw line, and 14 percent from the three-point line. We were rusty. So tomorrow, we are going to get out, practice, and do some shooting to get ready for our next game.”

In the first half, it was a lack of shooting accuracy by both teams that made it extremely low scoring. Pulaski’s Elizabeth Thacker would score the opening basket of the game, but Salem would answer with seven consecutive points to take an early lead. The Spartans would lead 10-6 after the low scoring first quarter.
The pace of the game was being dictated by the Cougars, who deviated from a high octane offense and went to a set offensive attack. That created many fouls and allowed free throw opportunities for Pulaski.

Those free chances would evade the Cougars though in the first half, as they were just 3-for-11 from the charity stripe. However, the Salem margin was just a manageable six points, 18-12, at halftime.

“We came out and played well in the first half,” Grubb said. “It was a little bit of a sloppy game both ways as far as scoring goes. We didn’t have a whole lot of success scoring around the rim and neither did they. At halftime, we were down by six. We felt good about that in the locker room. We weren’t celebrating, but we felt like we were in position to make a run at them."

However, the Spartans would quickly take charge of the game offensively. Bre Kawa connected on a three-pointer to open the quarter and Alexius Patterson converted on a three-point play after being fouled on a lay up attempt.

Pulaski would continue to push throughout the third quarter and pulled to within nine points after sophomore Daisy Ball created her own three point play opportunity. The Spartans still extended their advantage in the quarter though and led 34-23.
Salem would start out the fourth quarter with five out of the first six scores. All five of those scores were from different Salem players as well. While their offense was scoring, the Spartan defense was doing their job as well, as they forced 25 Cougar turnovers in the game, many of which led to scores. Pulaski also shot just 22.7% from the field in the game. That helped Salem advance to the Friday’s championship game with the victory.

“In the second half, we played hard, but didn’t make our shots and they had some success behind the arc, which extended our defense out a little bit,” Grubb said. “It was a very physical game. I think the physicality kept us from finishing our shots a little bit.”

Daisy Ball led the Cougars with nine points and 10 rebounds, with eight of those rebounds being offensive. Raiven Patterson and Kasey Holcomb both added five points each for Pulaski.

The Cougars now face Blacksburg High School in the third place game before opening up action in the Region IV playoffs. The Bruins were edged by Hidden Valley, 45-39, in the other district semi-final.

“All we can do is put it behind us and look forward to Blacksburg,” Grubb said. “We have a consolation game against Blacksburg on Thursday. I think we are pretty confident we can go out and get a victory against Blacksburg and get ready for a run at regionals.”

Lady Cougars win tourney opener, face Salem tonight

Win over Knights gives Pulaski a Region IV berth

By CODY DALTON
cody@southwesttimes.com

DUBLIN – The Lady Cougar basketball team opened defense of their River Ridge District Tournament Championship on Monday with a convincing 45-28 victory over Cave Spring. The win clinches a berth in the Region IV playoffs for Pulaski.

“Our kids were a little more relaxed than they should have been,” said Cougars coach Jason Grubb. “Cave Spring played some inspired basketball. Our kids stepped up to the challenge and were aggressive. They were aggressive offensively and defensively. We pulled out the victory.”

Pulaski (10-13, 4-6) jumped out to a quickly 13-1 lead in the first quarter. Kasey Holcomb scored five points and Raiven Patterson added four points in the run. That allowed the Cougars to garner a 16-4 lead after the first.

Cave Spring (2-20, 0-10) would climb back in the second quarter and pulled to within nine points of the Cougar lead, but Pulaski would keep their 12 point lead in tact. It was 25-13 in favor of the Cougars at halftime.

Once again, the Cougars maintained momentum in the third quarter and stretched their lead all the way to 18 points at the early part of the quarter thanks to three combined baskets by Patterson and Sydney Anderson combined. Once again, Pulaski would hold on to a 12-point lead for the third consecutive quarter.

Cave Spring would attempt to pull back in the game, but shot just 23 percent from the field in the game. That cold shooting combined with 36 points in the paint by Pulaski doomed them in the game.

Raiven Patterson led the Cougars with 10 points. Kasey Holcomb added nine points and five assists. The Cougars also had key post play from Brittany Lawson and Daisy Ball. Lawson scored seven points and grabbed five rebounds, while Ball scored seven points and grabbed five rebounds.

The Cougars now travel tonight to take on River Ridge top seed Salem at 6 p.m. with a trip to the tournament championship game at Roanoke College on Wednesday on the line. The Spartans were off last night and had a first round bye. Grubb sees their break from action as a potential disadvantage for them and a positive for his team.

“Hopefully, this is one of those games that will get the rust out,” Grubb said. “I think it did. As crazy as the weather has been, we’ve had some many games rescheduled, and postponed and some many practices cancelled, it is easy for kids to lose their sharpness.

“I would like to think this was kind of a warm up game for the game tomorrow night. Salem didn’t play tonight. Hopefully we’ll come out crisp against them and be able to get a big victory on our way to the district championship game.”

Church, Cobbs shine at Regionals

Seven Cougar runners headed to States

By CODY DALTON
cody@southwesttimes.com



CHRISTIANSBURG – Seniors Amber Church and Robert Cobbs were impressive on Saturday ay the Region IV indoor track meet, as seven Cougars are on their way to the Tolsma Track Center at Liberty University for State Championships.

Amber Church led the way for Pulaski, as she captured three championships and three runner-up finishes for the team. With those three championships, Church set new marks for Region IV in the 55 meter hurdles (8:56), 55 meter dash (7:35), and high jump (5-4). All three of her runner-up finishes in long jump (18-0), triple jump (35-3), and 300 meter dash (43:58) were also personal bests.

“Amber has done a great job this season,” said Cougars indoor track coach Jamie McCarty. “She is stronger and faster than last year and has worked tremendously hard, and it is really showing in her performance, she right now is one of the best female athletes in the state of Virginia.”

Joining Church on the girl’s side are both Pearl Meredith and Grace England. Meredith finished sixth in the girl’s 500 meter dash and England finished fifth in the 3200 meter run with a personal best time (12:15).

Robert Cobbs won his first ever Region Championship in the boy’s 55 meter dash. That performance was also a new meet record with a time of 6.76. He would also finish third in the 300 meter dash with a new personal time (36.97).

“Robert has had a great season,” McCarty said. “He is the perfect example of what hard work can do for you, he has done this for 3 years and just improves every time out”

Other finishes on the boy’s side were third and fourth by Matt Songer and Chuck Stone in the shot put at the event and Ethan Barker finished sixth in the 55 meter hurdles.

Pulaski finished seventh in boy’s competition as a team with 27 points, while the girl’s team finished fourth with 65 points (just two points behind second and four behind third). Blacksburg took home both the boy’s and girl’s titles.

These Cougars now have two weeks to prepare, as they set their sites for the VHSL State meet at Liberty University on Feb. 27.

Hidden Valley inches by Lady Cougars

By CODY DALTON
cody@southwesttimes.com



DUBLIN – Always the bridesmaid, but never the bride. That has been the story in several close games this season for the Lady Cougars basketball team. Such was the case on Monday, when the team played an extremely close contest down to the wire, only to come up short in a tough 52-48 loss to River Ridge leading Hidden Valley at home.

“We were definitely competitive and had an opportunity to win,” said Cougars coach Jason Grubb. “We just have to take care of the ball. We played hard and played good defense. Our players did a nice job of staying out of foul trouble. We got the ball into scoring position, but we can’t turn the ball over and give them 24 more possessions.”

The Lady Cougars have now lost five games this season by five points or less. Four of those five losses by Pulaski (9-12, 4-5) were critical district contests against both Hidden Valley (lost 55-54 and 52-48) and Blacksburg (lost 55-50 and 39-38) with two of the losses coming this week. It also marks the eighth single digit loss this season overall.

Early on, it was all Hidden Valley’s Tyler Evans. The sophomore scored six early points, as the Titans (14-5, 7-1) took the early 6-3 lead. They would stretch out their lead to as high as seven before Raiven Patterson closed with a buzzer beating lay up. After the first, it was 12-7 in favor of the Titans.

An early lay up by Sydney Anderson would cut the Hidden Valley lead to just three points, but the Titans would continue to pressure the Cougar offense, forcing many turnovers. That pushed Hidden Valley to their largest lead of the game, 19-11.

That marked a turning point in the quarter. Not having key contributors Daisy Ball and Raiven Patterson on the court because of foul trouble, the Lady Cougars got key contributions from Maddy Chitwood. After Hannah Chaffin assisted in a Brittany Lawson score, Chitwood would get steals on back-to-back Titan possessions.

With Ball and Patterson returning to the lineup, Chitwood continued to impress. Ball would fail to convert on a lay up, but Chitwood was there for the offensive rebound and put back. Just before the end of the period, Chitwood would also connect on a three pointer, as Pulaski stormed back with a 10-0 run to take the 21-19 lead after halftime.

“Maddy is a kid who is always ready to go,” Grubb said. “She doesn’t need a lot of warm up time and in certain roles, she can really help you out. She got out there and gave us a spark when we were a little bit flat. She got out there with intensity. She got into the passing lane and got some steals. She just did a really good job.”

A few scores early in the third quarter pushed Pulaski to their biggest lead of the game. Patterson scored three points, Ball added a lay up, and Elizabeth Thacker hit two free throws, as the Cougar lead was seven, 28-21.

Before the quarter was over the Titans would climb back into the game. Senior Rachel Singleton would hit two jump shots and Lindsey Divers added a lay up. That closed the Cougar lead to just two points, 33-31, heading into the final quarter.

As she had done in the first quarter for the Titans, Evans would be a force for Hidden Valley early on in the fourth quarter. She would score two lay ups off of Cougar turnovers from the newly applied full court press. Pulaski would commit a costly 24 turnovers in the game.

“Turnovers just killed us,” Grubb said. “During the game, I knew they were pretty bad, but I didn’t realize we had 24 turnovers. Against a quality team like Hidden Valley, who is first place in the district, you usually can’t expect to be competitive when you commit 24 turnovers.”

Counteracting those mistakes was a season best effort by guard Raiven Patterson. The junior would will her team in the closing moments, scoring 11 of her game-high 16 points in the fourth.

“Raiven realized she needed to step up and help her team out,” Grubb said. “She was very communicative on defense by calling out screens and calling out switches. She was making sure we were matched up. She was being a leader out there.”
Despite Patterson’s efforts though, Hidden Valley refused to relinquish the lead. After Evans extended Hidden Valley’s lead to five, 51-46, the Cougars would drive down court and get a jump shot from Marlena Morrison. That cut the lead down to just three.

Pulaski would send Kayla Osborne to the free throw line with 2.2 seconds remaining and hoped for two misses. However, she would make one of two shots, as that would be enough to seal the win for Hidden Valley.

Patterson ended the game with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and five steals. Sydney Anderson scored nine points and Ball added seven points. Chaffin led the Cougars in rebounds with five.

The Cougars have one more game remaining in the regular season before beginning defense of their River Ridge District Tournament Championship. The team is schedule to play Salem tonight in “Senior Night”, but the game could be changed due to weather. Grubb stressed the weight of Tuesday’s game.

“I think it is important that we play well in the last game,” Grubb said. “We definitely feel like we have something to prove in the tournament. If we start that off with a win in the last game of the regular season, it would be great.

“We played Salem last time and got ourselves down by double digits at halftime. Then we battle back after being down 18 or 19 and cut the lead to five in the fourth quarter. Then we had to foul a little bit. Salem is a very talented team. Of course, it is ‘Senior Night’. We have one senior who had done really well all season long. We look forward to honoring her. Hopefully, we’ll get a lot of people in the stands to support her and our team.”