Marty Gordon
The 2018 high school football season starts this week, and there are several local players that I think will be outstanding performers this season.
The offensive standouts should be no brainers. Blacksburg’s Tiquest Terry will be given the entire spotlight after Cole Beck graduated and is now at Virginia Tech.
Over in Riner, I expect senior running back Triston Perry to become a true leader on a very young Auburn squad.
P.J. Prioleau is only a sophomore, so the sky is the limit for him in Radford, but expect him to have a breakout year and set the stage for the Bobcats’ future.
Eastern Montgomery’s Devin Owens might be my favorite to watch. The senior running back is coming off a year where he rushed for over a 1,000 yards.
Christiansburg will give the keys to the Buick to sophomore quarterback M.J. Hunter. Last season, he started five games and showed some glimmers of greatness. He will now be given the chance to prove himself. The question is whether he can lead a team that is still looking for someone to take them to the next level. If he fails, junior Jake Clemons at 6’6 will provide a good option.
On defense, there is a lot of experience on almost every team. In Blacksburg, Cole Epperley should take the next step. He was in the top three for the team last season in tackles and tackles for loss. That should continue this season.
He is starting to garner some attention from several Division I and II colleges after compiling
Mac Padgett could be a surprise for a Christiansburg team that continues to try and build a foundation. The senior excelled in a scrimmage against Auburn and seemed to be in on every tackle. He, along with teammate Matson Stanley, could be a bright spot on a team that will find the wins again tough this season.
Radford linebacker Justice Marshall (junior 5-8, 190) has a lot of experience under his belt, and I expect him to have a breakout year.
In Auburn, defensive lineman Drew Hill (senior, 5-10, 201) could be dangerous for the Eagles this season. Last year, he netted 121 tackles.
Down the mountain in Elliston, Eastern Montgomery will have to replace its top three tacklers from last season. I think the leading candidate will be 6-4, 215 junior defensive lineman Cole Shepherd. He give the Mustangs some size and already has an interception in last week’s benefit game against Tazewell.
The numbers game is starting to take a toll on schools throughout the state. You would expect that to be the problem here in the New River Valley and southwest Virginia as the smaller schools fight for numbers.
The Associated Press is reporting three Virginia high schools are canceling varsity football programs, citing a lack of interest.
Media outlets report that Charles City is canceling its entire program and other schools are canceling varsity schedules.
Park View High School in Sterling canceled its varsity schedule after only 18 players reported for tryouts. Manassas Park High School Principal Pamela Kalso told parents Tuesday that they’ll play a junior varsity schedule after practices routinely drew only 15 players.
The Virginia High School League recommends not playing varsity football with fewer than 25 students.
The declines come amid concerns about injuries, rising equipment and participation costs and demographic shifts. The National Federation of State High School Associations says high school football enrollment dropped 4.5 percent nationwide from 2006 to 2016.
Several of the Single-A type classified schools in our area are seeing similar problems this year.
I have to take a moment to recognize the effort by the Christiansburg High School volleyball, softball and track team to remember former member, Ashlyn Poole who died last month in a tragic car accident.
The groups have jumpstarted a scholarship effort in her honor. They are selling bracelets at home football games and around the community. The scholarship will be given to a deserving female CHS graduate in Poole’s name.
Also, kudos to the Christiansburg Macado’s who held an event on Saturday with most of the monies going to the Poole family to help with expenses.
We begin another season of panel picks today, and everyone will be chasing two-time champ Randy Hall, who is a Radford High School graduate and current recreation assistant for the town of Blacksburg.
The other panelists include: Myself, Brad Epperley (director of Christiansburg Parks and Recreation, a Blacksburg High School graduate and BHS radio color commentator), Greg Holbrook (Radford Parks and Recreation supervisor), Brian Tickle (manager of the Christiansburg Walmart) and Leigh Anne Henderson (longtime Christiansburg fan and NRV probation department).
Let the games begin.
If you have interesting sports stories or tips, please send them to NRVsports@ourvalley.org.
