Marty Gordon
People have asked me this weekend how would I describe the 17th straight wrestling state championship by Christiansburg High School.
Words like “dominating,” “super,” “wow” and “champs” come to mind. But others like “dedicated” and “athletic” should be used as well.
First-year coach Cliff Warden has done a great job, and since he has been given the keys to the classic car, he has continued the program’s winning ways. He left a program in West Virginia that will be going for its fifth state title this coming week. So, both programs are doing great.
But it’s the Christiansburg one that matters. Thanks Coach Warden for coming to the New River Valley and helping to continue this tradition.
The success of the program can also be seen in the number of student-athletes that go on to wrestle in college. Already CHS-grad Hunter Bolen is wrestling at Virginia Tech. Now Erik Eva is headed to Davidson, and all-world Marshall Keller is set to sign with Princeton. Last year, Zach Epperly and Joey Dance were on the mats for the Hokies.
I expect more of the Christiansburg wrestlers will follow suit and continue their careers in college.
Overall, the team has been ranked in the state’s top two of all classifications for most of the year. Congrats to everyone involved, and I expect several more state championships in the future.
It was a pleasure to MC a reception on Sunday to honor this fine group.
The wrestling world is a brotherhood so the death of a coach in Parkland, Florida this past week hit a little close to home. In the midst of the Blue Demons celebrating another championship Sunday at a special ceremony, onlookers took a moment to remember Aaron Feis from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
He was shot trying to protect students during at the school that took the lives of 17 students and teachers. During a reception at Hawkeye Hall Sunday night, the Blue Demons had a moment of silence to remember Feis and others killed during the tragedy.
Former Radford High School basketball player Blake Burdack is making a named at Barton College in Wilson, North Carolina. The 6’8 center is averaging 5.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
Blacksburg and Christiansburg high schools finally have lacrosse coaches. Kati Williams and Geoffrey Rowland will lead the teams at Blacksburg, while Matt Heron and Carla Corvin are new coaches at Christiansburg. Varsity boys and girls lacrosse is scheduled to start this spring.
Bacon at Cassell
Virginia Tech has one of the most unusual promotions this basketball season with “Flavor hails from Smithfield.” If the visiting teams misses two consecutive free throws in the second half, everyone in attendance receives a Smithfield Bacon voucher.
Don’t believe the rumors that Riner’s Matt Hagan might be leaving the NHRA any time soon. He took the classification’s first race this past week and in the words of his publicist, “the cows just can’t have him quite yet.” He is ready for another successful season and has started out on the right foot.
