From the sidelines
By Marty Gordon
High school’s regular season basketball has come to close, and now it is time for the postseason. The Radford boys reloaded after the loss of two top players, Miles Jones and Quinton Morten-Robertson, and is poised for another state playoff run. This time around, Radford head coach Rick Cormany did not have to look too far for some outside shooting; he just looked across the dinner table where his son, Cam, lit up the scoreboard this season.
The younger Cormany has found a lot of success from behind the arc, and I don’t know if there is anyone in this end of the state with the defense to stop him. Look for Radford to slide in the back door with another chance at a state title.
Meanwhile, the Auburn boys have shown some punch of thei own, led by another coach’s son. Ethan Millirons has garnered plenty of box and double-team defenses this season, but he continues to put 20-plus points in the score book as the Eagles have been one of the top two teams from the Mt. Empire District.
Auburn should also make some noise in the playoffs with only Bland County or George Wythe standing in the way of a trip to the state semis.
The Christiansburg boys could also find the regional playoffs to their liking. Despite the fact they faltered in the second part of the season, they have some firepower to make some noise in the next week.
Eastern Montgomery’s girls have also had a successful season and are ready to show the world they are for real.
We should see several of the area schools in regional finals with no doubt, each could bring home a state title to our area.
The biggest event to watch is in Salem this weekend where Christiansburg is vying for its 18th state wrestling title in the past 19 years. Look for the Blue Demons to restart a streak that had reached 17 straight before it was broken last year with a runner-up finish to New Kent.
Also, keep your eyes on two local swim teams who caught fire at the right time. Both the Radford and Blacksburg High School teams took gold in their respective regions this past week and could bring home some state gold in the pool.
On a coaching note, longtime Richlands coach Greg Mance is taking his talents to the sunny side of football. He has accepted a gig as head coach of a high school outside Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Carroll County High School has a new football coach. He is Monty Chipman, who previously coached at North Wilkes, N.C. Carroll finished 3-7 last season and has not had a winning record since 2010.
Former Staunton River running back Grayson Overstreet is back to a familiar position at Emory and Henry College. The 6-2, 220-pounder had been playing linebacker for the past two years but will provide some extra punch in the backfield this fall.
In high school, he accounted for 9,042 yards rushing, 142 touchdowns and 950 points. In his lone game at running back last year for Emory & Henry, he rushed for 324 yards on 35 carries and scored twice in E&H’s 59-36 win over Ferrum.
