against James River.
Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
Two student athletes from Radford High School are taking their talents to the next level. Nolan Dalton and Melody Burks have signed to play football and women’s basketball, respectively.
Dolan will play football at Bluefield State. He was a 2023 Class 2 center of the year and 2024 offensive lineman of the year. The 6-3, 275 lineman was also named to his second consecutive all-county/all-city team.
Bluefield State is located on the West Virginia side of the border and has a current enrollment of 1,301 students. The school belongs to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the NCAA Division II level, primarily competing in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) since the 2023–24 academic year.
In 2020, the school announced the return of football to the athletics program for the first time since 1980. Eleven new sports were added as well.
This past season, the football team was 1-9. Former Virginia Tech player Davon Martin is entering his third season at the helm of the program.
Burks is a 5-9 guard, who will play at Belmont-Abbey College, in Belmont, North Carolina.
The Belmont Abbey Crusaders participate in the NCAA’s Division II program and are members of Conference Carolinas.
