Buchanan’s best honored during inaugural BCSP banquet

By CHAD COOPER
[email protected]

Buchanan County’s finest student-athletes took one final bow before the start of a new era in county athletics as the Buchanan County Sports Podcast hosted its inaugural 2025-26 Sports Awards Banquet on June 27 at Grundy High School.

The evening brought together athletes, coaches, parents and community members to celebrate one of the most memorable years in Buchanan County sports history — the final athletic season for Grundy, Council, Hurley and Twin Valley High Schools before their consolidation into Southern Gap High School this fall.

More than 50 awards were presented throughout the evening, recognizing excellence across every varsity sport while also honoring perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication.

“The banquet went great, great turnout, great meal catered by Travis Fiser,” Buchanan County Sports Podcast founder Michael Dotson said. “Some great speeches from both athletes and coaches.”

The evening opened with an inspirational message from Pastor Eugene Whited of Blackey Baptist Church in Hurley. He encouraged athletes to reflect on more than wins and championships. Whited spoke about striving for personal records in athletics while also challenging those in attendance to consider their personal relationship with God and whether they had accepted Him as their Lord and Savior.

One of the night’s most emotional moments came during the presentation of the Josh Keen Award for Perseverance, established in memory of the late Josh Keen.

Josh’s brother, Chance Keen, shared memories of his brother’s life before Cheyenne Keen of Grundy and Josh Keen of Twin Valley were honored with the perseverance awards.

Dotson said both recipients delivered powerful acceptance speeches that resonated throughout the cafeteria.

The banquet also recognized Buchanan County’s rich wrestling tradition.

Travis Fiser and Raymond Webb presented the Raymond Webb Award to Reid Stiltner of Grundy as the county’s Most Dedicated Wrestler of the Year. The Greg Stiltner Award for Most Improved Wrestler went to Colton Clevinger of Grundy, while the prestigious F.D. Robertson Award for Outstanding Wrestler of the Year was presented to three-time VHSL state champion Talen Looney.

Sportsmanship was also celebrated through the Lloyd Combs Memorial Award.

Council basketball legend Neil Rasnake reflected on the life and legacy of Combs before Tim O’Quinn introduced boys recipient Ryder Anderson of Grundy. Council girls basketball coach Dan Periolo then introduced girls recipient Megan Hess of Council.

Following the special presentations, organizers recognized athletes from every sport.

Grundy and Council athletes dominated the cross country and track awards.

Keyston Hartford of Grundy earned Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year before also being recognized as Boys Indoor Track Athlete of the Year and Boys Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year. Council’s Ella Rasnake was selected Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year and Girls Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, while Grundy’s Cheyenne Keen earned Girls Indoor Field Athlete of the Year. Destany Armendariz was named Girls Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, and Matthew Thompson and Emma Davis were honored as the Boys and Girls Outdoor Field Athletes of the Year.

On the basketball court, Ethan McClanahan capped his stellar senior season by earning Boys Basketball Most Valuable Player honors after leading Grundy to the final Black Diamond District championship. Kyle Hunt was selected Defensive Player of the Year, while Council standout Jacob Ray earned Offensive Player of the Year.

Girls basketball honors went to Grundy’s Destany Armendariz as Defensive Player of the Year and Jade Vencill as Offensive Player of the Year. Rasnake added another award to her historic career by being named the Girls Basketball Most Valuable Player.

Grundy continued its dominance on the volleyball and softball courts.

Sophia Belcher earned Volleyball Hitter of the Year, Armendariz was selected Setter of the Year and Ryleigh Church received Volleyball Most Valuable Player honors.

Church later returned to the stage after being named Softball Most Valuable Player. Teammate Savannah Childress earned Softball Hitter of the Year, while Leah Rasnake received Softball Fielder of the Year honors.

Baseball awards also belonged to the Golden Wave. Jaccob Smeltzer was named Fielder of the Year, Brody Ford earned Hitter of the Year honors and Ayden Whited was recognized as the sport’s Most Valuable Player.

Hurley football players swept the offensive and defensive awards as Chase Baker was selected Defensive Player of the Year and Dylan Lester earned Offensive Player of the Year honors. Grundy’s Trey Taylor rounded out the football awards by being named Most Valuable Player.

Additional honors included Hurley’s Khloe Vance as Girls Golfer of the Year and Grundy’s Mason Boyd as Boys Golfer of the Year. Claire Griffey was recognized as Competitive Cheerleader of the Year, while Council’s Maggie Rasnake earned Marching Band Performer of the Year.

Kate Bostic and Brayden Conaway, both of Grundy, received the girls and boys Tennis Player of the Year awards.

The evening concluded with the presentation of Buchanan County’s highest individual honors.

Rasnake was named Female Athlete of the Year after an outstanding career that included success in cross country, indoor track, outdoor track and girls basketball, where she finished as Council High School’s all-time leading scorer.

Hartford, who recently signed with the University of Virginia, was selected Male Athlete of the Year following another remarkable season in cross country and track and field.

Dotson said both athletes spoke about the people who helped shape their success.

“Both athletes spoke about being thankful for their families, teammates, coaches and most importantly God for allowing them to begin to compete and achieve all that they have,” Dotson said. “We are extremely happy with the way everything turned out. We are looking forward to the second annual awards banquet at Southern Gap next year.”

The success of the awards banquet is the latest milestone for the Buchanan County Sports Podcast, which has grown from a Facebook page into a leading source for local sports coverage. Dotson started the Buchanan County Sports Podcast Facebook page in 2017, often managing it by himself while balancing family responsibilities. During periods when his wife battled serious health issues following multiple strokes, updates became less frequent, but his commitment to promoting Buchanan County athletics never wavered.

Looking to expand coverage, Dotson reached out during the summer of 2025 for volunteers interested in launching a podcast. Tim O’Quinn and Chris Pack were the first to answer the call, and both played key roles in helping establish the show during its inaugural year. Greg “Pistol” Smith later joined the team as the podcast’s cameraman while also assisting with coverage of local events. Together, the group attends games throughout the year, works with coaches to collect scores and statistics, and shares the stories of Buchanan County athletes.

Dotson said the group has developed more than just a working relationship over the past year, describing it as a brotherhood centered on serving the community. In addition to covering games and interviewing athletes, the podcast frequently highlights faith, with many student-athletes sharing how their relationship with God has influenced both their athletic careers and personal lives. The group hopes to continue honoring God while providing positive coverage of Buchanan County athletics for years to come.

Fans of Buchanan County Sports can watch full podcast episodes on YouTube by searching Buchanan County Sports Podcast, while the podcast’s Facebook page offers breaking local sports news, scores, interviews and one of the area’s largest collections of historic Buchanan County sports photographs, with team and individual images dating back more than 100 years.

2025-26 Buchanan County Sports Awards Banquet Award Winners

Cross Country

Girls Runner of the Year — Ella Rasnake, Council

Boys Runner of the Year — Keyston Hartford, Grundy

Golf

Girls Golfer of the Year — Khloe Vance, Hurley

Boys Golfer of the Year — Mason Boyd, Grundy

Baseball

Fielder of the Year — Jaccob Smeltzer, Grundy

Hitter of the Year — Brody Ford, Grundy

Most Valuable Player — Ayden Whited, Grundy

Volleyball

Hitter of the Year — Sophia Belcher, Grundy

Setter of the Year — Destany Armendariz, Grundy

Most Valuable Player — Ryleigh Church, Grundy

Competitive Cheer

Cheerleader of the Year — Claire Griffey, Grundy

Marching Band

Performer of the Year — Maggie Rasnake, Council

Softball

Fielder of the Year — Leah Rasnake, Grundy

Hitter of the Year — Savannah Childress, Grundy

Most Valuable Player — Ryleigh Church, Grundy

Football

Defensive Player of the Year — Chase Baker, Hurley

Offensive Player of the Year — Dylan Lester, Hurley

Most Valuable Player — Trey Taylor, Grundy

Josh Keen Award for Perseverance

Girls — Cheyenne Keen, Grundy

Boys — Josh Keen, Twin Valley

Indoor Track & Field

Girls Field Athlete of the Year — Cheyenne Keen, Grundy

Girls Track Athlete of the Year — Destany Armendariz, Grundy

Boys Track Athlete of the Year — Keyston Hartford, Grundy

Boys Basketball

Defensive Player of the Year — Kyle Hunt, Grundy

Offensive Player of the Year — Jacob Ray, Council

Most Valuable Player — Ethan McClanahan, Grundy

Girls Basketball

Defensive Player of the Year — Destany Armendariz, Grundy

Offensive Player of the Year — Jade Vencill, Grundy

Most Valuable Player — Ella Rasnake, Council

Wrestling

Raymond Webb Award (Most Dedicated Wrestler of the Year) — Reid Stiltner, Grundy

Greg Stiltner Award (Most Improved Wrestler of the Year) — Colton Clevinger, Grundy

F.D. Robertson Award (Outstanding Wrestler of the Year) — Talen Looney, Grundy

Outdoor Track & Field

Girls Field Athlete of the Year — Emma Davis, Grundy

Girls Track Athlete of the Year — Ella Rasnake, Council

Boys Field Athlete of the Year — Matthew Thompson, Grundy

Boys Track Athlete of the Year — Keyston Hartford, Grundy

Tennis

Girls Player of the Year — Kate Bostic, Grundy

Boys Player of the Year — Brayden Conaway, Grundy

Lloyd Combs Memorial Award for Sportsmanship

Girls — Megan Hess, Council

Boys — Ryder Anderson, Grundy

Overall Athletes of the Year

Girls Athlete of the Year — Ella Rasnake, Council

Boys Athlete of the Year — Keyston Hartford, Grundy