By CHAD COOPER
Southern Gap High School’s inaugural athletic season has already produced its share of memorable moments, but last week may have been the busiest and most historic yet for the Eagles.
The Eagles recorded a first victory in the new, impressive gymnasium, a first team championship on the cross-country course, and the first football road trip in school history. The golfers also continued proving they belong among the established programs of the Southwest District.
Not bad for one week.
The week began last Monday evening with Southern Gap’s first home athletic contest. By the end of the night, the Eagles had another first to celebrate.
Southern Gap swept Honaker 3-0 to earn the volleyball program’s first victory, but the moment felt bigger than the final score.
A large crowd filled the new gymnasium to watch athletes from Council, Grundy, Hurley and Twin Valley compete together under one name. Players who once wore different uniforms were now celebrating side by side as Southern Gap Eagles.
That is what stood out most to me.
You could see how quickly the girls have accepted one another as teammates. They communicated, celebrated every point and played with the chemistry of a group that had been together much longer than a few weeks.
At times, coach Hannah Lester used rotations that included players from each of the four communities. It was a small detail, but it represented exactly what this new school is supposed to be about.
When the match ended, the game ball was saved and set aside for the school’s trophy case.
Years from now, students may walk past that volleyball without knowing every detail from the night it was used. They may not remember the score or who recorded the final point, but the ball will always represent where Southern Gap volleyball began.
It will represent the first home match, the first victory and one of the first times Buchanan County packed the stands to cheer for one team.
The history continued Sept. 2 at the SWVA High/Middle Cross Country Rumble at the Virginia-Kentucky District Fairgrounds in Wise.
Southern Gap’s boys didn’t have an individual winner, but they had something even more important in a team competition — strength in numbers.
Sophomore Ethan Deel led the Eagles with a third-place finish, while Wyatt Street, Bentley Jackson and Kyler Lester also placed among the top nine. Oliver Breeding completed the team score by finishing 13th.
Those five performances allowed Southern Gap to edge Wise Central 39-42 and capture the first boys cross-country team championship in school history.
Three points separated first place from second. That means every runner, every position gained, and every final push toward the finish line mattered.
The Southern Gap girls nearly made it a championship sweep.
Freshman Katelyn Wolford finished second overall and continued to establish herself as one of the area’s top young runners. Kelly Ratliff earned a top-10 finish, while Vieronika Silishchenko, Ava Ward and Madison Lester helped the Eagles secure second place behind Wise Central.
Ella Robinson also represented Southern Gap in the race.
Southern Gap’s golfers also continued to make their presence felt in the Southwest District.
The Eagles finished third in a seven-team district match with a score of 169, trailing only Graham and Marion. Southern Gap finished ahead of Lebanon, Virginia High, Richlands and Tazewell.
Ethan Deel and Jaxon Hardin led the Eagles with rounds of 41, while Brayden Hopkins shot a 42. Mason Boyd and Ben Mayhew each carded a 45, and Street finished with a 50.
Golf may not always receive the same attention as some other high school sports, but Southern Gap’s players have quietly put together an impressive inaugural season under head coach Preston Hibbitts. They have stepped onto courses against experienced district programs and shown they can compete.
The busy week concluded Friday night at Rye Cove, where Southern Gap’s football team played away from home for the first time.
Rye Cove entered the game as the two-time defending Region 1D champion. Southern Gap entered with two varsity games of experience.
On paper, that looked like a difficult matchup. On the field, the Eagles showed they were not intimidated.
Southern Gap scored first, carried a 16-14 lead into halftime and moved back in front late in the third quarter. The Eagles were within four points entering the final period before Rye Cove used a couple of big plays to pull away for a 35-24 victory.
Aidan Baker and Gunner Baker scored rushing touchdowns. Carson Blankenship electrified the Southern Gap sideline with an 88-yard kickoff return for a score, and quarterback Brayden White made plays on both sides of the football.
White helped set up the opening touchdown, threw two successful conversion passes, ran for another conversion and intercepted a pass on defense.
The Eagles did not get the result they wanted, but they left War Eagle Field with something valuable. They proved they could travel into a difficult environment and compete with one of the region’s established powers.
For much of the night, there was little difference between a football program with a championship history and one playing its third game.
That says something about the foundation coach Greg Tester, his staff, and their players are building.
Looking back, last week was about much more than scores and statistics.
It was about the roar inside the gymnasium when the volleyball team won its first match. It was about exhausted runners realizing they had made school history. It was about golfers continuing to earn respect and a young football team discovering it could compete on the road against a regional champion.
Most of all, it was about athletes from four communities continuing to become one team.
These young men and women are carrying the traditions of Council, Grundy, Hurley and Twin Valley with them, but they are also creating something new. Every match, race, round and game adds another line to a story that has only begun.
Someday, Southern Gap will have trophy cases filled with reminders of past teams and athletes. Future Eagles will walk through the halls surrounded by years of school history.
The athletes competing today are the ones creating those first memories.
Last week, they created plenty.
I also want to thank the people of Buchanan County for getting behind our Southern Gap Eagles. Seeing those bleachers packed with fans wearing Vegas gold and black really is something special. Over the past few years, attendance at many local sporting events has declined, and the stands often looked bare. That has changed. Our community has rallied around these athletes, and the excitement inside the gymnasium and throughout the football stadium shows what Buchanan County can accomplish when we come together. The players have given us something to cheer for, and our fans have responded by making sure they know an entire county is behind them.
Thanks for joining me “In the Locker Room.” Until next week, let’s keep celebrating the victories, learning from the defeats, and always standing behind Buchanan County’s athletes.
