Blues blank Bearcats
Justice Hill of Richlands sets the ball.
Volleyball
Blues blank Bearcats
Haven Crabtree had six aces among her 19 service points as the Richlands Blue Tornado took a 25-15, 25-21, 25-19 Southwest District victory over Virginia High.
Averi Fuller’s 11 digs, nine kills and seven assists were also vital.
Kalayah Bristol led VHS with 27 digs.
Lebanon handles Richlands
Jaidyn Fields stuffed the stat sheet as usual – 14 kills, 10 digs, eight assists – as the Lebanon Pioneers recorded a 25-16, 25-14, 22-25, 25-16 Southwest District win.
Carlee Ingram (25 assists, nine digs), Kenlie Fields (27 digs), Kaytie Lampkin (12 kills) and Rhealyn Barton (seven kills) aided the win as well.
Bearcats best Bulldogs
Emma Hogston had seven kills and two aces in Virginia High’s 25-10, 25-15, 25-21 Southwest District triumph at Tazewell.
Blues blank Bearcats
Patlyn Barnett had 26 digs and three aces as Richlands cashed in with a 26-24, 25-21, 25-13 Southwest District victory over Virginia High.
The trio of Kileea Tucker (16 digs, seven kills), Wrigley Belcher (six assists, four blocks) and Cecilia Hernandez (17 digs) were tops for VHS.
Southern Gap shuts out G-Girls
Adyson Bell set the tone with 12 assists, six digs and four kills as the Southern Gap Eagles earned a 29-27, 25-17, 25-11 Southwest District win.
Bella Hurley (four aces), Lucy Savage (five kills), Leah Rasnake (12 kills, 10 digs, two aces), Claire Griffey (24 digs, two aces) and Addy Boyd (five kills) had notable showings too.
Golf
Defending champs win regions
Graham won its first state golf championship since 2013 last year at the Hobbs Golf Course in Tappahannock.
Based off their latest performance, the G-Men are primed for another long run.
In an event full of challenging pin placements and frayed nerves, Graham took a 20-stroke victory in Wednesday’s Region 2D tournament at Tazewell County Country Club.
Can the G-Men defend their state crown?
“That’s the plan,” Graham coach Colby Hill said.
Graham posted a team score of 320. Gate City (340) earned the other state berth, with Marion (344) and John Battle (350) next in line.
“This was our highest score of the season by 15 or 20 shots, but the course was set up tough,” Hill said. “We did enough to get the job done.”
The VHSL Class 2 state tournament will be held Oct. 12 at the same Hobbs Hole layout.
Three of the six players from the 2025 state champ squad returned this season for Graham.
Graham senior Bailey Goodson was a familiar figure at the top of the leaderboard on Wednesday. The poised senior recorded a 72.
“We take a lot of pride in the success of our program,” Goodson said. “We love winning, so it feels great to win another tournament.”
How did Goodson conquer the course while many other competitors came away with horror stories?
“The pin locations were crazy. I just tried to hit the ball to the right spots, two-putt when I could, and stay focused,” Goodson said. “I had some bad breaks, but I will take my score.”
The five-foot-seven Goodson finished eighth as an individual in the 2025 state event.
Gate City sophomore Max Wolfe and Graham freshman Kendal Brodnik followed Goodson with rounds of 77.
Wolfe is the younger brother of 2025 Class 2 state individual champion and current Radford University golfer Carter Wolfe. Max played with Carter at Hobbs Hole last year in a practice round.
“Golf runs in our family,” Max said. “My grandfather (Roger) was a really good player and it’s just been our thing ever since.
“Carter qualified for state as a sophomore, so it’s nice to follow in his footsteps.”
Gate City last advanced to the state as a team five years ago. The lineup for veteran GC coach Barry Wolfe features four battle-tested seniors along with two sophomores.
“One of the first things we talked about the start of the year was making it to region and state,” Coach Wolfe said. “We knew that we had a shot today, and I’m very happy we did it.”
Roger Wolfe, Barry Wolfe and Carter Wolfe gained regional fame a few years ago for making a hole-in-one on the same hole at Scott County Park and Golf Course.
Brady White (Marion), Christina Zochowski (John Battle) and Roman Wagner (Union) earned the state berths as individuals.
It was the fourth state ticket for Zochowski, who competed in the girls event as a freshman and sophomore.
“It’s awesome to represent my school and district at state,” Zochowski said. “I’m going to try my best to win.”
What was the plan for Zochowski on Wednesday?
“It was to thrive on the front nine and then just survive on the back nine,” Zochowski said. “We all had a lot of fun on the practice round here, but those pin placements were hard today.”
The lineup for Battle featured four seniors.
“The pins and putting were tough today, and that was the difference,” Battle coach Roger France said. “We didn’t play our best, but all our kids worked hard all season.”
Region 2D
At Tazewell County Country Club
Team Scores
Graham 320, Gate City 340, Marion 344, John Battle 350
Individual Results
Graham – Bailey Goodson 72, Kendal Brodnik 77, Brogan Gilpin 84, Dawson Goins 87
Gate City – Max Wolfe 77, Isaiah Falin 86, Caden Vermillion 88, Ryder Stapleton 89
Marion – Brady White 79, Campbell Sayers 86, Hayes Hall 89, Emerson Street 90
John Battle – Christina Zochowkski 81, Ayden Jones 89, Tripp Thomas 90, Christian Reynolds 90
Individual qualifiers
Roman Wagner (Union) 82, Dylan Mosley (Lee High) 86, Braylen Pendergraft (Lee High) 89, Brooks Mitchem (Tazewell) 89, Keegan McGee (Richlands) 90, Jaxson Sawyers 93, Peyton Adams (Union) 94, Carson Wilson (Wise Central 95, Wakely Boyd (Richlands) 95, JT Clark (Lee High) 101, Tanner Lester 103, Ryan Penley (Virginia High) 110
