Tonight the CCHS will have a decision to make when they head out to the car 🚗to go in search of Cavaliers to support.

A three pronged fork 🍴if you will :

Choice #1 – The Wrestling team will be celebrating Senior Day at the High School with their match slated to start at 6pm.

Choice #2 – fans can head over to Radford where they can watch the Boys JV and Varsity basketball 🏀 teams play at 5:30 & 7:00. This will be a rematch of games played Monday night in Hillsville.

Choice #3 – the Junior Varsity Girls Basketball 🏀 team will head up then over to Chilhowie for a 6pm tip in a Non-District game

Not the best weather day we’ve had here in the County so please 🙏 be careful in your travels.

If you have to read that line as if it was Tom Hanks saying that “There’s no crying in baseball” in the movie A League of their Own.

Anyone that has ever talked basketball 🏀 with me knows how much of a fan I am of UConn Women’s Coach Geno Auriemma. I have followed Geno throughout the length of his run up in Stoors.

Geno doesn’t just win, he handles his players with such class and his ability to think through a tough spot is incredible.

Last night Marc Motley was facing a difficult situation as his Lady Cavaliers were celebrating Senior Night. The team has six Seniors and Coach can only send out five players in his starting lineup.

Add to the fact that this isn’t just any Senior Class but a Class that led his team to the First State Championship in the schools Basketball history.

Six players divided by five spots – so there is Math in basketball! Lin and I were sitting in the stands with our notebook for scoring and I was wondering what would Geno do ?

The Radford team had been introduced and now it was time for the starting five for Carroll County to have their names read out to the crowd. After five players had been introduced the PA continued and brought out the sixth Senior.

Coach had rolled out a starting SIX and that was all I could think about throughout the evening. The thought process was nothing short of Genius and after the announcements were completed Kalee Easter took her spot on the bench next to her underclassmen teammates.

After the game ended I was still smiling from ear to ear 👂and after the post game celebration in honor of Coach Motley earning his 400th victory at the school I infringed long enough to ask Coach about the thought process. The answers made me appreciate the moment a little more, if that’s possible.

Not looking to share his response because that moment belongs to him and his Cavaliers but I will add that Geno would be proud !

Congratulations on Win #400 and the way you went about earning it !

Brad is our hard working Man with all of the Answers out here at Olde Mill and the gentleman to his right up until today is someone who I met last year while he was working on our building out here in Laurel Fork.

For over a year now I have always described him as the Really Nice Man with ties to Carroll County High School 🏫.

Turns out his name is Paul and Paul said that if I was describing him as that really nice man nobody would know who I was talking about. That just can’t be true – Paul is a loving and supportive Grandfather that is always in the Gym during the Basketball season.

Paul was over at our place today working with Brad on a small issue and we were able to share a few stories back and forth about Carroll County Sports and a little bit about being a Grandparent.

There are currently three of Paul’s pride and joys playing Hoops for CCHS, one on three different teams.

Because everyone that is young enjoys being mentioned in a story about their Grandpa –

Girls Varsity – #14 Ashton Richardson

Boys Varsity & Swimming – #20 Ethan Richardson

Boys Junior Varsity – #24 Landon Phillips

Next time you see Paul in the Gym supporting his school and his family 👪 take the time to tell him he’s a nice Guy and see if he will smile.

As for Brad, we would be lost with out him in the suburbs of downtown Laurel Fork.