Greg Talley had the time of his life last year making the rounds with his Son Jabin as the two traveled the Eastern Seaboard looking for the right landing place for his and Jessica’s Son.
We had fun following along as Greg always sent in pics and storylines from each stop ✋. When the Music 🎶 stopped playing, Jabin landed on the Campus of Southwest Virginia Community College in Cedar Bluff, Virginia.
Classes are going great and College life is agreeing with the CCHS graduate 🎓 and the long awaited start of tennis season has finally arrived.
One of the key 🔑 ingredients in telling a story is picking the correct spot to put pen 🖊 to paper 📃. This story will be best told at the end of the season but with that said, we don’t want to appear to be ignoring the journey all together.
Jabin Talley and his teammates did finally get to play a Tennis 🎾 Match as the school hosted Ferrum at the end of February. SWCC lost the match 7-0 but the victory came in the form of actually playing the match.
Talley found himself facing the #1 player at Ferrum, who happened to be a Division 1 transfer. Talley fell in straight sets but did manage to steal a few games in the 3-6, 0-6 setback.
Jessica and Greg both are leading the cheering section 👏 and we will continue to share the updates. When the time is appropriate, we will tell the story about his Freshman year and how it will prepare him for his Sophomore year!
The game will be played tonight and there are so many different ways to look at it, from a Carroll County point of view.
I can remember back two years ago when Northside ended our Softball season in the Regional tournament and then went on to capture the State crown 👑. I thought it was kinda cool but I wasn’t sure if anyone else really noticed?
Back to tonight, you have the two teams that tripped up our Cavaliers and our Dream Season. So here is the Poll question, if you will.
A. I am pulling for Spotswood both tonight and next Saturday so we can say our last loss was to the State Champs 🏆
B. I am pulling for Northside High School because they are from our Region and I hope they win a 3rd straight State Championship.
C. I simply don’t care. Our season is over and we have moved on to the next phase of our lives.
D. I wish there was some way that both teams could lose tonight but since that’s not possible, I would prefer that_________ wins.
We lost to a pair of teams that both were led by a pair of Division 1 players. In both cases we were up against players that had a higher gear ⚙. In both games, our players went toe to toe with them and gave Head Coach Anthony Barnes everything they had and then some.
Tonight should be a get your Popcorn 🍿 kind of a game, just now sure if it matters to us ? Maybe Kris Richardson and Bill Gallimore will shoot me an A,B,C,D for an answer.
7:45 – on the Network, 6pm if you want to watch Chris Dodson coach up his Ladies in the opener.
Anthony Barnes says he is in column B but thinks Hopewell will wear the Crown 👑.
I am also in Column B and if Hopewell is better than both, Wow !!!
Kris Richardson says B but also offered a different take on my version of C !
Once a person steps 🚶♂️forward and participates in one of our efforts they are a part of who we are going forward. So the ever so long odds of Ethan and Kris Richardson walking through the front door 🚪 of Spotswood High School at the exact moment, were magnified by the fact that both of us ended up by the side of Chris Dodson.
Kris and I will have a bond for eternity as we spent what felt like ten years compiling our Girls 👧 Basketball book 📖 and when it was time to legitimize out efforts I sought out the most respected person I could find to write ✍ the Book Foreword.
Chris Dodson has been coaching High School 🏫 Basketball 🏀 here in the Commonwealth for a long time. Over the years he has a collection of Championship rings 💍 that takes both hands to display. I’m not sure he wouldn’t have one or two more if not for Carroll County and CCHS might have one more if not for Spotswood.
Chris Dodson, Alan Knight and Jerry Carter
Dodson attended Page County High School 🏫 and if that sounds familiar to some folks, it because I spent a decade ➕ trying hard to add sparkle to PCHS. Alan Knight is also a graduate 🎓 of the school and is in his fifth decade Coaching there.
When our Boys drew Spotswood as an opponent for Tuesday night at 7:45, I smiled when I realized that Dodson’s group was playing before hand.
Getting a twofer out of the night was a bonus and having Allen Worrell sitting on the gym floor next to me was icing on the cake 🎂 because he would be using his time adjusting his camera 📷 during the opener so I could end up with a few nice pictures.
Spotswood #20, Macey Myers being guarded by Staunton River High’s Payton Chewning.
During the game itself, Staunton River bolted out to a 9-0 lead and it felt like it might be over before the end of the first quarter. Dodson remained calm and his team pulled within 11-9 by the end of the quarter.
By halftime, the Trail Blazers led 25-22
A roster with just two Senior players, expanded the lead to 36-31 with 8:00 to play after Alana Taylor went 2 of 2 from the charity stripe.
Diving to save a loose ball under the watchful eye 👁 of her Coach.
Just as Spotswood looked to put game away and advance to the State Semi-final, Staunton River connected on consecutive 3-pointers in which the shooter didn’t call Glass before hand. It turned out that Dodson needed Taylor to go 5 of 8 from the free throw line to finally advance, 47-44.
The reaction moment
One last photo, this one without Dodson in it.
Dennis Zimmerman is the Man 👨 in the middle and Preacher Man and Dodson have a special relationship as well.
Tomorrow night 🌙, Dodson and his team will try and punch 👊 another ticket 🎟 to the Championship Game. Once again they will do it inside of the Trail Blazers gym. The difference between Tuesday and Friday being I won’t be pulling with all of my being for the Boys team to fall in their game.
Northside HS vs Spotswood should be a barn burner of a game and both Kris and I will be pulling for the winner 🏆 of the contest to bring home the State Championship so our amazing Boys run will have included the eventual Title holder.
While I won’t be off US-33 Friday night, I will certainly be pulling for Dodson and his Trail Blazers.
A.S.P.N on The Hill 