“Not the traditional scrimmage. They’re actually letting everyone bat every inning.”
More to follow…
Donna Nester with the Pic!Four more from Velvet Leonard
From Coach Nester :
Cavalier Softball began its 2025 season tonight with a scrimmage against Wytheville. The girls played well in all parts of the game. They were fundamentally sound in pitching, hitting, and defense.
They were many hard-hit balls put in play throughout the lineup. Both pitchers did an outstanding job with only one walk throughout the evening.
Defensively they played very solid. Throughout the game, there were many girls that were in different defensive positions than they played last year, and none of them seem to be overwhelmed at any time.
I told the girls after the game that, even though they were girls playing different positions from last year, that athletes can play the game! And they played very well! We were very pleased with their effort and play tonight.
A good day for the scrimmage maybe the warmest one I can remember.
Mrs Burress adds the ever so important post game handshake !
For the first time since spring of 2019 Jv girls and Varsity Girls were both back in action. Both teams played Rustburg, James River, and Bassett. The teams would only play a half for the scrimmage so that they could play multiple teams. Jv played one 30 minute half against each team and Varsity played one 40 minute half against each team.
This was also the first time both teams were able to play full field together for the year. Jv is a very young team but they are very determined to learn and always improve. Close to half of the players have never played on a soccer field with lines until Saturday. With not having the JV team for quite a few years…
This was the first time all of these girls had played on a high school soccer team. The team dropped a physical and experienced first game against Rustburg 0-2 with one of those goals being a penalty kick but they were determined to learn from it and move on. Then in game two they dropped a close game 0-1 to James River. In the final game the girls got a tie of 0-0 against Bassett with both teams having some very close scoring opportunities. Overall, the Jv girls had an awesome day. It was their first time all playing full field 11v11 together as a team and for a lot of these girls it was their first ever soccer games.
Varsity is also a young team but they are returning a handful of starters. There are many younger players who have stepped up to the plate to fill those open starting positions due to players who graduated, missed due to injury, and some who moved from last years team. In their first game they dropped a very tough physical match against Rustburg 0-3. One of those goals being a penalty kick and another being a free kick that was given right outside of the box. During this game all players got some great playing experience against an experienced and physical team. Then in the second game the team got a 1-1 tie against James River. The goal scorer being Karmen Smith who buried a free kick from about 30 yards out.
In the final game Varsity dropped a very close one to Bassett 2-1. Towards the beginning of the half there was a penalty kick rewarded to Bassett and then a few minutes later a free kick rewarded right outside of the box that they ended up capitalizing on both opportunities but the girls never gave up!
They fought back and Savannah Swecker had a fast break away leading to her being taken out in the box and was rewarded a penalty kick. Karmen Smith stepped up once again and capitalized on the set piece opportunity. Overall, varsity also had a great day of learning and growing as a team!
Varsity in White, Junior Varsity in Blue
Both Casey Burcham and Adrienne Harris are getting their first shot at Coaching the Sport that they starred in while attending Carroll County High School 🏫. While there is a gap in age between the duo, I think that they could both be doing this for quite sometime and this is a Great time to be playing for either of the programs.
The rebirth, if you will, of Girls 👧 Junior Varsity Soccer brings the unofficial count to Cavalier sports teams to a dozen. Four that play their games on a Diamond 💎, four that play their games on a Pitch, two that compete on Tennis 🎾 courts and two that compete in Track 👣 and Field.
Hey Jerry When I think about what his scoring record means to me its just how blessed he is to have the many people who has helped him along his journey!
His mother and I have been there through the good times and bad times! We tried to give him the tools to be successful, but it was Bryce who had to put it into action! His older brother spent countless hours putting him and his Braden through grueling workouts.
There were days where he would not let Bryce quit until he made 1000 shots! Not shoot 1000 shots, but make 1000 shots! That is no exaggeration! It could take up to 12 hours! His AAU coaches wiuld put their trust and the ball in his hands! His coaches: I cannnot say enough about Coach A. There has always been a special bond between him and Coach A. Coach A believed in Bryce and Bryce would rather run through a brick wall than let Coach A down. Finally, there is Coach Richardson! Kris always keep Bryce in check. Yes you can score points, but lets discuss all the things that you need to get better at! Defense, Turnovers, Making the right play! Being a leader out there! Keeping your ego and attitude in check especially when things dont go your way! Kris and I have gone rounds since they first started AAU! We didnt always see eye to eye but he had a vision! The Varsity boys basketball team under him and Coach A are currently 40-3! I have to say that would probably be the vision he had for them. The all time leading scorer for Carroll County girls is the exceptional Allyssa Ervin! Now Bryce is the all time leading scorer for the Carroll County boys! The two of them have one thing in common! They both were coached in 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade by the same coach, “Kris Richardson” Is that a coincidence? I think not!! So proud of both Bryce and Brayden! They bring out the best in each other with their relentless competitiveness! My hope for Bryce, as his father, is that this accomplishment is about more than just basketball!
Its about setting goals and going after it! If you work hard and stay determined and humble, you can achieve great things in life! Proud of my sons!
Russ summed up his thoughts by reaching back out to add to his Thank You 🙏 list…
Jerry so sorry, but I can’t leave out two other coaches who have helped Bryce out in this basketball journey, please add Casey Burcham and Chuck Thompson to the list of coaches. They both have put in alot of time and trust in Bryce through AAU!
It takes a village is a common phrase nowadays but when it comes to the list of people that played a role in mentoring Bryce Smoot along the way, its seems appropriate !
My lasting takeaway from the day that my Baseball ⚾️ Hero, Greg Maddux went into Cooperstown, the Professor took the time to credit his 6th grade Coach who taught him how to throw a Curveball three decades earlier.
Being in a position to be a Mentor comes in all shapes and sizes, so sieze the opportunity because you never know just who you might be mentoring ! In this case it was the future Carroll County High School 🏫 Boys leading scorer.
