Head Coach Alan Knight is quick to point out that the Lady Panthers Softball program development over the past four decades that would not have taken place without a list of people that gave their time, energy and finances to the cause.

Ralph Viafora gave two decades of his life to the Softball program in Shenandoah. The efforts didn’t stop with being the Assistant Coach as all three of his daughters played for PCHS and did so with a great deal of leadership. You know the old saying about being a Coaches child.

The youngest of the Viafora daughters graduated 🎓 in 2013 and worked her way onto the roster at nearby James Madison University. The 5’4 Catcher played the game with a level of determination that was bordering on unreasonable.

The question that remained after his youngest daughter graduated was how much longer would Dad stay with the program ? Thankfully, Coach Viafora spent a few more years as the Co-Pilot of the Plane as the following two years ended with Page County High School defeating King William for the State Championship.

The development of the facility, the knowledge of the game and his leadership skills all contributed in the Lady Panthers Softball program becoming the juggernaut it has been for an incredibly long time.

There’s a long list of folks that took a program without an actual home field back in the early 1980’s, it just happens to be that Ralph Viafora tops the list.

The goal is to include everyone who was part of the story that would like to participate in the Book 📖, the opportunity to do so. Both programs had a great day on June 13, 2015 and both play Home 🏡 games at impressive Ball Parks. Neither happened overnight or because of just one or two people.

Across the  forty year relationship with Diamond 💎 sports, there have been many a journalist who I have crossed paths with and Allen ” Homer ” Worrell has a very unique skill set.

Allen started out as a Sportswriter before having to transition over to the more serious Real World side of the newspaper 📰 business. Going from being the Sports Editor to the being the Editor was not necessarily a career goal but for those of us who are newspaper ” Lifers ” understand that our industry is shrinking by the hour and one has to make adjustments in order to stay involved.

  Those who are new to the story should know that Allen and Craig Worrell are not related in a kinfolf kind of way but they both spent decades providing coverage for Carroll County High School. The biggest difference between the two was Craig was splitting his time between three High Schools in CCHS, Galax and Grayson County, while Allen gets to be the truest form of a Homer.

As I close in on 50 years in the Newspaper business, I bleed ink and will until the day it all ends. With that said, I can never recall a time where a community was so blessed to have not one but two dedicated people providing a High level of coverage at the same time.

Allen was at Liberty University as was his ready to deliver a baby 👶 any day now wife, Crystal. It’s was a hot 🔥 and muggy kind of a June day, so I’m sure that Crystal was trying to survive the day in addition to celebrating the moment.

As is the case with Craig, there will be space for everything that Allen has to offer in regards to the book 📖. The Softball signed by the team sits proudly on display in the office down on Main Street so there is little doubt that the State Championship means a great deal to Homer.

While a number of people that covered High School sports were using it at a stepping stone to College or Profesional sports, others took the time to enjoy being the voice of a Community.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Homer fits into that second category and means so much to him that he’s willing to swim 🏊‍♂️ in the other end of the pool. Coverage of politics and crime isn’t a fun thing to do but in this day and age, if you want to stay in the business, it involves multi tasking.

The photo above is from the ESPN 30 for 30 episode titled ” The Class that saved Coach K”.

The Class of 1986 at Duke University got back together in 2019, 33 years after they graduated. Last night I was searching for something to watch and landed on a feature that I have watched at least a dozen times. The fun part is that I still find it highly entertaining.

  That is one of the goals in trying hard to capture the Glory of June 13, 2015 for both of the Schools that I have worked with over the past four decades. What did the Championship victories mean to the players and coaches, the fans and families ?

Now that 10 years have past, how many people still look back at what took place that day at Liberty University and Radford University, with a great deal of fondness ?

Teams win State Championships all the time, Virginia alone has six classifications of schools, so what makes these two stand out ? For Page County it was the finishing touch on a Back 2 Back that was three decades in the making. For Carroll County the victory that was 40+ years in the making.

Let’s get back to the Round Table conversations. What would it sound like if Coach Alan Knight was in a room with Coach Rick Nester and a handful of players from both teams ?

Now, make no mistake, I am not trying to compare Nester and Knight with Coach K. Just wondering what the Ladies that put forth the effort back then would have to say about the experience of playing with their teammates and for their coaches???

Three of the Lady Cavaliers finished up playing Softball at Ferrum College so they would have extended period of time. How many of the players have stayed in contact with each other over the years ?

How have the relationships created back then advanced ? What are the fondest memories of the lifetime playing the game they loved ? How many players found a way to give back to the game they love ?

No question about the two Head Coaches as they are both set to lead their programs in the 2025 – 2026 season. But we can ask if either one of them will last until the 50th season ?

Page County High School was set to face the winner of King William versus Grayson County in the Class 2 State Finals and  Carroll County needed to get by Tidewater team, Deep Creek to earn the rematch they desired with Woodgrove.

Bonus Softball coverage came in a recap of Galax and its Softball Semi-final game. If one is a fan of Softball fan, this is Heaven in regards to coverage for the sport!

  King William defeating Grayson County set up a second consecutive KWHS – PCHS State Championship game in 2015. The Lady Panthers earned their initial trophy 🏆 in 2014 by defeating King 🤴 William and now it would be time for the rematch.

Carroll County High School Softball was in uncharted waters in reaching the State Semi-finals and once again they rode their trademark Grit, Defense, Pitching and timely hitting to get by a talented team from Chesapeake.

The Lady Cavaliers 👩 earned the right to face their version of The Rematch from one week earlier. Getting to hang out in Lynchburg for yet another game.

The Lady Panthers were a few miles West in Radford and their version of The Rematch would pit them against the State runner up from 2014.

Two schools, two long time Coaches, two Softball communities searching for The Trophy 🏆, all happening on /off US-460.

Thank You Craig Worrell for setting the stage for June 13, 2015 !!+

Another familiar name in the story is Floyd County High School as they played Page County to a 1-0 final. Quite the showing for a small piece of the Commonwealth…

Every year, roughly 120 Division One Softball players are blessed with the opportunity to play the game they love 💘 at the highest level possible. Oklahoma City is the long time host to the College World Series of Softball and each season eight deserving teams earn the right to play in front of 10,000+ fans.

When Kate Gordon signed with James Madison University apon graduating from Page County High School, folks questioned why someone with her skill set would choose to play at a university without a true pedigree. That very question was asked by a reporter on her signing day?

Fast Forward to Kate’s Senior season and the Dukes were heading to Knoxville, Tennessee for the Regional tournament. When JMU advanced to the Super Regional to face the Missouri Tigers 🐅, the team was on the cusp of becoming one of just a handful of teams to earn a trip to the promise land without a seed by their name.

  After a edge of your seat 💺 Best 2 out of 3 victory in Columbia, JMU advanced to the CWS for the first time in School history! The only downside was they would open against the Dynasty of Oklahoma University. This version of the Boomer Sooners might have been their most dominant season as it was a shock if they actually played a full seven innings to win a game.

Gordon won the game in extra innings with a Home Run that made two things possible. It gave me the most read story that I have ever written ( with some help from Chris Graham and his Agusta Free Press) and the second thing was it lead Sports Center that night.

  There will be pages and pages about that day on OKC, no questions about that but today its about two people that weren’t in Oklahoma that day. Head Coach Alan Knight and little Sister Maddie Gordon. Page County High School was set to play their final regular season game at Stonewall Jackson High School around the same time but a victory would have been secured without Coach and team leader as the Generals were far from competitive at the time.

  Not wanting to do anything that would be a distraction to his current team and its bid to give the School its fourth State Championship, both stayed at home.

I have no idea how many High School Softball teams there are every year in the World. I do know that 120 players from that group get to play in OKC each season and most coaches will not ever have the opportunity to watch one of their players perform on that stage.

Aaron Sorkin began his writing ✍ career with the Classic, A Few Good Men and it included a line from Demi Moore to Tom Cruise that fits this situation in a spot on manner. ” They’re fanatical about being Marines”

Some folks Coach High School Softball while others run a program. Then you have a third category for people like Coach Knight – Fanatical…