High School

INDEPENDENCE –– Wrapping up a lengthy realignment process that culminates in the rollout of its new six-classification system this fall, the Virginia High School League has gone to great lengths to level the playing field.

Grayson County High School has done so in a much more literal but not quite as far-reaching sense of the word.

The Blue Devils won’t open the home portion of their schedule until Sept. 20, but when they do, they will trot out onto the re-graded, re-sodded and much more horizontal playing surface of Bill Strong Field.

You may not need to forget everything you ever knew about district, region and state alignment among Virginia’s public high schools. For those who have grown up around the old three-group system, which has been in place since 1970, it’s nigh on impossible anyway.

But a new day is dawning in the Commonwealth as the Virginia High School League rolls out its shiny new 6A classification system this fall.

One’s take on the whole thing depends largely on what colors one wears.

FLOYD – Carroll County scored 48 straight points Friday night en route to a 55-14 shellacking of neighboring Floyd County.

The Cavaliers (1-0) dominated the final three quarters of the game after giving up touchdowns on both of Floyd County’s first two drives.

MARION –– Galax finished second in its division and third overall in the Bank of Marion golf classic, held Monday at Holston Hills Country Club.

Holston won the small-school division with a four-man total of 338, holding off the Maroon Tide by five strokes. Jacob Patton paced Galax with his 79 and Nick Sage was close behind with an 80. Dominic DiGiacomo shot 87 and Kylee Hill carded a 97 for the Maroon Tide.