With each passing day a seemingly different milestone moment is observed in Buchanan County.
Like those yard lines that mark the distance to the end zone or the valuable seconds that tick off that scoreboard clock, the finish is approaching quickly for three high school football programs and an entire league in Southwest Virginia.
The Grundy Golden Wave, Hurley Rebels and Twin Valley Panthers of the Black Diamond District will play their final season on the gridiron in 2025 as consolidation looms.
Kids from the trio of schools will be on the same team next year and that squad will be known as the Southern Gap High School Eagles, clad in black-and-Vegas gold. Southern Gap is scheduled to open in the fall of 2026 and construction on the new school is going well by all accounts.
The Eagles will compete in the Class 2 Southwest District as the Class 1 BDD will vanish from sight.
Some community members are looking forward to the debut, others are lamenting the move, and many have accepted the inevitable with enrollment numbers declining significantly over the decades.
Each football team had a roster numbering less than 30 players at last glance.
Thus, checkpoints are being reached.
The last first day of practice has come and gone, as have the final media days.
Hurley and Grundy posed for photographs and conducted interviews on Wednesday, while Twin Valley met the press on Thursday.
The questions were inescapable when it came to this season being the last hurrah.
That final chapter is yet to be written, and the Golden Wave, Rebels and Panthers would all like to produce a storybook ending.
“We’re still going about it as business as usual, but yes, that is a motivational factor,” said Grundy coach Keegan Bartley. “This is it. There is no more Grundy football for these guys after this season, and we ask them what they want to accomplish in that last year. It’s always in the back of my head to make sure we can be as successful as possible. … It’s still football season, the best time of the year.”
A heightened level of optimism prevails at every school this time of year and that’s no different in Buchanan County. Of course, there’s a unique perspective in regard to their outlook.
“I think we’re approaching it great,” said Hurley lineman Chase Baker. “We’re pushing every day in practice and it’s crazy energy.”
The 2025 Grundy Golden Wave
Contributed Photo: Chad Cooper
Grundy is the defending Black Diamond District champions but must replace several standouts who graduated.
The Golden Wave have won four regional football titles in school history and produced several alumni who excelled at the collegiate level.
This season the past, present and future will be discussed as much as offense, defense and special teams as the season unfolds at Grundy and its neighboring rivals.
“It does mean a lot,” said Golden Wave senior lineman Luke “Quake” Shelton. “Grundy has a good football history and we want to go out with a big bang.”
Hurley plays at “The Cliff,” an iconic, one-of-a-kind venue that opened in 1980 and was built on an old coal-mining site. Its trademark towering wall of slate rock makes it a Southwest Virginia landmark.
The Rebels had 10-0 regular-season showings in 1982 and 2016.
Hurley compiled a 2-8 record last season with a young roster.
The 2025 Hurley Rebels.
Contributed Photo: Chad Cooper
“We’re going to try to make it the best season we can even though it is our last one,” said Hurley quarterback Kanan Justice. “Hopefully, we can get a lot of people to come out for our home games since it will be our last few up here. Maybe we can get a home playoff game since this is the last year.”
Twin Valley itself was born when Garden and Whitewood combined in the fall of 2001 and the Panthers will bid adieu 25 years later.
“I’m approaching this last season of Twin Valley Panther football with a deep sense of pride and purpose,” said Tommy Crigger, gridiron boss of the Panthers. “It’s about honoring the past coaches and players who came before us and giving our kids a final season they’ll never forget. Win or lose, we’re going to give it our all this season.”
The 2025 Twin Valley Panthers.
Contributed Photo: Chad Cooper
Crigger is a 1996 Grundy graduate who has been the head coach at Twin Valley for 12 seasons over the course of two different stints.
“I love Twin Valley,” Crigger said. “I have put a lot into this place for many years. Twin Valley will always be special to me.”
For the seniors at the schools, the end of their careers will coincide with the end of the football programs they play for.
They won’t be able to come back to the field they’ve called home to catch a game next year.
“It’s kind of a double whammy,” said Grundy senior running back Trey Taylor.
So, soak it all in.
Relish the moments.
The last victory.
The last touchdown.
The last homecoming.
The last game.
It will be a season like no other as the curtain falls on the Black Diamond District.
“There’s excitement in the air,” said Hurley coach Zachary Deel, a 2015 graduate of the school. “They are ready to go out and have a good last year at Hurley. … I hate this community is losing its team but this place loves football and hopefully, we can give them one more season they can be proud of."