The Ridgeview Wolfpack of the Mountain 7 District won the VHSL Class 2 state volleyball championship in November.
The Wise County Central Warriors of the Mountain 7 claimed the VHSL Class 2 girls basketball crown yet again in March and the state player of the year in Class 2 (Central’s Emmah McAmis) and Class 3 (Abingdon’s Annsley “A.J.” Trivette) both came from the league.
Three of the district’s seven teams have reached the state softball tournament in June as the ultra-competitive Mountain 7 continues to be first rate in female sports.
Abingdon won the Region 3D softball title with a 2-1 win over Staunton River, while Wise County Central cruised past Lee 11-2 in the finals of the Region 2D tourney. Lee had beaten both Central and Abingdon to win the Mountain 7 District tournament.
“I think having those teams in our district and even putting Union in the mix really prepares us for region and prepares us for state,” said Abingdon coach Chelsea Campbell. “They keep us on our toes and you never know what will happen in the district. We’re happy to be in the Mountain 7 because it’s good preparation for games like this.”
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Abingdon (baseball, softball, girls tennis), Wise Central (softball, girls soccer, boys tennis), George Wythe (softball, girls soccer, girls tennis), Eastside (baseball, softball), Honaker (boys soccer, girls soccer), Graham (boys soccer, girls soccer) and Marion (boys tennis, girls tennis) are all still represented by multiple teams in state competition.
The following is a brief look at state quarterfinal and semifinal contests being held on Monday and Tuesday:
BASEBALL
Class 1
Eastside (20-6) vs. Fort Chiswell (17-5), Tuesday, 6 p.m., at UVa-Wise: These teams met each year in the Region 1A West Tournament from 2015-2017 with Eastside winning two of those three contests.
Chilhowie (20-5) at Auburn (23-1), Tuesday, 3 p.m.: Auburn eliminated Chilhowie from the state tournament in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Class 2
Dan River (12-8) at John Battle (20-8), Tuesday, 5 p.m.: Dan River beat John Battle 8-7 in eight innings for the 2017 Region 2A West title and topped the Trojans by a 5-4 count nine days later in the VHSL 2A state title game.
Lebanon (21-5) at Appomattox (18-6), Tuesday, 6 p.m.: Appomattox surrendered to Lebanon 15-1 in the 2019 state quarterfinals and 3-0 in the semifinals of the 2015 Region 2A West tournament.
Class 3
Fluvanna County (16-5) at Abingdon (21-3), Tuesday, 6 p.m.: Abingdon beat Fluvanna County 8-2 in the 2018 VHSL Class 2 state semifinals and dropped a 1-0 decision to the Flying Flucos in the 2019 state quarterfinals.
SOFTBALL
Class 1
Eastside (25-2) vs. George Wythe (9-13), Monday, 6 p.m.: George Wythe is making its first-ever state tournament appearance in softball, while Eastside is usually still playing in June and has twice been to the state finals.
J.I. Burton (16-11) at Auburn (20-4), Tuesday, 3 p.m.: Another matchup between a perennial state tournament participant – Auburn in this case – and a first-time qualifier in J.I. Burton.
Class 2
Chatham (12-11) at Wise County Central (15-10), Tuesday, 6 p.m.: The Wise County Central Warriors scored 31 runs in dispatching Marion, Richlands and Lee High to win the Region 2D tournament for the second straight year.
Lee High (19-7) at Appomattox (21-3), Tuesday, 6 p.m.: The nearly five-hour haul from Ben Hur to Appomattox might be the longest state quarterfinal trip this week in the VHSL.
Class 3
Turner Ashby (19-5) at Abingdon (22-4), Tuesday, 4 p.m.: Abingdon coach Chelsea Campbell has now taken two different programs to the state tournament as she guided Fort Chiswell to the 2022 VHSL Class 1 state semifinals.
BOYS SOCCER
Class 1
Eastern Montgomery (16-2-1) at Honaker (11-6), Tuesday, 6 p.m.: Honaker is in the state tournament for the fifth straight year.
Patrick Henry (6-10-2) at Auburn (16-3-3), Tuesday, 7:15 p.m.: Auburn won the Mountain Empire District regular-season title for the first time ever and the Eagles won the regional championship for the second time.
Class 2
Radford (14-4) at Gate City (20-1-1), Tuesday 7 p.m., at Scott County Sports Complex: Gate City won its last two matches in dramatic fashion, topping John Battle with Walker Hillman’s golden goal in the Region 2D semifinals and beating Graham in penalty kicks to win the region.
Graham (17-3-2) at Glenvar (20-0), Tuesday, 7 p.m.: Glenvar has won the last two state titles. The Highlanders have a 50-match winning streak and a 58-match unbeaten streak.
GIRLS SOCCER
Class 1
Bland County (7-9) at George Wythe (12-4-2), Monday, 5 p.m.: Bland County coach Joseph Shirey is a 1997 Marion graduate and a former assistant coach at Virginia Intermont College.
Honaker (7-5-1) at Auburn (13-5), Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.: Julia Barton – the program’s all-time leading goal scorer – and goalkeeper McKenzie Lowe are the cornerstones of a team trying to reach the state semifinals for a second straight year.
Class 2
Graham (21-1) vs. Chatham (16-1-1), Tuesday, 7 p.m., at East River Soccer Complex: Graham senior Ella Dales has scored a VHSL record 217 career goals.
Wise County Central (20-1-1) at Glenvar, Tuesday, 5 p.m.: Central suffered a 5-0 loss at Glenvar in last year’s state quarterfinals.
BOYS TENNIS
State Semifinals
Class 1/2
Wise County Central at Marion, Monday, 4 p.m.: These two teams meet six days after Marion posted a 5-4 win over the Warriors in the finals of the Region 1D/2D tournament.
GIRLS TENNIS
State Semifinals
Class 1
Fort Chiswell at George Wythe, Monday, 9 a.m.: GW already owns 8-1, 6-3 and 5-2 wins over Fort Chiswell this season.
Class 2
Marion at Floyd County, Monday, 3 p.m.: Marion has hopes of a triple crown as the Scarlet Hurricanes aim for their third straight team title, Parker White is the favorite to win her fourth consecutive singles championship and White is teaming with Ava Austin in pursuit of a doubles title.
State Quarterfinals
Class 3
Abingdon vs. Spotswood, Monday, Noon, at Emory & Henry: This match was originally scheduled for Saturday, but weather moved it to Monday. This is the fourth straight year that Abingdon and Spotswood have met in the state tournament.