Grayson V-Ball coach doesnt want to go to Region D

Interesting comment in today's Roanoke Times. I'm not sure if he meant it the way it sounds...you be the judge.

Blue Devils hand Trojans 1st loss
After ousting the defending Region C champ, Grayson County next faces Glenvar.
By Jared Turner
381-1643

Glenvar came ready to play. Grayson County came ready for Battle.

The Highlanders and Blue Devils will meet in tonight's Region C volleyball championship after Grayson County ousted previously undefeated John Battle on Wednesday in a thrilling five-game match that allowed neither team consecutive wins.

Host Glenvar (24-0) had an easier route to victory over Bath County, topping the Chargers (20-4) in three sets, 25-12, 25-17, 25-9.

The Highlanders won both regular-season matches with Grayson County, taking the first in four games and the second in three.

With Wednesday's wins, both teams clinched automatic berths in next week's Group A tournament. Today's winner will be at home for the Group A quarterfinals.

"The top two teams from the region go to state, so this really doesn't determine much except where you play," Grayson County coach Charles Campbell said of today's final. "But who wants to play out in the middle of a coal field?"

Wednesday, the Blue Devils hardly played like a team without a senior on the roster.

The final score: 27-25, 20-25, 25-17, 15-25, 15-9, reflected the squad's unwillingness to roll over.

Led on offense by junior middle hitter Mikaela Anders' 22 kills, Grayson County maintained its composure throughout the grueling match against a John Battle (24-1) team that before Wednesday had lost only one game all season.

"We came in and we just laid it all on the line," said junior middle hitter Megan Funk, who finished with 13 kills and seven blocks. "We had nothing to lose. We just laid our hearts on the line and played."

The first game, which featured 11 ties, had to be decided in volleyball's version of overtime. The Blue Devils (21-3) jumped ahead 12-7, but Battle went on a 12-7 run to tie it at 19 apiece.

For the first of several times throughout the night, Grayson County responded.

"I don't think we were that big of an underdog," said Campbell, whose Blue Devils will advance to the state tourney for the first time in his coaching tenure. "We beat Battle two years ago and have gone to the regionals in five of my nine years as head coach here."

It's safe to say the Trojans made the Blue Devils earn their way in.

On the heels of 49 digs from senior Maggie Campbell and 25 more from last year's district player of the year, Chelsie Woods, the defending Region C champions fought to the finish.

Five unanswered points midway through the second game tied the match at a game apiece.

In the third game, John Battle never got closer than three after Grayson jumped ahead 8-5.

But the Trojans never trailed en route to a convincing win in the fourth game, setting up the decisive game.

Grayson trailed early in that one but took its first lead at 5-4 and never looked back.

Glenvar coach Mark Rohrback won't underestimate the Blue Devils.

"I was really excited for them," Rohrback said. "They've been right on the brink of making it to state the past three years."

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"But who wants to play out in the middle of a coal field?"

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maybe somebody from region d should ask him "who wants to play out in the middle of a cow pasture?"

I just posted this on the Region D Volleyball thread.

Maybe someone should also tell him there aren't coal fields in Scott County.

[censored] him.

bring old charles campbell out here in the coalfields...some of us good ol's boys can take him somewhere and drop him off...

He obviously has the blinders on. I interviewed for a job at Grayson County back in 1999. . . Thank God the interview was at the school...I was glad to turn down the offer when it was put on the table. Maybe some of our coal-generated electricity could just be routed somewhere else, and see how that punk would like being in the dark. . .

AND to think I was glad when JSB went down!!!!!!!!!!!

"The top two teams from the region go to state, so this really doesn't determine much except where you play," Grayson County coach Charles Campbell said of today's final. "But who wants to play out in the middle of a coal field?"

When the Grayson Co. Blue Devils come down to Gate City to play those Lady Blue Devils, anyone who is proud to be from "the coalfields" need to be there in the Gate City stands on both sides and sitting up on the stage holding about three pieces of coal in one hand and a roll of 50's in the other and have all the ladies in the gym wearing all kinds of bling on their fingers and around their neck. And all the guys can have unlit cigars in their mouths and derbys on their heads. With signs up that read, "Region D: We keep Region C warm in the winter."

I've read negative comments such as that before and after matchups between schools down in our area and from up in the Region C in Roanoke's paper(s) in the past. I see that being the case more often than not. I don't know if it's the paper(s) looking for dirt by correspondents try to egg an interviewee (sp?) into making comments as such - or if coaches/players from schools just have that impression of Region D, their schools and communities. I could probably go back and show you more than a dozen sports articles that attack and talk negatively about sports programs of schools and communities from far SWVA from the Roanoke Times since they've had articles placed online. There's no telling what has been in print before it was placed online and articles that never made the WWW since they started doing so.

It must be a whole different mindset up that way. Like the old saying goes, if we could just buy them for what they're worth and sell them for what they think they are, we'd all be rich.

Very true. I can't remember which coach and which school, but it was either my Jr. or Sr. year when the team had to travel to our place for the State Quarterfinals and they made a negative comment about our area.