E.C. Glass, Staunton River move one step closer

Pending final approval from the Virginia High School League’s executive committee in early May, both E.C. Glass’s request to be reclassified as a Group AA school and placed in the Seminole District and Staunton River’s appeal to move to the Blue Ridge District will go into effect in the fall of 2009.
The two motions sailed through the VHSL’s Redistricting and Reclassification Appeals hearing without opposition Monday in Charlottesville.
“Nobody appealed, so it’s a done deal for us,” E.C. Glass athletic director Chip Berry said. “Today was the day when appeals were heard (but) we kind of found out when the deadline for appeals passed at the end of March, right before spring break.”
The Hilltoppers will remain a Group AAA school in the Western Valley District for one more year before replacing Staunton River in the seven-team Seminole District. They have been Group AA size for 10 of the 30 years Berry has coached at the school, but always played up until now.
“Our coaches were pretty much split on the issue and the athletes, depending on the sport, they would probably be split, too,” Berry said. “If you weigh all the factors, the pros far outweigh the cons. There are so many more positives than negatives.”
Less time and money spent on transportation is the biggest issue, with the closest rival in the Western Valley District being 60 miles away.
“Besides shorter travel, we should have a better fan base and hope it translates into more school spirit,” Berry said. “It’s going to create some great rivalries. Our kids know kids from Brookville, they know kids from Rustburg, they know kids from Jefferson Forest and Amherst.”
Moving to the Seminole won’t be that big of a dropoff in competition for the Hilltoppers.
“The Seminole District is one of the strongest Group AA districts in the state in terms of across the board athletics,” Berry said.
In a straw vote taken in 2006, Seminole District athletic directors voted 6-1 against Glass moving in. Since then, with the school’s enrollment at 1,545 (two students under the Group AAA cutoff) and projected to continue to drop over the next eight years, many changed their stance.
“Most of the Seminole schools called and said ‘We’re happy you’re going to join us and we welcome you in,’” Berry said.
The Golden Eagles will become the fifth school in the Blue Ridge, joining their closest rival, William Byrd, as well as Lord Botetourt, Northside and Alleghany.
Staunton River athletic director Ricky Falls didn’t anticipate any opposition, either.
“As far as I know, the Blue Ridge wants us to come in,” he said.
But after playing football, basketball and tennis at Liberty and serving as AD there for several years before switching to Staunton River in 2005, Falls said the move will be bittersweet for him.
“I’ve been Seminole District my whole playing career, coaching career (and administrative career),” he said. “Some of the old-timers, we’ve got some mixed emotions about it.”
Staunton River will continue to play Bedford County rivals Liberty and Jefferson Forest, but won’t be making many more trips to Lynchburg, Amherst or Rustburg.
The decision was based primarily on location, with the rural Bedford County school drawing most of its students from the Stewartsville and Goodview elementary school districts, west of Moneta.
“It’ll be easier for our folks to get to Northside or to Botetourt, to make it to those earlier games in the Blue Ridge District,” Falls said. “Alleghany’s still going to be a haul, but the other three won’t be bad.”
He believes the move will give the program a fresh start after struggling to compete in several sports in the Seminole.
“We are making strides in our girls sports and our wrestling team has been doing real well,” Falls said. “We want to continue making strides.
“The big thing we’ve got to do is to get more students out,” he added. “We’re a rural school, we’re spread out and we’ve got to get more kids out participating in sports. We’re trying to do some things to get the kids more involved. Hopefully, going to a new district is kind of a piece in the puzzle.”