BY BRIAN T. SMITH
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
Bristol, Tenn. – The Rodney McGruder Show stopped in at Viking Hall on Wednesday evening.
For McGruder and his Archbishop Carroll (Washington, D.C.) teammates, it was business as normal. High-flying dunks; deep 3-pointers hoisted and sunk with deceptive ease; tenacious defense and a tight, rhythmic precision on offense.
Tennessee High, however, would have preferred to change the channel.
The Lions easily downed the Vikings 67-49 in the first round of the 25th annual Arby’s Classic tournament at Viking Hall, and McGruder controlled the court like an uncontested king.
“Archbishop Carroll is a good team and they have some kids who can really play,” said Tennessee High coach Roby Witcher. “We thought we had a pretty good game plan to keep their main guys out of the lane. But they were able to do some things we didn’t stop tonight.”
McGruder, a 6-foot-4, 195 pound junior forward headed to Kansas State University, scored 25 points on 11-of-22 shooting to lead the Lions (4-2), while Syracuse University-bound senior forward Kristopher Joseph added 21 points (9 of 15), 12 rebounds and five steals.
Archbishop Carroll recorded 13 steals, forced 19 Tennessee High turnovers and held the Vikings to 13-percent shooting (3 of 23) from behind the 3-point line.
Thomas Turnbull scored a team-high 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Vikings (7-7), while Tre’ Webb added 11 points and two rebounds.
Yet the show belonged to McGruder and Joseph. And their biggest impact was not on the scoreboard or in the win column, but on the crowd in the stands.
Viking Hall rang and buzzed with anticipation as Tennessee High went through warm-up drills on its home court. But as soon as the game started and the McGruder-Joseph tandem went to work, the arena sounded more like a church that had just opened its doors after a Sunday session.
“We’re used to our style of play because of the conference we play in,” said Lions coach Clinton Perrow. “Some teams match up with it; some don’t.”
Archbishop Carroll completely shut down the Vikings’ outside shooting, and the Lions spent the majority of their offensive possessions in freeform fast-break mode, with McGruder and Joseph smoothly running the floor like they were in a pick-up game.
Up 17-13 after the first quarter, Archbishop Carroll turned on the jets in the second period. The Lions turned multiple Tennessee High turnovers into instant transition offense, and went up 22-13 when McGruder slammed down a hard dunk from the right side of the rim early in the quarter.
McGruder then set the bar higher, driving home a major slam with his right hand with 3:42 left in the first half.
“I just tried to take advantage of what their defense gave me,” McGruder said.
The Lions move on to face Science Hill at 5 p.m. on Friday evening in the winner’s bracket of the second round.
Tennessee High will take on Northview (Duluth, Ga.) at 9 a.m. on Friday in the loser’s bracket.

ARCHBISHOP CARROLL (67)
Rodney McGruder 11-22 2-5 25, Kristopher Joseph 9-15 3-5 21, Mitrovic 9-15 3-5 7, George 1-1 2-3 4, Price 0-2 3-4 3, Dunkin 1-3 0-0 3, Vincent 0-3 2-2 2, Sumlar 1-1 0-1 2, Thompson 0-0 0-0 0, Pakieser 0-0 0-0 0, Stoutamire 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 26-53 13-22 67.
TENNESSEE HIGH (49)
Thomas Turnbull 6-11 4-5 16, Tre’ Webb 5-11 0-0 11, Harmon 2-7 2-4 6, Baker 2-8 0-0 5, Cook 2-2 0-0 4, Gilmore 1-5 0-0 3, Young 1-6 0-0 2, McClintic 0-0 2-2 2, Morenings 0-3 0-0 0, Walton 0-0 0-0 0, Pierson 0-0 0-0 0, Thompson 0-0 0-0 0, Canty 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-53 8-11 49.
Archbishop Carroll 17 17 18 15—67
Tennessee High 13 8 15 13—49
3-point goals—AC 2-5 (McGruder, Dunkin), TH 3-23 (Webb, Baker, Gilmore). Rebounds—AC 28, TH 32. Assists—AC 11, TH 9. Steals—AC 13, TH 5. Blocks—AC 2, TH 2. Turonvers—AC 14, TH 19. Fouls—AC 9, TH 12. Fouled out—None. Technicals—None.

Posted by Brian T. Smith

The Hilltoppers simply dominated.
Science Hill used an aggressive, nonstop defense that contested passes, ate up loose balls and slashed away at Northview’s (Duluth, Ga.) confidence to build a strong 11-0 lead on Wednesday afternoon in a first-round game in the 25th annual Arby’s Classic tournament at Viking Hall.
The Hilltoppers’ early run never slowed down.
Science Hill held the Titans scoreless for the game’s first 6 minutes, 30 seconds, and took a 40-15 advantage into halftime.
“Our kids came to play,” said Hilltoppers coach Ken Cutlip. “We were solid and we really cut down on their dribble penetration. I also thought we ran the floor well.”
Chris Smith led Science Hill (13-2) with a game-high 17 points and six rebounds, while Spencer Bradley added 11 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
“We just kept them in front of us,” said Hilltoppers junior guard Larry Smith, who added nine points and five rebounds. “We knew we had to come out and play hard against a good team.”
Jordan Rainford scored a team-high 10 points and grabbed four rebounds for Northview (8-2).
Science Hill controlled every significant aspect of the game. As their defense dominated the boards and momentum, the Hilltoppers mixed layups with putbacks, 3-pointers and mid-range jumpers, putting on an impressive 32-minute display of precision and focused intensity.
Science Hill shot 51.8 percent (29 of 56) from the field and outrebounded the Titans 43-14.
“We were missing two of our main guys, but there was nothing we could do about that,” said Northview coach Steve Bombard. “We knew they were going to press us, but we didn’t think we’d have so much trouble in the half court.”
Titans senior center Ralph Samson III was out of action due to bronchitis. Bombard said that Sampson is expected to play on Friday.

NORTHVIEW (35)
Jordan Rainford 10, Robe Sampson 6, Davidson 6, Nicholson 5, Kubandi 4, Kim 2, Stryzinski 2, Joseph 0. Totals 15-44 1-5 35.
SCIENCE HILL (77)
Chris Smith 17, Spencer Bradley 11, Smith 9, Adam 8, Grey 8, Hancock 7, Odem 5, Hamilton 4, Moulton 4, Jacobson 4, Duncan 0, Joslin 0. Totals 29-56 14-22 77.
Northview 5 10 9 20—77
Science Hill 19 21 17 11—35
3-point goals—N 4-20, SH 5-13. Total fouls—N 16, SH 12. Assists—N 7, SH 15. Turnovers—N 20, SH 15. Steals—N 8, SH 10. Points in the paint—N 20, SH 44. Bench points—N 21, SH 47.

Posted by Brian T. Smith

One hour until game time. Let’s get it on.

1. As usual, the army of Gate City fans arrived hours before kickoff. The key for the Blue Devils will be to establish fearless senior running back Tyler Parks and keep the explosive Gretna off the field. 

Posted by Allen Gregory

BY BRIAN T. SMITH
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
Salem, Va. – Buffalo Gap junior running back Pickle Nuckols pushed his way into the end zone, and Clintwood’s hopes were gone. Shoulders sagged. Helmets hung low. The Greenwave would have to wait another year before they could try and lay claim to their first state championship since 1978.
Nuckols was a monster, racking up 217 yards and a TD on 32 carries, and he led Buffalo Gap to a 28-19 win over Clintwood in a VHSL Group A, Division 1 state championship game on Saturday afternoon at Salem Stadium before an estimated crowd of 7,000.
Second-best isn’t what the Greenwave (9-5) wanted. But it’s a shining symbol of how far Clintwood came this season.
“I’m already looking back,” said Greenwave junior running back Chris Robinson (21 carries, 129 yards). “We got through so much this year. We all stuck together – just like last year. Nobody thought we’d be here, you know? We’ve all come a long way.”
Clintwood was within 14-13 at halftime, but the Greenwave had no answer for a Bison rushing attack that chomped up yards and ate up the game clock.
Buffalo Gap (14-0) ran 44 times for 362 yards, and the Bison used a number of long drives and big plays to slowly pull the championship away from Clintwood.
Greenwave quarterback Heath Counts was 6 of 13 for 126 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Nick Robinson caught both of Counts’ touchdown passes, and picked up 50 yards on three receptions.
Buffalo Gap quarterback Travis Morris was 4-of-9 passing for 48 yards, one TD and one interception. Morris also added 99 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 10 carries.
The Bison found the end zone first. Morris turned a quarterback keeper into a 3-yard score when he managed to evade three approaching Greenwave defenders and cross into the far-left corner of the end zone.
But Clintwood immediately bounced back, marching 78 yards in under 4 minutes. And when Derek Robbins barreled his way 10 yards – running straight, cutting left and then stumbling – into the end zone with 6 minutes, 53 seconds left in the second quarter, it was 7-6 Bison.
Clintwood then took a 13-7 lead when quarterback Counts connected with Nick Robinson for a 28-yard touchdown with 1:23 remaining in the first half. Buffalo Gap’s defense bit hard on Counts’ play-action fake, Robinson had a full-yard lead on his defender, and Counts threw a perfect arcing spiral into Robinson’s outstretched hands.
However, a major Clintwood defensive meltdown allowed the Bison to take a 14-13 lead into halftime.
Buffalo Gap drove nearly 80 yards in under 1:30, and Morris hit Josh Wenger for a 15-yard touchdown with just 3 seconds left in the second quarter. Morris rolled right, faced very little pressure from the Greenwave’s defensive line, and found Wenger wide open in the end zone. Even more perplexing was the fact that Wenger was loosely surrounded by three Clintwood defenders, yet none of the three made a considerable effort to deflect Morris’ underthrown pass.
“They just executed better than us,” said Greenwave coach Rick Mullins. “They made some plays and we didn’t.”
Clintwood’s defensive breakdowns late in the first half carried over to the third quarter.
Morris turned a simple misdirection keeper into a 69-yard touchdown on the Bison’s first play from scrimmage in the second half, as he ran through a huge hole in the left side of the Greenwave’s defense, cut upfield, and raced untouched down the left sideline to put Buffalo Gap up 20-13 with 11:35 left in the third period.
A Clintwood fumble at the Bison’s 38-yard line added to the Greenwave’s sudden struggles.
Yet Clintwood freshman defensive back Trey Meade appeared to bail his team out of serious trouble when he ended another long Bison drive by jumping high in the air to intercept a pass by Miller in the Greenwave’s endzone with 4:35 left in the third quarter.
Clintwood was unable to convert on Meade’s get-out-of-jail card, however.
The Greenwave faced 4th-and-2 at the Bison’s 5-yard line, and an option run to the right side of the field was stopped cold.
| (276) 645-2569

Buffalo Gap 28, Clintwood 19
Buffalo Gap 0 14 7 7—28
Clintwood 0 13 0 6—19
Scoring Summary
BG—Travis Morris 3 run (Ian Rosenfeld kick)
C—Derek Robbins 10 run (Devin Elswick kick)
C—Nick Robinson 28 pass from Heath Counts (kick failed)
BG—Josh Wenger 15 pass from Morris (Rosenfeld kick)
BG—Morris 69 run (Rosenfeld kick)
BG—Nuckols 8 run (Rosenfeld kick)
C—N. Robinson 22 pass from Counts (two-point conversion failed)
Individual Stats
Rushing – BG – Nuckols 32-216, Morris 10-99, Joe Workman 2-35, Michael Johnson 1-12; C – Chris Robinson 21-99, Counts 4-13, Derek Robbins 8-49, Devin Elswick 4-18.
Passing – BG – Morris 4-9-1-48; C – Counts 6-13-1-126.
Receiving – BG – Wenger 3-35, Johnson 1-13; C – Ryan Lyle 2-34, N. Robinson 3-50, Alec Osborne 2-32.
Team Stats
First Downs: BG 18, C 18; Rushes-Yards: BG 44-362, C 37-221; Passing Yards: BG 48, C 126; Comp-Att-Int: BG 4-8-1, C 6-13-1; Fumbles-Lost: BG 0-0, C 2-1; Penalties-Yards BG 2-25, C 1-5; Kickoff Returns-Yards BG 2-17; C 4-65; Punt Returns-Yards BG 1-3; C 0-0.

BY BRIAN T. SMITH
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
Salem, Va. – “You’ve done a great job. A great job! Pick your heads up. You’ve got a lot to be proud of.”
A Clintwood sideline coach said the words, and the Greenwave listened.
Helmets lifted. Hands clapped. Words of encouragement were passed around.
Clintwood had lost the Group A, Division 1 state championship to Buffalo Gap. But in terms of everything else – the stuff that matters; the things that last – Clintwood had done just fine.
“We’re winners, we’re winners,” said Greenwave coach Rick Mullins, holding back tears. “We kept our composure and we had a number of chances to win it. We made drives. We played strong. We’re winners.”
Clintwood quarterback Heath Counts was thinking the same exact thing minutes later. While Mullins hoisted a second-place trophy high in the air for a large sea of green-clad fans to admire and salute, Counts was full of pride and resilience.
“We never quit,” Counts said. “We worked and stayed together and we really tried. We could have quit but we didn’t. We’re a team and we played like a team through everything.”
The Greenwave have four state championships to their name. A fifth one eluded them on Saturday. But Counts still plans to add another to his school’s trophy case before he leaves Clintwood.
“I’d much rather be state champions,” Counts said. “It’s a great feeling to come this far. I’m proud of everything we’ve done. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to be back here again next year.”

Posted by Brian T. Smith

Twenty minutes til kickoff.

Clintwood won the toss and chose to receive.

Nice, overcast day. Field looks great. Packed house. Should be a good one.

First quarter

C- 3rd and 8 from their own 28-yard line.

Punt.

BG - 4th and 5 from Clintwood 9. Stopped. Bison turn the ball over on downs.

C - 1st and 10 from their own 22. 4:51 left in first quarter. Greenwave QB Heath Counts made a nice run on 3rd and 15 that helped Clintwood get away from its own endzone.

Counts intercepted.

0-0 after 1Q.

Bison at Greenwave 8, 1st and goal.

Second quarter

Bison 7-0. Buffalo Gap QB Travis Morris runs 3 yards into the left corner of the end zone, with 9:45 left in the period.

C- 1st and 10 from Bison 25.

7-7. Clintwood turns a 78-yard drive into points when Derek Robbins barrels 10 yards for a score.

6:53 left in 2Q.

13-7 Clintwood. Counts hit Nick Robinson wide-open in the middle of the field for a 28-yard TD.

14-13 Bison. Buffalo Gap moved the ball nearly 80 yards in under 1:30. Poor Greenwave defense. Bison QB Morris hit Josh Wenger for a 15-yard TD with 3 seconds left in the first half. Wenger was surrounded by three Clintwood defenders, but none of them made a move to try and deflect the pass.

FIRST HALF BOX
Clintwood X, Buffalo Gap X
Buffalo Gap 0 14 x x—x
Clintwood 0 13 x x—x
Scoring Summary
BG—Travis Morris 3 run (Ian Rosenfeld kick)
C—Derek Robbins 10 run (Devin Elswick kick)
C—Nick Robinson 28 pass from Heath Counts (kick failed)
BG—Josh Wenger 15 pass from Morris (Rosenfeld kick)
Individual Stats
Rushing – BG – Pickle Nuckols 9-75, Morris 6-20, Joe Workman 1-30, Michael Johnson 1-12; C – Chris Robinson 12-58, Counts 4-50, Derek Robbins 5-35, Devin Elswick 2-10.
Passing – BG – Morris 3-6-x-33; C – Counts 3-5-1-53.
Receiving – BG – Wenger 3-33; C – C. Robinson 1-3, Ryan Lyle 1-22, N. Robinson 1-28.

Third quarter
Buffalo Gap 21-13, 8:10 left in the period.

Clintwood’s defensive breakdowns late in the first half carried over to the third quarter.
Morris turned a simple misdirection keeper into a 69-yard touchdown on the Bison’s first play from scrimmage in the second half, as he ran through a huge hole in the left side of the Greenwave’s defense, cut upfield, and raced untouched down the left sideline to put Buffalo Gap up 20-13 with 11:35 left in the third period.

A Clintwood fumble at the Bison’s 38-yard line added to the Greenwave’s sudden struggles.

Clintwood freshman DB Troy Meade intercepts Miller in the Greenwave’s endzone.

Greenwave 3rd and 2 at Bison 5. 23 seconds left in third quarter.

Clintwood stopped cold on 4th-and-2 at Buffalo Gap 5. Over on downs.

Fourth quarter

Bison driving. 3-and-5 at Greenwave 45. 7:47 left in game.

Posted by Brian T. Smith