Old Pictures - You've Gottem, I Wantem

Hello to all once again. Finally, the weather has taken a back seat and let the kids out to play some spring sports. So far, unless no one has reported a Rural Retreat softball game to me, all of our softball teams are currently undefeated. Way Cool!

HogoOnline wants photos. Any of them over the years that you have clipped from newspapers, taken yourself, or found in the high school yearbook will do. Scan and email!

History in the Hogoheegee is just as important as its future. Unfortunately, about all I can put on the site is scores from the good ole days but clearly there is more to it than that. To really capture the life of what the Hogoheegee is and was all about, please send in any old relics that you have. Even videos will do, but you won't be able to email those. If you have a video, contact me and we'll find a way to get that taken care of.

I'm looking for any picture ever of any currently standing Hogoheegee school. 1776 until now. For former Hogoheegee schools, lets keep it between 1970 and now (or the years in which they were active. Refer to the "History" tab on the site to determine these dates). It can be team photos, full yearbook pages (as Sammy Campbell has done before), or action stills. Please help out with this and your names will be creditted to the photos you submit (if you wish) and they will be posted on the Flick'r site. Be sure to try to include details such as who is in the picture as well as dates, if possible. Also, I'll even accept any old pics you have of Hogoheegee towns as well as pictures of the schools back in the old days. Things have really changed over the years, it would be really neat to see our towns and old school buildings 10, 20, 30, or 40 years ago.

Please help and do your part in making Hogoheegee.com an historical reference as much as it is a source for news.

I've provided an example:

Uncle Sam, War of 1812

"I WANT YOU to send in pics"

Interview with Patrick Henry's Tami Counts

As far as softball coaches go, not only in the Hogoheegee, but in all of southwest Virginia, few do it as well or better than Patrick Henry's Tami Counts. Having just had a baby a mere few weeks ago, she's already prepared to lead her Rebels into another exciting softball season. Just last season PH won the Hogoheegee district and advanced to the Region C tournament before being edged by Glenvar 1-0 in a nail biter. Counts was selected as Coach of the Year and her dedication to her team is a clear reason why she was selected. Coach Counts gave us a few minutes of her time for an interview about herself and this up and coming season.

How long have you been coaching softball? Have you coached anywhere besides PH?

I have been coaching at Patrick Henry since 1997. I coached softball with Stacy Poston at Northwood High School from 1994-1996.

What is your high school & college background? What were your sports backgrounds there?

I went to Patrick Henry High School and Emory and Henry College. I played basketball, volleyball, and I ran track. They did not have a softball team when I went to school so I kept the scorebook for the baseball team.

Who are some people that inspired you to become a coach? What is your favorite part of coaching?

Some of the people who inspired me to coach were my dad and brother. I spent a lot of time playing in the backyard with them as I was growing up and it made me want to stay involved in athletics. Coaches who influenced me while I was in school were Susan Johnston and Eddie Pruitt.
My favorite part of coaching is the kids. I love spending time with kids who devote themselves to a sport and go above and beyond to develop their fundamental skills to become successful. I have been very blessed with the kids I have coached in the past. They are the reason I continue to stay and coach; they are my second family.

What is the most memorable moment of your high school sports days as a player?

I can't really pinpoint any particular time or moment from my high school career; I just enjoyed playing ball. The only thing I can think of, this really ages me, is that I made the first three point
shot at PH.

What are some accomplishments as a coach that you will never forget?

Winning the Hogo tournament against Holston in 1997. Nicole Poore and Kendall Rainey were freshmen. Every time we make it to the play-offs in the region and/or state is an accomplishment I will always remember for my girls. The game we went 13 innings with Angela Tincher was pretty exciting also. She beat us two years in a row by one run.

(By the way, Tincher has her own Wiki page. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Tincher)

Congratulations on the new baby! This will obviously present some new challenges this year, is there anything you can add about that? The quick jump into coaching after having a baby is remarkable and requires lots of dedication to your team...

I did the exact same thing seven years ago when I had Lindsey. She was born in May and I only missed one week. I only missed a week with Kinsley as well. My husband and my mom are a great help and I couldn't continue coaching without their love and support. My teams' parents are also a great support.



Last year PH posted a 19-4-1 record and was edged in the Region C semi-finals by Glenvar 1-0. Do you feel like this year's team has what it takes to up the ante?

Definitely!! These girls are serious about their softball and they just want to add to their success from last season. Our goal is to work harder and go farther than the year before.

Last season you were the Hogoheegee's softball coach of the year. Looking back on that season, were there any games that you felt like you really earned it? Had to take a risk that turned out great?

I don't like to take credit; my players work very hard in practice. They listen, we work on skills and fundamentals, and they improve every day. These girls have been playing ball for years so I give credit to their parents for keeping them in the sport, and the athletes for giving their time and continuing to be dedicated to the sport of softball. They show a lot of respect for the game, myself, and the other coaches they play under.

Thank you for your time Coach Counts and best of luck this season to you and your Lady Rebels!

Interview with Chilhowie's Jeff Robinson

Since Jeff Robinson took over as head coach for the Warriors varsity baseball team in 2002 the program has taken an obvious shift upward. While Robinson would contribute the success to his talented players as any noble coach would, his knowledge and love for the game is the crucial cornerstone for Chilhowie's baseball success. Since 2002, Chilhowie has been on the upper crust of the district including consecutive Region C playoff appearances.



Jeff Robinson was gracious enough to lend some time to Hogoheegee.com for an interview about his career and this up and coming season. This interview may also be featured on VirginiaPreps.

(HogoOnline) What Coaches have been influential to you and your baseball career (playing/coaching)?

(Coach) First of all, it would have to be Sam McKinney. He was my baseball coach all the way through high school and taught me a lot about the game. Coach McKinney was also kind enough have me back on his coaching staff after I got out of college. When he resigned after coaching at Chilhowie for 11 years, I got the job. I still use some of the same philosophies I learned from him many years ago.The second coach that has been very influential to me in my baseball career as both a player and a coach is Danny Burnett. He recruited me out of high school and I was part of his first recruiting class at King College. He remained my coach during all four of my years at KC and we still keep in contact.


(HogoOnline) Thinking back on your high school playing days at Chilhowie, what was one (or what are some) memorable high school feat(s) that you or your team accomplished?

(Coach) There would have to be two:
First, my Junior year in 1993 when we beat Castlewood and ace pitcher Denny Wagner 2-1 at Chilhowie on a suicide squeeze in the bottom of the 7th. Wagner had a 94 mph fastball and was drafted by the Oakland A’s after a good career at VT. I think he spent several seasons in the minors and made it as high as AA. He only lost two or three games in his entire high school career and that was one of them.
Second, during my senior year in 1994 we beat PH at their old field below the pool 7-6. We were up 7-5 with the bases loaded and 2-outs in the bottom of the 7th when somebody singled to me in centerfield and I threw out the runner that was on second at the plate to end the game.

(HogoOnline) What has been your best moment as a coach?

(Coach) O.K. I’m going to have to give you top 5 on this one (in no particular order):
2003 Hogoheegee District Tournament Semi-finals at JSB. We rallied to beat Lebanon 6-4. It clinched our first regional tournament appearance.
May 22, 2006 – We went into the last day of the regular season in 3rd place and needed to beat both GW and JSB on the same day at Warrior Field to tie for the Regular Season Championship and force a one-game playoff for the automatic regional berth. We beat GW 2-1 on a suicide squeeze in the bottom of the 7th and followed that up with a 9-4 win over JSB in the second game that day.
May 18, 2007 – We again needed to beat John Battle on the last day of the regular season (this time at Battle) to tie for the regular season championship and force another one-game playoff. Keith Fenner had the gutsiest performance I’ve ever seen in a 1-0 win. He overcame a bases loaded, nobody out situation in the bottom of the 7th to secure the win.
May 21, 2007 – On the following Monday at Patrick Henry we beat John Battle 6-5 on a suicide squeeze in the bottom of the 8th to win the one-game playoff and secure our second regional berth.
Finally, 2007 Region C Quarterfinal game at Chilhowie. Following a 30-minute rain delay, we rallied from a 3-1 deficit by scoring 5 runs off of ace pitcher Abram Williams in the bottom of the 6th to beat Radford 6-3.


(HogoOnline) You've put Chilhowie baseball on the map. What do you do differently than what was done 8/9 years ago?

(Coach) Chilhowie has, in my lifetime, always been known as a football and basketball school (probably in that order). When I first took the job at Chilhowie prior to the 2002 season, baseball was just something to do between basketball and football seasons. I had been involved in the Little League program at Chilhowie as an umpire since I was in high school. I knew we had some really good baseball talent coming, and to tell you the truth really good baseball talent there when I took over. But I knew if we were ever going to be able to consistently compete with the John Battles (who was coming off back to back Group A State Championships) and Lebanon’s, we would have to change the attitude toward the sport and make it mean something special to play baseball at Chilhowie. We modeled ourselves after the most successful programs in our area (VA High, John Battle, Abingdon, etc.) and set our goals high…and made our players believe we could reach them. Add some of the winners and great assistant coaches I have had over the last 7 years and it’s not hard to see why we have had so much success.


(HogoOnline) If you could play one team that you've not been able to schedule, who would it be?

(Coach) I have always believed in playing as tough a non-district schedule as possible. In the past, we have played such non-district teams as Abingdon, Sullivan East, Johnson County (TN), & Honaker. Last year we finally got into the Coppinger Tournament in Bluefield and got an opportunity to play such teams as Tazewell and Oak Hill, WV (I think they finished the season with a 32-4 record). This year we will once again play in the Coppinger and have regular season games with such teams as Grayson County and Richlands. My philosophy is that to be the best you have to play the best.


(HogoOnline) At what point did you decide you wanted to become a teacher and a coach?

(Coach) After we were eliminated from the State Basketball Tournament my Senior year, Mike Sturgill (who was my football coach and also served as our assistant basketball coach) told me to go to college and get my degree, then come back to Chilhowie and help him coach. I had never really thought much about teaching and coaching until then. While I was at King I briefly thought about going to law school, but in the end I could not bear the thought of giving up athletics and the sports that had been such a big part of my life.


(HogoOnline) You've been at Chilhowie for a while; do you see yourself retiring there?

(Coach) Put it this way…My son is 15 months old and I would like to coach him one day.



(HogoOnline) Many baseball professionals at all levels have superstitions and pregame rituals they perform prior to a game. Do you have any worth noting?

(Coach) Unfortunately I do. Sometimes they become hard to keep up with. For example, I refuse to wash my socks during a winning streak. My assistant coaches hate that one. Also, last year my son was only a few months old during baseball season. At one point in the year, we were 4-4 and he had only been to a few games due to the cold weather. He came to this particular game and I walked with him out onto the field while our players were stretching and they all rubbed his head for good luck. We won that game and ended up winning 14 of the next 15. In all those wins but one (you guessed it, the loss) we rubbed his head. Poor fellow…one Saturday morning on the way to Bluefield we stopped the bus at my house just to rub his head.


(HogoOnline) The R&R committee recently postponed consideration of a 5 division realignment. What are your thoughts on that realignment? In favor of it or no?

(Coach) I’m in favor of anything to make it more fair for the smaller schools. Our enrollment is not as small as some schools (even in the Hogo), but trying to compete in Region C is very tough…especially with all the former AA schools that have moved down over the past couple of decades. Our enrollment at CHS hovers around 400, give or take. When you look at schools like Grayson County, Floyd County, Giles, Fort Chiswell, and Glenvar all with enrollments over or near 600, it makes a difference. Large schools like VA High, Gate City, and JJ Kelly in Region D generally dominate. Go on up the road to Region A and B and the gap only widens. For example, Goochland, who won the 2006 Group A State Championship has an enrollment of nearly 800.


(HogoOnline) Besides your home-field, what other field is one of your favorites to play on? Why?

(Coach) I have always liked Patrick Henry’s new field. There’s something about the atmosphere of playing a night game with the crowd right on top of you. Lots of fun and we have had many great battles there under the lights.
Former Hogoheegee schools Lebanon and Honaker have awesome facilities. I have always enjoyed going there. Both have classy programs and coaches that really care about their fields…and it shows.

(HogoOnline) How excited are you about this season? Anything you can add about this upcoming season?

(Coach) The prospect of the challenge of a new season always excites me. This season looks to be very challenging for a number of reasons, but our kids have a great attitude and work ethic. We have a combination of experienced position players and hitters and young but talented players moving up from the JV team. We do not have the pitching depth we have had over the past several years, but hopefully we can develop pitching as the season progresses. With any luck, when its all said and done we will be able to play past the district tournament.


(HogoOnline) With Jerad Ward, one of your former players, taking over the head coaching job at George Wythe, does this add a new twist to the rivalry?

(Coach) I think the GW-Chilhowie baseball rivalry was already pretty good to start with, but this definitely adds a little more to it considering the fact that Jerad was one of my former players. Joey Russell (another CHS Alumni) did a great job with the GW baseball program during his stint as head coach and made them a consistent winner. So I think Jerad finds himself in a situation similar to the one I was in eight years ago, and that is a good situation to build something without starting from scratch.
Jerad remains to this day the best all-around baseball player that I have ever coached. I was an assistant coach at Chilhowie his Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior years, but I was Jerad's head coach for his Senior year, and what a year it was. He basically rewrote the record book at Chilhowie that year and still holds some records that I think will never be broken. He brings a lot of fire and enthusiasm to the game and I look forward to facing him in the future.