Local schools claim 5k in T-Mobile contest

T-Mobile’s Friday Night 5G Lights contest is back again this year and several local schools have already claimed their share of the first round of prize money.

The most recent selections for “Week 5” of the contest included Clarke County and Warren County High Schools and they will each receive $5,000.

Other local winners selected earlier this season include Page County, Central, and Skyline.

Each of the five schools will now have the opportunity to win the grand prize of $1 million in stadium upgrades.

Schools from areas of population under 150,000 people are eligible and votes are cast via social media.

Photos and videos of school pride posted that tag T-Mobile, the school, and use hashtags #FN5GL and #entry will be counted towards the contest.

Schools still have until September 18th to enter the opening round of the contest and you can submit your shots from the Game of the Week Friday Night to cast your votes for Strasburg or Warren County.

To learn more about the contest, click here.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

VHSL recommends realignment of Sherando, Skyline, Warren, and Page

The Virginia High School League, or VHSL, announced its Recommended Region Alignment Plan for the 2027-2031 time period and their recommendations could affect many local schools.

The plan recommends Sherando move up from Class 4 to Class 5 which would place Sherando in a different class and region from the other Winchester and Frederick County schools and with schools predominantly from Northern Virginia like Stone Bridge, Briar Woods, Battlefield and others.

VHSL’s plan also recommends Skyline and Warren County drop down from Class 3 to Class 2 and enter the Bull Run District with Strasburg, Central, Clarke County, and others.

Page County was also included in the realignment and would move to Class 1 joining Luray in Region B.

Schools have the opportunity to request an appeal before August 10th, the deadline to submit an opposition to an appeal is August 17th, and then the Appeal Committee will meet to hear the appeals and recommend the final alignment plan on August 25th.

A full breakdown of the statewide realignment plan follows:

 

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Corey Shenk named AD at PCHS

page county election coverage

Page County Public Schools announced the appointment of Corey Shenk as the new Athletic Director for Page County High School.

Shenk brings experience as an athletic director, volunteer assistant athletic director, and head coach in basketball and baseball.

Most recently, he served as the Dean of Students for Springfield and Luray Elementary schools.

As Athletic Director, Shenk will oversee the school’s athletic programs, support coaches and student athletes, coordinate events and schedules, and promote programs that reflect the school division’s expectations of sportsmanship, academic achievement, safety, and character.

In the press release, Page County Superintendent Dr. Bryan Huber said, “Corey is a dedicated, student-centered leader who understands the important role that athletics and extracurricular activities play in the overall educational experience. He values teamwork, accountability, strong relationships, and school pride, and I am confident he will provide positive leadership for Page County High School’s student-athletes, coaches, families, and community.”

To view the full announcement, click here.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Laurel Ridge honored by Luray-Page County Chamber

The Luray-Page County Chamber of Commerce recognized Laurel Ridge Community College for the school’s community contributions during the chamber’s 100th annual banquet and awards ceremony.

The Nonprofit Excellence Award is presented to a nonprofit chamber member that:

  • goes above and beyond in communicating it’s mission
  • tirelessly works towards goals that align with a common purpose
  • positively impacts the community
  • foster relations with other nonprofits to promote collaboration and collective efforts to address community needs that provide a lasting impact.

Laurel Ridge’s nomination highlighted the over 1,500 degrees and certificates awarded to students attending the Luray-Page County Center since it opened 20 years ago.

In total, the satellite location has served around

  • 2,600 students
  • 230 Laurel Ridge Workforce solutions students
  • 80 Adult Education participants

The nomination also praised Laurel Ridge’s dual enrollment program offered to local high school students and stated, ““Not only do these DE classes save Page County residents tuition dollars when they transfer to four-year colleges and universities, they also help them save time, develop the skills to take on the rigor of college-level courses and become more impressive job applicants.”

Page County saw an increase in total dual enrollment from 141 in 2024 to 146 in 2025.

Laurel Ridge President Kim Blosser said, “We are so honored to receive the Excellence Award from the Luray-Page County Chamber of Commerce… and to continue to serve the… area for many years to come.”

For more information on the award, click here.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Handley’s Harrell-Zook becomes youngest coach to 100 wins, Playoffs begin

John Handley High School head boys basketball coach Zach Harrell-Zook claimed his 100th win as a head coach Monday night against Jefferson, 70-36.

In doing so, Coach Harrell-Zook became the youngest coach in VHSL history to reach the milestone at just 29 years old.

The Millbrook High School graduate is also the youngest coach to reach a VHSL Championship Game when he led the Judges to the 2021 matchup against Smithfield.

This year’s Handley squad secured the #1 seed in Region 4D and will begin their run towards a State Championship next week.

High school basketball playoff coverage begins this week on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, The River 95.3 app, and TheRiver953.com!

Clarke County hosts Strasburg in the girls Bull Run District Championship game on Wednesday night.

Then the Boys Championship game will take place on Thursday night at the highest remaining seed (Tuesday Semifinal Games: #1 Strasburg vs #4 Page, #2 Central vs #3 Luray).

Pregame coverage begins around 7:15 pm on Wednesday and Thursday with Ryan Rutherford and Josh Kirby on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, The River 95.3 app, and TheRiver953.com.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here. 

FCPS announces addition of girls wrestling

james wood girls' basketball coach

Frederick County Public Schools announced the addition of girls wrestling to the winter sports schedule.

The first girls wrestling teams in Frederick County will hit the mat this year for the 2025 season.

Students interested or families with questions should contact their high school’s athletic director or coordinator of student activities.

Each school will announce details regarding try-outs, coaches, and a parent information session soon.

To compete, the student must have a VHSL physical completed and on file at the school.

In May of 2025, the VHSL announced that girls wrestling was approved and this school year is the first with girls wrestling fully-sanctioned.

In that three year period, more than half of Virginia’s high schools with wrestling programs must have retained a female on the roster to advance the sport from emerging to fully-sanctioned.

Since the launch in 2022, girls wrestling has more than doubled in total participants from 273 to 631 last year.

The Shenandoah Valley has already proven to produce top talent in the sport with Morgan Layman, a Skyline graduate, winning a girls wrestling state title in 2023 and Mackenzie Painter, Page County grad, who was a three time All-State selection.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Laurel Ridge and Luray-Page County Chamber golf tournament team up for local students

Laurel Ridge Community College and the Luray- Page County Chamber of Commerce are teaming up for the Chamber Golf Classic on Wednesday at the Caverns Country Club in Luray.

Proceeds from the tournament will benefit workforce initiatives in Page and Luray as well as contributing to scholarships for local high school students planning to attend Laurel Ridge.

Laurel Ridge Marketing Director Guy Curtis said, “This year, Laurel Ridge is celebrating 20 years of serving the residents of Luray and Page County right in their own backyards through the Luray-Page County Center. While golfers will enjoy a fun day in beautiful surroundings, they will also be contributing to our educational legacy.”

Sign ups for teams and individuals are ongoing.

To register for the golf classic, call the Luray-Page County Chamber of Commerce at 540-743-3915.

For more information, click here.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Page County Schools forced to move graduations’ indoors

marketing leverage program grant

Given the prediction of rain and thunderstorms and the uncertainty around the timing of these weather events, the Page County School division has decided to move all graduation ceremonies indoors on Saturday, June 7. The times of the ceremonies will remain unchanged:

Luray High School – 10:00 AM; Page County High School – 6:00 PM. This decision allows staff time to prepare the gymnasiums for graduation and ensures that families have time to adjust their plans. It will be important for all families to follow the directions the school has provided for moving the ceremonies inside.

Please look for additional information from Mrs. Clark (LHS) and Mr. Cale (PCHS) between now and Saturday.

Both ceremonies will be live-streamed for anyone who cannot attend in person.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

The Duke’s Hoops Preview: Clarke Co vs Page Co

The Region 2B Quarterfinals begin tonight with the Van Metre Homes Game of the Week featuring #1 seed Clarke County and #8 seed Page County with pregame coverage starting at 5:45 pm for the 6 pm tip on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, theriver953.com, and The River 95.3 app.

Clarke County soars into the Regional Playoffs after winning their last 11 games on the way to a regular season and playoff Bull Run District Championship.

Alainah and Paige McKavish led the way this season with both earning 1st Team All District.

Alainah claimed District Player of the Year shortly after recording 29 points and 11 rebounds in the District Championship game last week.

The duo regularly creates offense from their aggressive defense and four of Clarke County’s five starters average over 2 steals a game.

Clarke County’s full-court and half-court zone defense caused problems in the Bull Run District playoffs allowing the Eagles to open up massive leads including a 27-5 1st quarter against Central and a 19-2 lead through the first 6:49 against Rappahannock County.

Page County has struggled against these Eagles twice this season with two losses by a combined 94 points.

The first meeting saw Clarke County win 83-23 which was their largest scoring output and margin of victory on the season at that point.

While the Panthers will enter the game well rested after being off for the last 10 days and preparing for the likely opponent of Clarke County, that much time off could lead to a slow start which would be insurmountable against a team like the #1 seed Eagles.

The winners of this matchup will face the winners of tonight’s  #4 Central vs #5 Buckingham County on Thursday in the Semifinals and the Region 2B Championship game will be held at Shenandoah University on Saturday.

I predict Clarke County to run out to another early postseason lead and keep their hopes of a State Championship alive, Eagles 65- Panthers 38.

PCHS educator named FCCLA National Adviser of the Year

page county election coverage

Page County High School’s Bobbi Comer was named the first-ever FCCLA National Adviser of the Year during the 2024 National Leadership Conference in Seattle, Washington.

Comer was selected from over 7,350 chapter advisers across the nation and received a $3,000 award.

She was recognized in front of over 8,000 students and educators from across the nation for her unwavering support and leadership within FCCLA for 37 years fostering growth and excellence among her students.

Some of her achievements include the ACTE Carl Perkins Community Service Award and National Teacher of the Year Award, advising over 300 FCCLA participants through events, and developing community partnerships to create service opportunities for her students.

Comer is preparing to retire at the end of the school year and FCCLA Executive Director Sandy Spavone said “Bobbi Comer’s legacy is defined by her tireless dedication and the profound impact she has made on generations of students.”

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.