On June 10, James River student Da'Von Ross signed with Emory and Henry to play football. On why he chose the school, Ross said, "The coach was really close to me and we even went to the same church. The head coach was also a good inspiration."

Coach Phillip King, Da'Von's current football coach at James River, said, "Emory and Henry is a great choice. It's a small school and I personally know a lot of the coaches. He's leaving one family atmosphere and going to another family atmosphere."

Nicely gets accolades as athlete, scholar

Will Nicely of Daleville attends Patrick Henry High School and the Roanoke Valley Governor's School. He was a member of the state quarter final Patrick Henry Patriot varsity soccer team that finished the season 20-2. He was named to the Academic All Western Valley District soccer squad as well. He was recently inducted into the National Honor Society.

Submitted by Hi Nicely

Fincastle Baptist Church to hold free sports camps

The Fincastle Baptist Church sports camps are free to all students ages 6-12. Coaches from Read Mountain Middle School, Central Academy Middle School, James River High School, Lord Botetourt High School, and William Fleming High School seek to teach students the fundamentals of sports, and Biblical principles of sportsmanship, fairness, teamwork, and following rules. Registration forms can be found on the website at www.fincastlebaptist.org/ or you can call the church office at 473-2861 for more information. The schedule of events is:

Karate Camp, July 9-11, 6-8 p.m.

Football Camp, July 12-14, 6-8 p.m.

Cheerleading Camp, July 12-14, 6-8 p.m.

Volleyball Camp, July 15-17, 6-8 p.m.

Soccer Camp, July 20-23, 6-8 p.m.

Lord Botetourt football conditioning athletes finish the school year

Lord Botetourt's football team began a strength and conditioning program in January. Using techniques from many schools including Virginia Tech, Coach Mark Harrison organized a three day per week regime that required focus and dedication.

The students compared in the January photo til the first of June have gained strength, agility, speed and most of all confidence. Said Harrison, "We have seen results in muscle gain from 10 to 50 pounds."

On Monday, June 8, the athletes paired off into red and white squads and had a mini Olympic conditioning challenge that included running, lifting and tire flipping. The players will continue to lift and condition through the summer. Coach Tater Benson and his assistants seemed very pleased with the advancement of the players.

Elite Club Members from Cycle 2 and 3: Max Dannhardt, Matt Bower, Phillip Unroe, Derrick Quirin, Ronnie Costa, Caesar Sosa, Evan Bourne, Justin Welch, Taylor Landes, Zach McCarty, and Jacob Martin.

Perfect Attendance: Austin Author, Zack Baker, Sal Barranco, Patrick Boland, Evan Bourne, Matt Bower,Mike Brenin, Conner Bronson, Justin Brush, John Bucko, Peyton Calengar, Dustin Cash, Will Cline, Jesse Corl, Ronnie Costa, Max Dannhardt, Jonathan Dehart, Conner Fairburn, Michael Felts, Sam Finley, Tyler Flinchum,Shawn Gardner, Brandon Gill, Adam Golden, Dylan Gulser, J.R. Hall, Alex Hampton, Mitch Hanson, Taylor Keller, Thomas Kennedy, C.W. Knox, Jesse Kritzberger, Taylor Landes, Jacob Martin, Zack McCarty, Tyler McMillan, Corey Moore, Tre Moore, Ben Quirin, Derrick Qiurin, Hunter Reynolds, Mark Reynolds, Willie Richardson, Justin Roberts, Sam Ross, Hunter Santos, Nick Saylor, Cesar Sosa, Anthony Sowers, Shawn Sowers, Marshall Stanley, Derell Stone, Brandon Sweetenberg, Philip Unroe, Josh Waldron, Andrew Williams.

-- Cathy Benson

Botetourt girls compete in state gymnastics championships

Roanoke Academy of Gymnastics Level 4 gymnasts compete in the USAG State Championships on May 16 and 17 in Hampton, VA.

Roanoke Academy of Gymnastics had 27 girls qualify and compete in the Level 4 State Championships. The local team placed fourth out of 19 teams.

Lauren Ogle, age 10, won the State Champion Title in floor for her age group, and tied for first in floor, tied for sixth on the vault, and tied for ninth on the beam and All Around.

Abbey Angel placed fourth in the Bars competition.

Autumn Harless placed second in the vault competition, fourth All Around, fifth in the floor competition, tied for fifth in the bars competition, and placed tenth in the beam competition.

Roanoke Valley Bandits 13U AAA baseball team wins State Tournament

The Roanoke Valley Bandits 13U AAA baseball team won the 14U AA State Tournament held in Salem on May 22-23. Six team members attend Read Mountain Middle School: Matthew Burd, Adam Thompson, Cameron Myers, Luke Waldek, Will Arney and Jared Arney.

Submitted by Sheri Thompson