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LCA holds No. 1 spot in the 10 Strong Poll for eighth-consecutive week

Bulldogs are only spot unchanged from last week

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

ROANOKE, Va. – With one week of playoffs in the books, Liberty Christian still remains our unanimous No. 1 team in the 10 Strong Poll.

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Other than the Bulldogs, the rest of the poll saw a whole lot of shuffling.

Jumping up three spots to No. 2 are the Appomattox County Raiders, followed by the Salem Spartans, also up a spot.

Falling two spots are the Heritage Pioneers to clock in at No. 4.

Rounding out the top 5 is Christiansburg, who has a tough Region Semifinal matchup this week against the No. 6 team in our poll, Lord Botetourt.

After the Cavaliers, the order remains the same as last week, G.W. Danville and Bassett in spots 7 and 8.

Two teams returning to the 10 Strong Poll this week are Galax and Glenvar, which paints our complete picture.

Here’s a look at the other eight teams that received votes in this week’s poll, along with their corresponding point totals:

E.C. Glass (23), Patrick Henry (19), North Cross (16), Giles (12), Brookville (11), Parry McCluer (7), Radford (5), George Wythe (3)


Published November 9, 2021

With the regular season now behind us, Liberty Christian Academy is our unanimous No. 1 for the fourth-straight week.

Behind the Bulldogs are Lynchburg’s high schools, Heritage and E.C. Glass, respectively.

At No. 4, it’s the Salem Spartans, the No. 1 seed in Region 4D.

At No. 5, dropping three spots during a bye week are the Appomattox County Raiders.

Christiansburg is the only team other than LCA to not move this week, remaining at No. 6.

Lord Botetourt flipped spots with G.W. Danville to be No. 7 and No. 8.

Bassett and North Cross flipped spots to be No. 9 and No. 10.

This is the first pole since Week 5 where no new teams are in the poll compared to last week.

Here’s a look at the other 12 teams that received votes in this week’s poll, along with their corresponding point totals:

Glenvar (24), Galax (20), Narrows (12), Patrick Henry (9), Brookville (9), Parry McCluer (8), Franklin County (7), Radford (5), Halifax County (2), Pulaski County (2), Giles (2), Hidden Valley (1)


Published November 03, 2021

When nearly everyone wins, we don’t see much major movement in a 10 Strong Poll.

This week, our top four teams are in the same spots as they were last week: LCA, Appomattox County, Heritage and E.C. Glass.

Salem, coming off a strong victory against Hidden Valley jumped up two spots to number five, which slid Christiansburg and G.W. Danville each down one spot.

Lord Botetourt coming off a big win over Franklin County also jumped up two spots to be at No. 8.

North Cross remains at 9, and rounding out this week’s poll is Bassett.

Here’s a look at the other 11 teams that received votes in this week’s poll, along with their corresponding point totals:

Glenvar (28), Patrick Henry (25), Galax (21), Parry McCluer (5), Brookville (4), Hidden Valley (3), Halifax County (3), Pulaski County (3), Radford (2), Rustburg (2), Giles (2)


Published October 26, 2021

We’re closing in on the end of the regular season with just two weeks remaining.

After nine weeks of play, our top four teams remain unchanged from last week, LCA, Appomattox County, Heritage and E.C. Glass.

After that, Christiansburg jumped up two spots after beating Patrick Henry to round out the top 5.

G.W. Danville moved up one spot with a win against Bassett.

Despite beating Franklin County and Cave Spring in the same week, Salem slid down two spots in this week’s poll to be No. 7.

Behind them, making their first appearance in the 10 Strong Poll since Week 3 are the Glenvar Highlanders at No. 8.

At No. 9, it’s North Cross moving up one slot from last week.

The final team in this week’s poll is Lord Botetourt. The Cavaliers have also not been in the 10 Strong Poll since Week 3.

Here’s a look at the other 10 teams that received votes in this week’s poll, along with their corresponding point totals:

Galax (24), Bassett (22), Brookville (21), Hidden Valley (18), Patrick Henry (14), Patrick County (7), Halifax County (4), Radford (4), Pulaski County (3), Franklin County (2)


Published October 19, 2021

It’s taken nine polls, but we now have a unanimous No. 1 team in this season’s 10 Strong Poll.

The Liberty Christian Academy Bulldogs beat our previous No. 2 team, Heritage, on Friday night 49-10 and received all five No. 1 votes in this week’s poll.

Behind them, jumping Heritage, is Appomattox County, at their highest spot since being No. 1 in the Week 2 poll.

Dropping one spot are the Heritage Pioneers and rounding out the top five this week are E.C. Glass and Salem, unchanged from last week.

Also unchanged is Basset, remaining at No. 6, but has a tough matchup on the road at No. 7 GW Danville.

Tied for No. 7 with the Eagles is Christiansburg, coming off a 61-20 win against Hidden Valley.

Patrick Henry dropped two spots to No. 9 and entering the poll this week is VISAA school North Cross as the Raiders are 6-1 on the season.

Here’s a look at the other 12 teams that received votes in this week’s poll, along with their corresponding point totals:

Glenvar (19) Galax (18), Brookville (12), Lord Botetourt (12), Hidden Valley (11), Magna Vista (8), Chilhowie (7), Halifax County (6), Pulaski County (4), Rockbridge County (4), Franklin County (3), Narrows (1)


Published October 12, 2021

Once again, our top three teams remain unchanged this week as LCA, Heritage and Appomattox County lead the way.

With LCA and Heritage squaring off on Friday, it’s highly unlikely we’ll see three straight weeks with that top three.

E.C. Glass remained at No. 4, but Salem slid down one spot to No. 5

Up to No. 6, jumping three spots from last week are the Bassett Bengals, fresh off a 67-0 win against Patrick County.

Behind them is Patrick Henry, who just handed Hidden Valley its first loss on the season.

At number eight, not playing last week is G.W. Danville.

Speaking of Hidden Valley, coming off that loss, the Titans slid down to No. 9 in this week’s poll.

Rejoining the poll after a one-week hiatus is Christiansburg, also tied for No. 9.

Here’s a look at the other 10 teams that received votes in this week’s poll, along with their corresponding point totals:

North Cross (25), Brookville (18), Galax (18), Halifax County (15), Glenvar (12), Lord Botetourt (9), Grayson County (8), Chilhowie (7), Pulaski County (5), Rustburg (2)


Published October 5, 2021

Our top three teams remain unchanged this week as LCA, Heritage and Appomattox County lead the way.

Compared to last week, LCA did snag a No. 1 vote from Heritage.

Tied at No. 4 are Salem and E.C. Glass.

Unmoved from No. 6 are the 6-0 Hidden Valley Titans, who have another tough game this week, hosting Patrick Henry.

Win two games in four days? That’s what G.W. Danville accomplished this week and jumped up three spots in this week’s poll to number seven.

No game this past week for the Brookville Bees, who remain 8.

Two newcomers to this season’s poll round out this week’s poll.

At 9, it’s the Bassett Bengals, now 4-1 on the season. The 10 Strong Poll began in 2017 and this week marks the first appearance by the Bengals in the poll!

Just behind them are the Patrick Henry Patriots, also touting a 4-1 record.

Here’s a look at the other 11 teams that received votes in this week’s poll, along with their corresponding point totals:

Christiansburg (23), Glenvar (16), Pulaski County (15), Halifax County (12), Galax (11), Lord Botetourt (11), North Cross (11), Chilhowie (5), Floyd County (5), Giles (3), Amherst County (2)


Published September 28, 2021

They’ve been waiting, and now, the Liberty Christian Academy Bulldogs have reached No. 1 in the 10 Strong Poll.

Recipient of three number-one votes, the Bulldogs, coming off a 35-7 win against Brookville jumped over the Heritage Pioneers to claim the No. 1 spot.

Those Pioneers, who received two number-one votes, slid down to two in this week’s poll.

At three, Appomattox County remains and behind them are the Salem Spartans, up one spot after a postponement.

Rounding out the top five is E.C. Glass and jumping up one spot to No. 6 are the Hidden Valley Titans.

After them, the Christiansburg Blue Demons rose three spots after keeping Radford scoreless in their 63-0 win.

Losing to LCA, Brookville dropped two spots down to No. 8, while Pulaski County remained the same at No. 9.

The last entry in this week’s poll are the G.W. Danville Eagles.

Here’s a look at the other 12 teams that received votes in this week’s poll, along with their corresponding point totals:

Galax (20), Patrick Henry (20), Bassett (13), Lord Botetourt (12), Glenvar (11), Amherst County (10), Magna Vista (8), North Cross (6), Chilhowie (5), Rustburg (4), Narrows (2), Giles (2), Franklin County (1)


Published September 21, 2021

A new week and now, a different Lynchburg team is atop the 10 Strong Poll.

With a narrow Jug Bowl win, Heritage is now our No. 1 team, flipping spots with now No. 3 E.C. Glass. The Pioneers did receive two No. 1 votes this week.

At No. 2 remains Liberty Christian Academy, which did receive two No. 1 votes this week.

Also tied for third is Appomattox County. The Raiders did receive a No. 1 vote this week.

Spots 5 and 6 remain unchanged as Salem and Brookville hold steady.

Next, at No. 7, the Hidden Valley Titans at 4-0 slide up two spots from last week.

At 8, G.W. Danville returns to the poll after a two-week hiatus.

Pulaski County slides down to No. 9.

Rounding out the poll, at number 10, making their first 10 Strong Poll appearance this season, are the 3-0 Christiansburg Blue Demons.

Here’s a look at the other 15 teams that received votes in this week’s poll, along with their corresponding point totals:

Galax (25), Lord Botetourt (16), Patrick Henry (13), Radford (13), North Cross (10), Bassett (8), Magna Vista (7), Glenvar (6), Narrows (5), Chilhowie (5), Giles (4), Amherst County (3), Liberty (2), Rustburg (2), Franklin County (2), Rockbridge County (1)


Published September 13, 2021

The city of Lynchburg is dominating the Week 3 10 Strong Poll.

E.C. Glass leads the way with four No. 1 votes, followed by Liberty Christian Academy and Heritage, who received one No. 1 vote, rounding out the top 3.

After that, it’s Appomattox County off the team’s loss to Heritage, followed by Salem.

Brookville remains at No. 6, while Glenvar jumped up three spots to No. 7 with at 28-14 win over Cave Spring.

Pulaski County comes in at No. 8, while Lord Botetourt and poll-newcomer Hidden Valley tied for ninth round out this week’s poll.

Here’s a look at the other 12 teams that received votes in this week’s poll, along with their corresponding point totals:

Narrows (24), G.W. Danville (21), Galax (17), Patrick Henry (16), Radford (14), Christiansburg (11), Bassett (8), Liberty (6), Magna Vista (6), Chilhowie (5), North Cross (4), Rustburg (3)


Written September 7, 2021

Two weeks down and some great games are on the slate for this week.

The Appomattox County Raiders retain their No. 1 spot in our 10 Strong Poll this week, coming off a 37-20 win against Rustburg.

The Raiders received four of five No. 1 votes in this week’s poll.

Jumping up a spot in this week’s poll is Liberty Christian and behind them, moving up six spots are the E.C. Glass Hilltoppers after a 56-0 win against Gretna on Friday.

The fifth No. 1 vote went to E.C. Glass who takes on G.W. Danville this week.

The Salem Spartans stay at No. 4 after having a game cancelled and Heritage dropped three spots to 5 after losing 52-12 to Dinwiddie.

Heritage could certainly move up in next week’s poll if they get a win at home against Appomattox County.

In the bottom half, we have Brookville and Pulaski County, followed by Narrows and Lord Botetourt.

Lord Botetourt could also see a rise in their stock if they defeat defending Class 1 State Champion Riverheads.

Rounding out this week’s poll are the Glenvar Highlanders making their first appearance of the season.

Here’s a look at the other 13 teams that received votes in this week’s poll, along with their corresponding point totals:

G.W. Danville (21), Galax (19), North Cross (16), Radford (15), Christiansburg (9), William Fleming (6), Hidden Valley (5), Liberty (4), Magna Vista (4), Bassett (3), Chilhowie (3), Grayson County (2), Alleghany (1)


Written August 30, 2021

One week of high school football is in the books!

With some of our area’s top teams opening the season with a loss we have lots of movement in this week’s 10 Strong Poll.

Sliding up from No. 2, the reigning state champion Appomattox County Raiders now sit atop the poll, followed by the Heritage Pioneers, fresh off a 33-18 win against William Fleming. The Raiders received three No. 1 votes, while Heritage received one as well.

Going from unranked to No. 3, are the Liberty Christian Academy Bulldogs who defeated Magna Vista 60-14 on Friday night. The Bulldogs also received a No. 1 vote in this week’s poll.

At No. 4, it’s the Salem Spartans, sliding down the rankings from preseason No. 1 after a 35-21 loss against Martinsburg.

Also entering the poll are the Brookville Bees, taking down Patrick Henry, 35-15.

Narrows jumped up two spots to be No. 6 this week after a shutout win against Auburn.

Pulaski County slid up three spots with the Cougars’ 20-17 win against Northside.

Moving down five spots to No. 8 are the Lord Botetourt Cavaliers who opened the season with a 41-30 loss to E.C. Glass.

Rounding out this week’s poll, tied for ninth, are E.C. Glass and G.W. Danville.

Here’s a look at the other 12 teams that received votes in this week’s poll, along with their corresponding point totals:

Galax (26), North Cross (24), William Fleming (20), Glenvar (20), Bassett (11), Radford (6), William Byrd (6), Roanoke Catholic (5), Chilhowie (4), Christiansburg (3), Alleghany (2), Rustburg (1)


Published August 24, 2021

Less than four months ago, we saw state champions crowned on the gridiron, and now, a brand-new season is upon us.

In our preseason 10 Strong Poll, the Salem Spartans inched out fellow state champion Appomattox County for the top spot, each receiving two No. 1 votes.

Right behind them are the Lord Botetourt Cavaliers and the Galax Maroon Tide, who both finished as the runner-up in their respective classes.

At No. 5, are the Heritage Pioneers who fell in the Region 3C finals to Liberty Christian Academy, who just so happens to be ranked 7th in our poll.

At No. 6, it’s William Fleming, the reigning Region 5D champions.

G.W. Danville and Narrows tied for eighth in our poll as the Eagles fell in the Region 4D finals to Salem and Green Wave fell to Galax in the Region 1C title game.

Rounding out our preseason poll are the Pulaski County Cougars, who finished their season, falling to G.W. Danville in the Region 4D semifinal.

Here’s a look at the other 13 teams that received votes in our preseason poll, along with their corresponding point totals:

Patrick Henry (24), Brookville (15), Franklin County (15), Roanoke Catholic (15), Glenvar (13), North Cross (12), Rockbridge County (4), E.C. Glass (3), Radford (2), Amherst County (1), Chilhowie (1), Magna Vista (1), Northside (1)