RADFORD, Va. – The road to the state title game has come with its own challenges for the Radford Bobcats. A young team that was trying to work its kinks out early in the season, plagued with a COVID-19 shutdown, and weather cancellations.
“I was scared the season was going to run out before this team could get to its potential,” head coach Rick Cormany said.
While things certainly have come together, if you told Cormany in December that his team would be days away from a Class 2 title game, he wouldn’t have believed you.
“I think we had really good leadership, I know everyone says that, but I think Joseph, and Nate Wesley, and our seniors have really held it all together for us,” he said.
They’ve hit their stride at the right time, through a lot of hard work and maturity.
“We got a lot of young guys, it’s taken a lot of maturing, just coming in here working as team, growing together,” senior Joseph Mitchell said. “And listening to Coach Cormany, one of the best coaches in high school history. as long as we listen to him we will be fine.”
Next up for Radford is John Marshall, Class 2 champions in 2018 and 2020.
“We’ll have to take care of the ball, we’ll have to box out. We have to keep them off the boards, cause they get a lot off second chance opportunities,” Cormany said.
“Any game we’ve played coming through here has gotten us ready for them. They’re a really good team so we just have to come in and do our stuff,” Mitchell added.
But the Bobcats are certain of one quality they have that could put them on top.
“Grit, it’s what we’ve prided ourselves on all season, just being really gritty, I think that will help us get it done,” Mitchell finished.
Radford will face John Marshall on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Siegel Center at VCU.