High school teams have final scrimmages before season openers

The Lord Botetourt and James River volleyball and football teams will have their final tune-ups for the fall season with regular season games schedules to begin next week.

The LB volleyball team will play host to 2021 state Class 2 champion Glenvar tonight at LB. The Cavaliers scrimmaged Brookville last week and will open at Christiansburg next Tuesday, August 23.

The James River girls were scheduled to host Bath County in a scrimmage on Tuesday of this week. River will open the regular season on Monday when the Knights host Covington.

River’s football team had a home scrimmage with Staunton High last Friday in Springwood and coach Tim Jennings saw some things the Knights need to work on, but was overall pleased.

“I thought we played well,” he said. “The defense was ahead of the offense, but that’s not uncommon at this time of year. We have some stuff we need to fix.”

The Knights will host a three-team jamboree this Friday at James River. Bath County and North Cross will join the Knights in a round-robin scrimmage beginning at 6 p.m.

Likewise, Lord Botetourt will host a three-team round robin scrimmage in Daleville, also starting at 6 p.m. Jefferson Forest and Bluefield will scrimmage first, followed by LB and Bluefield and finishing up with Jefferson Forest and Bluefield.

Lord Botetourt scrimmaged Dobyns-Bennett High of Tennessee last week at Emory & Henry College, alma mater of LB coach Jamie Harless. The Cavaliers hung tough against a traditionally strong team.

“They went 9-4 last year and they’re better this year,” said Harless. “I thought we played them dead even. They’re a big school, with about 2,500 students. They have about 100 dressed out for the scrimmage.”

Look for previews of the James River and Lord Botetourt fall sports teams in a special section of next week’s Fincastle Herald.