Botetourt County high school sports are back in business. Lord Botetourt and James River High Schools have been given the okay to resume games amid the coronavirus pandemic and basketball games, wrestling matches and a swim meet are all on the schedule this week.
Last Tuesday, Dec. 29, the Botetourt County School Board broke away from several area schools that are using metrics from the health department to determine if participation is allowed, and to what extent. The other schools are from Roanoke County, Roanoke City, Alleghany County, Craig County, Salem and Covington, and they will continue to use the metrics system. No school in that group will be playing games this week and are unlikely to compete against Botetourt County schools in the near future.
Botetourt, meanwhile, was scheduled to resume action on Tuesday night with the James River wrestling team competing at Radford High, one of the few schools in the area that is also allowing sports events. Tonight, Wednesday, the two county schools will be playing each other in boys basketball, as Lord Botetourt plays host to James River in Daleville. A jayvee game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., and after that game the gym will be cleared for a cleaning. Then the varsity game will be played.
Also tonight, the James River girls are at Radford for basketball and the Knights will host a swim meet at the Botetourt YMCA in Daleville, beginning at 7 p.m. Carroll County will be the opponent.
On Thursday, Lord Botetourt is back home for a boys basketball game against Pulaski County. The James River boys basketball team will host Giles on Thursday and the River girls are at Giles. The James River girls do not have a jayvee team so most of their varsity games will begin at 6 p.m.
This Saturday, James River will host wrestling in Springwood, beginning at 10 a.m. As of press time, Parry McCluer and Chatham were the scheduled opponents.
“We’re excited about this,” said River wrestling coach Bobby Stewart. “We follow up with matches on the 16th, the 20th, the 23rd, the 28th and the 30th. Let’s hope we can get them all in and have a region and a state in February.”
All high school events will be played under strict guidelines. No more than 25 fans are allowed to attend, fans will need a ticket beforehand, and everyone will be required to wear a mask. The 25 also includes cheerleaders, and in most cases each player will be allowed to have one parent or family member in attendance.
Fans who would like to view the events in the Lord Botetourt or James River gymnasiums can do so by live stream on the NFHS Network, but must have a subscription to do so. To subscribe, go to nfhsnework.com. The individual has a choice of a monthly subscription for $10.99 or an annual subscription for $69.99. The subscription gives the individual access to watch any event from any school participating.
“Many of our opponents have, or are having installed, this camera system,” said Lord Botetourt Athletic Director Chuck Pound.
The schedules for LB and River will be updated at the beginning of each week and are subject to change on short notice.
