Auburn, Maggie Walker, Western Albemarle, Blacksburg, Deep Run, and Cosby claimed the top spots in VHSL athletic competition for the 2017-18 school year winning the coveted Wells Fargo Cup. Salem High finished ninth among 53 schools in Class 4 and Glenvar was 29th among the 50 schools in Class 2.
First awarded in 1990, the Wells Fargo Cup goes to the school in each group classification that has achieved the best overall record in VHSL state-level competition in 27 sports – the state champions’ state champion. Cups are presented for athletic and academic activities to the top school in each of the League’s enrollment Classifications. Galileo Magnet, Radford, Turner Ashby, Jefferson Forest, Thomas Jefferson S&T, and Chantilly were announced earlier as 2017-18 winners for academic activities.
The winner of the Wells Fargo Cup is determined by a point system based on performance in state championship events. Points are awarded for all sanctioned sports in the following manner; First place-50, second-45, third-40, fourth-35, fifth-30, sixth-25, seventh-20 and eighth-15. In the event of a tie, the schools received an equal number of points based on the number of schools that tie and the number schools that finish higher in the standings. Schools earning the League’s Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity Award earn 50 points each.
Salem finished with 217.5 points. The Spartans got 50 points from the fall football state championship and scored in the winter events in swimming and indoor track. The Spartans finished strong in the spring with a baseball state championship, a girls’ lacrosse second place finish, and 22.5 points for the boys’ lax team reaching the quarterfinal round.
Blacksburg moved up a Classification to Class 4 in 2017-18 and totaled 527.5 points. The Bruins earned 185 fall points, followed by 129 points in the winter, and 222.5 points in the spring. Loudoun Valley finished second with 450 points, followed by Grafton with 355 points, defending Class 4 champions Jamestown with 295 points, and 2015-16 Cup champion Hanover rounding out the top five with 267.5 points each.
Glenvar finished with 67.5 points. The Highlanders scored in football in the fall and swimming and wrestling in the winter, but the Highlanders were shut out in the spring.
Maggie Walker won athletic honors for the fifth straight year in Class 2 scoring 587.5 points followed by five-time Cup champion George Mason in second place with 432.5 points. The Dragons were a model of consistency throughout the year winning six state titles (boys/girls cross country, girls indoor track, girls swimming, boys soccer, boys outdoor track, and girls tennis), while scoring 137.5 points in the fall; 185 points in the winter, and 265 points in the spring. Rounding out the top five was Poquoson (350), Wilson Memorial (332.5), and seven-time Cup champion Radford (327.5).
“We congratulate all the schools who competed in this year’s VHSL championship events,” said John W. “Billy” Haun, Ed.D., VHSL executive director. “We especially congratulate the best of the best and we thank Wells Fargo for supporting this important recognition.”
The Wells Fargo Cup athletic and academic winners will be recognized during VHSL Day at a University of Virginia football game this fall in Charlottesville.
