Radford, Maggie Walker, Blacksburg, Jamestown, Deep Run, and James Robinson claimed the top spots in VHSL athletic competition for the 2016-17 school year, winning the coveted Wells Fargo Cup for Groups 1A through 6A.
In Group 4A Salem finished 11th overall with 140 points. There are 53 schools in Group 4A.
The Spartans had 50 in the fall with a state football championship and 7.5 in the winter. In the spring season Salem scored 82.5 points with 45 in girls’ soccer and 37.5 in girls’ lacrosse.
Glenvar finished 29th among 50 schools in Group 2A, scoring 57.5 points. The Highlanders did not score in the spring.
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 groups. Radford, Central-Wise, Cave Spring, Woodgrove, Princess Anne, and Clover Hill were announced earlier as 2015-16 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 points, second-45, third-40, fourth-35, fifth-30, sixth-25, seventh-20 and eighth place-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.
Radford claimed its third Cup in four years in 1A and its sixth overall while Maggie Walker earned its fourth straight Cup in 2A while winning 10 state titles. In 3A, Blacksburg totaled a record 677.5 points earning the school’s 12th Cup title, second straight, and seventh in the past eight years. In 4A, Jamestown won its second Cup while Deep Run was awarded its first Cup in 5A and Oakton won for the third time in five years in 6A.
Jamestown returned to the top spot in Group 4A for the first time since 2001, earning 417.5 points. The Eagles earned 80 fall points, followed by 130 points in the winter, and 207.5 points in the spring. Two-time Cup champion Midlothian finished second with 300 points, followed by defending Cup champ Hanover with 282 points, E.C. Glass with 280, and with Great Bridge and Loudoun Valley rounding out the top five with 240 points each.
Blacksburg, a fellow member of the River Ridge District with Salem, accumulated a record 677.5 points. The Bruins totaled 245 points in the fall followed by 160 points in the winter and 272.5 points in the spring. Blacksburg claimed six state titles in football, boys/girls cross country, golf, boys indoor track, and girls outdoor track. Western Albemarle (445), Tabb (390), Riverside (382.5), and Hidden Valley (247.5) rounded out the top five in the 3A Cup final standings.
Maggie Walker won athletic honors for the fourth straight year in Group 2A scoring 540 points followed by five-time Cup champion George Mason in second place with 262.5 points. The Dragons were a model of consistency throughout the year winning 10 state titles (boys/girls cross country, girls indoor track, boys/girls swimming, boys soccer, boys/girls outdoor track, and boys/girls tennis), while scoring 100 points in the fall; 190 points in the winter, and 250 points in the spring. Rounding out the top five was three-time Cup champion Clarke County (220), East Rockingham (210), and Stuarts Draft (192.5).
In Group 1A, Radford returned to the top spot earning 377.5 points while defending Cup champion Auburn totaled 360 points. The Bobcats scored 132.5 fall points followed by 65 winter points and 180 spring points. Patrick Henry-Glade Spring (297.5); Mathews (250), and George Wythe-Wytheville (217.5) filled out the remaining spots in the top five.
“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.