Category: Sports

Local Team turnaround draws notice

By: Landon Swanson, Sports Reporter

BLACKSBURG, Va. – A little over three years ago, Blacksburg thought they needed a change. Zack Leonard was hired as the Blacksburg High School football coach to help a struggling program. Now in his fourth season, he is trying to revitalize a team that had been struggling for so long.

After taking over in 2022, the vision was clear build a stable foundation and start from the ground up. The goal was to play with readiness and confidence before they ever took the field. Being prepared before the game helps you execute during the game.

Foundation Building

Football season has begun, and Blacksburg High School has started to find its stride lately under fourth year coach Zack Leonard. Leonard has brought persistence and steady leadership leading the team to victories in a big way.

When Leonard arrived in 2022, the Bruins were struggling as a program in more ways than on the field. With multiple losing seasons in a row before he arrived, things were looking up after his first free seasons in charge.

This fall’s hard work has been paying off as the Bruins started 2-1. The team has shown much resilience and confidence that is key in winning games. The team has gotten steadily better each year under Leonard.

“It’s been a process,” Leonard said. “We had to take every game one at a time, it was tough at the beginning.” Blacksburg struggled to win games for years prior to Leonard to being introduced to the team.

Stepping Stones

The team’s progress this season came into test earlier this season in an away game at Giles which resulted in a win for the Bruins, 40-8. The team came out with tremendous energy easily beating the first opponent of their season, which seemed to transition to week two as well. Week two led to a home game against James River which the Bruins came out on top once again.


Blacksburg High School Football in action. Blacksburg, Va. Sept. 19. 2025. (Landon Swanson, TheNewsFeedNRV)

“When you walk into the locker room there is a major energy difference from where we started to where we are now,” Assistant coach Mike Reynolds said. The belief in the team this year should be the highest it has been in a while.

Not many knew what could be done to bring life back into the program. A coaching change after the previous coach retired required a new system and new methodology for such a struggling team. The team relies more on each other than they do themselves and that is what has become key.

Finding an Identity

The Bruins aren’t leaning on major college prospects every week it takes a team effort. Even the offense and defense work together where the offense might attempt to take a long drive to give the defense a break. This led to Leonard and Blacksburg wanting to play a tough style of football.

“Wanting to play as tough as possible while getting the most out of my players is one of my top priorities this season,” Leonard said.

Playing as a team is the most important thing for many but especially for this Blacksburg team. Each player does well individually they seem to all put together as team when it matters most. Nothing is more important than good communication in football because without it nothing functions properly.

More Than Football

Off the field there are just as many important aspects of football where building strong team chemistry is essential to having a good team. Hanging out as a team and bonding through school or other activities has led Blacksburg to a stronger team chemistry.

Academics is also a major focus for Leonard and the team. “The student part of student-athletes will always come first no matter the circumstance,” he said.

Marcus Green, player, once thought of football as just as a fall activity, something he could do to fill the time but now he sees it as a commitment to his teammates and everyone else to participate. Green also believes this commitment he has brought to this team will help him far beyond high school football as well. 

Looking Forward

With majority of the season still to go the Bruins football team has a lot to look forward to. The team wants to win as much as anyone else, but the hunger is stronger as much this year as ever before. The ability this team must win games has already been proven at the beginning of the year when they started with two wins.

Blacksburg High School Sign before their football game. Blacksburg, Va. Sept 19, 2025. (Landon Swanson, TheNewsFeedNRV)

“I thought this would just be something to do at first, but this has become something much more,” Green said. Coming together as a team has meant so much to Green and the rest of the team.

The hopes are high for the coaches and players this year at Blacksburg High School. The transition made from several winless seasons to playoff aspirations are real. Now it’s time to just put everything to the test as they continue playing this season.

Pulaski County prepares new project that could lead to major growth for Southwest Virginia

By Landon Swanson, Arts, Culture and Sports reporter

Tim Miller, middle, Director of Pulaski’s Sports Tourism and Entertainment Authority

This story highlights Pulaski County’s goals to build a new sports complex that features the new director of Pulaski’s new Sports Tourism and Entertainment authority created within this past year. The complex is looking to boost the economic and social state of where the county is now.

Sports tourism has become one of the fastest growing industries in the United States recently with families travelling across the country for tournaments and other numerous events. Many communities are now investing in modernized facilities to host teams from everywhere, influencing the community by seeing many new visitors they previously would not have seen. The goal of this complex is to strengthen the image of Pulaski County and bringing new people in their effort to transform the future.

What is your vision for the sports complex, and why is now the time?

My vision is to build a new top-of-the-line sports center that mainly gives Pulaski a new meaning where the people of this place have a sense of pride, giving them new opportunities as well. I want this to be a destination where people across Virginia and even the country come to play.  I want Pulaski to be a place where families come to spend weekends with their kids as they play ball.

I felt as if now was the right time because youth sports have been growing significantly over the past few years. Many families are willing to travel longer distances for tournaments or other events, and this creates a major economic opportunity for the hosting community. Pulaski has the land and the opportunity to make this area a hot spot for many different things we have planned.

Why is Pulaski County the right place for this project?

We feel this area is perfect because of the proximity to a major city and close enough to some major college campuses. Pulaski also would give the small-town feel and doesn’t run families dry as some major cities would but still give a very high-end sports facility.

What is an overview of what will be included in the complex?

Yea, so as of right now we are planning to include around eight basketball/volleyball courts, a couple turf soccer fields, pickleball courts, a weight room, a small walking track and another sprinting track, a restaurant, and classrooms as well.

We really wanted to give Pulaski the ability to have a place for Pulaski County Rec Sports and still offer the availability of the main courts for commercial use, such as tournaments or other events like camps and what not.

What kind of impact will this have on Pulaski?

The impact will be both economic and social. On the economic side, we’re anticipating millions of dollars in visitor spending each year. When families come for tournaments, they need places to stay, eat, and shop. That means more business for our hotels, restaurants, and local shops. This also creates jobs for the county during the construction process and further once it opens into the hospitality portion and maintaining and running events.

Building this gives our local people access to a facility that is on par with major markets while staying at home. It also gives families a new source of entertainment closer to home without the need to make a trip anywhere.

What will the accessibility for use look like?

Accessibility is at the core of our planning. While we want to host major tournaments and events, this facility belongs to the people of Pulaski. We are designing a usage plan that ensures our schools, youth leagues, and community groups will always have access.

We mostly wanted this to be for the people who live here while also offering the facility out to teams from across the country to come to western Virginia. We are trying to balance serving local needs and driving tourism.

Are there any plans for additional development around the complex?

That’s the goal. We are still kind of in the early stages of everything to begin with but ideally, we can use this as a reason to grow. By adding to the complex, we would bring more visitors which usually means more infrastructure is needed regardless of what we already have. Once again it comes back to the economic advantages that this entire project would bring, adding additional infrastructure leads to more potential jobs and resources for us to gain from. Although the same issue arises when trying to plan and build this because everything, we have talked about won’t be cheap to do.

What led you to take on this role?

I immediately saw potential in what we could bring here, and throughout my career I have always been about building new organizations and standing things from the ground up. When I joined and had the opportunity to announce this project it really catapulted something even bigger than I first thought was even possible when I stepped into this role. I believe in this community’s potential. Taking on this role is about helping Pulaski step into that potential and build something lasting. It’s an incredible responsibility, but it’s also an honor.

What do you hope this project leaves behind for the administration and the county?

I want people to look back at this project years from now and say how great an idea this was that led to many travelling from far to be here and how it gave the people who live here more entertainment through whatever they find. As for the administration, I hope it proves that smart investments can make a lasting impact on the community and the surrounding area as well. In the end, I hope it gives generations a reason to come to either come and live here or if they already are here a reason to stay.

Hokie Spirit Never Dies: Evan Hughes on Why Virginia Tech Football Still Unites Fans

By: Zoe Santos, arts & culture reporter

Evan Hughes, Assistant Director of Broadcast Services and Voice of Virginia Tech women’s basketball and baseball, poses for a portrait in Blacksburg, Va.

Even with recent losing seasons, Virginia Tech football continues to draw sold-out crowds to Lane Stadium. The passion is strong as ever, and Hokies, students and alumni alike, say the program represents more than wins and losses. 

Evan Hughes, a Virginia Tech alumnus and assistant director of broadcast services for Virginia Tech Athletics, has experienced the culture from both sides of the stands. As a student and now a staff member, Hughes offers a perspective on the influence of Frank Beamer, the game day atmosphere in Lane Stadium, and why Hokie spirit continues to thrive.

(Edited for clarity)

You’ve been both a student and an employee at Virginia Tech. How would you describe what makes the culture here unique?

I think first and foremost, it’s the people, and I think that it’s so overly used when it comes to organizations or universities, “the people, the people, the people,” but truly, there’s a reason why Virginia Tech is near the top every year in student life happiness.

You hardly meet people who come to Virginia Tech who don’t like Virginia Tech. I just think there’s something about the way others treat fellow students and professors that makes this community so special.

I don’t know if it’s the small-town vibe. I don’t know if it’s being in the mountains. But it’s contagious. You can feel it. And there’s a sense of real pride in being a part of something bigger than yourself, too, which is kinda cool.

Every day, there’s one thing that hasn’t changed from when I was a freshman in college to now being an employee. It’s the people.


Frank Beamer was at the South Carolina game recently, supporting his son Shane. What did you think about the fan response to him being there in another team’s colors?

I think it’s a really good question. Obviously, Coach Beamer is arguably the biggest celebrity and one of the most impactful people to ever graduate from Virginia Tech, but then had the biggest impact that one person has had.

The growth of the football team really helped the growth of the university from an academic standpoint. So to see him there supporting Shane, I thought it was cool because he had a Virginia Tech pin. That was so cool, just paying homage like, “Hey, I am a Hokie. I love you guys. This is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but of course I’m going to cheer for my son first.”

Just about every Hokie understood that. Nobody’s like, “Hey, why isn’t Coach cheering for the Hokies?” Everybody gets it. It’s his son. Of course, he’s going to cheer for him. That was really unique. I mean, it’s not every day that your legendary coach is going up against his son.

If you could put it into words, what lasting impact did Beamer leave beyond numbers and wins?

When he first got here, from an athletic department standpoint, we were a very small athletic department. We had not achieved a lot from a team perspective. We’d had some good football seasons in the past, but nothing like where we are now in the ACC and from a competitive standpoint.

We are where we are because of Frank Beamer. I think the rise of the football program allowed for so many more people to get on the bandwagon, so to speak, and then students started saying, “Hey, Virginia Tech’s good. Are they good in school? Maybe I should apply there.”

I don’t think you can sum up what he has meant to this place. Even in his retired life, he walks around campus almost every day, and he’s been around for years. In my opinion, Frank Beamer is one of the most impactful people to ever be a Hokie.

I think about Virginia Tech, how many students we can admit every year, how competitive it is, and how we need to expand. All these things. It’s because of him. He is one of the common denominators for why we are the way we are.

I hope he knows that. I hope he feels that from Hokies, because I don’t think he fully understands that he is one of the primary driving forces of why we are where we are as a university and athletic department today.

As a student and now an alumnus, how do you think the experience changed? Does the passion remain the same?

I think the passion absolutely remains the same. As a student, it depends. Some people come in having grown up a Hokie, and they know everything about it. Some come from out of state and don’t know who Frank Beamer is. Everybody has different starting points for when they started following Tech football. But once you’re in, you’re hooked.

As an alum, so many people who love sports follow Tech football because it takes them back to their college days. Tech football is that placeholder in their heart. It’s their way of staying connected to what’s happening with their alma mater.

It is cool how Tech football continues to give to those who have already graduated. That Hokie Stone the players touch running out of the tunnel comes to mind, “For those who have passed, for those to come, reach for excellence.” That’s what it represents.  

If you had to sum up a gameday in Lane Stadium to someone who’s never been here, how would you describe it?

Exhilarating. Jumping, a lot of jumping. Coming together with 66,000 of your closest friends to cheer on one common goal, and that is for Virginia Tech to win a football game. You are the 12th man, helping push the team to victory. You’re also sharing in three hours of one of the most special moments you’ll have all week.

From kids who are five to alumni who are 90, people love being Hokies. And there’s no better way to show that than being inside Lane Stadium on a Saturday.


SPORTS: Rise of women’s college basketball, stagnation of WNBA

by Duncan Weigand and Eden Kaplan–

Women’s sports are on the rise and one sport that is no stranger to the rise in popularity is college basketball. Viewership has absolutely soared since the tournament last year. The tournament produced record number viewership and it seems like it’s only becoming more popular. 

However, with the rise in popularity of women’s college basketball the numbers for the Women’s National Basketball Association have remained stagnant. Game 4 of the WNBA finals only drew in 889,000 fans in comparison to the 10 million viewers that Iowa and LSU brought in for their March Madness finals appearance. 

But why, if the popularity of women’s sports are on the rise do the WNBA numbers remain low. Is the WNBA failing to capitalize on an untapped market? Why hasn’t the success in the college game transferred over to the WNBA? Newsfeed reporters Duncan Weigand, and Eden Kaplan talk about this disparity.

SPORTS: Rise of NBA superteams

by Jackson Hardy, Dakota Richmond–

The NBA season is just underway with the preseason occurring now. During the offseason, we saw teams making big trades for top caliber players. Bradley Beal went to the Phoenix Suns from the Washington Wizard. The Milwaukee Bucks acquired Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers. These trades have created the rise of superteams, or teams with three or more All-Star level players. 

Superteams are not a new concept with the first being created in the 1970s when the Los Angeles Lakers drafted Magic Johnson, but they are becoming more prevalent. Superteams have received a lot of controversy among fans with many stating superteams create an imbalance of power in the league. In this podcast, Jackson Hardy and Dakota Richmond talk about the rise of superteams in the NBA.