It’s time for week-2 of Wild Bill’s countdown to Christmas, and what a variety this time around.
High school football state finals involve two of our “Big-11” teams, an assortment of “Big-11” volleyball honors, a college football national championship and a little Hokie housekeeping headline this week’s edition.
Add to that, a late-night product review for a stocking stuffer that defies imagination, not to mention functionality, and we’re ready to get you busy for the holiday season.
Without further ado, let’s get the mops in motion.
We begin with high school football, where a pair of “Big-11” teams, Salem and Glenvar, have reached the state finals set for Saturday. Here’s a look at the match ups.
SALEM vs LAKE TAYLOR: GROUP 4A FINAL AT LIBERTY UNIVERSITY- Saturday at 4:30 pm.
The much-anticipated matchup between the pair of 14-0 teams takes center stage in Lynchburg.
How they got there: Salem soundly defeated Liberty-Bealeton 34-17 last Saturday, while Lake Taylor avoided an upset with a last-second miracle to edge Monacan 19-14.
Expect to see plenty of Spartan maroon heading east on Rt. 460 Saturday afternoon in what should be a great championship battle.
GLENVAR vs WILSON MEMORIAL: GROUP 2A FINAL AT SALEM STADIUM- Saturday 4:30 pm.
A pair of 13-1 teams knock heads in the City of Champions where Glenvar makes the short trip from West Salem to hopefully bring the Highlanders their first state football title.
How they got there: Glenvar pounded out a 37-14 win over Nottaway last Saturday at Glenvar, while Wilson Memorial pulled out a 13-7 victory over the Blue Tornado of Richlands in overtime.
It should be a home field atmosphere for the green and gold in what could lead to Salem’s biggest championship parade in history.
On to volleyball where several ” Big-11 ” players earned All-State selection by the VHSL.
The Group 3A Girls All-State First Team includes Piper Roe (jr) from Cave Spring and Greysen Newberry (jr) from Lord Botetourt.
Second Team All-State selections included Drew Freeland (soph) from Hidden Valley and Katelyn Dilcher (sr) from Northside.
The Group 2A Girls All-State Second Team included Glenvar junior Haley Green.
Congratulations go out to these five outstanding players for their All-State selection.
Now, an egg-on-my-face admission to what I predicted would be a disastrous bowl game for Virginia Tech. I’ve got to admit the Military Bowl in Annapolis Maryland pulled the Hokies out of the line of fire. It appeals to fans because of the attractive location that is easily drivable in less than a day. Hokies have the opportunity to flock to this one and have a great time without having their billfolds gouged by the absurd package deals or high airfares that typically dominate going to a bowl game.
Add to that, affordable hotels, low gas prices and a pretty good opponent in Cincinnati, and you’ve got a win-win for the team and its fans. Can you imagine the picture if Tech had ended up in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit ? You couldn’t have given away the tickets. For the record the cheapest Military Bowl ticket at press time was $20 through the bowl site itself.
Back to the City of Champions where the NCAA Division III Stagg Bowl will crown its national champion on Friday December 19th. in a 7:00 pm.kickoff at Salem Stadium The two finalist will be determined in this weekend’s semifinal action.
Time for our latest installment of the Wild Bill Christmas gifting stocking stuffer, where anyone who has trouble getting dust off their hardwood floors will be wanting to check this out. And, I mean check it out real close.
I bring you the “Pet Sweep.”
The attractive, if not ridiculous, packaging says it all. The “Pet Sweep” is a set of four mop-like contraptions that fit snugly on the bottom of the feet of any medium-to-large sized dog. Yep, you got the picture. As your dog strolls around the house, the dust-attracting mops promptly clean your floors of any debris, dust, mites and spills. You simply sit on your butt while your pooch does the housekeeping, all the while wagging their tail. Cheap labor in exchange for a can of Alpo.
But, caveat emptor. For you out-of-town readers that means “let the buyer beware.” Yes, you always learn something, even if it’s in Latin, when you read this column.
I’ve got to admit, I fell for this one hook, line and sinker. And, I’m giving you a chance as well.
I give the “Pet Sweep” a positive rating for packaging, hilarity and ingenuity by the inventor. But, I’ll let you box your way out of this one by reading the on-line reviews and fine print yourself. Everyone has a patsy they’ll want to target with the “Pet Sweep.”
Until next time, I’m wondering if The Chief has a dog ? As Flounder said in the movie Animal House, “Oh, boy, is this great!”
Meanwhile, send your tail wagging woofs to: [email protected]
– Bill Turner