Nice Night at Patrick Henry High

(Update: Patrick Henry won 36-29--actually coming from behind at the end of the game--in a heck of a finish that we didn't have the brass to stay for.)

 This is Oz, Maddie and me in the stands at tonight's Patrick Henry-Christiansburg High football game. My son and his wife are alums of PH and the Patriots jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the first half before the Demons came back to close it to two TDs by the half. Then we left. Frozen, we were.

Anyhow, the game was especially interesting because at halftime there was a reunion introduction of players from the 1973 unbeaten (13-0) state championship team, coached by Merrill Gainer, for whom the stadium is now named. I covered that team as a young sports writer and remember it well. Only three teams scored on PH that year, none in the playoffs and it had a middle guard named Barry Campbell who, to this day, I still consider the best player I ever saw in high school. He was 5-9, 160 pounds and an absolute terror. Not even a college prospect, but a hell of a high school player.