Halifax County High School's long-standing association with Group AAA and Western District athletic and academic competitions is coming to an end.
The Virginia High School League Reclassification Committee has approved Halifax County's appeal to drop to Group AA for athletic and academic competitions.
Halifax County High School will become a part of the Group AA Seminole II District starting with the 2001-2002 school year.
Under the new alignment, Halifax County, E.C. Glass, Amherst County, Heritage, Jefferson Forest, Staunton River and Liberty will be members of the Seminole II District.
Amherst County and Heritage were part of the Western District for many years before dropping to Group AA. Liberty was a member of the Western District during the 1972-73 and 1973-74 school years.
Members of Seminole I District will include Brookville, Rustburg, Nelson County, Appomattox and Gretna.
The two Seminole Districts and the Blue Ridge District, which will include William Fleming, Salem, Northside and William Byrd, to name a few, will be in Group AA Region III.
With the move to Group AA, adjustments will come in some of the sports seasons at Halifax County High School starting with the 2001-2002 school year.
Girls basketball, which is currently a winter sport, will become a fall sport. Girls tennis, which is now played in the fall, will move to the spring sports season with boys tennis.
And, girls volleyball, which is currently a fall sport, will become a winter sport.
Under VHSL procedures, the new alignments will be in effect for a two-year cycle.
Halifax County High School will have one more year in the Group AAA Western District with fellow district members GW of Danville, E.C. Glass and Albemarle.
Travel Is The Issue
Halifax County High School Athletic Director Don Thompson and Principal Larry Clark stressed that the school's appeal to drop to Group AA was not based upon a desire to improve its won-loss record in athletics.
"It's not a matter of winning and losing," Thompson said.
"That is not the intent of this at all, on anybody's part. The intent of this is to put us in a district where we can reduce the class time missed by our students and reduce travel. The competition, in my opinion, will still be there."
Clark said anyone contending that the move is being made to improve the school's athletic record is totally wrong.
"I will stand behind how we have competed (in the Western District) in the 34 years that I have been here," Clark said.
"We don't win them all. I don't think we have anything to be ashamed of in our participation with the Northwest Region and Western District activities.
"This discussion," continued Clark, "has taken place not over winning and losing. It was taken over by what we feel is a gross injustice to our students with these inordinate travel distances.
"I think the principal at Manchester said it best in Charlottesville (during Thursday's meeting of the Reclassification Committee), that keeping a child out of school and having him leave at 1 o'clock in the afternoon and not getting home until 12 at night is child abuse, not poor scheduling," added Clark.
The new district and region re-alignments must now be approved by the Virginia High School Executive Committee.
That action will come when the Executive Committee meets September 20.
Schools have until August 15 to appeal their placement. However, Thompson says he doesn't foresee Halifax County being removed from Group AA.
"There may be some cause to adjust some schools," Thompson said.
"But, will they say 'no, you can't go AA and have to go back and play AAA,' I would say certainly not, in my opinion."
Scheduling
With only four teams in the Western District, Halifax County High School has had difficulty for several years in scheduling enough schools to fill some of its schedules.
Roanoke Valley District schools Franklin County, Cave Spring, William Fleming and Patrick Henry have been mainstays on the schedule for a number of years as has Dinwiddie. Pulaski County was added a year ago.
Halifax County has always played Person High of Roxboro, N.C., and last year, picked up Group A Prince Edward County of Farmville in football.
But, the bulk of those games require extensive travel.
Thompson says that becoming a member of the Seminole District will help Halifax County with some of its scheduling problems.
"We will certainly continue to play GW and Person," Thompson said.
"What I am hoping is that now that we will be Group AA some of these schools around us will now play us."
Among the schools Thompson was referring to were Dan River, Laurel Park, Tunstall, and Martinsville.
"It would be defeating the whole purpose of this thing if we turn around and go two hours to play a non-district game when we've got several schools within an hour of us."
The Vote
Halifax County's entry into Group AA came almost by the skin of its teeth.
The Seminole District schools unanimously all voted against Halifax County and E.C. Glass being allowed to drop to Group AA and being placed into the district.
Clark noted that the vote from the Reclassification Committee was 8-5 in favor of allowing Halifax County to move down.
All of the Group AAA representatives voted in Halifax County's favor and three Group AA representatives voted in favor of the move.
Four of the five negative votes cast against Halifax County came from Group A representatives.
Franklin County High School Principal Bennie Gibson put the motion on the floor to allow Halifax County to move down.
Clark, who headed the VHSL Executive Committee two years ago when the last reclassification was made, said the move to allow schools to play down represents a change from the Virginia High School League's thoughts and philosophy of two years ago.
"We have always allowed schools to play up but have never allowed schools to play down," Clark said.
"So, the Executive Committee is going to be facing some new issues. However, I think that with the support of Mr. Witt (Halifax County School Superintendent Dennis Witt) and the superintendents, in all likelihood, they will not reverse the basic decision of the Reclassification Committee."
Halifax County was one of a handful of schools, including E.C. Glass, Albemarle and Patrick Henry, that met six of the seven criteria established by the VHSL for schools wanting to appeal to play down.
The one criteria that Halifax County did not meet was having a district or region that was willing to accept it into the fold.
"We were turned down by the Seminole District unanimously," Thompson said.
"The feeling was that even though we didn't meet all seven, we did meet six out of the seven. And that, in the committee's eyes, was enough to say we need to take a hard look at it."
The Influence of SOLs
While reducing travel and the time students miss from class drove the local school's appeal to drop to Group AA, the impact of the state mandated Standards of Learning and the Standards of Learning Tests also was a consideration.
"The SOL piece plays a major part in allowing schools, when possible, to reduce time that students miss from class," Clark stated.
"When you're not in class, you obviously can't be taught," added Thompson.
"And, when you get home so late (from school night games and activities) you can't do but so much. It has a domino effect on students' learning."
Move Marks A Change
Thompson pointed out that in the past, all that the VHSL Reclassification Committee had done was take the state's school Average Daily Membership numbers and divide the list into thirds.
The top tier with the most students were set as Group AAA schools, the middle tier of schools became Group AA schools and the bottom one third with the fewest students became Group A schools.
"Wherever that line was, that's where you played," Thompson said.
"However, you were allowed to play up. If you were below the line and wanted to play AAA you could play AAA. Nobody objected to that."
Thompson and Clark said a letter written by Witt played a key role in the change.
In that letter, Witt wrote that the current assignment of schools puts district schools hours apart.
Witt stated that the long distances betwen schools "will not meet the needs of public schools in an era of academic accountability nor will it meet the test of common sense in what we expect from students, coaches and parents."
Witt noted that the problems associated with traveling great distances compound each other.
"From the expectation put upon coaches and students, to the associated costs of increased travel, to the impact upon the learning environment, it seems to us this problem begs a solution and that solution lies with the Virginia High School League and its member schools."
Witt also stated in the letter that academics are the priority.
"We should not, if possible, put students in a position where they must compromise academics for activities as a result of the structure imposed on them," Witt wrote.
The letter was signed by Witt and endorsed by superintendents from the Lynchburg City, Franklin County, Bedford County, Danville, Pulaski County, and Roanoke City school divisions and sent to Harold Golding, the chairman of the VHSL Executive Committee.
A Sweeping Transition
Halifax County's move to Group AA was part of a sweeping transition.
Western District members E.C. Glass, Albemarle and Halifax County and William Fleming and Pulaski County from the Roanoke Valley District all had appealed to the VHSL to allow them to play down a classification.
And, all were allowed to do so.
The new Group AAA Western Valley District, a combination of schools to be left in the current Western and Roanoke Valley Districts, will include GW of Danville, Franklin County, Patrick Henry and Cave Spring.
Albemarle will join a new Group AA district to be known as the Jefferson District. That district includes Charlottesville, Monticello, Western Albemarle, and other Charlottesville area schools.

Thousands were on hand Saturday in tiny Virgilina to take part in the 18th annual Virgilina Summerfest.
And even heavy thunderstorms that forced moving the band from the street to the bays of the fire department's station failed to deter those who stuck around for the evening's street dance.
Virgilina Volunteer Fire Department sponsors the Summerfest each year to help raise funds for the continued operation of the station.
Fire Chief and Summerfest chairman Waverly Morris said the best crowd was during the morning parade, with throngs thinning out during the heat of the day.
But with over 300 gallons of the department's award-winning stew and over 250 chicken plates to fortify their spirits, the crowd sloshed on through the street dance downpours.
"We put the band in the truck bays," said Morris, "and the ones who came in out of the rain danced on."
Once the storm moved out, the band stayed inside, he said, but the crowds went out in the street.
"We had a real good crowd up until the 9:30 cutoff," he added.
Those receiving trophies from the morning parade included: House of Prayer out of Clarksville with the first place band trophy.
Legends of the Grand Old Opry placed second.
The Utopia float earned first place honors with the Virgilina Elementary School entry celebrating the 100th anniversary of the school, second.
Robin McKinney of Virgilina was the lucky winner of the quilt.
Winning the $350 first prize in the raffle drawing was Carolyn Scott of Rougemont, N.C. John Fletcher of Virgilina took home the $150 second place prize and Betty Cade of Oxford, N.C. won the $100 third place prize.
Wilson Stamper won the t-shirt donated by the Hicksboro Station Band.
Morris thanked both the fire department volunteers and Summerfest sponsors who helped contribute to the success of the 18th edition.
In addition to next year's being number 19, Morris said, it will also mark the 50th anniversary of the fire department.
"We have some special events planned for the anniversary," he said.
Stay tuned.

A stolen vehicle belonging to Martinsville Toyota in Danville was found overturned in a field early Saturday morning on Brooklyn Road one mile from the Pittsylvania County line.
Trooper G.M. Gilliam said the stolen vehicle was a 2000 Toyota 4-runner that left the right shoulder of Route 659 and overturned in a field.
The 6:50 a.m. crash of the limited edition Toyota is still under investigation by the Danville Police Department with one suspect, Holly Testerman, 26, of Danville, charged with unauthorized use and another suspect still at large, according to Capt. C.I. Slayton, of the Danville police.
Slayton said the vehicle was reported missing at 7:15 a.m. after Testerman had allegedly taken the keys from an employee of the dealership without permission and had then given the vehicle to an unidentified suspect who wrecked the stolen car in Halifax County.
Trooper Gilliam estimated $10,000 in damages to the vehicle, which had 1,151 miles registered on the odometer.
· A 41-year-old Clover man escaped injury Saturday night after crashing his vehicle into a fallen tree on Black Walnut Road, three-tenths of a mile north of Green Valley Road,
(Route 778).
Gerald L. Lacks was driving a 1983 Pontiac northbound on Route 600, when he struck the large tree lying across the road, according to Trooper D.J. Cline.
The trooper said the 9:30 p.m. crash totalled the vehicle.
No charges were filed.
In other police reports:
A 21-year-old South Boston man was arrested by sheriff's deputies Saturday on a charge of possession of a controlled substance.
James Thomas Ferrell, of Forest Trail, was charged with the felony which allegedly occurred on the day of the arrest.
Ferrell is scheduled to appear in Halifax County General District Court on June 5.
· Jason Thomas Sizemore, 21, of Flint Rock Road in South Boston, was arrested Saturday by sheriff's deputies on charges of assault and the destruction of property.
Sizemore is charged with the assault of Willie Jackson by threats of bodily harm, the assault and battery of Connie Thompson, and a felony charge of the destruction of property belonging to Thompson, on the basis of race, religious conviction or national origin of the owner.
The alleged offenses occurred on the day of the arrest.
Sizemore is scheduled to appear in Halifax County General District Court on June 7.
· Russel Wayne Thompson, 50, of Mercy Seat Road in Sutherlin, was also charged Saturday by sheriff's deputies with trespassing on Connie Thompson's property.
The alleged offense occurred on the day of the charge.
Russel Thompson is scheduled to appear in Halifax County General District Court on June 7.
· A 22-year-old Roxboro man was charged Saturday with appearing in public in an intoxicated condition.
Christopher Ray Carver, of Roxboro, N.C., was charged with the alleged offense that occurred on the day of the charge.
Carver is scheduled to appear in Halifax County General District Court on July 21.

By KIA SHANT'E BREAUX
Associated Press Writer
BEDFORD, Va. (AP) - Like many young men around this rural farming community, Roy and Ray Stevens joined the Virginia National Guard because it was glamorous to be a soldier in the 1930s.
''We were supposed to be the guys who broke up riots,'' Roy Stevens said. Besides the glamor, he said, ''the dollar a week we got paid back then was good money.''
''Back then, we joined the National Guard like we joined the Boy Scouts,'' said Bob Slaughter of nearby Roanoke, who lied about his age so he could join the Guard when he was just 16.
What the young men didn't know was that they'd be called up to active duty in 1941 and be among the first soldiers on Normandy Beach on D-Day three years later.
In the end, almost all the 200 men of Company A, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division, were killed or wounded on June 6, 1944. Ray Stevens, Roy's twin, was among those killed.
Bedford, population 3,200 that year, lost 23 of its 35 soldiers in Company A. Nineteen died in the invasion's first 15 minutes, four more in following days. It was the largest per capita loss of men from a single U.S. community in the invasion.
That's why Bedford, now a city of about 6,400 people 25 miles east of Roanoke, was chosen as the site for the National D-Day Memorial. A portion of the $12 million memorial will be unveiled during a ceremony on today. Jeannie Schulz, widow of Peanuts cartoonist and World War II veteran Charles Schulz, will be the featured speaker.
While nearly everyone here agrees the memorial is long overdue, the upcoming event has opened old wounds.
''It brings back a lot of bad memories,'' said Ray Nance, 84, the only officer from Bedford to survive the war. ''I never really got over it. I'm not sure if I ever will.''
Nance, who still has a piece of shrapnel in his foot, has vivid memories of the bloodied beach on D-Day. He remembers seeing hundreds of bodies washing up with the tide. The young lieutenant was put in charge after the death of his company commander, Capt. Taylor Fellers - his cousin and best friend.
Stevens' landing craft sank before he reached the beach and he had to be rescued from the English Channel. He regrets not shaking his brother's hand and saying good-bye before they boarded separate landing crafts.
''He tried to shake my hand on the gangplank before we got off, but I told him we'd do it when we get to the crossroads at Vierville-sur-Mer,'' Stevens said. ''That never happened.''
Four days later, he found Ray's dog tags on a cross in the sand where his company was to have landed. He also found the names of more than a dozen other soldiers from Bedford.
The townspeople knew Company A was on the beaches and had been expecting bad news for weeks.
Nine notifications arrived in Bedford on Sunday morning, July 16.
''It was a sad, calm day in Bedford,'' said Elizabeth Teass, 76, who was operating the Western Union telegraph that day. ''It was a small town back then. Everyone knew each other. Everyone was like family.''
Bedford has been the focus of national attention over the years because of its D-Day loss. Some who were alive back then have grown tired of rehashing their stories to reporters. Others, such as Lucille Hoback Boggess, have granted dozens of interviews in the last week to talk about losing loved ones in the war. Boggess lost two brothers - Bedford Hoback, 30, and Raymond Hoback, 24 - on D-Day.
''We got one telegram on Sunday. I remember we were making ice cream to try to make our parents feel better when the other telegram came in the next day,'' recalls Boggess, who was 15 at the time. ''I don't think my mother ever got over it.''
The military no longer forms units out of soldiers from a single community.
''Taking 19 men out of a small community was like losing a generation of our young men,'' said Boggess, now 70. ''You often wonder what our community would be like if they had survived.''
Bedford's D-Day story has attracted donors to the memorial project from across the country.
Jeannie Schulz took over as the national campaign chairman of the National D-Day Foundation after her husband died in February.
Work has been completed on a 44-foot arch inscribed with the word ''Overlord'' - the Allies' code name for the landing. Dedication of the completed memorial is scheduled for June 6, 2001, the 57th anniversary of D-Day.
A contribution from ''Saving Private Ryan'' director Steven Spielberg will be used to build a theater at the memorial. The theater, part of a $4 million education center, will be named for the director's father, Arnold Spielberg, a World War II veteran who flew Army Air Corps missions as a radio operator in Burma.
''Saving Private Ryan'' is about the D-Day invasion, and Spielberg won a best director Academy Award for the film.
Slaughter, chairman of the D-Day foundation who fought in Company D of the 116th Infantry Regiment during the invasion, said the memorial is a symbol of freedom.
''It (the memorial) will remind people that freedom is not cheap,'' Slaughter said. ''These men did so much and they should not be forgotten.'=

Halifax County, thanks to a big defensive play by Melanie Hoskins in the seventh inning, won the Western District Tournament crown Friday, defeating regular season champion Albemarle 5-4 in Charlottesville.
The victory in Friday's game gave the Comets their first Western District Tournament championship in five years.
Halifax County's last district tournament title came in 1995 under former coach Leslile Shreeve.
The Comets will open Northwest Region Tournament play here today and will host William Fleming, the number two seed from the Roanoke Valley District.
Game time today at the Halifax County High School softball field is 6 p.m.
"It's awesome to have the first round of the regionals here," said Comets coach Melanie Saunders.
"It's been a long time since we've been to the regionals. I expect a lot of fans to be here, a lot of parents, grandparents and people who know us. I think it makes the kids feel good to see people come out."
"This game is big," added Saunders.
"If we win Monday and can win the next game on Wednesday, we go to the state."
The Comets went as far as the second round of the Northwest Region Tournament in 1995, losing 10-0 to Gar-Field in the second game of the tournament.
As a result of their victory over GW in last Wednesday's district tournament semi-final game, the Comets were assured of a berth in the Northwest Region Tournament.
But, the victory in the district tournament title game gave the Comets the Western District's top seed and the home field advantage for today's quarterfinal game of the Northwest Region Tournament.
"I am very proud of the girls," said Comets coach Melanie Saunders.
"They showed a lot of heart by beating Albemarle at their home field. They stayed "up" the whole game and kept each other pumped."
William Fleming, who enters today's game against the Comets with a 5-15 slate, was the third seed in last week's Roanoke Valley District Tournament.
The Colonels upset second seeded Franklin County 6-4 in the Roanoke Valley District Tournament semi-finals and lost to Cave Spring (now 16-6) 8-3 in the Roanoke Valley District Tournament championship game.
"I haven't seen Fleming and don't know a lot about them," Saunders said.
"All I know is that they beat Franklin County. We beat Franklin County twice. I really don't know what to expect."
Cave Spring will host Albemarle, the Western District's second seed, today in another Northwest Region Tournament quarterfinal game.
The final inning proved to be the big one for the Comets.
Sporting a 4-3 lead, Halifax County scored a run in the top of the seventh inning when Jenny Armistead reached base on an error and scored on a hit Lindsay Stolzenthaler to go up 5-3.
Albemarle's leadoff batter in the bottom of the seventh inning came up with a base hit and scored when the next batter up tripled to make the score 5-4.
The third Patriots batter launched a fly ball to centerfield that was caught by Hoskins.
Albemarle's runner on third base tagged up and sprinted home. But, Hoskins made a perfect throw to the plate and Comets' catcher Branda Best made the tag in time to get the second out of the inning and prevent the tying run from scoring.
"It was a picture perfect throw, a one-hopper to Branda," Saunders said of Hoskins throw to the plate.
"It was a do or die play. If they score, they tie the game. I think if they tied the game I think they (Albemarle probably would have won."
The Patriots got another runner on the sacks with the help of an error on Comets' shortstop Brandi Conner.
But, the Patriots' bid came to an end when the following batter flied out to Hoskins for the final out of the game.
While the play by Hoskins that prevented the tying run from scoring was big, the Comets did a lot of others right as well.
Albemarle, with two base hits and a triple, grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
The Comets bounced back to plate a run in the top of the second inning when Stolzenthaler led off with a hit and scored as Comets' hurler Shannon Torian grounded out to first base.
A walk and a base hit led to another Albemarle run in the bottom of the fourth inning and a 3-1 Patriots lead.
However, Halifax County pieced together big hits at key times to score three runs in the top of the fifth inning and take a 4-3 lead.
Hoskins triggered the Comets rally with a leadoff triple and scored when Armistead singled with one out.
Stolzenthaler followed with another triple to score Armistead and tie the game.
Halifax County grabbed the lead for the first time in the game when Torian helped her own cause with a two out single that plated Stolzenthaler.
"It took a lot of heart to come from being down 3-1," Saunders pointed out.
"We had some hits at the right times which produced our runs. In the games in the past we had runners on (base) but could not score the runs. This was also the case in this game until the fifth inning."
The Comets had eight hits in the game with Stolzenthaler leading the way with three hits and Conner chipping in a pair of hits.
Hoskins, Armistead and Torian contributed a hit each.
Torian had a good day on the mound. The Patriots reached her for seven hits but Torian gave up only one walk.
"She pitched a very solid game," Saunders pointed out.
"The defense did a good job backing her up. Albemarle hit the ball well. A lot of their hits were up the middle."

There were games this season when Halifax County pulled some seemingly magical tricks out of their baseball caps to come from behind and win close games in the final innings.
But, the magic wasn't there for the Comets here Friday night.
Albemarle jumped on top early and rolled to a 6-3 victory win in the championship game of the Western District Baseball Tournament, foiling the Comets' bid for their first Western District title in five years.
"If it was meant to be we would have won," said Davis.
"The way we played, I don't think it was meant to be. We just dragged from the first inning on."
The game was a big turnaround for Albemarle who lost to the Comets 12-2 a week ago today in a playoff game to determine the regular season championship and the district's automatic berth to the Northwest Region Tournament.
"The whole team felt a little embarrassed about what happened (Monday)," said Patriots coach Jim Garnett after his team had landed its first Western District baseball title in nine years.
"They were pumped and ready for this."
It was also a big turnaround for Patriots' hurler Derek Wilson whom the Comets hammered with their bats in the playoff game.
"Last Monday was his first district start so he was a little nervous," Garnett said.
"He did his job early but we didn't help him out defensively or we didn't score for him. He learned from it. The whole team learned from it."
The loss in the district title game was the second loss of the season for the Comets and coach Kelvin Davis.
Halifax County, the second seed in the Western District,will now have to travel to Roanoke today to face Roanoke Valley District champ Cave Spring in the quarterfinal round of the Northwest Region Baseball Tournament.
The Comets' defense, which had been sharp all season, fizzled at times. Four errors were recorded in the scorebook but there were other miscues as well that helped open the door for the Patriots.
"Basically, our defense let us down tonight," Davis pointed out.
"Anytime you play Albemarle or any other team like this from now on, we've got to have strong defense."
Not only was the defense the story, the game was also a tale of missed opportunities.
The Comets had opportunities to score in the first, fourth and fifth innings with two runners on the sacks and only one out. But, on each occasion, they were unable to get the right hit at the right time to punch across a run.
"Offensively we left a lot of men on base and you can't win ball games like that," said Davis.
"We put the runners there and didn't get them in. We've got to drive those guys in."
The Comets trailed 3-0 after two and a half innings but twice battled back to within a run, the second time coming in the bottom of the sixth inning.

But, Albemarle put the game out of the Comets' reach in the top of the seventh inning when designated hitter Pete Chandler singled and Derek Malikian sent a two run homer out of the park to put the Patriots up 6-3.
The Comets attempted battle back into the contest in their final turn at the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning but fell short.
Brian Medley hit a triple to right centerfield and Todd Meadows walked to put two runners on base with one out. Medley scored for the Comets when R.D. Cole grounded out to the shortstop on a fielder's choice that made the second out of the inning.
The inning and the game ended when Adam Conner, subbing for injured catcher Chad Compton, grounded out to the shortstop for the final out.
"We had it (the game) right there in reach and just didn't pull it back in," Davis said.
Halifax County had eight hits in the game with Matt Hastings and Brian Medley each getting a pair of hits. Nick Thompson, Comets hurler Michael Priest, Adam Conner and Scott Adams each had a hit.
Priest gave up seven hits, allowed two walks and fanned four batters in his six and two thirds innings of work.
"He pitched his heart out," Davis said.
"He kept the ball down and gave us what we wanted. We just looked for him to go out there and let his defense help him. That's what he did. His defense just didn't help him tonight."
Adams, who faced two batters, struck out one.
Priest and the Comets got off to a shaky start in the top of the first inning as leadoff batter Josh Shiflet walked and stole second base. Joe Feola, the second batter, hit a grounder to Chris Parker at third base but Parker threw the ball over Meadows' head at first base.
Shiflet headed for the plate and Thompson, the Comets' rightfielder, attempting to nail Shiflet, threw the ball wide of Compton's reach at the plate, allowing Shiflet to score and give the Patriots a 1-0 lead.
Thomas Martin laced a single to right centerfield to score Feola who advanced to third base on the previous play and put Albemarle up 2-0.
The Comets got out of the inning with a nifty double play triggered by Jason Shiflet's ground ball to Meadows. John Halliday flied out to Thompson in right field to end the inning.
Albemarle added another run in the top of the second inning when William Johnson singled to start the inning. He attempted to steal second base and got the steal as Compton missed the mark on the attempted putout throw to Cole. Johnson headed for third base. Josh Milam retrieved the ball in centerfield and fired it to Parker at third base but the throw was too late and Johnson slid safely into the sack.
Johnson scored when Chandler grounded out to second base to put Albemarle up 3-0.
Halifax County clawed its way back into the contest in the bottom of the third inning when Hastings singled with one out and stole second base with two out.
Priest was hit by a pitch to put runners on first base and second base. Wilson, the Patriots' pitcher. was called for a balk, advancing the runners to second base and third base.
Medley then hit a hard ground ball to Johnson, the Patriots' shortstop, and Johnson's throw to Martin at first base sailed wide of the mark. That allowed Hastings and Priest to score and bring the Comets to within a run at 3-2.
The Patriots widened the gap again in the top of the fourth inning as John Halliday reached base on an error and scored when Johnson hit a double to centerfield.
Malikian singled to right field but Thompson, the Comets' right fielder, made a quick, clean catch. He fired the ball to Meadows and Meadows relayed a perfect strike to Compton who tagged out Johnson at the plate as Johnson, making no attempt to slide or avoid a collision crashed head-on into Compton.
The Comets got the out Davis protested the home plate umpire's no call on what should have been an ejection of Johnson for the deliberate collision with Compton but got nowhere.
Compton, ended the inning, however, by throwing out Malikian attempting to steal second base, putting the Comets at their highest emotional peak of the night.
That was also the end of the night for Compton who suffered a dislocated shoulder, aggravating a similar injury he sustained early in the season. Conner moved behind the plate for the start of the top of the fifth inning
Halifax tried to claw its way back into the contest again in the bottom of the sixth inning when Conner laced a double to left field. Milam struck out for the first out and Smith went down on a line drive to the shortstop.
Hastings came up with a base hit with two out to score Scott Adams who was running for Conner to bring the Comets back to within a run at 4-3. Wilson doused the Comets' rally by fanning Thompson to end the inning.
That set the stage for the seventh inning that saw Albemarle widen its lead with the two run homer and the Comets bid to keep the contest going in the final inning.

Willie Glasscock Griffin, 94, of Buffalo Junction, died Wednesday, May 24, 2000 at the Woodview Nursing Home.
Mrs. Griffin was born September 2, 1905, the daughter of James Bailey and Emma Mills Glasscock. She was married to the late Taylor Floyd Griffin.
Her survivors include three daughters: Glenna Nunn of Clarksville, Helen Blanks and Jean Daniel of Buffalo Junction; son: Raymond Griffin; 10 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.
She was predeceased by a daughter: Nell G. Savarese.
A funeral service was held Friday, May 26 at the Buffalo Baptist Church with interment in the Gravel Hill Cemetery. Rev. Rodney Baker and Rev. John Bohannon officiated.

Ruby Austin Holdren, 77, died Thursday, May 25, 2000 in Richmond.
Mrs. Holdren was born in Halifax County, the daughter of Jim H. and Nannie M. Austin of Clover and was married to the late Robert W. Holdren.
Her survivors include three sons: Robert Jr. of Omaha, Neb., Stuart and Sidney of Richmond; four grandchildren, three great-grandchildren; two brothers: J.R. "Pete" Austin of Shelbyville, Tenn. and Ralph Austin of Clover; two sisters: Sandra Edwards of Richmond and Barbara Ann Jones of Red Oak.

She was preceded in death by two brothers: H.A. "Dude" Austin and A.I. "Sonny" Austin.
A funeral service will be held Tuesday, May 30 at 1 p.m. at the Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Amelia.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to the Forest View Rescue Squad, 8008 Midlothian Turnpike, Richmond, VA 23235.

Mary Alice Martin Dean, 86, of 307 Girard Street, Danville, died Friday, May 26, 2000 at her residence.
Mrs. Dean was born March 25, 1914 in South Boston to Charles Martin and Mary Ellen Vaughn Martin and was married to the late Orien F. Dean. She was a member of The Tabernacle and a former Sunday School teacher.
Her survivors include two daughters: Shelby Royal of Rockville, Md. and Delores B. Seay of Danville; two sons: Glen W. Dean of Danville and O. Frank Dean Jr. of Greensboro, N.C.; sister: Mae Martin of Turbeville; five grandchildren; three great-grandchildren.

A graveside service was held Sunday, May 28 at Floral Hills Memory Gardens with the Revs. Carl Burger and Brian Edwards officiating.
She was predeceased by two sisters: Clara Bass and Geogi Martin; three brothers: Lucas, Jesse and Mellus Martin.

John E. Singleton, 79, of 5602 Fairfax Lane, Newport News, died Monday, May 22, 2000 at The Chesapeake Health Care Nursing Home.
Mr. Singleton was born in Halifax County on October 6, 1920 to Jesse Walker and Martha Puryear.
His survivors include a son: Cedric Singleton of Asbury Park, N.J. and a sister: Hassie Fitzgerald of South Boston.
A funeral service was held Saturday, May 27 in the chapel of Kent, Ballou and Crowder Funeral Service. Burial was held in the family cemetery.

Charles Edward Poythress, 69, of Brodnax, died Saturday, May 27, 2000 at his residence.
His survivors include his wife: Sammie H. Poythress; two sons: Tommy Poythress of Alton and Jerry Poythress of Brodnax; daughter: Wanda Gail Clary of Richmond; brother: Jackson Poythress of South Hill; three sisters: Bernice Puryear of South Hill, Betty Sue Reamey and Margaret Parker of Colonial Heights; eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
A funeral service will be conducted today, May 29 at 2 p.m. in Crowder-Hite-Crews Funeral Home, South Hill with interment in Crestview Memorial Park.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Southside Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 546, South Hill, VA 23970 or the Sanford Memorial Baptist Church, 32 Church St., Brodnax, VA 23920.

Willie Cox, 75, of 4238 Red Bank Road, Virgilina, died Saturday, May 27, 2000 at his home.
Mr. Cox was born December 25, 1924 in Granville Co., N.C. to Fred and Lena Riggins Cox. He was married to Estelle Thomas Cox and was a member of Grassy Creek Baptist Church.
His survivors include his wife; two daughters: Joyce Green of South Boston and Linda Howell of Farmville; two sisters: Margaret Newton of Oxford, N.C. and Adelle Pulliam of Virgilina; two brothers: Lee and Roy Cox of Bullock, N.C. and two granddaughters: Chrystal and Dana Howell of Farmville.
He was preceded in death by a daughter: Carolyn Jean Cox and sister: Maudie Thomas.
A funeral service will be held today, May 29 at 2 p.m. at Brooks Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Chad Branch officiating. Burial will be held in the Oak Ridge Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Halifax County Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 183, South Boston, VA 24592 or the Halifax County Cancer Association, P.O. Box 875, South Boston, VA 24592.