Steve Wright Takes Over as John Battle High School's New Football Coach

by Jeff Fisher
Virginia High School Football Huddle

For the 8th time in the last 13 years, John Battle High School has a new football coach.

Steve Wright has been named the new head coach of the Trojans.  Wright takes over for Ryan Witten, who was removed from the position of head coach earlier this year.  Witten was 7-11 in his two years at John Battle.

Lafayette Names Former Assistant New Football Coach

by Jeff Fisher
Virginia High School Football Huddle

Andy Linn has been promoted from assistant to head football coach at Lafayette High School.

Linn takes over for Paul Wheeler, who resigned at the end of a 5-5 season.  Lafayette actually finished 7-3 on the field, but had to forfeit two games at the end of the season after reporting itself for using two players that didn't have a physical examine.  Those forfeits knocked Lafayette out of the postseason.

Wheeler spent 10 years at Lafayette, leading the Rams to a 82-31 record and a 2001 Division 4 state title.

Wheeler had tried to take back his resignation that he submitted after the season, but school officials wouldn't reinstate him.

Is Spring Football Practice a Reality in Virginia?

by Jeff Fisher
Virginia High School Football Huddle

The Virginia High School League has approved a big change to practice rules that could open the door to spring football practice...although it's unlikely that that will happen.

The VHSL Executive Committee voted to allow year-round practice for all sports with the exception of three "dead periods".  The new rule, that goes into effect August 1st, allows teams to practice except for the first ten allowable practice days of another sports season as well as a one-week period during the summer.

The old rule allowed teams to practice only during their season and within a specific preseason window.

So the question is...is spring football practice around the corner?  The answer is probably not.

Why?  The VHSL catastrophic insurance will not apply to out-of-season activities.

Virginia - 2011 National Signing Day

Dewayne Alford (Nansemond River, DE) - Virginia Tech
Michael Cole (Cave Spring, DB) - Virginia Tech
Deshon Foxx (Brookfield, RB) - Connecticut
Jaston George (Oscar Smith, DB) - Syracuse
Jake Goins (Manchester, OL) - Virginia Tech
Chris Hall (Dinwiddle, TE) - Virginia Tech
Michael Holmes (Harrisonburg, RB) - Virginia Tech
Demtri Knowles (Liberty Christian, WR) - Virginia Tech
Corey Marshall (Dinwiddle, DE) - Virginia Tech
Michael Nebrich (Lake Braddock, QB) - Connecticut
Spenser Rositano (Stone Bridge, DB) - Boston College
Ronny Vandyke (South County, DB) - Virginia Tech
Matt Zanellato (Lake Braddock, WR) - Penn St.