Matt Case

Roanoke

High School Sports Reporter at Roanoke Times

High school sports reporter @roanoketimes | Commissioner of my fifth grade paper football league | One-time Heisman voter | [email protected]

Articles

Briar Woods pulls away from Patrick Henry in Class 5 boys state lacrosse quarterfinals

1 day ago | roanoke.com | Matt Case

Patrick Henry scored three and half minutes into the second quarter to climb out of an early deficit and level Thursday’s Class 5 boys lacrosse state quarterfinal at 4-4 with Briar Woods. What followed, however, was a stifling defensive effort from the Falcons that all but silenced the Patriots. After tying the game, PH was held to just four goals in the final 32 minutes as Briar Woods pulled away for an 11-8 victory at Gainer Field to advance to the state semifinals. “We just didn’t execute.
PH falls to Lightridge in girls lacrosse state quarterfinals

1 day ago | roanoke.com | Matt Case

For the second straight season, the Patrick Henry High School girls lacrosse team reached the state tournament and competed to be among the final four teams in Class 5. And for the second straight season, Lightridge stood in its way. The Patriots stayed competitive with the Bolts this time around, but a prolific performance from Avery Speier proved too much as they fell 12-5 in the Class 5 state quarterfinals Thursday evening at Gainer Field in Roanoke. "It's tough, but they played extremely hard.
Radford QB Luke Gaither transferring to LCA

1 day ago | newsadvance.com | Matt Case

Luke Gaither, a burgeoning quarterback in Southwest Virginia, announced Wednesday he is transferring from Radford High School to Liberty Christian Academy. The 6-foot-4, 175-pound rising junior has received eight Division I offers thus far, including from UNLV, Liberty and Arkansas. Gaither took over the starting role at Radford last season in place of Landen Clark, who is now at Elon after leading the Bobcats to the Class 2 state championship in 2023.
Radford QB Luke Gaither transferring to LCA

2 days ago | roanoke.com | Matt Case

Luke Gaither, a burgeoning quarterback in Southwest Virginia high school football, announced Wednesday he is transferring from Radford to Liberty Christian Academy. The 6-foot-4, 175-pound rising junior has received eight Division I offers thus far, including from UNLV, Liberty and Arkansas. Gaither took over the starting role at Radford last season in place of Landen Clark, who is now at Elon after leading the Bobcats to the Class 2 state championship in 2023.
Blacksburg’s 2nd-half comeback stuns JF in boys soccer region semifinals

2 days ago | roanoke.com | Matt Case

BLACKSBURG — Thoughts of last year’s Region 4D semifinal loss to Jefferson Forest could’ve deflated the Blacksburg High School boys soccer team after the Cavaliers took yet another 1-0 lead in Wednesday’s rematch at Bill Brown Stadium. Instead, it motivated them. After trailing for 30 minutes, Jackson Gabriel’s corner kick header leveled the match in the 54th minute.
William Byrd upsets again to reach girls soccer state tournament

3 days ago | roanoke.com | Matt Case

The William Byrd High School girls soccer team has not been on the winning side for the majority of the season. But since the playoffs have come about, things have been different. After battling their way to Tuesday’s Region 3D semifinal at Bogle Stadium, the No. 7 Terriers pulled off another upset, knocking off No. 6 Hidden Valley 3-1 to earn a surprise berth into the Class 3 state tournament. “It’s been fun, for one, but we’ve known,” head coach Molly Cox said.
PH’s Sam Dowdy, Roanoke Catholic’s Addison Becker named B’nai B’rith winners

4 days ago | roanoke.com | Matt Case

Chris Dowdy, the longtime head coach of the Patrick Henry High School boys soccer team, was a nominee for the B’nai B’rith awards when he was a senior at William Byrd High School. His son took it one step further. At the 74th installment of the awards banquet Monday night at Hotel Roanoke, Sam Dowdy was named the 2025 recipient out of Patrick Henry, with his father in attendance. “He’s like, ‘This is something I never got,’ so I got one up on him I guess,” Sam Dowdy said of his dad, chuckling.
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4 days ago | roanoke.com | Matt Case

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Cave Spring knocks off defending state champion Christiansburg in region softball quarters

1 week ago | roanoke.com | Matt Case

Nick Sharp said the latter part of the Cave Spring High School softball team’s season has been spent emphasizing clutch hitting, driving in runs when the opportunity is there. The No. 4 Knights did just that Saturday afternoon, tallying half of their dozen runs with two outs to knock off No. 5 Christiansburg, the defending Class 3 state champion, 12-0 in five innings in the Region 3D quarterfinals at Fuzzy Minnix Field in Roanoke.
Undefeated Cave Spring gets postseason rolling with region QF win over LB in girls soccer

1 week ago | roanoke.com | Matt Case

The Cave Spring High School girls soccer team has high aspirations for the playoffs, much higher than an opening round win Thursday evening. But they were nevertheless anxious, head coach Erin Smith said, to begin their postseason campaign amid the pressures of being undefeated and one of, if not the best, squads in all of Class 3. You can’t win the last game if you don’t win the first. “I’d be lying if I said there weren't pregame nerves,” Smith said.