The brand new Southern Gap High School Eagles

[EPJr1947]

Southern Gap High School is a new consolidated public high school in Buchanan County, Virginia, scheduled to open for its inaugural school year in August 2026. It will replace and consolidate students from four existing high schools: Grundy, Hurley, Twin Valley, and Council.


Key School Details

• Mascot: The Eagles ("The Eagles Take Flight").
• Location: The school is being built in the western part of the county on Ruffed Grouse Lane in Grundy, VA.
• Athletics: The school is expected to compete in Class 2 for athletics.
• Estimated Enrollment: Based on recent data from the consolidating schools, the combined enrollment for the 2026-27 school year is projected to be approximately 730 students.
• Facilities: The modern campus will include updated facilities for career and technical education, arts, and athletics.

Consolidating Schools
The following schools will close at the end of the 2025-2026 school year to form Southern Gap High School:
Grundy High School: Currently located at 1300 Golden Wave Dr, Grundy, VA.
Hurley High School: Located in Hurley, VA.
Twin Valley High School: Located in Pilgrim's Knob, VA.
Council High School: Voted for consolidation in February 2026.

https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/buchanan-county-boe-moves-forward-with-council-consolidation/

 

[Hales Bottom]

Will not be anywhere close to 730 when it opens in August. Due to driving distances in Buchanan County, the student population will be closer to 610 to 630 kids instead of 730, but it will be one of the larger Class 2 schools in the state.

Southern Gap will rejoin the old Southwest District in 2027. Will play a partial SWD schedule for 2026. Grundy, before dropping to Class 1 many years ago, was a longtime and original member of the Southwest District from the 1970s. The SWD is the same district with Richlands, Graham, Tazewell, etc. Welcome Back Home Southern Gap. In the year of 1999, Grundy High was a Class 4 school. It plummeted in population to a Class 1 school in only a 12 year period (by 2011).

 

[EPJr1947]

 

[CountyBoyGeneral]

Will not be anywhere close to 730 when it opens in August. Due to driving distances in Buchanan County, the student population will be closer to 610 to 630 kids instead of 730, but it will be one of the larger Class 2 schools in the state.

Southern Gap will rejoin the old Southwest District in 2027. Will play a partial SWD schedule for 2026. Grundy, before dropping to Class 1 many years ago, was a longtime and original member of the Southwest District from the 1970s. The SWD is the same district with Richlands, Graham, Tazewell, etc. Welcome Back Home Southern Gap. In the year of 1999, Grundy High was a Class 4 school. It plummeted in population to a Class 1 school in only a 12 year period (by 2011).

Read something that some students would be traveling an hour one way to school. That’s insane! The new school is 40 minutes from present Hurley High School, 36 minutes from Council, and 30 minutes from Twin Valley. That’s not even factoring the mountain roads these buses will cover. I’d love to see a documentary on this. Much respect to our SWVA folks.

 

[Hales Bottom]

Read something that some students would be traveling an hour one way to school. That’s insane! The new school is 40 minutes from present Hurley High School, 36 minutes from Council, and 30 minutes from Twin Valley. That’s not even factoring the mountain roads these buses will cover. I’d love to see a documentary on this. Much respect to our SWVA folks.

The above is exactly why the school won't have 730 when opening as some projected. They will lose at least 50 to 60 from that 730 due to travel, and the 730 projected is based on 2022 numbers. The population has dropped much more even over the last 4 years since those numbers were updated and it's probably about 50 students less today than those 2022 numbers. Expect about 610 to 630 students in August.

 

[Queue]

Will not be anywhere close to 730 when it opens in August. Due to driving distances in Buchanan County, the student population will be closer to 610 to 630 kids instead of 730, but it will be one of the larger Class 2 schools in the state.

Southern Gap will rejoin the old Southwest District in 2027. Will play a partial SWD schedule for 2026. Grundy, before dropping to Class 1 many years ago, was a longtime and original member of the Southwest District from the 1970s. The SWD is the same district with Richlands, Graham, Tazewell, etc. Welcome Back Home Southern Gap. In the year of 1999, Grundy High was a Class 4 school. It plummeted in population to a Class 1 school in only a 12 year period (by 2011).

So they're what....playing as a semi-independent school (for 26) ineligible for any district title?? What happens in all the other sports, where district tournaments mean everything?? Will they actually join immediately in those??

 

[Hales Bottom]

So they're what....playing as a semi-independent school (for 26) ineligible for any district title?? What happens in all the other sports, where district tournaments mean everything?? Will they actually join immediately in those??

No for football in 2026 as Region D will take the top 8 teams by points ranking. They will be independent for football. I've been told Yes to all other sports/goes into the SWD. So, for Basketball and Wrestling starting in Dec 26, they will go into the SWD.

 

[EPJr1947]

The Buchanan County School Board has officially appointed the inaugural coaching staff for
Southern Gap High School
as it prepares to open for the 2026-2027 school year. The school is a consolidation of Hurley, Grundy, Council, and Twin Valley high schools.

swvasports.com +3

Head Coaching Appointments

• Football:
  Greg Tester
  (formerly of Hurley)
• Boys Basketball:
  Jory Rife
  (formerly of Grundy)
• Girls Basketball:
  Brian Looney
• Wrestling:
  Travis Fiser
  (formerly of Grundy)
• Volleyball:
  Hannah Lester
• Baseball:
  Tommy Crigger
• Softball:
  Christine Bane
• Golf:
  Preston Hibbits
• Cross Country:
  Christine Bane
  and
  Phillip Vandyke
• Track (Boys/Girls):
  Brian Davis
  (Boys) and
  Loni Webb
  (Girls)
• Tennis (Boys/Girls):
  Susan Mayhew
  (Boys)
  
  
  swvasports.com +5

Other Key Staff

• Athletic Director:
  Scotty Bostic
• Cheerleading:
  Staci Griffey
  (Varsity) and
  Megan Wolford
  (JV)
• E-Sports:
  Kayla Cantrel

 

[DinwiddieProud]

Will they play football at the current Grundy field? If so, is that the permanent plan or will they build a new football stadium?

Is construction of the school still on schedule?

 

[EPJr1947]

Will they play football at the current Grundy field? If so, is that the permanent plan or will they build a new football stadium?

Is construction of the school still on schedule?

Football Program Details

• Head Coach: Greg Tester has been named the first-ever varsity football coach for the Southern Gap Eagles. Tester previously coached at Hurley High School.
• Mascot & Colors: The team will be known as the Eagles. The official school colors are Black and Vegas Gold.
• Classification: The Eagles are expected to compete in Class 2 for athletics within the Virginia High School League (VHSL).
• Stadium Location: The new 200,000-square-foot campus is located on Ruffed Grouse Lane in Grundy, VA, built on a former mountaintop coal mining

 

[Pinhook]

Will they play football at the current Grundy field? If so, is that the permanent plan or will they build a new football stadium?

Is construction of the school still on schedule?

They are building what looks to be a very nice facility at the school

 

[Virginia HS Football Fan]

Not a fan of "Eagles" as the mascot. Too generic and lacks any creativity. But I guess they were going for a "Southern Miss" type of vibe.

"Miners" would have been cool. "Mountaineers" would have been good as well considering the location.

Note to school systems, school boards, and feeder schools voting on this stuff. Want to build a brand and sell merch? Be creative with nicknames. Either use alliteration or come up with something off the wall.