Highland County Public Schools

COVINGTON — Seven more area student-athletes joined an exclusive group last Thursday at the Jackson River Sport Complex.

Two recent graduates from Alleghany, Bath and Highland high schools and a Class of 2024 Boys Home graduate were presented the Alleghany Highlands Kiwanis Club Richard Brian Snead Sportsmanship Awards.

Alleghany’s Abbie Fridley and Chris Harden, Bath County’s Hunter Waldeck and Abbey Phillips, Highland’s Zalea Good and Greg Meehan, and Boys Home’s Kenneth Bailey are now among 93 Snead winners.

The Snead award has roots back to 1988 when Emory Brackman, the long-time sports editor of the Covington Virginian and Virginian Review, started presenting a sportsmanship award to an area athlete. Richard Brian Snead was the first recipient of the award.

In 1990, Snead’s life was cut short by an automobile accident and Brackman renamed the award to honor him. The Snead Award was reborn in 2013 with major help from the local Kiwanians.

Through the generosity of the club, the award was expanded and for 10 years was given to a male and female winner from Covington, Alleghany and Bath County high schools. Highland High School and Boys Home were added in 2023.

The coaches in the area select a male and female senior athlete who has best represented their school, both on and off the course, court, or field.

“The Kiwanis Club is proud to be involved with the Snead Award,” said John Wilson, Alleghany Highlands Kiwanis Club president. “It’s always one of our best events of the year.”

This year’s Snead guest speaker was Darren Venable, a 2000 Covington High School graduate.

Venable starred on the basketball court and football field as a Cougar, before becoming one of the most decorated players in the history of Ferrum College football. He won All-Dixie Conference honors in all four of his years as a Panther, was the Defensive Player of the Year in the league as a sophomore, junior and senior, and was a two-time All-American.

Recently, Venable joined the coaching staff at Roanoke College, where he will work under head coach Bryan Stinespring, a Clifton Forge High School graduate.

The Maroons will play as a club this fall before joining the Old Dominion Athletic Conference in 2025. This year’s football team will be the first at Roanoke since 1942, when it was forced to disband the program because of the constraints of World War II.

For Venable, coaching at the college level is something he has pursued for years.

“There were times I wanted to quit, I wanted to give up on my dream of coaching college football,” he told the award winners, families and Kiwanis members. “But I kept working and one Sunday, I got a call from Coach Stinespring and he gave me an opportunity.

“I waited a long time for this chance, I mean years and years,” Venable added. “I would tell you guys to stick to your dreams, don’t quit. Your time is going to come. Every adult here has worked for something. It may not have happened right away. They may have had to wait years to get the promotion, to get the job, to get the house they wanted, to have kids. But they stuck to their dream, to their faith.”

Venable congratulated the award winners and gave them some important parting words.

“Be proud of yourself for receiving this award,” he said. “You were hand-picked. You are part of a select group. It shows something about you. It should mean more than any championship you could ever win. It’s showing you have class. It’s showing you were raised right by your parents.

“Now, stick to your dreams, life is going to happen,” Venable said. “I’m a prime example of that. Life has happened to me, some of it not so good. But I persevered through it. Stick to your faith.”

The Snead Award Class of 2024:

• Kenneth Bailey – Boys Home

Bailey, who was at Boys Home for only one year, was a starter on the fall and spring soccer teams and on the Bears’ basketball team this past winter.

“He was an important part of the development and success of both sports teams,” said Boys Home athletic director Donnie Costigan. “Kenneth is well-rounded. He loves music, plays several musical instruments and is an amazing singer.”

Bailey plans to attend Mountain Gateway Community College in the fall for two years and transfer to a four-year university to study music.

• Zalea Good – Highland

Good played volleyball, basketball, softball and ran track for the Rams over her athletic career.

Excelling also academically, Good finished her senior year with a 4.25 grade point average and was the HHS Class of 2024 valedictorian.

“Zalea worked hard in everything she has participated in, whether it be athletics or academics,” said Highland track coach Colby Jackson. “She is respected by all of her classmates, not just her friend group.”

Good will attend the University of Virginia and study business.

• Greg Meehan – Highland

Meehan came to Highland from Broad Run High School, adjusting from a class of about 400 in Loudoun County to a class of nine in Monterey.

Meehan played basketball and baseball for the Rams and was the HHS Class of 2024 salutatorian with a 4.23 grade point average.

“I really enjoyed coaching Greg this year,” said Cole Armstrong, the Rams’ head baseball coach and an assistant basketball coach. “He was a great teammate and very coachable. He definitely deserves this award.”

Meehan will take a gap year to work in his parents’ business before attending James Madison University to study business.

• Abbey Phillips – Bath

Phillips was on the cross country, cheerleading, tennis and track teams at Bath County High School, winning three Pioneer District championships this spring — 100-meter hurdles, team tennis and doubles in tennis with partner Sadie Alphin.

“Very positive and upbeat,” said Charger tennis coach Kris Phillips. “She won many awards voted on by the team. Abbey hates to lose and is very determined. She’s always a leader and a good sport.”

“Abbey worked very hard at both tennis and track,” added BCHS track coach Mark Weiss. “This award is very fitting for this young lady.”

Phillips will attend the College of William and Mary and study kinesiology. She will be on the Tribe cheerleading squad.

• Hunter Waldeck, Bath

Waldeck played football and baseball in his years as a Charger.

A four-year starter and a captain on the football team last fall, Hunter was leaned on heavily by head coach Jake Phillips.

“Anytime I asked Hunter to do anything, he did it and his teammates followed,” Phillips said. “He is one of the guys when I came back here two years ago that I could rely on — I could trust. He was a leader from day one. His teammates jumped on his back and so did I.”

Waldeck will enter the agriculture tech program at Virginia Tech this fall and study crop production.

• Abbie Fridley, Alleghany

Fridley was on the basketball and softball teams at Alleghany and played a key role in the 2022 girls’ basketball team that made the program’s only appearance in the state tournament.

“Abbie is the perfect choice for this award,” said AHS girls’ basketball coach Jeff Wolfe. “She represented herself, her team and her school in a positive way. Just like the award’s namesake Richard Brian Snead, Abbie’s smile was infectious and could always brighten any situation.”

Abbie will attend Virginia Western Community College to study radiology.

• Chris Harden, Alleghany

Harden played golf, basketball and baseball as a Mountaineer and a Cougar and helped his baseball team to the state semifinals as a junior.

“Chris was always going to bring his intensity every game whether it was the first or the third game of the week,” said Seth Bradley, the former baseball coach and current boys’ basketball coach at AHS. “His motor was always a spark for the team and we were very fortunate to have him as part of our program.”

Harden plans to attend Mountain Gateway Community College in the fall and pursue a career in instrumentation.

Past Snead Award Winners
• 1988 – Richard Snead, Covington;
• 1989 – Andy Marcontell, Covington;
• 1990 – Lenny Vail, Alleghany;
• 1991 – Larry Helton, Covington;
• 1992 – John Denius, Bath County;
• 1993 – Andy Lambert, Covington;
• 1994 – Brandy Brown, Alleghany;
• 1995 – Mike Barber, Covington;
• 1996-97 – Tracey Walker, Covington;
• 1997-98 – Henry Wolfe, Alleghany;
• 1999 – Brent May, Covington;
• 2000 – Justin Alexander, Bath County;
• 2001 – Jason Wolfe, Covington;
• 2002 – Travis McCue, Alleghany;
• 2003 – Daniel Strasser, Bath County;
• 2004 – Gavin Haynes, Alleghany;
• 2005 – Jessi Allman, Alleghany;

• 2013 – Catie Carpenter and Tanner Seay, Alleghany; Katie Rice and Lucas Hodge, Bath County; Kristina Huffman and Charlie Dickson, Covington;

• 2014 – Savanna Herr and Travis Allard, Alleghany; Jessie O’Conner and Owen Fry, Bath County; Sa’Mone Moore and Hayden Rice, Covington;

• 2015 – Emily Oyler and John Reed, Alleghany; Emily Black and Clay Robertson, Bath County; Shalia Notice and Derek Dressler, Covington;

• 2016 – Heather Mayes and Tyler Broughman, Alleghany; Lindsay Malcolm and Eli Altizer, Bath County; Laramie Mc- Callister and Kameron Pierce, Covington;

• 2017 – Elaina Fridley and Kent Rooklin, Alleghany; Mackenzie Weaver and Caleb Fry, Bath County; Tiffany Burr and Caleb Haynes, Covington;

• 2018 – Margaret Donnan and Trey Honts, Alleghany; Skylynn Lee and Bubba Maddow, Bath County; Abby McCallister and K.J. Moore, Covington;

• 2019 – Bailee Leitch and Tanner Arritt, Alleghany; Kassedi Estes and Sean Gardener, Bath County; Haven Coles and Jaun Miller, Covington;

• 2020 – Emma Nicely and Brian Broughman, Alleghany; Selena Wolfe and Logan Miller, Bath County; Katie Woodward and Shawn Shiflett, Covington;

• 2021 – Abby Martin and Erik Honaker, Alleghany; Emily Douglas and Wyatt Harmon, Bath County; Christen Holloway and Sammy Akers, Covington;

• 2022 – Erin Harden and Nathan Clark, Alleghany; Sarah Eaton and Matthew Keyser, Bath County; Cristi Persinger and Mitchell Tallman, Covington;

• 2023 – Kendell Keene and Kellen Lowman, Alleghany; Allison Hess and Issac Gwin, Bath County; Aubrey Brown and Luke Conner, Covington; Kirsten Wood and Michael Campbell, Highland; Jareem Reid, Boys Home.