STEPHENS CITY — After several coaches had finished praising the athletes who had assembled on Sherando’s auditorium stage, the high school’s coordinator of student activities wanted to make sure the approximately 200 people in the audience understood the full significance of what they were seeing.

“I have done some recalculation, and there’s 19 of them up there,” said Jason Barbe, drawing laughter with his statement. “Let’s give them all a hand. This is amazing.” 

The crowd was quick to applaud the group of athletes who have made a habit of inspiring cheers over the years.

Eight sports and five college levels were represented on the stage on Wednesday, including two athletes who are headed to NCAA Division I Radford University in McKenna Hardy (soccer) and Gracie Defibaugh (track & field as well as cross country). Sherando’s state semifinalist football team had the largest representation, with 10 people set to play football at the next level and star quarterback Micah Carlson signing to compete in track & field.

Sherando track coach Brad Symons recently said Hardy — who in addition to playing soccer also stars in track & field — is probably the best female athlete in the entire school. She currently holds the area’s best marks in the 100 (12.74 seconds), long jump (16 feet, 9 inches) and triple jump (35-1) and ranks in the program’s all-time top 10 in all three events. 

It doesn’t take long to see that Hardy is a unique athlete, which the Radford soccer coaching staff will certainly attest to.

The center back plays her club ball with Great Falls Reston Soccer Club. Her club coach is friends with Radford associate head coach Davis Fox, and he invited Fox to see her play in a tournament.

“He was late and only got to see me play the last five minutes of the game,” Hardy said. “He liked what he saw in the last five minutes, I guess. I was four games in and I was tired, but he invited me to an ID camp.”

Radford 29th-year head coach Ben Sohrabi also liked what he saw from Hardy and invited her to visit with the team in June of last year.

“Everybody on the team is in the same vicinity in the dorms, and they’re all very close with each other,” said Hardy of her visit. “It was a very family kind of feeling with the team. I really liked that. That was my favorite part about it.” 

An offer to play for the team soon followed. Hardy will receive a partial academic scholarship and will have the opportunity to earn athletic scholarship money in the future. Hardy will major in biology at Radford and will look to enter the medical field in the future. 

Radford has had plenty of success under Sohrabi. He has a career record of 306-201-51 with nine Big South Conference titles. The Highlanders reached their 10th NCAA Tournament in 2023 and went 9-4-5 last year (3-1-3 in the Big South), falling in the conference semis.

A member of the Sherando varsity team as a freshman and sophomore, Hardy focused on playing club ball as a junior but has returned to lead the Warriors to a 9-0 record this year. With Hardy at center back, Sherando has only surrendered four goals. Hardy has occasionally been moved up into the attack and had scored four goals. 

“I’ve always been better at reading people when it comes to soccer,” said Hardy when asked what she likes about playing defense. “And with my speed, if someone gets by me, I can catch up to them. No matter their speed, I know the angles to cut in at so I can stop them.”

Hardy said it means a lot to her to compete at the college level. 

“It’s amazing that all the hard work that I put in finally came out into something,” Hardy said. “I wasn’t sure that I was going to play college soccer. But going to an ID camp for a D-I school, and just seeing a glimpse of what I could be, that made me want to play in college.”

Hardy will see a familiar face on campus next year in her track teammate Defibaugh.

Last year, Defibaugh was the area’s fastest runner in the 800 (2:20.65; No. 2 in school history) and No. 2 runner in the 1,600 (5:18.93; No. 7 in school history) and competed in both events at the Class 4 meet. This season, she ranks third in the area in both events. She had Sherando’s best time at the Region 4D cross country meet in the fall and had a top 3.1-mile time of 20:26.30, according to MileStat.

Radford took third in the Big South in outdoor track last year and fourth in indoor this year. The Highlanders were also third at the Big South cross country meet. 

Defibaugh liked the idea of joining a strong program, so she reached out to Radford about five months ago. She went on two visits after that, one to check out the school as a whole, and one to familiarize herself with the program on an official visit.

“I love the coach,” Defibaugh said. “All the girls were great. The campus was beautiful. They had everything I wanted. It seemed like a perfect fit.”

Defibaugh will have the opportunity for scholarship money in the future. She’s undecided on a major.

“It’s crazy,” said Defibaugh about competing at the college level. “It’s been my dream since I was little. To see it come true, and to think back to my younger self, she’d be very proud of me.” 

Before college comes, Defibaugh will look to get the most out of her senior year and compete at the state meet again. 

“I feel like each year, I take a little more out of it,” said Defibaugh of her running career year. “I keep cutting down on the time. Mentally, [running] is my favorite thing to do.” 

The other two track athletes involved in Wednesday’s ceremony will both compete at the NCAA Division II level.

Tristan Hantute-Abebe will attend Ferrum College, which will begin competing in Division II in the Conference Carolinas in 2025-26. The Panthers are currently in the midst of their final year in the Division III Old Dominion Athletic Conference. 

Hantute-Abebe ranks third in the area in the 200 (22.64, No. 4 in program history) and has posted times of 11.27 in the 100 (No. 7) and 52.11 in the 400 (No. 9). In indoor track, he ranks second in program history in the 300 and third in the 55. 

Hantute-Abebe will study nursing. 

Carlson will attend Frostburg State University in Maryland and compete as a decathlete. The Bobcats placed seventh at the Mountain East Conference indoor meet this year and fourth at last year’s outdoor meet. 

As a junior, Carlson had the area’s best marks in the discus (154-11) and triple jump (42-3) and placed sixth in Class 4 in the discus and tied for ninth in the high jump. This year, he’s No. 1 in the discus, tied for second in the high jump (5-10) and No. 3 in the long jump (20-4) and triple jump. 

Carlson will study electrical engineering.

Carlson — the Region 4D Offensive Player of the Year — was joined on stage by 10 football teammates who helped the Warriors post a 12-2 record and capture the Region 4D title. 

T.J. Rohrbaugh has been a part of Sherando football for most of its history as a player and assistant coach prior to taking the head coaching position in 2023. The Warriors have won eight region titles and been to four state title games in their 32-year history, but he told the crowd that the Warriors have never had a signing class like this year’s.

“This is an outstanding group that I’ve had the opportunity to coach,” Rohrbaugh said. “We’ve never had 10 guys sign to go play at the next level. These guys really set the standard for our program in lot of ways, and I couldn’t be more proud of them as a group. I’m very fortunate to have the opportunity to coach these guys. These guys up on here on stage were a big reason we were able to have the success we were able to have this past season.

“Thank you, all you guys. I appreciate everything you did for our football program. I’m going to miss the hell out of every one of you guys, and good luck in the future.”

Linebacker/H-back James Walters (undecided on major) is also heading to Ferrum. Walters ranked second in the area in tackles with 150 (80 solo, 12 for loss), and had three interceptions, three forced fumbles and two sacks. He was a Class 4 State, Region 4D and Northwestern District First Team selection. 

Four players are heading to NCAA Division III Christopher Newport — offensive tackle Parker Fredman, safety/wide receiver twins Hayden and Tucker LaFever and wide receiver/kicker Aiden Leatch. The Captains went 7-3 overall and 5-1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference last year. 

Fredman (business finance) was a Region 4D and Northwestern District First Team pick who helped the Warriors average 32.6 points per game. 

Tucker LaFever (undecided, will eventually go to pilot school) had 62 tackles (42 solo), six pass breakups and one interception. He was a Region 4D and Northwestern District First Team selection. He had 434 total yards and four TDs.

Hayden LaFever (undecided) had 53 tackles (35 solo, six for a loss), three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one interception. He was a Region 4D and Northwestern District Second Team pick. He had 10 catches for 235 yards and a TD. 

Leatch (undecided) tied for the area lead in receptions (25) and receiving TDs (five) and ranked third in receiving yards (465). He was a Region 4D and Northwestern District Second Team selection.

Two other football players — linebacker Breiden “BB” Lowery and offensive guard Kaden Hurst — will also continue their education and athletic careers in Newport News at The Apprentice School. The Builders are members of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association and went 6-5, concluding their season with a 59-6 win over Atlantis University in the Neptune Bowl.

Lowery was The Winchester Star Defensive Player of the Year after ranking third in the area with 148 tackles (85 solo, 13 for a loss). He also had seven forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, four sacks and two interceptions. He was named to the Region 4D and Northwestern District First Team.

Hurst was named All-Region 4D Honorable Mention after helping the Warriors average 344.9 yards per game.

Lowery will focus on electrical work and Hurst will focus on outside mechanics. 

Defensive end Kaleb Nowlin will compete for NCAA Division III Bridgewater College. The Eagles went 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the ODAC. 

Nowlin ranked ninth in the area in tackles with 93 (54 solo, 22 for loss) and tied for the area-lead in sacks (8.5). He had two forced fumbles and two interceptions and was a Region 4D and Northwestern District First Team selection.  

Nowlin will study business.  

Also heading to the ODAC is the other defensive end. Also a tight end, Ben Taylor will compete for Hampden-Sydney College (5-5, 3-4 ODAC). He had 11 catches for 189 yards and tied for the area lead with five receiving TDs. Taylor was Honorable Mention All-District on defense (49 tackles, 10 for a loss, six sacks, five pass breakups). 

Taylor will study mechanical engineering. 

Running back Tali Burgess will compete for Waynesburg University, a Division III school in Pennsylvania. Waynesburg went 4-6 overall and in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference last year. 

Burgess averaged a team-best 10.3 yards per carry, rushing 52 times and ranking second on Sherando with 533 yards. He also had four rushing TDs and caught eight passes for 65 yards and a TD. 

Burgess will study physical science. 

After Rohrbaugh, several other coaches expressed their gratitude and appreciation for the athletes on stage. Others who spoke were baseball coach Craig Bodenschatz; Brian Kibler, who recently stepped down as wrestling coach after seven seasons; girls’ basketball coach Brooklyn Wilson; cross country and track coaches Megan Roberts and Becky McGraw; and girls’ soccer coach Patrick Gladden.

Baseball catcher Dylan Frazier (undecided) will play for Allegany College of Maryland, a National Junior College Athletic Association school in Cumberland. Allegany is 29-19 overall and 20-12 in Region 20. 

In 2024, Frazier led the area with 25 RBIs and tied for the lead with four homers. He hit .366 and had a .432 on-base percentage while being named First Team All-Class 4 Northwestern District and Second Team All-Region 4D. This year, Frazier is hitting .462 (18 for 39) with a .533 on-base percentage, one home run, 15 RBIs and four doubles.

Frazier’s teammate Gavin McKelvey is another player heading to Waynesburg. The Yellow Jackets are 7-25 overall and 3-12 in the PAC this year, but last year’s squad went 23-19 with a 15-5 PAC record.

In 34.2 innings last year, McKelvey went 5-2 with a 3.64 ERA, 31 strikeouts and a 1.48 WHIP. This season, he’s 1-1 with a 3.50 ERA and nine strikeouts in 10 innings. 

McKelvey will study cybersecurity. 

Sherando has two wrestlers who will compete at the NCAA Division III level in Damien Costello (Shenandoah University) and Judson Dean (Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania).

Costello went 32-11 at 120 pounds and qualified for the Class 4 state tournament by taking second at the Region 4D tournament. He will join an SU team that placed sixth in the ODAC and went 5-8 (3-4 ODAC) in duals this year.

Costello will study business entrepreneurship. 

Dean went 29-12 with 15 pins at 215 pounds. He placed third in Region 4D to qualify for the state tournament. Dean will join a Saint Vincent team that placed second in the PAC and a 5-7 (3-1 PAC) duals record. 

Dean will study marketing.

One athlete at Wednesday’s ceremony will compete in two sports. The general public knows Madison Mood for her basketball exploits, but she’ll also be competing for a national equestrian power at the University of Lynchburg.

The Hornets won their third straight National Collegiate Equestrian Association single discipline national championship in 2024. This year’s team lost to Dartmouth in the semifinals but won the ODAC Head-to-Head Championship for the second straight year and the traditional ODAC Championship for the third straight year. Lynchburg will compete in the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association National Championship May 2-4 in Tryon, North Carolina. 

In basketball, Mood averaged 8.7 points (second on the team) and 5.7 rebounds (first) and also made 61.4 percent of her free throws. She was a Winchester Star Second Team All-Area selection.

Mood will join a Lynchburg squad that went 10-14 overall and 6-10 in the ODAC this year. 

Mood will study business administration.