Grayson County scored a last-minute victory on the football field Friday.
The school won again Wednesday in a different arena.
Grayson was successful in its final appeal with the Virginia High School League as the VHSL Executive Committee upheld the Blue Devils’ bid to remain in the Class 1 ranks, a VHSL official said.
Meanwhile, Patrick Henry, Marion and James River had their appeals denied by the Executive Committee during its meeting in Charlottesville.
Grayson County was originally placed in Class 2 in July for the four-year cycle beginning in the 2027 school year by the VHSL’s Alignment Committee, which is tasked with placing the VHSL’s 318 member schools into classifications, regions and districts.
Classifications were based on each school’s student enrollment (March 31 average daily membership numbers submitted to the Virginia Department of Education) in grades 9 through 11, with the VHSL strictly dividing its six classifications into equal groupings of 53 schools.
Grayson County fell one student above the cut line between Class 2 and Class 1 with 344 students, resulting in its placement in Class 2. The school was the VHSL Class 1 state football runner-up in 2025.
Schools were allowed to appeal the assignments on Aug. 25 before a five-member panel composed of school superintendents from across the state.
Grayson County’s appeal at that time was rejected by a 4-1 vote.
Patrick Henry, James River and Marion all had appeals of their July placements rejected by the five-member committee in August.
All three schools were rebuffed Wednesday by the Executive Committee, the governing body over the VHSL’s 318 schools.
Patrick Henry submitted ADM of 1,538 students in grades 9-11 and was assigned by the committee to Class 6, the highest of the VHSL’s six classifications. PH was 47 students above the largest Class 5 school.
Beginning in the 2027-28 school year, Patrick Henry will compete in Region 6A, which includes six schools from Richmond and five from the Tidewater area. PH’s current home is Region 5C, which includes local rivals William Fleming and Franklin County along with 12 schools from the Richmond area and one from Charlottesville.
PH made a hardship appeal largely based on the possibility of extreme travel to the Tidewater schools for regional events.
James River made an unsuccessful appeal to drop to Class 1 and the Pioneer District from its current home in Class 2 and the Three Rivers District. James River’s ADM of 381 students is 38 more than the largest Class 1 school under the new alignment.
James River will remain in Region 2C.
The committee again denied Marion’s appeal to move from Class 2 to Class 1. Marion also sought to remain in the Southwest District instead of its new assignment to the Hogoheegee District.
Marion will remain in Region 2D.
