Wins On The Court: Ravenswood head coach Mick Price is No. 3 when it comes to all-time wins in West Virginia high school basketball.

State sports historian Doug Huff gave me the list recently.

Price presently owns 688 victoriesmeaning at least 12 wins next season will get him to 700.

Of those 688 victories, 674 have been accumulated at Ravenswood. The data was supplied by Ravenswood basketball history buff Bryan Canterbury.

Two of Prices wins were state Class AA state championships (2006 and 2009).

Dave Rogers of Martinsburg leads the way with 775.

He was hoping to add to the totals in the State Tournament. Rogers Bulldogs were set to open in a Class AAA quarterfinal against Pakersburg South, guided by Ravenswoods Brett Rector, who is leaving the Patriot program to be an assistant for the University of Charleston.

Second on the list is Howard (Toddy) Loudin with 698. Loudin coached at several West Virginia schools.

Following Price is Pocas Allen Osborne, who led the Dots to a regional final spot in Class AA with hopes of reaching the State Tournament. Osborne owns 667 victories.

The late Jerome Van Meter is next in line with 647. Van Meters coaching career is legendary with the bulk of his wins coming at Beckley Woodrow Wilson.

The states high school coach of the year award (for all sports) is named in his honor. Price was the recipient in 2009.

Former Morgantown head coach Tom Yester is fifth with 627.

One of Yesters assistants during his career was former Ravenswood player Jason White, who has won three state titles as the girls head coach at MHS.

The late Sam Andy follows Yester with 211. Andy won his games while coach at old Wheeling High and later Wheeling Park.

On The Road: Since the State Tournament has yet to be played, West Virginia Radio Corporation, which does an incredible job broadcasting the event around the state each year, has been reliving championship games from the past over the air on stations such as 580 WCHS in Charleston.

The other night while driving, I was flipping around the dial and decided to see what game they were broadcasting.

And it just so happened to be Ravenswoods 2006 state championship win over Bluefield.

Dinner Plans: Not only are sports teams dealing with the coronavirus, but so are sports banquets.

-Sadly, the upcoming West Virginia Sports Writers Association Victory Awards Dinner has been scratched for this year.

The 74th annual event was slated for May 3 in Charleston at the Embassy Suites. The dinner is the longest running of its kind in the United States. This marks just the second time since it started back in 1945 that it is being cancelled (the other was in 1966).

Ripleys Tori Starcher was set to be honored for a second straight year as the female recipient of the Ray McCoy Award, given annually to the states top track and field/cross country performer.

Starcher, a senior at Ripley, is bound for Stanford University to continue her studies and track and field career.

-The 24th annual Mid-Ohio Valley Sports Hall of Fame banquet has been shifted from its original date of June 13 to August 22 at the Grand Pointe Conference and Reception Center in Vienna.

Jackson Countians James Abshire, Chase Fischer and Josh Miller are to be honored in the 10-member Class of 2020.

-Meanwhile, Tex Williams is still holding out hope his annual West Virginia Sports Legends Reunion event can take place at the Charleston Convention Center on July 11.

Since 2009, Williams has turned this into one of the biggest sports reunions in the country, recognizing past coaches, players, officials, administrators, band directors, volunteers and media members.

Well over 500 are to be at this years event, including former WVU head football coach Don Nehlen, one-time Marshall head football coach Bobby Pruett and Greg White, head coach for both Marshall and University of Charleston mens basketball.

Some Jackson Countians are to be recognized. Williams will be releasing a complete list in the coming days.

Remembering Bev Shatto: Like a lot of people I have had the pleasure of getting to know through the years, the sports world has been our bond.

Such is how a friendship was developed with the late Bev Shatto Ripley High Schools beloved principal who passed away last week.

In her earlier years as an educator, Shatto was also a tennis coach.

Not only could she play the game, but she had a gift of showing others how it was to be done on the court.

Her playing background included winning a national tournament earlier in her life.

With no pun intended, Bev truly loved tennis.

She loved sports in general and staying physically fit.

The Ripley community has been incredibly saddened with her passing.

I didnt see Bev often, but when the two of us did cross paths we always had a nice conversation. The topic was usually about sports, her family or her Ripley High family.

While teaching Sunday School for several years at Calvary United Methodist, I had the pleasure of having some of Bevs children in my class.

Bev worked tirelessly as a teacher, coach and later as an administrator.

One of her friends (and she had a boatload) told me it was nothing for Bev to put in 15-to-16 hour days at Ripley High.

She referred to Ripley High as her second home.

When you look up the word class in the dictionary, you might just find a picture of Bev Shatto.

She had so many great qualities.

She was kind, caring, dedicated and passionate...just to name a few.

Our heart aches for her four children and other family members. It aches for her church family. It aches for her many colleagues. It aches for her abundance of friends outside of the school system. It aches for all the young lives she touched through the years in the education field. It certainly aches for the Ripley High Class of 2020.

I have heard so many wonderful things about her over the course of the past few days.

And having known her myself, those heartfelt tributes come as no surprise.

She will be forever missed.

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State coaching wins; dinner plans and remembering Bev Shatto - Jackson County Newspapers