A Black Diamond District
Encyclopedia
The A Black Diamond District is a high school conference of the Virginia High School League
which draws its members from the western part of Southwest Virginia. The schools in the Black Diamond District compete in A Region D
with the schools of the A Cumberland District
, and the A Lonesome Pine District
. The district gets its name from the "black diamond," a nickname for the coal
whose mining
formed the backbone of the region's economy until the 1980s.
Haysi and Honaker have a larger enrollment than the other schools in the district, sometimes leading to disparities, mostly in football
. This is aggravated by Council choosing not to field a football team due to the schools small size and inability to produce enough athletes (typical Council football teams consisted of 15-20 players).
In VHSL Scholastic Bowl, Honaker has been the dominant force, winning either the district regular season and/or district tournament for 12 consecutive years. While Haysi has traditionally been the dominant team in the sports arena winning nearly all of the boys track titles and a majority of the districts football titles.
However, all members have proven competitive in basketball
and other activities, with Council and Twin Valley making deep runs into the playoffs during the past 10 years. Twin Valley is the "newest" member, resulting from Buchanan County's
decision to consolidate Garden and Whitewood High Schools in 2001.
Virginia High School League
The Virginia High School League is the arbiter of interscholastic competition among public high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Unlike similar organizations in many other states, private or religious schools are prohibited from joining. Non-public schools belong to other organizations,...
which draws its members from the western part of Southwest Virginia. The schools in the Black Diamond District compete in A Region D
A Region D
Region D is one of the four A regions of the Virginia High School League. It is made up of three districts: the A Black Diamond District, the A Cumberland District, and the A Lonesome Pine District...
with the schools of the A Cumberland District
A Cumberland District
The A Cumberland District is a high school conference of the Virginia High School League which draws its members from the western part of Southwest Virginia...
, and the A Lonesome Pine District
A Lonesome Pine District
The A Lonesome Pine District is a high school conference of the Virginia High School League which draws its members from the western part of Southwest Virginia. The district's name comes from The Trail of the Lonesome Pine. The schools in the Lonesome Pine District compete in A Region D with the...
. The district gets its name from the "black diamond," a nickname for the coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
whose mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
formed the backbone of the region's economy until the 1980s.
Haysi and Honaker have a larger enrollment than the other schools in the district, sometimes leading to disparities, mostly in football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
. This is aggravated by Council choosing not to field a football team due to the schools small size and inability to produce enough athletes (typical Council football teams consisted of 15-20 players).
In VHSL Scholastic Bowl, Honaker has been the dominant force, winning either the district regular season and/or district tournament for 12 consecutive years. While Haysi has traditionally been the dominant team in the sports arena winning nearly all of the boys track titles and a majority of the districts football titles.
However, all members have proven competitive in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and other activities, with Council and Twin Valley making deep runs into the playoffs during the past 10 years. Twin Valley is the "newest" member, resulting from Buchanan County's
Buchanan County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 26,978 people, 10,464 households, and 7,900 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile . There were 11,887 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile...
decision to consolidate Garden and Whitewood High Schools in 2001.
Member schools
- Council High SchoolCouncil High School (Virginia)Council High School is a public high school located in Council, Virginia in Buchanan County, Virginia. It is part of the Buchanan County Public Schools system. Athletic teams compete in the Virginia High School League's A Black Diamond District in Region D....
of Council, Virginia - Haysi High SchoolHaysi High SchoolHaysi High School is a public high school located in Haysi, Virginia in Dickenson County, Virginia. It is part of the Dickenson County School Division. Athletic teams compete in the Virginia High School League's A Black Diamond District in Region D....
of Haysi, Virginia - Honaker High SchoolHonaker High SchoolHonaker High School is a public high school located in Honaker, Virginia in Russell County, Virginia. Athletic teams compete in the Virginia High School League's A Black Diamond District in Region D.-Baseball:...
of Honaker, Virginia - Hurley High SchoolHurley High SchoolHurley High School is a public high school located in Hurley, Virginia in Buchanan County, Virginia. It is part of the Buchanan County Public Schools system. Athletic teams compete in the Virginia High School League's A Black Diamond District in Region D....
of Hurley, Virginia - Twin Valley High School of Pilgrims Knob, Virginia