LEBANON, Va. – With the 2027-28 school year beginning next fall, Lebanon Pioneer athletics will move back down to Class 1. The VHSL placed Lebanon in Class 1 for the upcoming four-year realignment plan, based on ADM enrollment numbers from the state.
The Pioneers were extremely competitive this past year in the Southwest District, Region 2D, and state levels in Class 2. Football, volleyball, girls’ basketball, boys’ basketball, softball, and baseball all enjoyed some level of postseason success, culminating with a Class 2 state baseball championship.
Lebanon principal Ryan Potts stated, “When I appealed for us to be single A at the mid-cycle last time, I explained to the VHSL in my appeal that we would be well below the cutoff for single A, in this cycle based on projected numbers, and that bore out this year, with several schools with higher enrollment than us playing A ball while we were still competing in AA. We are extremely proud of what we have accomplished in AA, but I think that to win two VHSL State Championships this season, essentially punching above our weight class, makes it even more impressive.”
Clearly, dropping down offers benefits. Regardless of classification, winning presents many challenges no matter what district or region you are in.
“Obviously, someone has to be the smallest AA, and someone has to be one of the larger A schools, so truthfully it will benefit our athletes, but at the same time there is tremendous competition in the A class,” Potts noted. “Southwest Virginia has consistently produced year in and year out, whether it be AA or A, so no matter where we play, the competition will be there. Rye Cove played for a football title last year, and Patrick Henry won a baseball title this year. We have had great respect for our opponents in both Region 1D and Region 2D, and I believe that will continue regardless of where we have been placed.”
The VHSL will officially announce its proposal for regional and district classification within the next few weeks. It’s not known what district the Pioneers will be in.
Unfortunately, Lebanon is one of the borderline schools and has frequently been moved between Class 1 and Class 2.
“I think the biggest thing is that this is not a new event for longtime fans and residents of the Lebanon community,” declared Potts. “We have bounced back and forth between classes since the 1980s and have had success at both levels. In the past decade, Lebanon has spent eight years at AA and two at A, and in that time period has won a total of 25 District Titles, 21 Region Titles, 11 VHSL Titles, and had seven state championship runners-up in 11 different VHSL sports/events.
“We have also had 33 individual state champions and 28 Individual VHSL State Finalists. It truly has been somewhat of a golden era for us in terms of success, and we hope that it will continue regardless of classification or district. Our success is a testament to our coaches, our parents and fans, our athletes, and our community for putting out quality programs that have the opportunity to compete regardless of classification.”
