08/29/2026
Gates is keeping this student athlete and the entire CHS community in our thoughts and prayers! 🙏🏻🔱
Last night, football became much bigger than a game.
During our game at Carroll County, one of our student-athletes suffered a serious injury that required an emergency medical response and transportation for further care. We are incredibly thankful to share that he is showing some very encouraging signs of progress today.
There are so many people who deserve our gratitude for the way they responded in an incredibly scary situation.
Thank you to our Christiansburg Athletic Training staff and the Carroll County Athletic Training staff for their immediate response, professionalism, and care for our athlete.
Thank you to the Carroll County coaching staff for immediately recognizing that something was wrong, alerting our staff, and then handling everything that followed with tremendous grace, compassion, and leadership.
Thank you to Carroll County Rescue and EMS. The expertise and urgency with which they cared for our athlete was incredible, but equally important was the compassion they showed to a scared young man and his family during an unimaginable moment.
Thank you to the Carroll County concession workers who made sure our players were fed as we quickly tried to get everyone back on the buses and home to Christiansburg. It may seem like a small gesture, but in a moment like that, it meant so much.
Thank you to the school and athletic administrators from both Christiansburg and Carroll County. There are decisions in athletics that are much bigger than wins and losses, and last night required exactly that kind of leadership. We are grateful for the decision to end the game and for the coordination and preparation that allowed everyone to focus on what mattered most — taking care of a young man.
We are also incredibly proud of our coaching staff. There is so much more to coaching than what happens between the lines on Friday nights. Sometimes leadership means calling a play or making an adjustment. Other times, without warning, it means helping a group of young men navigate fear, uncertainty, and something much bigger than football. Our coaches did that last night, and we could not be prouder of them or our players.
Finally, we want to recognize the Carroll County Football Team.
In our program, we give our players a Trident sticker when they demonstrate leadership, toughness, and a commitment to positive culture. Last night, the young men from Carroll County showed all three. Their concern for our player, their willingness to help, and the respect and compassion they showed our team during an incredibly difficult situation did not go unnoticed.
So, Carroll County Football — you earned a Trident. 🔱
We will be sending one your way because you showed everyone last night that brotherhood in this game extends far beyond the colors on our jerseys.
To the Christiansburg and Carroll County communities: thank you. The calls, messages, prayers, offers to help, and genuine concern for our athlete and his family have been overwhelming.
Last night reminded all of us that football is important because of the relationships it creates and the people it brings together. When the game suddenly didn’t matter anymore, two schools and two communities came together to take care of one young man.
For that, we will always be grateful.
Please continue to keep our student-athlete and his family in your thoughts and prayers as he continues to recover. ❤️🔱
