Cumberland Gap gets first ever home win over Claiborne

[mrv1]

Cumberland Gap beat Claiborne for the first time at home since the new schools opened up 45 - 39.

[coachh17]

Congratulations would normally be in order, but with the current situation at Claiborne Co., that has to take some of the thrill away. We all know Claiborne Co. is way down.

[uncchapelhill]

Regardless of who is up and who is down, both are still varsity teams so shouldn't congratulations still be in order for beating a district and county rival?

[coachh17]

Ok, ok congratulations to Cumberland Gap for getting over the Claiborne County obstacle.

[DaveAAU]

I attended the games and both girls and boys games were pretty competitive.

 

CGHS played well and with a lot of heart and deserved both wins. I had a good conversation on the way home with my son who is a student at CHS about how the rivalry between the high schools across the river clearly intensified with the consolidation.

 

It's a weird dynamic: Cumberland Gap seems to want respect from Claiborne but in reality they have arguably the best part of the county to draw athletes from. On the other hand, Claiborne seems to be resentful of Gap because most of their students are in the Harrogate/Speedwell area which is perceived to be a more "upscale" area. It feels like the vibe I get in these games anyway. In reality, both schools are probably about even in student demographics.

 

I do wish they would have had the powder blue as the primary color instead of the black on the high school. It would have been prettier and a good match against the deep blue on Claiborne's exterior metalwork. I hate to say it but I do like their uniforms, even though they look like UNC's.

[DaveAAU]

Congratulations would normally be in order, but with the current situation at Claiborne Co., that has to take some of the thrill away. We all know Claiborne Co. is way down.

 

 

I'm sure you know this, but use of the word "County" in reference to Claiborne High School is offensive to Cumberland Gap High School, and I'm a Claiborne fan. Just had to point that out because it is frequently written up that way in sports stories and here on the boards. It implies that Claiborne is the county school, which it is not. Both schools are equal in stature.

[coachh17]

I actually had no idea there was so much going on between the two schools. We played Claiborne a few times when I was coaching at Elizabethton, but we never played Cumberland Gap. What schools were consolidated to form Cumberland Gap? Was Powell Valley one of them? I actually know very little about Claiborne County, other than driving through it a few times on my way to Kentucky. I do like the tunnel, and we sent a player or two to Lincoln Memorial over the years. Thanks for letting me know a bit more of the history.

[DaveAAU]

I actually had no idea there was so much going on between the two schools. We played Claiborne a few times when I was coaching at Elizabethton, but we never played Cumberland Gap. What schools were consolidated to form Cumberland Gap? Was Powell Valley one of them? I actually know very little about Claiborne County, other than driving through it a few times on my way to Kentucky. I do like the tunnel, and we sent a player or two to Lincoln Memorial over the years. Thanks for letting me know a bit more of the history.

 

 

No problem. Yes, Powell Valley and Forge Ridge High Schools consolidated into Cumberland Gap for the 2003-2004 school year. Each new high school graduated their original freshman class last year. The old high schools are now elementary schools through 8th grade.

 

When the schools were under construction, there was a naming project initiated by the school board. In the beginning it was suggested not to name the New Tazewell school "Claiborne" for risk of the misperception that it was still going to be a namesake county school. Ultimately the name remained popular enough that they decided to use it anyway. They do have an entirely different mascot (Bulldogs vs. Blue Devils) and the colors are slightly different so there was still an effort to give the school a new identity. Both schools have the exact same layout and student capacity and are identical except for exterior awning and roof colors.

[coachh17]

Thanks, I'm not sure I have ever heard of Forge Ridge, but I do remember Powell Valley having some good boys and girls teams. The rivalry between Cumberland Gap and Claiborne should be a good one in upcoming years.

[ernieg]

As an official, it is the best basketball environment to referee in when these two schools battle....True intensity and fan enthusiasm!!!!

[lmustats]

It's a weird dynamic: Cumberland Gap seems to want respect from Claiborne but in reality they have arguably the best part of the county to draw athletes from. On the other hand, Claiborne seems to be resentful of Gap because most of their students are in the Harrogate/Speedwell area which is perceived to be a more "upscale" area. It feels like the vibe I get in these games anyway. In reality, both schools are probably about even in student demographics.

 

 

There are a lot of kids in the Harrogate area who go to Middlesboro, Bell County, private church schools or (don't know why) even the J. Frank White Academy. A lot of the ones crossing the state line are athletes. Some Tazewell kids go to Kentucky schools too. A sizable chunk of the Harrogate-Shawanee population are people from Middlesboro/Bell County who moved to Tennessee to avoid state income taxes yet do all their shopping in Kentucky and send their kids to school there. Heck, I know of at least 5 who use grandparents or other relatives addresses to avoid paying out-of-district/state fees at Middlesboro.

 

There is a player from Harrogate on Louisville's basketball squad but I guarantee that outside of Claiborne County no one in Tennessee has heard of him. Yet he is top 10 in all-time three pointers in Kentucky high school history.

 

Imagine how good Cumberland Gap would be if they could keep all the kids in-state.