VHSL Black Diamond District
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| Champion | Honaker (6-0) | |
| Runner-up | Hurley (4-2) | |
| Site | Honaker High School | |
| Date | 2020-2021 | |
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| Champion | Honaker (3-0) | |
| Runner-up | Grundy (2-2) | |
| Site | Honaker High School | |
| Date | 2020-2021 | |
The VHSL Black Diamond District consists of five Class 1 (or Class 1A) schools in the VHSL Region 1D. It is located within the panhandle of Virginia, in the deep southwestern part of the state, and includes 1 high school from Russell County (Honaker) and 4 high schools from Buchanan County. Due to lower populations in the area, the high schools are spread farther apart, and so the district does not follow the conventional VHSL method for regular season district games. One school typically travels to an opposing school, the two teams play a double-header, and the night of quizbowl is over. Each year, the host of the double-header switches. This model is also followed by the nearby VHSL Cumberland District.
Honaker is the typical powerhouse of the district and won either the district tournament or regular season for 15 straight years, earning a spot in the VHSL Region D tournament every year since the VHSL founded the Scholastic Bowl activity. This streak came to an end with the 2013-2014 reclassification of VHSL schools into the 1A through 6A divisions, and the emphasis on VHSL Districts was replaced with the new format of Conferences.
From 2014-2017 Black Diamond District still played a regular season, but no tournament, and the championship was mostly for bragging rights. Grundy won its first title in the district in 2015, followed by Honaker's return to the top in the 2016 season. In 2017, both Grundy and Honaker finished 7-1, splitting their double-header against each other (with no official tiebreaker in place, though overall points would've gone Honaker's way), resulting in the first BDD Season Co-Champions.
The 2018 VHSL Realignment resulted in emphasis being returned to the district level, and the dissolution of the former VHSL Conferences. During the realignment, a drop in enrollment at Grundy resulted in their move into Class 1, making all of the BDD schools Class 1. The BDD returned to its format of holding both a regular season and tournament; in the first year back, Grundy won the 2018 BDD Regular Season, with Honaker claiming the tournament title. Both teams advanced to the Regional (and Super Regional) level, with Grundy winning the VHSL Region 1D Tournament, and Honaker taking runner-up honors; however, at the VHSL Super Region 1CD Tournament, Honaker persevered as Super Region Champion along with runner-up George Wythe High School, who eliminated Grundy from playoff contention.
Despite the global pandemic during the 2020-21 season, the Black Diamond District continued to play its matches in person, unlike most VHSL districts; however, to reduce risk of COVID-19 transmission, the BDD Regular Season was condensed into a single-day double round robin and numerous safety protocols were put in place. Twin Valley elected to forego playing in the 2021 season and due to dwindling roster numbers over the previous years, it is uncertain at this point if they will continue to field a team.
The BDD is currently at risk of dissolving in upcoming years due to school consolidation. Buchanan County has announced its intent to consolidate Hurley, Grundy, and Twin Valley High Schools in the early-mid 2020s due to shrinking budgets and enrollment numbers. The resulting school would likely be large enough to fall under VHSL Class 2 classification, leaving a scenario where either the BDD continues to play with only 3 schools (Honaker, Council, Buchanan Consolidated) or the district likely dissolves with the Buchanan Consolidated school returning to its native Class 2 VHSL Southwest District. In the latter scenario, likely landing places for Honaker and Council would be the VHSL Cumberland District or the VHSL Hogoheegee District; should they join the Hogoheegee, Honaker would be returning to the district (previously departed in the 1980s) but also see familiar faces from the now-defunct VHSL Crooked Road Conference (2014-2017).
Champions
| Season | Season Champion | Season Runner-Up | Tournament Champion | Tournament Runner-Up | Region Qualifiers | Class 1 State Qualifiers (Seed) / Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Honaker (6-0) | Hurley (4-2) | Honaker (3-0) | Grundy (2-2) | Honaker (1) and Grundy (2) | Honaker (#1, 1D) -- 3rd place |
| 2020 | Honaker (8-0) | Grundy (5-3) | Honaker (3-0) | Grundy (2-2) | Honaker (1) and Grundy (2) | Honaker (#2, 1CD) -- 4th place |
| 2019 | Honaker (8-0) | Grundy (6-2) | Honaker (3-0) | Grundy (2-2) | Honaker (1) and Grundy (2) | Honaker (#1, 1CD) -- State Champions |
| 2018 | Grundy (8-0) | Honaker (6-2) | Honaker (3-0) | Grundy (1-2) | Grundy (1) and Honaker (2) | Honaker (#1, 1CD) -- 2nd place |
| 2017 | Honaker and Grundy (7-1) | None | DNE | DNE | N/A | Honaker (#1, 1A West) -- State Champions |
| 2016 | Honaker (8-0) | Grundy (6-2) | DNE | DNE | N/A | Honaker (#1, 1A West) -- State Champions |
| 2015 | Grundy (10-0) | Honaker (7-3) | DNE | DNE | N/A | None |
| 2014 | Honaker (10-0) | Grundy (8-2) | DNE | DNE | N/A | Honaker (#1, 1A West) -- State Champions |
| 2013 | Honaker (10-0) | Grundy (8-2) | Honaker (3-0) | Grundy (2-2) | Honaker (1) and Grundy (2) | Honaker (#1, Region D) -- 2nd place |
| 2012 | Honaker (10-0) | Grundy (8-2) | Honaker (3-0) | Grundy (2-2) | Honaker (1) and Grundy (2) | Honaker (#1, Region D) -- 2nd place |
| 2011 | Honaker (6-0) | Hurley (5-1) | Honaker (3-0) | Haysi (2-2) | Honaker (1) and Haysi (2) | Honaker (#1, Region D) -- T-5th place |
| 2010 | Honaker (8-0) | Twin Valley (6-2) | Honaker (3-0) | Twin Valley (2-2) | Honaker (1) and Twin Valley (2) | Honaker (#1, Region D) -- 2nd place |
| 2009 | Honaker (8-0) | Twin Valley (6-2) | Honaker (3-0) | Twin Valley (2-2) | Honaker (1) and Twin Valley (2) | Honaker (#1, Region D) -- 4th place |
| 2008 | Honaker (8-0) | Hurley (6-2) | Honaker (3-0) | Hurley (2-2) | Honaker (1) and Hurley (2) | Honaker (#2, Region D) -- T-7th place |
| 2007 | Honaker (8-0) | Hurley (6-2) | Honaker (3-0) | Hurley (2-2) | Honaker (1) and Hurley (2) | Honaker (#1, Region D) -- T-7th place |
| 2006 | Honaker (8-0) | Haysi (6-2) | Haysi (3-0) | Hurley (2-2) | Honaker (1) and Haysi (2) | Honaker (#1, Region D) -- T-5th place |
| 2005 | Honaker (7-1) | ? | Honaker (3-0) | Haysi? | Honaker (1) and Haysi? (2) | Unknown |
| 2004 | Honaker (7-1) | ? | Honaker (3-0) | Haysi (2-2) | Honaker (1) and Haysi (2) | Honaker (#1, Region D) -- T-7th place |
| 2003 | Haysi (8-0) | Honaker (6-2) | Honaker (3-0) | Haysi (2-2) | Haysi (1) and Honaker (2) | Honaker (#1, Region D) -- T-7th place |
| 2002 | Honaker (8-1) | Haysi (7-2) | Honaker (3-0) | Haysi (2-2) | Honaker (1) and Haysi (2) | Honaker (#2, Region D) -- T-7th place |
| 2001 | Honaker (10-1) | Whitewood (9-2) | Honaker (3-0) | Haysi (2-2) | Honaker (1) and Haysi (2) | Unknown |
| 2000 | Honaker (10-1) | Haysi (9-2) | Whitewood (3-0) | Haysi (2-2) | Honaker (1) and Whitewood (2) | Unknown |
| 1999 | Honaker (10-0) | ?? | Honaker (6-1) | ?? | Honaker (1) and ??? | Honaker (#2, Region D) -- T-7th place |
| 1998 | Honaker (2-0) | Haysi? (0-2) | DNE | DNE | Honaker (1) and ??? | Unknown |
There are five schools in the district:
- Honaker High, of Honaker, VA (Class 1)
- Twin Valley High of Pilgrim's Knob, VA (Class 1)
- Council High, of Council, VA (Class 1)
- Hurley High, of Hurley, VA (Class 1)
- Grundy High, of Grundy, VA (Class 1)
Former schools in the district include:
- Haysi High of Haysi, VA (merged with Clintwood High School in 2016 to form Class 2 school Ridgeview)
- Whitewood High of Whitewood, VA (merged with Garden to form Twin Valley in 2001)
- Garden High of Oakwood, VA (merged with Whitewood to form Twin Valley in 2001)