Cole Beck has rushed for over 3,000 yards in the past two seasons at Blacksburg High School. Last season, he helped lead the Bruins to the 3A state championship. This year was really no different despite the fact the team fell to district-foe Salem in the state 4A quarterfinals.
Thad Wells directed – Blacksburg finished 11-2 and Beck finished with 217 carries for 1,720 yards with 28 touchdowns. In two seasons, Wells is 21-7 with two state playoff appearances and a state championship.
For their outstanding effort, they are this year’s All-County/All-City football team player and coach of the year.
Beck announced late in the regular season that he will attend Virginia Tech where he will continue his football and track careers. He chose the Hokies over Pitt and North Carolina.
“I feel Virginia Tech is the perfect place for me to play football and run track,” he said.
Beck said he has been told by the Hokie coaching staff he will be given a chance to play running back.
He rushed for 852 yards and 12 touchdowns. Last year, he almost doubled his regular season output in five state playoff games, rushing for a total of 2,156 yards with 35 touchdowns.
In track, Beck gives the Hokies a sprinter they have missed in two ACC championships. He has been clocked with the nation’s elite runners in both the 100 and 200 meters. That included helping the Bruins to a state indoor title with a first place in the 55 meters. He would then win both the 100 and 200 in the Group 3A outdoor championships. Then later in the month, he finished second in a national event in Greensboro with 10.41 seconds in the 100 meters.
Beck received offers from 22 colleges including most of the schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference before choosing Virginia Tech.
Wells is no stranger to Virginia high school football after playing at Richlands and then coaching at Virginia High under Brian Crist, who Wells replaced at Blacksburg.
He spent one season at a private academy in North Carolina before returning to the Commonwealth. Several state media outlets have labeled him the hottest young coach in the entire state and despite the fact, Beck graduates this year, Blacksburg will still be loaded next season. All of that is bad news for Blacksburg opponents as they promise to be back in the playoffs once again.
