Discovered the scrimmage between Floyd County and Bassett high schools was cancelled Friday night just a little late. Found out when I arrived at Bassett 30 minutes before the game was supposed to start.

The benefit scrimmage match was still listed as ongoing when I checked the calendar link on the Floyd County High School website around midafternoon Friday, before packing up my cameras and headed down Shooting Creek Road to Rte. 40 shortly after 5 p.m.

One of the so-called “scattered thunderstorms” hit Shooting Creek hard while still in Floyd County, with limbs falling from trees, water sweeping over the road and enough hard-driving rain to limit visibility.

The hard rain continued when I turned onto Iron Bridge Road, a short-cut over to U.S. 57, but it cleared and the sun came out before I turned on that final, 10-mile stretch towards Bassett.

“Great,” I thought. “This will be good weather for the game.”

Wrong. No game. When I turned into the entrance to Bassett High, the parking lot was empty. So was the football stadium. I pulled out my laptop, logged onto the calendar link for FCHS sports and the game was crossed through with a line along with “Cancelled” underneath.

I stopped at a gas station to buy a large soda to slurp on as I headed back home, this time on U.S. 57 to Virginia Rte. 8, then through Woolwine and up the mountain to Tuggles Gap and into Floyd County, where it was still raining.

Driving through the thunderstorms cleaned off most of the mud on our Liberty, but more accumulated by driving up our muddy driveway. Put my cameras away or another game on another night.

Posts on social media reported fallen trees clocking portions of U.S. 221 and Route 8 in the county. If that caused canceling the game, it was a good and safe decision.

Floyd County High opens its football season next week with a Friday night home game against Christiansburg.