Ferrum receiver Andre Walker, left, goes up against Emory & Henry defensive back Pee Dee Peterson during the teams’ 1999 game. The teams will revive the series in 2026.
The Roanoke Times, File 1999
Emory & Henry defensive end Jeff Gillette, left, sacks Ferrum QB Phil Hairston, center, as Ferrum offensive lineman Mo Hall (70) heads over in a 1999 game. The teams will revive their rivalry in 2026.
Ferrum College announced Tuesday that its football rivalry with Emory & Henry will resume in 2026.
Ferrum will host the Wasps on Sept. 5, 2026. The Wasps will host Ferrum on Sept. 4, 2027.
“The Crooked Road Classic” has not been played since November 2021. The series ended because Emory & Henry moved up from NCAA Division III to Division II in 2022.
But with Ferrum moving up from Division III to Division II this summer, the rivalry will be revived next year.
The teams used to be ODAC rivals, but the 2026 and 2027 games will be nonconference affairs. The Wasps are in the South Atlantic Conference, while Ferrum will be joining Conference Carolinas.
The schools first met on the gridiron in 1955. The Wasps lead the series 29-13.
Washington and Lee lacrosse standout Hillis Burns has won the Harry G. “Doc” Jopson Award as the ODACs top male scholar-athlete for the 2024-25 school year in all sports.
Shenandoah field hockey star Mairead McKibbin won the Marjorie Berkley Award as the ODAC’s top female scholar-athlete.
The awards recognize athletic, academic and extracurricular achievements.
Burns, who majored in math and business, graduated with a 3.88 GPA. He earned second-team All-America honors this year, when he had 41 goals and 31 assists. He finished with 152 goals and 96 assists in his career.
W&L finishes 13th in Cup standings
Washington and Lee has finished 13th in NCAA Division III in the final Learfield Directors’ Cup standings for the 2024-25 school year.
The award, which is presented by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, measures all-sports success. Points are awarded for how a school’s teams fare in NCAA tournaments.
W&L earned points in men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, women’s volleyball, women’s basketball, men’s swimming, wrestling, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse and women’s tennis.
Ferrum receiver Andre Walker, left, goes up against Emory & Henry defensive back Pee Dee Peterson during the teams’ 1999 game. The teams will revive the series in 2026.
Emory & Henry defensive end Jeff Gillette, left, sacks Ferrum QB Phil Hairston, center, as Ferrum offensive lineman Mo Hall (70) heads over in a 1999 game. The teams will revive their rivalry in 2026.
