From VaPeninsulaSports.com: Prepping for the 2017 Virginia Duals

It’s that time of year again. Early January can stand for many things. Around Hampton Roads this year, it means snow and plenty of it. However, on the first or second weekend of every year, high school and college wrestling teams from all over the country converge upon Hampton Coliseum to take part in the “granddaddy of them all,” the 37^th annual Virginia Duals.

For the sixth straight year, I am pleased to report that I will be covering the Duals, live on Twitter and for the Saturday, Sunday and Monday editions of the Daily Press. This is my favorite assignment of the year, and certainly the most time consuming. It will involve arriving at the Coliseum at 7 on Friday and Saturday morning, with the expectation that I will be within the arena until about 10 PM on both nights.

Covering the Duals is mostly a task of endurance. There are five separate tournaments taking place on ten mats – at the same time. The high schoolers are broken up into three categories – the Black and Blue, American and National divisions, while the collegiate grapplers are divided between the American College and National College divisions.

For the Daily Press, I’ll highlight the teams on the Peninsula as well as ODU, Virginia and Virginia Tech at the college level. In fact, my first feature for Saturday’s paper will have something to do with Virginia Tech and a couple of young Peninsula athletes.

Looking at the different divisions, there are a couple of noticeable differences. At the high school level, New Kent is not in this lineup. Neither is Tabb or Gloucester, and all three teams are among the most active in the 36-year Duals history.

Among Peninsula schools, Poquoson and York will be competing in the Black and Blue Division. Poquoson won this division two years ago, and were forced to move up to the American Division last year. This should be more comfortable for the Islanders, and they should fare well, and the best among three Bay Rivers schools that also includes Smithfield. Fourth seeded Poquoson will open at 5 PM against Strasburg, with York and Smithfield opening in the 7 PM round against Powhatan and Ocean Lakes, respectively.

Warwick returns to the Duals lineup and joins perennial entry Lafayette in the American High School division. The Raiders have the toughest draw, opening against top-ranked Bellefonte Area (PA), while Lafayette will draw Kellam from Virginia Beach.

No Peninsula teams will be in the National High School Division, in which Nazareth (PA) and 11-time state champion South Dade (FL) hold the top two seeds.

In the American College Division, Coach Bruce Shumaker’s Apprentice Builder team will hit the mats first against first-seeded Kutztown State (PA).

Old Dominion is the closest school to the Peninsula to be involved in the National Division, which includes six of the top-35 ranked teams in Division I, including the Monarchs, U. Virginia, and #5 ranked Virginia Tech. The Monarchs will start in the James River pool, wrestling both Chattanooga and Oklahoma before determining their next match.

Please feel free to follow me @jfmcgrath for live updates from Hampton Coliseum and in this Saturday’s and Sunday’s Daily Press. There will be a short recap in Monday’s paper which will highlight the championship round.

vapeninsulasports.com 

Gloucester Wins BayPort Final Topping Poquoson 54-44

YORK –  For the first time in the past decade, the Gloucester Dukes were able to celebrate a BayPort tournament championship on center court at Tabb High School. The Dukes took advantage of a 19-4 third quarter spurt to defeat the Islanders of Poquoson 54-44 in the final game. Demariya Sills led the Dukes with 14 points, giving him 48 for the two-day event and earning him the tournament MVP award.

For Gloucester coach Gideon Mooring, the championship was part two of a master plan.

“We won the CNU tournament this fall by winning all four games. So, I told my team, that it had to carry over into the season, and that we would need to win our next tournament. This was it.”

GLOUCESTER 54, POQUOSON 44

The championship game started out without much spark or fanfare. Two short jumpers by J.D. Costulis gave Poquoson an early 6-2 lead, but a pair of three-pointers by Trey Fortner, the second with two seconds remaining in the period, closed a three-point deficit and put Gloucester ahead 11-9.

Sills, who scored 34 points in the opening contest against Tabb, was held scoreless for the game’s first ten minutes. However, the junior nailed a three-pointer for his first points of the game to keep Gloucester ahead 16-13. The Dukes managed to stay in the lead, but Poquoson closed the margin to four just before halftime on a Brody McDevitt basket and free throw.

For Gloucester, the fireworks were about to begin with the second half, as Mooring’s plan from the first half would start to see results.

They say that pressure busts pipes,” said the fourth-year Duke coach. “We wanted to stretch out their shooters, keep them out of their sweet spots, and make them dribble.”

Indeed, Costulis, who torched York for 30 points in the opener against York, had hot moments in the first half, but was held to a pair of free throws in the third quarter as Gloucester erupted. Sills started the proceedings with a basket and free throw, followed by a steal and basket from Xander Cooke. Grayson Womble followed with a three-pointer from the right wing. On the next Islander possession, Justin Simmons stole the ball and drove for another basket, capping a 10-0 run that pushed the Dukes lead to 14 at 35-21.

The lead stretched to 19 at the end of the third quarter, but Poquoson was not ready to hang up their shoes. A 16-2 run by the Islanders, fueled by points from all five players on the floor (Erb, Costulis, Tucker Schuhart, McDevitt, Nate Doggett) closed the lead to 46-41 with 3:28 remaining.

“They never gave up,” said Mooring.

However, Sills, who made all 14 of his free throws over the course of the tournament, buried his last two in the final minute to seal the victory.

Poquoson    9, 12, 4, 19 -- 44

Gloucester  11, 14, 19, 10 - 54

POQUOSON (5-5): Costulis 17, Erb 8, Schuhart 6, McDevitt 11, Doggett. Totals 16 8-10 44.

GLOUCESTER (4-7): Cooke 13, Sills 14, Durren 2, Simmons 4, Fortner 11, Womble 10.  Totals 19 8-14 54.

3-point goals: Poquoson 4 (Erb 2, Costulis, Schuhart), Gloucester 8 (Fortner 3, Cooke 2, Womble 2, Sills).

TABB 69, YORK 47

In the consolation game, Tabb’s Nick Thomas and Javon Eleby combined for 30 points to lead the Tigers to a stress free 69-47 win over York.

Tabb led 14-7 after the first quarter and never looked back. Both teams were most prolific in the third quarter when they combined for 43 points. Tabb had 25, with Thomas scoring nine, while Eleby added two three-pointers. The Tigers opened the second half with an 8-3 run to extend their lead to 40-22 midway through the third quarter.

In all, 12 players scored for Coach Doug Baggett’s team, which raised its record to 6-4.

Jesse Kimrey led the Falcons with 17 points, while Rayvon Patrick chipped in 11.

York      7, 8, 18, 14  -- 47

Tabb   14, 12, 25, 18 -- 69  

YORK (1-7): Patrick 11, Kimrey 17, Marteniez 6, Torrence 1, Eley 4, Dye 6, Dahl 2. Totals 15 14-21 47.

TABB (6-4): Thomas 16, Cooper 4, Jordan Eleby 9, Javon Eleby 14, Knapp 3, Olson 5, Smith 2, Jenkins 5, Mitchell 4, Cayanan 1, Sollom 3, Poole 3. Totals 26 8-17 69.

3-point goals: York 3 (Dye 2, Kimrey), Tabb 9 (Jor. Eleby 2, Thomas 2, Knapp, Jenkins, Mitchell, Sollom, Poole).

All-Tournament Team: York – Jesse Kimrey, Tabb – Nick Thomas, Poquoson – J. D. Costulis, Brody McDevitt, Gloucester – Xander Cooke, Demariya Sills (MVP).

Now in its fifth year, the tournament, sponsored by Bayport Credit Union, has been dedicated to the memory of Dale Lucado since his passing in February 2012. Lucado was a star and captain of the 1967 Newport News High School Typhoon football team. However, in 1971, he broke his neck while making a tackle in an alumni football game against Hampton High, and the injury made him a quadriplegic. In spite of his health situation, Lucado’s dedication to youth athletics and optimistic approach toward life made him an inspiration to many kids on the Peninsula. In Lucado’s name, all proceeds from the Bayport tournament are donated to the scholarship fund of the Boys and Girls Club.

Poquoson, Gloucester Make BayPort Final

YORK – Gloucester thrived from 34 points from Demariya Sills and defeated Tabb 60-56, to earn a berth in the title game against an improving Poquoson team. The Islanders toppled York 63-52 and will face the Dukes in tomorrow’s championship showdown at the Bayport Credit Union Holiday Tournament, which began on Wednesday at Tabb High. The championship game will tip-off at 7:30, preceded by the consolation matchup between York and Tabb at 6.

POQUOSON 63, YORK 52

J.D. Costulis scored 30 points, as Poquoson raced to a 23-point lead in the first half and held on for a 63-52 win. 

The first game started in an unusual manner, not with a jump ball, but two free throws, which were earned by Poquoson when York’s Jared Dawson was nailed with a technical foul for dunking in warmups.

J.D. Costulis drained both free throws, a foreshadowing of what was to come on the first quarter. Costulis and Tucker Schuhart scored the first 15 points for Poquoson, who jumped out to a 15-3 lead in the game’s first three minutes. The Isles stretched the lead to 23-3 before York’s Yomarius Eley drained the first of two free throws after being fouled. Still, it was Poquoson who led 27-4 after the first quarter.

The Falcons started to chip into the tremendous deficit in the second quarter. A steal and half-court drive and lay-in by York’s Rayvon Patrick cut the lead to 30-16. A three-pointer from the left wing by Ramsay Hayyat negated Poquoson’s next basket and held the lead at 14. Poquoson led 35-19 at halftime.

The Falcons continued to dig into the lead. A drive and finger roll lay-up by Josh Martiniez put York within six points at 39-33, forcing Poquoson coach Erik Johnson to call a time-out. Baskets by Costulis, Brody McDevitt and Keith Erb put Poquoson back ahead by 12, and the Islanders enjoyed a 49-36 lead at the end of the third.

But York continued to fight back, drawing within six points one more time at 58-52 with 1:55 remaining in the game. But a Costulis lay-in pushed Poquoson ahead 61-52 with 1:15 left and cemented the win.

“Bobby (York Coach Pearce) made some great adjustments in the second half, and they followed them and caught us on our heels,” said Coach Johnson. “Thankfully, Keith Erb and Preston Callaway made some great shots for us to stop their runs.”

Jesse Kimrey led York with 16 points, while Patrick added 14.

Poquoson   27, 8, 14, 14 -- 63

York            4, 15, 17, 16 - 52

POQUOSON (5-4): Costulis 30, Erb 7, Callaway 3, Schuhart 12, McDevitt 11. Totals 23 15-25 63.

YORK (1-6): Patrick 14, Kimrey 16, Marteniez 2, Hayyat 3, Torrence 10, Eley 1, Dye 6. Totals 19 8-12 52.

3-point goals: Poquoson 2 (Costulis). York 6 (Kimrey 2, Dye 2, Patrick, Hayyat).

GLOUCESTER 60, TABB 56

Tabb opened up the game in control, relying on a strong inside scoring presence from Arthur Smith and a pair of long range bombs from Nick Thomas to build a comfortable 17-8 edge after the first period.

But Gloucester responded in the second quarter with a stronger dose of Demariya Sills. Sills scored 11 points in the second and finished the first half with 18, including a perfect nine for nine from the free throw line. In the last minute alone, the junior buried a three-pointer from the left wing, scored on two free throws, and with time running out, drove through the lane for a scoop-and-bucket to tie the game at 31. The Dukes ended the half on an 11-2 run.

Entering the second half, the Tigers could not contain Sills, who added ten more points in the third quarter, as the Dukes edged to a 46-43 lead. However, Tabb continued to claw back. Gloucester stretched their lead to seven points, but two short jumpers, the second by Butch Camithier, cut the margin to 54-51.

In the end, it was Sills who played a key role in the game’s two clinching baskets, but it was his assists that set up the scores, first on a drop-in pass to Trey Fortner, and then a steal and outlet pass to Xander Cooke which put Gloucester ahead 58-51 with 1:10 remaining.

Speaking of his early scoring outburst, Sills said, “I knew it needed to be done for us to get through,” With regard to his final two assists, the junior guard changed course saying “I trust my teammates to make those shots.”

Sills was also a perfect 11 of 11 from the free throw line. Speaking of his prowess from the charity stripe, Sills admitted “I’m usually not 100 percent from the line, but I was feeling them tonight.”

Gloucester   8, 23, 15, 14 -- 60

Tabb           17, 14, 12, 13 -- 56  

GLOUCESTER (3-7): Cooke 14, Sills 34, Durren 2, Simmons 2, Fortner 5, Womble 3.  Totals 21 14-19 60.

TABB (5-4): Thomas 9, Cooper 1, Jordan Eleby 13, Javon Eleby 11, Knapp 3, Olson 2, Camithier 7, Smith 10. Totals 19 14-21 56.

3-point goals: Gloucester 4 (Cooke, Sills, Fortner, Womble), Tabb 4 (Jordan Eleby 2, Thomas, Knapp).

Now in its fifth year, the tournament, sponsored by Bayport Credit Union, has been dedicated to the memory of Dale Lucado since his passing in February 2012. Lucado was a star and captain of the 1967 Newport News High School Typhoon football team. However, in 1971, he broke his neck while making a tackle in an alumni football game against Hampton High, and the injury made him a quadriplegic. In spite of his health situation, Lucado’s dedication to youth athletics and optimistic approach toward life made him an inspiration to many kids on the Peninsula. In Lucado’s name, all proceeds from the Bayport tournament are donated to the scholarship fund of the Boys and Girls Club.