recruitNoVA Top 30 Seniors - #21 - Anthony Eaton (T.C. Williams)

Heading into the regular season, we recognize the top 30 senior prospects in and around Northern Virginia. Continuing our countdown at number 21 is T.C. Williams running back Anthony Eaton.

#21 Anthony Eaton (2020 RB 6-0 190) – T.C. Williams High School

It is unlikely that Anthony Eaton will perform better at the beginning of this season, but even coming close should strike fear into the hearts of Titan opponents.

Last season, in the opening game, against Osbourn Park, Eaton sliced and diced his way through the Yellow Jacket defense for 233 total yards and a team-record tying six touchdowns as the
Titans trounced their Prince William opponent 65-32. The speedy back, along with teammate and friendly rival Robert Longerbeam were the top two cogs on a Titan offense that found the end zone with regularity. Eaton averaged over 90 yards rushing per game and an eye-popping 21 yards per catch, showing his propensity as a receiver out of the backfield.

However, T.C., under coach Jimmy Longerbeam stumbled to a 4-6 record, and it’s a sticking point for Eaton, who nevertheless professes hope for the 2019 campaign.

“We’re looking good on both sides of the ball, said Eaton, who has drawn interest from a host of schools, including VMI, Buffalo, Georgetown, Holy Cross, and most recently, Old Dominion and Massachusetts.

In Eaton, college teams are going to see a fast and deceptive back. He has also lent his talents to the T.C. track team, running on a sturdy 4×100 relay team with Longerbeam, Ibrahim Bangura, and Daniel Fox to run a 41.89 at the Legard Relays. His specialty event is the 400, where he has posted a time of 50.46. At March’s Sparta Showcase, he clocked a 4.45 in the 40 yards.

The Titans open the 2019 season on August 30 at Herndon High.

RecruitNoVA.com Top 30 Seniors - #22- Quest Powell (Freedom)

Heading into the regular season, we recognize the top 30 senior prospects in and around
Northern Virginia. Continuing our countdown at number 22 is Freedom quarterback Quest Powell.

#22 Quest Powell (2020 QB 6-1 175) – Freedom (Woodbridge) High School

As the song goes, sometimes you get one shot, one opportunity to get everything you ever wanted.

Last season, Quest Powell stepped up as A.J. Felton’s understudy, grabbed his one shot and flourished.

Powell had huge shoes to fill, as Felton accounted for over 3,900 yards of offense and 48 touchdowns in his senior year with the Eagles. Yet even Felton couldn’t match his successor in one category – reaching the Class 6 state championship.

Even though Powell and the Eagles dropped a decision to a record-setting Manchester team, the quarterback left his own mark in Freedom football history. Powell threw for over 2,000 yards and 26 touchdowns, while the Eagle offense rebounded from an opening-game 42-28 loss to Lake Taylor to run off 13 straight wins before the disappointing 49-7 defeat at the hands of the Lancers.

Powell has grown into his role and helped Freedom average just over 40 points per game last year. Physically, he also appears to be fitting into his position, with a senior roster listing considerably larger than last season’s 5-10 and 145.

However, Powell has lost two key cogs in his offense – lineman Josh Fuga (Virginia Tech) and running back Tyquan Brown, who left Darryl Overton’s squad as the single leading rusher in Prince William County history, with over 6,600 yards on the ground.

Still, some key players will be at his disposal, including junior wide receiver Umari Hatcher, who’s diving late-game touchdown sealed the Region 6D final for the Eagles last November. It also served as a key moment in Powell’s maturation process behind center as the touchdown came on his audibled play.

Freedom opens its season on August 30 with a home tilt against Hayfield, and its standout QB, Chase Soper.

recruitNoVA Top 30 (2019) - #25 Romy MIner - Broad Run

recruitNoVA Fab 30: Romello Miner WR #25
by Jim McGrath, recruitNoVA

It is the rare football player who stands out equally well on both sides of the ball. Over the past years, several have made their mark as offensive and defensive standouts – most notably Eugene Asante and Taylor Morin of Westfield, and South Lakes’ Spencer Alston.

Heading into the regular season, we recognize the top 30 senior prospects in and around Northern Virginia. Continuing our countdown at number 25 is Broad Run High School wide receiver Romello Miner.

#25 Romello Miner (2020 WR 6-2 186) – Broad Run High School

Yet as the Broad Run Spartans aim to avenge last year’s painful home playoff loss to Stone Bridge, they will be looking closely at their star wide receiver and cornerback to help them to get over the hump and into the state semifinals. In Romy Miner, they have that player.

Miner, who transferred into the Ashburn school from the Bullis School in Maryland (same
school which produced new Redskins QB Dwayne Haskins, Jr.), made an immediate impact on the Spartans. At wide receiver he shared first-team all-Potomac District and Region 5C honors with Tai Felton of Stone Bridge and Tyler Savage from John Champe. Miner, whose full first name is Romello, also snatched up second-team All-District honors at cornerback.

Look for more this year. Miner has filled out, carrying 186 pounds on his six-foot-one frame, yet his 4.54 40-yard speed should not be affected, allowing for his speed game to take over as he catches passes, either from Mitch Griffis, his quarterback with the Spartans, or another opposing quarterback. In Miner’s perfect world, he will catch a pass from most of the QB’s in Loudoun County.

Last year, the senior picked off three balls, but his strength was in his ability to get in the way of oncoming passes, as noted by his 13 breakups, which tied a Broad Run team record. Offensively, Miner led the Spartans with 54 receptions, which totaled 619 yards and a team-high 11 touchdowns.

His contributions helped both ways as Broad Run ran off to an 11-2 record, with the defense allowing only ten points per game. However, the season came to an abrupt and shocking end as Stone Bridge toppled the Spartans 35-6 in an all-Ashburn region final.

To date, Central Michigan and Fordham have been the leading two suitors for Miner, but with the loss of Tim Baldwin, who transferred, Miner should be the focal point of Griffis’ receiving corps, with big numbers to follow. The Spartans open play at home on August 29 against Tuscarora.

Recruit NoVA Top 30 Seniors - #30 - Jared Cole (Stone Bridge)

As Stone Bridge prepares to make yet another state championship run at the Class 5 level, their
star running back is ready to cap his successful prep career before heading north to don the dark red, gray, and black of the Massachusetts Minutemen.

But Jared Cole knows there is still unfinished business to take care of in Ashburn.

On the heels of last year’s disheartening 37-26 state final loss to four-time defending champion Highland Springs, the rising senior and his teammates are ready for the challenge of winning states.

“I think we have a good shot. Obviously we need to grow as a team over the season but we have play makers all over field on offense, and a strong defense this year,” said Cole, who will return to his tailback position this year as the featured back. “I think we also have a lot more experience from the season last year and know what it takes to get to the (state final) game and to win it.”

Last season saw the emergence of the 5-9, 180-pound Cole as a quick threat and added weapon to a backfield that also included Nick Mell and his 1,200 yards of rushing. Cole, however, made his own mark, rushing for over 1,000 yards on just 87 carries for an eye-popping 12-yard per carry average. His hands were also a benefit for the Bulldogs out of the backfield as the junior grabbed 20 catches for 306 yards. In all, Cole accounted for 1,426 total yards and 18 touchdowns, as Stone Bridge marched to a 12-3 record, stunning Broad Run in the 5C Region championship before falling to the Springers in the Class 5 state championship.

In the Broad Run game, it was Cole’s 30-yard rushing touchdown that gave the Bulldogs a 21-6 lead just before halftime and took all of the home field momentum away from the Spartans.

Cole’s versatility captured the eye of several schools, including Maryland and Georgetown. Yet in the end, it was running back Coach Fredi Knighten from UMass who made the winning pitch to earn the services of the Minutemen’s new running back. In fact, UMass may have extra plans for Cole, who has also returned a few punts and kickoffs for Coach Mickey Thompson.

Says Cole, “They (UMass) want me at running back, but see me able to catch balls out of the backfield, play in the slot a little, but primarily running back.”

In other words, a role similar to another favorite football son from New England – one Julian Edelman.

The Bulldogs will launch their regular season on August 30, with an away opener against Centreville.

Legendary T.C. Williams Football Coach Bill Yoast Passes at 94

One of the icons of Alexandria sports history is gone. Bill Yoast, former football coach at Francis C. Hammond and T.C. Williams High schools passed away on Friday. He was 94.

Yoast, who was born in 1924, grew up in Florence, Alabama, and was a star high school athlete. After high school, he served three years in the Air Force before settling on Georgia Military College and Mercer University, where he continued his athletic career, as well as earning a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education. He later earned a Masters, and Ed.S. degree from Peabody College in Nashville.

Yoast decided to devote his life to teaching and coaching. His initial foray as a football coach was not successful as his first team at Sparta High (GA) went 4-35-1 under his tutelage from 1949-1952. He had more success with his second team, Roswell High, posting a 25-33-1 record from 1954-59, including a region title in 1956.

However, Yoast and his family, which included wife Betty, and four daughters: Bonnie (1951–2003), Angela (born 1956), Sheryl (1962–1996), and Deidre (born 1968), moved to Alexandria in the late 1950’s, and Yoast found his greatest football success, coaching at Francis C. Hammond High. Under Yoast, the Admirals won the Northern Virginia regional championship in 1969.

Yet it would be Yoast’s next move that eventually made him famous. In 1971, in response to the Supreme Court ruling on the Swann vs. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education case, which legitimized busing as a method to achieve desegregation, the city of Alexandria adopted the K6-2-2-2 Plan (Kindergarten through sixth grade for Elementary school, two years in Middle school, two years in junior (Grades 9-10) high school and two years in Senior (Grades 11-12) high School). The plan was to bring racial and economic balance to the city school system. With the Alexandria school board voting to integrate schools, Hammond and George Washington High schools became the city junior high schools for 9^th and 10^th graders, leaving a newer school, T.C. Williams, built in 1965, as the only senior high school in the city.

In an effort to quash racial tension, Yoast accepted a position on the staff of newly hired T.C. football coach Herman Boone, who had moved from North Carolina to accept the head position. The bonding of Boone and Yoast, and the effect on the Titan team would form the storyline of Disney’s 2000 movie “Remember the Titans,” starring Denzel Washington as Boone, and Will Patton, as Yoast.

The 1971 team that formed the backbone of the movie, won the Virginia state championship while compiling a 13-0 record and #2 national ranking. Defense was the team’s calling card, and the Titans allowed just 45 points during the season, while pitching eight shutouts, including one in the 27-0 state final win over Andrew Lewis. (Note: The close game over Marshall which served as the movie’s “state final” was a 21-16 win for T.C. in Week 5).

Yoast also coached baseball and track in Alexandria, and he was named a Coach of the Year in both Georgia and Virginia. After retirement, Yoast moved to Fenwick Island, DE, where he was well known for his newfound fame, as well as his beachside residence, aptly named “The Coach House.”

Lake Braddock's Edwards Sees Early Recruiting Interest (as seen on RecruitNoVA.com)

For Lake Braddock quarterback Billy Edwards, the fire to get back into competition is as obvious as his fiery red hair.

“I just have to enjoy the (off-season) process and get ready to ball out with my brothers this year,” said Edwards, who enjoyed a breakthrough year with the Bruins in 2018. After a rough 1-2 start, Lake Braddock reeled off six wins in a row, only to drop a pair of close decisions to South County in the season finale and opening playoff round. One of the reasons for the turnaround was the maturation of their junior quarterback.

In three games, against Oakton, Yorktown and Fairfax, the 6’2”, 180-pounder threw for four scores, and Edwards finished his junior season with 2,247 yards passing and 28 touchdowns.

So, how is he preparing for the encore?

recruitNoVA.com talked with Edwards at their showcase, held at Redskin Park in Ashburn, and co-headlined with Sparta Science, in March. At that camp, he spoke of the quality of the competition and looked forward to more opportunities.

He has not been shy about finding them. “I have the Nike Regional next weekend, so I’ve been preparing for that,” said Edwards. “I have been working a lot on my mechanics and tuning them up before camps and college workouts.”

The heat is also starting to rise with his recruitment process.

“I have started talking with a few new schools, such as Maryland, Syracuse and Virginia Tech,” he added. “I am currently deciding my camp schedule for the summer, and am planning on attending about 10-12 college one-day camps.”

Lake Braddock, coached by Mike Dougherty, will also be busy on the summer circuit, with 7-on-7 passing competitions at Falls Church and Mount Vernon on the menu. The expectation will be to develop the symmetry among the offensive players with the hope of improving from last year’s squad, which went 7-4. A deeper run into the Class 6 playoffs would also be a boost for the Bruin program.

Of course, there is one other detail to tend to.

“I’m hoping to come out with a few offers this summer after all the camps, but if not, I’ll just keep working until it’s my time,” said Edwards in a concluding thought.

Big Weekend For Hunter's As Loudoun Valley Boys and Drew Win Championships

While Marc and Joan Hunter's Loudoun Valley High boys
were winning the Virginia Class 4 title, their son Drew
(above) placed first in the USATF national
championship 2-mile in Staten Island, NY

A cursory glance at the boys Class 4 indoor track results reveals two things. First, Loudoun Valley is not giving up its stranglehold of the long-distance events anytime soon. And second, the Vikings are starting to find points in other places.

Granted, they weren’t needed last weekend as the boys racked up 31 points in the 1600 and 32 more in the 3200, en route to a championship winning 97-point total, which routed runner-up Blacksburg by 61.

Amazingly the event totals weren’t even a VHSL record, or Viking team record for that matter.

“Last year, our boys scored 37 points in the 1600, taking 1-6, and 8th. So this year was not quite as good, thanks to Omar's outstanding 2nd place effort,” said Viking co-coach Joan Hunter, referring to Dominion’s Omar Aougab, who trimmed seven seconds off his personal best to claim runner-up with a time of 4:21.30.

The Vikings did claim the first four spots in the 3200, with winner Jacob Hunter (9:26.49), second-place Carlos Shultz (9:27.89), Kellen Hasle (9:31.05) and Alec Venable (9:45.00) earning 29 points for the Valley, while Connor Wells (9:47.77) took sixth for the other three.

Sam Affolder (2:28.36) and Jacob Windle (2:34.28) went 2-4 in the 1000, and the 3200 relay of Windle, Wells, Hunter and Affolder won on Friday with an 8:00.36 effort.

Although LV didn’t score in the field, they did earn points in non-distance events. Akere Simms placed fourth in the 500 with a time of 1:07.87, and the 1600 relay quartet of Affolder, Windle, Simms and Essa Elhaji placed third in 3:31.55, a time which could have been better, according to Coach Hunter.

“Essa actually almost went down at the exchange, put his hand down on the track and bounced back up. It definitely cost us some time, so we were happy to run a season's best  (entry time of 3:33) given that.”

There was another reason for the weekend to be a family celebration for the Hunters. While Joan and Marc were coaching and Jacob was running in Salem, 460 miles away, at Staten Island’s Ocean Breeze track facility, the oldest Hunter son, Drew, won the Toyota USATF two-mile national championship. Hunter’s feat was more amazing because as he told NBC Sports’ Louis Johnson, “I didn’t have a seed time, so I had to run in the first heat.” His winning time of 8:25.29 in the “B’ race was good enough to earn the title as the “A” entries refused to push the pace and Eric Avila ended up winning in 8:32.41.

“It was a good weekend for our family,” said Joan Hunter on Monday.

Layla Anderson Sparks Churchland Track

(As seen on MileStat.com)

By winning the 55 and 300 at last weekend’s Class 4 State Indoor Track Championships, Churchland sophomore Layla Anderson seemingly emerged out of nowhere to become the up and coming star from the Class of 2021 – ranked #2 among Virginia sophomores in the 55 meters just behind Na’Taja Ballard of Western Branch whose 7.06 time is only .03 ahead of Anderson’s.

While Ballard has been on the cusp of the spotlight as the younger sister of Class 6 sprint and hurdle champion Shadajah, Anderson’s rise to the top has mostly occurred under the radar. In fact, up until the Region 4A meet two weekends ago, Anderson had never won a championship race.

What a difference a year makes.

Anderson enjoyed a moderately successful middle school and AAU career in Virginia Beach, even qualifying for the Junior Olympic regional 200-meter hurdles for her age group between her seventh and eighth grade years. In eighth grade, she stuck to middle school competition, and while Anderson was “winning all the time,” track had not developed as an important part of her life. It may have helped that she couldn’t do the hurdles in Virginia Beach because safety concerns eliminated the event at the middle school level.

“I don’t like hurdles,” confessed Anderson. “But I have been good at them and the coaches keep putting me in.”

Anderson’s high school career started at Bishop Sullivan, a Virginia Beach school in the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools. While Sullivan has gained athletic traction because of the success of its football team in recent years, the indoor track team ran a truncated schedule that culminated with the Virginia Independent Schools championships. Participating in just four meets, Anderson stuck to the 55 meters, as endurance was a problem for the freshman, and sported a best time of 7.40 while also placing third in the VISAA championship meet.

A mid-year transfer to Churchland High marked the beginning of her ascent. Unfortunately, Anderson didn’t know how hard the work was going to be.

“I was completely new (at Churchland),” said Anderson. “All I knew were the two new coaches, Coach (Amani) Harper, and Coach Q (Quinton Harper).”

She quickly learned how poor her conditioning had been. 

“Honestly, I was completely out of shape. I’d be walking during practice. Yes, it was a nightmare.”

How bad was it? “Coach would have us running 800’s at practice, and I had a hard time breaking five minutes!”

But a new mental attitude toward track was starting to permeate in the youngster’s mind.

“In the past, if something started hurting or it started burning, I wanted to stop. But I started to realize that the top athletes have to do this all of the time, and if I want to be just like them, then this is what I’d have to do.”

Progress was slow, but steady, and Anderson’s 100-meter time hovered in the mid-to-high 12 second range for most of the season. However, she finished third in Region 4A, and then captured runner-up at the Class 4 States with a then-best time of 12.50. Two weeks later, she dropped her PR to 12.39 at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals.

Anderson entered this year’s Region 4A meet with best times of 7.36 in the 55 and 42.23, good, but not good enough to be considered championship caliber, as she won neither race. While the 7.36 earned her a second place at the Gloucester Pre-Holiday Invitational, the 42.23 only placed her 39th at the Virginia Showcase.

So it was a surprise when the Trucker blasted through her 55 prelim in 7.20, good enough for the top seed, and then took the gold medal with a 7.17 in the final. More surprising was the 40.91 winning time in the 300 which instantly put her into state champion contention. As a team, the Truckers shocked their competition with second place finishes in the boys and girls standings.

Anderson’s momentum carried into States. At Friday’s preliminaries at Roanoke College, she set another PR, with a 7.09 time that put her over a quarter of a second ahead of the next challenger. “I didn’t expect to run 7.0,” said Anderson, whose look of amazement was evident as she looked up at the result scoreboard.

With that much of a gap, her finals win and time of 7.10 turned out to be no surprise, but the 300 loomed ahead.

“I was pretty confident going into the 300, but still nervous,” said Anderson. “After all, someone could go out and run a 39.”

Midlothian sophomore Dasia Hardy won the second heat in 41.64, and then Anderson held off Heritage’s JahNiyah Thomas (41.44) and Hanover’s Makenzie Joiner (41.63) to claim her second crown with a time of 41.34.
No longer in a position to surprise her opponents, Anderson looks ahead. She will compete in the 55 at the New Balance Indoor Championships (“I didn’t qualify in the 300 – that’s my goal for next year”) before settling for the 100 and 200 for outdoors. Her goal in the 200 is especially lofty as she enters the season with a personal best of 26.81. “I want to get in the 23’s and make Nationals.”

And if that happens, maybe she’ll get out of doing the hurdles every now and then.

Football National Signing Day Hits Northern Virginia

The high school gyms and auditoriums of America turned into Signing Central today, as tens of
thousands of athletes put their John Hancocks on to letters of intent and committed to colleges, as the Signing season commenced.

There was plenty of action in Northern Virginia on Wednesday. While news is still coming in, and will be for days and weeks, here are some of the commits that recruitNoVA is aware of as of Wednesday evening.

Westfield – Eugene Asante - UNC, Taylor Morin – Wake Forest

Freedom – Josh Fuga – VA Tech, Jordan Leach – Fairmont State (WV), Joshua Hayes – Shepherd, Joel Cassady - Wingate

Flint Hill – Jordan Houston – N.C. State, Miles Thompson – Penn, Justin Duenkel – UVA, Trey Rucker – Wake Forest

Stone Bridge – Nick Mell – Army, Payton Hunter – West Virginia State

Woodbridge – Tavon Matthews – East Tennessee St., Tre-Shaun Parham – Frostburg State

Colonial Forge – Josh Sarratt – VMI, Ethan Garwood (’18) – Alderson-Broaddus

Woodgrove – Graham Walker – Frostburg State

Lake Braddock – Josh Ahern – UVA, Ronnie Altman – Air Force, Ben Dizon – Christopher Newport Univ., Quentin James - Davidson

Centreville – Presley Egbers – Randolph-Macon College, Nicky Kuzemka - Furman

Stafford – Sean Beltz – UVA-Wise

Robinson – Jacob Haynie – Shepherd

Tuscarora – Will Moore – Frostburg State

South Lakes – Sage Beuchert-Irvine – Norfolk State

Herndon – Jaden Snead – Christopher Newport Univ.

King George – Tate Newman – Apprentice School

Madison – John Finney – JMU, Max Wysocki – Oregon (PWO)

Hylton – Bramon Lane – UVA-Wise

Broad Run - Alex Solano – Fairmont State

Episcopal – Litchfield Ajavon – Notre Dame

Ireton – Jack Esquivel – Merrimack

Stonewall Jackson – Chayce Chalmers – UVA

Justice – Elijah Jeffries – Ashland, Chris Quiroga - Davidson

Lee – Jonathan Mulatu – Penn, Devon Lynch – Shepherd

Mt. Vernon – Skyler Davis – Morgan State

Falls Church – Dakwandre Marshall – Morgan State

Potomac Falls – Dean Ferguson – VA Tech

James Monroe – Zakk Davis - Muhlenberg

Colgan – Justin Kapp – Fairmont State, Darrian Brokenburr – Howard

Fredericksburg Christian – Antwan Johnson – Christopher Newport Univ.

Forest Park – Joshua Burdsall – Old Dominion

Massaponax – Teagan McDonald – Old Dominion, Evan Schickel – The Citadel

North Stafford – Devyn Ford – Penn State, Chase McGowan – Delaware

Brentsville - Conner Sides - Ferrum

Eastern View - Evan Lowry - Fairmont St.

There are certainly plenty more to come, so please keep us posted or send us a message @recruitNoVA or @jfmcgrath. Email address is jim@recruitnova.com. We know, for example, that Spotsylvania had 3-4 players who should commit by the end of this week. And I have heard very little from the private schools not named Flint Hill or Ireton, so we want to include their commitments.

Travis Buzzo Named Football Coach at Liberty (Bealeton) High

The Liberty (Bealeton) football squad rang in the year with its announcement of a new head coach, as Travis Buzzo will take over the reins of the Eagles program.

Last year, under Sean Finnerty, Liberty finished 5-5 as a Region 4C team. Although the record was its second non-winning season of the past three, the Eagles went 9-3 in 2017, and have enjoyed a 162-65 (.672) record over the past 20 seasons, which included a 34-17 loss to Salem in the 2014 Class 4 state semifinal.

Buzzo, 25, may be the youngest head coach in the Northern region, but his familiarity with the Liberty program is unquestioned. Buzzo played his prep ball for the Eagles from 2018-11, before earning a football scholarship to Central Connecticut State University of the Northeast Conference (NEC), where he played all four years with the Blue Devils.

Upon graduation, Buzzo, whose father Tommy was the coach at Brooke Point, before accepting a coaching position with Curt Newsome at Emory & Henry College, returned to Fauquier County, and Liberty High, this time as the running backs/outside linebacker coach for the 2016 season. The next year, he was elevated to defensive coordinator and led a corps that allowed just 13.5 points per game the following year.

Buzzo is busy making final adjustments, but has a good idea as to how his team will play on both sides of the ball.

“On offense, we will be a spread run-heavy team that has to establish a running game,” said Buzzo, The Eagles averaged 33.6 points per game in 2017, but dipped to 25.3 last season. “On defense, we are going to load the box to stop the run, and force an offense to beat us over the top in the air.”

Buzzo’s cupboard will not be empty. “We have some key returners, such as Justin Lawson (first team all-region athlete), Fred Harris (second team all-region LB), sophomore Jordan Woodson (second team all-region DL), and a healthy Tre’Von White who would have similar accolades if it wasn’t for an injury, and too many others to name.”

For now, the new head whistle is ripe with enthusiasm. “Our off-season training is underway and about to be at full tilt here in the next couple of weeks.”

Virginia Peninsula Community Sports Notebook - The Best of 2018

Lady Gators Change League Affiliation; Win Championship

The Hampton Roads Lady Gators started the year by finding a new home, as the women’s football team realigned itself by joining the United States Women’s Football League.

At the time, team owner Katisha Simpkins said, "The USWFL is a smaller league with great competition geared towards smaller teams. The owners are great people and I appreciate that they are allowing us to show our talents in their league."

The move immediately proved to be successful. After an inaugural campaign which ended with a 2-6 record in the Women’s Football Association, the Gators caught fire in mid-season and reversed its first season record with a 6-2 mark and a playoff berth.

In their playoff opener, the Gators defeated the Fayetteville Fierce. And in the Division 3 (Ironwoman) Championship. The Gators overcame an early deficit and beat the Tri-Cities Thunder 20-14. The Thunder had scored early in the second half to take a 14-8 lead, but Keonna Rheubottom knotted the score with her second rushing touchdown with just over five minutes remaining in regulation.

However, Kenya Wilkerson (four of eight, 90 yards, six carries, 70 yards. TD) was injured on the Gators’ next possession, forcing offensive coordinator Michael Smith to insert Meghan Bradford into the offense at quarterback. To complete the adjustment, the Gators changed to a spread offense and the move paid off as Bradford connected with Ja’Quaria Barnes for the 80-yard game-winning score.

Chantry, Samaha Help Set Track Relay WR

In March, Williamsburg’s Steve Chantry, who had recovered from a calcified Achilles tendon and perforated colon, won four gold medals and ran a leg of a world record relay at the Masters Indoor Championships.

After a four-year period of nagging injuries, Chantry, 62, said, “I had pretty much decided to forego any more track training and racing, and just concentrate on easy distance and have fun in local road races.”

However, his health returned to form sooner than expected, and within six months, he had built his distance base to the point of running 60 miles per week, which made the possibility of high-level track competition a reality again.

At Indoor Nationals, Chantry won the 3000 meters on Friday, lapping all of the runners on the 200-meter oval, except for the runner-up, who finished 12 seconds behind. He also won the 1500 in 4:52.

Later in the day, Chantry, along with three other runners including Williamsburg’s Rick Samaha, combined to run a world record time for the men’s 60-plus 4-by-800 meter relay. Chantry’s anchor leg of 2:25.1 helped the quartet to a 9:50.90 time, which broke the existing world record (9:55.96), set by the Shore Athletic Club of New York, by just over five seconds. Samaha’s split of 2:25.3 was second-fastest among the winning foursome.

Road Racing Returns to Jamestown Island

With the first-ever Democracy Dash 10K taking place in April, a tradition that started in 1691 was renewed – road racing on Jamestown Island.

The Democracy Dash will serve as the final leg of the newly installed Historic Triangle Triple Crown, joining the Yorktown 10K and Williamsburg’s Duke of Gloucester (DOG) Street Challenge 5K run, which are both held two weeks apart in April.

In the late 17^th century, then-Virginia Governor Francis Nicholson held foot races, along with other sporting competitions, on Jamestown Island. Nicholson’s competitions marked the first recorded organized and official sporting events in the English New World. With a 327-year legacy to protect, it is noteworthy that there will now be races in all three cities of the Historic Triangle.

Coast Guard Blue Dolphins Score at States

At Virginia Swimming Inc.'s (VSI) Senior Championships, CGBD took first place overall in the Medium Team Category, with the Women's team capturing first and the Men's team third overall. Standout swimmers were Danika Katzer with two Virginia Swimming titles in 100 and 200-meter breaststrokes, Kade Younger in the 100 backstroke, and Chris Verastek earning a title in the 100 breaststroke. Katzer, Morgan Miller, Jacqueline Tinneny, Alex Slayton, and Chelsea Marstellar comprised five relays that broke eight CGBD team records.

At the VSI's 2018 Age Group Championships, CGBD again captured first place overall in the Medium Team Category. Clayton Whetstine came away with three Virginia Swimming titles in 200 and 400 individual medley (IM) and 200-meter backstroke. Laura Gaffney won the 200 backstroke. Brooke-Lynn Clark placed first, winning the 400 IM, while Ian Rodgers won the 11-12-year-old 200 butterfly, breaking another CGBD team record with the win.

CGBD had fantastic representation at the Virginia Swimming Awards Event. Carter Whetstine (11-year-olds), Kyleigh Tankard (13-year-olds) and Katzer (17-18-year-olds) were all recognized as VSI Swimmers of the Year. This accomplishment is the highest honor for individual swimmers presented by VSI. 

PSC Winners

Dr. William R. Harvey and Paul S. Trible, Jr., the presidents of Hampton and Christopher Newport Universities, shared the Herbert Morewitz Sports Person of the Year award at the 69^th Annual Peninsula Sports Club Awards, held in July.

Long-time Daily Press sports writer Marty O’Brien received the Bob Moskowitz Media Award, while Gene Thompson was honored with the Sports Person Emeritus Award. Belinda Langston, athletic specialist with over 40 years of experience in Newport News Public Schools, won the Charles Karmosky Award.

Menchville and Jamestown high schools captured the Julian Rice and Red Simpson awards, given annually to the most successful athletic programs in the Peninsula and Bay Rivers conferences.

Jamestown’s All-American volleyball player, Emma Schriner, won the Betsy Thomas Outstanding High School Female Athlete, and Patrick McCormick, four-time state champion wrestler from Poquoson, won the Julie Conn Outstanding Male Athlete award.

The Thad Madden award was presented to seven recipients – Quanisha Bruce, Lisa Dillard-Hanks, Allen Iverson, Yvette Lewis, Francena McCorory, Bev Vaughan, Jr., and Keith Witherspoon.

Kermit Buggs, Troy Fullwood and Bill Nettles earned special achievement awards. In 2017, Nettles announced his 1,000^th football game, at Todd Stadium.

The PSC also awarded ten $1,000 scholarships to Peninsula student-athletes.