July 3, 2009
By Robert Edmonds sports@nvdaily.com FRONT ROYAL -- Three home runs, 18 strikeouts and one wild pitch made for an exciting game when Front Royal hosted Woodstock Thursday night. The River Bandits took the lead on three separate occasions only to have the resilient Cardinals respond...
Strasburg's Jaclyn Ayers, The Northern Virginia Daily's Girls Athlete of the Year, competes in volleyball, basketball and softball, and though she's too humble to do so willingly, she can name most of the awards she's collected over the last nine months: All-state first team in volleyball, Bull Run District Volleyball Player of the Year, Region B honorable mention in basketball, Region B second-team in softball, and several others.
It didn't take long for Central's J.J. Armentrout, The Northern Virginia Daily's Boys Athlete of the Year, to become an outstanding tight end: In his first season, he caught 21 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns; as a senior, he caught 22 passes for 420 yards and five touchdowns.
July 1, 2009
FRONT ROYAL -- The Cardinals are finally beginning to come together as a team.
WOODSTOCK -- The River Bandits continued their most recent win streak against the visiting Harrisonburg Turks on Tuesday, scoring five runs in the seventh inning to blow the game open in a 6-1 victory.
June 30, 2009
WOODSTOCK -- The Woodstock River Bandits sent eight batters to the plate in three innings -- and scored three runs each time -- in a 9-4 win over Central Division rival New Market Rebels on Monday.
June 29, 2009
WINCHESTER -- J.J. Dorsey loves playing basketball. It was obvious in the graceful way he flew to the hoop, banked in fade-away jumpers, and then hustled back to play defense during drills at an open gym session at Daniel Morgan Middle School on Saturday.
WINCHESTER -- The Winchester Royals faced a daunting challenge Sunday when Haymarket, the North Division leader, came to Bridgeforth Field for a pair of games. The Royals, who were in last place and 2 1/2 games behind the Senators, used the challenge to make up ground with a doubleheader sweep (3-2, 11-8).
June 27, 2009
WOODSTOCK -- After losing to Fauquier on Thursday, Woodstock was faced with the daunting task of facing Covington, a team that had dominated them earlier in the week by eight runs.
June 26, 2009
To the dismay of Valley Baseball League players, coaches and management, the region has been drenched by rainstorms, postponing games across the area.
There are those days when early downpours make postponements inevitable, and so players can enjoy a rare summer day away from the diamond. But only a few weeks into this young season, players are itching to get out onto the field, even if it's just for a practice.
FRONT ROYAL -- Following the Front Royal Cardinals' seven-run loss to Winchester on Wednesday, head coach Joe Scarano knew his team needed a little extra work. So he held an early practice session Thursday morning to try and work his team out of its funk.
June 25, 2009
Ben Brooks sports@nvdaily.com WINCHESTER -- When the Winchester Royals found themselves in an early hole Wednesday night, they didn't panic. They erupted. The Royals combined for 14 runs over the third and fourth innings -- batting around in each frame -- en route to a...
WOODSTOCK -- Heith Hatfield tossed a complete game, three-hit shutout for the Woodstock River Bandits, whose bats came alive with 11 hits in a 6-0 win over the Rockbridge Rapids on Wednesday.
June 24, 2009
FRONT ROYAL -- Haymarket took advantage of critical mistakes by Front Royal to defeat the Cardinals 6-4 on Tuesday in Valley Baseball League play at Bing Crosby Stadium.
In a game full of defensive lapses, the Royals pulled themselves together long enough for a 7-4 victory over Harrisonburg on Tuesday night at Bridgeforth Field. The two teams combined for as many errors as runs (11).
June 23, 2009
WOODSTOCK -- Covington exploded for seven runs punctuated by a grand slam by Lumberjack left fielder Adam Browett in the third inning then rode the pitching of Benedy Mejia to demolish Woodstock on Monday in Valley League action at Woodstock.
By Dennis Atwood - sports@nvdaily.com NEW MARKET -- New Market overcame six errors and came back from an early deficit to beat Haymarket, 5-4, in Valley League action on Tuesday night The Rebels trailed 4-1 after four innings, but picked up two in the fifth...
June 22, 2009
FRONT ROYAL -- Luray held on Sunday in a game marked by clutch hitting and a couple of untimely errors to defeat Front Royal 7-6 in Valley Baseball League play at Bing Crosby Stadium.
June 19, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Front Royal ended its five-game losing streak in a big way Thursday night.
NEW MARKET -- After a slow start in Valley League play, New Market played superbly in every phase of the game Friday, dominating Luray, 8-1, at Rebel Park.
By Ben Brooks - sports@nvdaily.com BERRYVILLE -- The only thing, it seems, that can slow Clarke County's Andrea Gaither these days is a surgeon's scalpel. The 16-year-old sprinter, who helped lead the Eagles to a second straight girls Group A state track championship last month,...
Generals athlete goes out on high note with title and trio of school records in Group A state meet By Jeremy Stafford - jstafford@nvdaily.com QUICKSBURG -- Just a few yards to the side of the concrete track at Stonewall Jackson is a shed that...
Sherando's top singles player leaves soccer behind, captures district title as sophomore By Tommy Keeler Jr. - tkeeler@nvdaily.com STEPHENS CITY -- During a United States Tennis Association tournament match on April 4 in Newport News, Kaleb Nguyen broke his thumb as he braced himself sliding...
By Tommy Keeler Jr. - tkeeler@nvdaily.com WINCHESTER -- Sarah Moomau used to spend her summers with her mom at work. Moomau's mother, Joni, works at Stonebrook Racquet and Fitness Club and Sarah was always there looking for a match. "I'd hang around Stonebrook all day...
By Jeremy Stafford - jstafford@nvdaily.com WINCHESTER -- Luke Mason never felt that soccer came naturally to him. Mason didn't make his high school varsity team until he was a junior, and as a freshman at Slippery Rock University, Mason could hardly keep up with the...
Dennis paced Warriors' high-powered offense by tallying area-best 27 goals By Jeremy Stafford - jstafford@nvdaily.com STEPHENS CITY -- Big players score in big games. Those words, spoken by Sherando coach Rob Kilmer, reverberated in Brittini Dennis' skull as she took the pitch against Brentsville on...
By Greg Brill - sports@nvdaily.com STEPHENS CITY -- Blake Adams remembers well the look he and his Sherando teammates got from baseball coach Pepper Martin following an 8-3 loss April 6 at James Wood. The Warriors had just dropped a third-straight Northwestern District game and...
Senior starred as pitcher, third baseman as Warriors reached Region II tournament By Greg Brill - sports@nvdaily.com STEPHENS CITY -- From an early age, Nick Merchant learned to respect the game of baseball and to play hard at all times. That said, all the work...
By Tommy Keeler Jr. - tkeeler@nvdaily.com STEPHENS CITY -- Erin Manuel always knew she wanted to be a coach. Manuel was coached by her father for many years. He coached her travel team -- the Shenandoah Valley Mavericks -- and has been a big part...
Best friends off the field, Hinegardner and Ebersole do their damage on the diamond By Tommy Keeler Jr. - tkeeler@nvdaily.com WOODSTOCK -- One of the first times Ashley Ebersole and Brea Hinegardner ever met, they were on opposing sides. Hinegardner was pitching in a little...
Stonewall Jackson player, coach have one more year together on the pitch By Jeremy Stafford - jstafford@nvdaily.com It was a glorious vision to behold at Radford University. The luscious green grass, the crowds which filled the stands at Patrick D. Cupp Memorial Stadium, and the...
100-meter dash Andrea Gaither, Clarke Won the district, region and ran a 12.26 to win the state meet. 200-meter dash Andrea Gaither, Clarke Gaither won the region meet and took second in the state (25.94) 400-meter run Shelby Spangler, Sherando Though she took second in...
100-meter dash John Simms, James Wood Simms won the Northwestern District meet with a time of 11.19. He also placed eighth in the Region II and ran 11.08 in the Group AA meet. 200-meter dash John Simms, James Wood Ran the sixth best time in...
First team Elizabeth Gardiner, Handley The senior went 16-1 this season, playing mostly at No. 2 singles. She finished her career with a 69-7 mark and helped lead the Judges to three consecutive Group AA state championships. Katie Gordon, Handley The junior helped guide the...
First team John Adams, Handley The senior advanced to the Region II individual singles semifinals after finishing as runner-up in the Northwestern District. Trae Drexler, Millbrook The junior helped lead the Pioneers to a tie for second in the Northwestern District. Drexler advanced to the...
First team Brittini Dennis, Sherando A first team all-district and first team all-region selection, Dennis was the Daily's Player of the Year. One of the most dynamic and versatile forwards in the region, her 27 goals was tied for most in the area and her...
First team C -- Keaton Neeb, Skyline A first team all-district and all-region performer, Neeb stood out with his bat and his skills behind the dish. The senior hit .417, collected seven doubles and drove in 15 runs. 1B -- Riley McDonald, Strasburg The Rams'...
First team C -- Ashley Ebersole, Central The Falcons' unquestioned leader behind the plate, Ebersole complemented her defensive prowess with one of the area's most potent bats as she hit .415 and blasted an area-leading seven home runs. Ebersole, who was also named the Northwestern...
Matt Brady, Sherando Brady was a rare combination of speed and physicality up top and was named to the first team in the district, region and state. He scored 21 goals and tallied 16 assists while earning the Northwestern District's Co-Player of the Year award....
June 17, 2009
WOODSTOCK -- One swing of the bat accounted for all the scoring as two starting left-handed pitchers dueled for seven innings, each giving up five hits, and the Woodstock River Bandits took a 1-0 squeaker over the New Market Rebels on Tuesday night.
June 16, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Haymarket leadoff hitter Andrew Lawrence insists he harbors no ill will toward his former team.
FRONT ROYAL -- Just two pitches into the game, the tone was set. Dropping a bunt down the third-base side, Fauquier's Chad Oberacker forced Front Royal pitcher Shane Galloway to rush to field and make a wild throw to first, resulting in a three-base error.
NEW MARKET -- The Woodstock River Bandits three-game road winning streak was brought to an abrupt halt as the New Market Rebels broke open a tight game with four runs on five hits in the seventh, on the way to a convincing 7-2 win, in a Valley League contest.
June 15, 2009
WINCHESTER -- The Winchester Royals began the season with a trend that was anything but promising. Falling behind early, the Royals would come back to take the lead, then be unable to hold it in the late innings.
June 13, 2009
FRONT ROYAL -- A team that arrives back home in the early-morning hours after an extra-innings loss is not supposed to come out and swing the bats well early in its next game.
WINCHESTER -- After trailing early, Winchester made a dramatic comeback in the late innings only to fall short, losing to Luray 11-9 in Valley League play Friday at Bridgeforth Field.
QUICKSBURG -- Bill Harlow Jr. is stepping down as the Stonewall Jackson varsity baseball coach. Harlow could not be reached to speak of his resignation, and Stonewall Jackson Athletic Director Todd Fannin said that he was unsure of the reason for Harlow's departure. "He said...
June 12, 2009
NEW MARKET -- The Fauquier Gators and the New Market Rebels played their first inter-divisional Valley Baseball League game Thursday night.
June 11, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Kim Riordan knows all about many of the volleyball teams in the area. The 1998 Sherando graduate understands all the local rivalries and now this season she gets to be a part of them as a coach.
June 10, 2009
FRONT ROYAL -- With the way he has been swinging the bat, any pitch up in Steve McQuail's wheelhouse is capable of leaving the park.
June 9, 2009
For the last 15 years, the Handley girls tennis program has been one of the best in the area. The Judges won state titles in '95 and '97 and the program has been consistently strong since. As good as the program has been, the seniors and juniors of this year's team have taken the program to new heights.
June 8, 2009
NEW MARKET - The New Market Rebels hosted the Luray Wranglers in their Valley Baseball League home opener Sunday night. The fans got their money's worth, and the full moon may have contributed to the wackiness, as it took 4 hours and 12 minutes, 13 pitchers, 25 runners left on base, nine errors and 12 innings, for the Wranglers to win the battle of attrition, 10-6.
RADFORD -- The scene following Stonewall Jackson's Group A State semifinal loss to George Mason was somber, but not devastating.
RADFORD -- As the Handley players rushed to the court to celebrate a 5-0 win over Spotswood in the Group AA state final, the tears quickly followed.
RADFORD -- Kari Pope and Headley Wilson ended their two years together in the perfect way.
WINCHESTER -- Front Royal got a pair of solo homers from Jared Simon and another from Stephen McQuail, then fought off a late-inning rally to defeat Winchester, 4-3, on Sunday in the Royals' VBL home opener.
RADFORD -- Many of the key players on the Stonewall Jackson boys soccer team, such as juniors Patrick Bain, Colton Koontz and Hayden Miller, can at least find comfort in the fact that they have next season to look forward to.
June 6, 2009
(4:59 p.m.) RADFORD -- The Stonewall Jackson boys soccer team, defensively, did everything it needed to in its 1-0 loss to George Mason in a Group A State semifinal. The Generals held their shape, pressured breakaways, and transitioned tackles to their offensive third. Unfortunately for...
(1:07 p.m.) RADFORD -- Kari Pope and Headley Wilson finished off their doubles career in style. The James Wood pair beat Jamestown's Kelly Little and Whitney Simerlein, 6-0, 6-0 in just 50 minutes for their second consecutive Group AA individual doubles state championship. Pope and...
(11:35 p.m.) RADFORD -- Call it a dynasty. Handley's girls tennis team won its third consecutive Group AA state championship on Saturday. The Judges beat Spotswood 5-0 in the final in one-hour and 19 minutes. Handley junior Katie Gordon sealed the win with a 6-4,...
BLACKSBURG -- Many of Handley's players sat and stood in the doorway of the indoor courts at the Burleson Tennis Center and watched as Lane Stickley tried to close out her match. The players sang, talked about wanting to eat and anxiously cheered on Stickley and fellow teammate Taryn Burke.
RADFORD -- Kari Pope and Headley Wilson made their match a little more interesting than they would have liked on Friday.
Name: Lane Stickley Sport: Girls tennis Position: No. 5 singles, No. 3 doubles Year: Senior Q: What do you love most about tennis? A: I think being on a team -- that's one of the biggest things. Tennis is very individual itself, so you can...
June 5, 2009
WINCHESTER -- The chemistry between Elizabeth Gardiner, Mykenzie Garrett, Katie Gordon and Sarah Moomau is evident.
QUICKSBURG -- It's a long drive from Quicksburg to Cape Charles, site of Stonewall Jackson's boys soccer match in the Group A state quarterfinals against Northampton.
FRONT ROYAL -- For first-year Valley League head coach Joe Scarano, this season could be the one in which the Front Royal Cardinals change their losing ways.
June 4, 2009
STRASBURG -- Donning a smile as wide as the ocean that separates his permanent and temporary homes, Yoshi Suzuki rattles off his favorite traditional American fare.
June 3, 2009
Pat Bain played through it all. He played through more than 90 minutes of soccer, many of which he spent stationed at forward because he was too exhausted to chase the long balls played by Northampton.
FRONT ROYAL -- Andrew Lacey had a big addition to his life recently when his fiancé gave birth to a baby boy. Now that Lacey has an even bigger family away from the court, he decided it was time to make some changes.
June 2, 2009
(9:10 p.m.) CAPE CHARLES -- The Stonewall Jackson boys soccer team defeated Northampton in the Group A state quarterfinals Tuesday, 2-1, to advance to the semifinals. The Generals scored the decisive goal in overtime. The Generals will play the winner of George Mason and Mathews...
QUICKSBURG -- On the side of U.S. 11, just north of Quicksburg Road in Mt. Jackson, a wooden cross is fixed into the ground.
June 1, 2009
RADFORD -- It was a championship day for local athletes at the Group A state track-and-field meet on Saturday.
HARRISONBURG -- Millbrook's Schavon Springer ran a different preliminary than Pulaski's Amber Church and Harrisonburg's Mandy Kaufmann on Friday night in the trials of the 100-meter hurdles.
May 30, 2009
QUICKSBURG -- About halfway through the Region B championship soccer match at Stonewall Jackson, midfielder Patrick Bain began suffering from mild cramps in his calves.
HARRISONBURG -- Using a full 360-degree spin, versus a half-spin, in the release windup, can make a big difference in the discus throw.
ALTAVISTA -- One bad inning was all it took for Clarke County's softball season to come to an end.
May 29, 2009
ORANGE -- The Sherando Warriors drew a very tough opponent in the Orange County Hornets in a Region II baseball semifinal on Thursday.
Winning a state title in any sport is hard enough; so to repeat as state champions, even for a Clarke County track and field team that brings 22 male and female athletes to Saturday's Group A state meet at Radford University, is a rare feat in its own right.
STRASBURG -- In recognition of this past March's heart-stopping -- literally -- collision between two Strasburg High School baseball players, the baseball complex is being given an automated electronic defibrillator.
May 28, 2009
QUICKSBURG -- In two minutes, Stonewall Jackson coach Nate Hissong learned everything he needed to know about the Goochland Bulldogs.
STRASBURG -- The nature of playing small ball is to put pressure on the other team. A winning baseball club with a spotty defense most of the season, Strasburg's shortcomings in the field came to the surface again in Wednesday night's Region B quarterfinals game with Riverheads.
WINCHESTER -- Headley Wilson went over and grabbed Kari Pope in an emotional embrace.
BERRYVILLE -- It took the Clarke County Eagles approximately 49 hours, but they finally got the job done in beating the Riverheads Gladiators 7-0 on Wednesday.
May 27, 2009
QUICKSBURG -- They called it Little Mexico, a sliver of an apartment complex in Mount Jackson, heavily populated by Hispanics from Guanajuato, Mexico.
WINCHESTER -- Elizabeth Gardiner and Katie Gordon have only been playing together for a few weeks, but it hasn't taken them long to hit their stride.
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Handley's John Adams went to the Region II boys tennis tournament at Boar's Head Sports Center in Charlottesville expecting to play tennis, not participate in a marathon.
WINCHESTER -- A measure that keeps middle school sports alive in Frederick County may leave other jurisdictions on the sidelines.
May 26, 2009
QUICKSBURG -- No one was exactly sure how many goals Stonewall Jackson senior Lupe Cardoso had scored in his career.
STEPHENS CITY --- The scouting report Broad Run had on Sherando's pitching staff did not include James Harrelson.
STEPHENS CITY -- In a pitcher's duel, the key to victory is making the other team crack first. Unfortunately for Sherando in its matchup against Briar Woods in the Region II Quarterfinals, the Warriors broke under pressure, allowing the Falcons to snag a 2-1 victory.
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- After two hours on a bus, Sherando's girls soccer team played 77 minutes on equal footing with one of Region II's premier teams. It was those other three minutes, and Jefferson District Player of the Year Monica Matsumoto, that frustrated the Warriors' attempt to get the win in the regional quarterfinals.
GRAND CHUTE, Wis. -- Shenandoah University defied the odds all season. A trip to the Division 3 World Series was an unlikely accomplishment. So were the chances of coming back from a five-run deficit to start the bottom of the fifth inning.
STRASBURG -- Strasburg's Region B baseball quarterfinal against Riverheads on Monday night was postponed due to rain. The game will be made up tonight at 7 p.m. The winner will advance Wednesday's semifinal. The two teams took batting practice before a steady rain set in....
May 24, 2009
Grand Chute, Wis. -- Shenandoah's run at a national championship has come to an end. Greg Van Sickler lined out in the bottom of the 11th inning with the tying run stranded 90 feet away, giving Carthage a 9-8 win over the Hornets on Sunday in an elimination game at the Division 3 World Series.
GRAND CHUTE, Wis. - Shenandoah's second round game in the Division 3 College World Series looked similar to the previous night's game. The problem for the Hornets was being on the wrong end Saturday in a 16-5 loss to the University of St. Thomas at Time Warner Cable Stadium.
May 23, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Taryn Burke experienced several things for the first time on Saturday. The Handley junior played in her first-ever regional final, she played in her first three-setter, and most importantly, she was mobbed by her teammates after clinching the Judges' fourth-straight Region II title.
After traveling two hours to Stephens City from Western Ablemarle High School, it took just five singles matches for the two-time defending Group AA state champs to end Sherando's boys tennis season Saturday. Western Ablemarle won all but the No. 1 singles match between Sherando's Kaleb Nyugen and Joey Manilla, which was stopped after Sherando lost all of the two through six matches.
APPLETON, Wis. -- "Ouch." That was the first word uttered by Farmingdale State College coach Keith Osik about the dominance of Shenandoah University in the Hornets' 12-2 opening-round win in the Division 3 World Series on Friday.
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Tears welled up in Cassie Frye's eyes. The Strasburg senior was in the middle of the discus event at the Region B meet on Friday when a comment from a coach made her realize this was her last regional meet.
APPLETON, Wis. -- With Friday's 12-2 win against Farmingdale State College, the Shenandoah Hornets now have 31 games with double-digit hits. They also have scored 10 or more runs in 20 games this season.
May 22, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Don't blink or you could miss it. The handshake between Shenandoah outfielder Kevin Brashears and pitcher Matt Davis, a blur of one set of fingers slithering its way through the nooks and crannies of the other lasts only a moment, but it's a moment the two believe can provide the Hornets with a hint of magic for an entire inning.
Almost two years ago to the day, Jordan Zimmermann, now a rookie for the Washington Nationals, toed the rubber at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wis., pitching for Wisconsin-Stevens Point in the Division 3 World Series.
STRASBURG -- The Rams hosted Madison County on Thursday for the Bull Run District title. Both teams entered the game having already secured regional berths.
QUICKSBURG -- Stonewall Jackson forward Juan Flores sat on the edge of the soccer field at Stonewall Jackson as the Shenandoah all-district teams were named.
NOKESVILLE -- Soccer games are won with goals, and the players who score them are rightfully singled out. But Thursday it was the players who prevent goals that propelled Sherando to a stunning 2-1 victory over unbeaten Brentsville in the Northwestern District girls soccer tournament finals.
STEPHENS CITY -- Sherando has been strong in doubles all season. On Thursday, the Warriors' prowess in doubles paid off.
BERRYVILLE -- One day after teammate Rachel Buckner's stellar pitching performance in the Bull Run District semifinals, Clarke County's Jordan Wolford had the dubious task of trying to match the outing and win a league championship.
NOKESVILLE -- As they walked to their dugout upon arriving at Brentsville on Thursday night, several of Sherando's players had to take a second glance at the ridge at the lip of the infield grass and wonder if they were going to be the victim of a crazy hop.
STEPHENS CITY -- When Brentsville scored six runs in the second inning, Sherando knew it was going to be a long night.
May 21, 2009
STRASBURG -- Knowing that Clarke County was coming in playing its best baseball of the season, Strasburg wanted to put Wednesday night's Bull Run District semifinals matchup to bed early with a strong showing.
WINCHESTER -- It's a cold and breezy night in Salisbury, Md. The field lights at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium flicker off and on in the waning innings of Shenandoah's Division III regional championships quarterfinal game against York, and the threat of rain is ever-looming.
MINERAL -- Ashley Rasmussen and Tootie Jackson, who compete in the discus and shot put for the Skyline girls track and field team, are like most close teammates.
MADISON -- The second-seeded Madison County Mountaineers got extra bases on seven of their 12 hits to take an 8-1 victory in their Bull Run District softball tournament semifinal game on Wednesday afternoon. Madison County will play at Clarke County today in the final.
STEPHENS CITY -- Trevor and Trey Scott are typical brothers. They are competitive, there to back each other up whenever needed and, most importantly, always ready to pick on one another.
BERRYVILLE -- Pitching and defense will win games more often than not, and Clarke County had both going Wednesday at Charles O. Grubbs Field. The Eagles soared on the strong arm of Rachel Buckner and a couple of stellar defensive plays to down the visiting Manassas Park Cougars 6-1 in the Bull Run District tournament semifinals. The Eagles will host Madison County in today's final.
WINCHESTER -- While playing basketball at Musselman (W.Va.) High School in the late 1980s, Rhonda Slider was scared to face James Wood. Now she's hoping to make other teams in the area fear the Colonels.
May 20, 2009
STEPHENS CITY -- Much of Zach Carney's time Tuesday night was spent with a scorebook in his hands. But once Sherando baseball coach Pepper Martin called on Carney to pinch-hit late in the Warriors' Northwestern District semifinals game against James Wood, the junior proved that he was just as skilled with a bat in his hands as a pencil.
WINCHESTER -- Everything happens for a reason. Or so says Shenandoah University left fielder Jasen Eberz. There's a reason Eberz had two strikeouts and committed two errors in the Division 3 South Regional championship game against Johns Hopkins on Saturday; and there's a reason why, as sophomore at Shenandoah, Eberz dove awkwardly into first base in a scrimmage and nearly tore his shoulder out of it's socket.
STEPHENS CITY -- Under the blaring afternoon sun, it was obvious that fatigue was wearing on the Sherando Warriors.
WINCHESTER -- Being one of the top scorers in the area, Sherando forward Matt Brady tends to draw a lot of attention from defenses. On Tuesday night he used that to his advantage.
STEPHENS CITY -- It was the same story for Handley all season: Build a lead, keep it throughout the game, then squander it in the last inning. Tuesday's Northwestern District semifinals game was no different for the Judges.
NOKESVILLE -- In a tough and at times brutal contest, Brentsville survived upset-minded Handley, 2-1, on Tuesday in the semifinals of the Northwestern District boys soccer tournament.
NOKESVILLE -- Her last warm-up pitch flew high and outside, just out of the reach of her catcher, and Warren County freshman Nicole King dropped her head, shaking it in frustration.
QUICKSBURG -- Stonewall Jackson goalkeeper Hayden Miller did something very rare on Tuesday night in the Generals' 9-0 Shenandoah District tournament semifinal win over Buffalo Gap. Miller scored a goal, which gave every player on Stonewall Jackson's roster at least one goal on the season.
May 19, 2009
STEPHENS CITY -- Nikki Rhodes is a brick wall. She's a defensive back, a forward, a field rat and a defensive MVP. She's called Boom-Boom, Bam-Bam, Boom-Foot and Tippy-Toe Rhodes.
STRASBURG -- Strasburg softball coach Suzanne Mathias takes no opponent lightly. And she didn't change her stance for Monday's Bull Run District tournament quarterfinal opponent George Mason, even though the Mustangs have not won within the league for several seasons.
WINCHESTER -- There's an old sports adage about the difficulty in beating one opponent three times in one season. That couldn't have been more true for Clarke County on Monday night in the Bull Run District quarterfinals at Singhas Field in Berryville.
FALLS CHURCH -- The third-seeded Madison County Mountaineers faced the second-seeded Clarke County Eagles in the semifinals of Bull Run District girls soccer tournament at George Mason High School on Monday.
WASHINGTON -- With a regular season Bull Run district championship, a No. 1 district seeding, and an automatic regional birth on the line, Susan Grubbs and the Clarke County softball team found themselves tied with Madison County going into the seventh inning.
May 18, 2009
SALISBURY, Md. -- Some of Shenandoah University's baseball players probably thought back to late January, when the USA-South preseason poll was released and had the Hornets picked to finish fifth in the seven-team league.
SALISBURY, Md. -- Last chances. It was for outfielder Jason Eberz, in his fifth season (counting a red-shirt) with the Shenandoah University baseball team. A likable teammate, Eberz, despite seeing limited time on the field before this season, has always been there to cheer the others on.
May 16, 2009
Daily Staff Report SALISBURY, Md. -- Shenandoah University's baseball team, in its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance, has survived the Division 3 South Regional and will advance to next week's World Series in Appleton, Wis. Shenandoah defeated Johns Hopkins, 11-7, in the championship game on Saturday...
SALISBURY, Md. -- Kevin Anderson made probably his most crucial move to date in this record-breaking season for Shenandoah University's baseball team.
WOODSTOCK -- In the nine-team Northwestern District, the fourth and fifth seeds would normally be the most evenly matched for tournament play.
WINCHESTER -- After more than four hours of tennis, which featured 280 points and 38 games across three sets, Sherando's Kaleb Nguyen was the last man standing -- literally and figuratively.
FRONT ROYAL -- Skyline may have won the two extra-inning battles during the regular season, but it was Warren County that won the Northwestern District quarterfinals war.
WINCHESTER -- Handley forward Michael Paule-Carres said he couldn't do it. He couldn't run with the Warren County backs, his legs weren't under him. He couldn't create any open space in which to take shots and he couldn't manipulate the ball.
WINCHESTER -- The never-give-up Colonels of James Wood came to life again Friday night at R. Hott Field, scoring the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the seventh to beat Skyline 3-2 in the Northwestern District baseball quarterfinals.
NOKESVILLE -- Kari Pope wore her frustration on her face. No matter what the James Wood senior tried in her match against Handley's Sarah Moomau, nothing worked.
STEPHENS CITY -- Sherando took advantage of two goals in the first four minutes of play to take a record-breaking 3-0 victory over Warren County on Friday in the opening round of the Northwestern District girls soccer tournament.
WINCHESTER -- Only in the postseason can there be a scene of such varying degrees of emotion.
NOKESVILLE -- James Wood's Kari Pope and Headley Wilson zone out everything around them during a match. They're not thinking about the score or who they're playing. Maybe that explains why as Handley's Katie Gordon served for the match in the second set, they were unaware of how dangerously close they were to losing for the first time in almost a year.
STEPHENS CITY -- Sherando senior Nick Merchant told coach Pepper Martin on Thursday that he wanted to pitch in the Warriors' Northwestern District tournament quarterfinal against Handley. Martin decided to let Merchant start the game and put him on a pitch cout. Merchant didn't disappoint as hed led the Warriors to a 6-2 win over the Judges in baseball action on Friday.
May 15, 2009
WOODSTOCK -- Central coach Donn Foltz has good reason to feel optimistic about his team's chances in the Northwestern District tournament, which begins today.
WINCHESTER -- Handley's Brittany Myers was a bit tired after winning her second distance race in as many days. Still, the freshman had enough left in her legs to give the Judges' 4x400 relay team a win in Thursday's final event of the Northwestern District Track and Field Championships.
SALISBURY, Md. -- In the second round of the NCAA Division 3 Baseball Championships against the York Spartans on Thursday night, the Shenandoah Hornets picked up where they left off with their defeat of Johns Hopkins in the first round.
WINCHESTER -- It was a long afternoon Thursday at James Wood for Sherando's Kaleb Nyugen and Handley's John Adams. The pair played three matches with district championships on the line within five hours. Two of those matches were against each other.
WINCHESTER -- Two years ago, Millbrook's soccer program was struggling. The Pioneers won only two regular season games, and they were just two years removed from a disastrous season in which the coaching staff quit and at one point the team was being coached by an injured player.
NOKESVILLE -- Most of Handley's girls tennis top six is used to playing in postseason matches. The Judges return five of their six from last year's state championship team. For junior Taryn Burke, the postseason is a whole new world.
FRONT ROYAL -- Bing Crosby Stadium served as the neutral site for the Northwestern District baseball championship tie-breaker between the Sherando Warriors and the Brentsville Tigers on Thursday.
May 14, 2009
SALISBURY, Md. -- The stands in Arthur W. Perdue Stadium, speckled with the few fans who could make the trip from Baltimore, Md., and Winchester for the NCAA Division 3 Baseball Championships South Regional game between Johns Hopkins and Shenandoah, were silent as Blue Jays leadoff hitter James Teta rounded the bases with relative ease in the first inning.
WINCHESTER -- John Adams and Danny Nolan were stunned as they let seven match points slip away in the second set at No. 1 doubles.
Kelley Washington is coming home. Or at least "right around the corner" from it. Washington, a Stephens City native entering his seventh year in the NFL, will sign with the Baltimore Ravens on Friday pending a physical. Washington had contract offers from the Ravens and Washington Redskins, but chose Baltimore after participating in its mini-camp this past weekend.
MANASSAS PARK -- The Clarke County Eagles swept top honors in the Bull Run District Track and Field Championships on Wednesday.
STEPHENS CITY -- Two days after beginning their game against James Wood, the Sherando Warriors kept their chances of becoming district champions alive by finishing what they started, blanking the Colonels 4-0.
WINCHESTER -- On the first day of the Northwestern District Track and Field Championships, Warren County's boys and Skyline's girls proved just how strong they are in the field events.
QUICKSBURG -- The Generals may have lost, but they went down fighting. In its home finale, Stonewall Jackson fell, 8-4, to Shenandoah District foe Buffalo Gap on Wednesday. But even with the loss, head coach Michael Hunt was gushing about the performance of his seven seniors.
May 13, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Shenandoah outfielder Scott Lambert and five others, also on the baseball team, huddled around a computer on Sunday night in the Winchester home they share.
STEPHENS CITY -- Nevermind that Brentsville and Millbrook have been the queens of Northwestern District softball circles the last few years.
STRASBURG -- The Strasburg Rams bounced back, very high, after their first Bull Run District loss Monday night at Madison County, trouncing the last-place Rappahannock Panthers, 20-4, on Tuesday night.
STEPHENS CITY -- Finally back on the field, in a game that actually yielded a result this time, Tre Porter and the rest of Sherando's baseball team didn't waste the opportunity.
STRASBURG -- Leading Strasburg by one run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Rappahannock thought it was going to get away with an upset. The Rams, however, decided to put together a last-minute rally.
Daily Staff Reports SHENANDOAH -- Stonewall Jackson's boys soccer team took care of business against its main competition, Wilson Memorial, and polished off the rest of the Shenandoah District in convincing fashion to claim the league title for the first time since 2006. That title,...
May 12, 2009
WINCHESTER -- For the first time ever, the Shenandoah baseball team will be competing in the NCAA Division 3 Baseball Championships.
WOODSTOCK -- Depite his team being down by two goals at the half, Central coach Duff Rice said that he was relatively pleased with the way the lady Falcons played in the second half, when they held the Skyline Hawks scoreless for 35 minutes.
FRONT ROYAL -- The number of parking spaces for people visiting the Skyline Soccerplex has been scarce, and town and Warren County officials are working together to provide more options and eliminate street congestion during sporting events.
Sherando players and coaches rush to unravel the tarp and cover the field after rain started falling in the third inning of the Warriors' game against James Wood on Monday afternoon. The game was eventually postponed. Dennis Grundman/Daily
May 11, 2009
FRONT ROYAL -- There had to be a sense of deja vu when the Skyline Hawks returned to their dugout, down six runs before batting for the first time Saturday afternoon against Northwestern District softball rival Central.
WINCHESTER -- The ring announcer took his time, building suspense before he read the score from the decisive third judge.
I've been restless lately. With all the rain driving me stir crazy and the anticipation of the weeks to come, sleep has taken a backseat. I'm always like a little kid at Christmas at this point in the season, but the delay to the start of the postseason is making me even more antsy this year.
May 9, 2009
FORT VALLEY -- His body doesn't forgive him like it used to. After a sparring session on Tuesday, Scotty Hosaflook parked his 45-year-old body on a wooden bench, rested his elbows on his knees and looked up at his trainer, Scott Farmer.
Audio slideshow: Blessed to be back in the ring
QUICKSBURG -- The twitch muscles in Colin Christensen's legs are weak. That lack of strength, which Christensen cites as one of his "downfalls as a distance runner," prohibits the Strasburg junior from reaching that extra gear in the final leg of the 1600- and 3200-meter runs, and has kept him winless all season.
WINCHESTER -- With things not going well and his team mired in the bottom half of the Northwestern District, Millbrook baseball coach Mike Smith made the decision to move up several junior varsity players in an attempt to find better chemistry.
WINCHESTER -- It was the last chance for several area tracksters to qualify for their district, region, and state meets Friday at Millbrook High School, and athletes from several area schools came through with photo finishes.
NEW MARKET -- The Buffalo Gap Bison unleashed an offensive barrage with 12 hits and 10 runs in the fifth and sixth innings to overwhelm the Stonewall Jackson Generals,12-1, in a mercy rule shortened six-inning Shenandoah District baseball game Friday night.
Daily Staff Reports SWOOPE -- Patrick Bain put himself in the Stonewall Jackson record books on Friday night. Bain had four assists in the Generals' 8-0 Shenandoah District win over Buffalo Gap to break the school mark for assists in a season. Bain now has...
May 8, 2009
QUICKSBURG -- Phillip Hovatter hears his share of voices at track meets. "Hey, Hovatter, whachu gonna do today? How bad you gonna beat me," one competitor says.
FORT VALLEY -- Nearly eight miles up Fort Valley Road sits a boxing gym. From the outside it looks modest, appearing sort of like a garage without a garage door. It's surrounded by uncut grass, with mammoth green mountains serving as the backdrop.
WINCHESTER -- James Wood went from being at the bottom of the Northwestern District tennis two years ago to finishing second last year. With a 5-4 win over Sherando on Thursday, the Colonels moved a step closer to duplicating last year's feat.
May 7, 2009
WINCHESTER -- For a moment, everything stopped. The soggy turf, drenched by an hour of pouring rain, weighed down the cleats of the Handley girls soccer team. And their disbelief of what was happening weighed down their spirits.
WINCHESTER -- Perhaps it was because the Handley backs were scared. Perhaps it was because the wide turf field at Sprint Field at Shentel Stadium, which usually plays to the Judges advantage, led to their undoing.
Player: Nicole King School: Warren County Sport: Softball Year: Freshman Position: Pitcher Q: What do you remember most about the no-hitter you threw against Millbrook on March 30? A: That was good. I didn't even realize I had a no-hitter until coach Stock told me....
May 6, 2009
Traditionally, Clarke County and George Mason girls soccer games have huge implications, not just in the race for the Bull Run District crown, but also the state championship.
QUICKSBURG -- Stonewall Jackson exchange student Marcello Lizarrague scored two minutes into overtime to give the Generals a 3-2 win over Riverheads on Tuesday in Shenandoah District action.
May 5, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Handley boys soccer coach Cosmo Balio said that last night's match against Millbrook was, at the time, the Judges' most important game of the season.
WINCHESTER -- On the third consecutive day of nearly continuous rain, heavy at times, the artificial surface and excellent landscaping of Shentel Stadium at Shenandoah University provided the only usable venue in the area for outdoor prep sports Monday afternoon.
May 4, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Two former Washington Redskins, Mark Moseley and Joe Jacoby, marched down the aisle of the Moose Lodge in Winchester and took their seats at center stage to applause to begin the Apple Blossom Festival Sports Breakfast on Saturday.
WINCHESTER -- On a gloomy Saturday morning, 1,038 runners took off in the 28th running of the Apple Blossom 10K in a slight drizzle. As the weather cleared, Alene Reta dashed across the finish line, winning the race with a course-shattering time of 29.03.
May 2, 2009
STRASBURG -- The Rams faced Manassas Park for the second time in as many nights Friday in girls softball action. Behind another solid performance from pitcher Lauren Stickles, Strasburg's offense came alive and the Rams comfortably defeated the Cougars 9-2.
WINCHESTER -- ESPN played it over and over and over. The highlight of L.A. Galaxy midfielder David Beckham's first Major League Soccer goal.
STRASBURG -- The Strasburg Rams baseball squad continued its devastation of opponents, extending a winning streak to seven games by overwhelming Manassas Park, 16-0, on Friday.
WINCHESTER -- Ward Burton has seen his sport change -- and in his mind not for the better.
WINCHESTER -- Mark Moseley and Joe Jacoby have a theory. A simple theory concerning former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs' second chapter in D.C. from 2004 to 2008, and why it wasn't nearly as successful as his Hall of Fame-worthy stint, which spanned from 1981 to 1993 and garnered three Super Bowl championships.
WINCHESTER -- Curtis Fleming was a teacher and counselor at Timber Ridge School in Winchester for 15 years, but he never dreamed that he would one day be invited to the Apple Blossom Festival as a celebrity. A television fishing show changed that.
NEW MARKET -- Stonewall Jackson had a good offensive outburst in the fourth and fifth innings en route to a 7-3 win over Luray in Shenandoah District baseball action on Friday ay Rebel Park.
May 1, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Amanda Litwin's attempt at throwing a change-up midway through the game failed miserably, as the ball failed to even make it to the plate. With two strikes and two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Skyline senior decided to try the pitch again.
WINCHESTER -- Skyline baseball coach Nick Sborz learned he had a few extra dance moves in him.
STEPHENS CITY -- Nicole Musser started the game pitching for Sherando, was relieved by Amanda Lutz in the fourth inning, and re-entered the game as a pitcher in the sixth inning in the Warriors' 4-1 win over Brentsville on Thursday in a Northwestern District softball game with first-place implications.
FRONT ROYAL -- Millbrook and Warren County were already locked into the Northwestern District's play-in game, which will take place once the regular season ends.
FRONT ROYAL -- An aggressive Warren County squad hoped to use a strong wind to its advantage against Millbrook in boys' soccer action Thursday night.
WOODSTOCK -- The James Wood Colonels got a complete game effort from Matt Copley and timely back-to-back hitting in three innings to top the Central Falcons, 4-2, in Northwestern District baseball action Thursday night.
WOODSTOCK -- Ashley Ebersole found the perfect way to cap off her senior night on Thursday. The senior belted a two-run homer, her seventh of the season, in the bottom of the eighth to give the Falcons an 8-6 win over James Wood in Northwestern District action.
April 30, 2009
WINCHESTER -- It was the toughest decision Lauren Delmerico has ever had to make. Lauren tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee at the end of last season. The Handley senior was cleared to play back in December, but during the first two days of spring soccer practice she still felt a lot of pain.
FRONT ROYAL -- Some golfers were decked out in rain gear from head to toe, while others toted an umbrella in one hand and their trusty club in the other as steady rain fell at Shenandoah Valley Golf Club on Wednesday.
WINCHESTER -- Handley erupted for five second-half goals en route to a 6-0 Northwestern District boys soccer win over Skyline on Wednesday.
April 29, 2009
QUICKSBURG -- By the conclusion of the Generals' season last year, Stonewall Jackson boys soccer coach Nate Hissong knew something had to change.
STRASBURG -- Clarke County and Strasburg each reached the halfway point of the district season Tuesday.
STRASBURG -- It did not take until the bottom of the seventh inning this time for Clarke County's softball team to scratch across the winning run against Strasburg.
WINCHESTER -- The Handley Judges girls soccer team employed a new defensive set, and freshman midfielder Cassandra Alamo scored her first varsity goal in their 3-0 win over the Warren County Wildcats on Tuesday.
STRASBURG -- Through one half of play, Strasburg keeper Dara Dillman stood strong against an aggressive Clarke County squad.
NOKESVILLE -- Central hung tough with Brentsville this time around. The Falcons got a solid outing from pitcher Brea Hinegardner and another homer from Ashley Ebersole, but still fell to the Tigers, 4-1, on Tuesday in Northwestern District softball action. The two teams met last week and the Tigers came away with a 14-3 win.
April 28, 2009
FRONT ROYAL -- All David Ko had to do was sit back and watch. Watch as Randolph Boppe was moved from center back to forward, where he played last year and so is one of the more experienced Judges at the position.
FRONT ROYAL -- For a team that has been in a recent slump, the last thing Handley needed to see was top pitcher Brian Tavenner have to leave Monday night's Northwestern District baseball game at Warren County early due to an injury.
FRONT ROYAL -- Four innings of nearly flawless pitching wasn't enough for Nicole King and the Wildcats. Breakdowns in defense rattled Warren County in the fifth and an inability to muster any offense against Handley ace Chelsea Hamric resulted in the Wildcats self destruction in a 5-0 Northwestern District softball loss on Monday night.
STEPHENS CITY -- As Kettle Run could attest to on Monday night, Sherando is not a team you want to come out flat against.
QUANTICO -- Casey Williams had two solid games to lead Shenandoah Valley Christian Academy to a split of a nonconference doubleheader with Quantico on Monday night in baseball action. The Patriots won the first game, 6-0, but lost the second game, 4-1. Williams went 2-for-3...
April 27, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Sherando Warriors freshman Tre Porter drew his first starting pitching assignment against the Handley Judges on Saturday in a Northwestern District baseball game.
WINCHESTER -- The host Colonels haven't won the Apple Blossom Invitational in so long that not one James Wood coach could remember how many years it's been.
WINCHESTER -- Sherando high jumper Lauren Carter took an unusually long time to line up her final series of jumps.
WINCHESTER -- Henkel-Harris Field showcased two of the best pitchers in the area Saturday morning in a game so well-played that it was a shame one team had to lose.
April 25, 2009
WINCHESTER -- There's a little extra excitement in the air for James Wood's boys track team as it gets ready to host today's 41st annual H. Brian Landes Apple Blossom Invitational.
FRONT ROYAL -- "WP" has two meanings in scorebooks -- winning pitcher and wild pitch.
FRONT ROYAL -- The Skyline Hawks put on a clinic Friday night, much to the dismay of Warren County.
WINCHESTER -- Kettle Run was late getting to Bridgeforth Field on Friday night, but the Cougars' bats made noise early in a 7-3 win over Handley.
Call it "May Madness." Next Sunday, May 3, the Shenandoah University baseball team will anxiously await its postseason fate. Just like the NCAA basketball tournament that comes along every March, the Division III baseball tournament, made up of 54 teams, will have a selection process to determine which teams get in.
WOODSTOCK -- Central started off slowly, but led by Ashley Ebersole's fifth homer of the season the Falcons got back on track for a 6-2 Northwestern District softball win over Millbrook on Friday.
April 24, 2009
WINCHESTER -- It all started with a harmless visit to the state of New York. Shenandoah men's lacrosse coach Brian Jenkins, while visiting his in-laws in Buffalo, traveled 76 miles to Rochester to watch a lacrosse tournament showcasing local high school talent.
Chandler Rhoads is coming home ... sort of. Just 11 months after committing to play basketball at Air Force, the former Clarke County hoops star has signed a letter-of-intent with the University of New Hampshire. Rhoads said his comfort with UNH's coaches, particularly head coach Bill Herrion, and a desire to be back in the East so his family could watch him play were the mitigating factors in making the move.
FRONT ROYAL -- Strong pitching and timely hitting were the keys to success as Sherando got back to the basics on Thursday night.
STEPHENS CITY -- The little things played a big part in the Northwestern District softball game between Skyline and Sherando on Thursday.
WINCHESTER -- James Wood did everything it needed to in the seventh inning on Thursday night.
WINCHESTER -- James Wood held its own for six innings Thursday before succumbing to Northwestern District softball power Brentsville, 8-3.
Daily Staff Reports QUICKSBURG -- For one inning, it all came together for the Stonewall Jackson baseball team. On a night when the Generals struck out 13 times, the fourth inning saw the home team make solid contact batter after batter as the 10-run frame...
By Linwood Outlaw III -- loutlaw@nvdaily.com FRONT ROYAL -- It's arguably the most celebrated achievement in the history of youth sports in the Northern Shenandoah Valley. Fourteen years after Little League baseball was founded by the late Carl E. Stotz, a talented group of 12-year...
April 23, 2009
BERRYVILLE -- A pitchers' duel was brewing between Clarke County ace Jordan Wolford and Warren County's Nicole King on Wednesday as fans watched from the edge of their seats.
WOODSTOCK -- The thought of his older sister going away to college was weighing on Mason's Smith mind. So throughout basketball season, the James Wood sophomore continually tried to talk her into coming out for the Colonels' track team this spring.
BERRYVILLE -- Warren County brought its lumber to Singhas Field on Wednesday, and held off Clarke County, 17-8, in a non-district slugfest.
WOODSTOCK -- Brentsville feasted on Central on Wednesday, gorging on 14 hits, including three home runs, while the Falcons managed just one hit off each of two pitchers in a 14-3 loss to the Tigers.
Daily Staff Reports Softball Handley 12, Millbrook 3 WINCHESTER -- Handley played a near-flawless game against Millbrook, scoring in all but two innings and exuding patience at the plate. "We were happy about the win," Handley coach Tim Mondell said. "Millbrook's a young team so...
April 22, 2009
QUICKSBURG -- There were doubts in the Stonewall Jackson locker room, and there were concerns in the back of coach Nate Hissong's head.
WINCHESTER -- Thanks to Hunter Leight's stellar pitching performance and his offense's red-hot bats, James Wood made easy work of defeating Millbrook 10-1 on Monday night.
STRASBURG -- Even the rain-soaked field couldn't slow down the squad from George Mason, as the Mustangs scored early and often in torching Strasburg, 10-0, in a game shortened by the mercy rule on Tuesday.
April 21, 2009
WINCHESTER -- As his shot flew past diving Handley keeper Stefano Frantellizzi in the final minute of overtime, Ryan Witt spun around on his heels and pumped a single fist into the air.
WINCHESTER -- Brittini Dennis scored on a breakaway and then went sprinting back up the sideline, pointed into the stands and waved goodbye to one of the spectators.
April 20, 2009
FRONT ROYAL -- The experienced battery tandem of Central junior Brea Hinegardner and senior Ashley Ebersole squared off against Warren County's freshmen battery of Nicole King and Taylor Bass on Saturday night.
WINCHESTER -- Things haven't gone as smoothly this season for Handley's girls tennis team as they would have liked, but on Saturday the two-time defending Group AA state champions showed things are starting to come together.
FRONT ROYAL -- Central's Sam Dowdy took the mound Saturday and pretty much turned off the lights at Bing Crosby Stadium as the visiting Falcons shut out Warren County, 2-0, in a pitchers' duel.
April 19, 2009
Bobby Herrell sports@nvdaily.com WINCHESTER -- James Wood scored two runs in the bottom of the first Friday night and held on behind the pitching of Matt Copley to defeat Kettle Run 10-6. With his pitch count up, Copley was pulled after six complete innings and...
April 18, 2009
WOODSTOCK -- Handley Judges pitcher Chelsea Hamric made a strong case for a "W" against the first-place Central Falcons on Friday.
STRASBURG -- Strasburg certainly had a lot of material to cover during halftime. Down six goals to Madison County by intermission, the Rams gathered in a circle as captain Kayla Del'Aguila stood apart from them and delivered some words of encouragement.
WOODSTOCK -- Handley gave Central some extra opportunities to score in the third inning and the Falcons took full advantage.
STRASBURG -- On the second pitch of the game, Madison County's Jordan Aylor started off right with a leadoff home run, and the rest of the Mountaineers followed suit as they battered the Rams, 10-4, on Friday night.
STRASBURG -- The Rams overcame a 3-0 deficit after the top half of the first inning to rout the visiting Madison County Mountaineers, 13-3, in a five-inning Bull Run district baseball game on Friday.
BURLINGTON, N.C. -- Shenandoah University's baseball team advanced to the second round of the USA South tournament with a 17-5 win over top-seeded N.C. Wesleyan on Friday. The win was the Hornets' 30th of the season. Daily Staff Report...
April 17, 2009
This season has been a rare one for the Shenandoah baseball team; one in which records have been shattered and history has been made.
STEPHENS CITY -- By squandering opportunities and leaving 10 runners on base, it appeared that Sherando was headed for defeat.
WOODSTOCK -- Daniel Park spent most of last year watching from the sidelines, but by the end of the season he was able to make it into Handley's starting tennis lineup. Park even played at No. 5 singles in the regional quarterfinals, where he pulled out a long three-set victory.
STEPHENS CITY -- One big inning and Nicole Musser's pitching were just about all Sherando needed to defeat Warren County, 5-1, Thursday in Northwestern District softball action.
WINCHESTER -- James Wood took advantage of two Handley errors and came up with some timely doubles to pull out a 3-1 Northwestern District baseball victory over the Judges on Thursday.
April 16, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Before every race Brad Beauregard looks up to the sky and prays. The Millbrook senior asks for his father, John, who died when Beauregard was 7, to help him out.
April 15, 2009
WINCHESTER -- During warmups, Handley keeper Caitlin Glackin defended a series of shots from assistant coach John Lynch.
April 11, 2009
STEPHENS CITY -- Sarah Wolfe attended a tennis camp at the University of Virginia as a seventh-grader and was able to hit with top Cavaliers player Somdev Devvarman. The experience was one the Sherando freshman hasn't forgotten.
Two former Strasburg players are making a big impact on their college squads: Christopher Newport's Parker Neal (Strasburg '06) and Charleston's Nick Barnes ('07).
Sherando's Kaleb Nguyen thought his season was over after breaking his left thumb.
We've all heard the excuses not to watch soccer: There's too little action; there's too little scoring; it's just a bunch of athletes running around, like headless chickens, just hoping to score a goal.
April 10, 2009
BERRYVILLE -- It was as subtle an entrance as it could have been. With no announcer to bellow his name over the Clarke County P.A. system, and with designated hitter Mitchell Wilson hitting in his place, Rams outfielder Will Orndorff made his presence known only when he quietly marched out to his spot in left field and turned to face the Eagles batters.
BERRYVILLE -- The Clarke County Eagles hosted the Strasburg Rams in the Bull Run District opener for both squads on Thursday evening.
BERRYVILLE -- It was a night of firsts for the Strasburg girls soccer team -- and not ones they'd be happy about.
April 9, 2009
WOODSTOCK -- When Central coach Jill Yew bags up the equipment before and after games, she makes sure one bat doesn't get misplaced.
STRASBURG -- There are rumors swirling through Strasburg High School. Whispers that the girls soccer team, a program not two years in the making, is doing pretty well this season.
WINCHESTER -- The way runs have been piling up at Bridgeforth Field this season, offense has almost become passé.
FRONT ROYAL-- With the string of losing seasons the James Wood girls soccer team has sustained in recent years, the Colonels are more than used to playing with a deficit.
STEPHENS CITY -- Sherando rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh and then scored the winning run in the eighth as the Warriors defeated Millbrook, 4-3, in Northwestern District baseball action on Wednesday.
April 8, 2009
WOODSTOCK -- The reason Ashley Ebersole hit three home runs in the season opener is the antithesis of what makes Central's catcher tick.
STRASBURG -- The Strasburg Rams were unable to carry over momentum from winning the Ram Hardball Classic on Saturday as the Page County Panthers prevailed in all aspects of the game, ending a five-game Strasburg winning streak with a 12-3 non-district baseball victory Tuesday night.
STRASBURG -- Maybe it was the freezing temperatures, or perhaps a lack of confidence, but either way something just wasn't right about Strasburg's play against Page County on Tuesday night.
STEPHENS CITY -- Using its speed on the basepaths to manufacture runs, Fauquier scored for runs in the top of the first en route to a 10-6 win over Sherando in non-district softball on Tuesday.
FRONT ROYAL -- Central picked up its first win of the season rallying for a 2-1 Northwestern District win over Skyline on Tuesday night in girls soccer action.
April 7, 2009
STEPHENS CITY -- With his team leading 4-2 heading into doubles, James Wood girls tennis coach Rob Haskiell could breathe a little sigh of relief.
STEPHENS CITY -- For three seasons, Nikki Rhodes was a defender on the Sherando Warriors girls soccer team.
WOODSTOCK -- The Central Falcons broke away from their recent habit of waiting until the seventh inning to get win-earning run production and built a nine-run lead after three innings and held on for a 14-8 win over the Stonewall Jackson Generals in a non-district baseball contest Monday night.
WINCHESTER -- James Wood put it all together Monday night in what coach Jared Mounts called the biggest game this year.
WOODSTOCK -- Much to its coach's delight, Central got the bats working early and often.
April 6, 2009
STRASBURG -- It was an image that everyone in the Strasburg community needed to see: Will Orndorff, clad in full baseball uniform, walking to home plate with Rams head coach Jeff Smoot for the pregame conference.
STRASBURG -- Doubleheaders test the prep softball reliance on a single premier pitcher.
WINCHESTER -- Cody Vorous had a career day on Saturday. The James Wood junior hit three home runs to lead the Colonels to a 17-7 win over Loudoun County in nondistrict baseball action. The game was called after six innings due to the mercy rule.
VIRGINIA BEACH -- Derrick Borlie won the National High School Coaches Association senior national title at 189 pounds on Sunday. The Millbrook senior beat a state champion from Nebraska in the final, pinning him in 2:52 for his first national title. "This was huge for...
April 4, 2009
STRASBURG -- Strasburg's players received all the inspiration they needed before their game with Berkeley Springs (W.Va.) on Friday night.
WINCHESTER -- Though Handley had tallied two goals through 64 minutes, the Judges had yet to score a traditional goal on the Millbrook defense.
April 3, 2009
WOODSTOCK -- Sherando coach Erin Manuel was disappointed with her team after Tuesday's lopsided loss to Brentsville and has been preaching the last few days about the importance of staying focused no matter what the score is.
STRASBURG -- Will Orndorff, a Strasburg baseball player who was seriously injured in a collision with a teammate at practice on Tuesday, is in stable condition and improving by the hour, according to Rams athletic director Matt Hiserman.
WINCHESTER -- An unofficial theme of this year's Apple Blossom Festival is "Go Local! Go Bloom! Go Celebrate!"
WOODSTOCK -- The regulation, seven-inning game has been the perfect length for Central lately, as the Falcons pulled off their second consecutive come-from-behind win in the seventh inning on Thursday.
WINCHESTER -- Vance Washington isn't a natural leader. He isn't a rah-rah type player or someone who needs to shine in the spotlight on every occasion. But whenever his team needed a leader this season, Washington was more than willing to step up and take charge.
WINCHESTER -- Courtni Green has always wanted to do everything her older brother Erick did. In fact, she always wants to do everything just a little bit better than the Virginia Tech-bound hoops star.
WINCHESTER -- For as intimidating and violent as Derrick Borlie presents himself at wrestling matches, Millbrook's two-time state champion is surprisingly impressionable.
Falcons coach shows hunger for wins, wings By Tim Tassa - sports@nvdaily.com WOODSTOCK -- Seated in a booth before an order of buffalo wings or a steak and cheese hoagie -- his favorite items on the menu -- Central's Roger Wilkins often meshes his favorite...
QUICKSBURG -- A document on a computer in Jeff Burner's second-floor classroom revealed a list of players dating back to 1997. For Stonewall Jackson's head coach, while acknowledging the names flanked by the corresponding colleges they attend or attended, life accomplishments are far more rewarding than high school basketball achievements.
STRASBURG -- For most wrestlers at Strasburg, it's been a new experience. Few of them ever had the chance to see Rick Bowley sit in the coach's corner during matches, where he leans forward with his hands folded between his knees, his protruding jaw always gnawing on something that is never in his mouth.
First team Danziel Cartwright, Handley - The senior made a team-high 43 3-pointers for the Judges this season. Cartwright shot 5-for-9 from 3-point range in the Region II, Division 3 final against Dominion. Aaron Heishman, Central - The only junior on the first team, Heishman...
First team Heather Armel, James Wood - The junior broke the James Wood scoring record this season and went over 1,000 points for her career. The guard led the area in scoring at 20.6 points per game. Jaclyn Ayers, Strasburg - Ayers averaged 11.8 points,...
First Team103: Ben Genda, Clarke County Finished runner-up in the Bull Run District and Region B tournaments. 112: Ryan Bono, Millbrook A Region II runner-up, Bono also placed seventh in the Group AA state tournament. 119: Jake Crawford, Millbrook A state champion as a freshman,...
• 1984: Walker Lambiotte, Central • 1985: Walker Lambiotte, Central • 1986: David Perault, Stonewall • 1987: C. Russell, Warren County • 1988: Brett Walters, Central • 1989: Brett Walters, Central • 1990: Clarence Morgan, Handley • 1991: Tyson Brooks, Warren County • 1992: Robert...
• 1988: Jerry Walters, Central • 1989: Jerry Walters, Central • 1990: Jerry Walters, Central • 1991: Jerry Walters, Central • 1992: Millson French, Strasburg • 1993: Mike Sipe, Clarke County • 1994: Jim Moose, Warren County • 1995: Mike Sipe, Clarke County • 1996:...
The 2008-09 Winter All-Area Teams section's players and coaches of the year and members of the boys basketball, girls basketball and wrestling all-area teams were selected by The Northern Virginia Daily sports staff.
April 2, 2009
STRASBURG -- A Strasburg baseball player remained in serious condition on Wednesday in the intensive care unit at Winchester Medical Center, according to Strasburg athletic director Matt Hiserman.
QUICKSBURG -- Not two minutes into Stonewall Jackson's match against Spotswood, Caleb Golladay scored a goal and ignited a scoring spree by the Generals' offense.
Daily Staff Reports FRONT ROYAL -- On the heels of a no-hitter, the Warren County Wildcats received another strong performance from budding ace Nicole King. The freshman struck out 12, walked none and held visiting Luray to one hit in Warren County's 5-2 non-district softball...
April 1, 2009
WINCHESTER -- With her team down by two runs entering the top of the seventh inning, Ashley Ebersole entered the dugout and implored her team to keep fighting.
WINCHESTER --James Wood was hoping for a quick seventh inning on Tuesday night, so they could try to win the game in the bottom half of the inning, but the Falcons had other plans.
BERRYVILLE -- Clarke County coach Andrew Porter had only one word for the Eagles' lone goal against George Mason on Tuesday night.
LURAY -- Sam Herndon went 3-for-4 with six RBIs, inlcuding a two-run homer to lead Clarke County to an 18-2 nondistrict softball win over Luray on Tuesday.
March 31, 2009
FRONT ROYAL -- In softball, good things rarely come to those who wait. Unless Tootie Jackson's on deck.
QUICKSBURG -- Lauren Stickles faced only 25 batters (the minimum being 21), struck out 10, issued no walks, and scattered four hits in pitching the Strasburg Rams to a 5-1 win against the Stonewall Jackson Generals on Monday in a non-district softball contest.
FRONT ROYAL -- Jamie Dodd hesitated for a second as he watched his double go down the third-base line.
Daily Staff Reports Baseball Millbrook 10, Warren County 5 WINCHESTER -- Quinn Courtney went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored to lead the Pioneers past the Wildcats in Northwestern District action. Michael Dillow went 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs for the...
March 28, 2009
STRASBURG -- Zach Cover wasn't sure what to expect when he took the mound for the first time for Strasburg this season. And while the season is still young, the sophomore is showing a lot of promise and a bright future for the Rams.
QUICKSBURG -- Two years ago, Juan Flores was the team manager of the Stonewall Jackson boys soccer team.
BERRYVILLE -- Stonewall Jackson stretched the sixth inning out so long on Friday night at Clarke County that, after they shut down the Eagles down in the bottom half of the inning, the game was halted because of darkness.
STRASBURG -- The Luray Bulldogs used great offensive efficiency, scoring seven runs on seven hits, and dealt the Strasburg Rams their first loss of the season, 7-4, in a rain-shortened five inning non-district softball game Friday night.
BERRYVILLE -- Clarke County's Brianna Smith was in a hurry to get the game over with. Smith hustled around the bases with seven steals, swiping home twice as the Eagles pounded Stonewall Jackson, 15-0, in a five-inning game.
March 27, 2009
STEPHENS CITY -- It's a good thing the Warriors scored when they did. After Sherando put up six runs on Kettle Run in the first two innings, Cougars coach Ty Thorpe replaced starting pitcher Justin Reinaldo with reliever Jamie Driver.
March 26, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Shenandoah assistant coach Bruce Cameron asserts that he's not the reason why the Hornets have become such an offensive powerhouse this season.
BERRYVILLE -- The Clarke County girls softball team beat Handley for the second time in five days, 9-2, on Wednesday at home.
SHENANDOAH -- Strasburg took advantage of six Page County errors, six walks and six hit batsmen to defeat Page County, 12-4, in nondistrict baseball action on Wednesday night.
March 25, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Following Millbrook's win over Central on Tuesday night, there was a resounding notion amongst the Pioneers that anything can happen in baseball.
WINCHESTER -- Michelle Long wasted no time getting to the point. "Right now, I have a team that's playing with very little heart, very little desire and very little urgency," Millbrook's softball coach said Tuesday. "I'm trying to get through their heads how much better they can be if they decide they want to do that. This season's been a lot about personal responsibility, and it's not being taken."
FRONT ROYAL -- Sherando's winning recipe for knocking Skyline off its undefeated Northwestern District throne was a perfect blend of small-ball, home runs and one back-breaking inning.
NOKESVILLE -- James Wood came out on the wrong end of a slugfest.
March 24, 2009
STEPHENS CITY -- With a year under his belt, James Harrelson is finding his place on Sherando's pitching staff.
BERRYVILLE -- On paper, everything was in Stonewall's favor. The Generals were undefeated through two games, while the Clarke County Eagles had yet to win a boys soccer match this season. Stonewall had the upperhand in the always competitive rivalry, sweeping their Group A counterparts last season.
FRONT ROYAL -- In searching for its first win of the season, Warren County's bats broke out in a big way.
March 23, 2009
WOODSTOCK -- Strasburg and Central were locked in a pitchers' duel Saturday night.
WOODSTOCK -- The Strasburg Rams managed to score eight runs on a stingy diet as Central Falcon pitcher Brea Hinegardner surrendered four hits, tossed four shutout innings, struck out three, issued two walks, and hit a homer to aid her own cause.
WINCHESTER -- Saturday's softball game was the season opener for Clarke County, while Handley had already played four games.
March 21, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Chris Haines has enjoyed a lot of success as Millbrook wrestling coach, but after five years he's decided it's time to head back home to Pennsylvania.
FRONT ROYAL -- Jon King's 11 strikeouts kept Warren County hitless through five innings, but it was King's acrobatics at third base that may have secured Skyline's 8-4 win.
WINCHESTER -- James Wood overcame sloppy play in the field and scored seven runs in the fifth to pull away with a 14-4 win over Millbrook on Friday in Northwestern District baseball action. The game was called after five innings due to the mercy rule.
FRONT ROYAL -- Warren County Wildcats freshman Nicole King and Skyline Hawks senior Amanda Litwin engaged in a ferocious pitchers' duel, featuring 19 strikeouts and no-hitters through four and five innings, respectively, in a nine-inning Northwestern District softball game Friday night.
March 20, 2009
STEPHENS CITY -- The bellowing roars of "Let's go, Sherando" from Nicky Lee betrayed the Warriors' improbable comeback over the Handley Judges.
STEPHENS CITY -- Sherando's road-weary baseball team finally got to christen their newly renovated field with a sweet 5-1 Northwestern District victory over rival Handley on Thursday evening.
STEPHENS CITY -- In soccer, a single opportunity seized, or missed, makes the difference between victory and defeat.
FRONT ROYAL -- The only thing coach Rich Armstrong wanted his Skyline girls to remember from their 11-0 shutout loss to Potomac Falls on Thursday night was to forget about it.
Daily Staff Reports STEPHENS CITY -- Danielle Walls had two hits, including a double to rally Handley past Sherando, 7-5, in Northwestern District softball action on Thursday. The Judges trailed 5-0 entering the sixth inning, but scored two in the top of the sixth and...
March 19, 2009
WOODSTOCK -- Jordan Robinson always knew he wanted to be a tennis coach, he just didn't expect the opportunity to come so soon.
STEPHENS CITY -- Sherando's boys tennis squad hopes to pick up where it left off last season. The Warriors lost a couple of their top six players to graduation, but with two talented newcomers added to the team, they have good reason to be confident this year.
March 18, 2009
QUICKSBURG -- Sometimes all it takes is one extra drop of water before the dam finally breaks. And in the 16th minute of Stonewall Jackson's boys soccer match against Strasburg, after the Generals had already taken six shots, a rocket by forward Lupe Cardoso from 20 yards out was all the Generals needed before their offense spilled onto the field in an 8-0 victory.
WINCHESTER -- Brian Tavenner stayed calm even when Central was threatening to score early in the game. The senior was able to get out of a few jams and his teammates rewarded him. The Judges used an eight-run fifth inning to break open a close game and pull out a 9-1 Northwestern District baseball victory on Tuesday.
STRASBURG -- A search for reliable arms began in earnest Tuesday night.
In a 14-4, five-inning victory against Shenandoah County rival Stonewall Jackson, Strasburg's baseball team officially started its search for dependable pitching help. The early returns: Sophomore starter Zach Cover gave up three unearned runs in two innings, while senior Yoshi Suzuki yielded one run in three innings of relief.
STRASBURG -- Some may say the luck of St. Patrick's Day had found Strasburg on Tuesday night, but it was clear that hard work was the real reason for the Rams' 20-4 victory over Stonewall Jackson.
WINCHESTER -- Behind the power hitting of Ashley Ebersole, Central's softball team handed Handley its first loss of the season on Tuesday, 7-4.
TITLE: Prep roundup: Colonels win with seventh-inning rally AUTHOR: Daily Staff Writer DATE: 3/18/09 2:00:24 AM PRIMARY CATEGORY: web_sports ----- BODY: Daily Staff Reports NOKESVILLE -- James Wood rallied for six runs in the top of the seventh to pull out an 8-5 victory over...
March 17, 2009
FRONT ROYAL -- Sherando coach Patrick Anderson wasn't so much impressed with how many goals the Warriors scored as he was with the variety of ways in which they scored.
FRONT ROYAL - The Warren County Wildcats were considerably wilder in their fielding, and other aspects of defensive execution, and the Sherando Warriors capitalized on the opportunities with an 18-6 win in Northwestern District baseball action Monday night.
FRONT ROYAL -- Skyline never recovered from a first-inning home run by Page County, as they lost 8-0. It was the Hawks' first loss of the young season.
March 16, 2009
WOODSTOCK -- In their Northwestern District boys soccer season opener, the Central Falcons were overly gracious hosts for the Warren County Wildcats in a steady drizzle on Saturday.
March 14, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Zac Gordon and Eduardo Santiago can both attest that spending years together on a pitch can do wonders for two players' chemistry.
FRONT ROYAL -- In the early evening, with the temperature retreating from a high of 40 degrees, and the humidity 70 percent and climbing, "raw" would be an apt description of the weather as the Skyline Hawks hosted the Millbrook Pioneers for their home opener.
WINCHESTER -- Having won back-to-back Group AA state titles, Handley's girls tennis team was rewarded in the offseason with a lot of recognition and even some bling.
WINCHESTER -- James Wood got up early and held on for a 9-5 victory over crosstown rival Handley at home Friday night.
WOODSTOCK -- Eventually one team was going to break through in Central's 2-1 victory over Warren County in Northwestern District softball action on Friday night.
March 13, 2009
WOODSTOCK -- The spring of 2007 was a special time for the Central softball team. Following a winless campaign in 2006, Jill Yew's first season as the Falcons' head coach, pitcher Brea Hinegardner and catcher Ashley Ebersole were reunited at Central, after playing years together in various leagues, and paraded the Falcons to nine wins in 2007 and 11 in 2008.
FRONT ROYAL -- For Megan Williams, this year's Warren County girls soccer team will display a bit more than just returning talent on the field.
March 12, 2009
By Bobby Herrell Daily Sports Correspondent WINCHESTER -- Facing a four-run deficit, Sherando's bats came alive with back-to-back seven-run innings en route to an 18-7 victory over Millbrook in opening-night baseball on Wednesday. Millbrook got on top in the bottom of the second behind triples...
QUICKSBURG -- The Central Falcons and Stonewall Jackson Generals played their softball season opener in a non-district game Wednesday afternoon.
NEW MARKET -- Both clubs are young, there are holes to fill on each side and growing up a little was a priority Wednesday at Rebel Park.
WINCHESTER --Millbrook coach Michelle Long has seen enough of Nicole Musser during her high school career. Musser has always had success on the pitching circle against the Pioneers and Wednesday was no different.
WINCHESTER -- It wasn't the first time this year that Millbrook forward Welmer Landaverde scored a goal between the legs of a keeper, but it's the only one so far that's mattered.
WINCHESTER -- Handley used timely hitting to knock off defending Northwestern District champion Brentsville, 6-4, on Wednesday in softball action. The win snapped Brentsville's 17-game winning streak in the district.
March 11, 2009
RICHMOND -- Freedom coach Jason Eldredge ran onto the court during a timeout in the fourth quarter, looked at his school's cheering section and pumped his fist.
QUICKSBURG -- Stonewall Jackson coach Nate Hissong stands in the middle of a barren field, his soccer team scrambling in every direction around him and dribbling soccer balls as they go.
WINCHESTER -- Often meaningless before a pitch has been thrown, the early-season expectations for James Wood -- as they were last Tuesday -- haven't always been so high.
March 10, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Millbrook has taken the approach of one game at a time all season, and now the Pioneers are one game away from playing for a state championship.
March 9, 2009
RICHMOND -- The Millbrook girls basketball team is "living the dream." Following the Pioneers' 45-40 victory over Greensville County in the Group AA, Division 3 State quarterfinal game at the Siegel Center on Saturday, Millbrook coach Debbie Sanders spoke for her entire team when she was, essentially, at a loss for words.
WINCHESTER -- The Shenandoah University Hornets baseball squad found itself on the wrong side of another 20-run score on Sunday afternoon, getting thoroughly thrashed by the Methodist Monarchs, 25-4.
March 7, 2009
WINCHESTER -- The Millbrook players squealed like little children getting the toy they wanted on Christmas morning.
HARRISONBURG -- Vance Washington lay on the floor, hands over his head, as the buzzer sounded and Greensville County began to celebrate.
WINCHESTER -- As freshmen, Millbrook's Madison Baker, Danielle Farrish, Tylesa Harper-Scott and Tarin Harper-Scott went through some growing pains.
March 6, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Vance Washington makes flashy dunks and drives to the basket. Danziel Cartwright is known for hitting 3-pointers. The pair, along with Tylon Raynor, have racked up accolades this season for Handley.
WINCHESTER -- Handley is all too familiar with JMU's Convocation Center, where the Judges will play tonight against Greensville County in the Group AA Division 3 state quarterfinals.
WINCHESTER -- With the temperature reaching the mid-50s after the recent cold snap, the Shenandoah University Hornets baseball team stayed hot, extending their winning streak to 11 with a 22-11 romp over the visiting Bridgewater College Eagles on Thursday afternoon.
March 2, 2009
ORANGE -- As Handley's name was announced to pick up the Region II, Division 3 championship trophy, Tylon Raynor stepped forward. The Handley senior hoisted the trophy in the air and showed it proudly to the Handley crowd.
ORANGE -- For a full quarter, the Millbrook girls basketball team was impervious to Freedom's size, athleticism and the echoing roar of the surrounding crowd and pep band.
February 27, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Underneath senior Vance Washington's uniform was a sleeveless white T-shirt branded with "Judges" on the front, the No. 44 on both sides and the last name "Raynor" across his shoulder blades.
HARRISONBURG -- For the first time all season, Stonewall Jackson coach Jeff Burner was nervous for the entire day prior to a game.
WINCHESTER -- As Millbrook's players raced to the locker room, they screamed and chanted, "We're going to states, we're going to states."
AMHERST -- Strasburg made a valiant comeback against Randolph-Henry on Thursday night in the Region B, Division 2 semifinals, but came up short in a 51-40 loss.
February 26, 2009
QUICKBURG -- If the Stonewall Jackson girls basketball team had nothing to prove in the Shenandoah District championship game against Buffalo Gap last Friday, they certainly do now.
WINCHESTER -- It was only natural that Lacey Harris would be a basketball player. The Millbrook junior grew up around the game.
GOOCHLAND -- With leads that numbered four points to 14 in the fourth quarter and the clock dwindling, Goochland head coach Oliver Courtney instigated Clarke County out of its preferred zone defense and into a man-to-man set.
WINCHESTER -- Jamie Carr knew going into it that this basketball season was going to be hard on him.
February 25, 2009
QUICKSBURG -- In the locker room, Stonewall Jackson freshman guard Ashley Clar was ecstatic, and she immediately let head coach Jeff Burner know about it.
WINCHESTER -- Skyline senior Andrew Thorne may have made his head coach, Sonny Dyke, a fan of the blocked shot on Tuesday.
BERRYVILLE -- There was a running joke at Clarke County High School in early January that the school's basketball team would finish with less wins than the football team.
STRASBURG -- It's an abiding hope of coaches that their players' will give their best effort in key contests.
FRONT ROYAL -- Jasmine Curtis knew her team's season was on the line. When she came off the bench in the third quarter, the Handley sophomore made sure to make the most of her opportunity.
WINCHESTER -- They may have waited until the last four minutes of the game, but the Shenandoah Hornets made sure everything fell into place at the right time to snatch an 83-77 victory over N.C. Wesleyan in the quarterfinals of the USA South Tournament on Tuesday night.
WINCHESTER -- The Shenandoah women's basketball team came out aggressive, slowly building a lead it wouldn't relinquish, and took down a scrappy Averett team, 76-64, in the USA South quarterfinals on Tuesday.
WINCHESTER -- Shenandoah coach Kevin Anderson became the school's all-time wins leader on Tuesday. The achievement came early in the season due to the Hornets' hot start. SU won its sixth consecutive game and eighth in nine games to open the season to push Anderson...
February 24, 2009
STEPHENS CITY -- Moments before the beginning of a mid-January practice at Shenandoah Valley Christian Academy, Stephen Jefferson's wish wasn't to be someplace else.
WINCHESTER -- After growing up in Baltimore as a youngster, Jeremiah Wilson has always been a fan of the Maryland Terrapins.
FRONT ROYAL -- Until he was in seventh grade, Rueben Shanks' athletic focus was baseball. That's when he found that throwing shot put and discus came easy to him.
February 23, 2009
SALEM -- The image of Jake Crawford leaping into the outstretched arms of Millbrook coach Chris Haines spoke more to the jubilation of the moment than words ever could.
SALEM -- Strasburg senior Sean Hall tried to use an old tradition to break what he called a recent "curse."
WINCHESTER -- With a win and a little bit of help, Shenandoah gets one more game at Shingleton Gymnasium.
WINCHESTER -- The Shenandoah women's basketball team secured fourth place and a home game in the upcoming USA South tournament by defeating Methodist, 70-65, on Saturday at Shingleton Gymnasium.
WINCHESTER -- In weather conditions more fitting for indoor sports, Shenandoah University's baseball team persevered and rolled over Mount Aloysius, 16-8, on Sunday at Bridgeforth Field.
February 21, 2009
MADISON - The Bull Run District tournament final featured the expected, and the unexpected, Friday night. The expected being the undefeated, and state's top ranked Group A team, Madison County Mountaineers, playing for the trophy. The unexpected being their opponent, the third seed Clarke County Eagles, who beat the second seed George Mason Mustangs in overtime Wednesday.
SALEM -- Speaking of the drama inherent in a state tournament, Strasburg coach Ricky Bowley made a simple but accurate prediction: "It'll get here."
WOODSTOCK -- J.J. Armentrout made quite an impression on college football coach Mike Kellar at a team camp last summer.
HARRISONBURG -- Stonewall Jackson forward Jessica Richardson hardly exhibited much emotion when her basket -- after drawing a foul -- fell through the net with 1:16 left in the fourth quarter.
WINCHESTER -- As the Handley players finished their team meeting after the game, Vance Washington commented to his teammates that he didn't want to take off his jersey.
SALEM -- Central coach Scott Fletcher was just as ecstatic as Thomas Cooper (160 pounds), the Falcons' only state qualifier, who was 2-0 through the first two rounds of the Group AA State Wrestling tournament.
February 20, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Skyline tried to slow the game down against Millbrook on Thursday night. The plan worked for most of the first half, but the Pioneers were able to get their fast-paced offense going before intermission and carried it over into the final 16 minutes.
FALLS CHURCH -- When she looked down at her right leg with 4:48 remaining in the third quarter of Thursday's Bull Run District final, Jaclyn Ayers appeared surprised to see blood.
STEPHENS CITY -- Moving from Pennsylvania to Virginia before his first year of middle school meant more for James Wood senior Josh Shaffer than simply changing his home address: It provided him with a new love for wrestling.
STRASBURG -- To prepare for the Group A state wrestling tournament, which starts today, Sean Hall is mostly sticking with the status quo -- a regimen that's earned him sixth-, third- and second-place finishes at the two-day event.
February 19, 2009
WINCHESTER -- From the eyes of Roger Wilkins, Central's head coach, watching the progression of Handley's basketball team is an annual occurrence. Meeting twice in the regular season, he said, there is initially a "getting started" element to the Judges' game, and a noticeable improvement during the second matchup.
HARRISONBURG -- There's nothing fancy about the way Stonewall Jackson girls basketball coach Jeff Burner coaches his team.
FRONT ROYAL -- The third-seeded Millbrook Pioneers met the second-seeded Skyline Hawks Wednesday night in a Northwestern District tournament semifinal contest. The Hawks had won both of the regular season matchups.
MADISON -- Zach Shiley scored 21 points and twin brother Sam Shiley added 19 as third-seeded Clarke County upended second-seeded George Mason, 71-69, in overtime of the Bull Run District boys basketball tournament semifinals on Wednesday. The Eagles squandered a chance to clinch the game...
February 18, 2009
STEPHENS CITY -- Kristina Salazar and her Skyline teammates were incessantly reminded by their coach, Andrew Lacey, to be less passive throughout Tuesday's game.
FALLS CHURCH -- The first quarter played a role yet again, but this time it wasn't the whole story.
WINCHESTER -- With Millbrook center Lacey Harris sitting out with foul trouble, Courtni Green realized somebody needed to step up. The freshman delivered by taking control of the paint in the third quarter.
STAUNTON -- As Stonewall Jackson senior David Scott trotted off the court, having fouled out of the game with 2:17 left on the clock, he received a brief round of applause.
FALLS CHURCH -- Its season seemingly on the line with every possession, Clarke County's girls basketball team had a victory against rival George Mason within reach.
February 17, 2009
As Sherando players walked off the court Friday after a loss to Central in Northwestern District tournament quarterfinals, there was disappointment on their faces; there wasn't, however, the usual tears from seniors who have to face the reality that their season is over.
February 16, 2009
STERLING -- Millbrook and James Wood share one of the fiercest rivalries in the region -- and, at times, an admirable camaraderie.
CUMBERLAND -- About the same moment the time keeper ventured over to inform the referee of the third period's waning seconds, Strasburg 130-pound wrestler Jay Silvas noticed the clock: it read 10 seconds.
February 14, 2009
WINCHESTER -- The Handley Judges got back to "playing the way they should," according to coach Tommy Dixon, and came away with a 59-37 victory in the quarterfinals of the Northwestern District Tournament over a young Kettle Run team.
STRASBURG -- The Manassas Park Cougars and Strasburg Rams opened their second season Friday night in the quarterfinal round of the Bull Run District Tournament.
WOODSTOCK -- After being out-rebounded in the first half, Central coach Roger Wilkins gave his team a pep talk about the importance of pulling down the boards in the rest of the game. The players responded to his words and Central dominated on the boards and used its height advantage to pull out a 70-51 Northwestern District tournament quarterfinal win over Sherando. The fourth-seeded Falcons will play at top-seeded Handley on Wednesday in the semifinals.
WINCHESTER -- When Jesse Henry and Scott Lambert rode into the parking lot at Bridgeforth Field on Wednesday, their green Ford Explorer was just one of a few vehicles present.
WINCHESTER -- It didn't matter to Dustin Pierce that his ankle was wrapped in powder blue athletic tape, or that the bruise on his right foot stretched up to his lower shin. In celebrating Millbrook's 62-51 Northwestern District tournament win over James Wood on Friday night, Pierce leapt high enough to reach the outstretched hands of the screaming Millbrook fans who hung over the guardrails of the bleachers.
FRONT ROYAL -- Listening to the public address announcer broadcast his name at least 11 times during the third quarter, Skyline forward Eric King was obviously having a stellar night. But even King, a senior forward whose previous career high in points was 16, lost track of how many field goals he actually had during a crucial eight-minute stretch against Warren County on Friday.
STRASBURG -- Clarke County coach Tim Lawrence told his girls they couldn't afford anymore losses.
STERLING -- James Wood is holding onto a slim lead over county-rival Millbrook after the first day of the Region II wrestling meet. The Colonels have 70 points, while Millbrook is in second with 68.5 points and Sherando is in third with 61 points. The tournament concludes today at Park View High School. The top four in each weight class advance to next week's state tournament in Salem.
February 13, 2009
WINCHESTER -- The constant buzzing -- a bothersome wail caused by a scoreboard malfunction in the second quarter -- provided for headaches during the unveiling of Handley's newly renovated gym on Jan. 16.
WINCHESTER -- Joanna Schiavoni wasn't about to lose in potentially the final home game of her career.
STEPHENS CITY -- The skin on Blake Adams' scalp is flushed to an almost crimson luminescence, and is visible between the tiny wisps of his shaved blonde hair.
WINCHESTER -- Joanna Schiavoni wasn't about to lose in potentially the final home game of her career.
STEPHENS CITY -- Practicing in the Sherando wrestling room, Nick Bakos is surrounded by motivational tools.
By Dennis Atwood -- Daily Sports Correspondent QUICKSBURG -- The Stonewall Jackson Generals girls basketball program achieved some historic milestones in its 53-27 muzzling of the Luray Bulldogs on Thursday night. The Generals had beaten top-spot rival Buffalo Gap 42-40 on Tuesday night on an...
By Tim Tassa -- Daily Staff Writer WINCHESTER -- The joyous screams inside the visiting locker room boomed throughout the hallway just after Sherando's 67-56 Northwestern District quarterfinals victory over James Wood on Thursday. "Isn't that the prettiest sound in the history of the world?"...
WINCHESTER -- If players and coaches agreed on anything, it was that the Millbrook Pioneers played two very different halves of basketball Thursday night.
February 12, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Erin Drumheller is a perfectionist. The Handley guard's obsession with being perfect is at the forefront of everything she does. It's the reason she plays basketball with such a fiery passion.
February 11, 2009
QUICKSBURG -- The play didn't exactly unfold as planned. The shot wasn't textbook, no matter your definition. Still, the result worked out pretty well for Meghan Lutz and the rest of the Stonewall Jackson girls basketball team.
WINCHESTER -- Mandy Johnston hasn't been exempt to the trials -- the additional game minutes and speedier pace -- of a collegiate rookie season.
Both Sullivan Parkes and Mara Smith will get the opportunity to fulfill their dreams next season -- and they'll be able to do it competing against each other.
WINCHESTER -- With only a small pool of applicants for the James Wood boys soccer position, Chris Hild decided to step up and take the reins. Hild, who was the Colonels' junior varsity coach in 2006 and 2007, applied for the position recently and on...
February 10, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Handley had six days to stew and think about its loss last week to Millbrook. On Monday night, the Judges got back on the court to take out their frustrations on Sherando.
WOODSTOCK -- The Central Falcons used an effective press and dominance in the paint to close out the regular season with a convincing 71-47 win over the Brentsville Tigers on Monday night.
WINCHESTER -- Handley coach Marvin Scott couldn't have asked for a better 51st birthday present from his players on Monday night.
February 9, 2009
STEPHENS CITY -- Millbrook wrestler Derrick Borlie remembers the last time the Northwestern District tournament was held at Sherando High School: He was "embarrassed" and pinned in the championship bout by A.J. Bakos.
MANASSAS PARK -- On Saturday, Colin Barnes, alongside his jubilant Strasburg teammates, approached head coach Rick Bowley, who had a moment of respite in the stands following the Bull Run District tournament's trophy presentation.
February 7, 2009
STRASBURG -- Clarke County coach Brent Emmart spoke to his team as though there was no doubt that Grant Shaw would sink the game-tying free throw.
FRONT ROYAL -- The line to congratulate Skyline guard Terrell Matthews on Friday was overwhelming.
WOODSTOCK -- It was senior night for the Central Falcons as they hosted the Skyline Hawks in girls Northwestern District basketball action Friday night. The special occasion may have given the Falcons additional motivation.
If local coaches have agreed on anything concerning today's Northwestern District wrestling tournament, to be held at Sherando High School, it's that the clash of talent will make for an intriguing and unpredictable event.
WINCHESTER -- Sherando has struggled at times this season putting points on the board, but on Friday night the Warriors found the perfect recipe for success.
February 6, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Erin Drumheller did a little bit of everything for Handley on Thursday night.
BERRYVILLE -- Try as it may, Clarke County simply couldn't mar George Mason's unblemished Bull Run District record, as the Eagles fell 67-59 to the visiting Mustangs on Thursday night.
February 5, 2009
STEPHENS CITY -- Lynn Metheny admits that even though she has a son attending William and Mary and a daughter at James Madison University, she will be wearing "a little bit more orange and blue" from now on.
STEPHENS CITY -- Before he signed an official letter-of-intent to play football at the University of Virginia on Wednesday -- National Signing Day -- Ross Metheny digitally addressed those he may soon guide in offensive huddles.
At least one area player is still holding out hope for a FBS scholarship. James Wood kicker Andrew Lloyd recently decided to accept an offer to walk-on at a major school, but there's still a possibility he could be offered a scholarship by another program.
QUICKSBURG -- The Shenandoah District-leading Stonewall Jackson Generals hosted the Page County Panthers in girls basketball action Wednesday night. The Generals entered the night with an 11-game winning streak and a perfect district record.
BERRYVILLE -- Clarke County heeded the message to play physical with and box out Madison County's Logan Terrell and David Falk a quarter too late in its 54-49 loss at home on Wednesday.
February 4, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Andrew Oates heard the Handley crowd. After the Millbrook point guard and quarterback missed on a long pass to Dustin Pierce in the first half, Handley fans chanted "Just like football." Oates didn't miss when he got a shot at redemption late in Millbrook's 63-59 overtime victory Tuesday night.
STRASBURG -- In comparison to the first three quarters of George Mason and Strasburg's matchup on Tuesday night, the last eight minutes appeared to be going in fast forward.
MARSHALL -- SVCA's Stephen Jefferson set a 30-year-old school scoring record in the Patriots' 82-55 win over Fresta Valley on Tuesday.
February 3, 2009
WOODSTOCK -- With each shot on Monday, Central junior Kyle Willis allowed his shooting hand more time to gawk at its work.
QUICKSBURG -- The date rolled off Meghan Lutz's tongue as if she'd never quite let go of the day she tore the ACL, MCL and meniscus in her right knee.
WOODSTOCK -- In a game of momentum swings, Central seized control when it mattered most.
February 2, 2009
FRONT ROYAL -- It was Brandon Seal's finest moment of the day. Seal, a sophomore at Millbrook, was trailing Matt Murphy by four points in the Pioneers' 152-pound bout against Freedom (Loudoun) at the Wildcat Scramble Duals held at Warren County High School on Saturday.
WINCHESTER -- James Wood's Matt Johnson called it a "schoolyard" play. After Johnson missed a shot in the waning moments of the Colonels' 68-65 win over Skyline on Saturday, the Hawks' Andrew Thorne collected the rebound and players from both teams darted up the floor -- except for Johnson.
STRASBURG -- The Strasburg Rams nearly had too many turnovers and just enough timely effort to pull off a 45-40 overtime win against the Manassas Park Cougars in Bull Run District boys basketball action Saturday night.
WINCHESTER -- One night after clinching the Northwestern District regular-season crown, the Handley Judges avoided a letdown and beat Warren County, 78-63, on Saturday night.
WINCHESTER -- Handley girls basketball coach Marvin Scott wasn't at all surprised by the Judges' solid 56-26 victory against the Warren County Wildcats on Saturday night.
January 31, 2009
SWOOPE -- The people running the Super Bowl this Sunday can only hope their game will be able to live up to the hype in the manner the Shenandoah District showdown between Buffalo Gap and Stonewall Jackson did Friday night.
WOODSTOCK -- Following a missed free throw -- his only miss from the charity stripe all night -- Central junior Aaron Heishman twisted his head around and revealed a face of anguish.
FRONT ROYAL -- Danziel Cartwright was told by the Handley coaching staff that the third quarter is the "best quarter."
WINCHESTER -- Central coach Stephanie Mathews was all smiles after her scrappy Falcons pulled out a victory at James Wood, 62-58, on Friday night.
FRONT ROYAL -- Handley head coach Marvin Scott said it's too late in the season to be turning the ball over as much as the Judges did against Skyline on Friday. However, he added that this late in the season, he'll also take a win.
January 30, 2009
QUICKSBURG -- Stonewall Jackson head coach Jeff Burner is comfortable calling himself a perfectionist.
NOKESVILLE -- Central head coach Roger Wilkins didn't hesitate in calling Aaron Heishman's performance on Thursday the best of his prep career.
January 28, 2009
FRONT ROYAL -- The double leg takedown -- a coy plunge or shot at an opponent's legs -- is commonly the first move an aspiring wrestler is taught.
January 27, 2009
STRASBURG --For three quarters, the Strasburg Rams may have played their best all-around basketball of the season.
January 26, 2009
WINCHESTER -- As one of his player's struggled to hold back tears, Tommy Dixon offered a pat on the back and words of encouragement.
QUICKSVILLE -- No one on the Stonewall Jackson sideline, not even head coach Jerry Franklin, could believe what was happening.
WINCHESTER -- First Stevie Johns planted himself in a seat during post-game interviews. Moments later, Shenandoah head coach Robert Harris did the same.
FRONT ROYAL -- The Clarke County Eagles had only nine players suited up when they visited the Skyline Hawks for a non-district basketball game Saturday night.
WINCHESTER -- Jefferson (W.Va.), with Dakeea Marshall leading the way, went home with a well-earned victory over Handley, 45-42, on Saturday night.
WINCHESTER - For the first time this season, Shenandoah entered a Sunday afternoon bout coming off a Saturday loss. The team didn't quiver. The Hornets defeated Averett 68-59 on Sunday, salvaging their weekend homestand in the process. They improved to 10-6 overall and 6-3 in...
FRONT ROYAL -- Warren County basketball coach David Cramer had been talking about needing four quarters worth of intensity from his Wildcat team heading into the teams' non-district game against Freedom High School on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats exceeded Cramer's expectations by going end-to-end for six periods in their thrilling 77-75 double-overtime victory over the visiting Eagles.
January 24, 2009
BERRYVILLE -- The Strasburg Rams' girls basketball team could finally afford to be excited.
FRONT ROYAL -- With the frequency of Skyline's perimeter shot attempts, a few are bound to fall through the cylinder in peculiar, odd and extraordinary fashion.
QUICKSBURG -- For three quarters, Phillip Hovatter and his Stonewall Jackson teammates executed head coach Sophie Stout's game plan to perfection.
January 23, 2009
WOODSTOCK -- It's not that Andrew Oates was unusually jazzed for the second half; he just happened to be the first player to exit the locker room after halftime for visiting Millbrook on Thursday.
STEPHENS CITY -- For a moment, the final minute of Thursday night's game between Sherando and Strasburg had an eerie resemblance to the teams' previous meeting: The Warriors led the Rams by three points, and Strasburg guard Bub McKelvey was standing alone behind the 3-point arc.
BERRYVILLE -- By the end of the first period, the Warren County boys basketball team had seen enough of Sam Shiley.
January 22, 2009
STRASBURG -- The Group A Strasburg Rams hosted the Group AA Sherando Warriors in a rare late season non-district girls basketball action on Wednesday night. The game was arranged to fill a hole in the Rams' schedule caused by Rappahannock leaving the Bull Run district.
WINCHESTER -- Cory Chipman can't resist the temptation. The James Wood senior knows it would be easier on his heart if he didn't constantly follow the war in Iraq, but still he finds himself watching the news whenever he can. Chipman has a very special reason to watch -- his father Alan is there.
QUICKSBURG -- Stonewall Jackson head coach Jeff Burner has always subscribed to the theory that testing a team early will get it where it needs to be come district play.
January 21, 2009
FRONT ROYAL -- Andrew Thorne admitted he was anxious to get back in the game. Moments after a dazzling dunk in the first quarter, he was charged with his second foul and relegated to the bench for the duration of the first half.
WINCHESTER -- Millbrook guard Andrew Oates and James Wood forward Matt Johnson are good friends off the basketball court. Occasionally, the two even go to the beach together.
STRASBURG -- After having its four-game winning streak snapped by a team lower in the district standings, Strasburg was looking to start a new run on Tuesday.
FRONT ROYAL -- It took the Skyline Hawks nearly a quarter to re-adjust to playing basketball. Head coach Andrew Lacey had given his team "three-to-four" days off from practice -- measures for flu-like conditions that had plagued his team. Once they found their rhythm on...
January 20, 2009
Ross Metheny ate, relaxed, watched some film, bowled and ate some more. The Sherando quarterback and University of Virginia commit will sign his National Letter of Intent on Feb. 4, but this weekend, Metheny tripped to Charlottesville for an intimate look at the program he'll officially join in a couple weeks.
January 19, 2009
STRASBURG--Colin Barnes rose to his knees, kissed his index finger, and pointed to the gymnasium rafters at Strasburg High School; a makeshift cast wrapped his sprained right wrist.
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. -- Shenandoah University men's basketball team picked up its first USA South conference win of the season on Saturday. The Hornets beat North Carolina Wesleyan 68-65. Shenandoah's women's team also won Saturday, defeating the Bishops, 64-47. In the men's game, the Hornets...
January 17, 2009
STRASBURG -- Years ago, amassing 100 victories was a rare milestone for a wrestler.
STRASBURG -- After a devastating district loss to George Mason on Wednesday night, Strasburg Rams coach Joel Morgan said his team needed to work on execution.
WINCHESTER -- Scoreboard malfunctions, a sluggish third quarter and hungry opponents with equally ravenous fans did their best to spoil Handley's quasi-homecoming on Friday.
QUICKSBURG -- The Stonewall Jackson Generals may have figured that playing on Lee-Jackson Day would be a boost to their cause against the Page County Panthers in a Shenandoah District basketball game Friday night.
WINCHESTER -- Erin Drumheller sank four free throws over the final minute and 30 seconds Friday to lead Handley to a 48-43 girls basketball victory over Central. Drumheller led the Judges with 18 points and helped seal victory for the formerly beleaguered club, which had...
January 16, 2009
STRASBURG -- Whispers scurry through the gymnasium at Strasburg High School. A wrestler from Stonewall Jackson steps onto a mat for the 103-pound bout against Clarke County's Ben Granda; the wrestler wears an unusual piece of headgear, designed to cover the entire scalp.
BERRYVILLE -- Must-win talk was fodder for victory for Clarke County before Thursday's game against Strasburg. Now the team can savor a feeling that's mostly been missing this season.
January 15, 2009
WINCHESTER -- Seth Fauver just had to hold on. The James Wood junior knew all he had to do was keep from being pinned or lose by technical fall by Millbrook's Allen Silver to give the Colonels a win Wednesday night.
WINCHESTER -- His missed free throw with 0.7 seconds left in the game was his only mishap -- one that was softened as Millbrook's futile attempt from three-quarters court clanked off the ceiling.
FRONT ROYAL -- The Warren County Wildcats had their claws out and showed their teeth in leading the Central Falcons in each of the first three quarters, taking a three-point lead into the fourth quarter on Wednesday night.
FRONT ROYAL -- Take away one quarter, specifically the third quarter, and Skyline could have easily scored the upset it was looking for over Millbrook.
WOODSTOCK -- Central used a stingy defense and an even contribution on offense to rout Warren County, 64-18, in Northwestern District girls basketball action on Wednesday. Ashley Ebersole led the way for the Falcons with 13 points, while Kelsey Bowman and Ashley Jernigan each tacked...
WINCHESTER -- Shenandoah's men's and women's basketball teams were swept by Christopher Newport in a doubleheader on Wednesday. The Hornets' men's squad opened USA South play with a 57-48 loss to the Captains, who trailed by four points at intermission. On two SU players managed...
January 14, 2009
FRONT ROYAL -- Step through and twist and throw was how Alan Kroh described the head drag.
The 215-pound Skyline sophomore called it his main move -- one that's he been practicing all season. And moments before Skyline's 36-29 victory over rival Warren County, he was even kind enough to offer a demonstration -- even when it seemed his Wildcats opponent, Eddie Stevens, was stepping on his toes.
By Dennis Atwood -- Daily Sports Correspondent STRASBURG -- Jamar Crawford came up with the crucial plays when the Rams needed them. The final -- and most pivotal -- of those plays came with just more than 10 seconds left on the clock, when the...
WINCHESTER -- Handley started strong and finished strong on Tuesday night against James Wood. The Judges used a solid first quarter to build a big lead, only to have the Colonels close the gap in the third quarter. Handley once again rose to the occasion with another offensive outburst in the fourth quarter to pull out a 70-50 win over James Wood in Northwestern District action.
January 13, 2009
STEPHENS CITY -- Dustin Pierce's shot didn't roll around the rim, it just sat there, balancing on the edge, steadied by the backboard. After what seemed an eternity, the ball fell through the basket, giving the Millbrook Pioneers a one-point lead over the Sherando Warriors in overtime. The Pioneers maintained that lead, eventually ousting the Warriors, 57-53.
WINCHESTER -- With both squads just over halfway through their 22-game basketball schedules, the time is ripe for making any adjustments necessary for improvements during the stretch run. The Warren County Wildcats have a somewhat longer to-do list than their hosts, James Wood, especially after the Colonels' 74-46 win on Monday night.
WINCHESTER -- Joe Jacoby, a former Washington Redskins great and current volunteer assistant football coach at Shenandoah, was promoted to full-time assistant status for the Hornets on Monday.
STEPHENS CITY -- The Millbrook Pioneer offense was more hard and blunt than precise and surgical. Either way, the Pioneers defeated the Sherando Warriors 69-35 as they rode a 19 point performance by Tylesa Harper-Scott at Sherando High School.
January 12, 2009
STRASBURG -- Warren County coach Matt Wadas hugged Strasburg senior Justin Sager following the match between the Rams and the Wildcats at the Strasburg Ram Duals held on Saturday.
January 10, 2009
In front of a raucous home crowd on Friday, Central sank seven 3-pointers in a 50-35 Northwestern District victory over the Hawks. Aaron Heishman had 11 points and J.J. Armentrout had 10, while Morgan Reynard and Seth Bauserman both connected twice from 3-point range.
FRONT ROYAL -- After coming out of the game early in the third quarter, Kelsey Corcoran knew it was time to make a difference. Once she re-entered the game, she took advantage of her opportunity dominating inside to lead the Hawks to a 52-40 victory over Central in Northwestern District girls basketball action on Friday.
STRASBURG -- The first-place Strasburg Rams faced several improbable situations during their 48-28 victory over last-place Madison County in a Bull Run District girls basketball game on Friday.
STEPHENS CITY -- Coming into Friday night's game against Sherando, James Wood junior Trae Tinsman knew that the Colonels' record wasn't indicative of the team's talent.
January 9, 2009
CHESTER -- Kenny Robertson understood that Shenandoah's film review later in the week won't be as pleasant as Thursday night's outcome. The Hornets, who led at halftime by 11 points after shooting 62 percent from the field, squandered their lead, but salvaged overtime and eventual elation.
Clarke County, which hadn't lost a Bull Run home game in four seasons, was routed by George Mason, 68-48, giving its long-dominated district opponents hope for a chance at redemption the rest of this season.
January 8, 2009
STRASBURG — The Strasburg Rams were punched in the mouth by the Clarke County Eagles. And the strawberries on Jaclyn Ayers’ knees, the result of diving for loose balls and getting pushed to the floor in the paint, were evidence that the Rams had to fight for every one of their scoring opportunities in their 50-42 win over the Eagles.
WINCHESTER — Vance Washington stepped away from the free-throw line to gather himself.
STEPHENS CITY -- As a jump shooter, Jordan Sillars is more of a quick-release, fundamentals guy.
FRONT ROYAL — Head coach Dave Cramer felt if his team could get just one win, his players’ confidence would soar and more victories would follow.
January 7, 2009
In basketball, offense draws a crowd. We love to watch as Handley goes on a dazzling 23-0 scoring rampage against Sherando, and as Danziel Cartwright swishes dagger after dagger from beyond the 3-point arc.
January 6, 2009
WINCHESTER — Handley coach Tommy Dixon always preaches to his team that the third quarter is the most important one. On Monday night, his team listened.
WINCHESTER — During the Central Falcons’ latest practice, head coach Roger Wilkins made sure his team put a special emphasis on free-throw shooting. During the practice, each player was asked to step up to the line and try to put together a string of consecutive free throws. The Falcons went 13-for-13.
WINCHESTER — Handley guard Corin Scott’s jump shot in the fourth quarter wasn’t errant; actually, it fell perfectly through the net. It was, however, seemingly out of place against Skyline on Monday with 2:11 remaining on the clock. Of the Judges’ 21 field goals at Shingleton Gymnasium on the campus of Shenandoah University, 17 were layups.
WINCHESTER — When Clayton Rodney’s first shot of the evening successfully swished through the basket with five minutes remaining in the first period, he was momentarily confused by the sound of the buzzer and his Millbrook teammates rushing onto the court toward him. It wasn’t until the announcer proclaimed seconds later that he had scored his 1,000th-career point that he realized what he had done.
SHENANDOAH — Jaclyn Ayers had a career night statistically, notching a double-double in Strasburg’s 66-55 win over Page County on Monday night. Ayers, a junior, tallied 22 points, 11 rebounds and six rebounds as the Rams used a strong third quarter to put away the...
My father, a military man, raised me on the virtues of sports because he believed it to mirror real life. “Life isn’t fair,” he said time and time again, “and sometimes, neither is sports.”
January 5, 2009
STRASBURG — The Strasburg Rams started the new year with a convincing 57-41 victory over Shenandoah County rival Stonewall Jackson Generals in a nondistrict game Saturday night.
WINCHESTER -- Jefferson County (W.Va.) has only one starter returning from last year. Despite a young squad the team continues to rack up big wins early in the season.
January 3, 2009
STRASBURG — Some might have called it an ugly win, others, boring. A quick glance at the scoreboard, especially in the first quarter, might have been an indication to the absurdity of the game. And the sight of Strasburg coach Joel Morgan leaping in the air and stomping both his feet in frustration may have hinted at a nauseating ambiance throughout the gym at Strasburg High School.
FRONT ROYAL — Andrew Thorne and Terrell Matthews just needed a hint of eye contact. As Skyline adjusted to James Wood’s zone defense, spreading the court at coach Sonny Dyke’s will, Thorne — stationed in the right corner — and Matthews — on a wing — connected.
WINCHESTER — Classes don’t resume until Monday, but prep sports didn’t take a break for the winter holidays. As a case in point, the James Wood Colonels hosted the Skyline Hawks in their first meeting of the girls basketball season in a Northwestern District game Friday night.
January 2, 2009
WOODSTOCK -- Aaron Heishman had a lot on his plate. Central's high-energy junior guard had the unenviable task of juggling advance placement classes and Chemistry 2 at school, his various duties with Future Farmers of America, as well as his chores at home on his parents' farm.
December 31, 2008
STRASBURG -- His little sister's admiration punctuated the kind of night Jamar Crawford had. First it was the standing ovation from the home crowd, as his last-second 3-pointer dropped through the cylinder.
QUICKSBURG -- One might expect the demeanor of a team, just prior to hosting a county rivalry game, to be confident, but not cocky; resolute, but not relaxed. But during the pregame shootaround at Stonewall Jackson, Heather Stout and the rest of the Generals paraded around the gym with a swagger not typical of a team about to host a Central squad which had already dealt the Generals a loss this season.
SHENANDOAH JUNCTION -- Danziel Cartwright could tell in practices over the last week that Handley wasn't putting in the effort they needed to. So, the senior guard wasn't surprised by his team's lackluster performance on Tuesday night against Jefferson County (W.Va).
QUICKSBURG -- Having devoted their last two practices to offense, with a specific focus on shooting, spacing and ball movement, the Central Falcons were eager to see if their ceaseless drills had paid off.
December 30, 2008
STRASBURG -- For some teams, the task of guarding a quick-footed, sure-handed slasher like Washington's (W.Va.) Jasmyn Hosby is an unenviable one left more often to traps and double teams than to individual defenders. But Strasburg junior Jaclyn Ayers insists that not only was she ready to handle the pressure of defending Hosby on Monday night in the Daily Classic championship game, she thrived in it.
December 29, 2008
STRASBURG --Until Saturday, Andrew Kibler's approach on offense was timid. The senior forward, whose obedience was never in question, just needed a little nudge.
STRASBURG -- Strasburg's offense seems to have finally gelled. In the girls semifinal round of the Daily Classic on Saturday afternoon, the Rams outscored the Warren County Wildcats 60-25, marking the third time this season that Strasburg has posted 60 points, and the second time it has done so in three games.
December 27, 2008
STRASBURG -- For anyone representing Rams purple or Patriots red, white and blue on Saturday, the semifinals rounds of the Daily Classic bred triumphant results.
FRONT ROYAL -- He'll wear the T-shirts, boast about the super-sized high schools in his former backyard and has embraced a nickname -- "Texas" -- that has shadowed him since moving to the commonwealth.
STRASBURG -- Strasburg girls basketball coach Joel Morgan is an artist tasked with sculpting a team that has a frame, but no body.
December 26, 2008
The transition to college hasn't been easy for Jordan Sugars(Millbrook '08), but he's made the adjustment well. Sugars has wasted no time contributing for Navy, he is averaging 3.1 points per game off the bench.
December 24, 2008
WINCHESTER -- The adrenaline was flowing through Aaron Heishman's body as he had the ball in his hands. The student section was ready to storm the court as emotions ran high. The Central guard had a dilemma in the final seconds.
STEPHENS CITY -- All variations of shots were functioning for Rams' junior Jenna Smoot. Her mid-range jumper was nice, she was solid from the free-throw line and her inside game was even better against Sherando's post on Tuesday.
By Jeremy Stafford -- Daily Staff Writer STRASBURG -- It wasn't at all pretty, but the Sherando boys basketball team ended a two-game losing skid, defeating the Strasburg Rams, 39-36, in a game decided more by turnovers and offensive ineptitude than by solid defense and...
December 23, 2008
The instincts and natural ability of Skyline's Andrew Thorne and Handley's Leonard Grant helped the pair to the All-Group AA football team of The Associated Press.
STEPHENS CITY -- Coming off a disappointing loss to Handley, the Sherando Warriors can at least view their 54-51 loss to Skyline on Monday night as a positive.
WOODSTOCK -- Millbrook coach Debby Sanders liked what she saw in the Pioneers at the start of the game. Now she would just like her team to be able to play that way for an entire 32 minutes. The Pioneers used an early 18-0 run to pull out a 51-30 girls basketball victory over Central on Monday night.
FRONT ROYAL -- During the second half on Monday, Paige Mills was given two bits of advice from her head coach: Go to the basket and be patient.
Daily Staff Reports STRASBURG -- The Rams used their defensive preesure to jump out to an early lead and cruised to a 66-34 nondistrict girls basketball win over Moorefield (W.Va.). "I think the kids really played pretty well," Strasburg coach Joel Morgan said. "They came...
December 22, 2008
Clarke County's Sam Shiley and Cord Keating came up with many big plays throughout the season to lead the Eagles back into the playoffs . On Sunday, they received some recognition for their accomplishments by making the All-Group A football team of The Associated Press, chosen by a panel of sports writers. Shiley made second-team as a running back, while Keating made second team as a linebacker.
FRONT ROYAL -- With only a two-point advantage over Old Mill (Md.) in the semifinal bout of the Border Wars Tournament at Skyline High School, the James Wood Colonels weren't yet in desperate need of points from junior Gage Swartz, but they certainly could have helped the Colonels' situation.
WINCHESTER -- Heather Armel had trouble sleeping Friday night. After a disappointing loss to Millbrook, in which she only took six shots in the game, the James Wood junior was determined not to suffer the same fate Saturday against Handley.
December 20, 2008
FRONT ROYAL -- When eight or more bodies can contribute, the Hawks are finding different means of winning with each game, and are simultaneously getting more difficult to defend against.
WINCHESTER --With James Wood knocking down 3-pointers like they were layups, Millbrook refused to get rattled.
STEPHENS CITY -- If the Handley Judges were at all concerned about playing an undefeated Sherando team, they certainly didn't show it.
QUICKSBURG -- The Clarke County Eagles were down by 18 points at halftime and appeared to be giving an early Christmas present to the Stonewall Jackson Generals in non-district girls basketball on Friday night.
WINCHESTER -- Millbrook used a variety of junk defenses to shut down James Wood leading scorer Heather Armel and move into sole possession of first-place with a 59-41 win in the Northwestern District girls basketball on Friday night. The Pioneers jumped out early and held...
December 19, 2008
STRASBURG -- When Strasburg lost to Buffalo Gap by three points earlier this month, the Rams looked forward to a rematch with the defending state champions in Strasburg. But the Rams, in the midst of a scoring slump, had an unproductive second quarter -- one in which they scored only one point -- and were never able to recover, losing to Buffalo Gap, 47-36.
December 18, 2008
WOODSTOCK -- Normally high school athletes don't enjoy having to practice. Handley's boys basketball team will be the exception when they finally get back in the Daniel Morgan Middle School gym.
STRASBURG -- The Strasburg Rams were looking to avenge their loss to the Page County Panthers on Dec. 3. They also wanted to improve their offensive production over the 30 points they scored against Central, which managed only 38 points itself, in a defensive battle Monday night.
WINCHESTER -- The upshot for the Hornets, after practicing twice daily this week, was a well-conditioned and brisk group ready to take on an opponent with recent NCAA tournament hardware to boast.
WOODSTOCK -- Handley's offensive struggles continued on Wednesday night, but the team once again found a way to win.
December 16, 2008
Handley grads Brian Partlow and Lang Campbell weren't completely surprised, but that didn't make the news any easier to take. The Arena Football League announced on Monday that the league was canceling the 2009 season, pending an agreement with the players union. The league is hoping to return in 2010.
FRONT ROYAL -- Even during the team's warm-ups, there was little reluctance in the shooting hand of Terrell Matthews to release a shot well beyond the arc before Monday's tipoff. And in the first half of Skyline's 66-55 victory over Millbrook, there was little doubt Matthews was well within his range.
WINCHESTER -- Getting over a cold, but coming down with the flu, Danziel Cartwright wasn't sure he was well enough to even play basketball, much less start against James Wood on Monday night.
WOODSTOCK -- In a basketball game dominated by defense and intensity it was only fitting that the biggest play of the night was a blocked shot by Central's Michael Marston.
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