Russell Road, trained by former James Wood High School coach and athletic director James W. Casey and owned by Winchester's Mark Russell, has carved out a career as one of the top West Virginia-bred Thoroughbreds in history with lifetime earnings topping $1 million.
The 6-year-old gelding has enjoyed the vast majority of his racing success at Charles Town, including twice winning the West Virginia Breeders Classic, has notched 19 of his 20 career victories at the track. His last time out at Charles Town, in the Confucius Say Stakes for state-breds, Russell Road delivered a dominating 4 1/2-length victory over the seven-furlong test.
The Wild & Wonderful will also be run at seven furlongs, a distance Casey has said Russell Road is always comfortable running at Charles Town.
The fifth running of the Wild & Wonderful is part of a six-stakes race card worth nearly $750,000, topped by the $400,000 Red Legend Stakes.
Entries for the entire Sprint Festival program will be drawn on June 27.
]]>Pellum, a 6-foot-6 senior guard, garnered first-team honors after averaging 18.3 points per game for Hampton University this past season.
Green, a 6-4 junior guard, earned second-team honors after averaging 15.6 points per game for Virginia Tech.
Virginia's Mike Scott was named the VaSID's Player of the Year. Norfolk State's Anthony Evans, who led his team to an NCAA tournament second-round upset over No. 2 seed Missouri, was picked as Coach of the Year. Richmond's Kendall Anthony was named the VaSID's Rookie of the Year.
Here's the complete team:
• Antwan Carter, 6-6, Sr., C (Longwood) -- 19.4 ppg
• Kyle O'Quinn, 6-10, Sr., C (Norfolk St.) -- 15.9 ppg.
• Ryan Pearson, 6-6, Sr., F (George Mason) -- 17.0 ppg
• Darrion Pellum, 6-6, Sr., G (Hampton) -- 18.3 ppg
• Mike Scott, 6-8, Sr., F (Virginia) -- 18.0 ppg
• Kent Bazemore, 6-5, r-Sr., G-F (Old Dominion) -- 15.4 ppg
• Bradford Burgess, 6-6, Sr., G-F (VCU) -- 13.4 ppg
• Chris Cooper, 6-9, Sr., C-F (Old Dominion) -- 10.5 ppg
• Erick Green, 6-4, Jr., G (Virginia Tech) -- 15.6 ppg
• Jesse Sanders, 6-3, Sr., G (Liberty) -- 12.5 ppg
• Kendall Anthony, 5-8, Fr., G (Richmond) -- 13.0 ppg
• Humpty Hitchins, 5-9, Sr., G (James Madison) -- 14.9 ppg
• Quinn McDowell, 6-6, Sr., F (William and Mary) -- 12.5 ppg
• Chris McEachin, 6-6, Sr., G (Norfolk St.) -- 12.8 ppg
• Stan Okoye, 6-5, Jr., F (VMI) -- 17.1 ppg
]]>"I couldn't be more proud of our entire team for it's efforts in helping us achieve this," Charles Town Director of Racing Operations Erich Zimny said in a news release. "Between the mutuels department and starting gate crew doing their best to start races so that we avoid competing directly with other tracks, the valets operating efficiently, and our racing office filling races, even during difficult times, everyone shares in an accomplishment like this."
The new total handle record bettered the former standard of $26,558,179 by 10.8 percent and the average daily handle jumped 6.1 percent. Charles Town also set a new record for consecutive seven-figure handle days for that streak was stopped at 23 straight race cards on March 16.
The average daily handle on Charles Town's races over the first three months of the year has risen nearly 40 percent in the past three years.
Charles Town hosts its first-ever Grade 2 stakes race on April 14 with the running of the $1 million Charles Town Classic. That race headlines a 13-race card that gets underway at 5 p.m.
]]>On Feb. 25, Whittle led his Charleston, S.C., First Baptist Hurricanes to their fourth consecutive South Carolina Independent Schools Association (SCISA) Class AA boys basketball state championship. That makes four state championships in four years as First Baptist's head coach for Whittle.
Whittle's Hurricanes victimized the same opponent -- Spartansburg Christian -- in all four state championship games. The latest was a 75-66 victory over the Warriors at Sumter Civic Center in Sumter, S.C.
Senior Nate Jenkins led First Baptist (24-9) with 28 points, capping off a high school career in which he scored more than 2,000 points. He'll be one of three seniors Whittle must replace next year.
Whittle, a 1999 Strasburg graduate, enjoyed a stellar collegiate career at then-Division II Presbyterian where he played alongside fellow Strasburg alum Andrew Dellinger. Whittle finished his career at Presbyterian as a 1,000-point scorer, then embarked on his current career coaching high school basketball.
]]>Thorne, a 6-foot-4 junior wing starting for the first time this season, is averaging a team-best 12.7 points and seven rebounds per game for Eastern Mennonite. He has also made 47 steals (1.8 per game), ranking in the ODAC's top 14 in all three categories. Thorne also ranks among the league leaders in offensive rebounds.
Virginia Wesleyan sophomore guard D.J. Woodmore earned the ODAC's Player of the Year award, while Marlins coach Dave Macedo garnered the Coach of the Year honors. Guilford's Will Freeman won Freshman of the Year honors, and Randolph College unior guard Colton Hunt was named as the ODAC's Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
In addition to six stakes worth a total of $1.6 million, Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races will also offer a guaranteed $50,000 all stakes Pick 4 covering races 9 through 12 on its April 14 Charles Town Classic card. The Classic night Pick 4 represents the first guaranteed pool offered by the track.
The wager covers the final four stakes races on the Charles Town Classic card and requires bettors to select the winner of those four consecutive races. By virtue of guaranteeing the Pick 4, Charles Town will supplement the difference if less than $50,000 is wagered.
The same Pick 4 on the 2011 Charles Town Classic card returned $245.20 for each winning $2 wager despite a $2 win parlay on the four winners - Immortal Eyes ($5.60), Loranger Native ($3.00), Sweet Goodbye ($4.40) and Duke of Mischief ($11.40) - returning just $105.30.
The Charles Town Classic program will feature 13 races with the first scheduled to go off at 5 p.m. The guaranteed $50,000 Pick 4 starts with the ninth race and ends with the Charles Town Classic, which is scheduled to go postward at 10:30 p.m.
Pellum, who first came up with a steal and raced downcourt, was cut off by a defender as he neared the lane. The 6-foot-6 guard threw the ball off the backboard in transition before catching it and dunking of Maryland-Eastern Shore's Mark Robertson.
That play garnered 53 percent of the vote among SportsCenter viewers to beat out New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin's game-winning 3-pointer against the Toronto Raptors.
The dunk, which can be viewed here,will be up for a vote again for "Best of the Best" next week on SportsCenter.
Pellum, from Hampton,leads the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in scoring this season with 18.4 points per game. He scored 33 against Maryland-Eastern Shore on Wednesday for his third 30-point game of the season.
The Pirates (9-16, 5-7 MEAC) are on the road at Delaware Saturday as part of ESPN's BracketBusters series.
At MMA, Pellum was a two-time prep school All-American (as a junior and senior), averaging 23 points, six rebounds and two steals per game as a junior. He averaged 22 points, six rebounds and two steals as a senior for the Colonels before graduating in 2008.
]]>On Saturday, Feb. 25, Pitt Bradford will play Eastern University in a doubleheader at Rebel Field starting at 11 a.m., followed by another doubleheader between Dickinson College and LaRoche College starting at 4 p.m.
On Sunday, Feb. 26, Pitt Bradford will play Dickinson twice. The first game starts at noon.
Admission is free for all games and the concession stand will be open.
Also, Victor Moyers has been named the Rebels' new vice-president in a unanimous vote by the New Market board of directors.
The Rebels' VBL home opener is June 2 against Harrisonburg.
]]>Fields, who finished with a team-high 23 points in the 70-39 loss, got her 1,000th point on a made free throw 7:39 into the game.
The junior point guard leads Wilson -- an NCAA Division III school based in Chambersburg, Pa. -- with 17.8 points per game this season.
"I am ecstatic and very proud for Tara for accomplishing this goal," Wilson coach Angie Grove said in a news release. "She works extremely hard and this recognition is well deserved."
]]>The poll, open to private Christian schools, has Riverdale Baptist of Upper Marlboro, Md., as the No. 1 team among NCSAA schools.
SVCA (21-6) is the highest ranked Virginia school in the poll. Norfolk Christian (5-5) is ranked No. 12 by the NCSAA.
]]>Morgan, a freshman thrower for the Royals, was competing in his first collegiate meet. In fourth place after his first throw, Morgan moved up a spot on his fifth (of six) throws and put his name into Eastern Mennonite's record book. His distance of 14.32 meters (46 feet, 11.75 inches) was good for third at the meet and second-best in school history.
Morgan stands only behind Nathan Turner, who in 2007 set a then-Old Dominion Athletic Conference record with a toss of 16.46 meters (54 feet), in EMU's record book.
]]>Atogwe, a starting safety for the Washington Redskins, issued the challenge to area football programs during the 2011 season. Schools competed to post the highest team grade point average during the fall semester of the 2011-2012 school year.
Calvin Coolidge (D.C.) Senior High School will receive a check for $10,000 for winning the challenge.
Grant awards are earmarked for non-salary/non-personnel related costs including the purchase of football field equipment, uniforms, helmets and field refurbishment projects.
]]>Lawson's latest postseason accolade is a second-team selection to the D3soccer.com All-America team, announced on Monday.
Already named a first-team NSCAA All-American for the second straight year, Lawson was named to the Virginia Sports Information Directors Women's Soccer All-State first team on Thursday. A defender, Lawson was one of four Generals chosen for the VaSID squad.
Also a first-team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference and all-region pick, Lawson was a key member of Washington & Lee's back line which helped Generals goalkeeper Emily Leary set new school marks with 14 shutouts in a season and 35 shutouts in a career. Washington & Lee's 0.36 goals-against-average ranked sixth in NCAA Division III.
Lawson was one of just two Washington & Lee players to start all 19 games this season. The Generals finished the year with a 13-4-2 overall mark (7-2-2 in the ODAC) and advanced to the conference tournament semifinals before falling 1-0 to Lynchburg.
]]>Cornell, a sophomore midfielder for Randolph College, garnered third-team all-region honors after helping lead the WildCats to their first-ever Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship. Randolph reached the round of 16 in the NCAA Division III men's soccer tournament, falling to the University of Texas-Tyler 2-1 in overtime. Randolph was ranked 18th in the final NSCAA poll and 21st in the final D3soccer.com rankings.
Cornell finished strong for Randolph, scoring three goals in the NCAA tournament. He completed his season with eight goals in all and six assists to rank fourth in the league with 22 points.
Cornell's teammate and fellow sophomore Corey Sindle was a first-team selection as a forward.
]]>Phillips, a longtime Valley Baseball League administrator and executive, was part of the five-person Hunter Maddex Hall of Fame induction class on Nov. 4 at Handley High School. Later in November, Phillips and his wife, Betty, were honored by the MLB Middle Atlantic Scouts Association with another Hall of Fame inclusion. Jim and Betty Phillips were recognized during the 21st MASA Hall of Fame class induction for their contributions to amateur baseball. The Phillips have been involved with the VBL's Winchester Royals since the team's founding in 1979.
Phillips, who is Executive Vice-President of the Winchester franchise, just finished a lengthy tenure as the VBL's treasurer. Betty Phillips has worked in ticketing, merchandising and development for the Royals.
"Having been involved with the Winchester Royals since 1990, I have personally witnessed how invaluable Jim and Betty have been to both our success and the success of the VBL," Royals President Todd Thompson said in a news release. "People like Jim and Betty are essential to leagues such as the VBL. I think it is tremendous that a professional organization such as the Middle Atlantic Scouts would see fit to recognize their contribution to amateur baseball."
Phillips has worked in all aspects of game operations for Handley's baseball team at Bridgeforth Field, serving as official scorekeeper, public address announcer and with the grounds crew. He also has assisted in game operations for the Handley football team.
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