How are we looking? Heard we’ll have the biggest offensive line we’ve had maybe ever this fall.

I'll be covering players in Central Va... things I have seen thus far talking QBs today..

1.Jason Wright has transferred to LC Bird
2. Who is this Tatum kid in Hopewell scouts I've talked to speak about him on high regards. Picked up an offer from Army
3.L. Johnson is no longer at Varina and has moved to Huguenot
4. The Springers are also getting a new QB Nelson Layne transferring from James River.

I want to know your thoughts!!!

Class 6 Cosby hands KW their first loss of the season. Five unearned runs definitely didn't help the Lady Cavs cause, but take nothing away from Cosby. They're 10-4 on the season at the highest level and games like this will only benefit KW once the postseason begins. The Lady Cavs also still have Class 3 power New Kent and Class 4 Atlee left to play in the regular season and the team will definitely be battle tested come playoff time. KW is now 12-1 on the season

It was definitely a good night to be a Gladiator as the Riverheads' baseball and softball teams combined efforts on their adjoining diamonds and emptied all four sets of bleachers in less than 90 minutes with a pair of victories over visiting Stuarts Draft. In the surprise game of the afternoon, the Lady Gladiators run-ruled SD 12-1. I believe that is at least their third or fourth straight win. Word in the stands was that SD had won the first match-up 14-3 over at their place. It's almost enough to make you wish for a rubber match to see who really IS the best team.

As for the boys on the baseball diamond, they picked up their second 4-1 victory of the week in a game that pretty much followed the same pattern as Tuesday's win over Staunton. The teams coasted along in the early stages with a pitchers' duel, before the Gladiators used a big inning to jump out in front and hold on for the win.

As you can tell from the score, the pitching duo of Levi Dunlap (first four innings) and Brody Phillips (final three) got the job done on the mound as they kept the Cougars from any major damage. However, the visitors did not go quietly as they had men in scoring position, to the best of my recollection, in four of their seven at-bats. But Riverheads was nearly perfect on defense today and made some great plays, one in particular, to keep the Cougars from making the game closer.

If you had to name the heroes of the game, in addition to the solid pitching effort, it would be the Austin Brothers, Logan and David. Logan drove in three of the four RHS runs with a triple and a solo home run, whereas David got the Big Red bats going in the bottom of the third with a double to left field but also made the defensive play of the night when he nailed a perfect throw from right field that enabled the Gladiators to cut down a run at the plate that would have made the game 3-2 at that point.

In the very early stages, SD looked to be the sharper of the teams as they had their first threat in the second, although they failed to score. Meanwhile their pitcher (Gates I believe) mowed the Gladiators down 1-2-3 in each of the first two frames before David Austin delivered the first big hit in the bottom of the third.

His hit went over the left fielder's head and rolled to the fence, The number nine hitter, Trevor Lilley, then hit one the same direction that landed in front of the same outfielder. Those two hits came with one out and the Cougars recorded the second out before the Big Red could score. Instead of getting out of the jam, SD made a questionable decision to try and throw out a base-stealer at second, which allowed a Big Red teammate to sneak home for the first run of the game.

That gave the Gladiators the break they needed and Logan Austin smacked his triple to deep right center to drive home two runs and give the Gladiators some breathing room. The score remained 3-0 until the Cougars made their best move to get back in the game in the top of the fifth. The big base knock was a solid double to deep right that chased David Austin all the way to the fence where he made a valiant effort to catch it but could not haul it in.

The Cougars soon found themselves with runners at second and third with one out. The next batter sliced one into right field. The Cougar runner on third of course scored easily, but the Draft made the mistake of challenging DA's arm. He threw a perfect strike to the plate and the Gladiator catcher tagged the second runner a good 10 feet before he got to the plate. A 3-2 score at that point might have made for a different game.

Instead, Logan hit the Big Red's third homer of the season (brother David having hit the first and Henley Dunlap the second) to give RHS an insurance run and SD never threatened again. Still the Cougar fans had to be pleased with their team's effort as it was much better than the 12-0 shellacking they had taken at home back in the district opener.

So once again the Big Red followed its interesting pattern of having closer games at home, while absolutely bombarding the home teams in the three district games they have played on the road. In addition to the just-mentioned SD win, they have won 15-4 at Fort Defiance and 22-0 at Buffalo Gap. With their next game being a trip to Wilson on Tuesday the 30th, it will be quite interesting to see if that trend continues.

Meanwhile as for the Lady Gladiators......keep doing what you're doing!

Doing research I'll be covering players in Central va... things I have seen thus far talking QBs today..

1.Jason Wright has transferred to LC Bird
2. Who is this Tatum kid in Hopewell scouts I've talked to speak about him on high regards. Picked up an offer from Army
3.L. Johnson is no longer at Varina and has moved to Huguenot
4. The Springers are also getting a new QB Nelson Layne transferring from James River.

I want to know your thoughts!!!

Rife with another 14 Strikeouts. The lady blues move to 12-2 on the season

Happy to announce our 1st football showcase for LCPS (and some private schools)
will occur May 7th/5-8p at Brambleton East Community Park …
24s/25s and invited 26s from all over are encouraged to participate
Free of charge …all colleges are welcome!
Sign up: https://forms.gle/eYJwoVCGbiUxH4tSA

Happy to announce our 1st football showcase for LCPS (and some private schools)
will occur May 7th/5-8p at Brambleton East Community Park …
24s/25s and invited 26s from all over are encouraged to participate
Free of charge …all colleges are welcome!
Sign up: https://forms.gle/eYJwoVCGbiUxH4tSA

Happy to announce our 1st football showcase for LCPS (and some private schools)
will occur May 7th/5-8p at Brambleton East Community Park …
24s/25s and invited 26s from all over are encouraged to participate
Free of charge …all colleges are welcome!
Sign up: https://forms.gle/eYJwoVCGbiUxH4tSA

Sean Robertson - WTVR CBS 6​

https://www.facebook.com/#
Tom Hall will be back on the sidelines this season!
According to sources, the former Manchester HC has been named Head Football Coach at Prince George!
He replaces Scott Girolmo, who stepped down after three seasons.

Daniel Burton with a complete game shutout and the Cavaliers rang up 14 hits as a team.

Taylor Johnson (2 IP) and Jillian Smith (5 IP) combine on a one hitter. The Lady Cavs put their undefeated record (12-0) on the line tomorrow against Class 6 Cosby.

Sometimes it only takes that one surge to post a victory and that was the case tonight in Greenville as the homestanding Gladiators strung some key hits together, one in particular, on the way to a 4-1 win over visiting Staunton. With the win, the Gladiators are now 4-2 in district play after the first swing through the schedule and are therefore still within striking distance of league-leading Wilson.

Tonight's game was a pitchers' duel for the most part. The Gladiators got six strong innings out of starter Ethan Fitzgerald and a 12-pitch seventh inning relief effort out of David Austin, who set the final three Storm batters down without any trouble. Meanwhile, Staunton started number 9 (didn't catch the name) and he went the distance, tossing 98 pitches but gave up just a handful of hits to the Gladiators, who were coming off Friday's 22-0 demolition of Buffalo Gap when they couldn't be stopped.

On this night, those potent bats were not as productive but they finally broke through and scored all four RHS runs in the home half of the fourth. Logan Austin and Camden Huffer got the party started with back-to-back hits, each one barely squeezing inside the two baselines. Austin came around to score to make it 1-0, but it momentarily looked like that might be all the Gladiators would muster as The Storm buckled down and recorded a pair of outs.

However, with the game very much in the balance, first baseman Henley Dunlap, who had his first homer of the season during the Gap rout, smacked one over the right fielder's head that went all the way to the softball fence line. That drove in two more crucial runs to make it 3-0. Moments later, Dunlap scored himself when an attempted throw to third got away and he was able to score the Big Red's fourth run.

Staunton, which recorded only two or three hits at the most, finally got on the board in the top of the sixth with some aggressive base running. They had moved a guy into scoring position, maybe for the first time in the game, and had the chance to send him home. It momentarily looked like RHS was going to make the play needed to preserve the shutout but a throw in the direction of home plate sailed out of play and allowed the visitors to score their only run of the game.

With the win, the Gladiators continued their unusual pattern of having close games at home but running away with big-time road wins. In this now-complete first cycle through the district, they won three road games by a combined total of 49-4 but tonight's game was the first district win at home, after losing the first two to Wilson (1-0) and Waynesboro (3-1).

With that in mind, won't it be interesting to see what they can do at Wilson next week? But first things first as they will host Stuarts Draft Thursday afternoon, a team they walloped 12-0 on its own field to start the district race.

It then won't be too long before we can start talking about playoff positioning, which will impact a number of teams since the Shenandoah District has three Class 3 teams (Wilson, Staunton, and Waynesboro), three in Class 2 (Riverheads, Stuarts Draft and Fort Defiance), leaving Buffalo Gap as the district's only Class 1 team. If football and basketball were any indication, we should see at least 4-5 of our teams advancing to post-season play.

Also tasting victory tonight were the Lady Gladiators who smoked Staunton 15-0 in a 4 1/2 inning slaughter rule game. You can now read the softball scoreboard from the baseball bleachers, which comes in handy, so we could see RHS put that one away early with a 9-0 first inning burst.

Woody will be taking the reins of OC under his former head coach at Brookville. Wow!

How did his law suit go from a couple years ago?

Offensive coordinator.

The Seminole gets interesting every year!

STAUNTON — The late Paul Hatcher used to say that it was his wife, Judy, who first discovered the basketball player who would go on to be the greatest in Staunton history.

Hatcher, the legendary basketball coach for 43 years at then Robert E. Lee High School, would tell the story of his wife, a substitute elementary school teacher at the time, coming home and saying she'd seen a fifth-grader named Kevin Madden on the playground. She told her husband Madden would be the best player he ever coached.

Judy Hatcher was spot on in her assessment. In his first game on varsity in 1981, as a freshman, Madden had 26 points and 15 rebounds in a win over Pulaski. He didn't let up after that, finishing his four-year career as the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,236 points. He led those Lee teams to a 93-8 record, losing just once at home, and to three state tournaments. In 1984, Madden led Lee to an unbeaten season and Hatcher's first state championship, and in his final two years in high school Madden was named Virginia's Mr. Basketball as the top player in the state.

Now, 40 years after that state title, Madden is taking over as coach of the high school he once played for, now known as Staunton High School. The official announcement was made in the school's auditorium Tuesday afternoon.

"I'm happy to be here," Madden said. "One of the things I want to do is just make a difference in the kids, not only in basketball, but just in general around the school, in the community."

Madden is the third head coach of the program since Paul Hatcher, who died last August, retired from the job in 2011. Madden continues a line of former Hatcher players leading the program, following Jarrett Hatcher and Terrell Mickens as head coach.

Madden was helping coach basketball at Riverheads High School before Mickens got the job in Staunton. David Tibbs, the school's athletic director, told Mickens he should bring in an older coach to lean on for guidance. Mickens reached out to Madden, who returned to his roots in Staunton. He had said the only school he'd leave Riverheads for would be Staunton, a chance to return home.

"Kevin is one of the best players to ever come out of this area," Mickens said Tuesday about the news Madden was the new head coach. "His basketball resume as a player speaks for itself. He works in the school and has been with me for the past five years so he knows the players and community."

Not only did Madden play for Hatcher, a legendary high school coach regarded by many as the greatest in Virginia high school basketball history, but he also played for a legendary college coach, Dean Smith. Madden verbally committed to the University of North Carolina after his sophomore year in high school. He officially signed with UNC two years later and played his entire college career for Smith in Chapel Hill.

Madden said the most important lesson he took from both coaches was that it isn't always about basketball.

"Just treat players like people," Madden said. "A lot of times it's things outside of basketball and you have to step back and understand where (players) are coming from."

Madden had a solid career for the Tar Heels, but maybe there was a sneak peak at his coaching ability his senior season. A story in the Chapel Hill News in March 1990 talked about Madden's leadership.

That season, North Carolina upset No. 1-seed Oklahoma 79-77 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament behind 14 points from Madden. He also tipped a missed UNC free throw to a teammate to set up the game-winning basket. But maybe just as important was the speech he gave to his teammates before the game, with the newspaper calling Madden the team's "inspirational leader." The paper said Madden's words put the team in the right frame of mind to upset Oklahoma.

That was on a Saturday. On Monday, during a practice back in Chapel Hill, Madden tore ligaments in his knee, ending his season. Madden averaged 9.9 points, shooting 56% from the floor, that season, but the newspaper said it might be his off-the-court leadership abilities that the team would miss the most the rest of the way in the tournament. Carolina lost the next game to Arkansas.

Tibbs has gotten to know Madden well, both as a coach and as a staff member at Staunton High School. The athletic director said he hated that Mickens stepped away, but he understood because it was a decision to spend more time with his family. Now, Tibbs is thrilled that Madden will lead the program.

"He's highly respected," Tibbs said of Madden. "There isn't any parent in the community who wouldn't want him to be their child's coach. He's a good role model and he does things the right way."

Madden knows a certain amount of pressure comes with leading a program that has been so good over the years. Paul Hatcher won four state titles at the school. Jarrett Hatcher won one. Mickens got the team to a state title game but ran into a buzzsaw named Mac McClung, the 2024 NBA slam dunk contest champion, who led Gate City over Staunton in 2018. Now Staunton will see what Madden can do.

"I don't feel pressure," he said. "I'm embracing it. I think it's good that I'm back at the school that I love to be at and we're going to see what we can do come this November and December. We're going to make things happen.

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Big district win for the Lady Blues tonight. Rife adds another 14 strikeouts to her total against a good offensive team.

Lady Cavs easily win in a game that lasted a little over an hour. Taylor Johnson and Jillian Smith combined on a one hitter with 14 Ks and both hit homers as well. Lady Cavs move to 11-0

I'm new to the area but wanted to know Who are some of the top class 3 players to watch for this upcoming season

JV starts at 5:30 (DO NOT MISS)

Varsity to start at 7:15.

Major playoff ramifications.