Tuscarora 2024 OT Fletcher Westphal names a Top 5 that features a quarter of SEC schools in Arkansas, Auburn, Florida and Georgia as well as Clemson out of the ACC.

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Westphal earned 2nd Team All-State honors as a junior for the Huskies.

Essex Baseball defeated Northumberland 10-3 to move to a 14-0, 6-0 record.

Essex Softball defeated Northumberland 15-0 to move to 11-2, 4-2 record.

Next up is at 4A Jamestown High in Williamsburg Monday May 1st.

They got the #1 seed in this "national" tournament. Here is the article from MaxPreps:

The MaxPreps guy does not seem impressed with the tournament but it looks like a solid field. As I mentioned in the other thread, technically this is a "club" tournament where all the players on each team are from the same high school but a lot of teams probably won't be able to have their normal coaches. JM opens with "Golden Eagles", which is Eagle's Landing from Georgia, who went 29-2 on the season, losing in the Georgia 5A final to Kell, who are also in the tournament.

The GEICO State Champions Invitational is in DC this year, would be nice if VHSL teams could be eligible for that in the future.

Commits to Virginia Union to continue his education and basketball career! Congratulations!

Slow and steady won the race for the Gladiators tonight as they recovered from a shaky start and scratched out a hard-earned 8-7 win over a much improved Harrisonburg Blue Streaks team. This was the second game this week in which the Big Red did not take the lead until the final inning, after their first 10 games this season had all been won or lost by substantial margins.

The Streaks, who had lost 11-4 in Greenville earlier this season, came out fired up and chased the RHS starting pitcher in the first inning as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Riverheads recorded the first out fairly quickly but then there was a long lapse before they could record the second. During that time there was a hit batsman, a couple of walks and some solid hitting on the part of the home team.

Riverheads then scored a single tally in the top of the second but H'burg answered it to maintain their four-run cushion. Although the Gladiator bats would eventually earn them the win, it was actually a key defensive play in the bottom of that second inning that swung the momentum toward Riverheads and started them on the comeback trail.

The Streaks had built their 5-1 lead and had the bases loaded with only one out, hoping to blow the game open. But instead of adding to their advantage and perhaps putting the visitors into an even bigger hole, the next batter hit a line drive to the RHS shortstop, who then calmly stepped on second for the unassisted double play to get the Gladiators out of the inning.

They then scored a single run in the top of the third and put up a three-spot in the fourth to tie the game at 5-5. One of those fourth inning runs was scored by senior Bennett Dunlap on a close call at the plate. He would later have a key hit in the Big Red's game-winning seventh inning rally.

After the Gladiators tied things up in the fourth, we had the one and only scoreless inning of the night in the 5th, setting the stage for plenty of action in the final two frames. First the Streaks pushed across a run in the bottom of the sixth to delight their crowd and reclaim the lead. That of course meant that RHS, now trailing 6-5, had one final at bat to avoid the upset.

They began their rally with a Brendan Fortune walk. Dunlap, the number two hitter in the Gladiator line up, then found the gap between right and center for a solid double. Henley Dunlap, number 3 both in the line-up and on his jersey, delivered his own key hit and by the time the dust settled, RHS was in front 8-6.

The Streaks however did not go quietly in the home half of the seventh as they put together a couple of hits to score a run. But Brody Phillips, who had delivered the game-winning hit in Monday's 3-2 walk-off squeaker over Staunton, was the man of the hour again as the talented freshman, the third Gladiator of the evening to take the mound, struck out the final Streak batter to preserve the win.

So depending on your perspective the Gladiators are either exciting their fans or worrying them here at the midway point of the season. Those handful of run-rule victories were of course fun, but there is also something to be said for the games that go down to the wire, as these last two have.

The Gladiators are now scheduled, on paper at least, to host Stuarts Draft Friday afternoon to begin the second swing through the Shenandoah District season. However given Friday's dismal weather forecast, I cannot imagine that game actually getting played. In fact I may have overheard some chatter in the stands tonight indicating that a decision to postpone may have already been made.

Speaking of the Gladiator faithful, a respectable number made the 45 minute trip tonight and matched, if not exceeded, the home crowd. Even a handful of former players were spotted in the crowd, because as we know........Once a Gladiator, always a Gladiator.

Joel Hicks, legendary former head football coach of the Pulaski County Cougars and member of the Virginia High School League Sports Hall of Fame, passed away Saturday morning.

I know it's early, but let's start talking 2023 Class 4 football. With two of last year's Region Champions (C and A) moving to other divisions (Kettle Run Class 3 and Warwick Class 5) who will be the front runners for a region title. Will EC Glass with a new coach stay on top in Region D or can a loaded Salem unseat them. Will new Class 4 Region A member and current Class 3 State Champion Phoebus dominate? Can Dinwiddie fend off the tough challengers in Region B? Lastly, who steps up in the redesigned Region C. Will a returning Woodgrove challenge consistent contender Tuscarora or will someone else win the region.

My early picks:

Contenders:
Region A - Phoebus, Churchland, and Warhill.
Region B - Dinwiddie, King George, and Varina.
Region C - Tuscarora, Loudon County, Woodgrove.
Region D:. Salem, EC Glass, and Sherando.

Next best: Hampton, Eastern View, Loudon Valley, and GW Danville.

Essex Baseball moves to 13-0, 5-0. The next game is away vs. (6-8) Northumberland. The 1st meeting earlier this month was a 5-4 win by Essex.

Essex Softball now (10-2, 3-2), fell to Westmoreland (8-4, 4-1) by a score of 3-2. Essex had previous games that didn’t get played with 4A Caroline and West Point. Don’t know if they will be made up.

Dinwiddie County HS is looking for a Varsity Assistant for the upcoming season, DL preferred but all positions will be considered. Also looking for a JV assistant and Middle School head coach. Teaching positions open at the HS and MS you can see openings at the following link teaching positions open . If interested send resume to head football coach Billy Mills at bmills@dcpsnet.org

It took Riverheads 11 games into the season but they finally had a game this evening that demonstrated the kind of excitement baseball is supposed to have as the Gladiators took their one and only lead of the night with two outs in the bottom of the 7th when Brody Phillips' grounder into right field gave the home team an incredibly hard-fought 3-2 walk-off win over visiting Staunton. Prior to this game, all 10 games RHS had been involved in were decided well before the 7th so that this kind of drama was new for both the team and the fans.

Although Phillips' hit will be called the "game winner," the real credit in this game goes to the two starting pitchers. Riverheads sophomore Levi Dunlap and Staunton junior Jaxson Nuckoles each earned the trust of their head coach as each lasted into the 7th inning and beyond the 90-pitch level, a stat we can now follow on the brand new RHS scoreboard. They combined to allow only 9 hits in the game as each team had to scratch and claw to get what they could.

Dunlap was replaced in the top of the 7th by classmate Ethan Fitzgerald who worked out of a jam to keep the score tied. Nuckoles however went the distance and as a result absorbed the hard-luck loss since he was on the mound when Phillips delivered the game-winner.

Staunton struck first in the top of the opening frame when a Riverheads error allowed the lead off batter to take first. He then stole second and eventually came around to score on a sacrifice fly. Riverheads tied things up in the bottom of the second. That pattern repeated itself in the third and fourth innings as Staunton eased ahead 2-1 and RHS tied it 2-2. Two scoreless innings followed to set up the dramatic winner-take-all seventh.

Staunton was momentarily in good shape as they had runners on first and third with only one out, but Fitzgerald recorded a strikeout for the second out and the Gladiators nailed the runner on second as he was attempting to steal to end the inning.

RHS designated hitter Holden Fitzgerald (cousin of Ethan) drew a tense walk on a full count to open the frame. He was replaced by pinch runner Grady Campbell, who is a tad leaner than Fitzgerald and therefore more likely to be able to run the bases a little quicker.

That proved to be the case as he was sacrificed to second on a nicely executed bunt that stayed barely fair down the first base line. On the next play, the Storm had no choice but to go to first for the sure thing, allowing Campbell to motor over to third. Phillips, who is only a freshman on this very young Gladiator squad, then delivered his game-winning blow that sneaked between first and second. and the celebration was on.

With the win, Riverheads completes the first cycle through district competition with a 5-1 record, losing only to Wilson. However the Hornets lost one also along the way, so depending on what they do this week, the two will likely be tied heading into the second round of district contests. Riverheads is now 8-3 overall with a non-district game at Harrisonburg up next on Wednesday. Then weather-permitting, they are scheduled to host Stuarts Draft Friday.

To wrap up, this was definitely the most entertaining game of the season for the Big Red. They learned to keep their poise when challenged and also that you don't have to score in double digits every time in order to win. But Staunton learned a lot about itself tonight as well and hopefully celebrated the near-victory on the ride back into town. They should now feel confident that they can play with anybody, so you can bet that no one will be overlooking them the rest of the season.

Essex moves to 12-0, 4-0. Next up is Westmoreland.

N/m

NIL Coming to VHSL?

What are your thoughts on this?

The heavily-favored Gladiators got more of a battle than expected tonight but prevailed over homestanding Waynesboro to keep pace with Wilson at the top of the district standings. Both teams hit the ball well and played excellent defense, including some impressive catches in the outfield and some well-executed and alert double plays.

Ironically however it was a lapse in defensive judgment on the part of the Little Giants that led to the key play that started RHS on the way to the win. Each team had scored twice in the first inning, followed by a pair of scoreless frames. Then in the top of the fourth, the Gladiators pushed across two hard-earned runs with both involving successful plays at the plate.

Those two runs put them ahead 4-2, but there were two outs, leaving the home team faithful feeling as if their team was still very much in the game. However the Gladiators had runners on first and second with centerfielder Bennett Dunlap at the plate. The Giants then made an ill-advised decision to try to pick off the guy at first, perhaps because they had already done so successfully earlier in the game.

But this time, the ball scampered away, allowing both runners to advance. Dunlap then did his job at the plate and knocked in both runs to make the score 6-2, quite a bit more of an uphill climb than 4-2. Things then unraveled for the Little Giants when RHS plated four more in the top of the fifth to make it 10-2.

To their credit, the Giants kept battling and closed it to the more respectable 11-7 final but you never felt as if the game was in doubt. Each team tried four pitchers in the game, with RHS freshman Brody Phillips notching the final strikeout that sent the Big Red home victorious.

All in all a good clean game with very little of the controversy we have seen thus far this season, so both teams should be proud of their efforts. The Gladiators have a busy week ahead next week as they host Staunton Monday in a game that has been moved up from Tuesday. They then travel to Harrisonburg Wednesday for a non-district make-up game. They then start the second cycle through district competition Friday when Stuarts Draft comes to Greenville.

Dinwiddie County HS is looking for a Varsity Assistant for the upcoming season, DL preferred but all positions will be considered. Also looking for a JV assistant and Middle School head coach. Teaching positions open at the HS and MS you can see openings at the following link teaching positions open . If interested send resume to head football coach Billy Mills at bmills@dcpsnet.org

The Wilson Green Hornets traveled to Riverheads tonight to face the hottest team in the Shenandoah District. The Gladiators were on top of the district standings at 3-0, having routed Stuarts Draft 12-0, Buffalo Gap 13-4, and Fort Defiance 13-1 in their last three games. Two of those were slaughter rule victories.

But tonight it was the visiting Green team that swung the heaviest bats as Wilson scored 7 runs in the top of the first inning and went on to hand the Big Red its first district loss by a 14-8 count. The Hornets' fast start was so dominant that they had a 9-0 lead before Riverheads could complete its first cycle through the batting order.

In that top of the first, the first three Hornets hit hard ground balls into just the right gaps to load the bases, helped along by a Riverheads fielding error. They kept the pressure on until RHS finally recorded the third out and came to bat facing that one touchdown lead. However the shell-shocked Gladiators went quietly in the home half of the first.

Wilson scored two more in the top of the second to take its biggest lead of the game, but from that point on, it was all about Riverheads' comeback and whether or not they would have enough time, and more importantly enough daylight, to climb all the way back into the game. You see, the Gladiator field does not have lights, which is why games start at 5:00. So when it takes two hours to complete the first four innings, as was the case this evening, fans start to wonder if the game will be able to go its full seven innings.

The Gladiators to their credit did not roll over and play dead after the strong Wilson start as they posted a five-spot of their own in the bottom of the second to trim the lead to 9-5. But then a major controversy in the top of the third led to about a 20 minute delay and contributed to the length of the game.

With its four-run lead, the Hornets quickly loaded the bases with nobody out and threatened to really blow the game open. When the fourth batter of the inning hit a towering fly, the Gladiator right fielder charged it and attempted to field it about 10 feet after crossing over onto the infield dirt. However the ball popped out of his glove and Wilson scooted its 10th run across the plate.

However, some of the more vocal Big Red fans immediately started to earnestly question why the infield fly rule was not in effect. In their opinion, the batter should have been out and the run should not have counted. Coach Painter of course came out of the dugout to make the same point.

That led to a spirited discussion and although we could not tell this from the stands, there was speculation that the two umps were actually trying to find a rule book to consult. Apparently the key points were....Can the infield fly rule apply when it is an outfielder making the play?.........and should an infield fly call have been made the minute it was obvious that it was a shallow fly ball?

After whatever discussion took place, the run stood, but to Riverheads' credit, the Hornets did not score anymore in that frame, leaving the home team with five more at bats to still catch up. The Gladiators failed to score in their half of the third, and the top of the fourth was the only Wilson at-bat in which they did not score.

That gave Riverheads one more big inning to try to get back in the game, which they did with a three-run bottom of the fourth. That tightened the game at 10-8, but as already mentioned, it was already 7:00 by that time, and there was major doubt about whether three more innings could be played before darkness set in.

However, Wilson pretty much removed any doubt about the outcome as they tallied twice in the fifth, and added one more in the sixth and seventh, whereas Riverheads failed to score down the stretch. I actually left after the sixth inning because most of us were assuming that it would get too dark to complete the seventh and that the end result would likely be 13-8. But since the district website shows it as a 14-8 final, I can only assume that Wilson scored once in the seventh and that Riverheads did receive a final at bat.

With the loss the two teams are now tied at 3-1 in district play. Buffalo Gap was already 3-1 going into tonight but I believe this was their bye night, meaning we now have a three-way tie for first. But what else would you expect in the Shenandoah?

While the boys were battling this one out, the ladies had their own donnybrook next door and at Riverheads, you can now see the other game's scoreboard, no matter which one you are watching. Wilson jumped out to quick 4-0 lead, but RHS caught fire and scored the next 9 runs to take a 9-4 lead into the seventh. But Wilson came back to life and almost pulled out the miracle before RHS held on to win 9-8.

Riverheads' next action is at Waynesboro Friday night. They used five different pitchers tonight, so I would assume that would leave the door open for anyone to start that one.

Baseball:
Essex 9 Colonial Beach 1 Final. Essex is now 11-0 with 8 games to go in the regular season. CB is 4-4.

Softball:
Essex 18 Colonial Beach 1 FINAL. Essex is 10-1 on the season. CB is 4-3.

MAXPreps way-too-early top 25 for 2023-24.​

JMHS is #15.​

Region 4B Softball Standings:
1) @SoftballHHS 34.4
2) Dinwiddie 33.8
3) King George 32.0
4) Spotsylvania 30.67
5) Matoaca 30.4
6) Powhatan 30.0
7) Huguenot 29.33
8) @PHSoftball_ 29.13
9) @atlee_softball 28.73
10) @VilleAthletics 25.64

BASEBALL:

Cumberland at Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot, 4pm
Clover Hill at Thomas Dale, 5pm
Thomas Jefferson at Hopewell, 6pm
Henrico at J.R. Tucker, 6pm
Meadowbrook at Highland Springs, 6pm
Colonial Heights at Varina, 6pm
Orange at Louisa, 7:30pm
Charles City at Sussex Central, 4:30pm

SOFTBALL:

Central Va. Homeschool at Cumberland, 4pm
Matoaca at Cosby, 5pm
Clover Hill at Thomas Dale, 5pm
Henrico at J.R. Tucker, 6pm
Meadowbrook at Highland Springs, 6pm
Colonial Heights at Varina, 6pm
Orange at Louisa, 6:30pm
Charles City at Sussex Central, 4:30pm

BOYS LACROSSE:

Patrick Henry at Mills Godwin, 6pm
Thomas Dale vs. Monacan, 6pm, River City SportsPlex, Field #10
James River at Deep Run, 7pm (LIVE TWITTER: @cfieldsports & @henricosports)
Powhatan at Douglas Freeman, 7pm
Atlee at Cosby, 7pm
Manchester at Hanover, 7pm
Clover Hill at Goochland, 7pm

GIRLS LACROSSE:

Clover Hill at Goochland, 5:30pm
Monacan at Thomas Dale, 6pm
Deep Run at James River, 7pm
Douglas Freeman at Powhatan, 7pm
Mills Godwin at Patrick Henry, 7:30pm

BOYS SOCCER:

Thomas Jefferson at Henrico, 6pm
Carver College/Career at Surry, 6pm
E.C. Glass at Louisa, 7pm
Midlothian at Glen Allen, 7:30pm
King William at Northumberland, 7:30pm

GIRLS SOCCER:

Dinwiddie at Manchester, 6pm
Jamestown at Matoaca, 7pm
King William at Northumberland, 6pm
Middlesex at Essex, 6pm
Westmoreland at West Point, 6pm

BOYS TENNIS:

Meadowbrook at Manchester, 4pm
Clover Hill at Mills Godwin, 4:30pm
Monacan at Matoaca, 4:30pm
L.C. Bird at Prince George, 4:30pm

GIRLS TENNIS:

Mills Godwin at Clover Hill, 3:30pm
Henrico at Monacan, 4pm
Caroline at Rappahannock, 4pm

Posted by robwitham at 1:54 PM

BASEBALL:

Cumberland at Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot, 4pm
Clover Hill at Thomas Dale, 5pm
Thomas Jefferson at Hopewell, 6pm
Henrico at J.R. Tucker, 6pm
Meadowbrook at Highland Springs, 6pm
Colonial Heights at Varina, 6pm
Orange at Louisa, 7:30pm
Charles City at Sussex Central, 4:30pm

SOFTBALL:

Central Va. Homeschool at Cumberland, 4pm
Matoaca at Cosby, 5pm
Clover Hill at Thomas Dale, 5pm
Henrico at J.R. Tucker, 6pm
Meadowbrook at Highland Springs, 6pm
Colonial Heights at Varina, 6pm
Orange at Louisa, 6:30pm
Charles City at Sussex Central, 4:30pm

BOYS LACROSSE:

Patrick Henry at Mills Godwin, 6pm
Thomas Dale vs. Monacan, 6pm, River City SportsPlex, Field #10
James River at Deep Run, 7pm (LIVE TWITTER: @cfieldsports & @henricosports)
Powhatan at Douglas Freeman, 7pm
Atlee at Cosby, 7pm
Manchester at Hanover, 7pm
Clover Hill at Goochland, 7pm

GIRLS LACROSSE:

Clover Hill at Goochland, 5:30pm
Monacan at Thomas Dale, 6pm
Deep Run at James River, 7pm
Douglas Freeman at Powhatan, 7pm
Mills Godwin at Patrick Henry, 7:30pm

BOYS SOCCER:

Thomas Jefferson at Henrico, 6pm
Carver College/Career at Surry, 6pm
E.C. Glass at Louisa, 7pm
Midlothian at Glen Allen, 7:30pm
King William at Northumberland, 7:30pm

GIRLS SOCCER:

Dinwiddie at Manchester, 6pm
Jamestown at Matoaca, 7pm
King William at Northumberland, 6pm
Middlesex at Essex, 6pm
Westmoreland at West Point, 6pm

BOYS TENNIS:

Meadowbrook at Manchester, 4pm
Clover Hill at Mills Godwin, 4:30pm
Monacan at Matoaca, 4:30pm
L.C. Bird at Prince George, 4:30pm

GIRLS TENNIS:

Mills Godwin at Clover Hill, 3:30pm
Henrico at Monacan, 4pm
Caroline at Rappahannock, 4pm

Posted by robwitham at 1:54 PM

BASEBALL:

Cumberland at Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot, 4pm
Clover Hill at Thomas Dale, 5pm
Thomas Jefferson at Hopewell, 6pm
Henrico at J.R. Tucker, 6pm
Meadowbrook at Highland Springs, 6pm
Colonial Heights at Varina, 6pm
Orange at Louisa, 7:30pm
Charles City at Sussex Central, 4:30pm

SOFTBALL:

Central Va. Homeschool at Cumberland, 4pm
Matoaca at Cosby, 5pm
Clover Hill at Thomas Dale, 5pm
Henrico at J.R. Tucker, 6pm
Meadowbrook at Highland Springs, 6pm
Colonial Heights at Varina, 6pm
Orange at Louisa, 6:30pm
Charles City at Sussex Central, 4:30pm

BOYS LACROSSE:

Patrick Henry at Mills Godwin, 6pm
Thomas Dale vs. Monacan, 6pm, River City SportsPlex, Field #10
James River at Deep Run, 7pm (LIVE TWITTER: @cfieldsports & @henricosports)
Powhatan at Douglas Freeman, 7pm
Atlee at Cosby, 7pm
Manchester at Hanover, 7pm
Clover Hill at Goochland, 7pm

GIRLS LACROSSE:

Clover Hill at Goochland, 5:30pm
Monacan at Thomas Dale, 6pm
Deep Run at James River, 7pm
Douglas Freeman at Powhatan, 7pm
Mills Godwin at Patrick Henry, 7:30pm

BOYS SOCCER:

Thomas Jefferson at Henrico, 6pm
Carver College/Career at Surry, 6pm
E.C. Glass at Louisa, 7pm
Midlothian at Glen Allen, 7:30pm
King William at Northumberland, 7:30pm

GIRLS SOCCER:

Dinwiddie at Manchester, 6pm
Jamestown at Matoaca, 7pm
King William at Northumberland, 6pm
Middlesex at Essex, 6pm
Westmoreland at West Point, 6pm

BOYS TENNIS:

Meadowbrook at Manchester, 4pm
Clover Hill at Mills Godwin, 4:30pm
Monacan at Matoaca, 4:30pm
L.C. Bird at Prince George, 4:30pm

GIRLS TENNIS:

Mills Godwin at Clover Hill, 3:30pm
Henrico at Monacan, 4pm
Caroline at Rappahannock, 4pm

Posted by robwitham at 1:54 PM