Saturday, November 30, 2013

SNAPSHOTS: Atlee vs. LC Bird

Click THIS LINK to visit our Facebook page for photos from last night's Class 5A South Regional Semifinal between Atlee and LC Bird!

SUDDEN HALT: Atlee's Dream Season Has Nightmarish End At LC Bird.....

This was not the way anyone in Raider Nation envisioned a dream season to end.

On a night where the Atlee Raiders had a chance to take a giant step towards their goal of creating a football program within the upper echelon of the Central Region, they came to Chester to face the current top dog, the LC Bird Skyhawks, winners of 26 in a row.

From the opening kickoff to the final gun, the Skyhawks showed why they are the favorites to repeat as state champions, routing the Raiders 46-10 to end Atlee's 2013 season, the best in the school's nearly quarter-century history, at 11-2.

It literally began on the opening kickoff. Atlee won the toss and deferred, asking their defense to set the tone against Terrance Ervin and Earl Hughes, the quarterback and tailback primarily responsible for the 581 points scored by LC Bird in their first 12 wins. A personal foul penalty on the Raiders gave Bird the ball at their 42 instead of their 27.

In a foreshadowing of the next three quarters, Hughes took a handoff right up the middle, broke left and took off for a 43-yard gain. A personal foul face mask penalty on the tackle by the Raiders set the Skyhawks up at first and goal at the Atlee 10.

Three plays later, Ervin ran it in from 10 yards out for a lightning-fast 7-0. The Raiders, responded, but not without the uneven play that has plagued their offense in the postseason.

On the first play from scrimmage, Atlee quarterback Reid McCoy had Daniel Glymph behind the Skyhawk secondary. But he waited an extra second and underthrew the ball, giving the Bird defender time to recover and almost intercept the pass. A quicker, longer strike in stride makes it 7-7 and could have easily changed the tone of the game.

Atlee did strike on the next play, McCoy finding Tramell Carey on a slant pattern for 62 yards up the middle, but then they stalled, settling for a Ryan Molin 25-yard field goal. Bird led 7-3 at 7:12 left first quarter.

The Skyhawks, who would never punt tonight, stalled, facing fourth and three at their 38. Lining up to punt, they faked it, and Rasheed Worsham, their leading wideout, bounced off an Atlee defender and fell forward to the 42 for a first down.  Bird drove down the field, and, spelling Hughes for a play, the upback in the I-formation, Darius Gillus, who had all of six rushes all season, raced into the end zone from 15 yards out. The six-minute drive established Bird's dominance, a momentum swing that never went back the other way. A missed PAT made it 13-3.

Early second quarter, Bird drove to the Atlee 32. They faced another fourth down, and talked it over in a timeout. In the end it was an easy decision, giving the ball to Hughes, who, rather than running behind his big line, bounced to the outside, taking advantage of the tight Raider formation, making the corner and scoring the touchdown. A two-point conversion made it 21-3.

After another Hughes score, this time a 46-yard pass reception from Ervin, the Atlee offense showed signs of life, driving quickly downfield, culminating in a Reid McCoy two-yard run for what would be the Raiders' only touchdown of the night. But it made the score 28-10 with 1:07 left in the half. Getting the second half kickoff, there was a glimmer of hope for Atlee.

But Bird snuffed it out taking a page out of the Atlee playbook. The Skyhawks took 65 of the remaining 67 seconds in the half, marching down the field again, scoring on a 28-yard touchdown pass from Ervin to Hughes, as Devon Jackson's swipe at the ball at the goal line on secondary defense whiffed. A missed PAT made the halftime score 34-10.

The Raiders spent the second half mostly on defense, the offense simply unable to get on track. For the night, the Raiders earned 130 total yards, only nine of them on the ground.  Lamont Stubbs and Loumond Dandridge were complete non-factors.

Meanwhile, Hughes rushed for 265 of his 423 yards in the first half, finishing the night just above his season average (9.4 yds per carry) at 9.6 on 44 carries. Two more Hughes TD runs, one in each quarter, accounted for the Skyhawks second half scoring.

In his final game under center in high school, McCoy was 7-of-14 for 121 yards and the lone rushing touchdown.

LC Bird, now 13-0 advances to the 5A South Championship Game next Saturday, hosting Eastern Zone Champion Salem (Virginia Beach), who defeated Green Run tonight 27-7 to move to 11-2. They are the top seed from the Eastern draw.

As for Atlee?  They finish the best season in school history at 11-2, and, for tonight, that's little solace for the Raiders, especially their seniors, who together had dreamed a state title as their last hurrah.

But consider the following facts before dismissing the Raiders' poor performance tonight:

1) Their 11 wins in best in a single season in school history.
2) The Raiders had never played three playoff games in the same year until tonight.
3) Atlee defeated Varina for the first time in 15 years, beat Varina and Highland Springs in the same season, and, had the old Central Region format still been in affect, they would have won the Capital District title at 7-0.
4) They send two offensive lineman to Division I programs, with other seniors expected to play collegiately next season and beyond.
5) Atlee did what their arch-rivals, Hanover, had done each of the last four seasons: play football past Thanksgiving.

The Raiders will lose a lot to graduation, including Eberle, Clarke, McCoy, Stubbs, Tye Burriss and others.

But they return a fine nucleus, including Dandridge, Carey, Austin Cannon (another D-1 OL prospect), C.J. Tilton, Chad Vanlandingham, Tanner Ramey, Zach Jacobs, J.J. Givens, and freshman lineman Mason Cooper. They'll need a new quarterback, and a new quarterback on defense with Burriss graduating.

The JV program is doing well.  They'll be young, but head coach Roscoe Johnson's 8th season at the helm will be back, and will be a force in 5A South, trying once again to take the next step.

Tonight, though, was not their night to step forward.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving From HCS!

Our best wishes to you and yours for a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

We will spend the day enjoying family, food, and the many blessings we've received, and will return Friday with a complete preview of the Atlee/LC Bird Class 5A South Central Championship game on Friday night!

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

SNAPSHOTS: Randolph-Macon Women's Basketball....

With the team going for a 6-0 start tonight, here's a look at a few moments from their first five victories.

Tipoff tonight is 7pm at Crenshaw against St. Mary's (MD)!







ON TAP: Randolph-Macon Women's Hoops Look to Start 6-0

In 2012-13, Randolph-Macon women's basketball finished a very disappointing 6-21.

What a difference a year makes.

Tonight, the Yellow Jackets welcome St. Mary's (MD) to Crenshaw Gymnasium to end a very successful homestand. Randolph-Macon is currently 5-0, including 1-0 in the ODAC after Saturday's 105-81 win over Roanoke.

Game time tonight is 7pm in Ashland.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

CHAMPIONS! Atlee Girls Volleyball Finally Wins Elusive State Crown....

And on the fourth try, victory.

Few gave Kylah Blackmore, Rachel Stanford, Clarke Tyler, Melanie Snyder and Molly Jarvis a prayer of returning to the state tournament spotlight after having Championship Point a year ago before falling in a heartbreaking defeat to Kellam.

"When we lost and I walked off the floor last year, I never thought I'd be back here," Blackmore said.

But those who did believe, on the team and in Raider Nation, were richly rewarded Saturday night, as the Atlee Raiders completed a dream season, going 32-2 and capturing their first-ever State Championship, in another five-set thriller against rival Stone Bridge, 17-25, 25-20, 11-25, 25-23, 15-13. This was the third match in four years in state tourney competition between the Raiders and Bulldogs. Stone Bridge won in the 2010 state semifinals, Atlee won, ironically, in a five-set semifinal a year ago that had the same 15-13 tiebreaker result.

And speaking of irony. Poetic justice flowed from the court when sophomore Molly Jarvis earned her 15th kill of the match on Championship Point 2013. A year earlier, Jarvis was a raw freshman, thrust into an impossible position when Kayleigh Moody tore her ACL landing awkwardly in Set 4 of the 2012 State Finals against Kellam. At the time, Atlee led 2-1, 4-2 in the fourth. They made it to 24-23 serving for the title, but would be denied.

Kellam's middle game swarmed over the inexperienced Jarvis, scoring 18 of the last 20 points of the match to secure the title. Jarvis spent the entire off-season bound and determined to prove herself worthy of her Atlee uniform. She has come up in key situations several times through the season, but none more special than at 14-13 in the fifth and final set, the state trophy hanging in the balance.

"She was beating herself up some Thursday (after Atlee's semifinal win over Broad Run)," said Atlee head coach Curtis Carpenter of Jarvis. "Kasey (assistant coach Kasey Ogden) told her, 'You've been in a tougher situation. It'll never be tougher than that.'  So, yes, it was nice justice for her."

Clarke Tyler, who rained 28 kills on Princess Anne in another come-from-behind five-set win in the 5A South Regionals last week, led the Raiders tonight with 18 kills. But critical blocks by Tyler, teaming with Maddie French and at times with Jarvis, were also crucial to the Raiders' success.

Rachel Stanford, in her final game as a Raider, continued to be the glue that held the rhythm and rhyme of the Raiders together with 45 assists and 17 digs. And Snyder, who took a kill from Libby Haslett right in the face during the fifth set, had 25 digs, 4 aces and 3 assists. Through all the pain of her 2013 season (shin injuries and illnesses), she felt no pain tonight.

"I could have had a broken bone in every part of my body and it wouldn't have mattered, "Snyder joked at the post-match press conference.

For the Bulldogs, who finish 26-3, they found themselves in a role similar to Atlee just a year ago, with a 2-1 lead in the state championship only to see it slip away. Haslett, who led Stone Bridge with 24 kills, 14 digs, and 3 aces, became the focal point of their offense, especially in the fifth set. The VCU commit, who is also the daughter of Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett, summed up the main shortcoming of her team's performance.

"We didn't play to win tonight. We played not to lose," a teary-eyed Haslett noted, later stating that, in spite of the outcome, she did think it was cool that her high school career ended on the same court where she will play collegiately.

Stone Bridge roared to a 13-1 lead opening set before the Raiders settled down. Atlee scored seven of the final ten points of the set, but by then, the Bulldogs had taken the opener 25-17. It's a familiar pattern for the Raiders, who lost the first set to Broad Run in the state semis and to Princess Anne last week in the 5A South Region final.

"That's the nice thing; when things are going well, we have a lot of options," said Stone Bridge head coach Jill Raschiatore. "So, it's not like we have to rely on any one thing."

The Bulldogs had more than just Haslett. Season kills leader Shannon Williams attacked Atlee early, en route to 15 kills and 13 digs. The service of Ashlyn Dunlop was critical in the Bulldogs' third set win. She had three aces using a technique not seen before in game action.

"It's the first time she's gone with the float serve; she's typically a top-spin server," Raschiatore said, noting her float serve in practice last week suggesting she use it in Richmond. She didn't in their semifinal win Wednesday, but Dunlop told her coach it was time for it tonight.

"She came to me today and said 'I'm thinking about trying the float serve', and I said fine, I love your float serve," Raschiatore noted. Dunlop matched Snyder's top-spin serve, which draws the "BOOM" chant from the Atlee Rage Cage student section in the set three victory and in a set four comeback that almost ended Atlee's season.

Even after losing set three 25-11, Snyder told her coach and teammates it would be okay. She was proven correct. But it wasn't without a struggle. Some very controversial calls late in the fourth set were part of the reason why Stone Bridge cut a 24-20 deficit to 24-23. Note that, getting to 24-20 meant Stone Bridge had to go on a 5-1 run after falling behind 23-15. On one point, the Raiders were preparing to head to the other side of the court for set five before the head official reversed a point call for Atlee, awarding it to Stone Bridge. Raider Nation was none too happy.

But when it mattered most, Atlee snared the point needed for the 25-23 set four win.

Stone Bridge won the first point of set five (they won the first point of every set).  After a 2-0 edge, Atlee hit a 4-0 run thanks to serves by Rachel Stanford. A Haslett kill ended her run, 4-3 Atlee was the score. The Raiders continued that one to two point margin to 7-5. The turning point of the final set came after the Bulldogs scored twice to tie the set at 7-7.

It was time for Dunlop to serve. Atlee had to keep her from going on a run. They did, earning the sideout, taking Dunlop out after just one serve opportunity for an 8-7 lead. One of three unforced errors by the Bulldogs upped it to 9-7.  But back-to-back kills by Williams and Haslett tied it at 9-9. Six points to the Championship.....

The Raiders rose to the occasion, as Tyler had a kill, the second unforced error by Stone Bridge made it 11-9, then Jarvis drove one home for a 12-9 advantage. Out of a Stone Bridge timeout, Tyler's serve was long. The Bulldogs served, but Blackmore's kill attempt was blocked out of bounds, making it 13-10.

Stone Bridge called their final timeout and scored first to make it 13-11, but the third and final error, a serve gone too long, made it Championship Point Atlee for the second straight year.

The Bulldogs would not go quietly into the night. After a Maddie French kill attempt went wide, Stone Bridge scored again. It was 14-13. Timeout Atlee.

The Raiders handled the serve, the ball was fed to Jarvis, and confidently, she literally, and figuratively rose to the occasion, spiking the ball into the heart of the Bulldogs' side of the court, touching off a celebration in Raider Nation.

Tears of joy in 2013 replaced the bitter tears of disappointment from 2012. Seniors hugged, youngsters like Emmalee Martin and French, who contributed much in their first varsity seasons of action, screamed, smiled, and cried.

And when the players were announced to receive their individual awards during the post-game ceremony, every single one of them hugged Coach Carpenter before going to the award table.

"I train them the best way that I know how so they can be competitive. To compete, they have to do it, it's not me," Carpenter reflected. "I can remind them of things, but when it comes down to it, they've gotta play the game. They did a pretty good job of it tonight."

*******************

Tyler will now prepare for college play in the MEAC at Norfolk State, Stanford at Catawba College in the SAC, a Division II institution in North Carolina. We'll see where Kylah Blackmore goes next.

For Snyder, Jarvis, French, Martin, and Lauren Stanford, they'll return to Atlee in 2014, and nobody will doubt their ability, determination and talent.

And until somebody knocks them off the mountaintop, no one will make the mistake again of dismissing Atlee volleyball.

(NOTE: Check out the Photo Gallery from tonight's State 5A Championship match at our Facebook page, by CLICKING HERE!).

Saturday, November 23, 2013

PLAYOFF FOOTBALL FRIDAY FINALS!

Atlee moves to 11-1, defeating Douglas Freeman 24-10 to advance to the Class 5A South Central Zone Final at LC Bird next Friday.

In Norfolk, Hanover's season came to an end as they fell to Lake Taylor, 35-3, in the Class 4A South Quarterfinals....


Thursday, November 21, 2013

ALERT: Atlee Girls Volleyball Advances To State Championship!

Four straight years to the Siegel Center, and now, their second straight Saturday night championship appearance. And, unlike 2012, where the Atlee Raiders girls volleyball team had Championship Point at 24-23 over eventual titlist Kellam, the Raiders hope to finally finish the job and capture the crown.

They took their final step to the Championship Game with a Thursday morning 4-set win over Broad Run in the State 5A Semifinals at the Siegel Center. Atlee (31-2), spotting the Spartans at 25-23 set 1 victory, tightened up their net game to sweep the final three sets, 25-19, 25-19, 25-20.

Rachel Stanford, who signed to play collegiately at Catawba two days ago, had 40 assists to lead the Raiders, while Clarke Tyler, who signed to play for Norfolk State the same morning, had 14 kills and 5 timely blocks.

But it was junior Maddie French who stepped up at the most important time, with 15 kills, 6 digs and 2 blocks, hugging the near sideline with kills on several occasions, frustrating the Spartan defense.

"I wasn't nervous, I was confident," French said after the match. "It was my first time playing here (in state-level competition) and I wanted to play well."

French's performance reminded this reporter of then-junior Tyler's "coming out" party during the 2012 State Tournament, where Atlee defeated Stone Bridge in a five-set thriller in the state semis, Tyler's kill attempt blocked out of bounds on match point to send the Raiders to the finals.

Awaiting Atlee Saturday night?  Stone Bridge.

Stone Bridge defeated Broad Run in all four of their meetings this season (playing in the same Conference and Region), mirroring the Atlee/Lee-Davis rivalry, only, if you can believe it, closer.  The two Northern Virginia schools are separated by a single mile.

Atlee, in their first state appearance in 2010, lost to Stone Bridge in the semifinals. So Saturday's championship match will be "the rubber match", and, much more importantly, for all the marbles and the first-ever Class 5A State Championship Trophy.

"It'll come down to who is more determined," Atlee head coach Curtis Carpenter said. "And I hope we're that team."

Approximate start time is 7pm at the VCU Siegel Center Saturday night. The match will be the fifth of six on the day's VHSL schedule. Fans should expect to get there early for a good seat, and the Rage Cage should be in full effect.

If you can't make it, follow us on Twitter for live real-time updates all match long, @hanoversports!

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

THE WRAP: Randolph-Macon Goes 1-1 in Hoops Doubleheader

Sarah Parsons led Randolph-Macon with 18 points, while Lauren Vugteveen and Hannah Livermon added 11 each as the Yellow Jackets avenged a loss to Mary Washington a year ago with an 82-65 win to improve to 3-0 on the young season.

Transfer Taylor Huber (Patrick Henry) had 16 points as the Jackets shot 46.6 percent from the field. Randolph-Macon welcomes Marymount to Crenshaw Gymnasium Thursday, 7pm.

Meanwhile the Randolph-Macon men held their home opener tonight but found defensive stops to be few and far between in an 84-83 loss to Christopher Newport. The Jackets fell behind by seven at halftime, then went on a 20-7 run to start the second half for a 56-50 lead.

The Captains (2-0) fought back to retake the lead, and the teams spent the final several minutes trading the lead back and forth. Tied at 83 with 39 seconds left, the Captains milked the clock and, as the shot clock buzzer sounded, the referee's whistle did, calling a foul on Andre Simon, ending his night with 4.4 seconds left. Simon led the Jackets with 25 points and 11 rebounds.

Henrico High graduate Evan Thorpe hit one of two free throws off the foul to give CNU the 84-83 lead. He missed the second, and the Jackets rebounded, calling time out with 3.7 seconds left. A designed play got Connor Sullivan open for a three from 35 feet, but it fell two feet short.

Randolph-Macon falls to 1-2 and begins ODAC play a week from tonight when they travel to Guilford to take on the Quakers.  They continue to be without the services of senior Jamie Robinson, who broke his foot shortly before practice opened last month.  Head Coach Nathan Davis tells HCS he hopes Jamie will be back in action by early January.


Saturday, November 16, 2013

PHOTO GALLERIES: "The Game" and R-MC Women's Basketball

The kicking game ended up being what kicked Randolph-Macon in the backside in "The Game" Saturday for the ODAC Championship. A missed extra point, and two missed field goals, put the Jackets in a come-from-behind position the entire second half. And when they needed special teams to come through, they came up short.

After a Will McGhee touchdown run cut the Hampden-Sydney lead to 28-26 with 1:35 left, the Jackets were stopped on their two-point conversion. But a personal foul penalty by the Tigers gave the Jackets new life.  They opted, from the 1 1/4 yard line, to run the same play that netted the touchdown from 2 yards out two plays ago. McGhee was stood up short.

The Tigers won the game, 28-26 and with it, "The Game" Ball Trophy and the ODAC Championship.

Randolph-Macon finishes 2013 with a 7-3 record. Will McGhee had 198 yards rushing to break the single-season rushing record at Randolph-Macon with 1,676 yards. But he and his coach would trade it all in for some of those seven missed points on special teams.

"As gut-wrenching of a loss as this is for me, I feel much worse for our seniors," Randolph-Macon head coach Pedro Aruzza said after the game. "But let's call a spade a spade. We didn't make plays."

See our photo gallery of "The Game" on our Facebook page BY CLICKING HERE.

*******

After upsetting #3 ranked Christopher Newport to open their 2013-14 season Friday night, Randolph-Macon completed a 2-0 start in their own Tip-Off Classic with a 92-70 win over Rutgers-Newark.

Taylor Huber led the Jackets with 21 points, with Katie Anderson and Sarah Parsons adding 19 apiece.

See our photo gallery of the Tip-Off Classic on our Facebook page BY CLICKING HERE.

Eberle to UnderArmour All-American Game!

Atlee offensive/defensive lineman, and Florida State recruit, Alec Eberle, received his UnderArmour All-American High School Football Game jersey in a ceremony at the school Friday afternoon.

The game will be played on Thursday, January 2nd at 4pm and televised by ESPN.  Congratulations, Alec!!




Friday, November 15, 2013

PLAYOFF FOOTBALL: Raiders, Hawks BOTH WIN....

Touchdown runs by Jalen Elliott, Clayton Cheatham and Brennan Gary led the Hanover Hawks in a wire-to-wire winning performance, knocking off the Churchland Truckers 28-13 tonight in the 1st Round of the Class 4A South playoffs. The Hawks move to 6-5 and advance to face a familiar foe, #3 seeded Lake Taylor, 35-7 winners over Nansemond River.  Hanover and Lake Taylor have scrimmaged each other each of the past two preseasons.

Atlee survived a sluggish offensive performance and fine Meadowbrook defensive play, taking full advantage of 4 Monarch turnovers and 15 penalties to advance in the Class 5A South Central Zone playoffs, 23-6 tonight. Reid McCoy and Lamont Stubbs had second half touchdown runs, to open up a game that was 7-6 at halftime.

The Raiders (10-1) will host Douglas Freeman (10-1), who survived Manchester 48-47 in triple overtime, in next Friday's Central Zone semifinals. The Rebels are the only team to defeat Atlee in 2013, a 24-14 victory at Freeman on September 20th.

We'll have kickoff times and additional information in the coming two days from the VHSL....

FIELD HOCKEY: Lee-Davis' Season Ends A Game From State Finals.....

For a program not even a decade old yet, the Lee-Davis field hockey team has accomplished a lot in 2013.

The Confederates, coming off winning the last Capital District title in 2012, won the first-ever Conference 11 crown in 2013, followed it up with a 5A South Region Finals appearance, and made the school's first-ever trip to the State Field Hockey Tournament Friday in Virginia Beach.

But they ran into a juggernaut in Mountain View.

Mountain View, with multiple appearances at the state tournament level, was simply a cut above the Confederates, defeating Lee-Davis 7-0 this afternoon. Most of the first half was played in the Mountain View offensive zone, Courtney Gosslin and the Lee-Davis defenders having to swipe aside shot after shot, opportunity after opportunity.

The offense got some momentum after halftime and had several chances inside the Mountain View zone but weren't able to avoid the shutout.

Lee-Davis Field Hockey ends the season with a record of 19-3 and will look to use this maiden voyage to state-level competition to make a return run come 2014, albeit with the loss of several seniors.

Look for a photo gallery of today's historic match this weekend on our Facebook page, at www.facebook.com/hanoversports.

Congratulations, ladies!!!

ATLEE GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: REGIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!

During their run in the 2012 State Group AAA Girls Volleyball Tournament, Atlee fans and observers alike began to see Clarke Tyler blossom into a force in the middle for a star-laden Raider team that, in the end, had State Championship point only to lose in five sets to Kellam.

Wednesday night, after qualifying for states and the 5A South Regional Final, Raider Nation rejoiced when they heard Kellam had been slain, eliminated in four sets by Princess Anne in the Eastern Semifinal of 5A South. Thus the Cavaliers came to Meadowbrook High Thursday night for the Regional Final. It would be a rematch of a three-set affair on August 30th at the Virginia Volleyball Showcase at Richmond Volleyball Club. Atlee won that match 2-1.

Tonight would look much different, that is, until several Raiders made key plays at critical times, none more than the dominant fifth set tiebreaker that belonged to Clarke Tyler.

The final score read 25-27, 25-19, 19-25, 25-19, 15-11. The line on several players outlined just how this team played as a team to come from down two sets to one for the first time this season to improve to 30-2.

Lauren Stanford, a welcome addition to the service rotation, gaining critical experience during the injury absences of normal libero Melanie Snyder, had four aces, each coming at major turning points in several sets.

Molly Jarvis played well in the middle, and, when needed, provided the timely kill and occasional block.

The aforementioned Snyder had her serve going, including a key run mid-4th set to help keep the Atlee lead and draw them closer to a 2-2 tie.

But, these two stats do outshine them all.

Rachel Stanford, the Conference 11 Player of the Year, had 51 assists. 51.
Clarke Tyler had 28 kills.  That's right. 28 kills.

But it was the four in set five, to go with a block, that turned a 5-3 Princess Anne lead into a 10-6 Raider lead that would never be threatened again.

"A lot of people thought we'd come back to the pack this year," said Atlee head coach Curtis Carpenter. "But I knew we had a great combination of veteran players returning and talented young players coming up. This is the definition of a 'team'."

The Raiders improve to 30-2, and have not lost in the five-set format all season long. They will face the loser of the 5A North Final between Stone Bridge and Broad Run scheduled for Saturday, at 11am Thursday at the VCU Siegel Center.

If they win Thursday, the Raiders will have another chance to capture that elusive state championship, on Saturday night, 11/23, at 7pm.  The Rage Cage may want to circle that night on their calendar....









Wednesday, November 13, 2013

National Signing Day: Three Lee-Davis Baseball Players Sign!

One is off to the SEC, another stays home in the Atlantic 10, while a third will play in familiar territory in Fredericksburg!

HCS Media Network caught up with Brett Langhorne, Haiden Lamb, and Josh Lam, who signed their letters of intent today on National Signing Day!

Langhorne will play for the Tennessee Volunteers, while Lamb is staying close to home with the VCU Rams, and Lam is headed north by an hour to play for the University of Mary Washington!

Check out our exclusive interviews with all three!  The links are below:

Josh Lam Interview Here

Brett Langhorne Interview Here

Haiden Lamb Interview Here

Congratulations all!!



One More Time: Atlee, Lee-Davis to Meet in Region Semis

For Atlee, it was dominance from start to finish.

For Lee-Davis, it was a comeback for the ages.

In the end, both schools were victorious in the quarterfinal round of the inaugural Class 5A South Region Tournament Tuesday night at Meadowbrook High School.  Lee-Davis advanced to 20-7 with a five-set win over Conference 12 Champion L.C. Bird. The Skyhawks won the first two sets, then the Confederates fired back, finding themselves just in time to win the final three sets including 25-13 in the third, 15-6 in the tiebreaking fifth set.

18 kills from Chelsea Matthews led the way.

Atlee took the court next and had their way with Manchester, winning 25-8, 25-10, 25-12. The Raiders are 28-2, and meet Lee-Davis Wednesday, 6pm at Meadowbrook, for the fourth time this year. The winner goes to Thursday's regional final AND earns a berth in the State 5A Tournament next week at the Siegel Center.

SEE OUR EXCLUSIVE PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE DOUBLEHEADER BY CLICKING HERE!

Monday, November 11, 2013

PLAYOFF RADIO COVERAGE PLANS!

The WHAN Radio High School Football Game of the Week: Playoff Edition, this Friday night, will be Meadowbrook at Atlee!

Complete details on this and EVERY area first round playoff game coming up on "Central Region LIVE!", Monday night at 7pm, exclusively on 102.9 FM and 1430 AM, WHAN Radio.  Rob Witham will set the table for the first round across the Central Region and talk with Marc Davis, Sports Director of NBC12!

Don't miss it!!

Saturday, November 09, 2013

THE WRAP: Week 10 Football, Playoffs Determined, Lee-Davis Field Hockey Falls....

It was a tough night all around for Lee-Davis High School.

Just before getting the news that the field hockey team had lost 3-0 to Gloucester in the Class 5A South Regional Championship game in Virginia Beach, Lee-Davis' football team left their home field for the last time in 2013, the seniors more dejected and disappointed than anyone else.

Despite rushing for 415 yards, the Confederates' inability to score in the red zone cost them dearly, as Atlee held off Lee-Davis 34-17. With the win, the Raiders finished 9-1, they beat Lee-Davis in the regular season for the first time in Roscoe Johnson's tenure as head coach dating back to 2007, and clinched the #2 seed in the Class 5A South Central Zone Playoffs that begin next Friday.

UPDATE: With the loss, the only hope Lee-Davis has to slip into the 5A postseason is if Mills Godwin is upset by Thomas Jefferson Saturday afternoon in their season finale...

Reid McCoy sat out the first quarter for undisclosed reasons. Travis Barton's 34-yard completion into double coverage to Daniel Glymph set up a 5-yard touchdown run by Lamont Stubbs to make it 7-0 Atlee very early on.

The Confederates responded, driving inside the Atlee 10 before stalling. Stephen Hall's 30 yard field goal cut the Raiders lead to 7-3 halfway through the first. Neither team found the end zone for a quarter until Blake Stattelman got great blocking from the right side, going six yards for the score and a 10-7 Lee-Davis lead.

Atlee struck back, less than two minutes later, with McCoy running 19 yards to paydirt. Lee-Davis was resilient, driving again, and, on a 4th down from the Atlee 19, a handoff to Donald Kidd paid off big time. He went untouched into the end zone and the Confederates led 17-14 with 1:05 left to the half.

That's too much time to give Atlee. They counterpunched with a critical score, driving down the field in 55 seconds, McCoy scored again with his legs, this time after scrambling out of the pocket avoiding the Lee-Davis rush, for a 16-yard scamper. It was 21-17 at halftime.

Atlee won the toss, deferred to the second half, but quickly stalled on their first possession. Lee-Davis couldn't turn the tide in their favor, and the Raiders opened their first two-possession lead of the night when McCoy found Glymph in the back of the end zone, who twisted his body in mid-air to catch a pass on left shoulder while driving to his right. With 6:19 left 3rd quarter, it was 28-17.

It was then that Lee-Davis would, not once but twice, find themselves deep in the Atlee red zone. Once, to start the fourth quarter, after a fumble left them with 4th down at the 13, instead of kicking another 30-yard field goal to cut the lead to 8, they went for it. They failed.

Minutes later, they got the ball back, drove into the red zone. Again, rather than kick, they went for it on 4th down.  Chase Mummau's pass was way over the head of his intended receiver. It was still an 11-point game.

The Raiders slammed the door when McCoy scored his third and final rushing touchdown from a yard out at 1:52 to go. An unfortunate series of events then occurred, the Confederates being called for three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, as the Lee-Davis frustrations boiled over. There was one ejection.

For the Raiders, they took a giant step backwards in the penalty department tonight after a relatively mistake-free performance against Highland Springs a week ago. That, and making sure cooler heads prevail, will be key discipline issues addressed in practice heading into playoff week #1.

"We're not going to worry about the other team. We've got to worry about ourselves," Johnson told us on the post-game show on WHAN Radio. Though cognizant of the fact his players weren't penalized during the fracas after the final touchdown, he immediately gathered his team at midfield on his sideline, had them take a knee, and he proceeded to preach the gospel of discipline, lest a Raider made a mistake that would cost them not just an ejection, but a future playoff game appearance.

The 34-17 is not indicative of how close Lee-Davis was to winning the game. They rushed for 415 yards on the Atlee defense, a very impressive performance. But this game was decided by how Lee-Davis acted in the red zone, and that grade was a fail, at the worst possible time.

Our projections have Atlee hosting 7-3 Meadowbrook in a #2 vs. #7 first round matchup next Friday.

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Hanover moves into Class 4A South playoff action next week with a win behind them, 21-6 at Glen Allen, who despite the loss, clinch the school's first-ever playoff berth in just their third season. The Hawks finish 5-5, thanks to TD runs by Clayton Cheatham and Korbin Bordonie and tough defense. Our projections have them traveling to Portsmouth next Friday to face Churchland High School in a #6 vs. #11 seed contest.

Patrick Henry fell behind 28-7 to a one-loss Douglas Freeman team, but roared back on Senior Night in Ashland to score 19 unanswered points, cutting the 3rd quarter lead to 28-26. But the Rebels bounced back, pulling away in the fourth to win 41-26 to clinch the #3 seed in Class 5A South Central Zone with a 9-1 mark. Freeman is the only team with a win over Atlee so far in 2013.

For the Patriots, their maiden voyage under head coach Jonathan Clark ends at 2-8, wins coming over Thomas Jefferson and John Marshall.  They will have a very good core of underclassmen returning, plus players from a successful JV team. But come next fall, it will have been six calendar years since the Patriots have had a winning season. As other county teams continue to make the post-season, the restlessness in Western Hanover should be expected to continue.

FIELD HOCKEY: With their 3-0 loss to Gloucester mentioned at the top of our post, Lee-Davis goes to 19-2 and will face 5A North Champion Mountain View in the State 5A Semifinals next Friday at noon at the National Training Center in Virginia Beach.....

Friday, November 08, 2013

FOOTBALL FRIDAY: The Regular Season Finale!

Atlee (8-1) at Lee-Davis (5-4), 6:30 airtime on WHAN, 102.9 FM or AT THE LINK ABOVE!

Douglas Freeman (8-1) at Patrick Henry (2-7), 7pm
Hanover (4-5) at Glen Allen (4-5), 7pm

Follow us on Twitter for REAL TIME score updates all evening long!!

Thursday, November 07, 2013

ALERT: Atlee Captures First Conference 11 Girls Volleyball Title....

No Brooks? No Suber? No Moody? No problem....

The Atlee Raiders girls volleyball team quietly reloaded in the offseason, listened to all the prognosticators say they would "come back to the pack" this season.

Then they took the court.

Another step in their continued reign over the Central Region took place tonight, a four-set victory against arch-rival Lee-Davis to win the inaugural Conference 11 Tournament, taking place on their home floor.

The scores were 25-13, 25-18, 22-25, 25-17.

The Raiders move to 27-2 and will match up with Conference 12 runner-up Manchester in the Class 5A South Region Quarterfinals on Tuesday at Meadowbrook High School.

The Confederates fell to 18-7 and will also move on to Region Quarterfinal play versus Conference 12 Champion L.C. Bird on Tuesday.


ALERT: Lee-Davis Field Hockey Earns STATE Tournament Berth!

Lauren Wolfgang's goal 10 minutes into the game held up, as Lee-Davis won a nail-biting 1-0 win over Prince George Wednesday night to advance to the Class 5A South Regional Championship game on Friday night against Gloucester!  The Confederates (19-1) also clinch a berth in the Class 5A State Tournament beginning Friday November 15th.

All remaining games for Lee-Davis will occur at the National Training Center in Virginia Beach.

Congratulations, #LDFH!!!!





Friday, November 01, 2013

FOOTBALL FRIDAY: WEEK 9!!

HUGE games tonight as the calendar turns to November. The final stretch to playoff football is here!!

The Game of The Week is the Atlee Raiders celebrating Senior Night, at 7-1, facing the 7-1 Highland Springs Springers.  Atlee has won five straight, the Springers, seven straight. Both teams are currently tied for third place in Class 5A South Central Zone playoff standings, with the winner possibly able to leapfrog #2 seed Douglas Freeman (who face 3-5 Thomas Jefferson of 3A East) in the playoff standings with a week to go.

An Atlee win, coupled with a win at Lee-Davis next Friday could clinch two home games in the first two rounds of the playoffs November 15th and 22nd.  But a Raider loss tonight could drop them to 4th, even as far as 5th by the end of the regular season, depending on the work of the Hermitage Panthers. Hermitage is arguably, after the last two unbeatens in the area, LC Bird and Dinwiddie, the hottest team in the Central Region, and would be a very tough draw in the opening round of the 5A South Central playoffs.

Lee-Davis, at 4-4 after their 40-35 win at Hanover, go home for their final two games, first tonight against Armstrong. The Wildcats may be 2-6, but they are capable of scoring a lot of points, and are just one spot out of a playoff berth in Class 3A East. Armstrong will come in desperate and will give Lee-Davis their best shot, and cannot be overlooked with a visit from Atlee on the horizon next week.

Hanover, also at 4-4, and currently 12th in Class 4A South playoff standings (16 make the postseason) must rebound from their loss by hosting Varina, who, at 7-1, are looking to clinch home-field for the Class 6A South Central Zone. The Blue Devils are currently the #1 seed.  To ensure a playoff berth, the Hawks should win either tonight or next week at Glen Allen. A 4-6 final record may, or may not, give them enough VHSL rider points to advance. A Glen Allen victory over Henrico tonight, coupled with, for example, a Varina win over Hanover, could create a game next week where the Jaguars and Hawks, who would both be 4-5, could be playing for a postseason berth.  It also depends on results from several other games involving 4A schools not just in our area, but in the Eastern Region as well.

Patrick Henry has won two straight, and tonight travels to Deep Run for the Camouflage Bowl, the 11th edition. The Wildcats won their first game of 2013 last Saturday at Thomas Jefferson as PH won their 2nd straight Saturday at John Marshall, 48-14.

REMINDER: Follow us on Twitter, @hanoversports, for REAL-TIME score updates all evening!  If YOU are at the Varina/Hanover, L-D/Armstrong, or PH/Deep Run games, tweet us your score reports using hashtag "#GOTW"!!