Friday, November 30, 2012

Southerner Classic Day 2: PH, L-D Boys Advance...

Another doubleheader of Patrick Henry/Colonial Heights and Lee-Davis/King William at the Southerner Tip-Off Classic at Lee-Davis on this Friday, and, as was the case in girls action Thursday, the county schools got the job done.

Patrick Henry used a relentless full-court pressure to take control early and keep the lead, defeating Colonial Heights 60-44.  Khalil Mock had 8 points in the first quarter, 19 for the game to go with 15 rebounds on an impressive double-double.  William Holman feasted at the free throw line, earning 14 of his 19 points at the charity stripe.  Wes Toro contributed 10 points, including 6 in a key second quarter stretch that saw Colonial Heights take their only lead of the game at 20-19.  Toro scored the game's next six to re-establish the Patriot advantage for good.

Plagued by foul trouble early, Lucas Pienkowski finished with 7 points and 5 rebounds, plus a steal.

Patrick Henry, now 1-1, will play the home team, Lee-Davis, who, in the nightcap, swarmed past King William 60-36 to improve to 2-0 on the season.

Junior forward Rondell Ramsey scored 9 of his 11 points in the first quarter to launch the Confederates into the lead, one they would never relinquish.  And while shaky outside shooting plagued Lee-Davis throughout the game, they hit 12 of their first 17 free throws, taking advantage of King William foul trouble for free points at the charity stripe.

Another 19 point performance in this game, this time from Lee-Davis guard Josh Brown, with two three-pointers in the mix. Austin Stallings led the CFeds with 10 rebounds, while Josh Lam got 8 off the glass, and Jesse Tuck 7.  Vonnell Spurlacle led King William with 10 points, a player clearly the most talented on the Cavaliers roster. A key to any King William success going forward is getting him many more touches during the game offensively.

HERE IS THE LINEUP FOR CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY AT THE SOUTHERNER CLASSIC:

2PM: Girls Consolation Game: Colonial Heights vs. King William
4PM: Boys Consolation Game: Colonial Heights vs. King William
5:45PM: Girls Championship Game: Patrick Henry vs. Lee-Davis
7:30PM: Boys Championship Game: Patrick Henry vs. Lee-Davis

PLEASE NOTE: Patrick Henry and Lee-Davis are not on each other's basketball varsity schedules this season, so this is the only chance you'll get to see these two rivals go at it on the hardwood in the regular season.

WE HOPE to LIVE TWEET the Boys Championship game, if we can get to Lee-Davis in time after wrapping up coverage of the Stone Bridge/Hanover Football game Saturday afternoon.....


Thursday, November 29, 2012

PH, L-D Girls Advance to Southerner Final....

Summer Price poured in 26 points as Patrick Henry defeated Colonial Heights 65-19 in the first round of the Southerner Tip-Off Classic Thursday night at Lee-Davis.

In the nightcap, Lee-Davis manhandled King William 60-19 as Kerstin Winston and Kori Hughes each had 12 points.  The Confederates and Patriots will meet in Saturday's championship game at 5:45pm in Mechanicsville.

Meanwhile, Atlee's girls team fell on opening night for the Raiders, losing at Mills Godwin 49-31, as Stephanie Staples scored 13 points and grabbed 7 boards.  The Raiders open Capital District play next Friday, 12/7 at home versus Glen Allen at 6pm.

In boys action, Central Virginia Home School defeated Atlee 49-47 in the consolation bracket of the Rebel Invitational at Douglas Freeman.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Game Time Set for State Semis!

4PM is the kickoff time for the Stone Bridge/Hanover State Group AAA Division 5 Semifinal Saturday at Hanover High School.

If you're coming, tickets should be $10 and gates will open at 2:45pm.

Radio coverage will begin at 3:30 on WHAN, 102.9 FM and 1430 AM, and on the internet right here!!!

Friday, November 23, 2012

Hanover Hawks Smother Hopewell To Claim Region Crown!

It was another devastating defensive performance, this time against Hopewell, holding them to less than 120 yards of total offense en route to a 35-7 win over the Blue Devils in the final Central Region Division 5 Regional Championship game.

"We're happy to finally break the even year curse," said Hanover Head Coach Josh Just to WHAN Radio in the press box after the game, crediting both seniors and underclassmen for key plays on both sides of the ball.

Sam Rogers opened the scoring with a six-yard touchdown run with 7:11 left in the 1st quarter, and had a chance to extend the lead but overthrew Usman Mahmood wide open in the end zone late 1st quarter, the Hawks turning it over on downs.

Hopewell's vaunted offense, who scored 47 points at Dinwiddie last week, never got on track.  Quarterback Reggie Butler was sacked twice on the opening drive of the game for Hopewell as the Hawks tallied five sacks in all.

L.J. Jones, looking good after last week's ankle injury, ended another Hawk drive with a touchdown run for a 14-0 lead with 4:08 left in the first half. Hanover missed another scoring opportunity when a long touchdown pass from Rogers to Mahmood was called back due to an ineligible player downfield penalty.

Hanover's defense set the tone for the second half, immediately stopping Hopewell on the first possession of the 3rd quarter, then giving the ball to Rogers, who found Josh Harris down the sideline for a 54-yard touchdown pass and the Hawks seized the game at 21-0, 7:34 left in the 3rd.

Two touchdown runs by Lamont Stubbs in each quarter extended the lead to 35-0 before Hopewell finally tallied on a 3-yard run by Gabe Dupree to account for the 35-7 final.

Rogers had 289 yards of total offense, while Jones rushed for 56 yards.  Harris had three catches for 68 yards, as Rogers was 11-of-16 through the air with one TD pass and one 2nd quarter interception.

Hanover (9-3) will host a state semifinal for the first time ever, next Saturday, December 1st, against Northern Region champion Stone Bridge (13-0), who fell behind 29-7, then scored 55 unanswered points to beat Yorktown (12-1) Friday afternoon 69-50.

There WILL be a new champion in Division 5 this season, as Lake Taylor defeated defending state champion Phoebus tonight in the Eastern Region final, 54-0.

LISTEN LIVE TO DIVISION 5 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE to the Hopewell Blue Devils battling the Hanover Hawks, LIVE from Merner Field in Hopewell in the last-ever Central Region Division 5 Championship game!

(Remember, if you're in immediate Richmond area or Hanover County, you can listen on WHAN Radio, 102.9 FM and 1430 AM!)

Good luck Hawks!  Going for their fourth regional title in six years in this, just their 10th season of existence!!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

This Is Merner Field, Hopewell.....



Here is a screenshot of the neighborhood surrounding Merner Field in Hopewell, site of tomorrow night's D-5 Championship.  Field is between 12th and 14th with parking lot to the right of the trees at corner of 11th Ave. and W. City Point Road.  Otherwise, it's street parking......

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO SEE IT IN FULL......

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

From us to you and your family, we hope you are enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving with family, friends and fellowship.

Tomorrow, we focus, not on shopping here at least, but FOOTBALL.

It's the last-ever Central Region Division 5 Championship Game: Hanover at Hopewell!

We'll see you in Hopewell at Merner Field and talk to you on air and online at 7pm Friday!

---WHAN Radio (102.9 FM/1430 AM in Richmond/Hanover)
---At the link to be posted here at the top of the page Friday afternoon!!  Listen on your smartphone, tablet, from anywhere!!

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Patrick Henry To Conference 16?

HanoverCountySports.org can confirm that Patrick Henry High School has submitted a formal request to the Virginia High School League to move from Conference 11 to Conference 16 in the new Reclassification plan set to take effect in September, 2013.

Linda Scarborough, Communications Specialist for Hanover County Public Schools, confirmed to us Monday that the request was submitted.

The VHSL Conference Alignment Committee will take the request under consideration at a meeting, reportedly to be held in December.

Conference 11, in classification 5A South, currently contains nine schools: Patrick Henry, Atlee, Lee-Davis, Henrico, Highland Springs, Deep Run, Douglas Freeman, Mills Godwin and Hermitage.

Conference 16, in classification 5A North, currently contains just three schools: Halifax, Orange, and Albemarle.

The inequity in number, has led to rumors that other schools may switch from 11 to 16 for more balance, but as of this time, there are no substantiated plans for other schools in Conference 11 to request a change.

All of the above schools are in the newly-minted "5A" classification in a six-classification system, going from "1A" to "6A".  These would replace the current "Divisions" found in Group A, Group AA, and Group AAA for football.  So, football will still crown six state champions, but other sports that, until now, have crowned three state champions, one for each "Group", will expand to six.

Click HERE for a look at the "final" proposed realignment system from the VHSL.



Saturday, November 17, 2012

DIVISION 5 PLAYOFFS: HANOVER 28, LEE-DAVIS 21

All week long, those of us who have watched Sam Rogers since his September, 2009 debut as a freshman starting quarterback for Hanover suspected that, if a healthy Rogers is comfortable running the offense, the #4 seeded Hawks wouldn't play like a #4 seed.

Couple that with a tremendous performance on defense by the Hawks tonight, and Hanover escaped Mechanicsville with a 28-21 win over #1 seeded Lee-Davis to advance to their fourth consecutive regional final, looking for back-to-back region titles for the first time ever.

Sam Rogers went 23-for-33 for 236 yards passing with one interception, while rushing for 167 yards and 3 touchdowns.  L.J. Jones scored the first Hawk touchdown, but later left the game with an ankle injury.

Lee-Davis, who rushed for 570 yards against Atlee last week, gained 98 yards tonight, the Hanover defense too speedy to close off the corners, and too stout up the middle to allow holes to develop for Chris Simpson and Deshaun Rogers.

Stephen Hall kept Lee-Davis in the game with 31 and 32 yard field goals, and Lee-Davis had a chance in the final minutes, getting the ball at their 32 yard line with 1:37 left.  On 2nd down, Brandon Sulser looked downfield for his favorite target, Austin Rice, but underthrew the pass allowing Donte Haynesworth to grab the interception and seal the Hanover victory.

Lee-Davis sees their season end at the regional semifinal game for the second straight year, finishing 7-4, while Hanover, at 8-3 and the lower seed, must next travel to Hopewell for the Division 5 Finals next Friday.  Hopewell avenged a loss to Dinwiddie from two weeks ago, upsetting the Generals on the road 47-28.

So it'll be #3 vs. #4 for the right to advance to the state playoffs, Hanover at Hopewell next Friday!  Listen LIVE to the game next Friday at 7pm on WHAN Radio, 102.9 FM, 1430 AM, and HERE online at HanoverCountySports.org!

Friday, November 16, 2012

LISTEN TO HANOVER/LEE-DAVIS ONLINE!!

CLICK HERE to listen live TONIGHT at 7pm to the Division 5 Regional Semifinal between the Hanover Hawks and the Lee-Davis Confederates, as Rob Witham brings you exclusive coverage from WHAN Radio, 102.9 FM and 1430 AM in the Hanover/Richmond area!

CENTRAL REGION SEMIFINAL FRIDAY!

DIVISION 5 SEMIS:

#4 Hanover (7-3) at #1 Lee-Davis (7-3), 7pm airtime on WHAN Radio, 102.9 FM/1430 AM and HERE at HanoverCountySports.org at the link above!!

#3 Hopewell (7-3) at #2 Dinwiddie (7-3)

DIVISION 6 SEMIS:

#4 L.C. Bird (10-0) at #1 Hermitage (10-0)

#3 Meadowbrook (9-1) at #2 Varina (9-1)

ALL games kickoff at 7:30pm!

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER for LIVE score updates from around the region!  Click the Twitter logo to the right to join the discussion, 24/7!!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Atlee WINS Classic State Semi--Finally Over The Hump!

After being swept by Stone Bridge in 2010 and losing in five heartbreaking sets to Ocean Lakes in 2011, Atlee's girls volleyball program needed to finish avenging.

Tuesday night, they eliminated Ocean Lakes in the State Quarterfinals, winning three straight sets after falling hard in set 1, advancing to Thursday night's State Semifinals at the VCU Siegel Center.

Awaiting them?  Stone Bridge, the Northern Region Champions, the program who ended Atlee's first-ever trip to the Final Four two years earlier....

A close first set didn't need to be, as Atlee came out slow much as they did in the Ocean Lakes match on Tuesday, committing four service errors en route to a 25-23 defeat.  Once again, the Raiders would have to dig out of a 1-0 set deficit.

"Remember the Dolphins" would be a good rallying cry.

The next two sets belonged to Atlee, as the Raiders took the second set lead 10-9 on a Hailey Brooks ace and never looked back, getting two timely kills from Clarke Tyler and an ace from Karlie Suber to build the edge.  Another Tyler kill clinched set #2 25-19 and it was a new match.

The Raiders played their most consistently in the third set, only falling behind once at 2-1. A Suber kill increased the lead during Kylah Blackmore's servicing to 4-2, and another gave Atlee an 11-8 lead.  Brooks had a service error to make the score 12-10, but Atlee responded to win 13 of the next 15 points to roll, 25-12.

At this level, no team quits.  The Bulldogs responded with a solid open to set four, taking a 4-1 lead before the Raiders tied it at 4-4. Ryan Ackermann's block on a Raider kill started a four-point Stone Bridge rally to give the Bulldogs an 8-4 lead, leading Atlee coach Curtis Carpenter to call timeout.

Atlee errors mounted as the set continued; Tyler mis-hitting on a kill attempt, Suber the same to increase the Stone Bridge lead to 14-9, and, when Ackermann successfully blocked a Brooks kill attempt to make it 18-11, Carpenter called time again.

Stone Bridge rolled to a 25-16 set win, and the tiebreaker was on.  A Kayleigh Moody kill and Hailey Brooks ace made it 2-0. Then the Bulldogs reeled off three points to take the lead.  Back-to-back kills by Moody and Suber make it 4-3, and a later Suber kill fired from near mid-court made it 7-4.

The teams traded points for an 8-5 Atlee lead.  On the next point, Atlee was originally awarded the point, and after a long pause, the ruling was reversed.  Many Raiders, and Raider fans, were surprised by the call.

9-5 was now 8-6 and, two points later, the game was tied 8-8 after a very long point was captured by the Bulldogs to tie it up.  Sensing momentum slipping, Carpenter called time and spoke very wise words.

"Coach said to us, 'Don't let a call ruin your game', so we didn't," Brooks said after the match.

Calming words of immense importance to a veteran team at a critical juncture.

Atlee got a Karlie Suber kill out of the timeout for a 9-8 lead, but a service error by Rachel Stanford evened the score. Brooks responded with a kill, but the next point swung to the Bulldogs.  Atlee won the next point for an 11-10 lead, then Clarke Tyler snuck in a critical ace for the all-important two-point cushion, 12-10, and the Bulldogs asked for time.

Stone Bridge pushed one more time, scoring twice after the timeout for a 12-12 tie. Atlee won the next point and, at 13-12, Hailey Brooks went to serve. Raider Nation anticipated the victory.

She faulted.

13-13, Stone Bridge to serve.  One final time, Atlee dug deep as, this time, the senior starter who gets the least press, Kayleigh Moody, came through huge with a kill for a 14-13 lead.

Then, Moody went for another kill on the next point, her shot blocked, but the ball went out of bounds and the celebration began for Atlee.

Avenging win #2?  Check.

Atlee wins 23-25, 25-19, 25-12, 16-25, 15-13, and will now face Kellam, 3-0 winners over Langley in tonight's other semifinal, in the last-ever Group AAA State Championship, Saturday night, 7pm at the Siegel Center.

QUOTABLES FROM POSTGAME:

"That was stressful."---Atlee head coach Curtis Carpenter's first words at the press conference.

"The fifth game is all about serving. We knew we had too many errors tonight.....it's our third time playing at Siegel Center, but there is a depth perception issue.  If you serve long, it can be depth perception.  If you serve into the next, that's lack of focus."---Hailey Brooks

"I've just wanted to step my game up, especially during regionals and now here during states."---Atlee's Clarke Tyler, asked about her growing role in the team's rotation and improved play at critical times.

"I just had a blast.  These guys are my best friends."---Atlee's Karlie Suber

"I'm so proud of our team, how they showed dignity by winning that fourth set.  We're not gonna give up."---Stone Bridge head coach Jill Raschiatore.

"In the fourth set, we were charging blocks, looking for holes in their blocking. We play in the hardest district, and that helps us."---Ryan Ackermann of Stone Bridge, who has committed to play collegiately at Rider University....

"In that fourth set, we got a fire back. We remembered when we came back in previous matches.  Losing tonight will make us who return work harder.  We'll look back now and wonder what could we have done earlier this season to help us win tonight."---Stone Bridge junior Megan Bryn

When asked if a loss tonight would have deemed the Atlee season a disappointment, these are the answers:

"Yes."---Carpenter
"Completely. 100 percent."---Brooks

FINAL WORD: "This team realizes this is a special group, but they've got to work for it. They have worked hard and this is what you reap. I like our chances."---Carpenter when asked about finally breaking the barrier by winning the State Semis and glancing ahead to Saturday's Championship game.....

Atlee is 31-2.  One of those victories is against Kellam at the Tournament of Champions in Roanoke in mid-October.  But Kellam is the two-time defending State Group AAA Champion.

Saturday's final will be nothing short of a classic battle.  Hope to see you there!


Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Atlee to State Semis; Lee-Davis' Season Ends...

For the Atlee girls volleyball team, their worst set of the year couldn't have come at a worse time.

Ocean Lakes outserved, outran, and outplayed the host Raiders 25-12 to take a quick 1-0 lead in their State Group AAA Quarterfinal Tuesday evening.  That's when senior Hailey Brooks grabbed her teammates.

"I told them, that game is over.  Focus on what's ahead."

Thus began a three-set thrill ride that saw the Raiders fall behind 16-10 in the second set before rallying for a 19-19 tie.  Brooks then deftly sent the ball over the net falling gently inbounds, the softest of kills to make it Atlee 20, Ocean Lakes 19.

Brooks then took complete command, with four aces in five points to clinch a 25-19 win, then serving the winning ace in a 26-24 third set win en route to a four-set victory over the Dolphins, avenging their loss to Ocean Lakes in the 2011 State Semis, 12-25, 25-19, 26-24, 25-18.

Brooks wasn't alone in the resurrection.  Junior Clarke Tyler may have had "just" four kills, three blocks and two digs, but each of them seemingly came at very important points in the match, adding power in the middle of the Raider offense and defense.

Fellow senior Karlie Suber came up big with 13 kills, 3 blocks, 2 aces and 9 digs, while Kylah Blackmore had back-to-back aces early in the third set to help keep the Atlee momentum alive.

The Raiders, now 30-2, play Stone Bridge, the Northern Region champions, in the first State Semifinal at 5pm Thursday at the Siegel Center, downtown Richmond.  Tickets are $10.00.

We WILL be LIVE TWEETING the game, so follow us!  @hanoversports

--------------------------------

The Cinderella ride of Lee-Davis came to an end Tuesday night in Virginia Beach as Eastern Region champion Kellam defeated the Confederates 3-0, winning 25-4, 25-9, 25-14.  Becca Lass had seven kills for Lee-Davis, while Christina Penzer had five kills and three digs, Kylie Armstrong added two digs, as did co-captain Meghan Trice.

Lee-Davis ends their season with a record of 25-7.  Congratulations to the Confederates!!!

Monday, November 12, 2012

THIS WEEK'S PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL:

State Group AAA Quarterfinals (Tickets are $10.00):

Ocean Lakes at Atlee, 6PM (NOTE START TIME!!!)
Lee-Davis at Floyd Kellam, 7pm in Virginia Beach (see directions HERE)

Winners advance to the State Semifinals, to be played Thursday at 5pm and 7pm at the Siegel Center in Richmond!

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL:

Division 5 Regional Semifinal (Tickets are $7.00):

#4 Hanover at #1 Lee-Davis, 7:30pm (aired live on WHAN, 102.9 FM/1430 AM and HERE on HanoverCountySports.org beginning at 7pm)
#3 Hopewell at #2 Dinwiddie, 7:30pm

Division 6 Regional Semifinal (Tickets are $7.00):

#4 L.C. Bird at #1 Hermitage, 7:30pm
#3 Meadowbrook at #2 Varina, 7pm

Friday, November 09, 2012

LISTEN LIVE TO LEE-DAVIS/ATLEE!

CLICK HERE to listen LIVE to the Lee-Davis/Atlee for a playoff spot beginning at 6:30pm!!!

FOOTBALL FRIDAY---REGULAR SEASON FINALE!

Lee-Davis at Atlee
Glen Allen at Hanover
Patrick Henry at Hermitage
Petersburg at Dinwiddie
Midlothian at Manchester
Hopewell at Prince George, 7:30pm
Highland Springs at Varina
Henrico at Armstrong
Douglas Freeman at Mills Godwin
Deep Run at J.R. Tucker, 7:30pm
Thomas Jefferson vs. John Marshall, 7pm at City Stadium
Thomas Dale at Colonial Heights
Matoaca at Meadowbrook
L.C. Bird at Clover Hill, 7:30pm
James River at Cosby, 7:30pm
Huguenot at George Wythe, 7:30pm

VISAA State Semifinals:

DIVISION I:

#4 Collegiate at #1 Liberty Christian, 7:30pm in Lynchburg
#3 Benedictine vs. #2 Fork Union, 7pm at Fluvanna High School

DIVISION II:

#4 Nansemond-Suffolk at #1 Trinity Episcopal, Saturday 12 noon

DIVISION IV:

#3 Greenbriar Christian at #2 Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot, 7pm


Thursday, November 08, 2012

Central Region Girls Volleyball Title TONIGHT!!!

The Atlee Raiders were expected to be in tonight's final.

Their opponents are unexpected visitors.

Lee-Davis continued their Cinderella run through the tournament, defeating Cosby Wednesday night in four sets to advance to tonight's 6pm final against the Raiders, winners last night over Clover Hill.

Both Atlee and Lee-Davis have also advanced to next week's State Group AAA Championships, a first-ever appearance for Lee-Davis, the third consecutive for Atlee.

And, remember, whoever wins tonight's final will be awarded the final Central Region Tournament Championship Trophy, since regions cease to exist after the 2012-13 school year with the new VHSL reclassification rules take effect.

No matter the result, that trophy will enjoy a long shelf life in Hanover County!

First serve is 6pm at Hanover High!  WE WILL LIVE TWEET the match, so follow us on Twitter!  CLICK THE TWITTER LOGO TO THE RIGHT TO FOLLOW US!!

Monday, November 05, 2012

DIVISION 5 SCENARIOS.....

After doing some calculating, postulating, hair-pulling, and Advil popping, I present to you the 1st (and last) Annual "What If Division 5 Playoff Scenario Show".....

Midlothian has a conundrum on its hands, but it's not insurmountable.

Right now they have 164 points via win/loss and 44 rider points.  208 total.

A win over Manchester is worth 24 points, then 12 rider points for each of the Lancers' 6 wins.  36 big points.

As for other rider points, Powhatan and Monacan, two of their wins, have finished their regular seasons. No chance at extra points. Benedictine, of course, doesn't count, as we'll be dividing the final point total for Midlothian by 9, not 10.

They WILL get two points from either George Wythe or Huguenot simply because they play each other on Friday, so 38 now with a win. Cosby likely takes care of James River, so they get one point for a Cosby win, instead of two for a James River upset.  Now we're at 39.

They'll grab another point when LC Bird beats Clover Hill, but that's another lost shot at two points from a defeated opponent, this time the Cavaliers.  We're at 40.

40 is the maximum they can get unless there are two monster upsets (James River over Cosby and Clover Hill over LC Bird).

248 points divided by 9 equals 27.556.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Hanover currently has 180 points via win/loss and 59 rider points. 239 total.

A win over Glen Allen earns them 24 points, then 4 rider points for Glen Allen's two victories.  28 points.

Then, they will get two rider points from the Deep Run/J.R. Tucker game, having beaten both opponents. A PH loss to Hermitage yields nothing. They'll get one point out of the Highland Springs/Varina game no matter the outcome. They get 2 points if Atlee upsets Lee-Davis, only 1 if it's the other way around. They'll get two points from the Henrico/Armstrong game no matter the outcome.

So, 6 guaranteed rider points, 7 if Atlee wins.  35 points total.

274 points divided by 10 equals 27.4. This is based on an Atlee win.  So, you see, even that isn't enough to prevent Midlothian from taking the fourth seed away with a Manchester win. The ONLY way Hanover outpoints Midlothian if they both win that I can see is there are NO upsets going Midlothian's way explained above.....and Patrick Henry must beat Hermitage. Those two unexpected points for beating PH would make it 276, which divided by 10, is 27.6 and the Hawks are in.

So, from what I can tell, Hanover must win AND get help from Manchester to ensure a playoff berth.......

Atlee enters week 10 with 168 points for the 5-4 record, and 55 rider points from their various teams, for a total of 223.

A win over Lee-Davis is mandatory, and they need help. 

The win would give them 24 points, then 12 bonus points for L-D's six victories. That's 36. A Deep Run win over Tucker gives them 2 more, a Freeman win over Godwin would provide 1. They'll get two from the Henrico/Armstrong winner, 1 point from the Highland Springs/Varina winner.  What's left?  PH beating Hermitage for a surprising two and.....Hanover.  One point from a Hanover win is meaningless to them, they must have Glen Allen beat Hanover.  They also must have Manchester beat Midlothian, certainly more possible than the Glen Allen/Hanover scenario.

If Midlothian and Hanover lose, and Atlee wins......

Midlothian would end with 230 points divided by 9 games for a 25.556 rating.
Hanover would end with 261 points divided by 10 games for a 26.1 rating.


An Atlee win over Lee-Davis puts them at 259 points with a guaranteed minimum of three bonus points from the Henrico/Armstrong winner and Highland Springs/Varina winner.  That's 262, which, divided by 10, is 26.2.

So, there's the road to the playoffs for the Raiders, that I can see.

P.S.---What if Hopewell loses to Prince George?  They start week 10 with 176 points for the 6-3 record, and 64 rider points for a total of 240. A loss would yield 12, then 4 bonus points for what would be the Royals four victories.  That's 256. They'd get 2 crucial points for a Cosby win over James River, 1 if Lee-Davis eliminates Atlee, Brunswick is done so no points there, 1 point if Meadowbrook beats Matoaca (2 if Matoaca upsets....doubtful), 2 guaranteed points from the Thomas Dale/Colonial Heights winner, 1 point if Dinwiddie beats Petersburg, 2 if the other way around.

Likely scenario?  God only knows....let's say 2 from Cosby, none from an Atlee win, 1 from Meadowbrook, 2 from the Dale win and 1 point from a Dinwiddie win....that's 262 points, divided by 10 games for a 26.2 rating.

So, there IS a scenario by which Atlee could end up tied for 3rd with Hopewell at 26.2.

My head hurts......:) :)

Lee-Davis, Atlee, R-MC Volleyball ALL earn victories Monday!

It was a memorable day on the volleyball court for Hanover County teams.

1) Randolph-Macon (23-6) received an at-large berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament Monday. The Jackets, who were upset in the ODAC Semifinals Saturday after winning the regular season title, will face Gallaudet (31-6), the North East Atlantic Conference Champions, at 5:30pm Friday at Christopher Newport University in Newport News.

2) The Lee-Davis Confederates girls volleyball team, the second seed from the Capital District, traveled to Mills Godwin and upset the Colonial District champions in five sets, 24-26, 25-19, 22-25, 25-19, 15-9 in the Central Region Quarterfinals. Becca Lass led the C-Feds, now 20-5, with 19 kills, 4 digs, and 4 blocks, while Christina Penzer added 17 kills and 10 digs, and Jordan Martin fed well with 46 assists.  Mills Godwin's season comes to a sudden end at 23-3.

3) The Atlee girls, as expected, defeated Deep Run in their Central Region Quarterfinal at home in three sets, to advance to Wednesday night's semifinal against Clover Hill.  This game will match the Co-Region Players of the Year against each other, as Harper Smith of the Cavaliers will line up across from Atlee's Hailey Brooks.

4) The Atlee boys completed the domination Monday evening with a three-set sweep of Deep Run to advance in the Central Region Quarters.  The Raiders now will face Cosby, a four-set winner over Thomas Dale Monday, in Tuesday's semifinal.

All Region Semifinals and Finals for boys and girls take place at Hanover High School.....

DIVISION 5 UPDATE--OFFICIAL VHSL POINT STANDINGS

Here they are....

1T) Lee-Davis           27.222
1T) Dinwiddie           27.222
3) Hopewell              26.625
4) Hanover               26.556
5) Midlothian            26.000
6) Atlee                    24.778

I know, I know......why the tie????

I made two small, but vital mistakes in crunching the numbers.

1) Lee-Davis only gets 8 rider points from their loss to Hermitage and not 9, because the Hermitage game in August against Fork Union Military Academy, being a private school, does not count in the VHSL standings. So, that brings Lee-Davis' point total from 246 to 245.

2) Dinwiddie, I had only given them four points for beating Prince George, thinking the Royals had won two games this season. Prince George has three wins, so giving the Generals two extra points, they go from 243 to 245.

And that's the reason behind the tie.

THE GOOD NEWS for Lee-Davis is you will pick up more rider points for beating a five-win Atlee team if you win Friday night than Dinwiddie will if they beat a three-win Petersburg team.

BOTTOM LINE for Lee-Davis: Beat Atlee, and hope for no weird upsets, except for Petersburg to upset Dinwiddie, of course.

We will chart the possible courses of Hanover and Atlee to post-season play in later posts......

Saturday, November 03, 2012

WEEK 9 FOOTBALL AND VOLLEYBALL TITLE RESULTS!

Hanover began the night the #1 seed in Division 5, but precariously so, as Hopewell, Lee-Davis, and Dinwiddie were close behind.

By night's end, Hanover was looking up at these three schools, and the Confederates took over the top spot.

Hanover, who led at Varina most of the night, took a 20-14 lead on a Sam Rogers touchdown pass to Donte Haynesworth with 3:35 to go. The point after attempt failed.  It would come back to haunt them.

Varina hit paydirt on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Wood to Donovan Dowling with 14 seconds left to tie the game. Their PAT attempt failed, but.....a roughing the kicker penalty was called on Hanover, giving Varina a second chance at an extra point. They didn't miss the second time, and the Blue Devils survived at home 21-20.  The Hawks suffer their third painful road loss in Capital District play, are now 6-3 overall, and must defeat Glen Allen at home next Friday to insure a post-season berth.

Hopewell, the #2 seed, played catch-up all evening with #4 Dinwiddie before falling at home to the Generals 28-21.  Both teams are now 6-3 to join Hanover at that mark......as well as Lee-Davis.

The Confederates found Armstrong a bit pesky early on, as the Wildcats took an early 12-6 lead before Chris Simpson cranked up the running game, rushing for 251 yards and four touchdowns as Lee-Davis celebrated Senior Night with a 47-24 victory.

The win vaulted Lee-Davis unofficially (by our calculations) into the top seed in Division 5 with one week to go.  Here's the standings, based on our calculations:

1) Lee-Davis         27.333
2) Dinwiddie         27.000
3) Hopewell          26.667
4) Hanover           26.556
5) Midlothian        26.000
6) Atlee                24.778

Lee-Davis will likely clinch home-field throughout the playoffs with a win at Atlee next Friday.  Atlee, to make the playoffs, MUST be Lee-Davis, have Manchester beat Midlothian, and either Glen Allen beat Hanover or Prince George beat Hopewell....so their playoff chances are very remote.  Had they won that Douglas Freeman game in week 3, things would be much different.

Of greater concern to Atlee is the condition of linebacker Tye Burriss, hurt on a fumble return on the last play of the first half tonight at Highland Springs, and wideout Tyler Thomas, who was hurt on a PAT attempt midway through the 3rd quarter, was down on the field for some 20 minutes before being taken off on a stretcher and dispatched by ambulance to a local hospital for observation.

Atlee went toe-for-toe with Highland Springs in the first half; the only difference being a Raider extra point attempt being blocked. But the Springers came out swinging in the second half, scoring on their first two possessions, both touchdown runs by Ryan Scott, the unexpected player of the game for Highland Springs, as he scored three times en route to the 35-21 victory.  Morris Jackson rushed for 172 yards and scored his 30th touchdown of the season in the loss, as Atlee falls to 5-4.

IN ASHLAND.....Patrick Henry fought valiantly on Senior Night but fell to Mills Godwin 26-20. The Eagles, who had shut out PH a year ago 43-0, were led by senior QB Dane Forlines, scoring two touchdowns.  The Patriots fall to 3-3, 3-6 with a trip to Hermitage for their season finale next week.

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VOLLEYBALL: The Atlee Raiders swept both the boys and girls Capital District Volleyball Tournament titles Friday night!  On the boys side, Atlee swept Glen Allen 25-21, 25-19, 25-16, as Kevin Eye had 36 assists and Matt Rohr fired off 18 kills for the 20-3 Raiders, who advance to next week's Central Region tournament, opening Monday against Deep Run.

On the girls side, Atlee made it 9 set wins over 3 matches against arch-rival Lee-Davis to take the Capital trophy home.  Player of the Year in the Capital, Hailey Brooks, had 12 assists, 7 kills and 8 aces while her senior teammate Karlie Suber had 18 digs, 7 kills and 4 aces as the Raiders improve to 26-2, now preparing for their first round Central Region match on Tuesday evening against Deep Run.

Lee-Davis, led by Jordan Martin's 15 assists, enter the Central Region tourney with a 19-5 record, where they will meet Colonial District Champion Mills Godwin.  The two teams were in the same division (Gold) in the 2012 Virginia Volleyball Classic Labor Day Weekend but never faced each other.....

Friday, November 02, 2012

FOOTBALL FRIDAY--LISTEN LIVE!!!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE as Atlee battles Highland Springs in a fight to stay alive in the Division 5 playoff race!  Coverage begins at 6:30pm with pregame as Rob Witham brings you all the action, on WHAN Radio (102.9 FM/1430 AM in Metro Richmond) and online here!

OTHER GAMES (County and Division 5 playoff hopefuls in bold):

Armstrong (0-5, 2-6) at Lee-Davis (3-2, 5-3)
Mills Godwin (3-2, 5-3) at Patrick Henry (3-2, 3-5)
Henrico (0-5, 0-8) at Glen Allen (1-4, 2-6)
Hanover (3-2, 6-2) at Varina (5-0, 7-1)
Colonial Heights (0-5, 0-8) at Meadowbrook (5-0, 7-1)
Thomas Dale (3-5) at L.C. Bird (8-0)
Dinwiddie (4-1, 5-3) at Hopewell (4-1, 6-2), 7:30pm
Prince George (1-4, 3-5) at Matoaca (2-3, 3-5)
Deep Run (4-1, 5-3) at Douglas Freeman (3-2, 5-3)
Thomas Jefferson (0-5, 1-7) at Hermitage (5-0, 8-0)
John Marshall (1-4, 4-4) at J.R. Tucker (1-4, 2-6)
Huguenot (0-6, 0-8) at Clover Hill (1-5, 1-7), 7:30pm
George Wythe (0-6, 0-8) at Cosby (5-1, 6-2), 7:30pm
James River (3-3, 3-5) at Manchester (4-2, 5-3), 7:30pm
Midlothian (4-2, 5-3) at Monacan (4-3, 4-5), 7:30pm
Caroline at Culpeper, 7:30pm
Bruton (2-7) at New Kent (0-9)
Louisa (3-6) at Western Albemarle (9-0), 7:30pm
Charlottesville (4-5) at Powhatan (4-5), 7:30pm
Goochland (7-2) at Amelia (4-6)
King & Queen (2-5) at King William (8-1)

SATURDAY 11/3:
St. Christopher’s (5-4) at Collegiate (5-3), 1:30pm (delayed broadcast Sunday 11/4 at 1pm on WHAN Radio)

Petersburg (3-6) has a bye this week.....


Thursday, November 01, 2012

Wednesday Results, Thursday Schedule

FIELD HOCKEY:

The 2012 season came to an abrupt end for Hanover County schools Wednesday night in the Central Region Quarterfinals at River City SportsQuest.  On adjacent fields, Hanover battled Colonial District Champion Maggie Walker Governors School (MWGS) to a scoreless first half.  But in the span of six minute midway through the second, the Green Dragons struck twice, and a late Hawk surge into the MWGS zone, one of the few of the game, fell short.

Though Hanover's final record, 9-10, doesn't sound impressive, it does represent a full season that was, in truth, a tail of two seasons. Losing 17 seniors from last year's state playoff squad, the Hawks got off to a rough start, losing three of its first four before hitting the .500 mark with a win on strokes at home in early October over Atlee. The Hawks were competitive each time on the field, with two very close losses to eventual champion Lee-Davis, one late in the regular season, the other in the Capital District Title game last Thursday. Hanover returns a ton of talent and should be a force again in 2013.

Lee-Davis, too, will be a team to be reckoned with in 2013, returning many stellar players including Capital District Player of the Year Cameron Gibson. But right now, the Confederates are thinking of what may have been.  Lee-Davis, down 1-0 to Douglas Freeman in their Wednesday Regional Quarterfinal, bounced back to tie just before halftime on a Gibson goal, then take the lead when Harper Matthews found the goal in the 41st minute.

The Confederates played stellar defense, holding off four Freeman penalty corners in the waning minutes and getting outstanding individual defensive effort from Madison Angus, whose defense on a breakaway opportunity in the 56th minute singlehandedly kept the Confederates in front.

Lee-Davis held the lead into the final two minutes when Abbey Thornhill found the back of the goal with 1:10 left in regulation, and the Douglas Freeman season was still alive, tied with Lee-Davis at 2-2.

We went to overtime, where Gibson delved deep into the left side of the Freeman offensive zone. But Cameron Gibson's centering pass, though coming precariously close to the Freeman goal, rolled by, with no Lee-Davis player in position to seal the deal.

Five minutes later, Abbey's sister, Sarah Thornhill, had an opportunity, and made the most of it, scoring off a penalty corner to set off the Rebel celebration. Freeman will play Thomas Dale in tonight's semifinals, while MWGS faces Cosby.

VOLLEYBALL:  Patrick Henry split in their Colonial quarterfinal showdowns against MWGS, as the girls team lost in four sets at Godwin, while the boys team overcame the absence of star Scott Brigham to win in four sets.

The Patrick Henry boys now play in tonight's second Colonial semifinal at Freeman, at approximately 7:30, against Deep Run, a team PH defeated last Thursday at home on Senior Night.  The winner of that game faces the winner of the other semi between Godwin and top-seeded Douglas Freeman.  A Freeman win will mean the winner of the PH-Deep Run game also gets a berth into next week's Central Region Tournament.

ALSO TONIGHT:

CAPITAL DISTRICT VOLLEYBALL:

Girls Semis (at Atlee): #1 Atlee vs. #4 Hanover, 6pm; #2 Lee-Davis vs #3 Glen Allen, 7:30pm
Boys Semis (at Highland Springs): #1 Atlee vs. #4 Highland Springs, 6pm; #2 Glen Allen vs. #3 Hanover, 7:30pm...

JV FOOTBALL: Patrick Henry at Mills Godwin, Monacan at Lee-Davis, Varina at Hanover, Highland Springs at Atlee, all 7pm starts!