Revenge Fuels Dale

Carrie Jaeckle, one of Dales tri-captains, played excellent at forward in a huge win over Colonial Heights.

by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports
04/26/2007

Revenge is a powerful, potent and perfect weapon when used in the sports arena.

Take Thomas Dale�??s girls soccer team, for instance. Colonial Heights buried the Knights 2-0 four weeks ago.

The
Knights took the loss and all its feelings, bottled it up and outplayed
and outhustled the Colonials Thursday evening, taking a 3-0 victory.

Thomas
Dale (7-1 Central District, 8-2) now controls its own destiny in the
district as Colonial Heights (5-1-1, 7-1-1), ranked fifth in the
current DigitalSports Top 10, has to hope someone can trip up No. 10
Dale.

�??I always like to be on top. That�??s how I like it,�?� Dale senior tri-captain Karri Bridges said. �??Yeah, it was revenge. I think we were all pretty mad at the loss.�?�

It showed as Dale peppered CH goalie Amanda Holt like she was a target at a firing range. Holt, a junior, was up to the task, however, keeping TD at bay early.

That was until TD midfielder Loren Favale scored from point-blank range with 18:00 left in the first half for the Knights�?? 1-0 lead.

�??Intensity. They wanted it more than we did,�?� Colonial Heights coach Leo Brenes said. �??They scored the first goal and we never recovered from that.�?�

TD
continued to control tempo and achieve opportunities, but couldn�??t put
in another score. It was more of the same to start the second half as
both teams could not sustain offense.

Then, boom! Bridges raced down the right sideline to field a perfect feed from Monique Mack.

With a Colonial on her back, Bridges struck a ball David Beckham
would be jealous of, bending her shot into the left side of the goal
from an extremely difficult angle for a 2-0 lead with 24 minutes to go.

Eight minutes later, Tiffany VanDecker
beat Holt for a 3-0 lead as the shocked Colonials realized the Master
Lock they planned to put on the district race was stolen by Dale.

�??There
are still a lot of games left in the season, but we knew this was a
crucial game,�?� Brenes said. �??Now we�??re going to have to look in the
paper and see what other teams have done. You want to play as the No. 1
team in the district, you have to leave it all on the field.�?�

Said Dale coach John Kabler: �??We control our own destiny. If we can win out, we win the district. That�??s nice to know.�?�

Colonial Heights 0 0 – 0

Thomas Dale     1 2 – 3

TD: Favale, Bridges, Vandecker

Saves: Holt (CH) 8; Dowlen (TD) 3

Threatt Signs With George Mason

by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports
04/25/2007

At the 804 All-Star Game, Threatt won the 3-Ball Contest before leading the North to a victory.

Jay Threatt
started as a 5-7, 5-8 wispy point guard with talented ball-handling
skills. Maybe a college prospect going into his senior year. Lower
level at best.

An
offseason later, Threatt was all of a sudden a threat. He scored in
bunches from outside the 3-point line. He made defenders look silly
trying to keep up with his quickness and fancy dribbling.

He
passed. He led. He defended. He was just flat out better, as the
Springers were pretty much unstoppable with their much-improved floor
general on their way to the state Group AAA title.

He was so improved, promising PG Harvey Mills couldn�??t get playing time in the playoffs, though he�??s been on the squad for three seasons.

How good has Threatt become? He just signed with Division I George Mason Tuesday.

�??It really speaks volumes for his work ethic, his improvements and his attitude adjustments,�?� Highland Springs coach George Lancaster said Wednesday afternoon. �??He�??s very deserving, as well as his family. That�??s great.�?�

Three Springers are now signed with Division I programs with Brandon Rozzell now a rival of Threatts�?? at VCU, and Jamar Abrams going to East Carolina.

Not to mention two commitments from big men Tony Purnell (Saint Paul�??s, Division II, CIAA) and Omar Briggs (Christopher Newport, Division III). Ketron Anderson, a 6-5 jumping jack, also has an offer out there, ready to be taken.

�??We
had three Division I players coming off of one team,�?� Lancaster said.
That�??s speaks volumes for their talents and their academics. We feel
good about that.�?�

Though it seems Threatt came out of nowhere, George Mason didn�??t.

�??They
had seen him last year. They kind of liked what they saw, the way he
directed a team,�?� Lancaster said. �??They probably had somebody else that
was their No. 1 guy. Then the next one in line becomes their No. 1 guy.

�??Playing in a game against Freedom [with George Mason recruit Cameron Long], Jay probably highlighted his significance with the way he played. It kind of elevated his stock, so to speak.�?�

Central Region Track Rankings

Generals Take Two-Game Lead Over Royals

Taylor Perkins hit a two-run HR in the first inning as No. 4 Dinwiddie didn’t look back.

Prince George baseball coach Mickey Roberts said it all.

�??If
[Dinwiddie] comes out and plays like this, they have a chance to win
the [Central] Region,�?� the longtime Royals coach said after his team
fell 9-1 at home to the Generals Tuesday night. �??I think they can beat
anybody in the region.

�??They played smart, they played hard and they played together. If they play like that, they�??re tough to beat.�?�

Dinwiddie, ranked fourth in the latest DigitalSports Top 10, jumped on Prince George starter Jackie Bradley in the first inning.

Leadoff batter Chad Heflin
(3 for 5, RBI, 3 SBs), in his second game back from a broken left
hand, singled to right field, then stole two bases to get to third.

He could have saved his energy, as Taylor Perkins blasted Bradley�??s 3-2 offering over the 350-foot wall in centerfield for a 2-0 lead over the sixth-ranked Royals.

�??It
was a good two-strike pitch,�?� said Perkins, who finished 1 for 3 with
two walks at the plate. �??It was a curveball around my knees. It was
just there.�?�

Four batters later, Alex Christopher drove in Colt Warren, who reached on an error, for a 3-0 lead as Bradley was pulled before getting an out in the second inning.

It got worse.

The Generals (7-0 Central District, 11-2) put up six runs in the fourth inning, four of them on RBI singles by Heflin, Josh Cox, Justin Clay and Chris King. The Royals (6-2, 8-4) were shell-shocked and behind 9-0 at their own place.

�??We knew that they were a game behind us,�?� Dinwiddie coach Shawn Wynn said. �??Our guys came out and jumped out early.�?�

Zach Henshaw
(2 for 3) provided an RBI single for the Royals in the bottom of the
fourth, but PG would scratch no more despite loading the bases in the
sixth inning. Bradley hit a sharp liner right at second baseman Cox to
end the threat.

�??It would have been 9-4 at that point,�?� Roberts said. �??I thought we still had a chance going into the seventh inning.�?�

There
weren�??t many PG opportunities because of the pitching of Perkins and
the defense of the Generals. He threw a complete game with seven
strikeouts, scattering eight hits to give the Generals a two-game lead
over the Royals halfway through the district docket.

�??To win this district,�?� Wynn said, �??you have to have 12 or 13 wins.�?�

Said
Roberts: �??I don�??t think this thing is over. We�??ve got to pick ourselves
up. We can�??t have a letdown in case something does happen.�?�

Granger Headed To Fayetteville State

by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports
04/23/2007

Deep Run A Level Above

Kristin Nimitz posted a 10-4 singles win and completed a doubles victory with R.J. Lawrence.

There’s a decent jump from No. 2 to No. 3 in girls tennis.

Deep Run, ranked second in the DigitalSports Top 10, defeated third-ranked Midlothian 7-2 Friday afternoon.

It was the Trojans’ first loss as the Wildcats remained unbeaten
heading into a showdown with Eastern Region foe Frank Cox today and
top-ranked Mills Godwin Tuesday.

Deep Run’s Kristin Nimitz led the way, topping Elizabeth Addison 10-4 with her consistent strokes and smart play. She added an 8-2 doubles victory with R.J. Lawrence.

“I just tried to hit angles,” said the defending state Group AAA champion, “and put her off the court.”

Both teams were missing their outstanding No. 2 players Deep Run’s Allie Shulman (school trip) and Midlothian’s Nina Sjogren, a four-year player, were absent.

Deep Run senior Kendall Meyer stepped into the No. 2 spot and took care of Jennifer Abbott 11-9.

The Wildcats No. 4 (Heather Paxton), No. 5 (Lawrence) and No. 6 Eva Roffis each posted wins, only losing eight games combined, to take the match in singles play.

“Deep Run’s just more talented than we are,” Midlothian coach Doug Garrett said. “Some of the matches came down to one or two games, but…

“We’re going to have to do something. We have a lot of tough matches left.”

The match of the day, however, belonged to Midlothian No. 3 Elyse Anderson and Deep Run’s Logan Meyer.

They went back and forth as Anderson came out on top 10-8. The match
didn’t end until 6:27 p.m., nearly two hours from the start time.

The upcoming bout between Nimitz and Mills Godwin’s Katie Blow may take even longer. Nimitz has had Blow’s number, but is certainly aware of the challenge.

“It’s nice to have two good matches before I play Katie,” said
Nimitz, referring to her win over Addison and today’s date with Cox.
“Katie’s my toughest match. It’s so tough to play her because she’s one
of my good friends.”

Singles: Nimitz (DR) d. Addison 10-4; K. Meyer (DR)
d. J. Abbott 11-9; Anderson (Mid) d. L. Meyer 10-8; Paxton (DR) d. A.
Abbott 10-3; Lawrence (DR) d. Baxter 10-4; Roffis (DR) d. Carroll 10-1

Doubles:  Nimitz-Lawrence (DR) d. Addison-J. Abbott 8-2; Baxter-A. Abbott (Mid) d. Anderson-Peters; Paxton-Roffis d. Pfund-Carroll

Knights Continue To Roll

Will Bates was sensational at midfield for Thomas Dale.

Thomas
Dale is not as good as last year�??s two-time state champion. Everyone
involved with the boys soccer team would admit that.

But
if the Knights continue to play similar to how they did in a 5-0
victory over Prince George Thursday evening, TD will be a tough out for
anyone around.

Dale
(6-0 Central, 8-0) was aggressive from the first whistle. TD was
whippet quick in back and near the Royals�?? goal. The Knights held the
ball like their life depended on it, and played most of the game in
Prince George�??s territory.

It all equaled quick scoring and put a lot of doubt in the minds of the Royals early.

�??The problem is that they�??ve developed such a reputation,�?� Royals coach Tom Harrison
said of the Knights, ranked first in the DigitalSports Top 10 and sixth
in the United States by the National Soccer Coaches Association/adidas
(www.nscaa.com). �??You make a mistake, they capitalize on it.�?�

Only seven minutes into the contest, Patrick Innes fought off a Royal near the corner and beat goalkeeper A.J. Ricci to the right of the net for a 1-0 lead.

Then in the 24^th minute, Dustin Heling found Innes on a breakaway that the junior midfielder deposited in the net for a 2-0 advantage.

Innes
must have been trying to make up for lost time. Thursday was his first
game of the season after recovering from an ankle injury.

�??I
felt really good,�?� Innes said. �??We knocked the ball around very well. I
think this was by far our best performance of this year.�?�

In the next 13:00, TD scored two more goals; one on a strong finish by Heling, and the other a rebound putback by Shawn Van Decker after Ricci made a beautiful save on Will Bates�?? header.

�??We�??re
trying to keep our defense strong,�?� said Heling, who would add another
goal 10 minutes into the second half for the final margin. The Knights
have yet to yield a goal this season. �??Once we get the ball we�??re
trying to attack.�?�

Thomas Dale coach Mark Fowler liked what he witnessed.

�??I�??m happy that we started to hold the ball,�?� Fowler said. �??I�??m very pleased. They�??re starting to come together, which is nice.�?�

Not so nice for the rest of the Central Region.

Defense Keys Win for # 18 Rapids

Dragons Fight Wildcats To Tie

Scott Hase didn’t want a tie – “They’re good. We were playing for the win.” – but he did score two goals.

    Deep Run and Maggie Walker Govenor�??s School played a game of tennis in a boys soccer match Tuesday night.

The Green Dragons scored. Then the Wildcats scored.

Maggie Walker called. Then Deep Run answered.

But
unlike tennis, even overtime couldn�??t break the knot, as the Wildcats,
ranked eighth in the latest DigitalSports Top 10, and the No. 10 Green
Dragons battled to a 3-3 tie in a nondistrict affair.

�??Every time that we play them they seem to have our number,�?� Deep Run coach Steve Chapman said. �??They�??re just strong; a very hard-working team.�?�

Added MWGS coach Dan Park:
�??They�??ve never beaten us. We match up well. We�??ve got a strong spine up
and down the field. Their strength is their speed on the outside. It�??s
a good matchup. �?�

No one matched up with Jesse DeAlto, as Ese Shaw found the junior open as he sliced a shot past DR goalkeeper Cameron Murray for a 1-0 advantage. It didn�??t take Deep Run long to respond – about 30 seconds to be accurate �?? as Brian Ownby scored the first of his two goals on the day off a feed from Stas Novitsky.

Maggie Walker shot right back on a goal by Scott Hase, his first of two as Nathan Lautzenheiser set him up beautifully on a slight breakaway.

�??They put me out there to do that,�?� Hase said. �??Either score or set up a goal.�?�

That�??s Ownby�??s role, too, and the junior delivered again on a penalty kick right before halftime to knot the score at 2.

�??Brian�??s a very talented player,�?� Chapman said. �??He brings a lot of skill to the game.�?�

MWGS goalie Nick Eilerson
kept Deep Run from taking the lead early in the second half with a few
delightful saves of his 14 for the game, including one diving stop that
took a sure goal away from Kemp Edwards. But minutes later, Eilerson couldn�??t stop Bobby McDonnell from finding the net off a nifty cross from freshman Jake Summers for a 3-2 advantage.

The lead didn�??t last long as Hase scored off Trent O’Connor‘s quick throw-in for the final score. Neither team had decent chances to score in OT.

�??It�??s a little disappointing,�?� Chapman said, �??but it�??s a nondistrict game at least.�?�

Deep Run                            2  1  0  0 �?? 3

Maggie Walker GS          2  1  0  0 �?? 3

DR: Brian Ownby 2, Bobby McDonnell

MWGS: Scott Hase 2, Jesse DeAlto

Saves: Cameron Murray (DR) 6; Nick Eilerson (MWGS) 14

Records: Deep Run (3-2-1); Maggie Walker GS (4-2-2)

No. 4 Clover Hill Tops No. 5 Midlothian

The
rest of the first half the score remained 1-0 in Clover Hill�??s favor as
both teams committed numerous fouls and offside penalties.

In
the second half, the Trojans took the field hoping to even up the
score. The Cavaliers showed no intentions of relinquishing their lead,
evident by their aggressive defensive play. After only 13:50, Kumar
scored again.

Several minutes of play elapsed until Midlothian�??s Kendell Wagner
kicked a blazing shot towards the goal. A Cavalier defender attempted
to head the ball away, but it ricocheted off her head into the goal.

�??It was a close game but we played hard to win,�?� Clover Hill�??s Molly Risendale said.

With 9:00 left on the clock, Clover Hill successfully weaved through Midlothian�??s defense to score the final goal of the game.

Added Midlothian coach Cameron Ward, �??The game was very frustrating and I know we�??re better than what we played.�?�