Central Region | Archive | June, 2008

Another summer edition of basketball is underway as the Tri-City Summer League kicked off its season at George Wythe High School Tuesday night.

Wallace Express 75, DTLR/Cosmopolitan Lounge 74
* Former Huguenot star Bo Jones went bonkers in the third quarter, scoring 19 of his 26 points, to lead Wallace Express. Ben Wallace also scored 26 points for the defending champions, who dodged the upset from an extremely talented DTLR/Cosmopolitan Lounge team.

Fete International 100, McDonald & Associates 95
* Fete International built a 24-point lead and held on to start the summer off with a victory. George Johnson was unbelievable early, scoring 12 points on four 3-pointers in a 40-point first quarter for Fete. The Eastern Mennonite guard finished with 22 points, tied for the team-high with Demarco Williams. Chris Moss threw in 21 points, Chris Moore 17 and Cory Alexander 12 in a winning effort.

Change 69, T&C Productions 40
* Jay Gavin (14 points), David Gonzalvez (14), Jarhon Giddings (13) and Reggie Williams (10) reached double figures to lead Change. Larry Sanders scored 17 points for T&C, who managed one point in the fourth quarter.

Change                14 18 9 28 – 69
T&C Productions 10 18 11 1 – 40
Change (1-0): Rodriguez 0, Black 7, Gavin 14, Giddings 13, Gonzalvez 14, Thondique 5, Pishchalnikov 0, Smith 6, Williams 10. Totals: 25 13-15 69. 3-point goals: Gavin 2, Gonzalvez 2, Giddings, Williams.
T&C Productions (0-1): Lonon 6, Mines 5, Sally 1, Saintil 9, Burston 0, Sanders 17, King 0, Giggetts 2. Totals: 17 6-10 40.

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by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
slewis@digitalsports.com

Games are not won on paper.

But when Meadowbrook’s roster came to light as the Alumni Tournament was put together, you couldn’t help but think the inaugural title was going to the Monarchs.

Michael Doles. Tyrone Sally. Mark Adams. Michael Jefferson. Devin Johnson. Derrick Reid. Kenny Webster.

The winning paper list won on the court, too, as Meadowbrook outlasted a game but height-challenged John Marshall team 83-76 Monday night at the Arthur Ashe Jr. Center.

Playing without talented leaper Dallas Crawley and inside stalwart Ian Hannah, it looked like Jayem would take the game anyway.

The Justices led 22-14 at the end of the first quarter as C.T. Thornton dropped two long-distance bombs over top of the taller Meadowbrook team.

But the pace of the game started to change and the longer Monarchs started challenging JM at the rim and started hitting their own 3-pointers.

After a sluggish 14-point first, Meadowbrook responded with a 31-point second period.

The Monarchs, who went 5-0 in the tournament, knocked in four treys in the period, two from Tyrone Sally (14 points), his first points of the game.

His second trey at the halftime buzzer from deep behind the top of the key enabled Meadowbrook to take a 45-35 lead, an 18-point swing.

Tournament MVP Michael Doles had a big hand in the turnaround as well, knocking in 13 of his game-high 23 points in the second.

The momentum kept building for the Chesterfield school’s alums. It got to a skyscraper level when Brad Ruckard found Aaron Wilson with a ridiculous behind-the-back pass for a 55-40 lead.

Then Webster knocked in two consecutive treys, the latter from the right corner, to give Meadowbrook a 69-47 lead with 50 seconds to go in the third, its largest of the game.

Jayem clawed back from the deficit behind Lamar Taylor and Vosean Smyre. Taylor knocked in 11 of his team-high 19 points in the fourth, including three treys.

Smyre was John Marshall’s best player all game, using his brute strength to help JM get key defensive rebounds, and showing surprising range from 3-point land.

He hit two bombs and scored 18 points, his last bucket reduced Meadowbrook’s lead to 74-70 with 2:16 left.

But Jayem would get no closer as Meadowbrook made history.

Meadowbrook 14 31 24 14 – 83
John Marshall   22 13 14 27 – 76
Meadowbrook (5-0): Mark Adams 5, Tyrone Sally 14, Devin Johnson 5, Kenny Webster 10, Michael Jefferson 11, Brad Ruckard 3, Aaron Wilson 7, Derrick Reid 5. Totals: 29 14-22 83. 3-point goals: Doles 3, Sally 2, Webster 2, Jefferson 2, Ruckard, Adams.
John Marshall (4-1): Jerrell Johnson 4, C.T. Thornton 11, Vosean Smyre 18, Kytwan Heath 17, Shamari Ferguson 3, Jamaal Key 3, Lamar Taylor 19, Everette Wingfield 1. Totals: 25 14-25 76. 3-point goals: Taylor 4, Thornton 3, Heath 2, Smyre 2.

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John Marshall and Meadowbrook will face off at the Arthur Ashe Jr. Center
for the first Brave Entertainment Alumni Classic crown Monday, June 23
at 7 p.m.

A 3-point contest will precede the final, beginning
at 6 p.m. The contestants are (tentative): Shawn Pettiford, Varina; Tony Reese, L.C. Bird; Todd Crown, Clover Hill; Jason Nelson, Thomas Jefferson; Matt Coward, Hermitage; John Waller, Highland Springs; Patrick Gill, Benedictine. Tickets are $10; ages 9 and under are admitted free.

John Marshall 71, Benedictine 61
* After a rough start shooting from the field from outside, Kytwan Heath poured in a game-high 20 points to lead John Marshall to the first Brave Entertainment Alumni Classic championship game.

The Justices (4-0) took the lead halfway through the first half and outpaced Benedictine in a very competitive game. C.T. Thornton threw in 18 points for Jayem, including four trey balls. Dallas Crawley did chin-ups on the iron all night, finishing with 14.

Patrick Gill and Matt Murrer led Benedictine (2-2) with 18 points each. Lee Small put in 11, eight in the first half as 13 3-pointers kept Benedictine in it.

John Marshall 35 36 – 71
Benedictine   33 28 – 61
JM (4-0): Kytwan Heath 20, C.T. Thornton 18, Jerrell Johnson 4, Vosean Smyre 2, Dallas Crawley 14, Ian Hannah 4, Shamari Ferguson, 6, Jamaal Key 3. Totals: 33 0-0 66. 3-point goals: Thornton 4, Key.
Benedictine (2-2): Small 11, Grissom 4, Gill 18, Murrer 18, Patron 6, Rueger 4. Totals: 20 8-14 61. 3-point goals: Gill 5, Small 3, Murrer 2, Patron 2, Grissom.

Meadowbrook 77, L.C. Bird 59
* The Chesterfield rivalry continued with Meadowbrook advancing to the final.

The game was taut early, but Meadowbrook (4-0) pulled away with steady, consistent play and great shooting from deep, hitting 11 3-pointers.

Tyrone Sally (12 points) knocked in three treys, Mark Adams (16), Michael Doles (16) and Aaron Wilson (eight) had two apiece. Kenny Webster was another Monarch in double figures with 11 points.

Shamar Acquay dropped 17 points to lead Bird. Ru White (11) and Shane Burnette (10) also reached double figures.

Meadowbrook (4-0): Mark Adams 16, Tyrone Sally 12, Michael Doles 16, Michael Jefferson 5, Derrick Reid 7, Kenny Webster 11, Devin Johnson 2, Aaron Wilson 8. Totals: 27 12-15 77. 3-point goals: Sally 3, Adams 2, Doles 2, Wilson 2, Webster, Jefferson.
L.C. Bird (3-1): Shane Burnette 10, Ru White 11, Shamar Acquay 17, Matt Cullather 0, Mike Cullather 0, Kenyon Allen 0, Taylor Dugger 3, Donovan Ginger 5, Quincy Waller 8, Courtlin Lewis 4, Tony Reese 1. Totals: 21 13-17 59. 3-point goals: Burnette, White, Dugger, Waller.

Huguenot (1-2) 34, Henrico 33 (0-3) (20-minute game)
L.C. Bird (3-0) 65, Highland Springs (2-1) 61
* The Skyhawks erased an eight-point deficit with about eight minutes to go in the second half to win Pool East. The Springers had only five players and L.C. Bird took advantage putting on full-court pressure to cut the deficit.

Highland Springs trailed 57-52 but went on a six-point run capped by a pair of John Waller free throws to take the lead late. Highland Springs would take the lead again 60-59, but Shamar Acquay came up with a big putback with 23 seconds to go as Bird stayed up for good.

Waller led the Springers with 25 points, and Jamar Fleming had 18. Acquay poured in 17 points, and Ru White 13 for Bird.

Benedictine (2-1) 108, Freeman/Tucker (1-2) 92
Thomas Jefferson (2-1) 76, Varina (1-2) 56
* Benedictine and Thomas Jefferson tied with a 2-1 record. The Cadets claimed the pool based on their win over Thomas Jefferson head to head.

John Marshall 60 (3-0), St. Christopher’s (1-2) 50
Hermitage (2-1) 90, Armstrong (0-3) 55
* John Marshall wins the North.

Meadowbrook (3-0) 96, Clover Hill (1-2) 62
J.F. Kennedy (2-1) by forfeit over George Wythe (0-3)
* Meadowbrook wins the North.

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Highland Springs 87, Huguenot 38
* John Waller poured in 25 points to lead the Springers. Jamar Fleming (19 points), Tae Gail (18) and Jay Threatt (11) also reached double figures. Huguenot played with a short roster and was led by William Duron Carter‘s 12 and Tim May‘s 11.

L.C. Bird 75, Henrico 45
* Shamar Acquay scored 18 points, and Tony Reese added 16, including four treys, as the Skyhawks knocked out the Warriors with a balanced-attack. Tray Okoth had 20 points for the Warriors.

Highland Springs 89, Henrico 67
* Jamar Fleming threw in 28 points to lead the Springers. John Waller had 19 points, Richard Carter 15 and Tae Gail 14. The Warriors trailed by only seven points with five minutes to go before HS pulled away. Tray Okoth led Henrico with 16 points.

L.C. Bird 85, Huguenot 54
* Shamar Acuay threw down several ridiculous dunks on his way to 22 points and another Bird win. Taylor Dugger had 17 and the smooth stroke of Tony Reese netted 12.

Saturday
L.C. Bird (2-0) will face Highland Springs (2-0) for the East championship at noon and a berth in Saturday evening’s semifinals versus the South champion at Benedictine at 7 p.m. Henrico (0-2) and Huguenot (0-2) will tangle afterward to see who’ll get a win.

Meadowbrook over George Wythe by forfeit
J.F. Kennedy 50, Clover Hill 36
Clover Hill over George Wythe by forfeit
Meadowbrook 86, J.F. Kennedy 46

Saturday
Meadowbrook (2-0) is in a prime position to take the South with a game left against Clover Hill (1-1) at noon. George Wythe didn’t show for its two games, and has Kennedy (1-1) at 1 p.m. if it does show. The South winner takes on Highland Springs or L.C. Bird at 7 p.m. at Benedictine in the semifinals.

John Marshall 57, Hermitage 43
St. Christopher’s 50, Armstrong 49
John Marshall 51, Armstrong 44
Hermitage 56, St. Christopher’s 49

Saturday
John Marshall (2-0) has a good St. Christopher’s team at noon to wrap up the North’s title. Armstrong will try to get a win against Hermitage at 1 p.m. The North champ will face the West champ at Benedictine at 6 p.m. in the semifinals.

Benedictine 58, Thomas Jefferson 45
Freeman/Tucker over Varina by forfeit
Varina 88, Benedictine 74
Thomas Jefferson 79, Freeman/Tucker 71

Saturday
Benedictine takes on the Freeman/Tucker combo at noon to stay alive. Thomas Jefferson will face Varina in the 1 p.m. game. The West winner will face the North champ at 6 p.m. at Benedictine in the semifinals.

The semifinal winners will face off at the Arthur Ashe Jr. Center for the first Brave Entertainment Alumni Classic crown Monday, June 23 at 7 p.m. A 3-point and spot-shooting contest will precede the final, beginning at 6 p.m.

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By Chris Naquin
DigitalSports Richmond

Midlothian Post 186 scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to defeat Powhatan Post 201 17-14 in Tuesday night’s American Legion baseball game at Rockwood Park.

Post 186 started out with a commanding lead as they were up 5-1 after four complete innings.

First baseman Michael McCullum of 186 started the scoring when he smashed an RBI double into center field bringing in second baseman Will White and pitcher Conner Bradley.

Post 201 wasted no time, keeping the game close and regaining the lead as they scored a combined nine runs in the fifth and sixth innings.

Four of those runs came off of shortstop Paul Nice’s grand slam putting Post 201 up 10-7.

Post 186 fired right back with four runs in the bottom of the sixth, to go up one heading into the seventh.

Post 201 never gave up, as they were able to again rally and knock in four more runs to take a 14-11 lead.

In the bottom of the seventh, Post 186 evened the game at 14 by scoring three more runs of their own.

Post 186 was able to shut out Post 201 Powhatan in the eighth and ninth inning and scored three runs to win the game 17-14.

Post 201 000 136 400 – 14
Post 186 202 124 33x – 17
Gordon, Granger (6), Anderson (7), and Evans; Bradley, Santalucia (6) and Renvis

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by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
slewis@digitalsports.com

Remember Fred Jeter‘s piece in the Richmond Times-Dispatch a year or two ago?

The brilliant “what if” piece? It had the whole town a buzz about who were the best high-school basketball players ever, and about how would different eras of the same school mesh together.

Why wasn’t this player listed in the top five? Where was this team? This team should have won. Et cetera, et cetera.

Brave Entertainment has a remedy for those questions and comments in the 1st Alumni Classic, sponsored by DigitalSports and Max Team Sports.

This weekend’s event will pit 16 teams against each other in a round-robin, AAU-style tournament that will decide a winner in three days of play.

Pool North (John Marshall, Hermitage, Armstrong, St. Christopher’s) and Pool South (Meadowbrook, George Wythe, J.F. Kennedy, Clover Hill) will play 12 games total at St. Christopher’s, eight on Friday and four on Saturday.

Pool East (Highland Springs, Huguenot, Henrico, L.C. Bird) will be at Chesterfield Community the same days, as will Pool West (Benedictine, Thomas Jefferson, Varina, Douglas Freeman) at Benedictine.

The winner of each pool will move on to the semifinals on Saturday evening, June 21, starting at 6 p.m. at Benedictine. A pool is usually won by an undefeated team, but in the case of a tie, the team with the most total points in their three pool games will move on.

Whoever wins their semifinal matchups advances to Monday’s final on June 23 at 7 p.m. at the Arthur Ashe Jr. Center to decide who has the best alumni basketball team.

A 3-point and dunk contest will kick things off Monday around 6.

Tickets are $5 for a single day of access to any and all gyms on Friday and Saturday. Access to Monday’s event alone is $10.

A $15 tournament pass is the best value. With it you will be able to attend all games at any venue for the whole tournament, no questions asked, just show your pass.

If you attend Friday, Saturday and Monday without the pass you will end up paying $20 to see what you could’ve for $15.

Check back here to www.digitalsports.com/richmond to find highlights and interviews from the tournament with scores updated each night!

Pool East (at Chesterfield Community)
Friday, June 20
1 Highland Springs vs. 2 Huguenot, 6 p.m.
3 Henrico vs. 4 L.C. Bird, 7 p.m.
1 Highland Springs vs. 3 Henrico, 8:30 p.m.
2 Huguenot vs. 4 L.C. Bird, 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 21
1 Highland Springs vs. 4 L.C. Bird, Noon
2 Huguenot vs. 3 Henrico, 1 p.m.

Pool West (at Benedictine)
Friday, June 20
1 Benedictine vs. 2 Thomas Jefferson, 6 p.m.
3 Varina vs. 4 West End (Freeman, Tucker), 7 p.m.
1 Benedictine vs. 3 Varina, 8:30 p.m.
2 T. Jefferson vs. 4 West End, 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 21
1 Benedictine vs. 4 West End, Noon
2 T. Jefferson vs. 3 Varina, 1 p.m.

Pool South (at St. Christopher’s)
Friday, June 20
1 Meadowbrook vs. 2 George Wythe, 6 p.m.
3 J.F. Kennedy vs. 4 Clover Hill, 7 p.m.
1 Meadowbrook vs. 3 J.F. Kennedy, 8:30 p.m.
2 George Wythe vs. 4 Clover Hill, 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 21
1 Meadowbrook vs. 4 Clover Hill, Noon
2 George Wythe vs. 3 J.F. Kennedy, 1 p.m.

Pool North (at St. Christopher’s)
Friday, June 20
1 John Marshall vs. 2 Hermitage, 6 p.m.
3 Armstrong vs. 4 St. Christopher’s, 7 p.m.
1 John Marshall vs. 3 Armstrong, 8:30 p.m.
2 Hermitage vs. 4 St. Christopher’s, 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 21
1 John Marshall vs. 4 St. Christopher’s, Noon
2 Hermitage vs. 3 Armstrong, 1 p.m.

Semifinal Saturday (at Benedictine)
North-West Champion, 6 p.m.
South-East Champion, 7 p.m.
Championship Monday (at Arthur Ashe)
3-point and dunk contest, 6 p.m.
Championship game, 7 p.m.

Armstrong: L.C. Baker, Eric Ross, Jenard Fleming, Marlon Smith, Donte Atkins

Benedictine: Ken Miller, Bobby Grissom, Vernon Hamilton, Lee Small, Gordon Kelly, Patrick Gill, Bambale Osby

Clover Hill: Jason Putney, Travis Bowers, Brett Combs, Todd Crown, Harrison Potter, Mark Depew, Mike Tunstall, Jonathan Kready, Kyle Zaharias

West End (Freeman, J.R. Tucker): Greg Thondique, Jason Howard, Adam Desgain, Zach Butler, Griffin Thesing, Fela Tunde-Ogun

St. Christopher’s: Hamill Jones, Drew Shiembob, William Hardy

George Wythe: Luqman Jaaber, Assaim Wallace, Tarik Wallace, Chris Greene, Ivan Smith, Kevin Mayo

Henrico: Justin Wansley, Aaron Alexander, Nick Brown, Reggie Cain, Manny Harris, Tray Okoth, Stephen Lewis, Jasmonn Coleman, Paul Gray, Brian Alexander

Hermitage: C.J. King, Chris Wise, Dwayne Samuels, Phil Arroyo, Jameel Sewell, Matt Coward, Chris Copeland, Charles Thomas, Duane Brown

Highland Springs: Jay Threatt, John Waller, Rodney Henry, Jamar Fleming, Kevin Harris, Richard Carter, Andre Ingram, Maurice Reevey, Tae Gail, Reggie Bassette, Kenny Evans

Huguenot: Avery Scott, Bo Jones Jr., Ted “Fats” Berry, Marcus Thomas, Chris Jones, El Paul Pope, Wiiliam Drye, Olajuwon Johnson, Jaron Thorpe, William Duron Carter, Greg Grant 

J.F. Kennedy: Boo Jackson, Lee Lee Jackson, George Saunders, D. Hicks, O’Kelly Lilly, Marquese Whitted, Gilbert Carter, Nathaniel Pollard, Tony Saunders, Larry Allen, Tito Akin Bogan

John Marshall: LaMar Taylor, Ray Ray Lawrence, C.T. Thornton, KyTwan Heath, Eric Harris, Cornelius Anderson, Shamari Ferguson, Reggie Coles, Vosean Smyre, Dallas Crawley, Ian Hannah

L.C. Bird: Anthony Sally, Taylor Dugger, Kenyon Allen, Ru White, Tony Reese, Shamar Acuay, Donovan Ginger, Matt Cullather, Mike Cullather, Shane Burnette, Will Quarles  

Meadowbrook: Michael Doles, Tyrone Sally, Mark Adams, Michael Jefferson, Derrick Reid, Kenny Webster, Devin Johnson

Thomas Jefferson: Quashawn Woolridge, Jason Nelson, Terrence Bracket, Felix Robinson, George Marshall, Dominique Dillard, Mario Turner, Cody Tinsley, Chris Moore, Kendrick Warren

Varina: A.T. Taylor, Tee Rogers, Shawn Pettiford, Markus Sailes, Luther Holmes, Raheim Davis, Hunter Hoggatt, Jay Tate

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BASKETBALL

– 5th Annual Coach Vance Harmon’s Warrior Basketball Camp
Boys basketball camp for rising first through 12th graders will take place at Wilder Middle School from Monday, June 16 to Thursday, June 19 from 8 a.m. to noon each day. For more information and to download the camp form, click here.

– Chuck Thomas’ L.C. Bird Camp
Boys basketball camp for ages 8 to 15 at L.C. Bird High School from June 30-July 3 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Contact Thomas at 357-7116.

– Kevin Eastman Basketball Camp
High School Boys High Intensity Camp, August 4-7 from 5-8 p.m. Cost: $225. Elementary and Middle School Boys, August 4-8 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Cost: $225. Both camps will take place at Steward School.

Click here for the camp brochure and visit http://kevineastmanbasketball.com/summer-camps for more information.

FOOTBALL

– CVAP Camp
Football camp for 8 to 14-year-olds. Cost is $40 for the June 27-28 camp. June 27th goes from 6-8 p.m., and June 28 goes from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. For more information, click here.

– Virginia Hornets/Position Specifics Football Camp
For ages 7-14 at Westover Elementary School on Saturday, June 28 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Cost is $25. Hornets coach Clifford “Perk” Jefferson and former Varina and Virginia Tech star Kevin Lewis will be there. For more information, click here.

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By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.com

The Shamrocks American Softball Association team had just lost their second straight game and Coach Tommy Orndorff, who also presides over O’Connell’s softball program, was letting his players hear it.

Yes, this is summer softball, but for the Shamrocks, it’s quite serious business.

Since 1972, when the team was founded by Pat “Pops” Gleason, Orndorff’s Shamrocks have become one of the best softball teams in the nation. The team plays in the gold division of ASA and has qualified for the national tournament for 21 straight years, a streak unrivaled in the country.

“Every time I teach, I’m preparing to beat the Batbusters,” Orndorff said, referring to the premier team in talent-laden California. “The only difference is that I’m probably more intense. I’ve got more talent on this team so I’m harder on them. I expect more.”

“We want to compete and we want to get ready to beat the best in the world,” he continued.

The Shamrocks did not win the 14th Annual Braddock Road Youth Club Classic II for the 18U division. Instead, Virginia Legend Gold took first, followed by Ashburn Shooting Stars Gold, the Loudoun-based team that beat the Shamrocks 2-1 on Saturday.

The Shamrocks 14U won the 16U division while playing up, followed by Fire & Ice. Western Howard Fever took the 14U crown and Ashburn Shooting Stars Black took second. Manassas Blaze won the 12U division and Vienna Stars won 10U.

The 18U Shamrocks were playing without several of their best players. Broad Run pitcher Caitlyn Delahaba and her teammates, Reagan Doiron, Karla Powell and Michelle Clohan were playing in the state championship game on Saturday.

Still, Orndorff was upset that the team wasn’t winning. It certainly has enough talent.

There are four players who are already playing in college. They are Ashlyn Williams (Troy), Allie Heon (Villanova), Reba Tutt (Pittsburgh) and Dorian Shaw (Michigan). Shaw hit a grand slam during an ESPN Super Regional game and still came back to play against high schoolers.

“The Shamrocks got me where I am,” Shaw said. “Playing for the Shamrocks, I became such a better player. Tommy always talks about giving back to softball, giving back to the game. Whatever I can do to help this team the way it helped me, that’s all I’m looking to do this summer.”

Only five of the players on the Shamrocks roster are not playing or committed to a college to play softball. Since 2002, the Shamrocks have had 57 players sign with a college, many of which are big-time Division I schools such as Arizona State, Tennessee and numerous ACC schools.

While none of Orndorff’s O’Connell players made the team (Devin Metcalf could have but chose to work on her singing), most of the players are from Northern and Northwestern Virginia. Pitcher Haley Stueckler comes all the way from Southern Maryland’s Huntingtown, Lauren Vinson comes from Prince George in Richmond, Va., and Kristyn Sandberg travels from New York to play for Orndorff.

“I don’t know if we recruit people as much as they recruit us,” Orndorff said. “Every player on this team will get a scholarship. Colleges, they want our bench players.”

The Shamrocks’ Summer of 2008 calendar takes the team from Glen Burnie, Md. all the way as far as Irvine, Calif. The team plays in tournaments in Salem, Va., York, Pa., Boulder, Colo. and Oklahoma City – the spot of the ASA Gold Nationals. Saturday’s tournament, which was held at Wakefield Park in Annandale, was the only time the Shamrocks play locally.

“The fact that they keep coming back, they have created a draw for other gold-level teams,” said tournament commissioner John Dooley.

The Shamrocks won the ASA National title in 2005, the first team east of the Mississippi River to accomplish the feat. They came in second in 2003 and tied for fifth last year.

The high finishes are especially outstanding because the Shamrocks, unlike teams from California, cannot practice all year long because of the changing seasons. They play about 70 games over the summer and make a trip to Florida during the fall for what is essentially spring training.

“I don’t think other teams realize the magnitude of what’s being done here,” Orndorff said. “You only get better playing the best teams. We play hard and we just get after it.”

2008 Shamrocks Roster

1 Marcy Bowdren, C/3B, Robinson Secondary
2 Michelle Clohan, 2B, Broad Run/James Madison Univ.
3 Ashlyn Williams, P, Troy University
4 Haley Stueckler, SS/P, Huntingtown High
5 Allie Heon, SS/3B, Westfield/Villanova Univ
7 Hayley Grabner, OF, Loudoun Valley High
10 Brianna Hanafin, OF, Yorktown/Baylor Univ.
12 Courtney Liddle, C, Battlefield/Virginia Tech
13 Lauren Vinson, P, Prince George High
14 Jessica Thomas, 1B/OF/3B, West Springfield/Emory Univ.
18 Kelsey Green, SS/2B/OF, Langley/Univ. of North Carolina
21 Reagan Doiron, 2B/3B, Broad Run High
22 Reba Tutt, OF, Highland/Univ. of Pittsburgh
23 Kristyn Sandberg, C/SS, Univ. of Georgia
32 Karla Powell, 1B/OF, Broad Run/Univ. of Wisconsin
33 Caitlyn de la Haba, P, Broad Run/Villanova Univ.
44 Dorian Shaw, 1B/C, Robinson Secondary/Univ. of Michigan
55 Diondra Fryer, OF, Dominion/Univ. of Tennessee

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Below are the most played videos from last week, June 2-8, in the Central Region.

Erin Anderson‘s game-winning RBI to send the Wildcats’ softball team to the state semifinals is second and the Knights victory over Osbourn in the state quarterfinals is third.

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by Seneca Contomanolis
DigitalSports Richmond
scontomanolis@digitalsports.com

CHANTILLY – It was business as usual for the Deep Run defense in the biggest match of the season.

The Wildcats recorded their 17th shutout of the season as they defeated Robinson 1-0 in the state Group AAA championship on Saturday.

“Seventeen shutouts in 25 games is absolutely incredible,” Deep Run coach Steve Chapman said. “They have been so clean and smart in the back. It is a testimonial to our three seniors in the back Brandon Gary, Zach Summers and keeper Cameron Murray.”

Senior Bryan Wharton scored the match’s lone goal off of a cross from another senior, Brian Ownby, in the 12th minute on a hot, sultry June afternoon at Westfield High School.

“They all ran after Carl [Weber] who was making the first run so I called for Brian to put it back post,” Wharton said. “I was there by myself and I just put it in.”

Chapman, at the helm of Deep Run for the final time, received about as good of a going away present a coach could get.

In charge since the school’s inception in 2002, Chapman led the Wildcats to three consecutive trips to the Central Region tournament. The team fell in the region semis two years in a row before losing to Thomas Dale in the title game this season.

“It is bittersweet, bittersweet,” said Chapman of the program’s first state title. “It is a culmination of efforts.”

Deep Run (22-2-1) controlled the tempo for much of the first half out shooting the Northern Region runner-up 5-1.

In the second half the Wildcats still attacked and led in shots 10-7, but Robinson (12-5-3) pushed harder forcing Murray to make a few key saves.

The biggest save came with 10 seconds remaining in the contest when a Rams’ player was able to get the ball past Murray.

As the ball bounced towards the open net and the crowd braced for overtime Summers came flying in and booted the ball out of bounds to preserve the victory.

“I have no idea,” said Chapman about the play.

On a day when temperatures reached towards triple digits forcing the teams to take water timeouts midway through each half, Deep Run may have benefited from an easy 6-0 win over Kecoughtan in the semifinals on Friday night.

“It was nice to have the blowout yesterday because we could rest our starters,” Wharton said. “I think they had a tough match against Thomas Dale so they were probably a little more tired”

Said Ownby of the heat, “you got to keep hydrated but you still have to keep playing every single play.”

As the match and championship slipped away from Robinson some of the Rams’ players became frustrated and more physical. The team finished with 20 fouls and accumulated three yellow cards in the final ten minutes.

The Wildcats kept their composure though, a testament to the program Chapman has built over the past six years.

“When we opened in 2002 we made a very sincere game plan to build one of the best programs in the state of Virginia,” Chapman said. “We founded our program on four key words: passion, honor, excellence and tradition.

“And this is the first group for four years that have busted their tails…These boys played with passion and honor like nobody else before them.”

Deep Run  1 0 – 1
Robinson   0 0 – 0
DR: Wharton
Saves: Murray (DR) 3; Dominguez (R) 4
Records: Deep Run (22-2-1); Robinson (12-5-3)

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