Central Region | Archive | July, 2008

Carpenter gets gold

Posted on 31 July 2008 by redwan123.

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

Some people go to Mexico in the summer for vacation. Kristin Carpenter goes to Mexico for gold medals.

Hanover’s star volleyball player returned early Tuesday morning after helping the U.S. Junior National Team to the NORCECA Continental championship with a straight set victory over the Dominican Republic, avenging the United States’ only loss of the tourney.

The visit to Saltillo, Mexico was a thrill for the Penn State-bound senior.

“It was probably the best I’ve ever been a part of,” Carpenter said. “It was the best volleyball I’ve ever played and seen. The girls I played with are truly unforgettable.”

Carpenter played the unaccustomed position of libero. The 5-7 leaper is Hanover’s main scoring option, and one of the top point producers for her Richmond Volleyball Club team.

But when you are the shortest person on the team by three inches, and some of your team’s hitters are 6-3, 6-4 and even 6-6, you find another way to showcase your skills.

And Carpenter did just that, registering 13 excellent serve receptions on 19 attempts in the final.

“I was kind of surprised because I thought I knew pretty much all there was to know about volleyball,” said Carpenter, who’s played for as long as she can remember. “But the new coach [three-time Olympian Paula Weishoff] taught me stuff that just improved my game tremendously. It was a whole lot different though because I was the starting libero, unlike last year when I set for the national team.

“So playing a new position is cool, yet quite humbling at the same time.”

For its effort in the tournament, the U.S. also grabbed a berth into 2009’s FIVB Junior World Championship.

So when Carpenter tells you she’s going somewhere for the summer in 2009, expect something back … like another medal.

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Post 137 raises trophy

Posted on 31 July 2008 by redwan123.

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

Into the early morning hours of Wednesday, South Richmond Post 137 coach Byron Ballard was doing some mental pacing.

Heading into the American Legion, District 11 title game, Ballard wasn’t sure who he was going to send to the mound, but he was sure it wasn’t going to be Hunter Ackerman.

After all, he had threw 35 pitches the night before in South Richmond’s comeback victory to force another game for the championship.

“At 1:30 this morning, I’m doing three different lineups to decide who’s going to be pitching, and it was not him,” Ballard said of Ackerman. “About 11:00 this morning he texted me. He said, ‘Coach, I feel good, I’m OK. I want the ball.

“This is the best performance he had all year.”

Ackerman pitched six strong innings with five strikeouts, allowing five hits and two runs, leading Post 137 to a 9-3 win over Post 201 and the District 11 crown at J.R. Tucker High School Wednesday evening.

Both of Ackerman’s two runs allowed came in the sixth inning as Powhatan Post 201 sliced a 4-0 deficit in half. Four of the five hits allowed came from Powhatan Post 201’s Ian Harvey (2 for 4, BB) and Maryland-bound Jack Cleary (2 for 4).

“I just came out and tried to get the first [strike] with every batter,” Ackerman said. “I was going to go five just to see how it was and then I went six good innings.”

He had plenty of offensive help to make him comfortable. Though Austin Stadler pitched terrific – he struck out 10 in five innings – Post 137 scratched in some runs with timely hitting and smart base running.

They scored two in the first, one by Ronnie Shaban after his leadoff double. He scored on a passed ball.

The next run was delivered by a sacrifice fly from Dustin Sollars, scoring Bradley Shaban.

Then in the third, Ronnie Shaban walked to start things and ran across the plate two batters later on Chris Ayers‘ big double.

Nick Abrahamson then knocked in Ayers for the aforementioned 4-0 lead, which stood up until Post 201 finally began to touch a tiring Ackerman.

“I think both pitchers came in and pitched well,” Post 201 coach Chip Boone said. “We played them five times and it was a battle every single time.”

Post 137 loaded the bases on reliever Hunter Gordon before Ryan Parker scored on a wild pitch to give South Richmond a three-run cushion.

Then Stadler answered in the eighth with a leadoff home run to bring his team to within two at 5-3.

But Post 137 blew it open in the bottom of the eighth, starting with Abrahamson’s solo HR to make it 6-3.

Then Chris Hardee and Blake Houser drew walks to get ducks on the pond for Parker, who made two spectacular plays at third base that perhaps saved runs.

But it was his turn to do damage at the dish as he doubled to left to score Hardee and Houser. Shaban then smoked an RBI single to left to end the scoring, as there would be no comeback this night.

South Richmond Post 137 advances to the state tournament that begins Tuesday, August 5 in Stuart’s Draft.

“Coming into the game we were real confident,” said Abrahamson, who finished 2 for 4. “We beat them pretty good twice this season. We all just kind of jelled together before the game, we were pumped up. Took it to them right from the beginning.

“I think we just need to get our starting pitchers to go deep,” Abrahamson said looking for to the state tourney. “Just keep swinging the way we are. I don’t think we need to change anything with the bats.”

Post 201 000 002 010 – 3 7 0
Post 137 202 000 14x – 9 8 0
Stadler, Gordon (6) and Cleary; Ackerman, Harrison (7) and Ayers.

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Rally role reversal

Posted on 29 July 2008 by redwan123.

by Seneca Contomanolis
DigitalSports Richmond
scontomanolis@digitalsports.com

South Richmond Post 137 was the team rallying this time.

Post 137 scored seven runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to comeback and beat Powhatan Post 201 9-7 on Tuesday night and force Game 2 in the American Legion, District 11 title round.

The teams will play for the third time in five days on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at J.R. Tucker to decide a champion.

The victor will advance to the state tournament on Aug. 4 at Stuarts Draft.

On Saturday Post 201 used a nine-run ninth inning to defeat South Richmond 12-11 in the third round.

“The loss we took the other night was absolutely devastating,” Post 137 coach Byron Ballard. “To comeback and win last night and tonight shows they are focused.”

Ronnie Shaban‘s three-run homer with two outs off of Austin Stadler capped the seven-run inning and put South Richmond ahead for good.

“I had some bad at-bats before that,” Ronnie Shaban said. “Those are the situations I live for. I saw the pitch and I went with it.”

Powhatan pitcher Eathan Lewis pitched well and held a 7-2 advantage heading into the eighth. After Bradley Shaban led off with a double Lewis was lifted for Hunter Gordon.

An RBI double by Chris Ayers against Gordon, then a two-run double by Dustin Sollars and a Chris Hardee RBI single on Stadler closed the lead to just one and set the stage for Ronnie Shaban’s third homer in two days.

Taking most of the summer off from pitching, Ronnie Shaban took the mound in the top of the ninth for the second straight night and closed out the game.

“Ronnie came to me last night and he didn’t say, ‘I can pitch,’ he said, ‘ I want to pitch,'” Ballard said. “I have seen few guys who play with that type of intensity.”

Post 201 took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Stadler (4 for 5) doubled in two runs.

The lead grew to 4-0 in the fifth when Ian Harvey (two hits) scored on a wild intentional walk pitch to Stadler. During the same at-bat Stadler would drive in his third run of the game.

A solo homer by Joey Cujas in the fifth and one by Chris Ayers in the sixth cut the lead in half for South Richmond.

But Powhatan put one on the board in the seventh on a bases loaded walk and scored two in the eighth on two wild pitchers.

Post 201  200 020 120 – 7  9 0
Post 137  000 011 07x – 9 10 1
Lewis, Gordon (8), Stadler (8) and Cleary; Hauser, Hardee (6), Ackerman (7), R. Shaban (9) and Abrahamson. W: Ackerman. L: Stadler. S: R. Rhaban.

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PS Atlee football camp

Posted on 29 July 2008 by redwan123.

About 50 student-athletes graced Atlee’s practice field Tuesday in the second of Position Specifics’ three-day football camp.

PS had a similar camp at Varina last week.

Pictures (including a few taken by budding photojournalist Diamanti Blackstock) and video highlights are below!

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Post 137 bounces back

Posted on 29 July 2008 by redwan123.

by Seneca Contomanolis
DigitalSports Richmond
scontomanolis@digitalsports.com

For the second straight game South Richmond Post 137 made it interesting at the end.

This time they were able to hang on for the win.

Ronnie Shaban hit two homers as Post 137 rebounded from a devastating loss to defeat West End Post 361 14-11 in the semifinals of the American Legion, District 11 playoffs on Monday night.

South Richmond advances from the losers bracket to face Powhatan Post 201 on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the championship round. Post 137 will have to beat Post 201 twice to claim the crown.

On Saturday Powhatan scored nine runs in the ninth inning to rally past South Richmond 12-11 and into the title game.

“That was just unfortunate,” said Ronnie Shaban about the loss to Powhatan. “They got some hits that wouldn’t usually have snuck through…we just have to forget about that and win our games now. It’s more exciting this way anyways, single elimination.”

Ronnie Shaban finished 4 for 6 with 4 RBI against a West End team that had already won a game earlier in the evening at J.R. Tucker.

Thirty minutes before the start of their game against South Richmond, Post 361 topped Colonial Heights 284B 11-8 in the completion of a rain-suspended contest from Sunday.

West End’s rally attempt to make it two wins in one day came up short.

Ahead by seven runs thanks to a six-run bottom of the eighth Post 137 had a tough time closing it out in the ninth again.

After R.C. Orlan led off with a home run and Cameron Hynes (2 for 4) hit an RBI double, Ronnie Shaban relieved Ryan Morrison with one out and two on.

Ronnie Shaban proceeded to give up a two RBI double but Jeff Griffith was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple. He would then strike out Lee Jones to end it.

South Richmond led 5-0 after two innings and 8-5 after six. Bradley Shaban had three RBI, Chris Ayers was 2 for 3 with two RBI, Joey Cujas went 2 for 5 with an RBI and Blake Hauser had two hits.

Ronnie Shaban’s first homer led off the bottom of the first and his two-run shot came in a six-run eighth after West End had cut the lead to 8-7.

“I knew we had to get a lead and get out,” Ronnie Shaban said. “It was getting close there for a while so we just all started hitting and I saw some pretty good pitches and made some good contact.”

Jones had a two-run home run in the eighth inning for Post 361 and Greg Mitro had a solo bomb in the third inning, his team’s first hit of the game off Post 137 pitcher Dustin Sollars.

Post 361  001 220 024 – 11 11 3
Post 137  140 003 06x – 14 18 3
Orlan, Tolson (6), Page (8), Lacy (8) and Hynes; Sollars, Morrison (5), Abrahamson (8), R. Shaban, (9) and Abrahamson, Hardee (8). W: Morrison. L: Orlan.

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Top 25 videos: July 21-27

Posted on 28 July 2008 by redwan123.

Below are the most played videos from last week, July 21-27, in the Central Region.

The clips are posted from one to 25.

Nick Caporale‘s three-run homer for West End Post 361 in the second round of the American Legion playoffs grabbed the top-spot.

Powhatan Post 201 catcher Jack Cleary‘s bomb in the first round is No. 2 on the countdown and a nice play by Post 361 in the same game is third.

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361 leads into rain delay

Posted on 28 July 2008 by redwan123.


West End Post 361 leads Colonial Heights Post 284B 9-5 in the semifinals of the American Legion, District 11 tournament.

Play was stopped when a steady downpour attacked J.R. Tucker’s baseball field Sunday evening right at the end of the fifth inning.

Play will resume on Monday at Tucker, as the winner of the resumed matchup will face Post 137 at 7 p.m.

Owen Beightol led the way for Post 361 with five RBI, including a grand slam in the third inning to have West End take control.

Austin Kilbourne had a two-run shot of his own for Post 284B to keep Colonial Heights close.

– Stephen M. Lewis

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A ninth to remember

Posted on 26 July 2008 by redwan123.

by Seneca Contomanolis
DigitalSports Richmond
scontomanolis@digitalsports.com

Powhatan Post 201 showed why you play hard until the very last out.

Post 201 scored nine runs in the top of the ninth inning to rally past South Richmond Post 137 12-11 in the third round of the American Legion, District 11 double-elimination tournament on Saturday night.

“All of a sudden we started rolling,” Powhatan third baseman Brent Mikionis said. “We stepped up big, we did great. It’s unbelievable.”

The improbable comeback at L.C. Bird sends Post 201 into the championship on Tuesday night at J.R Tucker at 7 p.m.

Post 137 drops down to the losers bracket and next plays on Monday at Tucker at 7 against the winner of the first semifinal between Post 284B (2-1) and Post 361 (2-1). That game is Sunday at Tucker at 4.

Mikionis tied the game at 11 in the ninth with a two out, two RBI single and catcher Jack Cleary followed him with the go-ahead RBI single.

Eight of the nine runs Powhatan plated in the ninth came with two outs. In the bottom half of the inning Austin Stadler came on in relief and retired South Richmond in order.

Post 137 was in control for much of the contest as pitcher Hunter Ackerman went five strong innings, striking out nine and giving up three runs. One of the runs was a solo home run by Paul Nice in the first.

South Richmond exploded for six runs in the second inning against Post 201 pitcher Sam Scherzer to take a 6-1 lead. Ronnie Shaban (2 for 4, double) capped the inning with a three-run homer to go along with RBI by Dustin Sollars and Ryan Parker.

Cleary responded in the third inning with a towering solo homer for Post 201 that went deep into the woods behind the outfield fence.

With the score 9-3 in the bottom of the seventh, Bradley Shaban (2 for 4) drove in two runs with a single to give Post 137 what looked to be an insurmountable lead.

But after Nice led off against Chris Hardee in the ninth with a ground out it all started to come together for Powhatan.

They loaded the bases and Eamon Schwartz got the first run across on a fielder’s choice. Robert Oldham then hit a sharp grounder that was mishandled and allowed another run to score.

RBI by Austin McGowan, Will Dingus and Ian Harvey and a bases loaded walk to Stadler would then set the stage for Mikionis and Cleary.

“I wasn’t thinking much,” said Mikionis about his hit. “I was just like, ‘let it go’. It’s just baseball. If it happens it’s going my way but it’s just baseball.”

The two-day break for Post 201 will allow the team to be rested for a title round where their opponent would have to beat them twice.

“That’s the main thing, we get all of our pitchers back,” Mikionis said.

Post 201  101 100 009 – 12 15 1
Post 137  061 200 200 – 11 12 1
Scherzer, Granger (7), Stadler (9) and Cleary; Ackerman, Hardee (6), Morrison (9). W: Granger. L: Hardee.

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Latest signings, commits

Posted on 26 July 2008 by redwan123.

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

In recent years, maybe one or two John Marshall football players would go on to play in college.

Things are changing, as 11 Justices will play at the next level off of their 6-4 squad, their best record in years.

Quarterback Darius Jackson and lineman Jalal Gee are headed to Hampton.

WR Demos Moore and LB Kenny Jones are headed down the street to Virginia Union. Other CIAA members raided the Old Brook Road school, too, as Virginia State will get RB Clayton Leak‘s and lineman Nathaniel Brice‘s services, and St. Paul’s got linemen Javon Tillery and Brian Wells.

Another lineman, Linwood Spell, is going to Morehouse. Electric RB Jayvon Brownlee will go to Northwest Mississippi Community College. And yet another lineman, Kareem Hall, is at North Carolina Tech.

Dinwiddie Shining

Get a U.S. map, it’ll be tough to find Dinwiddie. Well, it hasn’t been so tough for recruiters.

The Generals’ 6-2, 200-pound outside linebacker Bradley Johnson has committed to Maryland for 2009, Dinwiddie’s biggest recruit in ages.

He’s the star of the class, but he has company. Wide receiver Jerrell White received his first offer from Marshall, and 6-5 pass catcher Sam Haskins has three offers on his kitchen table, from Towson, Minnesota and Delaware. QB Adam Morgan is sure to get some serious looks soon.

Coach Billy Mills‘ 2008 crew made some noise on the recruiting block.

All-region free safety Wilkie Cox just signed with Ferrum, the third General to do so. He joins DL Steffon Luccess and LB Andrew Wagy, both all-district selections. Receiver Dequan Coles is getting fitted for his Citadel uniform now, as well as LB Jimmie Simmons at Bridgewater.

Deep Run’s Hot Bed

The Wildcats are hot property when it comes to college football. DE/TE Jake Snyder already committed to the University of Virginia.

Then transfer Jordan Love of Maryland, a top-notch cornerback, committed to Georgia. The 6-0, 185-pounder has been clocked as low as 4.41 in the 40-yard dash.

That’s not to mention perhaps Deep Run’s best overall athlete in Antone Exum, who has offers from most of the programs you can think of on the East Coast, including, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Duke, Maryland…I’m running out of space here.

Two Springers Land

Two key players to Highland Springs’ basketball team have made their college decisions.

Dazmond Starke is going to Eastern Arizona, a junior college in Thatcher. He played well in the Tri-City Summer League and has noticeably lost weight.

Reserve big man Ryan Henderson will go to Mary Washington in Fredericksburg.

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Caporale ends slugfest

Posted on 25 July 2008 by redwan123.

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

Nick Caporale drilled a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning as West End Post 361 topped Mechanicsville Post 175 13-10 Friday night at J.R. Tucker.

Post 361 advances in the American Legion, District 11 double-elimination tournament to face Post 146, a 10-0 loser to Post 137, Saturday at J.R. Tucker at 7 p.m. for a third-round matchup.

Post 175’s season is over due to Caporale’s heroics.

“It was the best ball I’ve hit all summer,” said Caporale, who finished 1 for 4 with four RBI. “It’s all due to the team. They got on base for me to do it. I have to thank them for being there. It just felt amazing.”

Mechanicsville, chock full of Atlee and Lee-Davis High School stars, jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

Ryan Kontra (2 for 3) led the way, knocking in four RBI in the game, including a homer in that seven-run first. Kontra also had a ridiculous grab in left of a Lee Jones liner in the seventh inning.

He had help from Sam Hartness, who went 2 for 5 with two RBI for Post 175.

West End slowly chipped away at Mechanicsville’s lead, scoring in four innings, including the all-important five-run eighth.

Brooks Martin was outstanding at the dish, raking in two RBI on a 3-for-4 night. Christopher Copeland wasn’t bad either, going 3 for 5.

Post 175 700 010 200 – 10 10 4
Post 361 420 020 05x – 13 15 4
Frame, Powers (1), Hartness (8) and Musser; Griffith, Beightol (1), Tolson (7), Page (8), Halblieb (9) and Hynes. W: Page. L: Powers. S: Halblieb.

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