Central Region | Archive | June, 2009

I’ve done it!

I’m on Twitter. Follow DigitalSports Richmond at http://twitter.com/DSRichmond. I was going to use StephenMLewis as my username, but that was already taken by some guy in England.

I never knew there were THAT many Stephen Lewises.

Anyway, it’s summer time so some might think I’m chilling on the patio sipping lemonade.

Not so my friends.

American Legion baseball, camps, alumni features, summer basketball leagues, breaking news and anything else I can get my hands on, I will and have been doing.

I know a lot of you have been wondering what is up with the Richmond Pro-Am.

It is back July 7, that’s a Tuesday, at John Marshall High. It went to George Wythe in 2008, but is back at Jayem. It’ll go until July 30.

Follow the site daily for updates from the league.

I’ll catch up with my boy Ted “Fats” Berry, the organizer of the league, soon to get the low down.

And if you haven’t realized it, Fox Richmond and DigitalSports Richmond have teamed up.

Watch Fox News at 10:45 p.m. Monday through Friday and you are likely to find some highlights and news that will be on DigitalSports as well.

So if you see me at your game, get home and check out the tube, you might just see yourself. Then visit the site, it’s a must.

Really. I’m not joking.

Until next time, it’s your favorite reporter, signing off…

– Stephen M. Lewis, slewis@digitalsports.com

Other entries
– June 12
– May 20
– May 8

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by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
slewis@digitalsports.com
(804) 240-2191

First-year outfits usually get off to modest starts.

One particular volleyball club was having none of that.

USPAV or the more lengthy U-Turn Sports Performance Academy Volleyball 18-and-under girls team, is looking for just as lengthy a run in the USA Volleyball Junior Olympic Tournament.

Play starts Wednesday, July 1 in Miami, Florida, but the 11 ladies and coaching staff will go down a bit earlier for a brief vacation before trying to take home the title.

The talented squad consists of mostly ladies from the Richmond area, but touched Fredericksburg and the Tidewater area to get a few players.

It all has cooked up into a winning batch, as USPAV took the Old Dominion Region Qualifier to gain entry to Miami.

“It’s amazing. This is my first time being on a team this experienced and this good,” Midlothian rising senior Valerie Carroll said. “The fact that we made it to nationals, it’s just amazing to me. I’m so happy.”

So is head coach Don Greshman, who has seven of his 11 players committed or going to college to continue their career.

One is Deep Run rising senior Mallory Woolridge, who is a U.S. Women’s Junior National Team member, as elite an honor as you can receive as a high-schooler.

Woolridge will attend Virginia in 2010, and was actually committed to reigning national champion Penn State before choosing the Wahoos to stay closer to home.

The four uncommitted players will play at the next level as well. They have a while left to make up their mind.

One rising senior is Morgan Freeman, from Cape Henry Collegiate in Virginia Beach.

She’s already cast her lot with the University of Connecticut, and missed her prom to prep for this tournament.

“It’s been a tough journey, but we’re happy about it,” Freeman said. “It’s in Miami, so it’s a good reward.”

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by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
slewis@digitalsports.com
(804) 240-2191

It’s summer time. That equals baseball, AAU, travel softball and various basketball summer leagues.

One is the Carmax Richmond City Summer League at Pine Camp Recreation Center.

The shop known for quality used cars is led by CEO Tom Folliard, dad of former Deep Run basketball standout Tommy Folliard.

He led a remodeling of the hoop courts at Pine Camp, glass backboards and all.

Now the 32-team league has blossomed into its third season, starting Wednesday.

“It’s really catching on,” league director and former University of Richmond player Tim Weathers said. “The interest in the community has really grown. The kids are really excited about it and looking forward to it.

“Parks and rec and Carmax have really come together to do a great partnership for the summer for the kids.”

Mondays and Wednesday 12-and-under boys and 17-U girls tangle. On Tuesdays and Thursday, 14-U and 17-U boys battle. Play begins at 5:30 p.m. each day.

The alumni list for the event is already healthy, including John Marshall’s Travis McKie (Wake Forest), Randall Ward and Quantae Cooley (both to Hampden-Sydney) and Freeman’s Jake Eastman (Bradley) and Josh Brinkley (Delaware).

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by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
slewis@digitalsports.com
(804) 240-2191

Ashland Post 206 used a four-run fifth inning en route to a 8-4 win over Glen Allen Post 244 Tuesday evening in American Legion baseball action.

D.J. Martinez singled, then Derrick Brewer got hit by a pitch to put two on for George Moore.

Moore laced a double to left field scoring Martinez and Brewer easily for Ashland Post 206, tying the score at 3.

The next batter was Chris Beazley, who took a Cyrus Baird pitch over the left-field wall for a two-run home run.

That put 206 ahead 5-3 before it put in three more runs in the seventh.

Moore finished the night with a 4-for-4 effort, two RBI and two runs.

Beazley went 3 for 5 with three RBI and two runs.

Ashland Post 206    001 040 300 – 8 13 3
Glen Allen Post 244 102 000 100 – 4  8 1
Jennings, Adkins (8), Brewer (9) and Moore; Baird, Spain (5), West (9) and Grow.

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by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
slewis@digitalsports.com
(804) 240-2191

I have this snazzy new Movie Studio software (thanks Jay Endicott, my buddy at Fox Richmond!) and this is my first production, the Top 10 plays of the year from the 2008-09 season.

I haven’t quite figured out how to get my voice on yet, but I’m working on it.

You can expect these type of productions from DS Richmond more often; I think it is pretty cool.

Anyway, the plays are in order from 10 to 1. There are more than 10 plays, like Highland Springs’ J.J. Saunders at No. 7.

He had three sick plays in one game against Lee-Davis, so his will count for one.

I also had a tie in some to give more love to as many sports as possible. Here goes. ENJOY!

No. 10
Nicole Shelton of Hanover scores as the Hawks upset Lee-Davis in field hockey.

No. 9 (tie)
Hanover’s Austin Erb (18) blasts a solo HR, which gave Hanover a 7-6 lead in the region final they went on to win over Deep Run 14-6.
Lauren Vinson‘s two-RBI single gives Prince George the Central District regular-season title and spurs them on to the region title.

No. 8
Deep Run’s Jordan Love makes a huge stop as Deep Run beats Hanover by at TD.

No. 7
Highland Springs’ J.J. Saunders runs for a 60-yard score on the game’s first play, an 80-yarder on HS’ next play and picks off a pass later.

No. 6 (tie)
Two dunks, sort of. First, Hanover’s greatest student-athlete ever, Kristin Carpenter, with an unbelievable block against Atlee. Then, Josh Brinkley of Douglas Freeman with a nasty reverse dunk over JM’s Maurice Johnson.

No. 5 (tie)
Thomas Dale boys volleyball wins its 51st straight game and the region crown, but Deep Run beats them in the state final a week later.

No. 4
Down one point with 40 seconds to go, Desmond Coble hits Cris Carter for a 65-yard TD as Meadowbrook shocked Hermitage.

No. 3
Lauren Abraham calls Marie Krider off, boots the best pass of her life to Sarah Bellotti, who turns on the jets and beats Dale to tie the contest with 18 seconds left in regulation. Godwin went on to be region champs and a state finalist.

No. 2
Travis McKie, the DigitalSports boys basketball POY, dunking all over the place.

No. 1
Petersburg’s dunkfest of a team, led by Chris Evans (20), Cadarian Raines (44) and Drejon Scott (22) providing oops.

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by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
slewis@digitalsports.com
(804) 240-2191

Reigning Capital District player of the year Trey Davis won’t be next season.

The rising junior is transferring to Benedictine and leaving Henrico, who was potentially the DigitalSports preseason top-ranked boys basketball team in the area with Davis.

At 6-4, with a silky-smooth game, Davis has developed into a major Division-I prospect. He’s perhaps ACC bound, like North Carolina’s Ed Davis (Benedictine by way of Hanover) and Wake Forest commit Travis McKie (John Marshall rising senior).

Davis and McKie took separate paths, both hitting it big.

“It was tough leaving [Henrico] coach [Vance] Harmon and all of them,” Davis said. “Because I had a good relationship with them. Benedictine, they’ve got the national schedule. Coach [Sean] McAloon does a real good job of preparing kids for college with the success he’s had.”

Several Cadets are playing college basketball now, including recent graduate Darien Brothers, who is a rising freshman at the University of Richmond. But Davis is the model.

The 6-10 UNC sophomore was a lottery pick in every mock draft if he would have bolted Chapel Hill for the NBA.

“You definitely look at that,” Davis said. “He had a lot of success when he went over to Benedictine.

“I’m still going to have to come over and play. Just because he had success doesn’t mean I will have success. I have to work hard to have the same success that he’s had.”

Richmond and VCU have already offered Trey Davis.

Since the contact period has begun this week, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Miami, Marquette, Alabama, Michigan, George Mason and Old Dominion have contacted the rising junior.

“It’s been crazy. I had to return a lot of calls,” Trey Davis said. “They’ve been emailing and everything.”

Everything’s not lost for the Warriors.

Harmon has 6-5 jumpingjack Justin Coleman still in the saddle.

The rising senior’s been lighting up the AAU circuit and will attend the NBA Top 100 Camp this month.

Guards who showed well in the region semifinal appearance against Petersburg, like Kris Walden, Corey Harrison and Torey Burston will also return, along with rising sophomore Evan Thorpe.

“We wish him well,” Harmon said.

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