Gametime Henrico: Nov. 21-27, 2022

This week, with only one Henrico team still active in the fall season (the Highland Springs High School football team), we take an early look at how each Henrico County high school’s winter sports programs are shaping up.

Deep Run High School

The Wildcats’ wrestling team finished eighth overall as a team at the Class 5 wrestling state championships last season. This winter, it will return some of the top athletes in the state. Senior David Simon finished fourth place overall at the state championships in the 126-pound weight class with an overall record of 24-6. Cameron McKay returns for his senior year, coming off a 22-3 overall record and a state runner-up finish in the 145-pound weight class, and standout Jerry Simon is back after an outstanding sophomore season during which he won the 120-pound Class 5 state championship with an unblemished overall record of 28-0.

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Deep Run’s boys’ basketball team returns after a 14-10 season that ended in the Region 5C quarterfinal, where it fell to Glen Allen, 56-40. The Wildcats have two-sport athlete Jayson Morgan returning to the court this winter. Morgan stands at 6 foot 8 and weighs in at 250 pounds and led his team with 6.7 rebounds per game and 1 block per game last season. He and the Wildcats opened up their season with a 52-51 win against Atlee Monday.

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The girls’ basketball squad is back after posting a 9-11 record last season, also finishing the year in the Region 5C quarterfinals, falling to Highland Springs 52-31. Top returners include 5-foot-8 guard Bree Fulkerson, 5-foot-6 guard Aubrey Ellis, and 5-foot-10 forward Anne Peyton-Duncan. The Wildcats’ season will begin Thursday as it ended last season – with a match-up against Highland Springs.

Freeman High School

Freeman’s boys’ basketball team returns from a strong 19-4 season that ended in the Region 5C semifinals with a 63-56 loss to Glen Allen.The Mavs return three-sport athlete PJ Moore, who stands at 6 foot 3 and can make noise at point guard, small forward and power forward. Moore and his teammates will start the season this Friday on the road against rival Godwin High School at 7 p.m.

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The girls’ basketball team looks to improve upon an 8-14 season that ended in the first round of the Region 5C tournament with a 56-39 loss to Prince George. The Mavs return 5-foot-7 point guard Genevieve Travers, a senior who led the team scoring last winter with 13 points per game. They will start their season on the road against Atlee High High School on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

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Mavericks standout sprinter Miles Figart will return to the track this year for his senior campaign. Figart finished his junior season with a sixth-place finish in the 400m dash at the Class 5 outdoor track and field state championships with a time of 50.22. He should be in position to compete for a state title in the event and break the 50 second barrier this year.

Glen Allen High School

Glen Allen’s boys’ basketball team is coming off an 18-6 season that ended with a 65-51 loss to Riverside High in the state quarterfinals. Though Second Team All-Metro selection Kelvin Choice will be missed, the Jaguars have plenty of talent returning to the court this season for a strong playoff run. Top returners include senior forward Chris Dopp, who stands at 6 foot 6 and averaged 16 points per game last season. Senior guard Ford Michelow, who led the team in rebounds last season with 5.5 per game, will return as well. The Jags’ first game will be against Patrick Henry High School this Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

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The girls’ basketball team is back after a 22-3 season that ended in the state quarterfinals with a heartbreaking 50-48 loss to Briar Woods. Cierra McGinlay, the 5-foot-7 Second Team All-Metro guard returns for her senior campaign. McGinlay led the team in scoring last season at 14.3 points per game. Six-foot-two sophomore forward Ava Johnson also will return, coming off an impressive freshman year during which she led the team in rebounds per game (7.2) and blocks per game (2.8). Glen Allen will start its season against Patrick Henry this Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

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The outdoor track and field Class 5 state runner-ups are loaded once again this season. Senior long distance runner Carson Rackley placed fourth place in the 3200m run (9:34.70), and eighth place in the 1600m run (4:29.11) at the outdoor state championships last year. Eric Fagan will return for his senior season after earning a bronze medal at the state championship meet in the 1600m with a time of 4:24.32. Trevor Lawson, who placed sixth in the 3200m run at the state championship meet as a sophomore, will add to Glen Allen’s distance attack. In the sprints, standout Marquis Bell will return for his senior season. Bell was the state runner-up in the 400m dash with a time of 49.17 and is the heavy favorite to win the indoor and outdoor state titles in the 400m this year.

Godwin High School

The boys’ basketball team went 9-12 last winter, finishing with an 87-45 loss to LC Bird in the Region 5C quarterfinals. The Eagles return Peter Donald, a 5-foot-10 guard who will bring experience to a young team that graduated five seniors last year. The Eagles will face Patrick Henry for their season opener on the road, Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

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The girls’ basketball team also is looking to improve upon a losing record (5-15) last season, which ended with a 31-21 loss to Deep Run in the first round of the Region 5C tournament. Key players returning include senior guard Kylee Carroll, junior forward Reagan Nemeyer, and senior Maggie Hiatt. In the 2021-2022  season, the Eagles returned only two starters, and relied on multiple young players to step up and gain experience. Carroll, Nemeyer and Hiatt have the talent and now the experience to make their presence felt come playoff time. Their first matchup will be against Patrick Henry on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Henrico High School

The Warriors’ boys’ basketball team returns from a solid 17-8 season, which ended in the Class 4  state quarterfinals with an 86-52 loss to Kings Fork. Five-foot-10 guard Jaden Walker returns for his senior season, following his Class 4 All-State and All-Metro Honorable Mention selections last year, when he averaged 14.5 points per game and 1.4 steals per game. The Warriors will start their season this Friday at 7:30 p.m., when they host the Hermitage Panthers.

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The girls’ basketball team went 11-10 last year, barely losing in the first round of the Region 4B tournament to Courtland, 64-62. Its top returning player is sophomore Sanna Moore, who was an All-Region 4B decond team selection and an All-Metro Honorable mention guard as a freshman. The Warriors will host Dinwiddie in their season opener on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Hermitage High School

The Panthers’ boys basketball team is back on the court following a first-round exit in the Region 5C tournament last season (a nail-biter against Godwin, 59-57). They will return four starters: Eiden Harvey, Omar Washington, Kavontae Williams, and senior Chase Weaver. With the chemistry that this team has built over the last year, it’s in good shape to improve upon last season’s 8-15 record . The Panthers’ first test will come against Henrico High School on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

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The girls’ basketball team returns following a 17-6 season, during which it reached the semifinals of the Region 5C tournament before falling to Highland Springs, 71-60 in overtime. Breyonna Robinson, an Honorable Mention All-Metro selection as a sophomore, will lead the way for the Panthers. They will play Prince George in their season opener on Tuesday at 7:15 p.m.

Highland Springs High School

In the Region 5C football championship, Highland Springs defeated LC Bird 35-0 and proved once again why it is the clear favorite to repeat as Class 5 state champions this season. After a slow start with both teams scoreless by the end of the first quarter, Springers quarterback Khristian Martin got things going with a three-yard touchdown run to give his team a 7-0 lead with just less than three minutes left to play in the first half. Shortly thereafter, LC Bird fumbled on its own two yard line, which gave Martin the opportunity to connect with Caron Ferguson for a touchdown to make it 14-0 at the half.

In the third quarter, Martin found receiver Takye Heath for a 50-yard touchdown pass, then two minutes later, Aziz Foster-Powell ran 25 yards for a touchdown to make it 27-0. In the fourth quarter, Martin connected with Jakyre Henley on a 20-yard touchdown pass to seal the deal. After defending their Region 5C title, the Springers improved to 13-0 on the season and will look to finish what they started last year in the state semifinal against the Region 5D champion, Stone Bridge (12-1).

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The Springers’ boys basketball team is coming off a Class 5 state title in a game that came down to the final second, a 63-62 win against Maury High that capped a 23-4 season. Reginald Tennyson, the 2022 Class 5 Coach of the Year, returns for another season. Tennyson will look for Second Team All-Metro guard Danzelle Coles to lead the way this year for the Springers. Coles scored a career high 30 points in the state title game last season as a sophomore. The team’s first game will be against the Deep Run Wildcats on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

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The girls’ basketball squad is coming off of a strong 15-6 season that ended in the state quarterfinals with a 63-55 loss to state runner-up Woodgrove High School. Top returners include Second Team All-Metro selection Ah’Kiyah Pye and All-Metro Honorable mention selection Morgan Boyd. Pye and Boyd will begin their junior campaigns against the Hermitage Panthers on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

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Springers’ track and field standout Kendric Curry returns for his sophomore campaign. Last outdoor season, Curry was the bronze medalist in the pole vault at the Class 5 outdoor state championships with a jump of 13 feet and has a personal best jump of 13 feet, 6.5 inches that he cleared at the Adidas Outdoor National Championships. His mark was good enough for fifth place in the nation and was the top mark among all freshmen in the nation.

Tucker High School

Tucker standout Noah Logan is back for his senior year of track and field. Last spring, he triple-jumped 45 feet 2 inches at the Class 5 outdoor state championships to secure the bronze medal. His personal best mark of 45 feet 3 inches was good enough for 18th overall in the state of Virginia last spring, and is fifth among all returning athletes in the state. In Class 5, he will be the heavy favorite to take home the state title.

Varina High School

The Blue Devils’ boys basketball team is coming off a dominant 25-1 season and Class 4 state championship, which came after a demolition of Loudoun County, 61-35, in the title game. Class 4 First Team All-State selection Kennard Wyche Jr. returns for his junior campaign this season. Wyche Jr. has a unique style of play, using his quickness, basketball IQ and fundamentals to expose opposing players. His father was an All-Metro selection for Armstrong High School back in 1997 and led Armstrong to the state semifinals his senior year. This team has leadership, championship experience, and the talent to repeat as the Class 4 state champions. It will start its title defense Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. against Trinity Episcopal.