Gametime Henrico: Dec. 5-11, 2022

The Wildcats’ wrestling squad continued its strong start to the season, finishing eighth at the Titan Invitational. Down a couple of starters, the team had eight athletes place in the individual standings. Dylan Liberzeruk was the lone champion winning in the 113-pound class. Ajay Pai (106) and David Simon (132) finished as runner ups in their respective weight classes. Cameron McKay finished third in the 144-pound class, Micheal Guidice finished seventh in the same class, Nicholas Gagliardi finished seventh in the HWT class, and Shawn Feggans finished eighth in the 190-pound class. The team will look to improve upon its 4-0 quad match record as its take on Godwin, Freeman and Glen Allen at Godwin High School this Wednesday.

Freeman High School

The Mavericks’ boys’ basketball team fell to 1-4 on the season with their most recent loss to the Godwin Eagles, in a 44-41 nail-biter. The leading scorer for the Mavs was Marshall Dip, who put up 14 points. Freshman Alex Blanchard had a great showing as well with 10 points on the night. The Maps will face Hermitage (4-0) in their next game.

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The Freeman track and field team had a solid showing at the Glen Allen Polar Bear meet last week. On the boys’ side, sophomore Aidan Cassidy set a new personal best of 4:35.78 in the 1600-meter to place second overall. His time is the fourth-best mark in Region 5B. Junior Ben Coker set a new season best of 20 feet, 5 inches in the long jump and is ranked first amongst all athletes in the event in the region. On the girls’ side, junior Elizabeth Robinson won the long jump with a distance of 15 feet, 1 inch, and the 300-meter dash with a time of 41.8. She followed up that performance with a new school record in the 55-meter dash, running a time of 7.52, then won the 500-meter dash with a time of 1:21.89. Robinson is all over the Region 5B ranking, currently third in the 55-meter dash, second in the 300-meter dash, second in the 500-meter dash, and sixth in the long jump.

Glen Allen High School

The Jaguars’ boys’ basketball team improved to 3-0 on the season after two strong victories last week. First, they defeated Midlothian 66-52, led by Kris Tiller’s 36 points. Kam Tiller had 10 points, and Dallas Chavis put up 7 points in the win. The Jags then defeated the Deep Run Wildcats 45-43 all thanks to Jordan Brown tipping it in at the buzzer. In that game, Kris Tiller scored 16 points, and Faron Friend scored 10.

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Xavier Moss posted a time of 36.66 to place second overall at the Glen Allen Polar Bear meet, then followed that up with a 55-meter dash time of 6.66 seconds to place third overall at the CNU Winter Frolic meet. Moss’s 55-meter dash time currently puts him at the top of Region 5B.

Godwin High School

The Eagles’ boys’ basketball team improved to 6-0 after their 44-41 victory over the Freeman Mavericks (1-4). Daniel Keogh led the team with 13 points on the night, and multi-sport athlete Logan Rhoades put up 9 points. The team will face Mechanicsville in its next game. The girls’ squad has been equally as impressive, currently 5-0 on the year for the most part dominant in each game, outscoring opponents 243-150. In their most recent win over Freeman (2-3), the Eagles’ Thea Clark had 4 steals, Lakelyn Bostian had a steal and a block, and Kylee Carrol had two three-pointers and a steal. They will face a strong 4-0 Mechanicsville in their next matchup.

Henrico High School

The Warriors’ girls’ basketball team is off to a strong start of their season, currently 4-2 on the season after defeating Hanover 45-42 and Patrick Henry 54-31. Its next game will be against Steward (4-3) next week.

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Senior runner Dallas Gardner has been on a roll this indoor season. Gardner finished third in the 500-meter dash at the Glen Allen Polar Bear meet last week with a time of 1:07.51, which is the third-best mark in the region. He also still sits at the top of the region in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.58, which he achieved earlier in the season. Senior thrower Malachi Hayes also has been competing well this season, setting a new personal best in the shot put with a mark of 49 feet, 10 inches. With his new personal best, Hayes now ranks first of all throwers in the event in Region B.

Hermitage High School

The Panthers’ boys’ basketball team has made a statement early on this season. The team is currently 4-0 and won its most recent game against Tucker (0-5) 70-39. Its next game will be against the Freeman Mavericks (1-4).

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The girls’ squad is also 4-0 this season, dominating in their last two contests 60-28 (Patrick Henry) and Tucker (59-30). It will look to carry this momentum into its next game against Freeman (2-4) this week.

Highland Springs High School

The Springers’ football team took home its first state title since 2018 and completed its second 15-0 season in program history after defeating Maury 33-19 this past weekend at Old Dominion University. The Springers saw themselves down early, as Maury led 7-6 with just more than nine minutes left in the second quarter. But then the Springers exploded offensively, starting with running back Aziz Foster-Powell, who punched in a 13-yard rushing touchdown with three minutes remaining in the half. With seconds left in the half, quarterback Khristian Martin connected with Takye Heath on a five-yard touchdown pass to increase Highland Springs’ lead to 18-7 going into halftime. After a touchdown that was secured with a fumble recovery, and a 49-yard rushing touchdown by Caron Ferguson, the Springers sealed the deal. This year's Springers end their historic season outscoring their opponents 657-90, averaging just six points allowed per game (one of the top averages in the country), and finish No. 51 in the United States according to Max Preps.

Tucker High School

Junior jumper Damien Graham had a solid performance at JR Tucker Winter Class last week: Graham set a new personal best of 20 feet, half an inch in the long jump to place second overall. His new best has him currently ranked third in Region B, and is just 4.5 inches off of the top mark in the region.

Varina High School

The defending state boys’ basketball champions improved to 3-1 on the season after a strong 70-43 victory over Patrick Henry (0-4). The Blue Devils are now on a two-game win streak and currently sit at the top of the Class 4 rankings. They will host Hanover (3-0) in their next game.

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The girls’ squad has made some massive improvements from last year, starting the season off strong with a 2-1 record. They won their most recent game 55-49 over Patrick Henry and next will play on the road against Hanover (2-2).