Gametime Henrico: Feb. 20-26, 2023

Deep Run High School

The Wildcats had a strong showing at the VHSL Class 5 state indoor track and field championships this past weekend. On the boys’ side, the team finished with 17 points and three athletes placed within the top eight. Jahleel Miller led the Cats with a silver medal performance in the shot put, throwing 50 feet, 8.25 inches. Carson Koch finished fourth in the 1000-meter run with a time of 2:38.90, and Vassilios Ringas finished eighth in the pole vault with a height of 9 feet, 6 inches.

The girls’ squad finished with 23 points on the day and also had three athletes with a podium finish. Sidney Walters took home the bronze medal in the 3200-meter run with a time of 11:10.93, while Hazel Wells finished sixth with a time of 11:30.98. Peyton Walker also snagged points with a seventh-place finish in the 1000-meter run, crossing the finish line at 3:06.03.

Freeman High School

The Mavericks’ track and field team had some strong performances this past weekend at the VHSL Class 5 state championships. The boys’ team finished with 18 points, led by sprinter Miles Figart, who finished fourth in the 500-meter dash with a time of 1:05.6. Aidan Cassidy finished sixth in the 1600-meter run with a time of 4:26.10, and Ben Coker finished seventh in the long jump, going out to 20 feet, 5.75 inches.

The girls’ team finished with 19 points. Elizabeth Robinson finished seventh in the 55-meter dash, eighth in the 500-meter dash, fifteenth in the 300-meter dash, and 15th in the long jump to secure three points for the Mavs. In the 1600-meter run, Avery Edmondson finished sixth with a time of 5:27.34, and Charlotte Gardner finished eighth with a time of 5:31.63. Sydney Miller finished fifth in the pole vault with a height of 10 feet, and Merrick Mock also secured a fifth place finish with a time of 3:02.42 in the 1000-meter run.

Glen Allen High School

The Jaguars’ boys basketball squad advanced to the VHSL Region 5C title game after defeating Deep Run 70-54 and Hermitage 80-70. Against Hermitage, Kris Tiller had himself a big day, scoring 31 points. Faron Friend scored 16 points, while Dallas Chavis and Kam Tiller each scored seven points to help keep their season alive. With their semifinal win, the Jaguars have secured a spot in the VHSL Class 5 state tournament, but their next stop will be a home game against defending state champion Highland Springs for the Region 5C title.

The girls’ squad will also have a shot for a Region 5C Ttitle after their 47-21 victory over Freeman in the regional quarterfinals, and a 45-27 victory against Godwin. In the latter game, Cierra McGinlay led the team with 17 points and three rebounds, Sydney Worsham scored 13 points and totaled five rebounds along with eight steals, and Ava Johnson also had a strong performance with five points, five steals and five blocks. The Jags will take on L.C Bird (20-4) in the regional final this week.

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The Glen Allen track and field squads had dominant performances at the VHSL Class 5 state championships this past weekend, with both teams finishing as the state runners-up. The boys scored 44 points, led by sprinter Marquis Belle, who took home the silver medal in the 500-meter dash with a time of 1:05.27, and finished eighth in the 300-meter dash with a time of 35.57. In the 1000-meter run, Eric Fagan secured a silver medal with a time of 2:37.08, Jack Braun finished sixth with a time of 2:39.61, and Gunnar Mancuso crossed the line at 2:40.38 to finish eighth. The Jags also had two athletes score in the 3200-meter run, led by bronze medalist Carson Rackley who ran a time of 9:24.87. Trevor Lawson finished right behind Rackley with a time of 9:34.33, which was good enough for fourth place. In the field events, Seth Morris led the way with a bronze medal finish in the shot put, heaving it out to 46 feet, 7 inches.

The girls’ squad scored 46 points, all thanks to a strong performance in the field events. In the pole vault, Emily Romano won the state title with a height of 12 feet, Maddie Walsh finished fourth with a height of 10 feet, 6 inches, and Morgan Pietruszkiewicz finished seventh with a height of 9 feet, 6 inches. In the shot put, Mackenzie Blanchet took home the silver medal with a mark of 36 feet, 8.5 inches, while Danielle Bryan finished seventh with a mark of 31 feet, 5.5 inches. On the track, the Jags scored 13 points in the 3200-meter run. Elly Velasquez posted a time of 10:57.41 to finish as the state runner-up, and Avery Beike finished fourth with a time of 11:35.

Godwin High School

The season for the Eagles’ basketball programs came to close last week. The boys finished with a record of 16-7, advancing to the regional quarterfinals after earning a first-round bye, but falling 62-59 to No. 5 seed Hermitage (16-9). The girls’ squad finished the season 15-9, and advanced to the regional semifinals with a 50-48 win over number No. 4 seed Hermitage before losing to top-seeded Glen Allen (22-1) in the semifinals.

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Distance standout Berkley Nance put on a show at the VHSL Class 5 state track and field championships this past weekend, winning the state title in the 1600-meter run with a time of 4:15.52 and also the state title in the 3200-meter run with a time of 9:19.72. Nance had a tremendous indoor season, finishing the year ranked 18th in the United States in the 3200-meter run and scored all of Godwin’s 20 points scored at the state championship meet.

Henrico High School

The Henrico girls’ basketball program finished off its season with a record of 15-9 following a loss in the VHSL Region 5C playoffs. The Warriors advanced to the quarterfinals after their 71-30 victory over King George but fell 58-34 in the next round to Matoaca (17-6). Despite the loss, this was the program’s best finish since the 2019 season, when the Warriors finished 19-8. They have nearly all of their starters returning next year.

Hermitage High School

The season for the Hermitage basketball programs has now officially come to a close after their losses in the VHSL Region 5C playoffs. The boys’ team advanced to the regional semifinals after defeating Tucker 64-37 in the first round and winning 62-59 over a strong Godwin program in the regional quarterfinals. They finished the season 16-9 after their 80-70 loss to top-seeded Glen Allen. The girls’ squad finished their season 14-8 after falling to number fifth-seeded Godwin.

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The Panthers’ track and field squad produced some solid performances at the VHSL Class 5 state championships this past weekend, with four athletes securing a podium finish. Quinn Green won the state title in the 1000-meter run with a time of 2:35.34. In the field, Uriah Harris finished fifth in the shot put with a mark of 46 feet, 2 inches. For the girls, Eden Ramirez ran her best time of the day in the prelims for the 55-meter dash, crossing the line at 7.23, which was the second best time heading into the finals. In the 55-meter final, Ramirez finished fifth with a time of 7.29. In the shot put, Kaitlin Wiley took home the bronze medal, heaving it out to 36 feet, 2.25 inches.

Highland Springs High School

The Highland Springs basketball programs had a strong week, each advancing to the VHSL Region 5C semifinals. The girls finished the season 17-5, advancing to the semifinals after their 64-52 victory over Deep Run. In the semifinals, Morgan Boyd led the Springers with 16 points, but they fell 58-41 versus number two seed L.C Bird. The boys, however, qualified for the state tournament with a 75-61 victory over Clover Hill in the regional quarterfinals and a 62-52 win over L.C Bird. They will play top-seeded Glen Allen (20-5) in the Region 5C title game this week.

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The Highland Springs track and field squads had a tremendous day at the VHSL Class 5 state championships this past weekend. The girls’ team scored 33 points, led by Pryncess Jackson’s dominant performance. Jackson won the state title in the long jump with a mark of 18 feet, 8.25 inches, won the silver medal in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.14 to break her own school record, then won the bronze medal in the triple jump with a mark of 37 feet, 7 inches, and finished sixth in the high jump with a height of 5 feet, 2 inches to score 27 points. Madison Greene also snagged points in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.86, which was good enough for fifth place.

The boys’ squad scored 16 points, led by sophomore sensation Kendric Curry, who won the pole vault state title with a mark of 14 feet, 6 inches, tying his personal best. Dewan Green secured points in two events, finishing seventh in the high jump with a height of 5 feet, 10 inches, then finishing seventh in the triple jump with a mark of 40 feet, 10.75 inches. Jordan Franisco also stepped onto the podium with an eighth-place finish in the long jump, leaping out to 20 feet, 4.75 inches.

Tucker High School

Tigers’ sprinter Mariah Jameson had a strong showing at the VHSL Class 5 track and field state championships this past weekend. The junior finished fourth in the 300-meter dash with a time of 40.99, and finished 12th in the 55-meter dash with a time of 7.41. Jameson finished the indoor season with two top-five marks in Region 5C this winter, running a region No. 2 40.83 in the 300-meter dash, and a region No. 3 time of 7.26 in the 55-meter dash.

Varina High School

The Blue Devils’ boys’ basketball squad advanced to the VHSL Region 4B final after defeating Eastern View 86-82 in the regional quarterfinals and Dinwiddie 79-66 in the regional semifinals. Against Dinwiddie, Kennard Wyche Jr. and Malachi Cosby put on a show, leading the team in scoring with 26 points and 20 points, respectively. Joshua Hughes scored nine points, Jerome Conway scored eight points, and Myles Derricott scored seven to help Varina secure a spot in the state tournament, where it will look to defend its state title from last winter. The Blue Devils will host the Matoaca Warriors (16-7) for the regional title this week.