Gametime Henrico: Jan. 16-22, 2023

The Wildcats' wrestling squad had an outstanding showing at the Prince George Invitational this past weekend, with a total of 10 wrestlers placing within the top eight. Dylan Liberczuk, Jerry Simon, David Simon, Cameron McKay and Asadbek Komiljonov all were crowned champions of their respective weight classes. Ajay Pai and Colby Taylor finished second overall, while Mustafa Safi finished third, Nicholas Gagliardi fourth, and Drayton Moore sixth to give the Wildcats a second place finish in the team rankings.

Freeman High School

Junior sprinting standout Ellie Grace Robinson of the Mavericks' track and field team has been having a strong indoor season. Last week, she broke the Freeman record in the 55-meter dash at STC Meet No. 4, running a personal best time of 7.38 to take first place. In her second meet of the week, she ran another record breaking time of 7.36 to place third at the St. Christopher’s Indoor Invitational. Robinson currently sits at third in the 55-meter dash, third in the 300-meter dash, fourth in the 500-meter dash, and ninth in the long jump in the Region 5B rankings. Robinson’s 55-meter dash time is also the eighth-fastest time in all of Virginia this year.

Glen Allen High School

The Jaguars' girls' basketball remained perfect this week after defeating Freeman (6-9) 54-20, and Edison (12-4) 52-31. In the team's most recent match up against the Eagles, Cierra Mcginley won game MVP honors after leading the game in scoring with 24 points on the night. Lindsey Shoulders and Ava Johnson also had solid performances, scoring nine points and six points, respectively. Glen Allen will have its biggest test of the season this week against John Marshall (13-5) on the road.

The boys' basketball team improved to 12-3 on the season and extended its winning streak to seven games with a 63-52 win over Freeman (6-12). Chris Dopp led the Jags in scoring with 16 points, and Jordan Brown was right behind him with 15 points on the night. The Jags will face the nation's second-highest ranked team, John Marshall (16-0), on the road for their next game this week.

Godwin High School

The Eagles' boys' basketball team fell to 10-5 this week after losing to Hermitage (10-5) 39-46 and John Marshall (16-0) 93-61. They will look to bounce back with their next game on the road versus Louisa County (2-12). The girls' squad is now 10-6 after losses to Hermitage (10-3) 46-43, and John Marshall (13-5) 46-42. Its next matchup will be on the road against Tucker (2-12).

Henrico High School

The Henrico Warriors football team is now under new leadership. DeShawn Holmes will take over, after previously working as an assistant on the team since 2015. Holmes was a two-time first team all-district selection, and a second team all-region and all-metro linebacker as a prep player, and he played in more than 40 games as a linebacker for the University of Richmond Spiders. With his experience, guidance and defensive mind, the Warriors have a chance to become a contender..

Hermitage High School

The Panthers' throwers on the track and field squad had a great showing overall at the Highland Springs Throwers Meet last Wednesday. On the girls' side, Kaitlin Wiley won the meet with a throw of 34 feet, 11.25 inches in the shot put. This was her fourth victory of the season, and Wiley is still the top-ranked thrower in Class 5. Teammate Eden Ramirez finished in second with a throw of 31 feet, 0.25 inches, and has the third best mark in Region 5B this winter. On the boys' side, Robert (RJ) Gordon finished second overall with a toss of 42 feet, 10.5 inches, just off of his personal best of 43 feet, 9 inches set earlier this month. Right behind Gordon was junior thrower Uriah Harris, who set a new personal best of 42 feet, 9.25 inches to finish third overall and improve to eighth on the Region 5B standings.

Highland Springs High School

The Springers' boys' basketball team has been playing phenomenal basketball lately, reminding everyone why they took home the class 5 state title last season. After starting the season 4-4, the Springers won six games straight, outscoring their opponents 466-279 during that stretch. They will have a major test against a strong James River team (10-3) on the road this week. The girls' squad is now 12-5, winning four of their last six games, but fell to Massaponax (11-3) 41-28 in its most recent match up. The girls will host their rivals Varina (8-7) in their next matchup on Friday.

The throwers of the Springers' track and field squad hosted the Highland Springs Throwers Meet last week and put together some strong performances on both sides. On the girls' side, sophomore Kendall Johnson threw a new personal best of 27 feet, 11 inches to place third overall, while sophomore O’Shawna Ellis threw 26 feet, 1 inch to round out the top five. On the boys' side, senior Sean Cunane threw a personal best toss of 42 feet, 1.25 inches to place fourth overall and improve to ninth in the Region 5B rankings this winter.

Tucker High School

The Tigers' boys' basketball team fell to 0-16 on the season after falling to John Marshall (16-0) 80-32, and Monocan (9-7) 82-60. In their matchup versus John Marshall, Tigers' sophomore Jayden Bland had a solid performance with nine points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists. Senior Von Ballow also had nine points and six rebounds on the night. The Tigers will take on Godwin (10-5) on the road this week.

Varina High School

The Blue Devils' girls' basketball squad had a strong week of play. Last Tuesday, the Devils defeated Patrick Henry (2-11) 66-48. An’Nikah Burton led the team in scoring with 19 points, while Chrissy Christopher and Jakayla Johnson each scored 12 points. Two days later against Tucker (2-12), Johnson led the team with 18 points on the night. Christopher scored 11 points and Burton scored nine points to improve to 8-6 on the year. The next day, Varina fell to Armstrong (6-9) 42-41. The team will host Hanover (10-5) in its next game.