Gametime Henrico: Jan. 2-8, 2023

Senior track and field standout Tyler Messinger placed second overall at the East Coast Elite meet last week in the 300-meter dash with a time of 36.19. Junior thrower Jahleel Miller threw a personal best distance of 45 feet, 8.5 inches in the shot put to place seventh overall and climbed to fourth overall in the Region 5B rankings. Carson Koch ran a solid time of 2:44.68 in the 1000-meter to place 12th overall.

On the girls’ side, Dairam Ferrer placed eighth overall in the 55-meter dash with a time of 7.67, and senior Kamille Atkins placed seventh overall in the 300-meter dash with a time of 43.61. Junior Julia Fabiato placed fourth overall in the 1000-meter run with a personal best time of 3:12.19, which is currently the third-best time in Region 5B this year. Senior standout Sidney Walters placed second overall at the meet with a personal best time of 11:19.98, which is the best time of all runners in the event in Region 5B and Class 5 and is sixth overall in the state of Virginia.

Freeman High School

The Mavericks’ wrestling squad had a great showing at the Tommy Legge Memorial meet, with a total of eight athletes placing. Brey Loving and Luke Liberatore were the top finishers for the Mavs, both placing second in their respective weight classes. Jackson Rogish and Branden Sweeney both finished in fourth place. Butter Stephenson and Darien Llorens finished in fifth place, and Reid Garnett and Cooper Speidell both finished in sixth place. Their performances earned the team a top-10 finish at the meet.

The Mavericks’ girls’ basketball team improved to 5-6 on the season and has won three of its past four games, after defeating Tucker (2-8) 60-30 last Friday. Freshman guard Addie Morton was the leading scorer for the Mavs with a whopping 37 points on the night. Freeman will host John Marshall (6-4) in its next game this week.

Senior standout runner Miles Figart had a great showing at the CNU High School Showcase. In the 300-meter dash, he ran a personal best time of 37.25 to place first overall at the meet. In the 500-meter dash, he placed third overall with a time of 1:09.98. Sophomore Aidan Cassidy also had a solid performance, running a time of 4:42.76 in the 1600-meter run to place fourth overall.

Glen Allen High School

The Jaguars’ boys’ basketball team had a great week of play, improving to 8-3 on the season with wins over Freeman (5-8) and Hermitage (7-4). In the 52-35 win against the Mavericks, Jordan Brown led the team in scoring with 11 points and five rebounds, while Ford Michelow led with seven assists while also dropping 10 points. Dallas Chavis had 10 points and three steals, and Jackson Prescott had nine points and five rebounds in the win. Against the Panthers, Brown led the team in scoring once again with 18 points, Faron Friend had eight points, Kam Tiller had seven points and three key steals, and Tyson Granderson had seven points and two key three-pointers to seal the deal for the Jags in a 58-54 overtime win.

Godwin High School

The Eagles’ boys’ basketball team got back on track last week week in its first game of the new year, defeating Deep Run (2-10) 44-39 to win its 10th game of the season. The Eagles will face Glen Allen (8-3) on the road for their next game. The girls’ squad improved to 9-3 on the season with a 44-34 victory over Deep Run (3-6) and will host Caroline (6-5) next week.

Henrico High School

The Warriors’ boys’ and girls’ basketball programs had a great week, both improving to six wins on the season. The boys’ squad has won two straight, after victories over Mechanicsville (1-10) by a score of 72-42, and Armstrong (1-6) by a score of 56-43. The boys now are 6-6 on the season and will look to avenge two close losses to Hermitage (8-1) on the road this week. The girls have won two of their last three games. After a tough 62-50 loss to Mechanicsville (10-0), they bounced back with a dominant 73-27 win over Armstrong (2-6) and will host Hermitage (7-2) in their next game this week.

Hermitage High School

The Panthers’ girls’ basketball team defeated Prince George in convincing fashion last Tuesday by a score of 74-39. Maya Jozic led the team in scoring with 18 points. Jayda Thomas was right behind Jozic, putting up 17 points, while Breyonna Robinson poured in 13 points. Last Friday versus Glen Allen, the team fell short to a red hot 7-0 Jaguars team, 67-56. The Panthers are now 7-2 on the season and will face a strong Henrico team on the road this week.

The Panthers’ track and field teams had a strong showing at the CNU High School Showcase. On the boys’ side, senior runner Quinn Green placed second overall in the 1000-meter run with a time of 2:37.23, to take the number three spot in the Region 5B rankings. Senior thrower Robert "RJ" Gordon placed sixth overall with a distance of 43 feet, 9 inches in the shot put. This mark is an all-time personal best for Gordon, and he is currently ranked sixth in Region 5B in the event. On the girls’ side, Eden Ramirez, Saniya Banks, Samia Johnson and Janaya Hill-Mercer placed fifth overall in the 4x200-meter relay with a time of 1:54.75. Their time has them currently ranked sixth in Region 5B.

Highland Springs High School

The Springers’ track and field team had a plethora of impressive performances at the Virginia Beach High School Relays this past weekend. On the boys’ side, junior Jaden Young ran a time of 24.03 in the 200-meter dash to place fourth overall in the meet, which moved him to fourth in the Region 5B rankings. Senior Ephesus Brooks placed second overall in the 400-meter dash with a time of 54.20, the top time in Region 5B and the sixth-fastest time in Class 5 this year. Dewan Green cracked the top 10 with a time of 9.23 in the 60-meter hurdles and placed sixth overall in the triple jump with a distance of 41 feet, 8.75 inches. Junior Micheal Hamlin jumped a distance of 20 feet, 1.5 inches in the long jump to place fifth overall, and sophomore jumping standout Kendric Curry jumped a new personal best mark of 14 feet in the pole vault to place first overall in the meet. Curry is currently the top pole-vaulter in Region 5B, the second-seeded vaulter in Class 5, the fourth-seeded vaulter in all of Virginia, and the best sophomore vaulter in the state.

Tucker High School

The Tigers’ track and field team had some solid performances last week at the CNU High School Showcase. Sophomore runner Isabel Russo ran a personal best of 6:01.17 in the 1600-meter run to place 10th overall. Ananda Hamlin placed fifth overall in the 500-meter dash with a personal best performance of 1:24.07. Hamlin’s time currently has her seeded fifth in the Region 5B rankings. In the 4x200-meter relay, Briauna Jefferson, Mariah Jameson, Journey Mason and Rachel Mentore finished first overall with a time of 1:52.53 and are currently still seeded second overall in the Region 5B standings for the event.

In the 4x400m relay, Hamlin, Mason, Mentore and Hayleigh Fleming finished third overall with a time of 4:19.94, which is the third-best time in Region 5B this season. Not only did Jameson take care of business in the 4x200-meter and 4x400-meter relays, she also took fourth place individually in the 300-meter dash with a time of 42.35, which is the third-fastest time in Region 5B. On the boys’ side, junior Matthew Conrad ran a personal best time of 10:33.02 in the 3200-meter run to place eighth overall. In the 4x200-meter relay, Chris Hopp, Marlon deBraux, Damien Graham and Jacob Mayland placed second overall at the meet with a time of 1:36.49 and are currently seeded sixth in the Region 5B rankings.

Varina High School

The Blue Devils’ boys’ basketball team is on a hot streak, winning seven straight games and two last week. Last Tuesday, the Devils defeated Atlee 76-35, then it was a clash of Varina (defending Class 4 state champions) against Highland Springs (defending Class 5 state champions). Varina won 79-63, all thanks to Kennard Wyche Jr. taking over with a game high 30 points, and will look to keep things going against Mechanicsville (1-10) this week.

The Varina track and field squad had many solid performances at the East Coast Elite meet. Junior Eric Smith ran a time of 6.67 in the 55-meter dash to place first overall. Senior Kyree Currie placed ninth overall in the shot put with a distance of 44 feet, 1.5 inches. Senior Jayden Ivey placed fourth overall in the long jump with a personal best distance of 20 feet, 10 inches. Ivey’s jump is currently the top mark in all of Region 5B and seventh overall in Class 5.