Gametime Henrico: May 22-28, 2023

Deep Run’s baseball squad is having a phenomenal start to its postseason. Entering the Region 5C bracket as the sixth seed, the Wildcats took care of business in the first round, defeating Meadowbrook 12-0. Then they were matched up with the defending regional champions of Glen Allen. The final score ended 8-7 in favor of Glen Allen, but the Virginia High School League ruled that Glen Allen was forced to forfeit the game because its starting pitcher threw eight pitches more than allowed. That means that Deep Run is now 13-9 on the season and will face the defending state champion (Freeman) in the Region 5C semifinals. Though there was plenty of controversy, there were many notable performances for the Wildcats in the quarterfinals. Trey Gauch pitched six innings and struck out seven batters; Vince Poraco led the way at the plate, going 2 for 3 with two runs scored; Cameron Rizzo went 2 for 4 with two RBIs; and Josiah Seguin also went 2 for 4 with one RBI. The Wildcats will face Freeman at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Freeman High School

The Mavs are a step closer to defending their state title with a 6-0 win in their first playoff game versus Tucker (9-13). Miguel Martin led the Mavs in hitting, going 2 for 2 with one run scored. Jonah Herbert also had a strong day at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a double and one run. On the mound, it was Cayman Goode who secured the win with a dominant effort going 6.2 innings, allowing just four hits and no runs, while striking out 14. Freeman will face Deep Run (13-9) in the Region 5C semifinals Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Glen Allen High School

Glen Allen’s softball squad has finished its 2023 campaign after a 3-2 loss to Godwin (16-7) in the Region 5C quarterfinals. Tyra Christian went 1 for 5 with a home run, and Alyssa Meharg also had a strong performance,

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Glen Allen’s boys track and field squad had an impressive showing at this year's Region 5C outdoor championship meet. In the 100-meter dash, Marquise Belle took home the gold medal with a personal best time of 11.01 seconds. His teammate Xavier Moss was right behind him with a time of 11.11 seconds, good enough for the silver medal. Moss also finished fourth in the 200-meter dash. In the 400-meter dash, Belle took home another gold medal, running a personal best time of 48.25 seconds and winning the race by more than one second. In the 1600-meter run, Carson Rackley won gold with a time of 4:23.40. Junior Luke Craven was eighth with a time of 4:38.61. The Jags scored 100 points to place second overall as a team, behind Highland Springs.

Godwin High School

The Eagles’ baseball squad improved to 18-3 on the season and will advance to the Region 5C semifinals to take on Midlothian (12-9-1), after a close 5-4 victory over Clover Hill (7-15). Luke Smyers had a strong day on the mound, earning the win after striking out 12 batters in five innings. At the plate, Hank Piersol went 1 for 3 with two RBIs, and Juice Tobin went 1 for 2 with one double, two stolen bases and two runs. In the end though, it was Garrett Mason who called game and drove in the winning run in the sixth inning. The Eagles’ semifinal matchup versus Midlothian will be at home on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.

Henrico High School

The Warriors’ track and field squads put together a strong performance at the Region 4B outdoor championship meet last week. Dallas Gardner won the regional title in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 39.49 seconds and also took home a silver medal in the 110-meter hurdles at 15.66 seconds. Savion Edwards also scored points for the Warriors, running 22.70 in the 200-meter final to finish fourth in the region. For the girls, Micailah Cook led the way in points after running a 59.16-second 400-meter dash for a bronze medal, and a 26.24-second 200-meter dash to finish fifth in the region. In the shot put and discus, the Warriors saw two fifth-place finishers. Kameelah Hagues threw 32 feet, 6 inches in the shot put, while Briana Lewis threw 91 feet, 7 inches in the discus.

Hermitage High School

Eden Ramirez of the Panthers’ track and field squad put on a display of pure versatility at the Region 5C outdoor championship meet. In the throws, Ramirez won the regional title in the shot put with a mark of 37 feet, 1 inch, which was just a few inches off her regional lead mark of 37 feet, 9.5 inches that she set earlier this season. She also placed sixth in the discus. Out on the track, she won the 100-meter prelims in 12.41 seconds, then in the finals took home the bronze medal with a time of 12.46 seconds. She then finished sixth in the 200-meter dash. Overall, Ramirez scored 22 of Hermitage’s 47 points, leading the Panthers to a seventh-place team finish.

Highland Springs High School

The Springers’ track and field squads put on a show at the Region 5C outdoor championship meet. The boys’ team won the team title in convincing fashion, defeating runner up Glen Allen by 21 points. The girls’ team finished as team runners-up behind L.C. Bird’s 116.5 points. On the boys’ side, Dewan Green led the way, scoring 32 points on the day. He won gold in the 110-meter hurdles and the triple jump and also finished third in both the 300-meter hurdles and high jump. In the other jumping events, freshman Jordan Franisco won the long jump with a distance of 21 feet, 10 inches, and sophomore Kendric Curry won the pole vault with a height of 14 feet. Micheal Hamlin took home the silver medal in the long jump, and Brian Cunane won the silver medal in the triple jump.

On the girls’ side, Pryncess Jackson unsurprisingly dominated in all of her events. Jackson won the title in the 100-meter hurdles, the high jump and the triple jump. She also took home a silver medal in the long jump and the bronze medal in the 300-meter hurdles, making her total a phenomenal 44 points on the day. In the throws, Samaya Brown won the gold in the discus with a strong throw of 130 feet, 6 inches. Brown also scored points in the shot put, finishing seventh overall.

Tucker High School

The Tigers’ baseball squad saw their season come to a close last week after a 6-0 loss to Freeman in the Region 5C quarterfinal. They finished the regular season with a record of 8-12, earning the seventh seed and a matchup with Hermitage in the first round. In that game, Caden Ballum led the way at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a double, one run and one RBI. Justin Helberg also had a strong day both offensively and defensively, going 2 for 4 with one RBI and a stolen base. He also secured the win on the mound, striking out six batters and allowing five hits in six innings. Versus Freeman, Caleb Wood led the way for the Tigers, going 2 for 3 on the day. Tucker finished with a record of 9-13.

Varina High School

Varina’s track and field squads had a strong performance at the Region 4B outdoor championship meet. On the boys’ side, senior Kyree Currie led the way with his throw of 47 feet to finish fourth in the shot put. Freshman Lamont Mayo had an outstanding day in the discus, throwing a personal best of 129 feet to finish sixth overall and was the only freshman to make the final. Other scorers include Jay’den Ivey, who finished eighth in the long jump with a jump of 20 feet, 3.25 inches and Michael Long-okosun who finished eighth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.28 seconds.

On the girls’ side, Julian Sisk led the way with her silver medal performance in the 3200-meter run, crossing the line at 11:30.24. Trinity James also snagged points in the long jump, leaping out to a new personal best of 16 feet, 9 inches to finish sixth overall.