Gametime Henrico: Oct. 16-22, 2023

Last Tuesday, both the boys’ and girls’ volleyball squads won their games against Glen Allen by a score of 3 sets to 1. The boys team won its first set 25-18, the second set 25-19, lost the third set 25-23, then squeaked out a 28-26 win in the fourth set to secure the win and improve to 13-3 on the season. Currently, the boys’ team sits on top of Region 5C, and is ranked as the 27th best high school program in the United States, according to MaxPreps. The girls’ team has had a similar story this fall. Following its win versus the Jaguars, it is ranked as the 10th best team in the Virginia Class 5 and also is leading Region 5C with a 13-5 record.

Freeman High School

The Mavericks’ football team improved to 7-2 on the season after their dominant 32-7 victory over Godwin (5-3) this past Friday. Running back Ryan Bland got things started for the Mavs, using his legs to score from seven yards out to give his team a 6-0 heading into the second quarter. Next was quarterback Jadyn Reece who found the end zone, scoring on an 11-yard run to increase the lead to 13-0. In the third quarter, Reece found the end zone through the air, connecting with Butter Stephenson on a 35-yard pass. In the fourth, Bland scored for the second time of the night from three yards out, and running back Caleb Fischer turned on the jets to score a 50-yard rushing touchdown to put the icing on the cake. In their last two games, the Mavs have outscored their opponents 88-7 and seem to be getting hot at the right time. Their last regular season game will be against Hanover (5-3) this Friday.

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Last Monday, the Freeman field hockey squad improved to 11-4 on the season after an impressive 6-0 victory over Tucker (6-9). Sarah Chilton lead the way with two goals on the night. Other scorers included Tayloe Tweardy, Mackenzie Fellows, Maggie Jacoby, and Ryley Parker (each scoring one goal apiece). Parker also led the team in assists with two, while Fellows, Jacoby, and Izzy Minkler each had one. Coach Cassie Perez also earned career win No. 50 with the victory.

Glen Allen High School

Glen Allen’s football team improved to 6-2 on the season after defeating Deep Run (1-8) by a score of 42-0. Running back Dallas Chavis opened up the scoring for the night with a one-yard rushing touchdown, which had the Jags leading 7-0 by the end of the first quarter. By the start of the second quarter, Chavis and the Glen Allen offense were running on all cylinders. Chavis scored a 14-yard rushing touchdown to start the quarter. On the ensuing drive, he followed that up with a massive 60-yard run for a score to put his team up 21-0. Just before the end of the first half, quarterback Nana Utsey ran in a touchdown from six yards out to make it 28-0. In the third quarter, Utsey and running back Jake Perini quickly scored rushing touchdowns to close out the scoring for the evening. The Jags are in great shape, currently holding the No. 2 seed in Region 5C this season. They will face off against Tucker (2-6) in their next game this Friday

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Last Monday, Glen Allen’s field hockey team fell to 10-5 on the season after a tough 3-2 overtime loss to Godwin (12-3). The Jags had full control over the game in the first half, starting with Ally Von Herbulis assisting Catie Zorn for the first goal of the game. Before the end of the first half, it was Von Herbulis who would score to make it 2-0. The Jags led all the way up to the fourth quarter, until Godwin scored its second goal of the game with minutes remaining to send the game into overtime. After four minutes elapsed in overtime, the Eagles managed to come out victorious. The loss makes Glen Allen the fourth seed heading into the Region 5C playoffs.

Godwin High School

The Eagles’ football team fell to 5-3 on the season after a lopsided 32-7 loss to Freeman (7-2). Heading into halftime, Godwin was still very well within striking distance of winning the game. After a one-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Daniel Viener in the second quarter, the score was 13-7. From there, it was an offensive explosion in the second half from Freeman that changed the narrative very suddenly. Despite the loss, Viener had a solid outing overall. He completed 71% of his passes, produced 110 yards of total offense and scored the team's lone touchdown. With two games left to play, Godwin sits as the No. 3 seed in Region 5C. Its next game will be versus Deep Run (1-8) this Friday.

Henrico High School

The Warriors’ football squad fell to 3-5 on the season following its 30-7 loss to Hanover (5-3) last Friday. Henrico started off strong with a 35-yard rushing touchdown from Samari Johnson, taking an early 7-0 lead. Following a 70-yard rushing touchdown from the Hawks, and an extra two points on the board due to the Hawks forcing a safety, Hanover controlled the pace of the game the rest of the way. Top performers for the Warriors were Johnson, who rushed for 55 yards on eight carries; Lavell Winston, who produced 134 yards of total offense; and Sean Greene, who caught five passes for 50 yards receiving. The Warriors’ next game will be against Patrick Henry (2-6), this Friday.

Highland Springs High School

The Springers’ football squad won 36-6 against Hermitage (5-3) last Friday to win their fifth consecutive game and improved to 7-1 on the season. All-state quarterback Khristian Martin was electric in the first half. He threw a 35-yard passing touchdown to George Lovelace and a 30-yard passing touchdown to Tomondrey Braxton to give his team a 14-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Martin connected with Jakyre Henley on the 15-yard passing touchdown to extend the lead to 22-0 with 2:28 left in the half. Then, sophomore sensation Eric Byrd found the endzone before the end of the half on a 20-yard rushing touchdown to make it 29-0. Byrd would close out the scoring for the Springers with his second touchdown of the game, punching it in from three yards out. Highland will now move on to play its rival, the Varina Blue Devils (6-1), this Friday.

Varina High School

Varina’s football squad won its fifth consecutive game in dominant fashion, 41-3 over Atlee (3-5), to improve to 6-1 on the season. Quarterback Linwood Johnson played lights-out versus the Raiders, opening the scoring with a 45-yard passing touchdown to Eric Smith, then connecting with receiver Jordan Edwards on three separate occasions for touchdowns, making it a 28-0 game going into the second half. From there, receivers Taevon Gilpin and Dennis Giles each scored one rushing touchdown apiece to close out the scoring for the night. The Blue Devils will have a busy upcoming week, first playing a make-up game against Hermitage (5-3) on the road on Tuesday, then traveling to take on rival Highland Springs (7-1) on Friday.