Gametime Henrico Oct. 30 - Nov. 5, 2023

The Wildcats’ girls volleyball team defeated Cosby in the Region 5A championship on Monday. The girls took the first set 27-25, then took a 2-0 lead after a 25-12 win in the second set. Cosby responded with a 25-19 victory in set No. 3, but Deep Run would take the fourth set with the exact same score of 25-19 to take the title. The Wildcats will move on to host a state quarterfinal game this Saturday.

* * *

The Wildcats’ boys and girls cross country teams had an impressive showing at the Region 6A cross country championships last week. The boys’ squad finished third with a total of 94 points, while the girls finished as the regional runners up with a team total of 52 points. The boys’ top finisher was junior William Bunker, who finished eighth overall with a time of 16:50.38. Finishing ninth was Sataya Shanmugaselvam, who crossed the line in 16:50.92. Junior John Grayson also finished within the top 25 with the time of 17:29.39. For the girls, junior Hazel Wells finished with a time of 19:36.31 to take home the bronze medal. Julia Fabiato finished ninth overall, with a time of 20:05.32, and Kylee Theodore finished 12th at 20:12.82.

Freeman High School

Freeman’s field hockey team had a successful 2023 campaign, finishing with a 12-5 record and the No. 4 seed in the Region 5C Playoffs. The Mavericks were led by head coach Cassie Perez, who took home the Region 5C coach of the year award, but she was not the only one who brought home some hardware. Sarah Chilton and Campbell Cox were named first-team all-region performers, while Claire Foley and Ryley Parker were named to the second team and Mackenzie Fellows, Tayloe Tweardy, Millie McCabe and Vivien Broughton were named to the third team.

* * *

Freeman’s boys cross country team finished third and the girls team finished as the regional runners up at the Region 5C cross country championships last week. For the boys, Aidan Cassidy was the top finisher, placing sixth overall in 16:13. Emmet Townsend finished 16th in 16:46, Conner Almstead finished 20th in 17:01, and Wiley Mulholland finished 35th in 17:33. For the girls, Merrick Mock led the Mats to their regional runner-up finish with a third-place performance, crossing the finish line in 19:16. Charlotte Gardner finished 11th with a personal best time of 20:20.9, Juliet Gardner finished 21st in 20:54.8, Stella Sowers finished 26th  in 21:12.3, Kate Post finished 31st in 21:24, Emily Ellen finished 33rd in 21:25, and Sierra Hancock finished 39th overall in 21:42.

Glen Allen High School

The Jaguars’ football team finished the regular season with an impressive 45-7 victory over Godwin (6-4) last Friday. The game started off with Christian Robinson-Clarke returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Then the Jags kicked a successful field goal from 30 yards out, quarterback Nana Utsey connected with Dallas Chavis on a 25-yard passing touchdown to make it 17-0 at the half, and to start the second half, the Jags’ defense returned an interception 20 yards for another touchdown. Glen Allen dominated in every aspect of the game, earning its fourth consecutive win and the No. 4 seed in the Region 6A playoffs. The Jags will move on to face Oscar Smith (7-3) in the quarterfinals this Friday.

* * *

Glen Allen’s boys and girls cross country teams took home the Region 6A crown at the regional cross country championships last week. The boys won with a final team score of 52 over Grassfield’s 70 points. Junior Trevor Lawson took home the individual title with a time of 15:45.49. Right behind Lawson was senior Luke Craven, who finished in 15:59.89. Sean Arjona and Oliver Sheils would finish sixth and seventh, respectively. The girls’ squad finished with 36 points over Deep Run’s 52 points. Junior Elly Velasquez won the individual regional title with a time of 18:17.93, which was nearly a minute faster than her teammate Avery Beike, who would finish as the regional runner-up. Other top performers include sophomores Kelsey Boughton and Kate Pietruszkiewicz, who finished eighth and 12th, respectively.

Godwin High School

The Eagles’ field hockey team finished its magical season with a record of 15-6. The Eagles earned the top seed in the Region 5C playoffs, secured a state playoff appearance with a 2-0 victory over Albemarle in the regional semifinals, finished as the Region 5C runner ups, and concluded their season in the state quarterfinals after a close 3-1 loss to Independence.

* * *

Godwin’s boys cross country team finished fourth overall at the Region 5C championship meet, scoring a total of 133 points. Senior Berkeley Nance, who entered the meet with the 27th best 5,000-meter run in the United States this fall, took home the individual regional crown with ease, crossing the finish line at 15:10.9. Javi Schlegelmilch finished ninth with a personal best time of 16:33. Also finishing inside the top-50 was Lucas Schaefer (21st, with a time of 17:04.5) and Luke Zalewski (41st, with a time of 17:46.7).

Hermitage High School

The Hermitage cross country programs were well represented at the Region 5C cross country championships. The top finishers for the boys were Samuel Brasler and Landon Reeves, who finished 42nd and 54th in the region, respectively. The girls’ top finisher was Perla Penaloza, who finished 29th overall with a time of 21:18.

Highland Springs High School

The Springers’ football squad finished the regular season with a strong 30-13 victory over the Hanover Hawks (a seventh consecutive win) to improve its record to 9-1 on the year. The story for the season finale is without question the dominance sophomore sensation Eric Byrd displayed. He ran for 165 yards on just 12 carries and scored two touchdowns in the win. Byrd has now rushed for more than 1,000 yards this season and will be a key piece in the Springers potential championship run. They have earned the top seed in Region 6A and will face Cosby (4-6) in the quarterfinal round.

Tucker High School

The Tigers’ football team finished the season with a record of 2-8, following a 42-14 loss to Hermitage last Friday. Despite the loss, quarterback Chase Roberts finished off the year with a solid performance. Roberts completed 12 passes for a total of 188 passing yards, including an eight-yard passing touchdown to receiver Calvin Birch. Running back Damian Graham also found the end zone, with a four-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter. Dennel Douglas led the Tigers in receiving, totaling 74 yards on just three receptions.

* * *

The Tigers’ boys’ and girls’ cross country teams put together some solid performances last week at the Region 5C cross country championships. The boys’ squad finished eighth overall in the team standings, led by Victor Ma, who finished 22nd overall individually with a time of 17:07. Alejandro Ricardez finished 28th overall with a personal best time of 17:14.5, and Matthew Conrad finished 32nd overall in 17:20. The girls finished third overall in the team standings with a score of 101 points. Christina Rodriguez was the top finisher for the Tigers, placing 13th overall with a time of 20:27. Keeley Maddux and Carolyn Heyel also placed within the top-20 in the individual standings, finishing 16th and 17th, respectively.

Varina High School

The Blue Devils’ football team finished the regular season with an 8-2 record after their 33-7 victory over Patrick Henry last Friday. It was a slow start for Varina, as the Patriots saw themselves up 7-0 by the end of the first quarter following a touchdown run from their quarterback. But Varina quarterback Linwood Johnson would turn things around with a 55-yard passing touchdown to receiver DaMari Carter, and a 65-yard passing touchdown to Taevon Gilpin. Receiver Jordan Edwards also found the end zone with a 15-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter. Varina will enter the Region 4B playoffs as the No. 2 seed and will move on to face Courtland (7-3) in the quarterfinal round.