Gametime Henrico: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2022

Deep Run High School

The Deep Run girls' volleyball team has been playing lights out in the Region 5C tournament. With their 18-1 record, the Wildcats earned the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the tournament. In the quarterfinals, they swept No. 7 Highland Springs in three sets (25-13, 25-11 and 25-8) to advance to the regional semifinals. In that round, they earned another sweep against No. 6 Clover Hill (25-21, 25-11 and 25-13) to move on to the regional final and earn a spot in the state tournament. The Region 5C final takes place Monday night, with the Wildcats seeking redemption against the only team that has defeated them this year – top-seeded Midlothian (22-0).

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The boys' volleyball team also has advanced to the Region 5C championship. Despite a season with some struggles, the Wildcats turned things up a notch when the postseason started. They entered the tournament with a record of 7-10 with the No. 6 seed but then stunned the No. 3-seeded Freeman Mavericks (11-8) 3-2 and then upset the No. 2 seed Midlothian Trojans 3-0. They will now face their rival Glen Allen (21-0) for the Region 5C title. Regardless of the final score in the regional championship game, the Wildcats (9-10) have now earned a spot in the state tournament.

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Cross country runner Sidney Walters of Deep Run had a great performance at the Region 5C cross country championships, placing second overall with a time of 18:51.50. Her performance led the Wildcats, who won the team title. Other notable performances included four more Wildcats who finished within the top 8 of the individual standings. Sophomore Ella Joy Jacobs placed fourth overall with a time of 19:48.60. Junior Julia Fabiato finished right behind Jacobs with a time of 19:58.30 to secure a top-5 finish. Freshmen Hannah Cook and Peyton Walker finished seventh and eighth overall with times of 20:11.20 and 20:17.30, respectively. The Wildcats' boys cross country team placed fourth overall in the team standings at the Region 5C championship meet. The team's top finisher was senior Mark Vorster, who ran a time of 16:52.30 to place 12th overall.

Douglas Freeman High School

The Mavericks' field hockey season came to an end last week after a 3-1 loss to the Godwin Eagles. The team was led by Sarah Chilton, who had the team's lone goal on the day. Chilton had an incredible outing in this year's Region 5C field hockey tournament, scoring at least one goal in each of the games the Mavs played. They conclude their season with a record of 10-9.

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The Mavs' football team finished off their regular season with a win over the Glen Allen Jaguars (5-5), 24-21. After being down 7-0 in the first quarter, they regained control of the game from there on out. Their first score of the night came from Ryan Bland, who had a four-yard rushing touchdown to tie things up at 7-7. After a fumble recovery from Emmanuel Day, the Mavericks capitalized with another scoring drive, this time with Bland finding PJ Moore on a 14-yard passing touchdown to give his team a 14-7 going into halftime. In the third quarter, Jake Lohmann came up with a big interception to ultimately set up an 18-yard field goal for Ty Bowman to make it 17-7. The Mavs forced a Glen Allen fumble shortly after to take over at the four-yard line, which set up running back Jadyn Reece for a three-yard rushing touchdown. This gave them just enough to take the win before the Jags' valiant effort to get back in the game. They are now 8-2 this year and will face Godwin (6-4) in the first round of the playoffs.

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Sophomore cross country runner Aidan Cassidy of Freeman placed fourth overall in the individual standings of the Region 5C championship meet with a time of 16:32. He was the youngest finisher within the top five, and he led the Mavericks to a top five team finish. Cassidy’s performance earned him a spot in the state championship meet.

Glen Allen High School

The Jaguars football team lost in a great battle against the Freeman Mavericks (8-2) last week 24-21. Glen Allen took an early lead in the first quarter of 7-0 after a 19 yard pass from Quarterback Andrew Milwit to Receiver Xavier Moss. The Jags came back to life in the fourth quarter after what seemed to be a done deal, with a fumble recovery that was returned 30 yards to the house to make it 24-14 with less than seven minutes remaining in the game. Glen Allen would find the endzone one last time after a 93-yard drive with just more than two minutes remaining in the game, but they simply ran out of time. Glen Allen finished the regular season with a 5-5 record.

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Cross Country runner Elly Velasquez ran a phenomenal time of 18:41.90 at the Region 5C cross country championships to win the individual crown. Her time was 10 seconds better than the second-best finisher, Sidney Walters of Deep Run. The Jaguars finished second overall in the team standings all thanks to four other members finishing within the top 15 in the individual standings. Junior Kayla Boughton ran a time of 20:07.60 to place sixth overall. Her younger sister Kelsey Boughton secured a top-10 finish as a freshman with a time of 20:26.90. Freshman Kate Pietruszkiewicz and senior Reagan Walters ran times of 20:32.40 and 20:34.80 to place 12th and 13th, respectively. The boys cross country team took home the Region 5C team championship with a score of 35 points over Clover Hill (50), Deep Run (99), Godwin (103) and Freeman (130). Senior Carson Rackley led the way with a time of 15:50.50 to place second overall. Dorian Frick placed sixth overall with a time of 16:37.20, Eric Fagan placed eighth overall at 16:42.30, Gunnar Mansuco placed ninth overall at 16:43.60, and sophomore Trevor Lawson secured a top-10 finish with a time of 16:43.70.

Godwin High School

The Eagles' football team finished off their regular season in dominant fashion by taking down Thomas Jefferson (7-3) 34-7. Quarterback Logan Rhoades played out of his mind, scoring four rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown. The Eagles were in charge the entire way, with Rhodes scoring a four-yard rushing touchdown in the first to make it 7-0 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, Rhodes had two rushing touchdowns, each one from 6 yards out, to give his team a 21-0 halftime lead. Vikings quarterback Quinton Wallace scored his team's lone touchdown of the night on a one-yard rushing touchdown to make it a two-possession game going into the fourth quarter (21-7). But then Rhoades took over to secure the win with a 13-yard rushing touchdown, and a 15-yard passing touchdown to senior receiver Nick Clark late in the fourth. Godwin started the season with a record of 2-4 but finished the season outscoring their opponents 125-28 and winning four straight games to finish 6-4 going into the playoffs. Now they will face longtime rival Freeman (8-2) and look to avenge their 28-6 loss to the Mavs in week 5.

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The Eagles' field hockey team made it to the Region 5C championship round after defeating Freeman 3-1 in the semifinal round. In the final however, things did not go their way, as the Midlothian Trojans (17-1) avenged their only loss of the season (3-2 to Godwin) with a 2-1 victory over the Eagles. The first half was all Midlothian, as first-team all-region selection Josie Painter struck first to make it 1-0. Shortly after, Reese Barrett scored to make it 2-0 to end the half. From there on out, it was a chess match defensively as there was no scoring in the second half until the two-minute mark. Goalkeeper Gracyn Arruda held the top-ranked team in the region to just two goals and had a total of six saves on the night, while standout Reagan Shifflet scored the Eagles' lone goal. For making it to the Region 5C final, the Eagles earned a spot in the state tournament. They will face the No. 17 team in the nation, Independence (20-1), in the first round on Tuesday.

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The Eagles' girls volleyball team earned a spot to the semifinals of the Region 5C girls' volleyball tournament by defeating No. 5 Prince George (12-10) 3-0. The Eagles won the first set 25-17, the second 25-23, and the third 25-14 to advance. The No. 1 Midlothian Trojans (22-0) ended their season with a 3-0 victory, though, and Godwin concluded the year with a 14-8 record.

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Junior cross country runner Berkley Nance of Godwin won the individual crown at the Region 5C boys' cross country championships with a time of 15:45. His teammate, senior Connor Hennesey, placed fifth with a time of 16:36.10. Nance and Hennesey anchored the Eagles to a fourth-place finish overall, and will both compete in the state championship meet.

Hermitage High School

The Panthers' football team took care of business in their last regular season game, shutting out the Deep Run Wildcats (1-9) 49-0. Reigning Region 5C player of the year Jeremiah Coney proved once again why he is a player every defense should prepare for heavily. On just nine carries throughout the night, Coney ran for 160 yards and found the end zone once. Quarterback Karon Burton was equally as impressive Friday night, completing 83% of his passes for 160 yards and rushed for 45 yards on just 5 carries. Burton had one rushing touchdown and two passing touchdowns to wide receiver Chase Rivers. Running Back D’Mitri Richardson also had an explosive night on the run, rushing for 70 yards on nine carries, with a rushing touchdown. The Panthers improved to 6-4 and will face L.C Bird Skyhawks (7-3) this Friday in the first round of the Region 5C playoffs.

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Junior runner Aryssa McClanan had a great showing at the Region 5C cross country championships, finishing within the top 15 in the individual standings with a time of 20:50.80. The Panthers finished fourth overall in the team standings on the girls side. On the boys side, senior runner Quinn Green also finished 15th overall with a time of 17:11. The boys' squad finished eighth overall in the team standings.

Highland Springs High School

Last Thursday, the Springers football team was set up for what everyone thought would be this team’s true test before the start of the playoffs. The defending Class 4 state champion Varina Blue Devils (9-1) came in with an unblemished record of 9-0, but when the game started, it was clear who was the best team in the state. In the first quarter, Quarterback Khristian Martin found Caron Ferguson on a 24-yard passing touchdown, and Jakyre Henley converted the two-point conversion to give Highland Springs an 8-0 lead. In the second quarter, Martin threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Aziz Foster-Powell, and minutes later, Foster-Powell found the endzone on a one-yard rushing touchdown to make it 22-0 going into the half. To start the second half, Martin connected with Henley on a 50-yard passing touchdown to make it 29-0, and that would prove to be the final score. Martin completed 61% of his passes, throwing for 162 yards and rushing for 14 yards. Foster-Powell ran for 78 yards and had 34 yards receiving on the night. The Springers finish the regular season 10-0, ranked No. 66 in the country by MaxPreps, and will start their state championship run this Friday by hosting the Prince George Royals (1-9) in the first round of the playoffs.

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The Highland Springs girls' volleyball team had a solid outing in the Region 5C tournament. They played No. 10 Meadowbrook in the first round, earning a sweep by winning 25-14, 25-23 and 25-18 before running into No. 2 Deep Run (18-1), an opponent that proved too tough and eliminated the Springers in a 3-0 sweep. Highland Springs finished the season 11-10.

Tucker High School

The Tigers girls' volleyball team made it to the Region 5C quarterfinals after their 3-1 win against the No. 9 L.C Bird Skyhawks (6-15). They then played the undefeated No. 1 Midlothian Trojans (22-0) in the quarterfinal round, dropping the first set 25-11, the second 25-10 and the third 25-12 to conclude their season with a 9-13 record.

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Junior cross country runner Matthew Conrad of Tucker had a strong performance at the Region 5C cross country championships. He placed 14th overall in the individual standings with a time of 17:00.60. On the girls' side, freshman runner Keeley Maddux finished 13th overall with a time of 20:43.10, and junior runner Carolyn Heyel finished 18th overall with a time of 21:08.60. The Tigers' girls squad finished fourth overall in the team standings.

Varina High School

The Blue Devils football team lost their first game of the year 29-0 to the top ranked team in Virginia, Highland Springs (10-0). Varina, an offense that has been explosive all season long, produced just 92 yards of total offense. Quarterback Myles Derricott totaled the majority of the team's yardage, completing 45% of his passes for 22 yards in the air and 45 yards rushing on just seven carries. Tae’mon Brown led the team in receiving yards with 13 yards on his lone reception. The Blue Devils may not end the year with a perfect record, but they are in a great position to defend their Class 4 state title this year. They will go into the Region 4B playoffs as the No. 3 seed, behind top-seeded Dinwiddie (10-0) and No. 2 King George (10-0). Varina’s first game will be against the Matoaca Warriors (6-4) this Friday.

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Cross country runner Jillian Sisk turned in a personal -best tie of 19:33.8 at the Region 4B cross country championships to place fourth overall at the meet.