The Goochland Gazette – 02/17/2021 by Goochland Gazette

INSIDE Community Care app helps connect residents to needed support, resources > page 3

Volume 66 Number 7 • February 18, 2021

For local morale, a shot in the arm “This is the first time since the pandemic began that we really are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.” Dr. Thomas Franck

With vaccine delivery set to ramp up, health district records highest ever total of people vaccinated at one time

After ice storm, county residents jumped in to help neighbors in need By Roslyn Ryan Editor

n the roughly 12 months since the United States first felt the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic, Goochland residents have waited alongside the rest of the world for signs that an end could be in sight. And while those rare scraps of good news have often been hard to come by, last week Chickahominy Health District Director Dr. Thomas Franck delivered perhaps the most positive pandemic update many residents have heard in Franck quite some time.

It was two days after one of the worst ice storms to hit Central Virginia in decades, with no electricity and the prospect of another frigid night looming, that Goochland resident Ashley Benton realized she needed help. Opening up her computer and clicking over to the Goochland Need help? Living Facebook page, she dashed Those facing off a quick post: hardships due to “We’re about to lose everything winter weather in our fridge and freezer and I’m are urged to afraid my two little boys may lose contact the their two fish,” she wrote. “Anyone county’s have a small generator for sale?” non-emergency Within minutes, the replies number at began rolling in with advice, offers (804) 556-5349. of help, and suggestions about where she might be able to find a generator. People offered to take in the fish and lend their coolers. In less than a few hours, Benton’s post had garnered dozens of comments, including one from another resident who

see Shot > 2

see Neighbors > page 5

By Roslyn Ryan Editor

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February 18, 2021

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Elrod and Dunham Dentistry welcomes new patients with comprehensive, gentle dental care for all ages.

Elrod & Dunham Dentistry wants to say THANK YOU for your continued support and confidence in us as your dental healthcare provider during the midst of this COVID-19 pandemic. As always, the safety of our staff and patients is our top priority. Several measures have been put in place to ensure a safe and healthy office environment. We cannot express how elated we are to see all of your smiles again! Oral health is an essential factor to your overall health. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your appointment, please do not hesitate to call us.

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Serving Goochland County

Recent Property Transfers 3741 Boundary Run Road, Gum Spring; Vertical Builders LLC to Alessandro R. Gildner, $323,000. 12202 Bremner Ridge Circle, Manakin Sabot; Eagle Construction of Virginia LLC to Stacy Keller Puckett, $650,422. 761 Double Oak Lane, Manakin Sabot; Theodore L. Chandler Jr., trustee to Jeffrey F. Omohundro, $1,595,000. 2453 Fairground Road, Maidens; Linda W. Snead to William J. Clements, $295,000.

570 Hill Grove Road, Manakin Sabot; William D. Gravitt, trustee to Peter J. Placko, $590,000. 13270 Kellington Lane, Henrico; Sandra E. Osborne to Lewis T. Cowardin, $800,000. 303 Libby Hill Court, Goochland; Richard A. Wiegmann to Henry S. Winston IV, $435,000. 4 Lower Tuckahoe Road West, Richmond; Jason W. Huffstetler to Ryan S. Thorsteinson, $775,000.

670 Pleasant Green Lane, Crozier; Denis Dawson Miller, trustee to Paul B. Johnson, $614,160. 506 Red Cedar Drive, Manakin Sabot; Patricia B. Pitts to Zachary Reese, $314,000. 1489 Stage Coach Road, Manakin Sabot; Kevin Dougherty to Michael Travis Gwaltney, $370,000. 2780 Turner Road, Goochland; Nancy A. Arnold to Jacob Tyler Nash Atkins, $169,000.

Shot

to give out. Franck said the Chickahominy, which includes Goochland, Hanover, New Kent and Charles City and is home to around 160,000 people, is currently provided with about 1,800 doses per week. In order to make sure that the people most in need of the vaccine receive it first, frontline healthcare workers and those in longterm care facilities have been given first priority and designated as the 1A group. The next group in line includes those age 75 and older, those age 65 and older with underlying medical conditions, a group that makes up about half the population of Virginia. So far around 3,000 doses have been administered in Goochland, or about 12.7 percent of the county’s population, which means Goochland is slightly ahead of most other localities in the Commonwealth. Even better news? Franck said he fully expects the rate of vaccinations to significantly increase in March as vaccine production continues to ramp up and a new vaccine from Johnson & Johnson comes online. That vaccine,

although slightly less effective, does not require storage in ultra-cold temperatures — like the Pfizer vaccine — and requires only one dose. The vaccination effort has not been without a stumble or two: last week a series of technical snags led to confusion and frustration as the Virginia Department of Health attempted to transfer some of the people on its waiting list over to the CVS pharmacy chain for appointments. Overall, however, Franck said that he is optimistic that the state could see a significant portion of its population vaccinated by the end of the upcoming summer. Right now, Franck said, health officials are nearing a point where they can open the vaccination clinics up to all residents 65 and older regardless of whether they have a chronic health conditions. “The only thing holding us back right now is the vaccine supply,” he explained. “We are ready to go. We can vaccinate 1,000 people a day easily in Hanover or in Goochland—we’re just waiting on the vaccines to come in.”

continued from >1 Speaking during a Feb. 11 virtual Town Hall event organized by Goochland NAACP President Wendy Hobbs and Chickahominy Health District population health manager Caitlin Hodge, Franck told listeners that delivery of the highly effective Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, as well as well-coordinated and efficient ongoing vaccination efforts, have allowed public health officials to finally begin moving toward a possible end to the coronavirus nightmare that taken nearly 7,000 lives in Virginia and upended so many others. “This is the first time since the pandemic began that we really are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel,” Franck said. “And this is the first time that we have felt this sense of hope and encouragement.” Now well into an already record-setting vaccination effort — one recent clinic in Goochland managed to vaccinate over 900 residents, a first for the Chickahominy Health District—Franck explained that the most challenging part of the process is simply getting enough doses

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Thursday

February 18, 2021

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In The Kitchen

In the kitchen: Move over pie, I’m hungry for rye! By Virginia McCown Contributing writer

Rye hole for the pie hole? The answer is both yes and…….yum! Nothing tastes better on a cold winter’s day than delicious Finnish Rye Hole Bread. If you have sour dough starter, this bread can be prepared similarly to how it was done a hundred years ago. If you don’t have sour dough starter, it can be easily prepared using packaged dry yeast. Why does this Nordic bread have a hole in it? It could be because anything bakes and cooks quicker with a hole in the middle. Density is reduced. This reduces baking time. Or the reason was the bread could be dried on a dowel above a wood burning stove. A dried, crispy rye could be easily stored then eaten during hunting or fishing trips. There’s a third theory. Looped through a stick or pipe above the stove, the drying bread was well out of the reach of mice! Rye flour can be hard to find in Central Virginia. I shop in the Farmville area and have had little luck at Food Lion or Walmart. That was both before and during the pandemic. If

you can’t find rye flour, I recommend buying it online. King Arthur Flour has a plethora of resources, advice and recipes. However, with this recipe, I used organic sprouted rye flour from One Degree Organic Foods ordered through Amazon Prime. Northern farmers learned wheat was often difficult to grow. One bad winter and dependence on growing wheat could prove fatal. Simply put, planting rye could save thousands—even millions—during time of famine. Entire books are written about growing grains for flour, flour diseases, and bread baking. For now, just to encourage you to try baking your own bread, I’ll offer a simple recipe. First I’ll list a few common mistakes new bakers may encounter. Rye flour is very sticky. The higher the content of rye flour in your recipe, the stickier the bread dough. Do NOT bake your loaves on parchment paper but on a greased surface. I became frustrated with the “sticky factor” and placed my dough in a large, oiled glass pie plate for its last rise. THEN I cut the hole directly from the pie plate before baking. This bread dough doesn’t rise much. That’s why it’s considered a type of flat bread.

Easy Recipe for Finnish Rye e Hole Bread Ingredients One cup all-purpose flour Two cups rye flour 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast One teaspoon salt One tablespoon sugar (optional) One cup tepid or luke-warm water (800 degrees Fahrenheit) Oil for greasing pan/s (one tablespoon) n)

Directions After mixing well and kneading, placee the dough on a lightly floured surface. Divide into pieces (or one large piece) and d shape into a round. Place in a greased baking pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size. This may take several hours. With a drinking glass or widemouthed mason jar, cut out a hole in the middle, 2 ½ to 3 inches in diameter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes until done. Contributed photo

Community Care mobile app serves as one-stop resource for area information Service helps county residents find support Contributed report The ongoing COVID-19 crisis and other societal pressures can place a strain on anyone’s mental health. Getting the information you need is sometimes difficult, and it only gets more difficult when you are in need of help quickly. The Community Care mobile app, available for Apple and Android devices, provides Goochland residents and families with the information they

need in a quick, easy-to-navigate format. Whether it is help with parenting, disabilities, transportation, or substance abuse, the Community Care app will help connect users to the right people who can provide assistance. The interactive app allows users to browse by category or search resource descriptions to learn how to get help as well as where resources are located and contact information. The app is linked to maps, so that driving directions can be accessed simply by clicking on the address. Mills Jones, Goochland’s Director of Human Services, says, “The Community Care App was developed through a regional partnership to provide help available at the touch of a button — all you need is a smart phone.”

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1601 Hockett Rd. Manakin Sabot, VA Have an idea for a community news story? Send news tips to Roslyn Ryan at rryan@goochlandgazette.com or call (804) 339-7956.

Thursday

February 18, 2021

NEWS: What’s Going on in Goochland County

Virtual class will help seniors avoid scams On Thursday, Feb. 25, Martin Bailey, AARP Community Ambassador, will demonstrate how to stay safe from COVID-19related scams. This program will run from 10:30 – 11:45 a.m., and registration is required at https://pamunkeylibrary.libcal.com/ event/7439303. This virtual program is hosted through Zoom and the meeting link will be sent one day before the event occurs. For more information, please contact ask@pamunkeylibrary.org. Kitchens/Baths Patios/Decks New Construction Doors/Windows Sidewalks/Pavers Remodels/Additions

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Obituary DAVID R. HEBBE David Richard McCalmont Hebbe, 46, of Sandston, lost his valiant battle against COVID and went home to Jesus on February 7, 2021. David was born to Richard and Sandra Hebbe on March 6, 1974, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He earned his Eagle Scout in 1990 with Troop 710 in Goochland, Virginia. Marrying his HEBBE high school sweetheart,

Nicole Eggleston, in 1993, they adopted their son, Austin. He truly lived life to the fullest through simple pleasures: chatting with family and friends, camping, listening to contemporary Christian music, cooking and working in his garage. He was a spiritual man, enjoying membership at Varina Church of the Nazarene and sharing his faith with all he came into contact with. David had an uncanny ability to reach people in a deep and personal way. He will be sorely missed by his friends and co-workers at Greeley & Hansen, where he worked as the lead CAD Coordinator for

more than 15 years. He leaves to cherish his memory his parents; wife, Nicole; sister, Elizabeth “Squirt” Oxendine (Clester); son, Austin (Rebekah); grandfather, Fred Geiter; nephews, Scott and Nick; numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and extended family and friends. A celebration of David’s life will take place at 2 p.m. on March 6. Due to COVID restrictions, services will be live streamed. Visit varinachurch.org for more details. In lieu of flowers, visit mealtrain. com/5e484z to share condolences and offer support to the family. Online condolences may be left at nelsenrichmond.com.

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Library Calendar Thursday, Feb. 18 Are you interested in understanding IRS-related scams? Martin Bailey, AARP Community Ambassador, will demonstrate how to stay safe from these scams. This program will be held from 10:30 – 11:45 a.m. Registration is required at https://pamunkeylibrary.libcal.com/ event/7439142. This virtual program will be hosted through Zoom and the meeting link will be sent to the email registered one day before the event occurs. For more information, or if you have a special physical or communication need, please contact ask@pamunkeylibrary.org.

they work. Learn about the berry-growing process and how to become a member of a local CSA, too! This session will take place from 11 a.m. to noon and registration is required at https://pamunkeylibrary.libcal.com/event/7439142. This virtual program is hosted through Zoom and the meeting link will be sent to the email registered one day before the event occurs. Thursday, Feb. 25

Martin Bailey, AARP Community Ambassador, will demonstrate how to stay safe from COVID-19-related scams. This program will run from 10:30 – 11:45 a.m., and registration is required at https://pamunkeylibrary.libcal.com/ event/7439303. This virtual program is Friday, Feb. 19 hosted through Zoom and the meeting All children in grades K-5 are invited link will be sent one day before the event to take part in the Kids’ LEGO club from occurs. For more information, please con3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Meet other LEGO fans tact ask@pamunkeylibrary.org. and talk about your current creations. You can show off what you’ve made and Saturday, Feb. 27 ask questions, too! Registration required Those age 13-19 are invited to take at https://pamunkeylibrary.libcal.com/ part in the CoderDojo workshop, during event/7366033. This program is hosted which they will learn how to build a game, virtually through Zoom and the meeting website, or program. This program will link will be sent to the email registered take place from 2 - 4 p.m. and is hosted on one day before the event occurs. For more Discord. Go to https://pamunkeylibrary. information, or if you have a special physilibcal.com/event/7366656 to sign up. cal or communication need, please contact ask@pamunkeylibrary.org.

On Demand Videos

Saturday, Feb. 20 Enjoy an informative session with Anne Geyer with Agriberry, during which she will discuss the benefits of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and how

by David Sedaris. Starting Feb. 10, go to https://www.youtube.com/user/pamunkeylibrary or https://tinyurl.com/prladults to see the video. For more information, or if you have a special physical or communication need, contact ask@pamunkeylibrary.org.

Tie-dye Socks for Teens Premieres Mon., Feb. 15 Jump on the tie-dye trend and learn to make some funky cool socks! Starting Feb. 15, go to https://www.youtube.com/user/ pamunkeylibrary or https://tinyurl.com/ prlteens to see the video.

How to Make Your Home Senior-Friendly Premieres Tues, Feb. 16 Carolyn Velletri, a registered Occupational Therapist will show you how to make your home a safe and welcoming environment for senior living. Starting Feb. 16, go to https://www. youtube.com/user/pamunkeylibrary or https://tinyurl.com/prladults to see the video. For more information, please contact ask@pamunkeylibrary.org.

Poetry Break

Premieres Wednesday, Feb. 17 Take a break and visit our YouTube Premieres Wed., Feb. 10 channel at www.youtube.com/user/ Storytime is not just for kids! If you pamunkeylibrary or https://tinyurl. like to be read to, join us for a reading of “The Sick Rat and the Healthy Rat” see Calendar > 12

Storytime for Grownups

Thursday

February 18, 2021

Neighbors continued from >1 offered to sell Benton a generator she had just purchased — and even to help her load it. Call it a win for neighborliness, or a reminder that deep down people are good: As the county continued to grapple with power outages, blocked roads and temperatures that never rose much above freez-

“I just love and am so thankful for the way this community always looks out for one another.” Goochland Living Facebook page cofounder Katey Hagaman ing, countless Goochland residents offered to help those in need of everything from tree removal to car trouble. Monica Bourne offered six gallons of water she no longer needed. Randy Bowman offered up the use of his family’s extra couches for anyone who wanted a warm place to crash. Harrison Vonschilling posted that he he ws available to help with fallen trees that might be blocking driveways, posting a photo of himself with a chain saw next to an enormous felled tree. In addition to those who used social media to help, plenty of local organizations also pitched in to help after the storm. GoochlandCares offered bog lunches for those in need of food, and the Goochland YMCA had shower facilities

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and places for people to charge phones and other devices. To Daniel Keeton, who cofounded the Goochland Living page last year in the hopes of providing a place to share local news of a positive nature, the reaction from residents was not suprising. “It’s really a testament to the good people of this community,” he said. The spirit of comraderie was also not lost on Katey Hagaman, another co-founding member of the page. “I just love and am so thankful for the way this community always looks out for one another,” Hagaman posted. “We may not see eye to eye on everything and occasionally get a little feisty with each other, but when the going gets tough we’ve got each other’s backs. Sounds like family to me.” *** Goochland residents, of course, joined more than 285,000 Virginians facing power outages over the weekend, as trees laden with ice devastated powerlines across the region. Julie Mills-Taylor, a communications consultant with Dominion, said 220,000 customers had lost power at some point during the storm and more than 140,000 remained out as of 7 p.m.on Sunday. Downed trees blocked roads throughout much of the state and impeded travel on Interstate 85 in Dinwiddie and the southbound lane of Interstate 95 near the Lewistown Road exit in Hanover County. Southside Virginia was particularly hard hit by the ice storm. Nearly 40,000 customers — half the number serviced by Dominion in the region — were without power as of 6 p.m. Saturday. Appalachian Power Co. reported that more than 40,000 of its Virginia customers, or 7 percent, remained without electric service as of 6 p.m. Saturday. A number of weather spot-

Photo by Roger Lemley

Area resident Roger Lemley shared this photo of his property shortly after the ice storm that blanketed much of the Central Virginia region.

ter reports throughout central Virginia reported ice of ¼ to ½-inch thick by early evening as rain continued to fall. The National Weather Service in Wakefield received a report of up to 0.6-inch-thick ice from Lunenburg County. Though not the heaviest ice totals in central Virginia’s history, it did live up to forecasts – and the billing as the biggest ice event since the catastrophic Christmas Eve storm of 1998, which brought 1 inch of ice and left 400,000

in the dark. Saturday’s ice was just as heavy into the western Piedmont between Bedford and Martinsville, and higher elevations southwest of Roanoke. High pressure sprawling from the middle of Canada eastward into New England shoved a shallow but cold layer of air southward into Virginia’s Piedmont. A warm and wet southwesterly wind rode atop the freezing air, 3,000 to 8,000 feet above cen-

tral Virginia. Snow melted into rain, which froze again on contact with elevated surfaces. Virginia’s ice was connected to an unusually wintry weather pattern that’s plunging an Arctic air mass through the Great Plains, and spreading snow chances from Seattle to Houston to New York City. The Virginia State Police discouraged Virginians from driving through Sunday due to the “extremely icy and treacherous conditions”

across much of Central, Southeastern and Northern Virginia. The weather gave state troopers a workout from 12:00 a.m. through 9 p.m. Saturday. Virginia State Police responded to a total of 195 disabled vehicles and 366 traffic crashes statewide. No fatal crashes were reported during that time. — The Richmond TimesDispatch’s John Boyer and Michael Paul Williams contributed to this story.

Thursday

February 18, 2021

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Attorney’s filter flub offered respite from ongoing COVID slog By Roslyn Ryan Editor

In what has been widely praised as the best thing to come out of 2021 so far — unless you are a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan, I suppose — a Texas attorney went viral last week after he inadvertently took part in a virtual Zoom hearing using a filter that made his face look like a cat. Gamely offering to continue with the proceedings as his assistant worked frantically to fix the issue, the kindly kitten-faced attorney offered the line that was surely a first for the legal profession: “I’m here live,” he assured his audience. “I’m not a cat.” If you managed

to view this without laughing hysterically, you may just have actual ice water in your veins. For the rest of us, the momentary technical gaffe was pure gold. I will be the first to admit I’ve gone back and watched it a few more times since I first saw it, and it has not once failed to elicit a smile. As much as I enjoyed the clip, I must admit I also spent a few quiet moments this week trying to figure out just what it was that made it so funny — after all, haven’t all of us grown used to seeing Zoom snafus and other technology trip-ups over the past year? Many of us have had our own issues adjusting to the demands of this socially-distanced, work-from-home world and we probably did not go viral. What was it about this attorney that so many of us found so joyous? And then it hit me: He is all of us. From the time the pandemic first enveloped us, so many Americans have spent the bulk of our waking hour trying to do things right. We tried to use our see Filter > 7

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Schools face a daunting road ahead By Jim Ridolphi Contributing Columnist

May the frost be with you

Courtesy photo

Local snow sculptor Marleen Harrigal spent her snowy weekend creating this Baby Yoda (Snowda?). It is her second creation this year—after the previous snowstorm she created the Longwood University mascot in honor of her youngest son, who attends the school.

WE WANT TO PUBLISH YOUR ISSUE-DRIVEN LETTERS The Local welcomes your signed letters to the editor on topics of interest to Goochland residents. Letters must include your address and a daytime telephone number. We reserve the right to edit letters. We do not guarantee that every letter received will be published. Letters reflect the opinions and positions of the writers and not The Goochland Gazette. Send letters to: The Goochland Gazette 8460 Times-Dispatch Blvd. Mechanicsville, Va. 23116 Fax: 344-8746 E-mail: editor@goochlandgazette.com © 2021 by Richmond Suburban Newspapers. All advertising and editorial matter is fully protected and may not be reproduced in any manner without the permission of the publisher. CAC Audited Circulation: 8,014.

Seven months before the beginning of a new school year in September, parents and students are breathing a sigh of relief as the possibility of a return to campus seems like a real possibility. For many, COVID-19 robbed them of their junior and senior years of high school, obliterated the lifelong memories all of us have of our years in high school and left them isolated and removed from the normal pleasures of proms and graduations. But, the return to school for many districts presents a daunting list of challenges, and officials are scrambling to ensure a safe and efficient return to in-house instruction. While some districts in our area are already engaged in some sort of face-to-face instruction, most have offered options, including online and virtual learning. For those who have returned a portion of their students to in-class education, maintaining current mitigation requirements while welcoming back thousands of students produces a new set of problems, including capacity and transportation. Keeping students socially distanced on campus is not easy, and opening school to all students exacerbates that problem. While academic programs and other activities can be adjusted to accommodate the regulations, capacity is more difficult to resolve. Returning to school post-COVID will not be easy with school administrators presented with unique logistical challenges. Add those factors to a hearty set of challenges that existed before the pandemic, and it’s clear to see the next few months will not be easy for educators. In addition to the impacts and adjustments made necessary by

see Schools > page 7

Thursday

February 18, 2021

Sheriff’s Office taking part in food drive Contributed report

The Goochland County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with Goochland County Fire/Rescue and Division 1 Area 4 Virginia State Police to help the Goochland Cares’ food pantry restock. Drop-off collection boxes can be found at each of the fire houses, Division 1 Area 4 Virginia State Police HQ, and at the Goochland County Sheriff’s Office, and will be available for the collection of non-perishable food items from Feb. 15 to Feb. 28. In addition, “Pack the Cruiser” events will be held on Feb. 20 and 27 at the Courthouse Commons Shopping Center (2734 Fairground Rd) and the Broad View Shopping Center (30 Broad St. Rd) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

School continued from >6 COVID-19, school systems are facing a myriad of evolving challenges. Before the pandemic hit in March 2020, teachers and school counselors were already dealing with an ever-increasing amount of emotional and behavioral patterns in the nation’s classrooms. One local superintendent said the behaviors exhibited are not unique to educators, but the age of students displaying those trends are surprising. Behaviors once observed in 16- or 17-year-olds are now being seen in students in elementary grades, often involving students 4 or 5 years old. The increased behavioral and counseling needs equate to more specialists being introduced to address these mounting problems, adding to a long list of financial challenges that face public education. The pandemic and the disruptions in regular education also have affected student enrollments nationwide, and many

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districts are experiencing serious declines. Parents have been exposed to many educational options and it’s not just a public/ private decision for many families, according to one superintendent. Those declines could seriously affect funding for districts at at time when the need for additional resources has never been higher. As systems across the Commonwealth present their annual budgets, one reoccurring theme becomes obvious. Planning for unknown circumstances and remaining flexible are vital elements for any financial plans unveiled during a pandemic. Most of the budgets also reflect a commitment to face-toface learning and the importance of interaction with a student and teacher, while maintaining a realistic amount of caution regarding other options that may be necessary. While the anxiety of stakeholders who await final decisions and timelines is justified and understandable, the

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Filter continued from >6

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quarantine time for the right things (let’s clean out those closets!), we tried to help our neighbors in need, we tried to follow the guidelines and we tried to stay positive. Sometimes it just didn’t work. No matter who you are, at some point over the past year you likely had a moment where everything just went wrong. And somewhere between teleworking and virtual schooling and trying to remember to stay six feet apart and keep a spare mask in the car and find a store that had toilet paper and/or hand sanitizer, you just had to stop and take in the sheer absurdity of it all. None of this was normal, you realized, none of this was easy, and you were doing the best you could to handle it with grace. And sometimes all you could do was admit you had a cat face and keep moving forward. To the attorney in Texas with the feline filter fiasco, thank you for reminding the rest of us that we are not alone in our struggles to carry on when things go sideways, and that humor can sometimes be found in the most unexpected of settings. In this particular legal proceeding, it seems, the witnesses were the true winners.

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complexity of these challenges requires patience. For officials frantically trying to open schools, it’s a daily moving target with changing solutions. Their willingness to adjust or amend should be commended as they attempt to plot a course that returns our students to some form of normalcy. Getting there, unfortunately, might be harder than we thought. But none of these challenges should diminish our appreciation for the efforts of educators during this difficult period. Our children have not fallen behind or been doomed to failure, but have received instruction and support through various delivery systems. Thanks to the dedication of educators, my children’s academic goals have been unaltered for the most part As a parent, I’ll trust them to negotiate the issues of the future. I also won’t forget the countless hours and their commitment to education of the legions of teachers, administrators and support staff who continued their mission in a changing environment.

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Thursday

February 18, 2021

SPORTS: Youth, High School, College, Recreational, Professional

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Swimmers from Goochland qualify for states Staff Reports

Despite a different year that saw only the top four swimmers in each event of regionals qualify for the Class 3 state swim meet, Goochland had one individual swimmer and one relay team swim their way into states. Additionally, several Bulldogs swimmers earned top eight finishes either individually or as part of relays in the Class 3, Region B meet. Junior Anneliese Rogerson continued her standout career by qualifying for the state meet with third-place finishes in both the girls 200-yard individual medley in 2:17.65 and the girls 100 breaststroke in 1:12.66. Rogerson will also go to states as part of a relay as she and her teammates Bayleigh Allen, Adele Wheatley and

Avram and Tyler Davis notched a time of 4:01.26 for the boys, and Dacey, Rogerson, Wheatley and Abby Pillion swam the relay in 4:07.04 for the girls. Wheatley, a freshman, added a sixth-place finish in the girls 100 butterfly in 1:04.22 and also took eighth in 2:12.31 in the girls 200 free. Dacey added seventh in the girls 50 free in 26.43. Allen, Pillion, Madalynn Thompson and senior Rachel Wilson took sixth in the girls 200 free relay in 2:08.66. The Class 3 state swim meet was initially slated to File photos/Goochland Gazette take place on Sunday, Feb. 14, Goochland’s Anneliese Rogerson, left, and Adele Wheatley, are seen competing in Goochland’s Senior Night meet on Jan. but due to this past week30 in Midlothian. They joined teammates Bayleigh Allen and Skylar Dacey in notching a fourth-place time in the Class 3, Reend’s inclement weather, the gion B meet’s girls 200-yard medley relay to qualify for states. Rogerson also took third place in both the girls 200 individual meet has been postponed medley and the 100 breaststroke to qualify for states in both individual events. to Thursday, Feb. 25 at the senior Skylar Dacey took relay in 2:03.28. fifth-place finishes in both the relays. Joe Hardman, Leyton Christiansburg Aquatic fourth in the girls 200 medley Goochland also swam to boys and girls 400 freestyle Sutherland, senior Brandon Center.

Saint Gertrude honors seniors, denies Havoc 66-52 By Nick Vandeloecht Sports Editor

GOOCHLAND -- On the night that Saint Gertrude’s girls basketball program celebrated the efforts, achievements and contributions of its senior leaders, those same players and their teammates continued to showcase the strengths that have helped the Gators achieve a 13-2 record to date as they denied Hanover Havoc 66-52 at the McMurtrie-Reynolds Pavilion. The Senior Recognition Game held Monday night honored Saint Gertrude seniors Nan Kerner, Kaitlin Puccinelli, Katie Pilot and manager Emilia Ianani. “This group of girls is so particularly special,” said Saint Gertrude head girls basketball coach Robyn D’Onofrio. “The

pandemic aside, just knowing that we’re able to acknowledge them and give them the sendoff that they deserve – having never complained, sticking through it, being happy every day that we’re in here – they show such resilience and strong character, every one of them, so being able to do this tonight is just kind of the last hurrah for them, makes me happy as a coach, and I’m glad we could do it for their families and their parents.” “We’re just thankful to have a season in the first place, and having my team by my side for Senior Night was really important to me and the coaches and my parents and family who got me here,” said Puccinelli, who contributed 7 points to her team’s win on Monday. “I’m a third-generation Puccinelli Gator at Saint Gertrude, and I’m just really thankful for

Nick Vandeloecht/Goochland Gazette

Saint Gertrude senior Kaitlin Puccinelli passes the ball to teammate Kayla Ford in Monday’s Senior Night game versus Havoc.

everything.” “I’m so grateful to have a season and to finish out my senior year here,” said Kerner, a four-year player on the team who led all players in Monday’s game with 17 points. “Being able to hear the nice things that my teammates have thought about me and how I’ve actu-

ally helped the team so much, it’s nice to hear and get recognized – and just celebrate the season together because it has been such a successful season for Saint Gertrude’s.” The Gators opened their 2020-21 season with nine straight wins, and they’ve recently won four of their last

five games. “I think for a while we kept saying how we were just so lucky every day to even just be here, and we realized that, with the talent level that we have, and the athleticism that we have, we kind of had to raise that standard,” D’Onofrio said, “and say: ‘Being just here isn’t good enough,’ and wins matter to these girls. They’re athletes and they want to win. They always want to win, and they show that every day in practice when they come in, so coming out here not only with a season, but with such a successful one is really a great way for them to finish their basketball career.” As a team, Kerner said they’ve really come together. “This is probably the closest team that I’ve ever been on,” Kerner said, describing her teammates as her best friends. “We’re just a family…and every

practice is so fun, so it’s just easy to come out and play and win.” Puccinelli praised their teamwork and the bonds between each of the players. “We do things outside of practice, outside of school,” she said. “We’re just a really close team, and our teamwork really comes together, and it’s really important and it helps our dynamic.” Behind Kerner, Erin Woodson on Monday poured in 16 points – all of them in the first three quarters – and Kate Samson chipped in 10. Behind Puccinelli’s 7, Cherese Lampkins and Kayla Ford each netted 6. The Gators will play Saint John Paul the Great on the road on Friday at 5 p.m. before returning to the McMurtrieReynolds Pavilion to host Bishop Ireton on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

Thursday

February 18, 2021

SPORTS: Youth, High School, College, Recreational, Professional

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Benedictine boys basketball wins third straight By Nick Vandeloecht Sports Editor

GOOCHLAND -- Fending off Richmond Spirit’s steady rally by taking care of the basketball in the closing stretch and getting game-clinching plays from junior Anthony Fisher and senior Whit Williams, Benedictine won Thursday’s home game 70-63 over the Warhawks to earn its third straight victory and improve to 6-4. “We’re playing with more confidence, we’re playing with more discipline, we’re playing with more of everything,” said Benedictine head coach Mark Royster. “It’s paid off. It’d be great…if we could’ve gotten a full schedule in this year, but with what we’ve got in 10 games – couldn’t be any happier.” The Cadets’ depth was on display in Thursday’s home win as 10 different players scored, and five netted 8 or more points with three reaching double digits. Williams led

the team with 15 and was followed by Fisher and senior Jackson Cray with 11 each. Senior Cody Herman added 9 and Hudson Williams chipped in 8. Cray knocked down three 3-pointers and Hudson made two shots from behind the arc. The second quarter ultimately proved huge for the Cadets as they took back the lead at 17-15 on two points from Fisher at the line and never gave it back from there. Fisher’s free throws kickstarted a 12-0 run for his team, and Benedictine led by as much as 19. Pressure and steals from players including Whitfield enabled the Cadets to string together quick drives to the basket that helped them balloon their lead. Richmond Spirit, however, hit on a 9-0 run across the second and third quarters and added a 9-2 surge later in the third to tighten the Cadets’ lead to 53-47. Hudson had an exclamation mark of a response when he put-back a 3 to close out the quarter,

Photos by Nick Vandeloecht/Goochland Gazette

Benedictine junior Anthony Fisher (4) goes for a layup; Benedictine senior Whit Williams attempts a jumper.

and his Benedictine teammate Jackson Cray kept up the momentum by knocking two big 3’s early in the fourth. But the Warhawks unleashed another 9-0 burst, whittling the Cadets’ advantage all the way down to 3 with 3:09 remaining. That made it back-toback games, Royster noted,

in which Benedictine had a double-digit lead only to see it get cut down in the last three or four minutes to one possession that would either tie it or allow the other team to take the lead on the next basket. “We get out in the lead and…they do really good playing defense to get us there, and then they just get a little

complacent on offense and shooting shots that maybe we shouldn’t shoot, not as open, and then we miss a couple layups; it just kind of mushrooms into allowing a team to come back,” Royster said, adding of the Warhawks: “They only had one team foul, so they could be a little aggressive with 4 minutes to go; they could bang you a little bit and they got a couple of steals off of it, but (with) Anthony handling the ball and Cody and Jeb (Cray) handling the ball, we have three guys who can handle the ball and make free throws, so we can spread them out.” After the two teams traded buckets to boost the overall score to 66-63 with 1:16 left, Benedictine went to work in spreading the floor and weaving the ball back and forth to one another, taking fouls from the visitors and even backing up into the defensive end to tick seconds off the clock and keep the ball out of their opponents’ hands. As the fouls continued to

crop up, Williams got sent to the free-throw line for a 1-and-1 call. He made both shots, and that made it a two-possession game with 45.3 seconds to play. Fisher then put into motion the play that put it away, when he nabbed a steal from Richmond Spirit and broke away for the driving layup attempt. His initial shot missed, but Williams made sure it went through on the putback. Kris Tiller (5 points), Patrick Larkin (4), Walter Daniels (3), Steven Lord (2) and Jeb Cray (2) all contributed to the Cadets’ efforts on offense on Thursday. After playing all 10 of their games to date in their brand new home gymnasium, the McMurtrie-Reynolds Pavilion, the Cadets are now hitting the road to face teams they’ve played earlier this season. They’ll start by playing at St. John Paul the Great on Thursday at 6 p.m.

7 Goochland wrestlers earn top 4 finishes at regionals Staff Reports

Despite the changes to the postseason that made it so that only the top two wrestlers from each weight class in regionals would qualify for states, Goochland’s wrestling team still had a year to remember. A whopping seven Bulldogs placed fourth or better in the Class 3, Region B championships at Brentsville District High School in Nokesville this past weekend. Had this been last February, all seven would have advanced to states. Senior Ayden Doczi

(heavyweight) and junior Alex Rosenbaum (220 pounds) led the team with third-place finishes in their respective weight classes. Doczi, who recently received a preferred walk-on offer from VMI in football, reached the regional semifinals of the heavyweight bracket by pinning Independence’s Clinton Nwokejiezi in 2:44, but took a 4-1 setback to Brentsville District’s Tyler Nix. Doczi bounced back by pinning Andrew Westfall in 1:15 in the consolation semifinals, then secured third place with a pin of Garrett Mohr in 3:52. Doczi also got the chance

to wrestle for a true second place, which would have qualified him for states. Doczi fought hard, but came up just shy of the victory to William Monroe’s Ethan Marcotte in a 3-1 overtime loss. After taking an openinground loss by fall in 4:19 to Wes Merchant, Rosenbaum (220) stormed through the consolation bracket, pinning Brentsville District’s Noah Rudicalle in 19 seconds, Independence’s Jack Kellen in 3:17 and Merchant, in a rematch, in 2:49 to secure third place. He, too, was able to wrestle for true second and a state berth, but he fell

to Tyler Forbes in the first period. Freshman Jordan Duke (113) pinned Rachel Coffman in 3:44 to reach the semifinals but fell to Skyline’s Josh Domino in the first period. With just five wrestlers in the bracket, Duke received a bye to the third-place match, but George Mason’s Grayson Kisic would take third. Duke took fourth. Sophomore John Summitt (132) pinned Maggie Walker’s Tony Caramucci in 1:35 in the quarterfinals but lost to William Monroe’s Connor Redieske in a 9-2 decision in the semifinals. Summitt in the consolation bracket defeated

Independence’s Cody Seeley 7-2 to reach the third-place match, but ultimately placed fourth in a 12-3 loss to Elijah Frame. Senior Max Moreno (145) pinned Maggie Walker’s Varun Mandgi in the quarterfinals in 3:42 but fell to Skyline’s Heath Rudolph in the second period of the semifinals. Moreno reached the third-place match by pinning Independence’s Tyler Conaway in 50 seconds, but Moreno took fourth in a 15-6 loss to Brentsville District’s Will Johnson. Senior Corey Vincent (152) powered past Skyline’s Peyton Carter in a 4-0 decision in the quarterfinals, but

fell to William Monroe’s Kaleb Doshier in the second period of the semifinals. Vincent pinned James Bland in 30 seconds to reach the thirdplace match, but took fourth in a 9-3 loss in a rematch with Carter. Sophomore Riley Hite (160) pinned Sean Rhinehart in 2:31 in the quarterfinals but fell to Brentsville District’s Ryan Coleman in the first period of the semifinals. Hite pinned Independence’s Travis Beggs in 3:51 to reach the third-place match, but ultimately took fourth with a loss by second-period pin to Jacob Carroll.

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