The Goochland Gazette – 03/25/2021 by Goochland Gazette

INSIDE County Sheriff’s Office marks milestone for prescription delivery effort. > page 3 Volume 66 Number 12 • March 25, 2021

Schools’ budget includes health coverage for all part-time staff

Residents get first look at proposed development

By Roslyn Ryan Editor

Meeting offered chance to hear about 137-home project near Hockett Rd By Roslyn Ryan Editor

In what has become a familiar storyline in Goochland in recent years, residents in yet another quiet, rural area of the county are raising concerns about a developer’s request to build a subdivision on land currently zoned for agricultural use. On March 16, during a community meeting held at the Pickle Barrel restaurant in Centerville, many of those residents got their first look at the plans for Songbird Lane, a 137-home development that would be located on 64 acres just west of Hockett Road and feature high-end homes ranging in size from 2,500 to 4,000 square feet. In order to move forward, developers will see Songbird Lane > 3

Photo by Jennifer Leigh Myers

Volunteer Donna Fetrow, who serves on the Goochland Pet Lovers’ Board of Directors, spent an afternoon volunteering at the organization’s first mobile pet clinic held on Marchc 13. For more information on the event, and on upcoming mobile clinics, see page 8.

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For those individuals providing support services for the Goochland County Public Schools, including bus drivers and food service personnel, the past 12 months have not always been easy. Since their duties could not be carried out virtually, they quickly joined the ranks of the millions of frontline essential workers who confronted the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic on a daily basis. More challenging still, many of them did so — and continue to do so — without access to health insurance. It’s a situation Goochland County School Superintendent Dr. Jeremy said recently that he is hoping to change. On March 3, Raley presented his FY22 budget to the County Board of Supervisors. Among the needs Raley detailed, including technology upgrades and a three percent increase for all employees earning at least a proficient rating on their annual evaluations, see Budget > page 3

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Thursday

March 25, 2021

NEWS: What’s Going on in Goochland County

Serving Goochland County

Working hands-on with direct contact throughout the Buying or Selling process.

Leabough chosen to serve as interim District 2 school board representative

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On Tuesday, March 16, during a special meeting of the Goochland County School Board, Leabough was appointed interim representative for District 2. Ms. Leabough assumes the seat of former District 2 representative Mr. William Quarles Jr., who passed away suddenly in February. Leabough has been a resident of Goochland County for over 40 years, and her four adult children were all educated in Goochland County Public Schools. Leabough has worked in various capacities during a career that has spanned over 25 years in education, including work for the Virginia Department of Corrections and as a teach-

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Contributed report

er and youth counselor at Intercept Youth Services and the Hallmark Youth Care Residential Treatment Center, where she currently provides educational and therapeutic support for students and families. She received her degree in human services from J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College and her teaching credentials from James Madison University. In the Goochland community, Leabough has maintained active roles in her church, in the Goochland NAACP, and has served as a Girl Scout troop leader. She has volunteered for the Powhatan Goochland Community Action Agency (PGCAA) and at the Meadows Nursing Facility.

Leabough is eager to serve the Goochland community through her work on the School Board. “I am committed to providing opportunity and assistance to the students and parents I represent, and look forward to collaborating with the hard-working members of the Goochland County School Board in an effort to continue providing support for our schools and their work toward reaching our mission to maximize the potential of every learner.” Leabough will be officially sworn in as the District 2 School Board representative in the days ahead, and will participate in her first Board meeting at the regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 13.

Recent Property Transfers 10 acres; Benjamin R. Hebner to Richard Ivan Hebner, $182,000. 2 acres; Brian J. Goodman to Joanne M. Williams, trustee, $327,900. 2 parcels; Karl W. Werwath to Christopher G. Pearson, $1,750,000. 2.35 acres; CMH Homes Inc. to Sally Thomas, $198,400. 25.488 acres; Brenda Ellis Wiley, trustee to Windswept Development LLC, $1,465,000. 257.77 acres; Robert L.

Powell to James Sterling Jones, $220,000. 3 lots; Virginia Estate and Trust Law PLC, trustee to Springdale Manor LLC, $825,000. 30.213 acres; New Ventures Real Estate LLC to Andrew Marlon Bayliss, $310,000. 4 lots, Section 1, Mosaic at West Creek; HHHunt Mosaic LLC to Schell Brothers Richmond LLC, $520,000. 5.58 acres; Christopher

M. McCarthy, trustee to Richard A. Hanes, $190,000. 7.8 acres; CMH Homes Inc. to James M. Ziegler, $310,000. 71.13 acres; Mark L. Smith to Jesse B. Harris, $485,000. Lot 3, Fields at Shannon Hill; Richard A. Shaeffer to Evelyne Nkere, $250,000. Lots 1 and 2, Block B, Section E, Manakin Farms; Karen M. Clemons to Glynn Whitten, $248,000.

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SPORTS

GHS football pulls away from Hornets PAGE 9 Calendar ................................ 4 Classifieds ......................16-18 Letters .................................... 6 Obituaries .............................. 4 Opinion .................................. 6 Sports ...............................9-12 TV Listings ......................13-15

CONTACT US Toll Free - (877) 888-0449 Office - (804) 746-1235 Joy Monopoli Publisher (804) 775-4614 Fax: (804) 819-5529 Melody Kinser Managing Editor (804) 775-4622 Fax: (804) 344-8746 Roslyn Ryan Editor (804) 339-7956

Beulah Baptist to host Easter sunrise service Beulah Baptist Church (located at 1633 Kents Store Way in Kents Store) invites all to join them on Easter Sunday, begin-

Since 1955

Advertise In The Goochland Gazette! Call 804-746-1235 for details.

Nick Vandeloecht Sports Editor (540) 728-0549 Cindy Adams Classifieds (804) 775-4616 Fax: (804) 344-8746

Thursday

March 25, 2021

NEWS: What’s Going on in Goochland County

Serving Goochland County Since 1955

and families,” said Raley, noting that Goochland was one continued from >1 of the earliest counties to was his administration’s goal bring students back into the of providing health insurance classroom after the COVIDfor all part-time employees 19 pandemic forced school shutdowns across the counof GCPS. The move will serve both try. The division was also as a recruitment and reten- one of only a handful in the tion tool, and “as a way of region to have athletics, Raley recognizing the great work pointed out. Raley said the requestthat our part time support staff have done,” Raley told ed funds, the lion’s share of which are provided by board members. While Raley noted that Goochland County taxpaythis year’s budget num- ers, will allow school officials bers represent a seven per- to to recruit and retain top cent increase over last year’s talent by revising the current spending plan, he explained salary scale and addressing to board members that he salary compression issues. At its core, Raley said, the and his staff had worked to budget is about ensuring a identify nearly $280,000 that could be saved by restructur- healthy, productive future for ing and abandoning certain Goochland’s students and for expenditures from years past. the community as a whole. “This is an investment in In addition, Raley told board members that the divi- our future,” Raley said. “And sion’s 468 employees have recognition of what role we done a masterful job of help- play as educators in this coming guide the county public munity and what direction schools through one of the you want to take this commost challenging times in munity in the future. I thank you for that, I ask for your recent memory. “I’m just extremely proud continued support, and we of what our school division are grateful for your continhas done for both students ued support in the future.”

Budget

Contributed photo

GCSO prescription delivery program hits a milestone On March 27, 2020, with the COVID-19 crisis impacting Goochland residents, the Goochland County Sheriff’s Office Community Division began assisting with the delivery of prescriptions to qualifying community members living in Goochland County. To date, the GCSO has delivered over 500 prescriptions to older adults and other county residents who are identified as having a higher risk of serious health complications if they were to contract COVID-19.

Songbird Lane continued from >1 need to have the land rezoned from A-2 Agricultural to Residential Planned Unit Development (RPUD), which would allow for to up to 2.5 housing units per acre. Under the current A-2 zoning, only 10 homes would be allowed on the property. The meeting was attended by Supervisors Neil Spoonhower of District 2 and Don Sharpe of District 4, as well as Planning Commissioners John Meyers of District 1 and Curt Pituck of District 4. Also attending from the county side was Jo

Ann Hunter, Goochland’s Director of Community Development. Jennifer Mullen of Roth Jackson Gibbons Condlin, PLC represented the developer. Among the concerns raised by those living near the site of the proposed development were those related to traffic congestion, which many say is already an issue. According to Hunter, the intersection of Hockett Road and Broad Street Road is already a major concern, and a realignment project to connect Hockett and Ashland Roads should happen in the next five years. A traffic consultant retained by the developer told

attendees that the homes in Songbird would be expected to generate around 1,390 vehicle trips per day. The meeting March 16 was only a preliminary round of talks on the project, and no decisions have been made by the county about any potential rezoning on the property. Should the developers choose to move forward, the next step would be to present the rezoning request to the county Planning Commission. The Commission would make a recommendation that would be passed on to the Board of Supervisors, who would have the final say on the application.

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Thursday

NEWS: What’s Going on in Goochland County

March 25, 2021

Obituary SELMA L. HERWEYER Selma Louise Sewell Herweyer, passed away peacefully March 18, 2021, to meet her Lord and Savior whom she spent her life serving. Born in Kinston, N.C. in 1935, she grew up in Norfolk, Va., graduated from Nor v iew HERWEYER H i g h School in 1954 and resided in Goochland County for 61 years. She was preceded in death by her parents, Thaddeus Vayden and Olive Harper Sewell; her brother, Howard Sewell; and her twin sister, Thelma Sewell Overton. She is survived by two daughters and a son, Cathy Herweyer, Steven Herweyer (Virginia “Ginny”) and Heather Herweyer Slater (Stratford, Sr.); five grandchildren, Jason Marks, Justin Marks (Jackie), Tucker Slater (Meredith), Stratford “Ford” Slater Jr. (Kaytlyn) and Savannah Slater; four great-granddaughters, Veda Marks, Audrey Marks, Ayla

Marks and Aurelia Marks; and sister-in-law, Margaret Sewell. In addition to time spent working as secretary for Westhampton Baptist Church, secretary for Goochland Elementary School and medical records transcriptionist for Henrico Doctors Hospital, Selma retired from the Southern Baptist International Mission Board (IMB) after 40 years of service, where she worked closely with missionaries from all over the world as they traveled to and from the U.S. One of her greatest joys during her career was having the opportunity to visit and work with her missionary friends where they were stationed in all parts of the world: Kenya, Albania, Yemen, North and South Korea, Nairobi, Ethiopia, Argentina and Japan. Selma supported the efforts of the IMB by working alongside her friends in their mission to share the love of Christ. As part of her commitment to her local community, Selma spent time organizing bloodmobile events for the American Red Cross and volunteering for the Goochland Food Bank. After her retire-

Serving Goochland County Since 1955

Library Calendar ment, Selma spent many hours volunteering in several Goochland County elementary, middle and high school classrooms. Her particular passion was working with students in the English as a Second Language (ESL) class, where her patience and love for helping others was a gift. Churches were an important part of her life as evidenced by her active involvement in worship services, teaching Sunday school and participating in Women’s Missionary Unions and Lottie Moon Circles over the years at these churches: Norview Baptist, Westhampton Baptist, Salem Baptist (Cardwell), Salem Baptist (Sparta) and Goochland Baptist. Burial will be private with a memorial service planned at a later time when more of Selma’s friends and family may gather to remember her. In honor of Selma’s lifelong devotion to the work of Baptist missionaries around the world, the family asks that donations be directed to the Lottie Moon Fund in her memory by sending checks payable to Goochland Baptist Church at 2454 Manakin Rd., ManakinSabot, Va. 23103.

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use it, and more. Starting information or if you have March 4, go to https://www. a special need, please contact Kate Chenery Tweedy, youtube.com/user/pamun- ask@pamunkeylibrary.org. daughter of Secretariat’s ownkeylibrary or https://tinyurl. er-manager Penny Chenery Poetry Break com/prladults for videos. and granddaughter of breedPremieres Wednesday, er Christopher Chenery Storytime for Grownups March 17 will share stories of visitTake a break and visit our Premieres Wednesday, ing her grandfather’s farm, March 10 YouTube channel at www. The Meadow, and watching Storytime is not just for youtube.com/user/pamunhis thoroughbreds, includ- kids! If you like to be read keylibrary or https://tinyurl. ing Secretariat, race at tracks to, join us for a reading of com/prladults starting March throughout the northeast “Galapago” from the collec- 17 for monthly poems to during this virtual program tion Sabrina & Corina by Kali uplift and inspire you. This from 7 – 8 p.m. Registration Fajardo-Anstine, a finalist month’s theme is “Contrasting For is required at https://pamun- for the 2019 National Book Perspectives/Forces.” more information or if you Award. Starting March 10, go k e y l i b r a r y. l i b c a l . c o m / have a special physical or comevent/7438285. This program to https://www.youtube.com/ munication need, please conuser/pamunkeylibrary or is hosted through Zoom and tact ask@pamunkeylibrary. the meeting link will be sent https://tinyurl.com/prladults org. to see the video. to the email used for registraFor more information, tion one day before the event Take & Make: Learn Your contact ask@pamunkeylioccurs. For more information, Zodiac brary.org. contact ask@pamunkeyliPremiere and pickup starting on Friday, March 19 at brary.org. Kitchen Close-ups: 10:00 a.m. Ages 12 & up. Pick up a Peanut Butter Energy Balls Saturday, March 27 Zodiac bookmark at the Premieres Friday, March 5 The library will hold a Mechanicsville Branch Library Ages 3 & up with adult. CoderDojo Workshop for at 7461 Sherwood Crossing those age 8 and up from 2 – 4 Learn to make some quick Place and watch a video to p.m. Learn how to develop and easy, no-bake, peanut but- learn all about Zodiac signs. logic-based coding skills and ter oatmeal energy balls for a *while supplies last* Starting use creative problem-solving great afternoon snack. Starting March 19, go to https://www. with Scratch. Go to https:// March 5, go to https://www. youtube.com/user/pamunpamunkeylibrary.libcal.com/ youtube.com/user/pamunkeylibrary or https://tinyurl. event/7535862 to sign up. This keylibrary or https://tinyurl. com/prlteens to see the video. program is hosted on Discord. com/prlchildrens to see the For more information or For more information or if video. For more information, if you have a special need, you have a special physical or please contact ask@pamun- please contact ask@pamuncommunication need, please keylibrary.org. keylibrary.org. contact ask@pamunkeylibrary.org. Day in the Life: Edible Gardening Premieres Wednesday, Archaeologist Premieres Mon., March 22 On Demand Videos March 17 All ages. Have you ever Ages 3 & up w/adult. How-to for Social Media wondered what archaeologists Premieres Thursday, Enjoy a reading of the book do every day? Watch our newBunny Built by Michael Slack March 4-March 25 est “Day in the Life” series Have you been thinking and learn how to make an episode to hear all about the edible garden. Go to https:// about joining social media role of archaeologists. Starting to stay in touch with fam- pamunkeylibrary.libcal.com/ event/7535717 for a list of March 22, go to https://www. ily and friends or explore the supplies. Starting March 17, youtube.com/user/pamunworld around you? Join us for go to https://www.youtube. keylibrary or https://tinyurl. weekly detailed, step-by-step com/user/pamunkeylibrary or com/prlteens to see the video. presentations about what each https://tinyurl.com/prlchild- For more information or if platform is, how to make an rens to see the video. For more account, basic tips on how to see Calendar > 15 Thursday, March 25

Thursday

March 25, 2021

NEWS: What’s Going on in Goochland County

Serving Goochland County Since 1955

Person of Interest: Wayne Dementi By Frank Wentzel Contributing Writer

In 1996, while searching for a small county setting, good friends and convenience to a major city, Wayne and Dianne Dementi (after a 30 year absence) selected a five acre track in Goochland on which to build their new home. And, fortunately for Goochland, the Dementis brought something else, namely the keen desire to be active in the community. An early project involved celebrating Goochland among Goochlanders (and visitors) by accessing the photographic archives of the Dementi family business, Dementi Studio. That, in turn prompted a partnership with local author Aynsley Fisher to highlight the county’s 35-mile length by producing the 145page tome, “Facts and Legends of Goochland County,” a truly must read. Goochland is rife with happenings, from

Mohicans plying rocky pathways (immediately below what would become the Goochland County Courthouse,) Cornwallis’ 1774 Redcoats pressing on the same craggy path, determined to seize Goochlander Thomas Jefferson. Is Maiden’s Road really celebratory to an Indian Princess? Did Goochland’s first governor ever set foot on his namesake? Did the most esteemed man of the day, Charles Lindbergh land in Ben Dover’s pasture? “Facts and Legends of Goochland County,” now joins over 250 other titles published by Wayne’s company “Milestone Publishing,” founded in 2004. Additionally, Wayne has been supportive in merging the “Goochland Free Clinic” with “Goochland Fellowship and Family Family Services,” currently known as “GoochlandCares.” Goochland County has also benefited by Wayne’s contribution and active support for the Goochland Historical Society, restoration of the Courthouse Green, the Goochland Pet Lovers and the successful capital campaign for Goochland’s new Animal Shelter.

‘NEXT’ program seeks to help families hold on to their land Contributed report

The Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) and the Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) encourage landowners to make plans for passing on their land to the next generation – right now. The Generation NEXT program is a collaboration between VDOF and VCE that helps Virginia landowners keep forests intact, in forest, and in family. Generation NEXT is hosting two low-cost virtual legacy planning series this year – in April and September – to help landowners take the first steps and clarify some of the misconceptions about the legacy planning process that might prevent people from getting started. Many landowners are overwhelmed by the legacy planning process and assume that it primarily involves complicated work with attorneys and accountants. This assumption might cause landowners to delay thinking about what they want to happen to their land when they’re no longer around to manage it. The Generation NEXT program demonstrates how estate planning (working with lawyers and accountants) is just one part of the legacy

planning process. “One of the most important steps in legacy planning includes conversations between you and the people who will steward your land after you’re gone. Do they understand your stewardship goals for the property? Do they feel a connection to the land? Are there key pieces of information you need to share about the property? Having these conversations is critical,” says Adam Downing, Virginia Cooperative Extension Agent. If a landowner passes away without clearly established plans for their estate (including their land), things can quickly become complicated for the surviving family members. The Generation NEXT program provides families with resources and tools that make the process more manageable and accessible. With the Generation NEXT workshops, families pay a single fee to participate, even if they are geographically separated. The workshops serve as designated opportunities for family members to ask difficult questions, receive useful information, and get on the see Land > 7

Tell Me A Story

A knapsack, a bus ticket and one lucky phone call By Barry Barrett Contributing Writer

Editor’s note: The following is part of the Gazette’s continuing series “Tell Me a Story,” in which we ask our readers to share tales from their own lives or the lives of close family members. As my eighteenth birthday approached I began testing the reins a bit and approached some aunts and uncles for a cash present as the girl I was interested in at the time was leaving on vacation with the family of a family friend. They all lived outside of Philadelphia and I was in Fluvanna County Virginia about three or four miles from where I’m sitting right now. I had amassed about $175 and informed my mom of my intentions. Catching a Greyhound Bus in Charlottesville and going to Ocean City to meet them. (It was a surprise for my girlfriend too.) Mom, of course, forbade it. Said I hadn’t been invited, and about 10 or 12 very good reasons why the whole endeavor was foolhardy and would likely end in disaster. I sensed a flicker of doubt in her voice. Something in her inflection said she was unsure of her position. I softly reminded her of my approaching eighteenth birthday, implying, as subtlety as

I knew how, that soon enough she wouldn’t have the last word. This whole conversation was occurring through her bedroom door at dawn with my knapsack loaded and my guitar case leaning against the wall. There was a long pause after my not-so-subtle reminder, and she said, “Call me when you get there.” I walked out of the front door of my mother’s house in Fluvanna just as the sun cleared the pines on the horizon, feeling very emancipated and full of myself. As I reached the end of the short driveway, maybe 150 feet from the door, I realized what lay before me. I was at least 25 miles from the Charlottesville Greyhound Bus Station. My hair was long then. I carried a knapsack and a guitar in a cheap cardboard case. It was 1973 and hitchhiking wasn’t as easy as it looked in the movies. I walked every step of the way to the bus station. As fate would have it, there was a bus to Ocean City, Maryland leaving within the hour of my sweaty pedestrian arrival, with a bus change in DC. Just enough time to wash up some in the spacious rest room and board my bus. Hours and hours later, maybe ten in the evening, I was getting off the bus when a sudsee Story > 7

Thursday

March 25, 2021

OPINION: Editorial, Letters to the Editor

Welcome — your robot will seat you now driven there by your safe, efficient, self-driving SUV. Once arriving at the restaurant, you are greethe year is 2031. ed and seated by a short, compact, self-propelled You and your family have just mobile kiosk, programmed to quickly guide you sat down for a meal at a popular to the best available table based on the size of your new restaurant in town, having been party and your answers to a few quick prompts. Once seated by your robot, you scan a QR Code that brings up the menu and place your order via an app that suggests options for you based in part on the time of day, your saved preferences, and what you ordered last time you were there. The music and lighting at your table are calibrated to your specifications — again, thanks to the app — and the meal for your family of four is prepared by an automated system so complex and perfectly engineered that there are rumors NASA is looking to implement the technology in an upcoming mission to Mars. Your meal is cheerfully delivered to your table by the one human being in the restaurant, but he’s really only there because the robot that would normally do it is being serviced and he has to be there every night anyway to recharge the “staff.” You finish your dinner — which was somewhat unremarkable, but you knew it was going to be because you always order the same thing and it is prepared exactly the same way each time (because robots) -- pay through your phone, and head out the door. By Roslyn Ryan Editor

Editorial & Business Office and Mailing Address: 8460 Times-Dispatch Blvd. Mechanicsville, VA 23116 Phone – (804) 746-1235 Toll free – (877) 888-0449 Fax – (804) 344-8746 Online: www.goochlandgazette.com

Publisher Managing Editor Editor Production Manager Sports Editor Sales Representative Classifieds

Joy Monopoli

jmonopoli@RSNVA.com

Melody Kinser

mkinser@mechlocal.com

Roslyn Ryan

rryan@gooochlandgazette.com

Denine D’Angelo ddangelo@mechlocal.com Nick Vandeloecht nvandeloecht@powhatantoday.com Tom Haynie

thaynie@mechlocal.com

Cindy Adams

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Now, be honest, does this sound like your idea of a nice evening out? If it does, take heart: You may be ready for what some tech soothsayers see as the way of the future, a whole new world in which automation and artificial intelligence slowly subsumes the roles that could once only be filled by living, breathing, thinking human beings. Somewhere right now in Silicon Valley, a well-educated, bright and hungry young person is almost certainly working on a piece of software that will automate some process we all once assumed could only be done by a human. And once they figure it out, it will probably change things for both the better and the worse. Do I like being able to grocery shop on my smart phone? Yes. Do I think self-driving cars are a good idea? Maybe. Do I want to give my breakfast order to a “waiter” that needs to be plugged into a battery charger every night? Not really. As the last year has proven, many of the things we used to consider essential — face-to-face meetings, classroom time, and even doctor’s office visits — can be conducted via apps, eliminating the need to be in the same room as other people. But in all of those cases we are still connecting with a person. The idea of taking human connection, human emotion and, yes, even human error out of the equation is a step even the most committed technology cheerleaders say should be done with caution. I certainly, at least at this moment, tend to agree. A robot may someday be able to take your drink order and even your highly technical job. But until someone figures out a way to simulate sincerity, empathy, humor and all of those other qualities that are so uniquely human, I’d prefer to hold off on the fully-automated future for now.

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.

Serving Goochland County Since 1955

It may be time seniors get a spring break By Jim Ridolphi Contributing Columnist

In 1975, finding a traffic jam in Key West was as rare as discovering buried Spanish treasure, but there was a signal stoplight located at the end of the Merritt Island Bridge that sometimes caused a backup. It was the unofficial front and back door to Key West proper and the waterfront area that now bustles with trendy restaurants and highrise hotels. But, it was different then. Key West was still a Navy town in a community that always boasted its fair share of eccentrics, free thinkers and pirates. At that time, its remote location had insulated the island from rampant development that had consumed much of the Florida coast. Much of the Naval Base that now serves as a port of call to a dozen cruise ships a week was empty, abandoned. After a week in the southernmost city, a friend and I packed our bags and loaded up a 1974 MGB destined for a more traditional Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale. As I would learn in later visits, leaving Key West is never easy. Unlike other venues, the Keys beckon you to stay, pick up a ukulele, and find a palm tree. Added to that difficulty was the looming prospect of joining our friends in Fort Lauderdale with its insane collection of hard-charging partiers from across the nation compared with the tranquility of the Key West. A local Conch had a name for it. He told us visitors are “keylobotomized” by the mystical power of the island. Some never leave. But, we had already taken a week extra from a college career that was taking longer than expectsee Spring Break > page 7

Thursday

OPINION: Editorial, Letters to the Editor

March 25, 2021

Spring Break continued from >6 ed, so we left a small rooming house near Duval Street and

As I would learn in later visits, leaving Key West is never easy. The Keys beckon you to stay, pick up a ukulele, and find a palm tree. began the trek northward. As we sat at that light on the bridge, the afternoon sun

was sweltering. We hadn’t put the top up on the car in a week and we must have looked like over-baked tourists as we toasted in the lower Keys sun. “You guys have got it made,” an older gentleman in a big white convertible said as we sat aside each other at the light. “Who, us?” I laughed. “You’ll look back on these days and think they were the best moments of your life.” “I hope you’re not right,” my friend laughed. The light changed and he pulled the old Pontiac forward with a tip of his hat and a gleam in his eye I’ll never forget. That was many Spring Breaks ago, and I’d like the old man to know there were a

few more memorable Florida moments, but his words have gained more credence as the years have passed. I glanced at a news report last week describing how Spring Breakers in Miami were out of hand and taking over the city. The accompanying video revealed throngs of college students partying in crowded clubs or on small beaches. I wondered if they were having the time of their lives? For a moment, I thought of that week long ago spent in a more innocent and shy Key West, a moment in time that can never be recaptured. Even fifty years later, the lure of a warm Gulf breeze and the smell of fresh lime still beckon, and the words of that old man still echo in my mind.

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den epiphany came over me and I turned and asked the driver if there was another Ocean City up the line. He said yes, Ocean City, New Jersey, and this bus goes there. I asked how much and he said seventeen bucks. So I paid him and got back on, not knowing if it was the right thing to do or not. Sometime after two in the morning, I found myself in an empty bus station in Ocean City, New Jersey. In my youth-addled head, wanting desperately to start adulting, I grabbed a phone book and looked up the name of the family friend that my girlfriend had gone vacationing with. Nevermind the glaring

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Have an idea for a community news story? Send news tips to Roslyn Ryan at rryan@goochlandgazette.com or contact the Gazette at (804) 339-7956.

same page about plans for the future. Typically, these sessions are in-person, so dispersed families are taking advantage of the virtual offerings. As a companion to the workshop series, the Generation NEXT team created a publication, Legacy Planning: A Guide for Virginia Landowners that provides an overview of the nine major steps involved in developing a robust land legacy plan. It includes case studies from landowners throughout Virginia and guides landowners to tools and resources. The free publication is available online or in-print (by request) at https://www.pubs. ext.vt.edu/content/dam/ pubs_ext_vt_edu/CNRE/ cnre-121/CNRE-121.pdf Landowners should approach legacy planning as an on-going process. “Much like a forest changes over time, your legacy plans will evolve. As priorities change

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fact that they were on vacation in a camper 300 miles from home, there was the name, right there in the book. So I called it. At three in the morning. And they answered. After a minute or two, both the lady that answered and I realized that I didn’t call the right people. But then she said that they lived close by, why don’t I come there and we’ll figure out what to do. So I did. I walked the three blocks to their house and she made coffee while we laughed about my phone book faux pas. So, it being now close to four in the morning, I borrow a bicycle, and leaving my stuff with them, head out to find the folks I’m looking for. They had told me of a couple of likely campgrounds close by

and I pedaled slowly through the campground aisle by aisle, looking for a familiar camper. Sure as anything, about the third aisle of the first campground I see a familiar face through the window of a camper. So I roll up all nonchalant and ask Bob (the family friend patriarch of the family my girlfriend vacationed with) “Hey Bob, what’s for breakfast?” And without any surprise whatsoever he says “Eggs and bacon, how’s your Uncle Bill?” I stayed with Bob and his family for almost a month, returning home from Hatboro after I turned 18, and just in time for my senior year of high school, having become secretly engaged to Joan, Bob’s daughter Denise’s best friend.

or family dynamics shift, so should plans for your land,” says Andrew Fotinos, Conservation Specialist with VDOF. “Having the Legacy Planning publication onhand will help landowners as they periodically revisit the nine steps over time.” With spring and summer just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to engage with Step Eight: “Provide opportunities for your family to learn about and enjoy your woodlands.” Explore your property with future generations to instill in them the importance of good land stewardship. Spring dates for the Generation NEXT workshops are April 7, 8, 14 & 15. Those interested in attending the spring workshop should register by March 31 to guarantee their spot and receive a print copy of the Legacy Planning publication before courses begin. Fall workshops will take place on September 8, 9, 15 & 16. Families or individuals can register for either the spring or fall dates, or they may elect to attend both series

for a comprehensive experience. Content may overlap in the two series, but they are not identical. Registration can be completed online: https://ext. vt.edu/natural-resources/legacy-planning/training.html The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. With nearly 16 million acres of forestland and more than 108,000 Virginians employed in forestry, forest products and related industries, Virginia forests provide an overall economic output of more than $21 Billion annually. Virginia Cooperative Extension brings the resources of Virginia’s land-grant universities, Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, to the people of the commonwealth. We are a dynamic organization that stimulates positive personal and societal change, leading to more productive lives, families, farms, and forests as well as a better environment.

Thursday

March 25, 2021

OPINION: Editorial, Letters to the Editor

Goochland Pet Lovers’ first mobile pet clinic comes to the rescue for county pet owners in need of help The Goochland Pet Lovers (GPL) organization held a mobile vet clinic on Saturday, March 13, at Goochland Elementary School, offering local pet owners who might not otherwise be able to afford it access to spaying, neutering, deworming and other services for their pets. The clinic was made possible by GPL’s newly created Good

Neighbor Fund. The next clinic will be held on Saturday, June 12, from 1-3 p.m. at Goochland Elementary School. To see if you qualify and to register, please visit: https://www.goochlandpetlovers.com/support/good-neighbor-fund or call (804) 556-LOVE and press option 2. Services available include flea

and tick prevention; distemper/ upper respiratory and rabies vaccinations for cats; DH(L)PP and rabies vaccinations for dogs; vet visits for puppies; medical grooming; deworming; treatment of minor medical issues and implanting of microchips (paid for through the gpl microchip fund). — Roslyn Ryan

Clockwise, from the top left, Dr. Lori Elliott and her team prepare to see another pet patient; a furry pup receives some attention; Elliot and GPL volunteer Diana Barden; a sweet pup waits to be seen by the medical team. Photos by Jennifer Leigh Myers

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Thursday

March 25, 2021

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

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Goochland football pulls away from Hornets By Nick Vandeloecht Sports Editor

GOOCHLAND -- After special teams preserved Goochland’s narrow halftime lead by denying all three of Orange County’s bids for extra points, the Bulldogs’ defense pitched a second-half shutout to help their team pull away and rout the visiting Hornets 47-18. With it being Goochland’s Homecoming game, as well as its first of two home games in the regular season, senior running back Conner Popielarz, who led the Bulldogs with three touchdowns and 80 yards rushing, said “it’s fun to just get out here in front of our home crowd on the home field and just get it done.” Led by senior center and VMI commit Ayden Doczi, Goochland’s young offensive line continued its growth and development with a huge start to Saturday’s afternoon game as it paved the way for the Bulldogs to gain yards on every play in their first two drives. “We were just getting what the defense could give us, just doing our job and just churning out the first downs, and we were putting together good drives,” Popielarz said, adding of the offensive line: “They’re learning every week, and they’re doing a good job of learning with each week, each practice, and it’s showing.” “We had a theme this week for ‘Do your job,’ and it wasn’t just, ‘Do your job;’ it was, ‘Do your job well,’ and the offensive line, they’re young. They’re not perfect. They’re going to make mental mistakes. We can live with that. They’re sophomores and juniors in there,” said Goochland head football coach Alex Fruth while adding: “I felt, coming out of this game, when we look at tape, they’re prob-

Photos by Nick Vandeloecht/Goochland Gazette

Goochland High School senior Conner Popielarz, seen running the ball in a home varsity football game versus Orange County on Saturday, scored three rushing touchdowns and had 80 yards in the Bulldogs’ 47-18 win over the Hornets.

ably going to have been in the right place, giving us everything they’ve got, and it showed up in a situation like that. “The week before, we weren’t always in the right place, and we got out-muscled a little bit, and we got outenergied sometimes,” Fruth said. “Today? I’m super-happy with how they performed.” With Popielarz, Jason Woodson and Kayshawn Smith joining quarterback C.J. Towles in the backfield, the offense racked up 136 firsthalf rushing yards with two big runs by Smith (25 yards) and Popielarz (23), who also ran the ball into the end zone twice on short-distance carries. Woodson added a touchdown on the ground from nine yards out. Orange County in the first half matched Goochland touchdown-for-touchdown.

ball,” Fruth said in his praise of Stratton. His teammate Anthony Holland picked off a short pass up the middle to deny an attempted two-point conversion. Another two-point try by the Hornets, this one a run, fell short as the Bulldogs swarmed the ball carrier and brought him down just shy of the goal line. Fruth said the first half was “kind of an ugly first half for our defense, and they had to fight through it,” but he added, “that’s going to pay off down the road.” And after the team came out of halftime, Goochland’s defense didn’t allow the Hornets to get Goochland’s Omarion Quarles (20) and Anthony Holland past midfield for the duration (below) tackle Orange County’s Donald Brooks II (2) in Satur- of the game. day’s varsity football game at Goochland High School. “It wasn’t scheme – it But after every one of Orange hand on a PAT attempt, mak- wasn’t like we said: Hey, we’ve County’s scores, Goochland ing it 10 blocked kicks in two got to move guys around and do this. It really came down kept the extra points off the seasons. “He’s a magnet for the foot- to: we’ve got to play with betboard. Will Stratton got his

ter energy, we’ve got to have more tenacity to us, be a little more relentless,” Fruth said. “It really was more about who we were and how we needed to play instead of anything they were doing or anything we were doing schematically.” Goochland in the second half recovered a fumble and picked off the Hornets twice, with Eyan Pace and Dylan Myers each getting an interception and Enrique Alvarez recovering the fumble. The Bulldogs also gained their first multi-possession lead of the day when the Hornets, after getting pushed back to their own 5-yard line on calls for holding and an illegal substitution, skied a short punt to their 33, and Popielarz bookended Goochland’s four-play drive with a 14-yard scoring rush up the middle. Haiden Mccourt in the fourth quarter dropped Orange County back to its own 25 with a tackle for loss to force a change of possession on downs. Towles finished off the drive by rushing across the goal line, helping make it a 19-point lead with 6:13 to play. Goochland sophomore Tyler Black kicked two field goals of 28 and 32 yards and made 5 of 6 PATs. With a minute left in regulation, Ben Ragland scored on a goal-line rush to put the exclamation mark on the drive kickstarted by Myers, who intercepted the ball when it deflected off of the Orange County receiver’s outreached one-handed catch attempt. Goochland rushed for 265 yards total. The Bulldogs (4-0) will head to Central Lunenburg on Friday, March 26 at 7 p.m. for their final regular-season game as members of the James River District.

Thursday

March 25, 2021

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Multisport leader Doczi commits to VMI for football By Nick Vandeloecht Sports Editor

Earlier in his athletic career, Ayden Doczi’s dad Mike Doczi – a Virginia Military Institute (VMI) alumnus who played baseball for the Keydets – gave what Ayden said was a “very, very big question.” “He asked me: ‘I realize that you’re a bigger kid, but I know you can get bigger; do you either want to get stronger or just continually be decent?’” Ayden recalled his dad asking him. “He was a very big motivational factor for me; same with my brothers…they all believed in me…when I got down on myself, they brought me back up.” He got stronger in the weight room. He put in the field work. He felt he made a huge stride in strength in his junior year. And when the quarantine period gripped the nation with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic a year ago, it both hurt and helped him. He’s a very, very huge people-person – he loves talking to people, he loves being able to shake someone’s hand – but the quarantine gave him an opportunity to just grind. His dad bought a weight set maybe 25 years ago when Ayden’s brother was just born, and Ayden brought his dad, his brothers, his mom Susan Doczi and his Goochland teammate Anthony Holland to work out with him and push each other. It’s a now a year later, and Ayden Doczi, a three-sport standout at Goochland High School, has committed to attend and play football for VMI. “Just a few weeks ago before I made the commitment, I was like: Is it going to pay off? Is all the work I put in going to

Nick Vandeloecht/Goochland Gazette

Goochland seniors Ayden Doczi (60) and Kayshawn Smith (6) lead the Bulldogs onto the home field prior to the start of their Homecoming game versus Orange County. Doczi has committed to attend and play football for the Virginia Military Institute.

pay off?” Ayden said. “It finally did.” He added: “My family, as a whole, they’re very huge supporters. They have my back with this commitment because they also think it’s the best thing for me.” He praised the brotherhood aspect of his future school at VMI, having seen what it’s done for his dad. Ayden also went into Goochland’s JROTC program, and he fell in love with the military aspect. In addition to the leadership roles he holds on all three of his athletic teams, he’s worked his

way up through the JROTC program’s ranks to Company 1st Sergeant. To say Ayden has established himself as a multisport standout would be putting it lightly. He’s a pitcher on his baseball team. He was a captain on his wrestling team and a Region 3B third-place finisher, which, in any season prior to COVID, would have qualified him for states. He’s also Goochland football’s starting center, helping lead a young offensive line that has contributed to the Bulldogs’ 4-0 start in this year’s

six-game regular season. Ayden currently has a walkon offer for football from VMI. He’s being recruited for offensive lineman and long snapper, although Ayden recalled the head coach telling him that, because he can do both, “It just gives you more opportunities to get on the bus and go to the game.” The door is also open for him to play any one of multiple positions – he could move to defense, or he could drop weight and go to tight end – as he recalled the coaches telling him to “be prepared for anything.”

He’s not only getting the chance to join a program that is playing really good football right now – they’re 4-0 and No. 1 in the Southern Conference, and as of March 15 were ranked No. 19 in the country in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision – but he also felt that that’s where he could go to get the best opportunity to play both football and baseball. With the high school season coming up in late April, Ayden recalled that they said, if he were to “go out there and pitch lights-out,” they’ll give him either a walk-

on offer or a partial scholarship for baseball as well. In his sophomore year on the varsity baseball team, Ayden earned a huge start against St. Christopher’s in a 2019 regular-season game. “I came in, and I was nervous,” said Ayden, who along with his teammates were taking on a Saints program that was coming off of a state championship in 2018 and would go on to reach the VISAA final in 2019. “I started, and I surprised myself…first inning took me a little bit to get a groove in, but I was able to get a groove, pitch the first five innings.” While the Saints would win that game 6-2 with the help of a 4-run burst in the sixth inning, Ayden, as a sophomore, held them to five hits and two runs (one earned) and struck out three when he was on the mound. He pitched really well, and that gave him a lot of confidence. Ayden came in as a reliever multiple times in the 2019 season, and he earned the win in his first start against Cumberland. In 2020, he pitched three shutout innings, struck out four and batted 3-for-3 in Goochland’s only scrimmage of the year. After his strong start, the onset of the pandemic wiped out the rest of the season, but he was able to play travel ball over the summer. Ayden first started on the varsity football team’s offensive line in his junior year. He described the four seniors on the line as “very, very helpful.” “That really helped me, especially for this year, because we have a very young offensive line this year,” Ayden said. “I’m able to kind of pass down that wisdom that they gave me.” He

see Doczi> 12

Thursday

March 25, 2021

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

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Woolfolk gets 3 INTs, 2 pick-sixes in Cadets’ victory By Tim Pearrell Richmond Times-Dispatch

Jay Woolfolk says there are no clever nicknames to describe Benedictine’s secondary. So maybe just opportunistic will have to do. The Cadets have intercepted 10 passes in three games this season. They got four — three by Woolfolk, who returned two for touchdowns — on Saturday as No. 2 Benedictine rolled past No. 9 St. Christopher’s 45-7 at St. Christopher’s. The first three possessions for St. Christopher’s (1-1) ended with picks. Woolfolk had two, returning one 29 yards for a TD, and Henry Dolan had one in the end zone. Dolan, an All-Metro defensive back last season, has returned one for a TD this year. He had five interceptions

last year. “We’ve got good players back there,” Benedictine coach Greg Lilly said. Woolfolk, a 5-foot-11, 190pound senior, is a two-sport UVA recruit better known as a quarterback and a baseball player. “Jay can go play college football on offense and on defense, and in baseball,” Lilly said. “Jay is the best athlete we’ve had at Benedictine in the 16 years I’ve been there.” Woolfolk already has six interceptions. He goes against Benedictine receivers Dillon Tennyson (UVA preferred walk-on) and Leon Haughton, who has several Power Five offers, in practice and said “they make me better every single defensive day we have.” “I give big thanks to Coach [Kevin] Coles to forming me

into a DB,” he said. “I came in thinking I was going to be a quarterback, but he wanted me as a safety or a corner when I came in as a ninth-grader.” Woolfolk also gave kudos to Benedictine’s defensive line, which lost highly recruited Joel Starlings to an ankle injury in the third quarter. Lilly said the coaching staff wasn’t happy with how the line played against Trinity Episcopal and challenged them this week. “[The coaches] tell us to play, react, don’t think too much,” said lineman Dylan Faniel, who was in on eight tackles and had a sack. “And then we’ve got the secondary. They’re going to give us more time because they’re clamping stuff.” Said Woolfolk: “They get pressure on the quarterback. Quarterbacks don’t like pres-

sure at all. I know myself. Once they get pressure, some balls go off anywhere, and that’s when we take advantage of it.” On offense, Woolfolk got a lot of first-half pressure from a host of St. Christopher’s defenders, including Trent Hendrick (13 tackles), Harrison Wood (12) and Joe Sullivan (7). He was sacked several times. Woolfolk was 6 of 9 passing for 131 yards and an 11-yard TD to Haughton. Tennyson had three catches for 71 yards. David Ngendakuriyo had 101 yards rushing on 19 carries. Gary Seigler’s 39-yard field goal gave Benedictine a 17-0 lead with 1:52 left in the first half. The Saints got a long kickoff return from Nikkos Kovanes (three returns for 131 yards) and scored with 53 seconds

Shaban Athuman/Richmond Times-Dispatch

With three interceptions Saturday against rival St. Christopher’s. Benedictine defensive back and senior Jay Woolfolk (9) has six pickoffs this season.

left when Mac Grant hauled in Joshua Powell’s 18-yard pass over two defenders. The second half was all Benedictine (3-0). Woolfolk capped the scoring by taking the last interception 60 yards for a TD. “One of our big focuses this season is honoring the memo-

ry of Coach [John] Fogarty, [a Benedictine administrator, teacher and coach who died in December]. Coach always talked about humility,” Lilly said. “We’ve got some good players who are humble enough to be coached, and I think that’s a big deal.”

Bulldogs volleyball defeats Nottoway in straight sets By Nick Vandeloecht Sports Editor

After delivering a fiery, hard-fought performance in last Tuesday’s 3-1 setback to Powhatan, Goochland’s varsity volleyball team capped the week with an another incendiary showcase on Friday. This time, however, the Bulldogs emerged victorious, and they did so in front of the home fans as they defeated visiting Nottoway in straight sets (25-12, 25-17, 25-23) and rallied to win the final set on a comefrom-behind 5-0 run. “It’s always great – it’s nice to have fans that are supportive and it’s nice to have...a little more semblance of normalcy,” said Goochland head coach Rachel Jacobsen. “It’s nice to have a home game and a home win.” “It means a lot, especially senior year,” Goochland

senior Taylor Michaels said of winning in front of the fans at home. “It’s been a crazy year – like it’s hard to know what to expect anymore – so to be able to have our friends and family here, it means a lot.” Although the Bulldogs were without two key contributors on Friday – Nina Smith and Audrey Dolan – they showcased their depth and had several players, among them Ella Walton, Laura Lee Baldwin, and Jasmine Price, contributing to the rotation. Libero Blair Bussells once again honed in on serves and hard-hit attacks with her quickness and received several shots on low and diving dig attempts. She racked up 24 digs on Friday. Nova Wonderling, Layla Ford, senior Taylor Michaels and sophomore setter Nicole Brown contributed to the booming attacks that Goochland slammed to Nottoway’s

court throughout the match. Wonderling, who was firing lasers with her swing, led the team with 7 kills, while Ford had 5 and Michaels had 3. Michaels also broke an 11-all tie in the first set with a kill, and from there, she served for 10 consecutive points to help Goochland rocket away from the visitors to win the set in dominant fashion. “It’s a very mental game, so you have to be in a good mental state and know that: you’ve done this a million times... just because the score’s weird, or you’re in a weird situation, doesn’t mean that you have to give up,” Michaels said. “You just keep pushing.” Michaels led the team with 7 aces. Goochland setter Marina Stratiou also served for a long stretch of points in the second set, and she showed her

Nick Vandeloecht/Goochland Gazette

Goochland’s Nova Wonderling serves an ace to tie Friday’s third set versus Nottoway.

versatility with 6 assists and 4 digs alongside fellow setter Nicole Brown, who, in addition to going after blocks and kills, totaled 5 assists on the evening. Goochland secured the victory in the second set when Layla Ford arched a serve over

the defenders who were expecting it go out-of-bounds and saw the ball land inside the backline for the ace and set point. Nottoway led Goochland 6-0 in the third set and was two points away from forcing a fourth with a 23-20 lead. But after the visitors served out, Nova Wonderling went back to serve for Goochland. And with her hammering swing, she did not miss. With no timeouts, no substitutes and no options, the junior rocked the jump serve in the final stretch as she served up four straight points and catapulted Goochland past Nottoway for the 25-23 set win, with the opposing team unable to return any of her four serves. She ended the night with 6 aces. “It’s mental toughness,” Jacobsen said of Wonderling. “She’s a hard worker. She’s focused. She’s ready to play at

all times, and that’s something I really appreciate about her.” Jacobsen feels that the team, which improved to 5-1 after Friday’s win, is progressing well. “Especially being able to play a whole game down two starters, it’s a really great place to be at, especially moving towards the end of the season,” Jacobsen said. “I think we’re doing a lot better than we thought we might have done,” Michaels said, noting how they lost several seniors from last year, “so this year was going to be a building year, but we’ve pulled together, and I think we’ve all been connecting really well, and that’s helped a lot with our playing.” With four games remaining, Goochland will next host Central Lunenburg on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Thursday

March 25, 2021

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

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Goochland XC runners sweep boys, girls races Staff Reports

Goochland’s cross country teams swept the boys and girls races featuring Amelia and Cumberland in last Wednesday’s home meet at Goochland High School. Jack Hoffler won the boys race in 19:06, and four Goochland runners placed in the top five. Luke Farkas took second (19:49), Amelia’s Jalen Medley ran third (19:55), David Johnson grabbed fourth (19:59), and Drew Meiller finished fifth (20:15). Grace Juran won the girls race in 21:52, and her teammates Megan Reid (22:50), Elizabeth Owens (22:58), Anna Gagnon (23:17), and Anneliese Rogerson (23:52) helped make it an all-Gooch-

land top five. Goochland’s Cody Ware (20:48), Grayson Cagwin (21:27), and Ben McCray (21:33) finished eighth through 10th in the boys race. Remaining finishers from Goochland’s boys team in the 18-man race were Anthony Esposito (21:51), Jonah Bruce (22:45), Will Browning (23:35), Max Nichols (26:15), Michael Mullen (26:29), and Jacob Pudwill (26:41). Finishing sixth through eighth in the girls race for Goochland were Maggie Goodman (25:51), Taylor Gagnon (26:09), and Caroline Black (26:50). Remaining girls finishers for Goochland were Leah Kelley (27:29) in 11th and Ginna Boggs (27:57) in 13th Photos by Nick Vandeloecht/Goochland Gazette Goochland’s Jack Hoffler (from left), Grace Juran, Luke Farkas and Megan Reid run to the finish in Wednesday’s meet. out of 21 runners.

Doczi continued from >10

Nick Vandeloecht/Goochland Gazette

Goff leads golfers Goochland senior Kyle Goff, seen chipping the ball onto the green in a March 11 home match versus Amelia at Hermitage Country Club, earned co-medalist honors with a low score of 40 as he led Goochland (169) in defeating Randolph-Henry (177) and hosting team Central Lunenburg (229) on March 17. Joining Goff in Goochland’s top four were sophomore Matthew Floegel (41) and freshmen Luke Manno (44) and Will Gravely (44).

added that being a center under Connor Duncan and Justin Hawk and carrying on that legacy is “big shoes to fill, because they did a fantastic job.” In his two-and-a-half years on varsity, he and his Goochland teammates have gone 30-3 with two regional championships, two state semifinals appearances, and one state runner-up finish after playing in the 2018 final. In addition to leading the young offensive line at the center position, Ayden is “very ecstatic” to be playing on the defensive line this spring. Ayden has been playing football ever since he was 4 years old, and he’s been around it even longer; when he was born, his brothers were playing up through GYAA. He was also around baseball just as long. For football, he was a ball boy here and there, and his mom was the mascot in the 2012 state championship season. She’s also

a substitute teacher at Goochland High School and runs the GHS Athletic Boosters program. With football, Ayden loves that it’s a brotherhood. “Especially growing up with all these guys, we love the fact that we get to go out there and compete every Friday or Saturday,” Ayden said, “and just go out there and play our hearts out.” Motivating him and pushing him forward along the way have been his teammates Anthony Holland and Will Stratton, who grew up with him. “My dad considers both of them kind of like sons,” Ayden said, “and I consider them my brothers.” In wrestling, Ayden started around third or fourth grade. He said he was the first eighth grader to come through Goochland, as well as the first to ever win a match. His high school career culminated in a stellar senior season in the 285-pound heavyweight division. He achieved a third-place finish in regionals.

“That was a really surreal moment when, in the regional tournament this year, I was like: Man, I went from an eighth grader to win a match, barely on varsity, and then able to place third in the region as a captain,” Ayden said. “I was bummed that it was over, but it was a blessing in disguise, that: Hey, I’m taking a step to my next chapter.” He added that Coach Jeremy Wampler told him that he had a good career, and to know that, if Ayden were to ever want to come back and help, there would be a spot for him. Wrestling was huge for the growth of Ayden’s athletic career. “It helped me realize that: It doesn’t matter how big you are. It doesn’t matter how strong you are. It’s all about work ethic,” Ayden said, “because, wrestling: It’s six minutes, you against the other guy, and it’s the hardest six minutes of your life.” Being a multisport athlete helped him see flaws in himself that he strives to improve upon to

this day. “Baseball-wise, it’s that levelheadedness, and then wrestling, it’s just: how much can you push yourself? How much can you push your teammates to strive to be better?” Ayden said. “That’s one of the reasons why I love playing multiple sports. Wrestling got me stronger; even though I did lose weight and I got a little skinnier, it made me use muscles I never thought I had before. Baseball, it’s the same thing: you use your core, everything pitching-wise: legs, arms. It gives me a little more muscular endurance in my shoulders and arms, and that’s why I’m able to use my hands in blocking and everything, especially with wrestling.” At VMI, Ayden is looking forward to making new friends, learning what the college coaches have to give him, and experiencing a different type of football. “I’m just excited to get there,” he said. “It’s a huge weight off of my shoulders…I know where I’m going; now I can focus on it and just get ready for that life.”

Thursday

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March 25, 2021 THURSDAY EVENING 4 PM 4:30 5 PM

Since 1955