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2021 Prep basketball: The Ville Classic at Mechanicsville 5:30 p.m./7:15 p.m.
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2021 College baseball Rosemont at Randolph-Macon 7:00 p.m.
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Hawk boys, girls split in Bird Cage fi nals
By Rob Witham for Th e Local
HANOVER — It didn’t take long for Hanover girls basketball to realize when they were on the floor against Powhatan in the “Battle in the Bird Cage” girls basketball championship Wednesday night at Hanover High School that they were, in essence, looking in the mirror.
With a similar playing style, the Indians seemed a step faster and a bit hungrier as they raced out to a 24-12 lead after the first period and kept the Hawks at bay for a 63-42 victory to not only seize the championship trophy, but to hand Hanover its first loss of the season.
It’s also more probable than possible that these two teams will see each other again come Region 4B playoff time in midFebruary. For Hanover head coach David Butler, it’s better to make the mistakes now, and be more prepared when it matters most.
“They honestly outran us; something that we’re not used to,” Butler said. “I don’t think it stunned us, but it caught us off guard to watch someone else beat us down the floor when we’re usually beating everybody else.”
The hustle was displayed on both sides of the floor by Powhatan, whose roster consists of just nine players. But their conditioning is at midseason form and was, in great part, why the Indians were able to use multiple transitional situations to build the early lead.
It also didn’t help that Hanover (8-1) struggled mightily from the floor in the second quarter, scoring just six points, four of them late, to cut a 20-point deficit down to sixteen, with Powhatan leading 34-18 at the break.
The second half was more evenly played, which played to the advantage of Powhatan, happy to trade basket for basket. Hali Harris scored a team-high 14 points for the Hawks, while Campbell Doughty scored 11 and Kayla Ford added eight.
Harris and Ford were named to the All-Tournament Team, as were Most Valuable Player Faith Henderson of Powhatan, who led all scorers with 18 points, and teammates Kayla Terry, who scored 11, and Katherine Cerullo, who added nine.
Corynn Lampman also scored in double figures for the Indians with a 13-point performance.
As a team, Hanover shot just 33% (8-of-24) from the free throw line, adding to its offensive woes. It was the first time this season that the Hawks did not score at least 50 points.
“We settled for the threeball too much, and by the way we realized we could penetrate, drive and take it to the rack, it was too late,” Butler noted. “It
Joel Klein for The Local
Hanover junior center Tori Sperry eyes the basket as Dinwiddie’s Sadie Hudson defends in the Hawks’ 63-30 win in the fi rst round of the Battle of the Bird Cage on Dec. 21.
see BIRD CAGE, pg. 16 The Mechanicsville Local December 29, 2021 15
Continued from pg. 15
was almost like getting a lump of coal for Christmas. We were excited, we were loose, ready — and shots just didn’t fall.”
It doesn’t get any easier for Hanover, as the surprise team of Region 4B, the Mechanicsville Mustangs, await them when action resumes for the Hawks on Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, on the road. That’s a long time to have to chew on a disappointing loss. How these Hawks respond could go a long way to writing the narrative for the rest of their season.
Meanwhile, the Hanover boys captured a trophy, but in a different way. With the Powhatan boys a last-minute scratch for the tournament due to COVID-19 protocols, the Hawks, Dinwiddie and King George played a round-robin affair. After wresting away a 55-51 victory over the Generals in their first game, Hanover needed a win over the Foxes for the Bird Cage crown.
“We still have a long way to go,” said Hanover head coach Rob Rice. “Our next step will be consistency.”
And consistency certainly played a big role in the Hawks’ 56-44 victory over King George to complete the 2-0 sweep and win the tournament trophy. In winning their third straight game to go into the new year with a 6-2 record, the Hawks found balanced scoring and timely defense.
That defense is so important for a team that is currently averaging just over 53 points per game. Hanover is 6-0 when scoring 50 or more, 0-2 when they don’t.
“We challenged our players to get at least three consecutive stops at least twice per quarter,” Rice explained. “We were very close to getting that on Thursday. We also did a good job boxing out and limiting King George to one shot.”
Hanover built a seven-point halftime lead and extended it to 10 after three periods. Boston College baseball commit Owen DeShazo continued a strong senior campaign on the hardwood with a 20-point performance, while fellow senior Charlie Rohr added 16. Tournament MVP Beau Sahnow added nine points, while Will Krickovic had six.
All four players earned AllTournament Team honors for the Hawks.
Speaking of similar opponents, the boys find one next on their schedule when they travel to Glen Allen next Tuesday to open the 2022 part of their schedule. The Jaguars are also 6-2, 6-0 when they score 55 or more points, 0-2 when they don’t.
After that, it’s a trip to Mechanicsville, and, with all four county teams now residing in Region 4B, when it comes to postseason hopes, you need every Friday night rivalry win you can get, especially on the road.
Rob Witham can be reached at sports@mechlocal.com.
Joel Klein for The Local
Left, Hanover center Owen Deshazo shoots over Dinwiddie’s Daniel Rose in the Hawks’ 55-51 victory in the fi rst round of the Battle in the Bird Cage tournament on Dec. 31. Above, Hanover junior guard Meredith Atkinson battles almost the entire Dinwiddie grls team as she puts up shot in the Hawks’ 63-30 win.
Ex-PH athlete fi nds the world’s a dance stage
By Christina Amano Dolan for Th e Local
In the early fall following his high school graduation, former Patrick Henry High School athlete Dylan Schloss set off for Dubai, ready to take center stage with one of the world’s most prestigious Irish dance groups.
Schloss had been accepted to tour with Riverdance at the 2020 World Expo in Dubai, an event that had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With countries from all over the world gathering to share their cultures in the expo, Riverdance is representing Ireland in dance.
Schloss, first hearing of the Riverdance tour in Dubai, talked to his parents about auditioning. He decided it “didn’t hurt to throw [his] name in the hat” and submitted a clip of his dancing. After several weeks of waiting and eventually meeting with the troupe’s executive producer, he was offered a position.
“I was shocked and I was astonished. I couldn’t believe it,” Schloss said. “It’s like the original, most prestigious dance show. It’s like the NFL of Irish dance basically.”
Out of over 500 young men who auditioned, Schloss was one of the few selected. He toured with the troupe for about a month and returned home at the end of November.
Jessie Baffa, Schloss’ dance teacher and his “biggest motivator and influence” in dance, said it was a surreal moment when she heard of his acceptance into Riverdance. Baffa and her sister had previously toured with Riverdance for many years.
“That’s the main goal for an Irish dancer because that’s the top,” Baffa said. “That’s the professional level.”
While his acceptance into the troupe is his most recent milestone, Schloss has taken impressive strides in the world of Irish dancing over the years.
Schloss was first introduced to Irish dancing when he was about 5 years old, attending a performance with his sister and mother. After watching his sister first join the sphere of competitive Irish dancing, his mother eventually signed him up for a beginner class at the same school. His first competition took place in the winter of 2012 when he was 9 years old.
“It really just accelerated from there until I made it to the highest level of competition you could get,” Schloss said.
Schloss has since competed in numerous Irish dance competitions around the world, including the All-Ireland Championships and the World Championships. He has travelled to Scotland, Ireland and Canada for worldwide competitions and across the country for regional competitions.
While Schloss spent many hours training for Irish dance competitions every week, he additionally juggled schoolwork with many other sports he took on. Schloss played for his school’s varsity football team and baseball team, driving straight from practice to his dance academy after school.
“Being at that high level with dance, usually you don’t do other sports, usually you are just training with dance,” Baffa said. “So the fact that he was so successful in his other sports as well as dance, it just goes to show how talented he is and how hardworking and driven he is.”
As Schloss has been competing internationally for a number of years, the young dancer has learned to overcome defeat.
In the months leading up to the 2019 World Championships, Schloss competed in the AllIreland Championships with disheartening results. He placed 14 out of more than 20 boys in his age group.
“I remember sitting in the auditorium after I got my award and I was just crying,” Schloss said. “I was just overcome with disappointment, and I knew something had to change.”
Schloss said a “switch flipped” when he returned to America, and he began vigorously training in the six weeks leading up to his next competition. When he returned for the World Championships, he placed sixth in the world with the highest individual score.
“It was phenomenal. I mean I went out there and I literally just left everything I could on the floor, I danced my heart out,” Schloss said. “And I really just couldn’t have been happier with the result. It was pretty surreal.”
Baffa said it was “one of the best moments of [her] life” when Schloss placed sixth.
“You don’t have to try to pull the passion out of him, it’s just there,” Baffa said. “And no matter what happened resultwise, no matter what happened with any hardships throughout dance, he would just use it as motivation.”
Schloss said since he is now in the circuit of Riverdance dancers, there is a chance he will be called back to tour with the troupe again. He said he will most likely accept and tour for as long as he can.
“Honestly I never thought dance was something I was going to do my whole life,” Schloss said. “But it’s definitely not going to last forever. When you get an opportunity to go to a foreign country, dance and meet new people . . . that stuff is limited. I’m going to be an old man one day. I’m not going to be able to do all that stuff. So I figured why not do it and capitalize on this opportunity?”
Christina Amano Dolan can be reached at sports@mechlocal. com.
Courtesy of Jennifer Schloss
