Bates hopes to shape new identity with lacrosse program

ROBBY FLETCHER

Editor

Sports

Like many of the teams kicking off their new seasons in the year 2023, the Powhatan boys lacrosse team is taking a new direction forward with freshly anointed head coach Sean Bates leading the way.

Last year’s Indians were the definition of resilient, always fighting back from big deficits, hardly letting games lose control and coming away with a wellearned 6-5 regional record and 7-9 overall record, with the season coming to an end against an overwhelming Hanover Hawks team in the postseason.

A lot of that resilience had to do with the senior class featuring Hayden Somerville, Davis Bean, Slater Smith, Adam Camp, Asher Timberlake, Connor Jeffs and Connor Barrett. That senior class was a special one, with many of those guys playing with each other all the way down to their little league days.

Both Somerville and Barrett ended their Powhatan careers with All-Metro nods after leading the charge for the team and figuring out how to replace Somerville’s scoring impact and Barrett’s consistency on the defensive end will be key questions to solve early in the season.

With six starters gone from last year’s squad, the Indians bring back a core four of seniors Connor Walters and Parker Unmussig and juniors Luka Blevins and Thomas

Menting to lead the way.

Walters is coming off an excellent junior season that ended with an All-Metro honorable mention and will be tasked with being the face of the offense. Acting as both a sniper in his own right with 42 goals as well as a set-up man for guys like Somerville, Walters operated as one of Powhatan’s most important figures on offense last year. Now, he’s likely the most important.

Walters will have help in leading the attack, with Blevins returning to step into an even bigger role himself. Blevins was also a reliable scoring presence for the Indians last season, utilizing his speed with the ball and ability to weave through defenders to help set the offense up. He finished his second season with 32 goals, a number that a betting man would likely say is on the rise with increased responsibility. Senior Jack Connelly also returns after contributing on last year’s offense, giving the Indians another weapon to utilize as they set up their offense near the circle.

In the midfield, Unmussig will hold down the fort, coming off a 15-goal junior season and contributing to last year’s most successful moments as a balanced, do-it-all figure. Menting also takes the role as the long stick midfielder. He’ll be asked to do a lot defensively for the Indians, as well as take the role as a constant communicator keeping the midfield and defense on the same page.

In his inaugural season with the team, Bates says the team has demonstrated a strong sense of camaraderie, with communication being key and the feeling of “buying in” to the new philosophies of their coach and his system helping prepare them to compete and make some noise in 2023.

Powhatan’s season opens up with games against Douglas S. Freeman and Midlothian in its opening week, with the Midlothian matchup coming on Wednesday, March 15 at home with the game starting at 7 p.m.

Robby Fletcher can be reached at rfletcher@powhatantoday.com.

C&F Bank’s Athleteof the Week C& FBa nk AthleteoftheWeek

BasketballStandout

WHO: MATTHENDERSON

WHATHE DID: PowhatansophomoreMatt

He nd e rson wascom me nd edfor an excellentsecondseasonwiththeboys basketballteamthispastweek,being featuredontheAll-Regionsecond team.

HendersonwasoneofPowhatan’s mostrelieduponscorersthisseason, oftenplayingtheforwardposition,but occasionallyrunningdownlowasthebig insmaller,perimeter-focusedlineups.He concludedYear2averaging18points pergame,7.3rebounds,2.2assistsand shooting44.1%fromthefield.

Thankstotheeffortsofguyslike

H ender son an dPowhatan’stal en ted seniorclassfeaturingAustinHurt,Paul Bonner,OscarWhitelyandJackDeBord, theIndiansfinishedwithan8-15record, atwo-winimprovementfromlastyear.

Hendersonwillreturnnextyear asacorememberofarosterbanking heavilyonitsunderclassmentostepinto theshoesofasolidseniorclass.

It took extra innings in a riveting regional semifinals matchup between Powhatan and King George to decide who earned a trip to last year’s Class 4 State Tournament. The Foxes were able to come away with that honor with a 4-3 victory, ending Powhatan’s season and seeing multiple seniors put on their jersey for the last time.

It was a tough pill to swallow for the Indians, who emerged as a regional favorite early on thanks to a blend of experienced starters, fast-rising underclassmen and one of the most respected coaching staffs in the area.

With that in the past, the Indians now look ahead with a team featuring multiple returning players in new positions, a talented bullpen headlined by Madalyn Johnson and a group of newcomers that’ll be expected to step into large roles immediately.

Head coach Marie Crump says the team’s pitching will be an immediate area of strength to point to that should allow the team’s overall younger roster to grow while on the field. Johnson, a junior, is coming off an exceptional sophomore season that showcased her as a player that’s clearly got college-level talent on the mound. Johnson quickly earned the attention of colleges in the biggest conferences in the country after earning a first team All-Metro nod and tossing 214 strikeouts with just 70 allowed hits against 508 batters. She verbally committed to James Madison earlier in her junior year.

Next to Johnson as the team’s next top pitching option is returning junior Mackenzie Flora, who won two games last year while tossing 19 strikeouts without allowing a single walk. The addition of freshman Brooklynn Narbut rounds out the pitching unit for the Indians.

Offensively, the starting lineup is a question mark up to this point, with Powhatan’s two scrimmages acting as auditions