[New] Powhatan’s top sports stories of 2022

ROBBY FLETCHER Sports Editor

The year 2022 was excellent for the sports community of Powhatan. With multiple teams putting up program-best seasons, first-time appearances in the state tournament and the types of athletic accomplishments that brought the community together, there was a great deal to choose from for this year’s list of top stories, but only 10 were singled out for the impact they had in Powhatan.

1. Mitchell Johnson claims state title glory

Topping the list is the underdog story of Mitchell Johnson taking the 195-pound VHSL Class 4 state championship crown in his first full season of wrestling at Powhatan.

In his four matches during the tournament, three of them were decided by two points or less, including multi-overtime battles in the semifinal and championship matches. Johnson ran the gauntlet by perfectly executing the art of the escape, earning multiple crunchtime points through the method.

After beating Deep Creek’s David Adjepong with a 39-second pin in the opening round, Johnson carried that momentum into a thrilling quarterfinals matchup with Loudoun Valley’s Brendan Hartley.

His semifinal victory over Great Bridge senior Jared Williams saw him battle back from two deficits, one in the final minute of the third period and the other in the first overtime. Both were tied up with an escape as Johnson won with a game-winning point in a sudden death 30-second third overtime. 2. Powhatan girls lacrosse has program-defining season

In the final against Dominion’s Jimenez Jacob, Johnson scored the first points of the match through yet another escape in the second period, but Jacob tied things up with a penalty point late in the third.

What happened next will be remembered forever in Powhatan wrestling history, as Johnson won the intense match with yet another escape to cap off an incredible run that left him as the last man standing.

“I don’t think it really hit me until I got off the mat. It started to sink in that man, that just happened, and you realize that this doesn’t happen for everyone. I was truly blessed,” he said.

Johnson, a multi-sport athlete, is currently a running back for the Emory & Henry Wasps football team.

Powhatan’s girls lacrosse team did what no other team in the program’s history has ever done, reaching the VHSL Class 4 state tournament for the first time ever while going undefeated all the way to the Region 4B Championship game.

Led by head coach Laura Camp, the Indians were 14-0 before their first loss came in the regional championship game against Western Albemarle. 3. Faith Henderson becomes girls basketball’s alltime leading scorer, leads team to state quarterfinals

Led by marquee scorers like Jordan Krauss, Kate Adams and Kendall McMullin, the Indians were a dominant force in the Dominion District, scoring 20 or more goals on eight different occasions.

“I want them to be really proud of what they’ve accomplished this season,” head coach Laura Camp said after the region final.

Now with the 2022-23 season approaching, the Indians are looking to build off that success and become a powerhouse program within the district.

Faith Henderson’s final season with the Powhatan girls basketball team was one for the history books, as she capped off a historic career as an Indian by becoming the team’s all-time leading scorer while leading them to their first ever appearance in the VHSL Class 4 state tournament.

Henderson became the leading scorer just before the VHSL Class 4, Region B Tournament kicked off, with the star forward scoring her 1,276th point late in a game against the Mechanicsville Mustangs that passed the record previously held by Montiera “Monty” Johnson, who had