[New] Chesed Russell commits to Bluefield

ROBBY FLETCHER Sports Editor

One of Powhatan’s top volleyball players is taking her talents to the next level.

Indians senior Chesed Russell announced on Dec. 16 that she has committed to Bluefield University to continue her academic and volleyball career.

“So thankful God has blessed me with this opportunity and for everyone who has made this next step possible,” Russell said in a statement announcing her commitment on Twitter.

Russell, who started the season as a middle hitter and later moved to outside hitter, was instrumental to Powhatan’s success this year as they finished with a 14-8 overall record and an 11-4 regional record with an appearance in the regional quarterfinals.

Now she heads to Bluefield to play with the Rams, who compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and finished with a 22-10 record this season, making it to the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals. They are coached by Buddy Gallemore, who took over at the program in 2015.

Russell was one of Powhatan’s primary scoring threats in front of the net in her senior year, consistently leading or near the top of the team’s stat sheets for most kills in a game.

After making the switch to outside hitter late in September, it was one of a few positional changes that head coach Cindy Bryant says helped the team play some of their best volleyball of the season. In her first game at the new position against Manchester, Russell led the team with 12 kills as the Indians time working with the Powhatan community.

Yes, it’s been over a year now since I took on this job, which is a pretty wild concept to me. When I was fully onboard and ready to go out and cover games, the winter sports season was just starting up. Powhatan wrestling, basketball and indoor track were just getting underway, and with those sports now in full swing this year, I’ve come full circle.

Every season and every batch of new teams to cover presented a new challenge and opportunity for me to learn something about these student-athletes, coaches and the sports that they play. Now, there’s familiarity, which is quite honestly just as exciting.

I can wholeheartedly say I’m incredibly lucky to work and interact with an amazing and helpful selection of coaches in Powhatan. These are people that make my job easier, my stories more in-depth to the reader and my time in the area more enjoyable.

Now that there is that year of familiarity, those relationships and those times after games spent talking with these coaches feel more valuable. Even when I stumble through a question or ramble to the point of losing sight of what I was even trying to ask, I have coaches I can trust to salvage that unceasing half-question and provide me with the details that make a story interesting to the reader and provide a glimpse into their minds and what makes their team run the way that it does.

Even after a year, I know there’s a lot more to learn as a writer, but I am still so proud of the stories I’ve been able to tell to this point. There’s this feeling I get when I’m driving home from a game or after an interview where I just want to run to my computer and start typing the ledes that my brain spits out while sitting at a stoplight. That feeling has been happening quite a lot over the last year, and it’s one of the best feelings you can get as a writer.

Pure inspiration. There’s nothing like it.

In Year 2, I expect those moments to come out just as much as I work through the rest of the winter and the upcoming spring sports season. The goal this time is to provide even better coverage and understanding of these teams and the players that make them what they are.

All this just to say, thank you to everyone who has ever pitched a story, has been a part of a story or has worked with me to make these stories more engrossing to the reader. To everyone who has reached out with concerns, criticisms or praise, you too have been instrumental to making this sports section better.

This was in all honesty the hardest year of my life, but this job and this community made things a lot better. I lost my sister Sara about two weeks after I started this job and there were times where it was difficult to find the motivation to approach a competitive game with the same enthusiasm. It wasn’t easy being out in the field while my family was at home working together to raise the three kids my sister left behind. As a matter of fact it was the farthest thing from easy.

But more often than not, it was actually therapeutic in a way to be sitting courtside and just focusing on a game of basketball and the stories that arose from those four quarters of play. If not for this job and the wonderful colleagues I work with, it would have likely been a lot harder.

But now as the new year approaches, it’s time to look forward to what I can do to enhance the sports culture in Powhatan and make the community proud of its local news source. I am so lucky to be given the chance to make this paper better. It’s been a wonderful experience being the sports editor of Powhatan Today, or “the guy from the newspaper” as I was once referred to as by someone who walked by me after a boys lacrosse game. Either title works for me honestly. Next time you see me sitting on the gymnasium floor with a camera in hand, don’t hesitate to stop by and say hello or pitch a story idea my way. There’s no such thing as a bad story idea. As long as it gives me the opportunity to explore another aspect of this sports community, I’ll always take you up on it. robby Fletcher can be reached at rfletcher@ powhatantoday.com.

From B1 held the record at 1,269 points. Johnson set the record in 2015. 4. Powhatan boys soccer has first state tournament appearance in 25 years 5. Hakeem Abdul-Saboor makes second Olympic appearance

Soon after, Henderson and the Indians booked a trip to the state tournament after finishing as the regional runner-up. In the state quarterfinals, Henderson scored 20 points in her last appearance at Powhatan as they fell to King’s Fork, 71-52.

Henderson was named the regional player of the year and a first-team All-State, All-Metro and All-Region honoree. She is now in her first season with the Christopher Newport Captains, where she has logged 109 minutes in her first 11 games.

Much like their colleagues on the girls basketball and lacrosse teams, the Powhatan boys soccer team had one of the most memorable seasons in school history.

The Indians, led by head coach Willie Miles, earned their first VHSL Class 4 state tournament bid since 1995 after the team finished with a 17-4-1 record and nearly came away with a regional title.

In the region final, Powhatan hosted Chancellor in a classic that featured multiple storm delays and an overtime finish that ended with Chancellor pulling away in a 2-1 finish.

Days later, the Indians participated in an even closer finish in the state quarterfinals against Region 4A champs Great Bridge. The game went scoreless after regulation and a thrilling overtime stretch that had the Indians playing down a man for the entirety of it, but the game was decided by a nail-biting penalty shootout that nearly resulted in a semifinals appearance for the Indians.

In 2022-23, the Indians will look to get back to that main stage led by the scoring talents of senior Fischer Daniel, goalie Tucker Thomas and a defense led by senior Paul Bonner.

Powhatan native Hakeem Abdul-Saboor represented his country at the 2022 Beijing Olympics while competing in multiple bobsled events.

It was Abdul-Saboor’s second time representing the United States for bobsledding, as he also competed in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. 6. Powhatan wrestling wins back-to-back region titles

In 2022, he placed 13th in the 2-man event and 14th in the 4-man bobsled competition.

Pairing with Frank Delduca in the 2-man, the two were the only Americans to make the 20-team field for the 2-man competition and in their performance at the Yanqing National Sliding Centre on Feb. 15, they recorded a final time of 4:00.10, 3.21 seconds behind gold medalists Francesco Friedrich and Thorsten Margis, who hail from Germany.

In the 4-man event, Abdul-Saboor competed alongside Delduca, Carlo Valdes and James Reed. The 34-year-old Powhatan native was the youngest competitor of the bunch and helped the team improve on the 2018 result with a time of 3:57.65, 3.35 seconds behind first place.

Before starting his bobsled career, Abdul-Saboor was a multi-sport athlete at Powhatan, competing in the long jump, triple jump, shot put, discus, hurdles and the 100 and 200-meter dash. He focused his talents on football when he went to UVA-Wise, where he was a standout running back that finished his career fifth in school history in rushing touchdowns with 31 scores.

Winning one region wrestling title is hard enough, but Powhatan’s wrestling team took it one step further, running through the competition to win its second consecutive title and book a trip to the state tournament yet again.

The Indians had three wrestlers win their weight class tournaments in Luke Wells, Britton Proffitt and Mitchell Johnson.

It was a landslide victory for Powhatan too, with the team pulling out 214.5 team points by the end of the tournament. In comparison, second place finisher Eastern View finished up with 194 points.

Senior Dylan Coward also placed second at the tournament, while Talon Harness and Adam Camp took home third place honors to help the Indians to victory.

This year, the Indians look to win their third consecutive crown in the region. They’ve started the season off with a senior night victory over Dinwiddie, a sixth place finish in the Mechanicsville Holiday Classic and a third place finish in the Cosby-hosted Titans Invitational. 7. BSH makes its second consecutive appearance in the state championship 8. Parker Sloan is named VA Gatorade Player of the Year

After entering the season with a target on their back as the reigning state champs, the Blessed Sacrament Huguenot Knights football team overcame the odds and returned back to the state championship yet again in 2022 with a chance at their second title in as many seasons.

The Knights ultimately lost that final in a 35-20 game against Brunswick Academy, but the season was a success as they finished with a 7-4 record and big wins over Broadwater, Kenston Forest and Greenbrier Christian Academy.

“A lot of people left us out for dead, and people were thinking we’d go .500 or something, but we surprised some people,” head coach Gary Brock said.

The Knights were led to the championship match thanks to monster seasons by players like running back Hunter Case, tight end and edge rusher David Mann and running back Will Fichter.

Having been on the team since he was an eighth grader, Parker Sloan developed into the face of the Powhatan soccer team through hard work, constant practice sessions and a lot of beautiful goals.

In his final season at Powhatan, Sloan was instrumental to the team’s success, scoring 35 goals and chipping in 17 assists as they made it down to the state quarterfinals. For his efforts, Sloan was not only named the Region 4B Player of the Year, but the

VA Gatorade Player of the Year as well.

“We can rave about his attributes, his stats, everything, but that is one of the most complete individuals that I’ve ever met in my life,” head coach Willie Miles said. “He’s got the wisdom of a young adult, he’s got the physical attributes that will get him going at the D1 level and he has that focus and that drive.” 9. Krauss’ two goals upset Atlee in field hockey thriller

Sloan recently finished his first season with the University of Virginia soccer team, who ranked No. 11 in the country entering the NCAA Tournament.

The Powhatan field hockey team had an excellent season, capped by a regional runner-up finish and an appearance in the Class 4 State Quarterfinals, but one particular highlight of the season came on Sept. 29 in a matchup against the Atlee Raiders, a field hockey juggernaut in the region.

Battling down to the wire and down by a single goal in the final seconds of regulation, sophomore Erica Krauss displayed true heroics by putting a shot through the back of the net with just 13 seconds left, sending the game to overtime. There, Krauss was again the one taking control, weaving through defenders to set up a oneon-one with the goalie, which she won and sent the Indians past the Raiders for a huge upset.

“To win a game against any team is a great feeling, but being able to come together like we did in the last quarter and into the double overtime was surreal,” Krauss said.

The Raiders entered the contest allowing just four goals through eight games and no more than one goal in a single game, making the 10. Steve Washburn and Paulette Bowman return to the Powhatan bench as a wrestling rookie.

Indians a rare team to get in their way.

The two teams met again in the region finals, where Atlee got its revenge in a close 1-0 finish to win the title at Henrico High School.

Powhatan girls basketball received big news during the offseason after head coach Kristy Henderson announced she was leaving the position. The program saw the return of two significant figures in Powhatan basketball with Steve Washburn and Paulette Bowman returning to the sideline to coach this year’s team and build off a successful 2021-22 season.

Washburn, now the head coach, brought with him 13 years as the head coach of the boys team, which included the 2006-07 Southside District regular season title, the first in program history in 50 years.

“I just thought the program was in a really good position, and I thought it was a good time for me to get in with a well-established program that [Kristy Henderson] built up and work with them and hopefully continue to have the success that she’s already developed,” Washburn said after he was announced as the new head coach.

With Washburn also comes Bowman, another major figure in Powhatan athletics.

Bowman has decades of experience as an all-around coach that worked not only with Powhatan’s girls basketball team, but also with the school’s cheerleading and track and field programs as well.

So far this year, the Indians hold a 5-4 record and a 2-4 regional record.

Devereaux’s love for trying new sports stems from a desire to be a collegiate athlete, and while she’s found she’s enjoyed her time in different sports like hockey, it’s in wrestling that she says she’s found her right fit.

“I’ve always wanted to continue my athletic career outside of high school, and I was taking a ton of different chances to find the perfect fit and I finally did,” she said.

“I love hockey as much as I do wrestling, but I thought I’d have more of a future in wrestling.”

Lyla’s mom Angela says they have always encouraged Lyla and her sister to branch out and try new things to see what catches their eye. When Lyla started learning how to ice skate at 4 years old, Angela noticed Lyla’s love for entertaining, maybe seeing her one day become a figure skater or working at Disney on Ice. By the time she was 8 years old, the idea she might be into hockey or other sports started to seem like more of a possibility.

“Lyla has always been extremely active, and I just wanted her to channel it into anything she wanted to try,” Angela Devereaux said.

Both Angela and her husband David shared that active quality their daughter has, with David playing football in college and up to the semi-pro level with the Virginia Ravens. He even got to coach his daughter when she played. They’d spend time outside of practice working on plays, practicing in the backyard and further developing a father-daughter bond that seamlessly transitioned into a coachplayer relationship.

“She is eager to learn and goes all in,” David Devereaux said. “In football and other sports, I have felt proud, scared and excited to see her play. No matter what male-dominated sport she participated in, I feel like she has the respect of her teammates by being an athlete and having a good attitude.” shelteronChristmas.IpromiseI’vebeena

Now in the middle of her first year of varsity wrestling, Devereaux has a long journey with wrestling as she aims to continue her development in the program and get to the point of attracting colleges. As she’s shown time and time again though, this is just another point that she knows she can prove.

Didyouhearthat??SantaPawsison theway!

From B1 captured a four-set victory against the district rival.

In the team’s win over James River on Oct. 18, one of the most impressive of the year for the Indians, Russell had a monster performance, leading the team with 19 kills while they held off the Rapids in a five-set thriller at home.

Russell’s impact as a leader and as a scoring threat will undoubtedly be missed by Powhatan as it tries to replace her and the rest of a stacked senior class from this year’s team, but as she prepares to move forward with the game at the collegiate level, her time with the Indians acts as a reminder of the special things she and her teammates were able to accomplish and how she was able to grow in her time as a Powhatan Indian. robby Fletcher can be reached at rfletcher@powhatantoday.com. 2001CAMAROZ28,72kmiles,

VIRGINIA:INTHECIRCUITCOURTOFTHE COUNTYOFPOWHATAN COUNTYOFPOWHATAN,VIRGINIA, aPoliticalSubdivisionoftheCommonwealth ofVirginia, Complainant, v.

GUSMICHAUX,ETAL, Respondent(s). CaseNo.CL22-742

Orderofpublication

Theobjectofthissuitistoenforcethelienof theComplainant,CountyofPowhatan,Virginia,fordelinquentrealestatetaxesagainstcertainrealpropertylocatedintheCountyof Powhatan,Virginia,describedasfollows:

TaxMapNo.024-19 AccountNo.2147

Allofthatonecertaintractorparcelofland, togetherwiththeimprovementsthereonand appurtenancesthereuntobelonging,lyingand beinginHarrisDistrict,PowhatanCounty,Virginia,containing6.0acres,moreorless,and bearingthedesignationTaxMapNo.024-19, referencetoCountyrecordisherebymadefor amorefulldescriptionoftheproperty.

AndbeingthesamepropertyconveyedtoGus andElizaMichauxfromWileyandAdaYoung byDeeddatedFebruary6,1905,andrecorded intheClerk’sOfficeoftheCircuitCourtof PowhatanCounty,VirginiaonFebruary8,1905 inDeedBook32atPage338.

Thisdescriptionismadesubjecttoalleasements,conditions,agreements,restrictions, andreservationsofrecordwhichaffectthe propertyhereindescribed.

ITAPPEARINGthatanAffidavithasbeenmade andfiledstatingthatduediligencehasbeen used,withouteffect,toascertaintheidentity andlocationofcertainpartiestobeserved, thatthelastknownaddressesfortheRespondentshereinareasfollows:GusMichaux, whoisbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselast knownaddressisunknown;TaxMapNumber 024-19;AccountNumber2147whoselast knownaddressisunknown;ElizaDean Michaux,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedand whoselastknownaddressisunknown;Mary Michaux,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedand whoselastknownaddressisunknown;Rosa Michaux,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedand whoselastknownaddressisunknown;Martha Michaux,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedand whoselastknownaddressisunknown;MonroePalmer,whoisbelievedtobedeceased andwhoselastknownaddressisunknown; SylviaMichaux,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselastknownaddressisunknown;WinstonTinsley,whoisbelievedtobe deceasedandwhoselastknownaddressisunknown;MatthewTinsley,whoisbelievedtobe deceasedandwhoselastknownaddressisunknown;GustavusMichaux,whoisbelievedto bedeceasedandwhoselastknownaddressis unknown;EdwardMichaux,whoisbelievedto bedeceasedandwhoselastknownaddressis unknown;MariaRandolphMichaux,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselastknown addressisunknown;GeorgeEdwardMichaux, whoisbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselast knownaddressisunknown;MariaMichaux, whoisbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselast knownaddressisunknown;AnnaMichaux Heyliger,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedand whoselastknownaddressisunknown;WilliamHeyliger,whoisbelievedtobedeceased andwhoselastknownaddressisunknown; PlummerMichaux,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselastknownaddressisunknown;MarthaHenryMichaux,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselastknown addressisunknown;AnnaMichaux,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselastknown addressisunknown;PeytonWashington,who isbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselast knownaddressisunknown;PeytonWashingtonJr.,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedand whoselastknownaddressisunknown;BeatriceWashingtonHalls,whoisbelievedtobe deceasedandwhoselastknownaddressisunknown;SilasHalls,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselastknownaddressisunknown;LillianJamesWashington,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselastknown addressisunknown;JohnJames,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselastknown addressisunknown;SallieMichaux,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselastknown addressisunknown;MarshallWilliams,whois believedtobedeceasedandwhoselastknown addressisunknown;AnnaL.Williams,whois believedtobedeceasedandwhoselastknown addressisunknown;EvaWilliams,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselastknown addressisunknown;MontgomeryWilliams, whoisbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselast knownaddressisunknown;ArthurWilliams, whoisbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselast knownaddressisunknown;StephenMichaux, whoisbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselast knownaddressisunknown;NelliePittman Michaux,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedand whoselastknownaddressisunknown;StephenMichauxJr.,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselastknownaddressisunknown;VirginiaMichaux,whoisbelievedtobe deceasedandwhoselastknownaddressisunknown;HarveyL.MichauxSr.,whoisbelieved tobedeceasedandwhoselastknownaddress isunknown;AlbertaCabinessMichaux,whois believedtobedeceasedandwhoselastknown addressisunknown;HarveyL.MichauxJr., whoselastknownaddressis1315 TStreet, Richmond,Virginia23223;SamuelMichaux, whoisbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselast knownaddressisunknown;MarieBartley Michaux,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedand whoselastknownaddressisunknown;Gloria MichauxTrent,whoselastknownaddressis 2700BallsvilleRoad,Powhatan,Virginia 23139;FredArcherMichaux,whoisbelievedto bedeceasedandwhoselastknownaddressis unknown;ElizabethThorntonMichaux,whois believedtobedeceasedandwhoselastknown addressisunknown;ArcherMichaux,whois believedtobedeceasedandwhoselastknown addressisunknown;MaryLouiseBirch Michaux,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedand whoselastknownaddressisunknown;Emma Michaux,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedand whoselastknownaddressisunknown;AndrewMichaux,whoisbelievedtobedeceased andwhoselastknownaddressisunknown; AnthonyMichaux,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselastknownaddressisunknown;MinnieMichaux,whoisbelievedtobe deceasedandwhoselastknownaddressisunknown;LillianMichaux,whoisbelievedtobe deceasedandwhoselastknownaddressisunknown;MiltonSims,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselastknownaddressisunknown;BeatriceSims,whoisbelievedtobe deceasedandwhoselastknownaddressisunknown;WalterC.Sims,whoisbelievedtobe deceasedandwhoselastknownaddressisunknown;SylvesterC.Sims,whoisbelievedto bedeceasedandwhoselastknownaddressis unknown;BeverlySims,whoisbelievedtobe deceasedandwhoselastknownaddressisunknown;MaryL.SimsHarris,whoisbelievedto bedeceasedandwhoselastknownaddressis unknown;DorisJollySims,whoisbelievedto bedeceasedandwhoselastknownaddressis unknown;GarySims,whoisbelievedtobedeceasedandwhoselastknownaddressisunknown;andthatanyofficers,heirs,devisees, andsuccessorsintitleoftheRespondent namedhereinaremadepartiesRespondentto thisactionindividuallyand/orbythegeneral descriptionofPartiesUnknown,itishereby ORDERED thatthepartieshereinandallPartiesUnknownand/orwhoselocationcannot beascertainedappearonorbefore January27, 2023 intheClerk’sOfficeoftheCircuitCourtof theCountyofPowhatan,Virginia,anddowhat maybenecessarytoprotecttheirinterestsin thiscause.

Enteredonthe19thdayofDecember,2022.

IAskForThis:

TeresaHashDobbins Clerk

JohnA.Rife,Esq.(VSBNo.45805) JeffreyA.Scharf,Esq.(VSBNo.30591) MarkK.Ames,Esq.(VSBNo.27409) AndrewM.Neville,Esq.(VSBNo.86372) PaulL.LaBarr,Esq.(VSBNo.91609) GregoryL.Haynes,Esq.(VSBNo.37158) SethR.Konopasek,Esq.(VSBNo.97065) TaxingAuthorityConsultingServices,PC P.O.Box31800 Henrico,Virginia23294-1800 Phone:(804)545-2500 Facsimile:(804)545-2378 TACSNo.:659578

Noticeofpublichearing

Powhatancountyplanningcommission

Noticeisherebygiven,pursuantto §15.2-2204oftheCodeof Virginia, thatthePlanningCommissionof PowhatanCountywillconducta publichearingon Tuesday, January3,2023at6:00PMinthe Powhatan County VillageBuilding Auditorium,3910OldBuckingham Road, to considerthe following request: 22-09-CUP: Woofy Wellness (District#2: PowhatanStation/Graceland) requests aconditionalusepermit(CUP)tocreate acanine wellness facilityanddogschoolintheCommerceCenter(CC)zoningdistrict perSec83.242oftheZoningOrdinanceoftheCountyof Powhatan. Theproposeduseislocatedon TaxMap #43C-4-2intheOakridge Industrial Park.Thesiteaddressis1595StandingRidgeDr.,located southofAndersonHighway (Rt.60)and approximately0.3miles west oftheChesterfield/PowhatanCountyline.Thesubjectpropertyconsists of3.4acres.The2021Long-RangeComprehensive Plandesignatesthe subjectpropertyasGatewayBusiness..

Themeetingmaybewatchedlive by visitinghttp://powhatanva.gov/432/ Live-Stream-of-Powhatan-County-Meetings.

AllPlanningCommissionmeetingsareopentothepublicandinterested personsareencouragedto attendonthedayandtimespecified above. Copiesoftheproposedplans,ordinances,andamendmentsmaybe reviewedintheDepartmentofCommunityDevelopmentinthe PowhatanCountyAdministrationBuilding(3834OldBuckingham Road)between8:30AMand5:00PMofeach businessday. Copies ofstaffreportsareavailablepriortothePublicHearingupon request andwillbe availableonline at least five (5)dayspriortothemeeting at http://powhatanva.gov/agendacenter.Pleasecall(804)598-5621with anyquestions.