Volume 7, Issue 8

05 CHENAULT WINS COVETED AWARD

07 THE ALL-SP FALL SQUADS

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VOL 7. ISSUE 8 :: DECEMBER 31, 2015

DOWNTOWN ATHLETIC IS PROUD TO SPONSOR

THE 2015 FALL ALL-SP AWARDS CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE ATHLETES SELECTED FOR THE FALL 2015 TEAMS!

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PLAY FALL 2015

(434) 975-2704 downtownathletic.com

05 Chenault wins Coveted award

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PlAy FAll 2015

07

BULLDOGGING THROUGH Chenault wraps up 2015 with honors

07

ALL-SCRIMMAGE PLAY The fall 2015 edition

19

GAME TIME Albemarle boys win Holiday Classic

23

PUTTING ON THE FOIL, COACH Locals give back to hockey community

vol 7. issue 8 :: December 31, 2015

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Play Fall 2015 VOL 7 . ISSUE 8 :: DECEMBER 31, 2015

05

07 the all-sP Fall squads

S TA F F Bart Isley, Creative Director Bob Isley, Infrastructure Director Ryan Yemen, Creative Editor O N T H E COV E R Buckingham’s Michael Mabry M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T Local sports are the lifeblood of every community in America, and we’re here to reach beyond the basics and give compelling accounts about Central Virginia athletes to our readers.

CO N TAC T U S [ e ] info@scrimmageplay.com

Community Partnership

wfully quick this year, but we saw a handful of great football stories — the return of Orange County football,

orest’s offensive explosion, Western Albemarle and Buckingham County’s impressive regular season. In the end

Goochland volleyball and Western Albemarle boys cross country came out with state titles this autumn. As such,

ounded season with not one sport dominating the headlines, but rather a great collection of athletes kicking off

e school year. With that said, here is the first installment this year of the All-Scrimmage Play squads.

Presented by:

S tO r I e S By B A rt I S l e y A n d ryA n y e m e n t O S B y A S h l e y t h O r n t O n , J O h n B e r r y, t O m P A J e W S k I , B A r t I S l e y, r y A n y e m e n

play

Working hand in hand with Red Shoes Cville to support the Ronald McDonald House of Charlottesville.

Choose the Red Shoes Cville special at www.papajohns.com

PREGAME

Now on deck

Albemarle High has a new swim coach this season, but J.J. Bean is a familiar face on swim decks throughout Central Virginia. Bean is the longtime coach of the Fairview Swim Club and he’s also coached the Virginia Gators year-round swim club for years. Bean takes over a team that has won the last two Group 5A state titles on the girls side and there are a large pack of swimmers back that could help spur the Patriots to a threepeat. ✖ (Photo by Tom Pajewski)

03 :: @scrimmageplay

Blue Ridge’s Scott Spencer finishes off a dunk in his team’s come-from-behind win over rival St. Anne’s-Belfield. Out of the holiday break, Blue Ridge will renew it’s annual rivalry with Miller on January 12 with a road trip. STAB jumps into Prep League play out of its break. As for just about everyone else? After the holiday tournaments it’s back to the district grind with an Albemarle and Western Albemarle showdown on January 8 looming large. ✖ (Photo by Ashley Thornton)

www.scrimmageplay.com ::

PREGAME

Off to the races

04

First Quarter Bulldogging though Chenault wraps up outstanding football career

By Liz Keller

R

Goochland’s Reid Chenault owns nearly all his school’s passing records. (Ron Londen)

{ AIR GOOCHLAND } Chenault’s stats from 2015

PASSING YARDS

ATTEMPTS

1,598 182

COMPLETIONS

95

TDS

15

05 :: @scrimmageplay

eid Chenault’s first pass as the quarterback for Goochland High School ended with an interception.Four years later, Chenault owns nearly all of the passing records for the Bulldogs and has a state championship under his belt.

It was only fitting that Chenault was bestowed his highest postseason honor, named after former Hall of Famer and UVa great Bill “Bullet” Dudley. Chenault joined some of Virginia’s finest collegiate players at the Dudley and Lanier Award Banquet held in December. The 6-2, 180-pound hard-throwing signal-caller was the only high school player in attendance and was awarded the Bill Dudley Foundation Scholarship.

“The Dudley Scholarship is such an honor for Reid, our program, and our school.” Goochland coach Joe Fowler said. “He has been a leader, on and off the field, for four years.

Even when he was a freshman, he had a quiet confidence that calmed his teammates down in stressful situations.”

The postseason accolades have continued for Chenault, who guided Goochland to an 8-4 record this season and into the 2A East Region playoffs. The multi-talented athlete was the starting quarterback and punter for the winning West team in the annual VHSCA all-star game, held at Liberty University.

Chenault holds the school records for completions (240), passing yards (4,472) and touchdowns (56) and averaged 11.3 passes per game in the Bulldogs’ wing-T offense.

“Reid caught our eye when he was a freshman. The first thing Joe and I noticed about Reid was that he was relentless about perfecting his mechanics and he always threw with tremendous accuracy”, Goochland quarterbacks and receivers coach Joel Gray said. “I felt he had the system down by the third or fourth game and I kept pushing Joe to throw him in

the fire and see what he had.”

Case in point — against rival Buckingham during Chenault’s freshman year, the Bulldogs trailed by seven and were faced with a fourthand-16 situation with under two minutes to play. Chenault connected with wideout Nathan Adams for a 17-yard gain and executed the two-minute drill to perfection as Goochland tied the game, then eventually beat Buckingham in overtime. The Bulldogs went on to capture the state title.

Besides having a calm demeanor, a deadly accurate arm, Chenault has always maintained a flair for the dramatic. In fact, Chenault’s final pass of his high school career was a 19-yard touchdown in a loss to Greensville.

“I credit (the success) to my teammates and coaches. Without them it wouldn’t have been possible,” Chenault said. “Hats off to the coaches for teaching me how to be successful on and off the field. They are definitely the head figure in my life as far as football. I look up to them for everything. I think it’s paid off pretty well.”

Chenault was able to showcase his talent with some of the top QBs in the mideast last spring at the Nike Elite 11 in Washington, D.C. “His best football is still ahead of him,” Fowler added. “He is going to excel at the college level as he fills out his frame.”

Chenault is far from done playing sports.

So keep an eye out where he will spend the next four years of his life. The next school will be lucky to have him. ✖

go online »

For more in depth football coverage head to our website at: www.scrimmageplay.com.

College update

We’ve gone digital

Fork Union graduate Sam Allen finds a way to keep playing

But you can have it in print too!

By Bart Isley Sam Allen had an impressive junior season at Fork Union. Tasked with taking over for Christian Hackenberg after he graduated and headed to Penn State, Allen stepped in as then first-year head coach Brian Hurlocker’s first starting quarterback.

Allen finished the year with 713 yards through the air and another 813 on the ground, averaging better than eight yards per carry as Fork Union rebuilt with an almost entirely new cast.

But an unfortunately-timed bout with mononucleosis derailed his senior campaign and slowed collegiate interest in the Blue Devils’ passer.

Undeterred, Allen headed to Victor Valley Community College in California looking to give himself a chance to play Division I football. He had a tremendous fall at Victor Valley, throwing for 2,987 yards and 32 touchdowns while also rushing for nine yards.

That effort drew the interest of San Jose State, who recruited and landed Allen, who will enroll right away to practice this spring with the Spartans.

“They offered me a scholarship about week six in the season,” Allen told Scout. com. “I went on a visit this weekend and

they treated me really well and really showed me what it’s like to be a Spartan. I had an awesome time on the visit and I enjoyed the coaching staff a lot, that’s what really has me so sold on San Jose State.”

Allen also drew interest from Eastern Michigan, Hawaii and Nevada.

The California junior college track has become an increasingly popular path for local players in the last few years, with STAB alum Kyle Long going that route before ending up at Oregon and then as a first round draft pick by the Chicago Bears. Others locals have made their way west too including Charlottesville tailback Chris Thurston. While it’s clearly a long way from home, the path is paying off for some local prospects.

Scout.com’s report said that Allen is considered a perfect fit for San Jose State’s offense. It’s run by legendary offensive coordinator Al Borges who tutored quarterback Jason Campbell at Auburn and Cade McNown at UCLA and was Michigan’s offensive coordinator before coming to San Jose State to work alongside Ron Caragher.

Now Allen will get a chance to make things happen under Borges’ tutelage, making an unconventional path work in a big way. ✖

BELOW » Sam Allen (3) played quarterback for the Blue Devils in 2013 and 2014.

HOW TO GET A PHYSICAL COPY OF SCRIMMAGE PLAY Step 1 :: Click here and head to the MagCloud version of the magazine.

It’s going to look like this below:

Step 2 :: Click the Buy Print button next to the magazine and follow instructions to order Step 3 :: Wait patiently by your mailbox Step 4 :: When it arrives, take it out and read or stash away to your heart’s delight!

www.scrimmageplay.com :: 06

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Fall moved awfully quick this year, but we saw a handful of great football stories — the return of Orange County football, Woodberry Forest’s offensive explosion, Western and Buckingham County’s impressive regular seasons.

Goochland volleyball, Western Albemarle boys cross country and Covenant girls cross country all came out with state titles this autumn. It was a well-rounded season with not one sport dominating the headlines, but rather a collection of athletes kicking off the school year. With that said, here is the first installment this year of the All-Scrimmage Play squads.

Presented by:

S TO R I E S BY B A RT I S L E Y A N D RYA N Y E M E N P H O T O S B Y A S H L E Y T H O R N T O N , J O H N B E R R Y, T O M P A J E W S K I , B A R T I S L E Y, R Y A N Y E M E N

7 :: @scrimmageplay

- F OO T B A L L -

F I R S T

T E A M

Stone

Ragland

Whalen

Roderick

Crutchfield

Nevers

Lesesane

Mabry

Smith

Vale

Yarbrough

Perkins

Johnson

Talbert

Kuzjak

Johnson

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

QUARTERBACK

Lindell Stone /// Woodberry Forest, Jr. First team All-VISAA D1, Prep League OPOY, 3,494 passing yards, 39 TDs RUNNING BACK

Leon Ragland /// Buckingham, Sr. First team All-Group 2A, 2,204 total yards, 43 TDs, 9.6 YPC Oliver Herndon /// Western Albemarle, Sr. Second team All Group 3A, 2,156 total yards, 28 total TDs Job Whalen /// Louisa County, So. First team All-JD, 1,451 rushing yards, 6.6 YPC WIDE RECEIVER

Zach Roderick /// Woodberry Forest, Sr. First team All-VISAA D1, 1,219 receiving yards, 16 TDs Isiah Smith /// Madison County, Jr. First team All-C37, All-Bull Run District, 1,341 total yards, 13 TDs Michael Vale /// Western Albemarle, Sr. First team All-C29, HM All-Region 3A West, 652 receiving yards 13 TDs OFFENSIVE LINE

Sam Carey /// Western Albemarle, Sr. Second team All-Region 3A West, first team All-JD, All-Conference 29 Jesus Lazo /// Albemarle, Sr. Second team All-C16 Clark Yarbrough /// Woodberry Forest, Sr. First team All-VISAA D1, All-Prep League, Stanford commit Noah Verling /// Louisa County, Sr. First team All-Jefferson District, 87% of plays ran through him Dyshawn Perkins /// Buckingham County, Sr. First team All-Group 2A, Region 2A West, 36 pancakes UTILIT Y PL AYER

DEFENSIVE LINE

Osiris Crutchfield /// Western Albemarle, Sr. First team All-Group 3A, 56.5 tackles, 18.5 TFLs, 10 sacks, UVa commit Josh Nevers /// Fork Union, Sr. First team All-VISAA D1, 41 tackles, 11 TFLs Nehemiah Lesesane /// Albemarle, Sr. First team All-C16, 33 tackles Michael Mabry /// Buckingham County, Sr. First team All-Group 2A, 41 tackles, six TFLs, two sacks, FFs, FRs LINEBACKERS

Joseph Stephenson /// Woodberry Forest, Jr. First team All-VISAA D1, 146 tackles, seven TFLs Kareem Johnson /// St. Anne’s-Belfield, Sr. VISAA D2 Defensive POY, ODFC Co-Defensive POTY Stephen Kuzjak /// Western Albemarle, Sr. First team All-JD, second team All-Region 3A West, 51.5 tackles Tony Talbert /// Monticello, Sr. First team All-Group 3A, All-Region 3A West, All-C29, 124 tackles, 29 TFLs DEFENSIVE BACKS

Logi Portugal /// Woodberry Forest, Sr. First team All-VISAA D1, All-Prep League, 70 tackles, 4 INT Syreal Breckenridge /// Monticello, Sr. First team All-JD, 48 tackles, 9 TFLs, 3 FFs, 3 INT Malik Johnson /// Blue Ridge, Sr. First team All-VISAA D2, 34 tackles, 11 INT, 4 TDs, 2 FFs Leon Ragland /// Buckingham County, Sr. 28 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 INT, 5 PBUP PUNTER

Bo Sheridan /// Woodberry Forest, Sr. Second team All-VISAA D1, 36.0 yard punt average

Sam Hearn /// Western Albemarle, Sr. C29 POY, 2,007 passing yards, 1,013 rushing yards, 37 total TDs

Breaking it down

RETURN SPECIALIST

Tyquan Rose /// Albemarle, Jr. First team All-C16, 3 KR TDs, 35.5 YPR KICKER

Jeanluc Lapierre /// Monticello, Sr. First team All-C29, All-Jefferson District, 7 FGs, 28 PAT

Here’s where the first team came from

{ 1ST TEAM }

Private Schools Jefferson District James River District Bull Run District

www.scrimmageplay.com :: 8

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S E C O N D

OFFENSE QUARTERBACK

Reid Chenault /// Goochland, Sr. First team All-C34, 1,598 passing yards, 15 TDs RUNNING BACK

Evans Riviere /// Woodberry Forest, Sr. Second team All-VISAA D1, 1,090 rushing yards, 12 TDs, 5.3 YPC DeAngelo Hunt /// Orange County, Jr. First team All-C16, 801 ruhsing yards, 10 TDs, 5.7 YPC Darian Bates /// Monticello, Sr. First team All-JD, HM All-Region 3A West, 1,008 rushing yards, 12 TDs WIDE RECEIVER

Derek Domecq /// Western Albemarle, So. HM All-Region 3A West, first team All-JD, 701 receiving yards, 8 TDs Terrell Jana /// Woodberry Forest, Jr. Furst team All-VISAA D1, All-Prep, 1,082 receiving yards, 13 TDs Ethan Blundin /// Albemarle, Sr. First team All-C16, 340 receiving yards, 6 TDs

T E A M

DEFENSE DEFENSIVE LINE

Lionel Johnson /// Woodberry Forest. Sr. First team All-VISAA D1, 54 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 6 TFLs Jhalil Puryear /// Blue Ridge, Sr. First team All-VISAA D2, 92 tackles, 10 sacks, 6 FFs, 5 FRs, 24 TFLs KK Timberlake /// Goochland, Sr. First team All-Group 2A, All-Region 2A East, All-C34 Bryce McGlothlin /// Monticello, Sr. Second team All-Group 3A, 12 sacks, 55 tackles, 21 TFLs LINEBACKERS

JT Shorten /// Albemarle, Sr. Second team All-C16, 78 tackles, 11 TFLs Justin Armwood /// Blue Ridge, Jr. First team All-ODFC, 68 total tackles, 6 FF, 2 FR, 10 sacks, 2 punt blocks D’Jon Shelton /// Louisa County, Sr. First team All-JD, 74 tackles, 10 TFLs, 5 sacks, 2 FFs, 2 FRs Adam Hackenberg /// Fork Union, Jr. Second team All-VISAA D1, 37 tackles, 5.0 TFLs

OFFENSIVE LINE

Trevor Haislip /// Monticello, Sr. First team All-C29, All-JD, HM All-Region 3A West Malik Johnson /// Louisa County, Sr. First team All-Jefferson District, 73% of plays run through him Bobby Nicholson /// St. Anne’s-Belfied, Sr. First team All-VISAA D2 , All-ODFC Chris Moody /// Fork Union, Sr. Second team All-VISAA D1, All-Prep League John Prinz /// Orange County, Jr. First team All-C16, All-Jefferson District UTILIT Y PL AYER

Jalen Harrison /// St. Anne’s-Belfield, Sr. First team All-VISAA D2, 737 passing yards, 577 rushing yards, 18 total TDs KICKER

Sullivan Young /// Goochland, Sr. First team All-Group 2A, 44-for-45 PATs, 5-for-5 FGs

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Sean Scott /// Albemarle, Sr. First team All-C16, 17 tackles, 2 INTs, 7 PBUs Cordell Mattox /// Goochland, Jr. Second team All-Group 2A, first team All-C34 Darius Minor /// Orange County, So. First team All-JD, All-C16, 6 INTs, 15 PBUs, 43 tackles Michael Crenshaw /// Monticello, Sr. HM All-Region 3A West, 30 tackles, 3 TFLs, 11 PBUs PUNTER

Reid Chenault /// Goochland, Sr. All-C34, 39.7 YPP average, 5 inside 20 YL RETURN SPECIALST

Sean Scott /// Albemarle, Sr. First team All-Jefferson District, 3 punt return TDs

HONORABLE MENTION Mathew Mullin /// Western Albemarle, Sr. Zykell Foster /// Albemarle, Jr. Deandre Bryant /// Charlottesville, Sr. Kevin Jarrell /// Monticello, So. Michael Davenport /// Woodberry Forest, Sr. Jay Amos /// Fluvanna County, Sr. Chris Cucchiara /// Albemarle, Sr. Tre Smith /// Orange County, Jr. Greg Sizemore /// William Monroe, Jr. Noah Crutchfield /// Western Albemarle, Jr. Michael Harper /// Fork Union, Sr. Quinton Ragland /// Louisa County, Jr. Taurus Carroll /// Fork Union, Jr. Jay-Lewis Nixon /// Orange County, Jr. Campbell Miller /// St. Anne’s-Belfield, Sr. Isaiah Kilby-Sharp /// St. Anne’s-Belfield, Sr. Jemeil King /// Blue Ridge, Jr. John Creasy /// Goochland, Sr. Ryan Grady /// Woodberry Forest, Sr. Aaron Brown /// Blue Ridge, Sr. Rick Weaver /// Covenant, Fr. Derek Lora /// Woodberry Forest, Sr. Dre Twyman /// Madison County, Jr. Seth Weaver /// Monticello, Sr. Hunter Edwards /// Buckingham County, Sr. Brandon Townes /// Louisa County, Sr. Malik Mallory /// William Monroe, Sr. Mathew Chatten /// Orange County, Sr. Sadarius Folley /// Charlottesville, Jr. BJ Gough /// Buckingham County, Jr. Nazir Hopson /// Blue Ridge, Jr. Malik Minor /// Louisa County, Sr. Rashad Brock /// Charlottesville, Sr.

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- F OO T B A L L -

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

LINDELL STONE, WOODBERRY FOREST Statistically speaking, it will be quite the surprise if any quarterback puts together the kind of year that Lindell Stone did at Woodberry Forest in 2015. The Tigers have always been a run-first team under coach Clint Alexander, but with Stone back healthy after breaking his collarbone midseason as sophomore, Woodberry turned the junior loose. With a talented receiving corps that saw a huge boost with the addition of Terrell Jana, helping out stalwart wideout Zach Roderick, the numbers speak for themselves as the Tigers put together a 9-1-1 campaign.

For starters, Stone threw 363 passes and only eight of those were intercepted. He was deadly accurate, and completed nearly 66 percent of his attempts to go 239 for 363. About those attempts, Woodberry hardly held back on the throttle as the bulk of its offense was created downfield and not through short passes and screens. Stone put up 3,494 passing yards and had 39 touchdowns on the year. Roderick finished with 65 receptions for 1,219 yards and 16 touchdowns. Jana was close behind with 1,082 yards on 62 catches and 13 TDs. Sophomore Khalid Thomas had 330 yards and four scores on 28 receptions. Thomas Radke, a tight end, finished with 213 yards, 21 catches and two touchdowns. In total, Stone gave Woodberry nine different 100-yard receivers and just two of those running backs in Evans Riviere and Jameel Wilson. Eight different receivers caught a touchdown from Stone. The junior quarterback was generous in his distribution and totaled 317.6 yards per game in the air.

But Stone was more than just an arm. Elusive in the pocket, he was

able to consistently buy more time down field by evading the rush and unloading. Playing behind an offensive line led by All-VISAA Division 1 talent Clark Yarbrough, Stone and his blockers found chemistry out of the gate against Bishop McNamara. The Tigers ramped up their schedule, ditching the cupcake games and playing the best the state had to offer and traveling out of state to play strong teams in Maryland and North Carolina.

While last year’s 8-1 season was impressive, the 9-1-1 record the Tigers put up against their equals is undoubtedly the best run this program’s put together during Alexander’s tenure.

However, as there always is, when it comes to being an elite talent, it’s the intangibles that often make the athlete. When Stone went out because of injury as a sophomore, he was visible on the sidelines as a pseudo-cheerleader and coach. Healthy all year, you’d never know that Stone gave up his rah-rah style. Ever excitable, Stone’s vocal leadership rivaled his play on the field as he consistently worked with Yarbrough — who’s cut from the same leadership cloth — to lift the Tigers when they were down in games, most notably the comeback efforts against Bishop McNamara to start the year, Benedictine in mid-October and of course against Episcopal where the Tigers fought back to tie their archrival after falling into a 14-0 hole to start.

Stone had it all this year, the talent, the talent around him, the little things on the sideline that take a good quarterback and make him great. He set the Central Virginia single season passing record in 2015.

What could he possibly be up to in 2016? ✖

www.scrimmageplay.com :: 10

- F OO T B A L L -

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

OSIRIS CRUTCHFIELD, WESTERN ALBEMARLE It was hard not to notice Osiris Crutchfield even back when he was a sophomore. The lanky, fierce defensive end had the ability to disrupt... well, nearly everything. A handoff.

A screen pass. A toss. A rollout.

It seemed like no matter how defenses tested him, Crutchfield was involved or nearly involved, even if he quite often overran the play.

In the last two years, Crutchfield, a UVa commit, became a dominant force by learning to control that incredible skill set.

A tall, speedy wrecking ball whose quickness, savvy and strength helped transform a Western Albemarle defense into a rock the team could rely on nearly every week. Last season he helped lead the Warriors to the brink of a state championship game performance as Western fell in the state semifinals to Lafayette. This season it was a 9-1 regular season record and a first-round playoff win.

Of course, there was the final game of Crutchfield’s career where nothing went right for the Western defense, where Staunton River smartly avoided running at him for the most part and Western simply couldn’t make a stop.

But that can’t erase the massive impact Crutchfield had, the disruption he created and the wins the Warriors piled up with him in the lineup — 21 in the last two years alone.

Then there are the individual numbers, which are staggering.

Crutchfield had 10 sacks this year, a hair less than one per game. He led the Warriors with 56.5 total tackles including 33 solo stops, a rarity for a defensive lineman to set the pace in that category instead of a linebacker, especially a lineman that plays on the edge as much as Crutchfield does, tempting teams to attack the other side where his brother Noah Crutchfield or Western’s solid linebacking corps were most often waiting. He had 18.5 tackles for a loss on the year, giving him nearly two obvious impact plays per game. The Warriors don’t track quarterback hurries, but he had a host of them too, including the pressure that forced an Albemarle incompletion to seal a narrow win over the Warriors’ archrival.

That was probably the UVa-bound Crutchfield’s most enduring legacy forged in big games throughout his career-- when the Warriors needed a big play on defense he almost inevitably stepped up. Week after week, he’d make that clutch stop, that clutch sack, that key pressure that turned the tide.

So sure, Crutchfield has the numbers. But his impact went well beyond the box score. He helped transform the reputation of a defense. Of a team. Of a program. ✖

- F OO T B A L L -

COACH OF THE YEAR

JESSE LOHR, ORANGE COUNTY If ever there was a program in dire need of a winning season, it was Orange County. This once proud program was once one of the big dogs in the Jefferson District before it suddenly saw a substantial fall. The transition from the JD to the Commonwealth District was truly unkind to the Hornets and after a two year exile, the program that returned to the JD in 2014, was simply a shell of itself.

Jesse Lohr gew up and played at Orange. He was on the coaching staff during those four down years. His message to players as a first-year coach was simple — practice hard, play hard and let the rest sort itself out. Lohr didn’t install some complicated scheme, go crazy with the x’s and o’s. He got a group of young talent that had not seen success to believe in themselves. Ask any coach about it and they’ll quickly tell you that that’s the hardest and yet most important thing.

Once you’ve got that, you’ve got a foundation. Orange’s win over

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Powhatan and Albemarle to close out September and begin October were the shots across the bow that the Hornets were back contending in the Jefferson District. At 4-1, this team had already as many wins that the previous three seasons combined. A win over Charlottesville and Fluvanna County put Orange in the playoffs for the first time since 2010. While the Hornets fell in the first round of the Region 5A North playoffs to eventual state runner-up Stone Bridge, the 6-4 regular season mark is one of the best feel-good stories of the season.

Offensively and defensively, Orange played physically. Lohr limited the wear and tear on standout running backs DeAngelo Hunt and Tre Smith by spitting their carries almost straight down the middle. The Hornets’ defense, led by Darius Minor, Ryan Horton, Mathew Chatten and Jay-Lewis Nixon found a way compete in a district that featured

a diverse range of athletically and physically gifted teams from week to week, making game planning a challenge.

In the end, Lohr’s message was that this team should be proud, but not overjoyed. The Hornets are only beginning to reestablish the standard they built years ago, and as such, winning records should be the norm, not anomalies. With Lohr and his coaching staff tapping into the local roots that make Orange a tight-knit community, 2015 should be just a stepping stone.

And at the end of the day, that’s what Lohr did best — show his players that they could build a reputation for themselves and be so much better than an also ran. Turning around a program is no easy feat, and we don’t see it often even in the JD. Lohr’s work in 2015 will long be remembered in Orange. ✖

- F OO T B A L L -

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

RICK WEAVER, COVENANT Technically speaking, Rick Weaver played varsity football as an eighth grader for Covenant and he was pretty special at times as a ball carrier and in a number of other roles. But this season as a freshman, Weaver took on a full load as the Eagles’ lead ball-carrier and he held up against the relentless pounding of the triple option that the Eagles employ. In fact, not only did he hold up, Weaver thrived, rushing for 1,374 yards and 15 touchdowns on 161 touches, good for an 8.5 yard per carry average.

Rarely has a freshman ever led a Central Virginia team in rushing, particularly not a team that qualified for the state playoffs. But not many freshman are 245-pound, deft runners with a knack for keeping the pile moving and picking up the tough yards. Weaver gave Covenant a bell cow running back and a steady hand offensively that helped end a seven-year playoff drought when the Eagles sealed a berth in the regular-season finale with a victory over Randolph Macon Academy.

His physical, bruising style wasn’t always the flashiest, but it wore down defenses and his productivity increased after halftime in many of the Eagles’ games. As the year dragged on and the weather cooled down, his rushing totals kept jumping up, including a 308-yard, three-touchdown outing in a wild, narrow loss to North Cross in late October. In the state semifinals against Atlantic Shores, he rushed for 158 yards on 28 touches, scoring a touchdown and a 2-point conversion, the Eagles’ lone eight points against the top-seed Seahawks.

When the Eagles entered the season they had a question mark at quarterback with the graduation of Paul Huemme. They also needed to replace Austin Llera, who’s now at The Citadel and carried the load in 2014 as the lead running back. Weaver answered that second question emphatically, earning first team All-Old Dominion Football Conference honors in the process. That’s an impressive year for a freshman. In fact, it’s an impressive year no matter what grade the player is in. Weaver has set a pretty high bar for himself and continuing to clear it over the next three years won’t be an easy task.

Then again, most sophomores aren’t 245-pound, deft runners with a knack for keeping the pile moving. ✖

www.scrimmageplay.com :: 12

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- V OL L E Y B A L L -

Ott

Grove

Yu

F I R S T

T E A M

Benning

Lugus

Chucks

Berry

Summit

Madelyn Ott /// Goochland, Sr. Group 2A POY, Region 2A East POY, C34 POY, 296 kills, 75 blocks, 62 aces

Stephanie Lugus /// Albemarle, Sr. First team All-C16, second team All-JD, 264 kills, 54 blocks

Kelsey Grove /// Western Albemarle, Sr. Jefferson District POY, first team All-Conference 29, 324 kills, 195 digs

Zimako Chuks /// Monticello, Sr. First team All-C29, All-Jefferson District, 168 kills, 104 digs

Cindy Yu /// Albemarle, Sr. First team All-Region 5A North, All-C16, All-JD, 291 digs, 67 aces Ellie Benning /// Albemarle, Sr. First team All-Conference 16, All-JD, 659 assists, 149 digs

Courtney Berry /// Western Albemarle, Jr. First team All-Jefferson District, All-C29, 130 kills, 29.5 blocks Josie Summit /// Goochland, Sr. First team All-Group 2A, All-Region 2A East, All-C34

- V OL L E Y B A L L -

S E C O N D

T E A M

Kate Stutz /// Fluvanna County, Sr. First team All-C29, second team All-JD, 539 assists, 188 digs

Allie Perez /// Monticello, Sr. First team All-C29, second team All-Jefferson District, 482 assists

Haley Dillon /// Fluvanna County, Sr. Second team All-Jefferson District, All-C29, 189 kills, 47 aces

Casey Spencer /// Goochland, Sr. First team All-Group 2A, Region 2A East

Colleen Forsman /// Western Albemarle, Jr. First team All-Jefferson District, HM All-C29, 107 kills, 121 digs Alexis Wiggins /// Goochland, Sr. Second team All-Group 2A, first team All-Region 2A East

Hannah Green /// Monticello, Sr. First team All-C29, Second team All-JD, 103 kills, 26 blocks, 20 aces Alexis Duday /// Albemarle, Sr. First team All-Conference 16,second team All-JD, 188 kils, 27 aces

- V OL L E Y B A L L -

HONORABLE MENTION

Michaela Gibson /// Louisa County, So. Second team All-Jefferson District, 174 kills, 12 blocks Lizzie Whitmarsh /// William Monroe, Sr. First team All-Bull Run District Alexa Waga /// Madison County, Sr. First team All-C35, All-Bull Run District Jeana Grace Kelliher /// Madison County, Sr. First team All-C35, All-Bull Run District

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR 13 :: @scrimmageplay

Hannah Miles /// Western Albemarle, Jr. First team All-C29, second team All-Jefferson District, 211 digs Laine Harrington /// Orange County, Sr. Second team All-Jefferson District Sami DiSibour /// Nelson County, Sr. Second team All-C36, 382 assists, 108 digs Ann Cathcart /// St. Anne’s-Belfield, Sr. Key standout for LIS semifinalists

Candace Shaheen /// Fluvanna County, So. Stepped into starting libero role, had 353 digs for Flucos

- V OL L E Y B A L L -

PL AYER OF THE YEAR

MADELYN OTT, GOOCHLAND Goochland’s Madelyn Ott is in some rarified air. It’s rare for volleyball state champions emerge from Central Virginia’s scene. It just doesn’t happen very often. In 2010, Nelson County broke through. Before that it was Albemarle in 2008, and prior to that... nothing.

It’s also rare for a volleyball player from Central Virginia to play Division I volleyball, because there just aren’t many opportunities.

Even some of the area’s all-time greats like Hannah Miller and Kara Elder have opted to play Division III volleyball with 2010 graduate and Maryland standout Sarah Harper serving as one of the only Division I examples in the last decade.

All that brings us to Ott, who is a Division I volleyball signee — she’s headed to Georgia State this fall — who also happens to be a state champion. Ott helped Goochland bring home the program’s first state title in program history with a stunningly efficient senior campaign that earned her Group 2A, Region 2A East and Conference 34 player of the year honors. She was a sterling hitter and blocker who finished with 296 kills (a whopping 62.3 percent hitting, evidence of minimal errors) and 75 blocks despite the fact that Goochland didn’t play in a single match that went beyond the minimum three games until the region playoffs. She was a also a strong server, posting a 91.7 percent rating to go with 62 aces.

Ott was exactly what Goochland needed her to be whenever Goochland needed it. And the Bulldogs rode the senior star and a strong supporting cast all the way to the area’s third state title, winning the final in dramatic, come-from-behind fashion.

But that story book finish likely shouldn’t have come as a surprise.

Like we said, Ott operates in some rarified air. ✖

- V OL L E Y B A L L -

COACH OF THE YEAR

MARK RAGLAND, ALBEMARLE With the loss of Taylor Bauman at libero and Paige Hanssen up front, two key contributors from last year’s squad, Albemarle coach Mark Ragland had his usual work cut out for him. But if history has taught us anything about Ragland, it’s that he always finds a way to make Albemarle competitive. Really competitive.

For starters, the Patriots turned to Cindy Yu to take over at libero.

Bauman left a considerable void there defensively, but as it turns out, Yu was the perfect fit as she went from a versatile role player the previous two seasons to suddenly becoming the top libero in the Jefferson District. With and Yu and senior setter Ellie Benning in sync, Albemarle picked up 2015 where it left off in 2014. The Patriots leaned on a balanced offense up front led by seniors Stephanie Lugus and Alexis Duday. The emergence of Emery Hawkins, Madison Warlick and Gabby DeGennaro gave this program its familiar depth that’s been such a staple in each of the last four years.

The Patriots won their first 15 matches of the year and fell just once in Jefferson District play. As a result, Albemarle earned its second JD title in three years as it held off resurgent programs in Western Albemarle and

Powhatan. Albemarle cruised past Atlee in the Conference 16 playoffs and then swept North Stafford in the Region 5A north tournament, putting them one win away from the state tournament. While the Patriots came up shy against George Marshall, that this team was able to maintain its status as a state contender for the fourth straight season is a testament to Ragland’s consistency as a coach. He’s won more than 500 matches for a reason, and in 2015, he guided yet another Patriots squad to an exceptional season. ✖

www.scrimmageplay.com :: 14

- FIEL D HOCK E Y FIRST TEAM Valerie Hajek /// Western Albemarle, Jr. Conference 22, JD POY, first team All-Group 4A, 9 goals, 3 assists Annie Cory /// St. Anne’s-Belfield, Sr. First team All-VISAA D1, All-LIS Maddie Fagan /// Covenant, So. First team All-VISAA D2, All-LIS Lizzy Shim /// Covenant, So. First team All-VISAA D2, All-LIS Madison Masloff /// Western Albemarle, Jr. Second team All-Group 4A, first team All-C22, 7 goals, 5 assists Eliza Brodie /// Western Albemarle, Sr. Second team All-Group 4A, first team All-C22, Region 4A West Emily Blow /// Charlottesville, Jr. First team All-Conference 23, All-Jefferson District Kathryn Mayo /// Albemarle, So. First team All-Conference 16, 2 goals, 2 assists Abby Meistrell /// Albemarle, So. First team All-Conference 16, Patriots’ top defender Emily Witzke /// Monticello, Sr. First team All-JD, second team All-C22, 75.2 save percentage, 119 saves

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

SECOND TEAM Liz Llera /// Covenant, Sr. Second team All-VISAA D2 Danielle de Jong /// Covenant, Sr. Second team All-VISAA D2 Evie Maxwell /// Monticello, Sr. Second team All-Conference 22, 6 goals, 4 assists Caroline Clark /// Charlottesville, Sr. First team All-Conference 22 Paige McGlothlin /// Monticello, So. First team All-Conference 22, 8 goals, 3 assists Hannah Weyher /// Western Albemarle, Jr. First team All-Conference 22, 5 assists Joie Funk /// Western Albemarle, Jr First team All-C22, second team All-Region 4A West, 8 goals, 4 assists Kathleen Bianchetto /// Albemarle, So. First team All-Conference 16, 5 goals, 1 assist Holli Foster /// Orange County, Jr. First team All-Conference 16 Genevieve Repich /// Western Albemarle, Sr. Held JD scoreless in regular season, anchored state semifinalists

Santia McLaughlin /// Covenant, Fr. First year GK helped spark Eagles to state semifinals

- FIEL D HOCK E Y -

PL AYER OF THE YEAR

VALERIE HAJEK, WESTERN ALBEMARLE Valerie Hajek isn’t going to put up some absurd number of goals.

Western Albemarle’s system isn’t built for that, it’s built from back to front with an emphasis on strong, stout defense under head coach Milo Oakland.

Also, Hajek is drawing a lot of attention as she has since she was a freshman. Now a junior, it’s not just what the defense is doing that limits Hajek’s numbers. It’s the way she’s controlling the game. The way she’s setting the table for teammates.

Hajek is an immensely skilled center midfielder who can do a little bit of everything. She can defend. She can score. She can come up in the clutch as she did with three game-winning scores as part of her 10 total goals this year during a state semifinal run by the Warriors.

Mostly, she controls the flow and pace of what’s happening, imposing her will on the entire contest as she manages a fastbreak or a defensive stand or a critical transition.

That’s why Oakland’s fellow coaches voted Hajek on to the AllGroup 4A squad and made her Conference player of the year — she does all the little things so well and controls the game. ✖

15 :: @scrimmageplay

ACADEMIC EDGE

S P O N S O R E D

B Y

H A R G R AV E

M I L I TA R Y

A C A D E M Y

ALBEMARLE’S GRANT KERSEY

Grant Kersey has emerged this year as another reliable option for Albemarle’s boys basketball team, giving the Patriots another potential offensive threat outside the junior core of Jake Hahn and Austin Katstra that has been Albemarle’s foundation since their freshman campaigns.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Kersey.

“Grant is one of the most well rounded student athletes that I’ve ever coached,” said Albemarle coach Greg Maynard. “He’s involved in everything at school, plays basketball and soccer but still maintains outstanding grades. He is a pleasure to coach.”

Kersey carries a 4.73 GPA and is a member of the SCA, Key Club, Patriot Athletic Leaders and DECA among others. It’s no wonder that Kersey has been stepping up for Albemarle this year, he’s been stepping up for awhile in anything and everything.

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- FIEL D HOCK E Y -

COACH OF THE YEAR

KATIE ROBINSON, ALBEMARLE Katie Robinson, who played at the University of Virginia, inherited an Albemarle team that boasted just two seniors. However, Robinson got Albemarle to play strong defense and they slowly progressed as a team offensively, with its sophomore class paving the way.

Albemarle earned its spot in the Region 5A North tournament after beating Patrick Henry 5-0 before winning the Conference 16 title, 3-2 in overtime against Atlee. The Patriots fell to Stafford in the first round of the Region 5A tournament, and finished up the year at 11-8. Under Robinson’s tutelage, Albemarle took a rebuilding year and made quite the campaign, which should bode very well for 2016. ✖

- CROSS COUNTRY H O N O R

BOYS Gannon Willcutts (pictured) /// Western Albemarle, Sr. 15:35, Group 3A individual champion Trevor Stutzman /// Western Albemarle, Sr. 16:00 in Group 3A, seventh overall Jack Ehlenberger /// Western Albemarle, Sr. 16:17 in Group 2A, ninth overall Alex Lomong /// Fork Union, Sr. 16:38 in VISAA D1, 3rd overall Cyrus Rody-Ramazani /// Western Albemarle, Sr. 16:54 in Group 3A, 25th overall Davis Greene /// Western Albemarle, Sr. 17:03 in Group 3A, 34th overall Robert Singleton /// Woodberry Forest, Sr. 17:05 in VISAA D1, 10th overall Rashawn Turner /// Madison County, Sr. 17:07 in Group 2A, 14th overall Jonathan Muhler /// Albemarle, So. 17:07 in Group 5A, 31st overall James Carrington /// Woodberry Forest, Sr. 17:09 in VISAA D1, 11th overall Anthony Vernon /// Fork Union, Sr. 17:08 in Group 3A, 41st overall Julian Yescas /// Fork Union, So. 17:09 in VISAA D1, 9th overall Kevin Morse /// William Monroe, Sr. 17:30 in Group 3A, 60th overall

BOYS RUNNER OF THE YEAR GIRLS RUNNER OF THE YEAR

17 :: @scrimmageplay

R O L

L

GIRLS Madison Hunter (pictured) /// St. Anne’s-Belfield, Sr. 19:02, VISAA D1 individual champion Zoe Clay /// Western Albemarle, Sr. 18:54 in Group 3A, fifth overall Ryann Helmers /// Albemarle, So. 19:17 in Group 5A, eighth overall Averi Witt /// Western Albemarle, Jr. 19:22 in Group 3A, 13th overall Kenzie Loyd /// Albemarle, So. 19:38 in Group 5A, 11th overall Laura Habermeyer /// Monticello, Sr. 19:44 in Group 3A, 18th overall Ella Dalton /// Covenant, 8th grade 20:01 in VISAA D2, 3rd overall Kate Walz /// Monticello, Jr. 20:04 in Group 3A, 22nd overall Saige Haney /// Fluvanna County, So. 20:05 in Group 3A, 23rd overall Gabriella Bock /// Albemarle, So. 20:06 in Group 5A, 19th overall Maria Vizcaino /// Monticello, Fr. 20:10 in Group 3A, 24th overall Gena Lewis /// Monticello, Sr. 20:11 in Group 3A, 25th overall Caroline Marquis /// Orange County, Jr. 20:47 in Region 5A North, 14th overall Gannon Willcutts /// Western Albemarle, Sr.

Madison Hunter /// St. Anne’s-Belfield, Sr.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Maria Vizcaino /// Monticello, Fr.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Lindy Bain /// Western Albemarle

- COMEB ACK AT HL E T E FALL 2015

PATRICK BLAKE, ST. ANNE’S BELFIELD It just as easily could not have happened at all. Perhaps the only person more excited than Patrick Blake to get on the field and play was his father, St. Anne’s-Belfield coach John Blake. Back in 2011, the younger Blake was playing quarterback and endured a series of concussions that kept him from playing football for three years. If Blake was concussion-free for three years, his doctors would clear him to do more than just be the team’s kicker. He could fully play the sport he and his family love so much.

After some understandable trepidation, Patrick Blake decided to give it a go. It was a pretty special year for the senior. In his debut against Hargrave Military Academy, he threw four touchdown passes to lead the way for a 43-14 win. Blake split time with teammate Jalen Harrison at quarterback and moved around the field to various positions, including his career-long gig as the team’s kicker.

Blake and the Saints won the Old Dominion Football Conference and played in the VISAA Division 2 championship game for a second straight year.

It took so much for Blake to get back, but obviously it’s a payoff that every athlete dreams about when they are sidelined. Blake’s perservence is unquestionable. ✖

Best of luck to our 2015 student athletes as they embark on their college careers.

Jake Allen

Baseball

Harvard University

TaylorAnne Barry

Women’s Soccer

Randolph-Macon College

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Eric Buhle

Men’s Lacrosse

University of Richmond

Emily Carden

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Washington & Lee University

Gideon Elron

Men’s Lacrosse

Wesleyan University

Julia Haney

Women’s Lacrosse

Princeton University

Khalig Howard

Men’s Lacrosse

Denison University

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Rhodes College

Parker Morris

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Cornell University

Rhys Nordstrom

Men’s Squash

Bard College

Austin Park

Men’s Lacrosse

Amherst College

Lee Parkhill

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Christopher Newport University

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Dickinson College

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Denison University

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Game Time Albemarle 54, Marshall 45 Patriots win Holiday Classic with three wins in as many days

By Luke Nadkarni

Guard Myles Adams-Yates has helped Albemarle off to a strong finish to December.

(Ryan Yemen)

19 :: @scrimmageplay

The Albemarle boys basketball team has played the majority of its season without star center Austin Katstra, who has missed significant time with a sprained right ankle.

So when Katstra aggravated that injury in the second quarter of the title game of the Daily Progress/NBC 29 Holiday Basketball Classic, the Patriots didn’t fret. Behind 13 points from Jake Hahn, Albemarle soldiered its way to a 54-45 win over George Marshall Wednesday night to claim the trophy.

“We’ve been there before. The last tournament we played in, in Richmond, he went down and we kind of fell apart,” Albemarle head coach Greg Maynard said.

“We learned our lesson tonight to never give up and to keep battling, and these guys are used to playing without Austin because he’s had to miss so much of the early part of this season.”

After Katstra, who had scored 10 points, went down going for a rebound and was helped off the floor by a pair of teammates with the Patriots clinging to a 22-21 lead, senior Myles Adams-Yates buried two three-pointers sandwiched around a Marshall basket to make it 28-23. The Statesmen scored the final basket of the first half, a half in which neither team led by more than five. “(Myles) is just all over the place, hustling and diving after balls and knocking down those key threes,” Maynard said. “He just plays with a lot of heart all the time. That’s what I’m used to from him.”

Marshall quickly tied the game out of the gate in the third quarter on a three-pointer

by Chase Berrand, who led the Statesmen with a game-high 25 points. Berrand hit six of Marshall’s seven triples on the evening.

The third period was similar to the first two,

as Marshall tied the game at 33 on another three, this one by Jelani Murray, with 2:49 remaining in the quarter. But Albemarle’s Grant Kersey answered with a trey of his own, and, with the Patriots leading by three, Hahn beat the buzzer for a 40-35 lead going into the final stanza.

Berrand kept the Statesmen close in the fourth quarter, connecting on a pair of triples to twice bring the deficit back to threes, but the second, which came with 3:14 remaining, would be his final basket of the night. Hahn scored another basket and Kersey split a pair of free throws, and the Albemarle defense took over from there, holding Marshall to a lone field goal the rest of the night. Hahn’s two free throws with 32.3 seconds left extended the advantage to 53-45 and put the game out of reach.

“Marshall is an excellent team. They’re ranked pretty high in the 5A North,” Maynard said. “So this is a pretty good win for us.”

Hahn was named tournament MVP and was joined on the all-tournament team

by Adams-Yates and Berrand. Other local players recognized on the boys side included Monticello’s Mallik Barber, Charlottesville’s Caleb Gage and Western Albemarle’s Ryan Ingram.

“It means a lot, it’s a huge honor to have,” Hahn said. “I don’t think I shot the ball particularly well tonight, but we found ways to score. Marshall is probably one of the biggest teams, if not the biggest team we’ll see this year, so it gives us great experience.”

Albemarle finished 4-of-13 from beyond the arc and 12-of-20 from the free-throw line. Despite its size, Marshall struggled to get to the line, going 4-of-5 with all of those attempts coming in the first half. ✖

See a photograph you like?

Defensive stand Warriors goalie has more than one trick | By Ryan Yemen At Scrimmage Play we pride ourselves on offering the best possible graphics we can get our hands on, Two yearsour agomagazine the Westernas Albemarle to Shin, at: who doubles as a Junior National Judo in both well asboys at our website soccer team was fueled by its underclassmen medalist, but has developed into one of the www.scrimmageplay.com with sophomores and freshman bearing the area’s most versatile goalkeepers.

brunt of the work load.

The netminder has shown he’s capable of WeNow want make sure that ourMyers readersmaking havebig saves, particularly in the team’s two to years later, forwards Aaron and Alex Nolet, as well as senior two ties. In the first game of the season, the same opportunity todefender have these photos.

Tom Rogers are allcatches in their senior If something yourseasons eye inand eitherShin theendured wave after wave of Albemarle looking to earn a Region II bid, something that attack, but stood tall and showed no rust in magazine or on the web, you can orderthe the Orange County snatched away from them in 1-1- tie. photograph for yourself. the Jefferson District semifinals last season.

But while Shin’s on the field because he After the first month of play, the Warriors can make stops, his strong leg has also been seem to haveit’s theadefensive side of the equaof great use as he’s able to easily clear the Whether 4x6 glossy print or a 13x11 mounted tion figured out and goalkeeper Kaipossibilities zone butfor also spark fast breaks all by himself. photo, we’ve gotjunior a full range of Shin is a big part of that.

The Warriors averaged a little over two youBefore to choose from.

Western went on its spring break, goals per contest before the break, but if that none of its four opponents were able to score average starts to increase, don’t be surprised Simply smugmug more thanvisit once,our a testament to thewebsite team’s at if it’s because of Shin’s ability to contribute to play in the middle of the field, but also a nod the transition game. ✖ scrimmageplay.smugmug.com

Western Albemarle’s Kai Shin hauls in a shot during his team’s 1-1 tie with Albemarle that kicked off the soccer season for both squads. (Frank Crocker)

TEAM SPOTLIGHT ALBEMARLE AND MONTICELLO Just before Christmas, two dedicated fan bases put their rivalry aside for a moment and for a good cause. Before the Patriots and Mustangs’ boys basketball game, fans brought more than 100 stuffed aminals for the Teddy Bear Brigade to help brighten the season for underpriveldged children in the area. Outstanding work by Albemarle and Monticello here. Keep it up!

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Overtime

Putting on the foil, coach Local hockey players helping others on same path

L

isten, we all know that football is king around here. It’s always going to be that way, no matter where you are in the United States. But that doesn’t stop the other sports from trying to get a piece of the pie. There are little pockets regionally where on a local level, football isn’t king. Right here in Central Virginia, you could make the argument that lacrosse is biggest draw in the spring. Conversely, if you go west over the Blue Ridge Mountains, lacrosse is almost non-existent, and in the spring, it’s all about baseball and softball. That’s never going to happen to hockey on a local level. But it’s also not going to happen for golf, squash, wrestling or even soccer (sorry soccer, you’re the hockey of the early 1990’s). However, that doesn’t mean that any of these sports should stop trying to grow, maintain or simply survive — and sometimes the latter is the case.

Six years ago there was no guarantee that Western Albemarle graduate Sarah Grupp and current St. Anne’s-Belfield junior Reid Pritchard would be able to play hockey in Charlottesville.

While competitive hockey is about the travel circuit, much like club volleyball or soccer, being able to lace up and skate, practice in your home town is hugely important, especially when you’re growing up. Some sports cannot be picked up as an adult, and hockey is definitely in that group along with golf and baseball or softball where you either played it as a kid or never played it at all. You can pick up a football helmet in college having never taken a snap in high school and become a professional athlete -- there are a handful of examples across the NFL. In a long-winded way, what I’m trying to get at is that in Charlottesville, in Virginia, and really anywhere south of Pennsylvania, the deck is stacked against hockey. So when you see the Grupps and Pritchards of the world, two home-grown products pushing through that to play at a high level, it’s truly rewarding. These are athletes who simply love the game and have found a way to get over the hurdles that playing in this area present. Grupp is a sophomore playing both collegiate hockey and soccer at Oswego State. Pritchard plays U-18 travel hockey as well as in the adult recreational league in Charlottesville that has a handful of former collegiate players and Canadians that played Junior A and Junior B (think Division 1 and Division 2 level hockey, but on the teen circuit).

But there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing those two along with a handful of others give back. In a three-day camp just before Christmas, Grupp and Pritchard were on the ice helping coach Jennifer Blanchard run the event. Blanchard and her husband Mike Ball have been coaching hockey for nearly 20 years locally. They both coached my younger brother and I as teenagers. Grupp, Pritchard and the rest of the youth coaches during the camp are all their former or current students. It’s great grass roots stuff.

“It’s a little weird being a coach,” Grupp said. “I just try and channel what Coach Jen has taught me over the years, try and pass on to the kids what I’ve learned. It seems like there are way more (youth) hockey players than when I started, and especially more girls playing.

When I was here it was just me, so it’s great to see that (growth and diversity).”

Pritchard has seen the same thing. While Grupp is one of the great stories as she spent a lot of time growing up playing in leagues with boys, Pritchard’s perspective is important too as he’s a goaltender. Trust me when I tell you, there is nothing more daunting, tiring, less appreciated and more expensive equipment-wise than playing in net.

“There are way more people interested in hockey than when I started,” said Pritchard, who started playing locally at four years old and has been playing on a travel squad for nine years.

“And just even in goaltending, you’re seeing more kids that want to play in goal, so that’s great.

22 :: @scrimmageplay

“Just even in goaltending, you’re seeing more kids that want to play in goal, so that’s great.”

It’s not a thing where ‘Well who are we going to find to play in net?’ there are just so many more players. We’ve got a bantam (travel team) that didn’t field a team long ago and now it’s a full roster and undefeated right now. That’s what you want to see.”

There’s only one real way to sell hockey, you have to get on the ice to see what it’s about. Yes, I’ll admit it’s a niche sport on a local level, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t options and opportunities, it just means that parents and players have to be active, they have to seek it out. You have to find the sport, the sport isn’t going to find you, at least not here. But with Grupp and Pritchard as youth examples and Blanchard and Ball as coaching examples, the sport is growing.

While I’m more excited about the NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Day than the NCAA college football bowl games, I know that’s not everybody’s cup of tea. But that’s the beauty of the sport, because it usually just takes that first step on the ice to get someone hooked. ✖

Ryan Yemen

CRE ATIVE EDITOR

back talk »

What’s your take on hockey or the so called ‘niche sports’ like it?

Email: ryan@scrimmageplay.com

Success stories begin here.

Success Story: Mike Thomas Mike Thomas simply exploded his senior year in high school. While attending Woodland Hills Taft High located in Los Angelos, California, Thomas put together 1,656 yards on 86 receptions and scored 21 touchdowns. It motivated the Los Angelos Times to name him Southern California’s most improved player. It also made him the No. 98 receiver in the country according to Scout.com. Looking to help round out his recruiting profile, Thomas enrolled at Fork Union in the Fall of 2011 to play for celebrated coach John Shuman.

During his time with the Blue Devils Thomas further developed his skills as a receiver. He had 497 yards and seven touchdowns on 23 catches and vaulted the recruiting rankings to make him the country’s No. 4 overall prep school talent, and a four star recruit. That caught the attention of coach Urban Meyer at Ohio State.

As a freshman in 2012, Thomas played in 11 games and had three

catches for 22 yards. The following year, he redshirted. In both seasons he excelled in the classroom as he was named an OSU Scholar-Athlete twice.

In 2014, Thomas broke out, with 54 catches for 799 yards and nine touchdowns. His contributions were key in helping Ohio State first take down top-ranked Alabama in the first round of the FBS playoffs only to go on and upset heavily favored Oregon in the National Championship game.

As a senior, Thomas has 49 catches for 709 yards and eight touchdowns with the Buckeyes preparing to play Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. In just over four short years, Thomas has gone from a breakout season in high school to winning a National Title and now preparing for the NFL Draft. He still has plenty ahead of him, but his journey’s been awfully impressive so far.

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