Browsing: Sports

Building lasting relationships with youth is Rick Cremonese’s goal. Cremonese, a master officer with Chesterfield Police Department, helped start a Police Athletic League pilot program last year. The program has blossomed into a full-blown one this year, and the Chesterfield Police Athletic League has held an event each month for children ages 5-17. The next event – a football camp set to run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 30, at Falling Creek Middle School’s practice field – will include Chesterfield native and some former college and professional football players. Cremonese, 52, got the idea for a Police…

Jaden Payoute, a rising senior at L.C. Bird High School and a track star, wide receiver and defensive back, recently gave a verbal pledge to head to Blacksburg. “I chose Virginia Tech because I felt the connection with the coaches and the players,” he said. “It was a very hard decision between Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech.” Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente expressed his excitement at the commitment on Twitter (@CoachFuente), “Hokies just got faster. START JUMPING!” Payoute’s recruitment took off when he got his first offer in early May from Campbell University. Over the next 45 days, he received offers…

Another local athlete made his verbal commitment to play at the next level. Immanuel Hickman will play his college football at the University of Cincinnati. “Cincinnati is the school I chose because I felt the most at home there. Cincinnati has that southern-city feel,” Hickman told Ultimate Recruit. “Honestly, I felt like I was right back at Matoaca [High School] when we landed. I noticed there was everything I needed right there in front of me. There’s Columbus, Dayton and Toledo right there in my backyard.” After a very aggressive schedule of visits over spring break, Hickman chose the Bearcats…

Nathan Eaton, a 2015 graduate from Thomas Dale High School and a rising junior at Virginia Military Institute, recently received a long-awaited phone call. He had been selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 21st round of the Major League Baseball draft. In a draft heavy with speed and college players, Eaton fit the bill for the Royals. He stole 36 bases for the Keydets last season, and served as the team’s lead-off hitter, rapping .287 and scoring 51 runs. He was the third pick of the day for VMI in what was a historic draft for the school.…

In a sports world growing more and more obsessed with specialization, Matoaca High alum and Randolph-Macon College graduate Rick Spiers made a career from doing exactly the opposite. “When he was in high school, he did everything well but didn’t go anything great,” said Randolph-Macon coach Ray Hedrick. “He really wanted to be a dual threat player, and we offered him that opportunity.” Despite playing seven different positions and hauling in a load of accolades, Spiers didn’t receive a college offer outside of the Yellow Jackets. “I did feel overlooked,” Spiers said. “Obviously, every athlete has Division I dreams, and…

When L.C. Bird High School won the boys’ indoor state championship this winter, they did it with balance throughout the team. While only one athlete won an event, they piled up the points to win the title as a team. Ten-year coaching veteran Adam Canning said that he’s seen much improvement in his team in the past few seasons, and it showed in a big way. The Skyhawks brought home the 5A state title for outdoor track and did it with four wins and 11 top-five finishes in 17 events. Jaden Payoute, who has accumulated eight Division I football offers,…

As summer gets ready to officially start, the recruiting scene is scorching for several area student-athletes. Thomas Dale High’s defensive lineman/linebacker Rick D’Abreu has a total of 16 scholarship offers. The four newest offers for the rising senior are from Campbell, William and Mary, and two schools from the academically prestigious Ivy League, Penn and Yale. Thomas Dale running back Chris Tyree picked up his 25th scholarship offer when Ohio State came calling May 14. Then Oklahoma and Stanford extended full scholarship offers to him. He also received an invite to The Opening, one of the nation’s top high school…

          L.C. Bird High School’s boys’ basketball program has gotten used to sending student-athletes to the next level. Now the Skyhawks have two more students who seem destined for the college game in Jamon Battle and Mack Burgett. Both were a part of L.C. Bird’s first championship season in 2016-17. Battle has been a mid-major coach’s dream so far as he’s racked up 11 offers over the past few months. Eastern Kentucky, James Madison, Towson, Hampton, Norfolk State, Canisius, Central Connecticut State, Maryland Eastern Shore, Austin Peay and most recently, Murray State and Old Dominion University,…

Football Treshawn Smith, Norfolk State Smith was excellent at linebacker for Thomas Dale last year and was perhaps one of the most underrated players in the Central Region. He decided to commit and walk on at Norfolk State under coach Latrell Scott. The athlete’s path to defense was a unique one as he was an offensive tackle his sophomore year, then moved over to linebacker. Sean Rettzo, Norfolk State The Spartans have often recruited big tight ends during Scott’s tenure at the school. Now they’ve got another in Rettzo. At 6-3 and 245 pounds, he’ll give Norfolk State a big…

The L.C. Bird High School football faithful have another season of watching the greatest recruit in school history: defensive and offensive lineman Hakeem Beamon. Beamon has offers from Alabama, Ohio State, South Carolina, UVA and Arkansas, among many others. The rising senior was originally committed to North Carolina, but withdrew his verbal agreement a couple of weeks after offers came from the Crimson Tide and Buckeyes. At 6-4, 250 pounds, Beamon has blossomed into a world-class athlete. Depending on which recruiting site one reads, he’s typically rated four stars and is arguably pushing five stars. “He is a big kid…

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