Meadowbrook High posted another worthy performance in 2017. Despite a 4-6 regular season record, they qualified for the postseason for the fifth time in the past six seasons. While they ultimately fell to Hermitage 35-6, the Monarchs scored an impressive late season victory over Hopewell that propelled them into the playoffs. A coaching change headlined the offseason for Meadowbrook; Adam Tiller vacated the post, and is, now coaching at Colonial Heights. A graduate of L.C. Bird and former assistant for the Skyhawks under David Bedwell, Chamont Thompson takes the reins. “As a head coach, I’ll try to use the game…

ABOVE: Manny Hickman Matoaca struggled at times in 2017, playing to a 4-6 record and missing the postseason in a competitive region. Coach Derrick “D.L.” Johnson departed and will now lead one of the area’s top programs at Hermitage. Taking over the post is a familiar and capable hand in Jay Parker, who has served as an assistant and special teams coach for the Warriors and played his college football at Virginia State. “Coaching is simple to me,” Parker said. “If you get the kids to take on the mindset of the coach, you can be successful. Our guys already…

One of the spring and summer’s hottest recruits gave his verbal commitment this past week, as Thomas Dale High standout linebacker Rick D’Abreu announced that he will play his college football at James Madison University. A rising senior, D’Abreu announced his commitment with this statement on his Twitter account: “To begin, I’d like to thank my Lord and savior for allowing me this opportunity to play this game I love at the next level. Secondly, I’d like to thank my Mom, Dad, my entire family, the coaching staff at Thomas Dale and my church families for shaping me into the…

A popular saying in sports is “next man up,” and the L.C. Bird High Skyhawks have just that, another big man to help fill the hole left by Hakeem Beamon’s possible transfer. That man is 6-2, 285-pound offensive lineman DeMarkus Dancey. The rising senior picked up his second offer from Concord University in West Virginia. “When I was coaching at Virginia Union, I scoured L.C. Bird for talent,” explained current L.C. Bird coach Troy Taylor. “I went away from the game saying ‘No. 53 gets after it,’ and that No. 53 was DeMarkus.” Not only is he a good player,…

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…

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…