Jasiah Williams Thomas Dale High School recruits just keep racking up college offers. In this case, one school wants not one, but three Knights. That school is Liberty University. The three athletes are offensive/defensive lineman Bryce Carter, wide receiver/defensive back Jasiah Williams and defensive back Crishaun Saunders. Liberty is the seventh school to make an offer to Carter. At 6 feet, 3 inches and 260 pounds, he represents a problem for opposing offenses on the defensive line. Other offers include Virginia Tech, Virginia, Duke, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh and East Carolina. The colleges’ interest has been a direct result of his…

Thomas Dale High School got word of yet another Division I offer for athlete Jasiah Williams when he picked up an offer from Army, his second. Williams played all over the field for Kevin Tucker and the Knights this past year, at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, defensive back, kick returner and punt returner. The athletic junior picked up an offer from Kent State earlier this school year. Despite an injury-shorted season, Williams totaled 442 yards of production and three touchdowns. Defensively, he averaged seven tackles per game and defended six passes. After moving to the area from Dinwiddie –…

L.C. Bird High and University of Virginia alum Anthony Harris will continue his NFL career in the 2019 season. He was tendered a $3.095 million contract by the Minnesota Vikings last week, and he will play for his fifth season in Minnesota. Harris had been a restricted free agent, meaning that Minnesota had rights to sign him first, but had they not, he could have signed with any team in the National Football League. The former L.C. Bird Skyhawk seized an opportunity to start last season at safety when incumbent Andrew Sendejo was injured. Sendejo was not offered a new…

For most athletes, athletic careers start, and often end, in local youth sports organizations. For Gerard Johnson and Lionel Williams, their time together at Beulah Elementary School ended up being a springboard all the way to pro football. Johnson, a Meadowbrook High graduate, and Williams, a L.C. Bird High alum, are preparing to travel to Europe to play professionally in Finland’s Maple League. This will be Johnson’s second season in the league, while Williams will be entering his rookie year. Under coach Troy Taylor at Meadowbrook, Johnson was one of the area’s best quarterbacks, leading the Monarchs to a Central…

David Bedwell Former L.C. Bird High School head football coach David Bedwell will be coaching football again. After stepping away from coaching and becoming L.C. Bird’s athletic director, Bedwell was recently named Hermitage High School head football coach. Bedwell won state championships in 2012, 2013 and 2014 and recorded 203 wins between stints with L.C. Bird and Henrico. Bird and Hermitage met in the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons, with the Skyhawks winning four of the seven meetings. Hermitage had another local tie, as former Matoaca High coach D.L. Johnson took over the job after Patrick Kane retired from coaching.…

Chris Barfield runs during gridiron action last fall. Two L.C. Bird High Skyhawks saw new offers roll in recently, and one of them came from a school in the Ivy League. Junior Chris Barfield reeled in an offer from the University of Pennsylvania, while C.J. Lynch scored his second offer, this one from Mount St. Joseph’s in Cincinnati.  Barfield is listed as a strong safety and running back on his Hudl account, but also played with the linebackers in the L.C. Bird defense last season. Barfield made plays on the gridiron and in the classroom, boasting a 4.4 grade point…

Garrett Graves punts the pigskin. Thomas Dale High School had another player sign to the college ranks last week. Kicker-punter Garrett Graves will be heading to Bridgewater College.  “Garrett is a hard-working young man who knew very little about football when he started four years ago,” coach Kevin Tucker said. “He has matured and grown into a fine young man who understands the game of football and will bring a wealth of knowledge to his team.” Originally a soccer player, Graves was convinced to join the football team by Plato Eliades, a Thomas Dale grad who played both versions of…

Chamont Thompson watches as Paul Davis signs. Last week, Meadowbrook High School’s standout running back Paul Davis signed a national letter of intent to play at West Virginia State University. The 5-10, 175-pound running back rushed for 1,010 yards for the Monarchs this past season, and has shown good pass catching ability. He was named third team All-Region 5. “Paul was the heart and soul of the team this year,” coach Chamont Thompson said. “He was a team leader and captain on both sides of the ball, and is an extremely hard worker.” West Virginia State, which competes at the…

L.C. Bird High gridiron stars may not have reeled in an Alabama offer, but it was most certainly a productive week for four Skyhawks standouts. Mykey Anderson and DeMarkus Dancey said they will continue their academic and football careers at UVA-Wise. “Mykey was a shutdown corner for us and a dynamic player on offense,” L.C. Bird head coach Troy Taylor said. “DeMarkus played both ways for us,” Taylor said. “He is a tough kid [who] works hard, and he will get after it on the field.” Although he didn’t make it official on National Signing Day, shortly thereafter defensive tackle…