Sports

Jordan Carpenter gets nod for Lexus leadership scholar- athlete award

By VN Staff on May 21, 2020 Basketball

By Walter Scott Jr. Every year, schools submit two athletes (one boy and one girl) who made an outstanding contribution to the school both through athletics and academics. Jordan Carpenter Matoaca’s girls’ basketball star, Jordan Carpenter, has been nominated for the Lexus of Richmond Leadership Award, one of the most prestigious scholarships in the area. Her work on and off the court was impressive this season and is now being recognized in other ways. She was honored on Fox Richmond on both Friday and Sunday. Athletically, Carpenter helped lead her team to an incredible regular season, with a record of…

Trinidad, Lewis add more offers

By VN Staff on May 21, 2020 Sports

By Walter Scott Jr. Although things may be speeding up a bit in the world due to COVID-19, two area athletes have continued to outrun the competition on the recruiting scene. One of those athletes is L.C. Bird’s Kris Trinidad, who has added five new offers: Navy, Bucknell, Air Force, Central Michigan, and Rhode Island. “On the field, Kris is an apex predator. He gets after it. Last year he was a five-technique defensive end [who] put his hand in the ground. He goes and gets the quarterback,” explained L.C. Bird football coach Troy Taylor. “He loves his teammates and…

Neal Richards

Matoaca alum Richards named to All-American second team

By Press release on May 19, 2020 Wrestling

VMI red shirt senior Neal Richards was named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-American second team Friday, becoming the program’s first All-American since 1999 (Leslie Apedoe, 285) and third all-time. “Everyone is so proud of Neal,” said head coach Jim Gibson. “This honor is greatly deserved, and is the culmination of hard work and dedication throughout his time at VMI. It puts him in an elite category of wrestlers throughout the country.” Richards was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler for the second straight year after winning the 174-pound individual championship at the 2020 Southern Conference Wrestling Championships. The South Chesterfield native qualified…

Trey Lewis (right) and Jacob Coleman (left)

Coleman, Lewis help drive culture change at Matoaca

By VN Staff on May 19, 2020 Football

By Walter Scott Jr. Matoaca’s dynamic duo, Troy Lewis and Jacob Coleman are a part of the culture change that’s been ushered into the school’s football program. “It’s easy to say these are the two top recruits we’ve had in a long time in general for school,” said Matoaca football coach Jay Parker. Brandon Brown (JMU), Michael Birdsong (JMU/Marshall/Tennessee Tech), Immanuel Hickman (East Carolina), and Jonathan Coleman (East Carolina) have all gone Division I recently. Now, it’s this combo that should wreak havoc on Region 5B this coming fall’s turn. “We’ve had guys getting recruited this quickly from when it…

Their paths may never cross again

By VN Staff on May 6, 2020 Lacrosse, Sports

By Walter Scott Jr. Life is different now. It’s affected everyone, and the Thomas Dale’s boys’ lacrosse team is no different. The team was poised to have what the school hoped to be a championship season, but COVID-19 ended the run before it started. The roster, loaded with 18 seniors, will never know what could have been. The brotherhood of athletes may never share the same field again. “It’s really heartbreaking to have so many players lose out on such a special season,” said coach Paul Amos. “The one thing about the players that stood out is not that they…

Virtual Signing Day

By VN Staff on May 6, 2020 Sports

Bird gets four football commits; Brown transfers

By VN Staff on May 6, 2020 Sports

By Walter Scott Jr. Four gridiron Skyhawks for L.C. Bid made college commitments this past week. Elijah Rivers is headed to Old Dominion, Dom Gray will attend and play at Randolph-Macon, and Shaun Allen and Savion Parham will remain teammates at Bluefield College. Rivers really helped his recruiting stock with a breakout track season that saw him finish fourth in the state in the 300 meters and was a member of the 800-meters relay team that placed seventh at state. “Once he popped that great time in the 300 meters, coaches’ eyes lit up,” said L.C. Bird football coach Troy…

Lewis, Coleman have more college offers

By VN Staff on May 6, 2020 Sports

By Walter Scott Jr. It seems that the number of scholarship offers for wide receiver Troy Lewis and for running back Jacob Coleman changes day by day. The Matoaca standouts reeled in more offers this week. Lewis is now up to 22 offers. His previous count total stood at 19. This past week, he’s added offers from East Carolina, Kent State, and Old Dominion. East Carolina features Coleman’s older brother, Jonathan, and the university has already offered Jacob. Two other locals, Matoac’s Immanuel Hickman, and Thomas Dale’s Rick D’Abreu, are already on the roster. Old Dominion received commitments from two…

Hines commits to play college soccer

By VN Staff on May 1, 2020 Sports

By Walter Scott Jr Angel Hines announced her commitment to Chestnut Hill College to play soccer. A multi-sport athlete, Hines played both soccer and football in her time with L.C. Bird. After seeing her potential, head coach Troy Taylor decided to offer her a spot as kicker. In her primary sport of soccer, she is a very skilled player who has the IQ to be great. Hines takes care of the ball, makes great decisions, and is very unselfish. She was supposed to lead her soccer team under new head coach Don Wells, but things didn’t go as planned, with…

Troy Lewis stiff arms a Thomas Dale defender.

Recruiting Update

By VN Staff on May 1, 2020 Sports

By Walter Scott Jr. Matoaca’s Lewis gets four new offers Expanding upon his name even further, Matoaca receiver-safety Troy Lewis added another four offers to his resume. Lewis’s work ethic and talent have earned him his latest offers from Villanova, Dartmouth, Columbia, and Bryant. The number of offers for this phenomenal athlete is steadily growing, and his newest four makes 19. Lewis is only a junior, so this trend won’t be on a downward scale anytime soon. Coleman tacks on Coastal Carolina One of Matoaca’s best athletes tight-end, Jacob Coleman added an 11th offer from Coastal Carolina. Coleman is currently…

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