Boys Lacrosse: Dominion SR Cody Farmer to Play at Stevenson University

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Sterling (Dec. 30, 2012) - Dominion High School senior Cody Farmer has committed to play men's lacrosse next year at NCAA Division III Stevenson University in Maryland. Farmer will join his older brother Troy, a freshman at Stevenson, on the Mustangs roster.

Farmer helped Dominion make its first ever VHSL state tournament appearance in 2012 as a junior. Farmer's club team is Madlax.

Softball: 14U Ashburn Shooting Stars Gold Fastpitch Reaches No. 1 Ranking in Nation

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(Dec. 31, 2012) - Just before the holidays hit the Ashburn Shooting Stars Gold Fastpitch softball team got an early present as the 14U team was ranked No. 1 in the nation by Youth1.com.

Youth1 in ranking the team No. 1 said: "Taking the top spot for 14U is the Ashburn Shooting Stars Gold, who, as a 12U team, won the 12U Eastern World Series over the summer in Salisbury, Maryland. Now a 14U team, the Ashburn Shooting Stars is 23-3-1 on the fall season and is once again World Series Qualified. Under the management of Rick McCarty, the team picked up a number of 1st place finishes this fall including wins at the Red Raider SoftballFEST (5-0), Potomac River Clash NIT (5-1), Heartbreakers Fall Classic (4-0-1), and at the Breast Cancer Awareness NIT (5-1).


Looking for another World Series title in 2013 are the girls of the Ashburn Shooting Stars Gold which include, Alexis Ballve, Samantha Carver, Kayla Castro, Mackenzie Fisher, Allison Kreyer, Grace Mattimore, Emily McCarty, Mackenzie Meyer, Amanda Nee, Olivia Overton, Kailey Shannon, Michelle Sullivan, and Keira Womack."

Replay Sports N Training is the sponsor of Viva Loudoun's
softball & baseball coverage!

Boys Lacrosse: Dominion Teamed up with 'TroopTreats' for Holiday Service Project

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Sterling (Dec. 31, 2012) - The Dominion High School boys lacrosse team teamed up earilier this month with 'TroopTreats' for the program's Holiday Service project.

The Titans met on Dec. 12 to write 200 TroopTreat cards thanking our troops -- who were not home with their loved ones for the holidays -- for their service, and sacrifices and wishing them Happy Holidays!


TroopTreats has been working for years with Operation Santa's Little Helpers. They send about 4000-5000 holiday stockings with small toys, candy and a handwritten card. The card is the most important item and the first thing they run out of.

Gymnastics: Viva Loudoun Top Marks 2012-13 Season

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(Dec. 31, 2012) - Viva Loudoun has released its top gymnastics marks for the 2012-13 season which tracks the top 15 scores for area gymnasts in vault, bars, beam, floor and All Around as well as the top team scores on the season.

Meets included for this first chart include Dec. 5 (Loudoun Valley), Dec. 6 (Freedom), Dec. 10 (Briar Woods), Dec. 12 (Broad Run), Dec. 17 (Loudoun Valley) and Dec. 20 (Park View). If you have results from a missing meet, please forward them to Dan Sousa (dan.sousa@vivaloudoun.com) so we can update our records.

 
VivaLoudoun gymnastics coverage sponsored by APEX Gymnastics! Please thank them for supporting VivaLoudoun!

Redskins: Playoff Tickets Sold Out for Seattle Game

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Ashburn (Dec. 31, 2012) – The Washington Redskins announced today tickets to the NFC Wild Card Weekend playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Jan. 6 are sold out. In the event there are player or visitor team ticket returns, fans are encouraged to check with Ticketmaster for availability.

Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to avoid traffic and enjoy the 1 p.m. playoff games.

• Parking lots open at 11:30 a.m. 
• The Bud Light Party Pavilion and AAA Ultimate Fan Zone open at 12:30 p.m. 
• Stadium gates open at 1:30 p.m.

For more Redskins’ playoff information, visit www.redskins.com/Playoffs.

Butler's Kalambayi a finalist for the Butkus Award

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Butler senior linebacker Peter Kalambayi is one of five finalists for the high school Butkus Award, honoring the nation's top linebackers and awarded by the Butkus foundation.

Finalists were selected by a panel of 51 coaches, scouts and journalists. Winners for the high school, college and professional award will be announced the first week of December.

High school finalists include:

• Reuben Foster, Auburn, Alabama 
• Trey Johnson, Central Gwinett, Lawrenceville, Georgia 
• Peter Kalambayi, Butler, Matthews, North Carolina 
• Isaac Savaiinaea, Punahou, Honolulu, Hawaii 
• Jaylon Smith, Bishop Luers, Fort Wayne, Indiana

For more information, visit www.thebutkusaward.com.

Post-game comments from Charlotte Catholic's loss in the NCHSAA 3AA championship

To contact us Click HERE

I wasn't able to get quotes into the print version of my story about Charlotte Catholic's loss to Northern Guilford in the NCHSAA 3AA championship game Saturday. The game started 45 minutes late and deadline loomed just minutes after the clock hit zero.

I did rush down to the media room after and added quotes to the online version of the story, which you can find here. 
Here are other notable post-game comments from both teams:

Charlotte Catholic

Head coach Jim Oddo:

Opening statement:
“We picked a bad day to have a bad day.”
[...]
“Really, we hung with them for a half and right at the close of the first half we drove theball down the field and scored and were in it and then with just a little bit of time left hepopped a long one and I think that was the one that kind of broke our back.”
[...]
“I thought our kids played hard and we’re very happy to be here, but sorry that it wasn’t abetter game. But I’m proud of our young men and what they’ve done.”

On the uncharacteristic mistakes his team made:
“We turned it over too much early in the ball game. … When things went south, they wentsouth and then it snow balled.”

On Northern Guilford running back T.J. Logan:
“We knew that he was going to pop one or two. There’s no way you can hold him downfor a whole ball game and I expected that somewhere along the line he’d get off oneor two. I didn’t expect he’d get off that many, but, you know, that’s the way it is. He’san outstanding athlete. Blinding speed. And if you don’t get him tied up at the line ofscrimmage or close to it, half the time he’s going to take it to the house.”

On if Charlotte Catholic's offensive style makes it harder to come back from an early deficit:
“Our big problem was we rely on some base plays and they were able to take them away.We were not able to do what we wanted to do. We were still getting four and three andgetting first downs and matriculating down field and shortening the game, but it doesn't take them very long to hand the ball to Logan to bounce back.”
[...]
“They just bunched them up and we weren’t good enough to take it to them. And we're not going to pass every down.”

Running back Elijah Hood:

On what he hopes to take away from the game, going into his senior year:
"I mean, it's kind of a sour experience but I'm just going to use that to move on. I mean, I'm going to keep growing as a football player. Obviously there were some things in that game I could have probably did better. I probably missed some blocks, I've got to go watch some film and stuff.
"There's a lot for me to learn, so I'm just trying to learn from it. Football is a learning experience so I'm just going to keep learning, try to get better, that's the way I see it.
"Because I've got another year, I'm going to go back at it, so I'm just going to go ahead and go for the state championship next year. Same heart, same passion, same drive. Work harder. That's all I can give, give it my all."  
Northern Guilford
Head coach Johnny Roscoe: 
“We said defense was going to have to win a game for us and they did. They containedtheir running attack.”

Talking about the players sitting at the media table with him:
“These guys have been here four years with us and this is our program, right here in frontof you.”

On if he was surprised by Catholic's miscues, like fumbled punts:
“They made very few mistakes and that gave us an advantage. It really did. …It’s an outstanding football game. We knew what they were coming to do. … We knewwhat was in store. 34 (Elijah Hood) is an outstanding player, the offensive line did a good job and wehad to come in and defensively do something.”

On the importance of Northern Guilford's two quick scores before and after the half:
“It was so important. … the movement of the game goes back and forth so many times… It’s so important to stop their momentum because we saw them on film, certain teamswould stop them and then, bam they’d get an 80 yard run, a 70 yard run, a 60, and so weknew that they were going to make some runs at us and we were going to have to justtake care of those and move the ball offensively.”

Running back T.J. Logan:

On what helped him have such a big game:
“The O-line. I feel like in practice they opened up a lot of holes and I just try tohit the seam.”
[...]
“They were just like over pursuing a little bit so I could just cut to the back side.”

On his response to Charlotte Catholic fans who might say they Nighthawks were running up the score:
“It’s just football. You play to the end.”

On how it felt to finish an undefeated season with a state championship:
“It feels good. We’ve been playing together since like the seventh grade."
[...]
“This is perfect.”

On what he would say to fans of North Carolina, where he's committed to play next year:
“I’m ready. I’m ready for Tar Heel nation.”

Defensive lineman Austin Simmons:

On how playing in past state championship games helped the team this year:
“It helped us get ready for the noise and the level of competition. Every player, like theseniors on their team, it was their last game so they were going to play as hard as they can. So we were ready to face their best. Film can’t prepare us for how well they’re going toplay when they’re ready just to give their all.”

Beth Erb breaks Country Day's career scoring record

To contact us Click HERE

Charlotte Country Day senior girls' basketball player Beth Erb broke the school's girls' basketball scoring record in a Dec. 5 game against Parkwood.

Erb scored 12 points in the 47-36 loss, giving her 1,170 career points with the Buccaneers. The previous record was 1,164 points held by Janice Roberts, a 2010 graduate now playing at Furman.

Erb also had 3 rebounds, two steals and two assists in the game.

George Whitfield's baseball clinic scheduled for Jan. 12

To contact us Click HERE

The baseball clinic run by North Carolina High School Athletic Association Hall of Famer George Whitfield is set for its 41st annual renewal.

The clinic is scheduled for Goldsboro High School on Saturday, January 12, 2013 and features another tremendous lineup. Registration is scheduled from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m, and then the clinic will run until 6 p.m.

The clinic is open to all players from Little League through high school, and all coaches at any level are welcome.

Ron Polk, the assistant baseball coach at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, will be the kickoff speaker at 9:05 am, followed by Dr. Chris Hasty and Trey Mooring, who will speak on injury prevention for today's baseball players.

Here are some of the other outstanding baseball people and topics that will be covered at this annual event:

• “What College Coaches Are Looking for in Today’s Athletes” will be discussed by UNC-Greensboro assistant coach Matt Boykin, East Carolina head coach Billy Godwin, Georgia Southern assistant Chris Moore, Liberty assistant Garrett Quinn and Louisburg College head coach Keith Shumate.

•”Practice Organization for the High School Coach” will include Tony Guzzo, head coach at Nash Central High School, and Appalachian State head coach Billy Jones.

• "Indoor and On-Field Drills To Become a Better Player” will be presented by Campbell head coach Greg Goff, Richmond assistant coaches Tag Montague and Tanner Biagini, and Mount Olive assistant Rob Watt.

• Pitching will be covered by Shenandoah University head coach Kevin Anderson, Pitt Community College head coach Tommy Eason, North Carolina assistant coach Scott Forbes; Sam Narron, pitching coach for the Auburn Doubledays in the Washington National minor league organization; and Dan Roszel, East Carolina assistant coach.

•Catching will feature Virginia Commonwealth assistant Kurt Elbin, Eastern Wayne High School head coach James Fulghum, Duke assistant J.J. Jordan, Virginia assistant Matt Kirby, and Virginia Military Institute assistant Michael Roberts. • Infield play instructors will be Central Florida retired head coach Jay Bergman, UNC-Wilmington head coach Mark Scalf, Brunswick Community College head coach Robbie Allen, U.S. Military Academy assistant coach Matt Reid, and Michigan assistant Nick Schnabel.

• Outfield play will be covered by Methodist head coach Tom Austin; retired Ohio University head coach Joe Carbone; Paul Faulk, a scout for the Washington Nationals; Mount Olive head coach Carl Lancaster, and East Carolina assistant Ben Sanderson.

• Base Running will be discussed by Dave Bristol, former major league manager with the Reds, Brewers, Braves and Giants; Catawba head coach Jim Gantt; High Point assistant Bryan Peters, UNC-Asheville head coach Tom Smith and Wake Forest head coach Tom Walter.

• Hitting instructors will be retired Virginia Tech head coach Chuck Hartman; Campbell assistant Justin Haire, College of Charleston assistant Matt Heath, UNC-Greensboro head coach Link Jarrett, and N.C. State assistant Brian Ward.

Coach Whitfield will mail information to schools across the state in November. The only charge for the clinic is a pre-registration fee of $60 per person, which includes lunch. Any school or team that registers six or more people will be charged $50 per person.

Registration at the door will be $70.

Players 15 years of age and under may have their fathers attend for free, and they can eat lunch for just seven dollars.

Questions about the clinic may be directed to George at (919) 778-6013 or write him at 216 Hardingwood Drive, Goldsboro, NC 27534.

--NCHSAA release

Charlotte Latin's Eve Davis named Gatorade Player of the Year

To contact us Click HERE

Charlotte Latin senior volleyball player Eve Davis is the 2012-13 Gatorade North Carolina Volleyball Player of the Year.

The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA Today High School Sports, made the announcement Dec. 12. Davis is Charlotte Latin's first Gatorade Player of the Year for volleyball.

The 6-foot-2 outside hitter had 654 kills, 379 digs, 76 aces and 47 blocks on a Hawk team that went 38-1 and won the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 3A state championship for the ninth year in a row.

Davis signed to play with N.C. State next year.

Davis was also selected as an American Volleyball Coaches Association Under Armour First-Team All-American. According to Charlotte Latin's Ellen Kazura, Davis and Latin coach Suzie Pignetti were on the way to Louisville for the All-American volleyball match when the announcement was made. Pignetti was named AVCA National Coach of the Year.

"Eve Davis is a complete package," Nation Ford High head coach Carrie Christian said in a statement. "She is a strong and consistent passer and a dynamic hitter. She not only swings hard, she also places the ball well and uses various shots which make her incredibly hard to defend."

For more information, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.

Butler's Kalambayi a finalist for the Butkus Award

To contact us Click HERE

Butler senior linebacker Peter Kalambayi is one of five finalists for the high school Butkus Award, honoring the nation's top linebackers and awarded by the Butkus foundation.

Finalists were selected by a panel of 51 coaches, scouts and journalists. Winners for the high school, college and professional award will be announced the first week of December.

High school finalists include:

• Reuben Foster, Auburn, Alabama 
• Trey Johnson, Central Gwinett, Lawrenceville, Georgia 
• Peter Kalambayi, Butler, Matthews, North Carolina 
• Isaac Savaiinaea, Punahou, Honolulu, Hawaii 
• Jaylon Smith, Bishop Luers, Fort Wayne, Indiana

For more information, visit www.thebutkusaward.com.

Post-game comments from Charlotte Catholic's loss in the NCHSAA 3AA championship

To contact us Click HERE

I wasn't able to get quotes into the print version of my story about Charlotte Catholic's loss to Northern Guilford in the NCHSAA 3AA championship game Saturday. The game started 45 minutes late and deadline loomed just minutes after the clock hit zero.

I did rush down to the media room after and added quotes to the online version of the story, which you can find here. 
Here are other notable post-game comments from both teams:

Charlotte Catholic

Head coach Jim Oddo:

Opening statement:
“We picked a bad day to have a bad day.”
[...]
“Really, we hung with them for a half and right at the close of the first half we drove theball down the field and scored and were in it and then with just a little bit of time left hepopped a long one and I think that was the one that kind of broke our back.”
[...]
“I thought our kids played hard and we’re very happy to be here, but sorry that it wasn’t abetter game. But I’m proud of our young men and what they’ve done.”

On the uncharacteristic mistakes his team made:
“We turned it over too much early in the ball game. … When things went south, they wentsouth and then it snow balled.”

On Northern Guilford running back T.J. Logan:
“We knew that he was going to pop one or two. There’s no way you can hold him downfor a whole ball game and I expected that somewhere along the line he’d get off oneor two. I didn’t expect he’d get off that many, but, you know, that’s the way it is. He’san outstanding athlete. Blinding speed. And if you don’t get him tied up at the line ofscrimmage or close to it, half the time he’s going to take it to the house.”

On if Charlotte Catholic's offensive style makes it harder to come back from an early deficit:
“Our big problem was we rely on some base plays and they were able to take them away.We were not able to do what we wanted to do. We were still getting four and three andgetting first downs and matriculating down field and shortening the game, but it doesn't take them very long to hand the ball to Logan to bounce back.”
[...]
“They just bunched them up and we weren’t good enough to take it to them. And we're not going to pass every down.”

Running back Elijah Hood:

On what he hopes to take away from the game, going into his senior year:
"I mean, it's kind of a sour experience but I'm just going to use that to move on. I mean, I'm going to keep growing as a football player. Obviously there were some things in that game I could have probably did better. I probably missed some blocks, I've got to go watch some film and stuff.
"There's a lot for me to learn, so I'm just trying to learn from it. Football is a learning experience so I'm just going to keep learning, try to get better, that's the way I see it.
"Because I've got another year, I'm going to go back at it, so I'm just going to go ahead and go for the state championship next year. Same heart, same passion, same drive. Work harder. That's all I can give, give it my all."  
Northern Guilford
Head coach Johnny Roscoe: 
“We said defense was going to have to win a game for us and they did. They containedtheir running attack.”

Talking about the players sitting at the media table with him:
“These guys have been here four years with us and this is our program, right here in frontof you.”

On if he was surprised by Catholic's miscues, like fumbled punts:
“They made very few mistakes and that gave us an advantage. It really did. …It’s an outstanding football game. We knew what they were coming to do. … We knewwhat was in store. 34 (Elijah Hood) is an outstanding player, the offensive line did a good job and wehad to come in and defensively do something.”

On the importance of Northern Guilford's two quick scores before and after the half:
“It was so important. … the movement of the game goes back and forth so many times… It’s so important to stop their momentum because we saw them on film, certain teamswould stop them and then, bam they’d get an 80 yard run, a 70 yard run, a 60, and so weknew that they were going to make some runs at us and we were going to have to justtake care of those and move the ball offensively.”

Running back T.J. Logan:

On what helped him have such a big game:
“The O-line. I feel like in practice they opened up a lot of holes and I just try tohit the seam.”
[...]
“They were just like over pursuing a little bit so I could just cut to the back side.”

On his response to Charlotte Catholic fans who might say they Nighthawks were running up the score:
“It’s just football. You play to the end.”

On how it felt to finish an undefeated season with a state championship:
“It feels good. We’ve been playing together since like the seventh grade."
[...]
“This is perfect.”

On what he would say to fans of North Carolina, where he's committed to play next year:
“I’m ready. I’m ready for Tar Heel nation.”

Defensive lineman Austin Simmons:

On how playing in past state championship games helped the team this year:
“It helped us get ready for the noise and the level of competition. Every player, like theseniors on their team, it was their last game so they were going to play as hard as they can. So we were ready to face their best. Film can’t prepare us for how well they’re going toplay when they’re ready just to give their all.”

Beth Erb breaks Country Day's career scoring record

To contact us Click HERE

Charlotte Country Day senior girls' basketball player Beth Erb broke the school's girls' basketball scoring record in a Dec. 5 game against Parkwood.

Erb scored 12 points in the 47-36 loss, giving her 1,170 career points with the Buccaneers. The previous record was 1,164 points held by Janice Roberts, a 2010 graduate now playing at Furman.

Erb also had 3 rebounds, two steals and two assists in the game.

George Whitfield's baseball clinic scheduled for Jan. 12

To contact us Click HERE

The baseball clinic run by North Carolina High School Athletic Association Hall of Famer George Whitfield is set for its 41st annual renewal.

The clinic is scheduled for Goldsboro High School on Saturday, January 12, 2013 and features another tremendous lineup. Registration is scheduled from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m, and then the clinic will run until 6 p.m.

The clinic is open to all players from Little League through high school, and all coaches at any level are welcome.

Ron Polk, the assistant baseball coach at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, will be the kickoff speaker at 9:05 am, followed by Dr. Chris Hasty and Trey Mooring, who will speak on injury prevention for today's baseball players.

Here are some of the other outstanding baseball people and topics that will be covered at this annual event:

• “What College Coaches Are Looking for in Today’s Athletes” will be discussed by UNC-Greensboro assistant coach Matt Boykin, East Carolina head coach Billy Godwin, Georgia Southern assistant Chris Moore, Liberty assistant Garrett Quinn and Louisburg College head coach Keith Shumate.

•”Practice Organization for the High School Coach” will include Tony Guzzo, head coach at Nash Central High School, and Appalachian State head coach Billy Jones.

• "Indoor and On-Field Drills To Become a Better Player” will be presented by Campbell head coach Greg Goff, Richmond assistant coaches Tag Montague and Tanner Biagini, and Mount Olive assistant Rob Watt.

• Pitching will be covered by Shenandoah University head coach Kevin Anderson, Pitt Community College head coach Tommy Eason, North Carolina assistant coach Scott Forbes; Sam Narron, pitching coach for the Auburn Doubledays in the Washington National minor league organization; and Dan Roszel, East Carolina assistant coach.

•Catching will feature Virginia Commonwealth assistant Kurt Elbin, Eastern Wayne High School head coach James Fulghum, Duke assistant J.J. Jordan, Virginia assistant Matt Kirby, and Virginia Military Institute assistant Michael Roberts. • Infield play instructors will be Central Florida retired head coach Jay Bergman, UNC-Wilmington head coach Mark Scalf, Brunswick Community College head coach Robbie Allen, U.S. Military Academy assistant coach Matt Reid, and Michigan assistant Nick Schnabel.

• Outfield play will be covered by Methodist head coach Tom Austin; retired Ohio University head coach Joe Carbone; Paul Faulk, a scout for the Washington Nationals; Mount Olive head coach Carl Lancaster, and East Carolina assistant Ben Sanderson.

• Base Running will be discussed by Dave Bristol, former major league manager with the Reds, Brewers, Braves and Giants; Catawba head coach Jim Gantt; High Point assistant Bryan Peters, UNC-Asheville head coach Tom Smith and Wake Forest head coach Tom Walter.

• Hitting instructors will be retired Virginia Tech head coach Chuck Hartman; Campbell assistant Justin Haire, College of Charleston assistant Matt Heath, UNC-Greensboro head coach Link Jarrett, and N.C. State assistant Brian Ward.

Coach Whitfield will mail information to schools across the state in November. The only charge for the clinic is a pre-registration fee of $60 per person, which includes lunch. Any school or team that registers six or more people will be charged $50 per person.

Registration at the door will be $70.

Players 15 years of age and under may have their fathers attend for free, and they can eat lunch for just seven dollars.

Questions about the clinic may be directed to George at (919) 778-6013 or write him at 216 Hardingwood Drive, Goldsboro, NC 27534.

--NCHSAA release

Charlotte Latin's Eve Davis named Gatorade Player of the Year

To contact us Click HERE

Charlotte Latin senior volleyball player Eve Davis is the 2012-13 Gatorade North Carolina Volleyball Player of the Year.

The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA Today High School Sports, made the announcement Dec. 12. Davis is Charlotte Latin's first Gatorade Player of the Year for volleyball.

The 6-foot-2 outside hitter had 654 kills, 379 digs, 76 aces and 47 blocks on a Hawk team that went 38-1 and won the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 3A state championship for the ninth year in a row.

Davis signed to play with N.C. State next year.

Davis was also selected as an American Volleyball Coaches Association Under Armour First-Team All-American. According to Charlotte Latin's Ellen Kazura, Davis and Latin coach Suzie Pignetti were on the way to Louisville for the All-American volleyball match when the announcement was made. Pignetti was named AVCA National Coach of the Year.

"Eve Davis is a complete package," Nation Ford High head coach Carrie Christian said in a statement. "She is a strong and consistent passer and a dynamic hitter. She not only swings hard, she also places the ball well and uses various shots which make her incredibly hard to defend."

For more information, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.