Here is the final 2013 Timesland track and field checklist, with the top 15 in each boys and girls event.

The Timesland male and female performers of the year will be announced June 30.

Care to guess who they will be?

2013 TIMESLAND TRACK AND FIELD CHECKLIST

NOTE: Rankings are based on major invitationals and postseason meets. Meets include are Knights Invitational, Raleigh Relays, Big Red Invitational, Vince Bradford Relays, Mike Brown Invitational, Falcons Track Classic, Colonel Classic, Judy Thomas Invitational, Frank Carver Invitational, All-American Relays, Amherst Invitational, Tri-Cities Classic, Penn Relays, Buffalo Invitational, MileStat Elite Classic, Joe Curcio Invitational, Bearcat Invitational, Times-News Relays, Dogwood Classic and Cosmopolitan Invitational, Western Valley, Blue Ridge, Piedmont, River Ridge, Seminole, Southwest, Hogoheegee, Mountain Empire, Pioneer, Three Rivers, VIC/Blue Ridge, Northwest Region, Region III, Region IV, Region C, Group AAA, Group AA, Group A and VIS.

BOYS
100 meters
1. Brandon Carter, Martinsville (Piedmont-Q), 10.84
2. Josh Pearson, Bassett (Piedmont-Q), 10.91
3. Khalil Bonds, William Fleming (Western Valley), 11.00
4. Trey Hairston, Martinsville (Piedmont-Q), 11.03
…..Rasheed Whorley, Patrick Henry (Western Valley-Q), 11.03
6. Andrew Storms, George Wythe (Region C), 11.09
7. Bryce Hankins, Magna Vista (Piedmont), 11.16
8. Ryan Layman, George Wythe (Region C), 11.25
9. Patrick Shulz, James River (Region C), 11.29
10. Tanner Reed, Christiansburg (River Ridge), 11.34
11. Marquis Smith, Franklin County (Western Valley), 11.37
12. Jerome Hill, William Fleming (Jones), 11.38
13. Riley Blevins, Marion (Southwest), 11.39
14. Ricky Claytor, Hidden Valley (Jones), 11.40
…..Michael Shough, Patrick County (Piedmont-Q), 11.40 Read more »

The new Timesland top 15 is out and plenty of changes were made after four major meets were held over the weekend.

Among the highlights:

*Blacksburg put four runners under two minutes in the boys 800 meters at the MileStat Elite Classic in Richmond.

*Nick Link of Blacksburg ran 4:16.05 in the 1,600, while Noah Combs clocked 9:22.88 in the 3,200. Blacksburg’s Emily Beaty ran 5:06.22 in the girls 1,600.

*William Byrd’s Marcellus Fletcher went 46 feet in the triple jump at the Joe Curcio Invitational in Lynchburg where Alexis Brown of James River tossed the shot 38-10 and Liberty’s Nicole Smith threw the discus 121-8.

2013 TIMESLAND TRACK AND FIELD CHECKLIST

NOTE: Rankings are based on major invitationals and postseason meets. Meets include are Knights Invitational, Raleigh Relays, Big Red Invitational, Vince Bradford Relays, Mike Brown Invitational, Falcons Track Classic, Colonel Classic, Judy Thomas Invitational, Frank Carver Invitational, All-American Relays, Amherst Invitational, Tri-Cities Track Classic, Buffalo Invitational, MileStat Elite Classic, Joe Curcio Invitational and Bearcat Invitational.

BOYS
100 meters
1. Khalil Bonds, William Fleming (Colonel), 11.03
2. Andrew Storms, George Wythe (All-American), 11.10
3. Brandon Carter, Martinsville (Colonel), 11.18
4. Ryan Layman, George Wythe (All-American), 11.40
5. Arius McConnell, Salem (All-American), 11.41
6. Tanner Reed, Christiansburg (Colonel), 11.43
7. Riley Blevins, Marion (Thomas), 11.48
8. Joey Augustin, Christiansburg (Curcio), 11.53
9. Jamaal Preston, Liberty (Big Red), 11.55
…..Travis Hedgepeth, George Wythe (All-American), 11.55
11. Ryan Sims, Blacksburg (Knights), 11.57
12  Josh Pearson, Bassett (Buffalo), 11.58
13. Patrick Shulz, James River (All-American), 11.64
14. Ryan Kelly, Hidden Valley (Colonel), 11.65
15. Davonta Womack, Salem (Curcio), 11.67 Read more »

Northside’s Tierra Saunders took over the 2013 Timesland lead in the girls 400-meter run with an impressive clocking of 57.66 seconds last week in winning the event at the Amherst Invitational in Amherst.

William Byrd’s Marcellus Fletcher is the new Timesland leader in the boys triple jump at 44 feet, 11 inches.

Those were among the top performaces over the weekend in Timesland.

The updated Timesland track checklist is below.

NOTE: Rankings are based on major invitationals and postseason meets. Meets include are Knights Invitational, Raleigh Relays, Big Red Invitational, Vince Bradford Relays, Mike Brown Invitational, Falcons Track Classic, Colonel Classic, Judy Thomas Invitational, Frank Carver Invitational, All-American Relays, Amherst Invitational and Tri-Cities Track Classic.

BOYS
100 meters
1. Khalil Bonds, William Fleming (Colonel), 11.03 2. Andrew Storms, George Wythe (All-American), 11.10 3. Brandon Carter, Martinsville (Colonel), 11.18 4. Ryan Layman, George Wythe (All-American), 11.40 5. Arius McConnell, Salem (All-American), 11.41 6. Tanner Reed, Christiansburg (Colonel), 11.43 7. Riley Blevins, Marion (Thomas), 11.48 8. Jamaal Preston, Liberty (Big Red), 11.55    Travis Hedgepeth, George Wythe (All-American), 11.55 10. Ryan Sims, Blacksburg (Knights), 11.57 11 . Josh Pearson, Bassett (Colonel), 11.59 12. Patrick Shulz, James River (All-American), 11.64 13. Ryan Kelly, Hidden Valley (Colonel), 11.65 14. Elijah Onks, George Wythe (Thomas), 11.69 15. Fe’zahn Scott, Patrick Henry (Knights), 11.71    Dean Sayers, Hidden Valley (Colonel), 11.71 Read more »

John Otey, who resigned last month as the athletic director at William Fleming High School, has been named the new AD at Jefferson Forest.

Otey replaces Steve Mills, who is returning to the coaching ranks as Jefferson Forest’s girls basketball coach.

Otey turned in his resignation, effective July 1, at Fleming after less than two years in charge of the Colonels’ athletic program. Otey became Fleming’s AD in the summer of 2011 after serving as the school’s head athletic trainer.

William Fleming and Jefferson Forest both will be members of Class 4A Conference 24 next year when the VHSL begins its new six-classification system.

Jefferson Forest will hold a reception for Otey from 4-6 p.m. Thursday at the high school.

I’ve seen plenty of remarkable things covering high school sports — a sinkhole in a football field during a game, a 4-foot-tall wrestler winning a state championship, an 81-foot, 9-inch shot in a girls basketball game — but just when I thought I’d seen about everything…the Seminole District boys basketball pairings came out.

Here’s the deal:

The Seminole divides its boys and girls tournaments by putting the four Division 4 schools in one half of the bracket and the three Division 3 schools on the other side. The thinking is that when teams are contending for Region III tournament berths in the respective divisions, they might as well be playing against each other. I suppose the arrangement has worked well so far.

Not this year.

E.C. Glass and Heritage tied for the regular-season title in the Seminole boys standings. Both teams are in Division 4. Both are going to the Region III Division 4 tournament. Fair enough, but each of the three districts in Region III gets to send just two teams to the region in each division, meaning the Seminole’s other two Division 4 teams — Amherst County and Jefferson Forest — are eliminated from postseason contention before the tournament has even begun.

But here’s the rub. Amherst and JF are still playing in the Seminole tournament. Say what? That’s right, the Seminole is telling those two boys teams that they can compete for a district tournament trophy, but their road will end right there.

A postseason tournament where teams are playing with no hope of advancing to the next level? That is absolutely unheard of.

Competing for a state title is the whole point. Or at least that’s what I’ve been hearing for years as a major reason for the VHSL’s schools splitting into six classifications.

The Seminole didn’t want to hold a playoff between Glass and Heritage, because it felt that a team that proved itself over 2 1/2 months with a first-place finish was deserving of a regional berth and that the loser of a playoff could be at risk of losing it all with one upset loss.

So why have a tournament at all? And more to the point, why would Amherst County and Jefferson Forest want to show up for this one?

With split classifications and expanded regional brackets, the VHSL’s district tournaments aren’t what they used to be and haven’t been for years. In many cases, the most important game often is a consolation game that determines whether the teams stay alive or pack it in for the season. A district tournament title is still a big deal, but in Group AA Region IV and Group A Region C, most of the postseason berths already have been decided and many games are merely to determine regional seedings.

I’ll welcome the change next winter when postseason district tournaments will disappear altogether and the road to Richmond will begin with tournament play in newly formed conferences made up of teams from the same classification. Then, perhaps, the win-or-go-home aspect will bring more excitement to the games.

Win or go home.

For Amherst County and Jefferson Forest it’s just go home.

See the area’s boys and girls pairings here.

Rockbridge County quarterback Porter Abell has been named the offensive player of the year on the All-Region III football team released this afternoon.

Northside nose tackle DeAnthony Muse and Heritage linebacker Uriah Hammond have been named the co-defensive players of the year.

The team is below:

REGION III
FIRST TEAM
Offense
Center – Dallas Harper, Broadway, 5-9, 241, sr.; Guard – Cody Shifflett, Fort Defiance, 5-10, 245, sr.; Curtis Fridley, Rockbridge County, 6-3, 275, sr.; Tackle – Andrew Williams, Lord Botetourt, 6-2, 264, sr.; Josh Mason, Brookville, 6-1, 245, jr.; Tight end – Hayden Rutherford, Harrisonburg, 6-1, 185, sr.; Wide receiver – I’Shantii Rosser, Heritage, 5-11, 181, sr.; Harold Buckner, Northside, 6-3, 175, jr.; Hilson Atkins, Brookville, 5-5, 150, sr.; Running back – Chris Thompson, Lord Botetourt, 5-11, 225, jr.; Randall Jones, Rustburg, 5-7, 165, jr.; Trevor Bostic, Broadway, 5-9,l 185, sr.; Quarterback – Porter Abell, Rockbridge County, 6-0, 185, sr.; Kendall BeCraft, Rockbridge County, 6-1, 170, sr.; Place-kicker – Alan Gutierrez, Brookville, 6-0, 190, jr.; Athlete – JeVontae Parrish, Heritage, 5-10, 165, sr. Read more »

 The kickoff times have been set for the 14 second-round VHSL football playoff games this weekend.
 Thirteen of the games are Friday night with the exception being Galax’s trip to Honaker, which will be at 1 p.m. Saturday.
 Here is the full VHSL schedule:

DIVISION 6
Central Region
Meadowbrook (9-1) at Varina (9-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
L.C. Bird (10-0) at Hermitage (10-0), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Eastern Region
Salem-Virginia Beach (10-1) at Oscar Smith (10-1), TBA
Western Branch (9-2) at Ocean Lakes (11-0), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Northern Region
Chantilly (8-3) at Westfield (11-0), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Oakton (7-4) at Centreville (8-3), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Northwest Region
Battlefield (8-3) at C.D. Hylton (8-2), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Colonial Forge (9-2) at Stonewall Jackson (9-1), Friday, 7:30 p.m. Read more »

Twenty-eight Timesland teams will be involved in 22 games Friday and Saturday as the VHSL football playoffs open across the state.

So, I’ve been a little busy this week collecting enough information on some of these outlying teams as well as compiling the final Timesland regular-season statistics, which will appear in their usual place in The Roanoke Times on Friday.

A version of these capsule previews also will run in the paper. They will include my predictions for Friday’s 21 games and the one Timesland game Saturday. The prep fearless forecasters contest is still running, although the emails with the list of games was not sent out until late this afternoon.

Also, check Friday’s paper for a feature story on Patrick Henry assistant coach Jeff Johnson and a story on Cave Spring place-kicker Daniel Seymour, who will play in a football game Friday night and then run in the VHSL Group AA cross country championships Saturday morning. 

One note to those who have asked. Yes, the All-Region IV team did appear briefly on the blog Wednesday. It was sent in prematurely by one of the league’s ADs, and I complied with a request to take it down until further notice.

The playoff capsules sans predictions are below:

NORTHWEST REGION DIVISION 6
PATRICK HENRY (8-2) at COLONIAL FORGE (8-2)
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Coaches: Patrick Henry (Alan Fiddler), Colonial Forge (Bill Brown).
Scouting Patrick Henry: PH is in the playoffs for the first time since 2000 with the last playoff win in 1994. Virginia Tech-bound QB David Prince has run for 687 yards and passed for 703. Xavier Whorley (174 carries, 1,210 yards, 18 TDs) is the top back. LB Demetrius Anderson and DE Nate Lee (21 TFLs) lead the defense. PK Jacob Otterman has five FGs.
Scouting Colonial Forge: The Forge, located in Stafford, lost 21-14 at Franklin County last year in the first round. The Eagles are 3-2 against AAA playoff teams with losses to C.D. Hylton (35-16) and Massaponax (59-30). QB Damen Daniel (592 rush yards, 962 pass yards) leads the offense. Brown has won VHSL state titles at two other schools.
Next week: The NW Region reseeds. The winner gets either Hylton or Stonewall Jackson. Read more »

The schedule for the first-round of the VHSL playoffs has been set for Timesland teams. Twenty-one of the 22 Timesland games will be played on Friday. Radford will play at Clintwood at 2 p.m. Saturday.

The complete statewide schedule is below:
 
FIRST-ROUND VHSL PLAYOFF PAIRINGS
DIVISION 6
Eastern Region
Granby (9-1) at Ocean Lakes (10-0), Friday, 7 p.m.
Bayside (8-2) at Oscar Smith (9-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
Grassfield (8-2) at Salem-Virginia Beach (8-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
Western Branch (8-2) at Bethel (8-2), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Read more »