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 »

Heritage’s football team danced in Salem Stadium three months ago.

Salem made sure there would not be a repeat in boys basketball Saturday.

Alex Light, an offensive tackle on Salem’s football team that lost to Heritage in the Division 4 state semifinals, scored 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lift the Spartans to a 53-45 win over the Pioneers in a Division 4 basketball quarterfinal at Salem Civic Center.

Light was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and 2-for-2 from the  foul line as Salem seized an early lead and held on to advance to a semifinal at 9 p.m. Thursday in Richmond against Potomac Falls.

John Repass added 12 points for Salem (17-10). Justin Joyner led Heritage (20-7) with 16 points.

Tay Taylor is one of three Salem girls basketball players who is a natural left-hander and whose father trained to shoot right-handed.

Taylor made it pay off Saturday at Salem Civic Center as she used several drives for left-handed layups to score a game-high 16 points and lead the Spartans to a 46-34 victory over Roanoke Valley rival Lord Botetourt in a Group AA Division 4 quarterfinal.

It was the Spartans’ third win over the season over Lord Botetourt (15-12).

Maddie Price hit three 3-pointers and added 13 points as Salem (24-3) booked a semifinal date at 11 a.m. Wednesday in Richmond against Loudoun County, a 53-48 winner over Grafton earlier Saturday in Norfolk.

Tessa Foley added 12 points for Salem, all in the first half.

Bassett’s girls also advanced to Richmond with a 57-44 win over Region III champion Heritage. Kaliya Barbour led the Bengals (17-4) with 13 points and  nine rebounds. Bassett had Heritage at arms length for most of the game.

Bassett will face 2012 Division 4 runner-up Courtland in a semifinal at 7 p.m. Tuesday at VCU.

The Bengals last made the semifinals in 2000 when they won the Group AA title under former head coach Lisa Black.

*****

The boys basketball teams from Essex and J.I. Burton brought losing records to Salem for VHSL basketball quarterfinal games.

Both will move on to Richmond for the semifinals after victories early Saturday.

Essex (9-12) has just beaten Dan River 52-49 in a Group A Division 2 quarterfinal, getting a go-ahead 3-pointer from Keith Bundy, Jr. in the final 30 seconds to wipe out a 49-48 deficit. Bundy added a free throw with nine seconds left and the Wildcats missed a potential tying shot at the buzzer.

It was the second straight heartbreaker for Dan River in Salem. The Wildcats fell to eventual state champ Lancaster last March when a last-second stickback rolled out.

Saturday’s first fantastic finish came in the first of seven games as J.I. Burton (14-14)  defeated Bland County 46-44 in a Group A Division 1 boys on a last-second jumper by Alex Keys. The game-winner by Keys sparked a celebration at midcourt that featured one Burton player performing backflips.

All four runners-up defeated region champions in Division 1 games matching Region C against Region D.  Castlewood took a 52-47 win Friday over Covington, while Northwood topped Clintwood in girls quarterfinals. Parry McCluer’s boys bounced back from a loss to Bland County in the Region C final to defeat Castlewood 53-34 on Saturday at UVa-Wise

Floyd County’s girls and Radford’s boys had no such worries Friday night, posting comfortable wins

In a Division 3 girls quarterfinal in Wise, Richlands overcame an early deficit to defeat Brookville 47-45 in overtime.

One boys basketball regional championship game and two girls regional finals were postponed Friday because of inclement weather.

The Region IV Division 4 boys final between Salem and Carroll County at Carroll County has been moved to 7 p.m. Saturday.

The Region III Division 4 final between Lord Botetourt and Heritage at Staunton River High School has been rescheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m.

Also, the Region IV Division 3 final in Stuart between Patrick County and Richlands has been moved to Monday at 7 p.m.

Here’s the question. With Salem’s girls scheduled to play Bassett in the Region IV Division 4 final at Magna Vista High School at 5 p.m. Saturday, why couldn’t Region IV have figured out a way to stagger the Salem boys and girls times to allow fans to make it to both games?

Hilllsville is about a 90-minute drive from Ridgeway. Even if the Salem-Bassett girls game were moved to 4 p.m., it still might be possible to make both games.

I understand why the two games aren’t played at the same site. Neither Carroll County’s boys nor Bassett’s girls wants to give up a local site and a home-area advantage. However, I don’t see why the game times couldn’t be adjusted slightly.

The updated Timesland playoff brackets are here.

Rockbridge County’s boys basketball team won a coin flip with Alleghany to determine the No. 3 seed for next week’s Blue Ridge District boys tournament.

As a result, Rockbridge will host Staunton River in a first-round game Monday, while Alleghany will host Lord Botetourt.

The Blue Ridge elected not to have Northside and Byrd meet in a playoff game to determine a regular-season champion because the two teams will be in different regional divisions. Byrd will be the Blue Ridge’s No. 1 seed in the Region III Division 4 bracket, while Northside will be the Blue Ridge’s No. 1 team in Division 3.

Northside won a tiebreaker over William Byrd for the No. 1 seed in the Blue Ridge tournament. The tiebreaker came down to the Blue Ridge’s third criterion — results against common nondistrict opponents. Northside’s 1-1 record against Cave Spring trumped Byrd’s 0-2 mark against the Knights, giving the Vikings the No. 1 seed.

Rockbridge and Alleghany needed the extra step to break their tie. Staunton River principal Michelle Morgan conducted the coin flip Friday and it came up roses for the Wildcats.

Therefore, the Rockbridge-Staunton River winner will play Byrd in a Tuesday semifinal at Staunton River. The Alleghany-Botetourt winner plays Northside.

It is possible that the Blue Ridge could have two consolation games on Thursday.

If Alleghany and Rockbridge both lose in the same round, they would meet in a consolation game for the No. 2 bid to the Division 3 tournament. The same would apply to Staunton River and Lord Botetourt in Division 4.

Patrick Henry boys basketball coach Jack Esworthy needs one victory to become the school’s leader in career victories.
Esworthy has 213 wins heading into tonight’s home game against William Fleming, tying him with Woody Deans on PH’s career list.
Meanwhile, PH senior guard Marcus Banks is within 100 points of the school’s career scoring record, set in the 1980s by Chuck Kepley.
The PH-Fleming game is just one of several big matchups on tonight’s schedule.
First place is on the line in the Three Rivers District boys race as Floyd County (14-2, 4-0) visits Radford (13-2, 4-0). Radford defeated Floyd 84-59 in the semifinals of the Fort Chiswell holiday tournament.
Carroll County, one of the state’s few unbeaten teams, will host Marion with first place at stake in the Southwest District.
Northside, which has a one-game lead over Rockbridge County and Lord Botetourt in the Blue Ridge District boys race, plays at Rockbridge tonight.

Salem’s girls go to Hidden Valley. Both teams are 3-0 in the River Ridge District. Everyone else in the league has at least two district losses.
Lord Botetourt’s girls play at Alleghany. A win by Alleghany could possibly throw the Blue Ridge race into a four-way tie.

Check varsity.roanoke.com and the Timesland twitter site for scores tonight.

For tonight’s schedule, click here.

Are the George Washington Eagles the favorite to win the Western Valley District boys basketball title?
We will find out Friday night.
The unbeaten team from Danville, ranked No. 2 in Group AAA by Virginiapreps.com, rolls into Roanoke to face three-time reigning Western Valley District champion Patrick Henry in a 7:30 p.m. game.
GW has steamrolled Franklin County and William Fleming in its first two WVD games. One of the officials who worked the GW-Franklin County game in Rocky Mount told me GW had “at least 20 dunks” in the game.
I’m certain that’s an exaggeration, but it indicates the kind of athleticism people might see at PH tonight. GW is 12-0. PH is 12-1 it could be a good one.

On Saturday, Patrick Henry hosts another Northwest Region power, Potomac. The game is at 4 p.m., followed by a prep school game between Massanutten Military Academy’s postgraduate team and Southern Tech Prep of Charlotte. Massanutten is ranked No. 1 nationally among postgrad teams.

Elsewhere, Franklin County’s girls visit William Fleming in a matchup of the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the Timesland rankings. That could be the first of at least three games between the two rivals.
First place will be on the line in the River Ridge District boys race when Cave Spring visits Blacksburg. Both teams are 2-0. Cave Spring enters with three losses in its last five games, failing to reach the 30-point mark in any of the three.
First place in the Blue Ridge District girls race also is up for grabs as Staunton River visits Lord Botetourt. Both teams have losing records overall, but they are 2-0 in the league. Staunton River went 1-10 in the pre-district schedule, but the Golden Eagles stunned Northside on Tuesday.

Below is the schedule for Friday with the overall and district records prior to Thursday night in parentheses:

BOYS
WESTERN VALLEY DISTRICT
George Washington (12-0, 3-0) at Patrick Henry (12-1, 3-0)
William Fleming (10-4, 1-1) at Franklin County (12-3, 0-2)
BLUE RIDGE DISTRICT
Lord Botetourt (8-5, 1-1) at Staunton River (2-10, 0-2)
Rockbridge County (9-3, 2-0) at Alleghany (6-6, 0-2)
William Byrd (8-6, 1-1) at Northside (11-2, 2-0)
PIEDMONT DISTRICT
Magna Vista at Bassett
Tunstall (4-7, 1-1) at Martinsville (8-6, 1-0)
RIVER RIDGE DISTRICT
Cave Spring (7-7, 2-0) at Blacksburg (6-8, 2-0)
Christiansburg (2-10, 1-1) at Salem (4-8, 0-2)
Pulaski County (3-9, 0-2) at Hidden Valley (2-12, 1-1)
SOUTHWEST DISTRICT
Marion (7-2, 1-0)  at Tazewell (5-7, 0-1)
HOGOHEEGEE DISTRICT
George Wythe (3-6, 3-0) at PH-Glade Spring (4-10, 1-2)
Holston (3-10, 1-1) at Chilhowie (4-9, 1-1)
Rural Retreat (0-11, 0-2) at Northwood (4-7, 1-1)
MOUNTAIN EMPIRE DISTRICT
Fort Chiswell (5-5, 1-1) at Narrows (6-6, 0-2)
Galax (1-8, 0-2) at Grayson County (8-4, 2-0)
Graham (9-3, 2-0) at Bland County (9-4, 1-1)
PIONEER DISTRICT
Covington (1-9, 1-1) at Bath County (5-3, 1-1)
Craig County (0-12, 0-2) at Parry McCluer (9-5, 2-0)
Highland (2-4, 1-1) at James River (1-11, 1-1)
THREE RIVERS DISTRICT
Auburn (8-6, 1-2) at Floyd County (13-2, 3-0)
Giles (4-8, 0-3) at Eastern Montgomery (6-8, 0-3)
Radford (12-2, 3-0) at Glenvar (12-2, 2-1)
VACA SOUTHWEST
Faith Christian School at SWVa Home School
Parkway Christian at Roanoke Valley Christian (5-2, 2-1)

GIRLS
WESTERN VALLEY DISTRICT
Franklin County (10-3, 2-0) at William Fleming (10-4, 2-0)
Patrick Henry (6-8, 1-1) at George Washington (6-3, 1-2)
BLUE RIDGE DISTRICT
Alleghany (5-7, 1-1) at Rockbridge County (2-9, 0-2)
Northside (9-3, 1-1) at William Byrd (3-11, 0-2)
Staunton River (3-10, 2-0) at Lord Botetourt (5-8, 2-0)
PIEDMONT DISTRICT
Martinsville (4-8, 0-1) at Tunstall (0-10, 0-3)
RIVER RIDGE DISTRICT
Blacksburg (4-8, 0-2) at Cave Spring (4-9, 1-1)
Christiansburg (7-7, 0-2) at Salem (10-3, 2-0)
Hidden Valley (6-8, 2-0) at Pulaski County (2-11, 1-1)
SEMINOLE DISTRICT
Amherst County (7-2, 3-2) at Liberty (8-3, 2-3)
Rustburg (4-8, 1-4) at Jefferson Forest (8-3, 2-2)
SOUTHWEST DISTRICT
Marion (2-8, 0-1) at Tazewell (8-5, 1-0)
HOGOHEEGEE DISTRICT
Holston (0-10, 0-2) at Chilhowie (12-2, 2-0)
Northwood at Rural Retreat (6-6, 1-0)
PH-Glade Spring (8-5, 2-0) at George Wythe (4-8, 1-2)
MOUNTAIN EMPIRE DISTRICT
Fort Chiswell (7-5, 1-1) at Narrows (4-9, 1-0)
Galax (7-5, 2-0) at Grayson County (8-4, 1-1)
Graham (7-5, 1-1)  at Bland County (2-9, 0-2)
PIONEER DISTRICT
Highland (3-3, 0-2) at James River (10-3, 2-0)
VACA SOUTHWEST
Parkway Christian (8-3, 0-1) at Roanoke Valley Christian (2-4, 0-1)
BLUE RIDGE CONFERENCE
Carlisle (1-8, 0-0) at North Cross (1-10, 1-3)
NONDISTRICT
Halifax County (7-7) at Bassett (8-1)

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 »