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 »

Rockbridge County sophomore offensive tackle Austin Clark has picked up a football scholarship offer from Virginia.

Rockbridge head coach Jason White said the 6-f00t-6, 275-pound Clark becomes the first sophomore in school history to land a Division I offer.

“That one was out of the blue,” White said. “I didn’t know they were working on evaluating sophomores yet.”They called on Thursday. They said they evaulated his film and liked it. I said, ‘If you liked his film, he’s 10 times the kid and the student than he is a player.’ ”

Clark, who was named to the All-Timesland Sizzlin’ Sophomore team, was the MVP this spring at the Schuman National Underclassman Combine in Richmond where he ran a 5.3-second 40-yard dash in wet conditions.

White expects more Division schools to get on board Clark’s recruiting train. Clark has squatted 500 pounds, cleaned 285 and has a 275-bench press.

“That’s pretty impressive for a sophomore,” White said.”I told him, ‘You might as plan on the next month or so being pretty hectic.’ He’s a tough kid and a great student. And he’s got the two things they look for most. He’s 6-foot-6 and he’s got good feet.

White said it is premature to gauge Clark’s interest in UVa.

“He really liked it, but it’s way too early to figure out if that’s the right fit,” the Rockbridge coach said.

Clark is the second sophomore lineman in the Blue Ridge District to pick up a Division I scholarship offer. Northside defensive lineman Chance Hall was offered by Maryland shortly after the 2012 season ended.

Junior center Coleman Thomas of Fort Chiswell committed last month to Tennessee.

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.

Northside defensive end Demetreus Ferebee has made a commitment to play football at Norfolk State, and the 6-foot-5, 225-pound senior plans to sign a scholarship with the Spartans on Wednesday.

Northside coach Burt Torrence said today that NSU made Ferebee an offer last fall contingent on the Vikings star attaining a high enough SAT score.

Ferebee hit the mark in December and the Spartans held up their end of the deal.

“He’d scheduled a visit without the score, the second week of January,” Torrence said. “Over Christmas break we got those scores back. When he got the test score he needed, they didn’t even need to see it. They took my word for it and offered him right there on the spot, over the phone.

“I’m really happy for him. Getting a free education is big, and an opportunity to play.”

Torrence said Virginia and James Madison had expressed some interest in Ferebee. The Northside coach also said Temple made Ferebee an offer after he had made a commitment.

“Temple called in and offered him a scholarship,” Torrence said. “I already said he’s going to Norfolk State, so he’s going. I don’t believe in telling somebody you’re going to come and then don’t go. We don’t do any of that mess.”

Torrence said Norfolk State – a member of the FCS Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – has made its recruiting presence known in the western part of Virginia.

“They sent this new coach out here and he went to every school,” Torrence said. “Kudos to him because a lot of schools will skip around and won’t go to every school. This guy went to every school to find out who was there.”

Ferebee, a second-team All-Timesland selection, was Northside’s co-leader in quarterback sacks with seven in 2012 as the Vikings shared the Blue Ridge District title and reached the Region III Division 3 semifinals. He also had 50 solo tackles.

Rockbridge County senior guard Andrew Rowsey, who is now fourth on the VHSL career scoring list, will make back-to-back appearances in the Roanoke Valley this weekend.

Rockbridge will play at Northside on Friday in a Blue Ridge District game, then the Wildcats will meet Patrick Henry at 4 p.m. Saturday in the Roy Stanley Memorial Shootout at Salem Civic Center.

Rowsey has 2,398 career points, placing him behind only Stacy Ervin of Twin Springs (2,687), Odell Hodge of Laurel Park (2,530) and Steve Marsee of Pennington (2,459). Rowsey trails Ervin by 289 points with a minimum of five games remaining. If Rockbridge can advance to the Region III Division 3 tournament, the 5-foot-11 senior might have a shot at the record.

Saturday, Rowsey could be matched against 5-foot-5 Patrick Henry guard Marcus Banks, who recently became the Patriots’ career scoring leader.

The five-game event features four Timesland teams that currently lead their respective districts, including one of the last of the state’s unbeatens – Carroll County.

River Ridge District co-leader Salem plays Three Rivers District leader Radford in the opener at 1 p.m. Carroll County, now 18-0, faces a Virginia Episcopal team coached by former PH and UVa star Curtis Staples in the second game.

The postgraduate teams from Massanutten Military and Hargrave Military are scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m. Massanutten features Kansas recruit Frank Mason.

The final game sends Western Valley District leader William Fleming against High Point Christian (N.C.). Fleming sophomore Warren Craft already has committed to Virginia Tech.

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.

George Wythe has cashed in on its Group A Division 1 state football championship at the ballot box.
The Maroons took nine spots on the first and second teams on the Division 1 all-state team picked this weekend by the Virginia High School Coaches Association.
Congrats to George Wythe’s Hardy Lester, who was named Division 1 defensive player of the year; and Wythe’s H.S. Ingo, who was named coach of the year.
Unlike Group AAA and Group AA, the Group A coaches picked two all-state teams, one for Division 2 and one for Division 1.
The Group A teams are heavily tilted toward a small core of teams. The threesome of Franklin, George Wythe and Riverheads accounted for 27 of the 62 first- and second-team positions on the Division 1 team. Franklin had players named to TWELVE different first- or second-team spots.
Sixty-six, count ‘em, 66 players were named first-team All-Group A in football.
Is that too many? You tell me.
I guess there will be six different all-state teams next year, so perhaps the point is moot.
Below are the Timesland players named to the Group AA, Division 2 and Division 1 teams. We’re still trying to unearth the All-Group AAA team.
For the Division 2 and Division 1 teams, click here.
For the Group AA team, click here.
Here are the players of the year we have so far: Group AA offense (Trace McSorley, Briar Woods), Group AA defense (Wyatt Teller, Liberty-Bealeton), Division 2 offense (Dominek Broaddus, Essex), Division 2 defense (Nathan Adams, Goochland), Division 1 offense (Travis Brown, Franklin), Division 1 defense (Hardy Lester, George Wythe).

GROUP AA
FIRST TEAM
Offense
Guard — Alex Light, Salem
Tackle — Dylan Brucki, Cave Spring
Running back — Ethan Richardson, Marion
Defense
Lineman — DeAnthony Muse, Northside
Linebacker — Eddie Bowman, Bassett
Back — Jake Kite, Hidden Valley
SECOND TEAM
Offense
Guard — Curtis Fridley, Rockbridge County
Tackle — Lucas Holder, Carroll County
Tight end — Jordan Bryant, Cave Spring
Wide receiver — Chad Fisher, Salem
Quarterback — Porter Abell, Rockbridge County
Defense
End — Demetreus Ferebee, Northside
Back — Chad Fisher, Salem

GROUP A DIVISION 2
FIRST TEAM
Offense
Center — Coleman Thomas, Fort Chiswell
Running back — Daniel Hamm, Fort Chiswell
Running back — Ian Mann, Giles
Wide receiver — Mikey Rodgers, Grayson County
SECOND TEAM
Offense
Guard — Kearsley Dillon, Giles

GROUP A DIVISION 1
FIRST TEAM
Offense
Lineman — Chase Altizer, George Wythe
Wide receiver — Ron Ford, Eastern Montgomery
Tight end — Hardy Lester, George Wythe
Utility — Troy Helton, Covington
Defense
End — Hardy Lester, George Wythe
Lineman — Chase Altizer, George Wythe
Linebacker — Justin Snavely, George Wythe
Back — Isaac Baltazar, George Wythe
Back — Jalen France, George Wythe
SECOND TEAM
Offense
Caleb Findley, Radford
Defense
Lineman — Chaz Sizemore, Galax
Wide receiver — Reid Sturgill, Chilhowie
Running back — Dominique Crockett, George Wythe
Running back — Steven Peoples, Galax
Punter — Andrew Storms, George Wythe
Return specialist — Donte Peoples, Galax

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 »

Greetings from Saturday morning after Round 2 of the VHSL football playoffs. I rolled back in after midnight from Lynchburg where Brookville whipped Northside 29-7 in a Region III Division 3 semifinal and Bees quarterback Kendall BeCraft went over the 9,000-yard mark in career passing yardage.

Just as I returned home around 12:30 a.m., an excited Bristol Herald Courier sports writer and proud John Battle High School alumnus Tim Hayes called me about the Trojans’ 37-14 drubbing of Giles in a Division 2 West Section second-round game. Even so, Hayes was somewhat surprised at the outcome, but not as much as I was. That’s why John Battle’s win is No. 1 today on my list of things that caught my eye last night. Read more »