Lee Johnson, who resigned as the Colonels’ head coach following the 2012 season, has joined the staff at Patrick Henry as an assistant under Alan Fiddler.

Johnson has taken the spot vacated by Jay Phares, who became the head coach at William Campbell High in Naruna. Johnson, who already has participated in a week of Patrick Henry’s spring practices, will coach linebackers and assist Casey Stewart with the Patriots’ defense.

A former head coach at Glenvar and North Cross before serving as Fleming’s coach for the last three years, the 43-year-old Johnson has not worked as an assistant coach since 2001 when he was on the staff at William Byrd.

“Being a head coach, sometimes you don’t get to coach as much on the field as you do when you’re a position coach because there are so many other things to take care of,” Johnson said.

Johnson said he contacted Fiddler this spring about the vacancy. He is hoping to land a teaching position at Patrick Henry when contracts go out later this month.

“I was looking at some things, but there weren’t a whole lot of jobs in this area,” Johnson said. “My daughter will be a senior [at Salem High School] this fall and I didn’t want to move.

“Alan’s a good coach to work for. We’ve gotten along since he got to Patrick Henry.”

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 »

The prep track and field season will begin to heat up locally with Saturday’s Colonel Classic at William Fleming High School.

Among the story lines could be a showdown in the triple jump between Patrick Henry senior David Prince and William Fleming sophomore Warren Craft.

Prince, a Virginia Tech football signee, has not jumped yet in a meet this season. He is entered the in meet, but PH coach Chad Cox said Thursday he is not 100 percent certain that Prince will jump.

Craft, who has committed to Tech for basketball, also has yet to compete in the triple jump in any of the early major meets. Craft leads Timesland in the long jump so far this spring at 21 feet, 11 1/2 inches.

The third annual meet begins Saturday with field events at 9:30 a.m. The running events are set for 11 a.m.

TENNIS

North Cross will host the Blue Ridge Conference girls singles tournament at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

However, North Cross AD Eric Lawrence said Friday that only two of the conference’s schools will have entrants. North Cross’ Schmedtje sisters — Evans and Helen — each will play an opponent from Virginia Episcopal in the semifinals.

The VIC boys singles tournament will be played today at Covenant School in Charlottesville. North Cross freshmen Joseph Cartledge and Michael Fleming are among the top contenders.

Troy Daniels had a noteworthy senior year at William Fleming High School.

The 6-foot-3 guard led Fleming to the2009  Group AAA boys basketball championship game where the Colonels lost 49-47 to a King’s Fork team that included current NCAA standouts Devante Gardner (Marquette) and Jaquon Parker (Cincinnati).

Daniels was named Timesland player of the year and was known for his long-range shooting. He had buzzer-beating 3-pointers to give Fleming wins over Franklin County and Radford. He made six of six 3-point attempts in a late-season win over North Cross.

Now the nation knows of Daniels’ 3-point prowess.

Daniels recently completed his four-year career at VCU with a single-season school-record 124 3-pointers, and Thursday night he won the NCAA’s 3-point contest in Atlanta as a prelude to the Final Four.

Is the Roanoke Valley-New River Valley the nation’s hotbed for college basketball shooters? From Blacksburg’s Doug Day at Radford University to Patrick Henry’s Curtis Staples at Virginia and to Cave Spring’s J.J. Redick at Duke, this area has produced some of the greatest college basketball shooters of the last 20 years.

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.

Hidden Valley and James River are off to a good start in pursuit of the 2012-13 Wells Fargo Cup, emblematic of the top overall athletic program in each of the VHSL’s three classifications.

The Titans are No. 2 in Group AA with 105 points after a runner-up finish in volleyball, a fourth-place finish in girls cross country and a sixth-place effort in boys cross country.

Points are distributed on a 50-45-40-35-30-25-20-15 basis for top-eight finishes in state competition.

Grafton leads the Group AA standings with 117 1/2 points. Blacksburg is tied for third with 100, while Christiansburg and Salem are tied for fifth with 87 1/2.

Blacksburg and Hidden Valley have combined to win six of the last seven Group AA Cups, with the Bruins winning four times during that span including last year.

James River has 102 1/2 points, trailing only Wilson Memorial’s 142 1/2 in Group A. The Knights picked up 45 points for a runner-up finish in golf, 35 in girls cross country and 22 1/2 in volleyball.

Radford is seventh in Group A with 75 points. Giles is tied for eighth with 72 1/2 points.

Chantilly leads the Group AAA standings with 120 points. Patrick Henry is tied for 35th with 22 1/2 points.

The standings will be updated following the winter season, which includes basketball, wrestling, swimming and indoor track.

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)

 Seven Timesland volleyball teams are still in the hunt for VHSL state titles this week.
 Start times have been released for Tuesday’s quarterfinals.
 The quarterfinal schedule for Timesland teams and the complete VHSL brackets are below:

TIMESLAND SCHEDULE
GROUP AAA
    Langley at Patrick Henry, 6 p.m.
GROUP AA
    Cave Spring at E.C. Glass, 7 p.m.
    Turner Ashby at Hidden Valley, 7 p.m.
GROUP A DIVISION 2
    Central-Wise at Giles, 7 p.m
    James River at Gate City, 7 p.m.
GROUP A DIVISION 1
    Clintwood at Auburn, 6 p.m.
    Galax at Rye Cove, 7 p.m.

VHSL CHAMPIONSHIPS
GIRLS
GROUP AAA
Tuesday
Quarterfinals
Ocean Lakes at Atlee
Albemarle at Stone Bridge
Lee-Davis at Floyd Kellam
Langley at Patrick Henry
Thursday
At Siegel Center, Richmond
Semifinals
Atlee-Ocean Lakes winner vs. Stone Bridge-Albemarle winner, 5 p.m.
Floyd Kellam–Lee-Davis winner vs. Patrick Henry-Langley winner, 7 p.m.
Saturday
At Siegel Center, Richmond
Championship
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.
— Read more »