VHSL: More Changes Possible Come Fall 2019

The Virginia High School League released its "Initial Region Alignment Plan", which covers the four-year period from 2019-2020 to 2022-2023 on Wednesday morning, an exercise normally dominated by schools changing classes due to enrollment/population changes.

This normally means a few schools would have changes, but, in this new proposal, there are numerous changes, some major. We break it down by class.

CLASS 6: Currently, Cosby, Clover Hill, Thomas Dale, James River and Manchester populated the majority of the eight-team Region 6B. The new plan completely belows that up, and moves Cosby, Thomas Dale and James River, along with Colonial Forge, Riverbend and Franklin County into what's being called currently "6A West", a sub-region of Class 6, Region A. They are joined by newcomer Massaponax of Spotsylvania County, moving up from Class 5. The other half (seven teams) that comprise the "6A East" sub-region are all from the Tidewater area.

CLASS 5: The region with the most Richmond-area schools, Region 5B, expands from 15 to 17 teams. The headlines here are that Lee-Davis drops down to Class 4, while Midlothian moves up from Class 4. Clover Hill and Manchester drop from Class 6 to Class 5. So, the new Region 5B would contain:

Atlee, LC Bird, Clover Hill, Deep Run, Douglas Freeman, Glen Allen, Mills Godwin, Henrico, Hermitage, Highland Springs, Manchester, Matoaca, Meadowbrook, Midlothian, Prince George, J.R. Tucker and Varina.

As a fifteen-team region in 2017-18, only eight teams were taken for the playoffs in most sports, mirroring the football formula. If there is no expansion, come Fall 2019, the road to the postseason will become even tougher. It could be worse, however, as Region 5A, downtown in Tidewater, moves to 18 teams. Meanwhile, with Region C proposed to have just ten teams and Region D eight, trying to keep the regions geographically sound may be sacrificing opportunity for some quality teams to make the playoffs, while, in other Class 5 regions, the postseason would be more easily made.

CLASS 4: Region B, now at 13 schools, moves up to 15, as Midlothian leaves, replaced by Lee-Davis, while Orange County moves down from Class 5 and Spotsylvania moves up from Class 3. The new Region 4B would contain a land mass from Orange and Culpeper (Eastern View) to the northwest, east to King George, down Route 301 with Caroline and Hanover, down I-95, then I-85 to Dinwiddie, with Powhatan and Louisa to the west. Three of Hanover County's four schools would be in the same region, as Lee-Davis would join Hanover, a longtime member of Class 4 (formerly know as Group 4A) and Patrick Henry, who dropped down to Class 4 a year ago. Of note in other regions, Hampton and Menchville would drop from Class 5 to Class 4 in Region A, while Tuscarora, who played Highland Springs in the 2015 and 2016 Class 5 State Football Championship games, drops down to Class 4 in Region C.

CLASS 3: In Region A, Colonial Heights, Hopewell, New Kent and Petersburg would be joined by Lafayette near Williamsburg for a 13-team group. Also at 13 teams would be Region 3B, with Goochland and Maggie Walker Governors School moving up from Class 2 to join Armstrong and George Wythe. They, however, would be four teams with nine far away neighbors, as Central of Woodstock, Independence, a new school scheduled to open in Fall, 2019 in Loudoun County, and George Mason of Falls Church would be added to holdovers like Brentsville District, James Monroe, William Monroe, Skyline, Manassas Park and Warren County.

CLASS 2: The big news here is John Marshall and Thomas Jefferson dropping to Class 2 in Region A, joining Amelia, King William and Nottoway.

A few changes are also brewing in the realigned district proposal. Districts haven't been used for playoff purposes in the Richmond area since May, 2013, but are still used as guidelines for regular seasons scheduling. The highlight would be Powhatan moving from the Jefferson to the Dominion District, making it a ten-team district. If all current Dominion teams are forced to add Powhatan to their football schedules, it would allow for just one non-district game for each team, down from the current two, unless teams petition to not play district opponents two or more classes above/below team for competitive reasons. Powhatan's football schedule would be completely different.

Petitions for changes to the proposed plans must be received by the VHSL by July 11. An appeals hearing is scheduled for August 21 in Charlottesville. We don't expect a final decision until Fall.

RVA LOCALS ONLY: Manchester QB Brendon Clark and Head Coach Tom Hall

It's a packed season finale of #RVALocalsOnly presented by Farm Bureau Insurance this morning on ESPN Richmond as Bob Black and Rob Witham talk football, the Elite 11 and more with Manchester standout quarterback Brendon Clark, who shares some news on his college decision process, and head coach Tom Hall, who discusses the huge expectations for the Lancers in 2018!

Plus we'll break down the latest VHSL region realignment proposals and more, all at 9:30 on 99.5 and 102.7 FM, 950 AM, and online at ESPNRichmond.com !

LISTEN LIVE: LC Bird Summer League Basketball: Five Games!

Use the player below to join us on our YouTube Channel all evening for the action!

5pm: Huguenot v Petersburg
6pm: LC Bird #2 v Colonial Heights
7pm: LC Bird #1 v Petersburg
8pm: Hopewell v Matoaca #1
9pm: Prince George v Manchester

CHANGE: Little League District Tournament Rained Out Saturday

The 8-10 Baseball and Softball tournaments must wait one more day to begin play as overnight rains force a postponement at the 2018 District 5 Little League Tournament at Atlee Little League.

The updated brackets are posted below:

UPDATED Broadcast Alert: LC Bird Summer League: Five Games Monday!

RVA Sports Network will bring you live coverage from the 2018 L.C. Bird Summer Basketball League this Monday at 5pm, exclusively heard on our YouTube Channel. You can listen on the embedded player below to these games:

5pm: Huguenot vs Petersburg
6pm: L.C. Bird #2 vs Colonial Heights
7pm: L.C. Bird #1 vs Petersburg
8pm: Hopewell vs Matoaca #1
9pm: Prince George vs Manchester

#RVALocalsOnly: LC Bird Summer League with Head Coach Troy Manns

Several top boys basketball teams are spending two weeks working out with and against each other at the 2018 L.C. Bird Summer League. On Friday at 9:30am on The Black And Drew Sports Huddle, Bob Black and Rob Witham catch up with Skyhawks head coach Troy Manns about all the action this week and next in Chester, the importance of summer leagues on player development, and how things look for the Skyhawks as the 2018-19 season approaches.

Get to 99.5 and 102.7 FM, 950 AM, or online by CLICKING HERE to listen live Friday at 9:30am only on RVA Locals Only Presented By Farm Bureau Insurance only on 99.5 and 102.7 ESPN!

Honors: #Region5B All-Region Teams

Congratulations to the following student-athletes for earning this prestigious honor!

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BASEBALL:

FIRST TEAM:

Pitcher: Buck Forbes, Prince George
Pitcher: Justin Walton, Glen Allen
Pitcher: Camden Lazar, Douglas Freeman
Catcher: Connor Hicks, Glen Allen
Catcher: Zach Lass, Lee-Davis
First Base: Hunter Vaughan, Matoaca
Second Base: Brooks Mazey, Deep Run
Third Base: J.T. Fitzpatrick, Atlee
Shortstop: Tevin Tucker, Prince George
Outfield: Liam Simpson, Douglas Freeman
Outfield: Tyler Warren, Atlee
Outfield: Cooper Benzin, Glen Allen
Outfield: Carson Jones, Deep Run
DH: Lucas Carmichael, Matoaca
Utility: Eli Weisner, Deep Run

SECOND TEAM:

Pitcher: Spencer Rife, Mills Godwin
Pitcher: Alex Leverty, Mills Godwin
Pitcher: Jacob Waltman, Matoaca
Catcher: Justin Starke, Prince George
First Base: Zach Beach, Atlee
Second Base: Bryce Safferwich, Mills Godwin
Third Base: Jacob Farrar, Prince George
Shortstop: Cory O'Shea, Mills Godwin
Outfield: Tucker Bratton, Atlee
Outfield: Jaelan Hines, L.C. Bird
Outfield: Bryan Rodriguez, Hermitage
Outfield: Noah Berringer, Mills Godwin
DH: Sam Essex, Mills Godwin
Utility: Alec Erickson, Douglas Freeman

THIRD TEAM:

Pitcher: Sam Landess, Mills Godwin
Pitcher: David Hanson, Deep Run
Pitcher: Max Moore, Hermitage
First Base: Devin Flowers, Glen Allen
First Base: Max Moore, Hermitage
Second Base: Evan Kozen, Prince George
Third Base: Scott McDonough, Mills Godwin
Shortstop: Carter Trice, Lee-Davis
Outfield: Jack Rice, Lee-Davis
Outfield: Michael Peterson, Prince George
Outfield: Nick Noonan, Deep Run
Outfield: Lucas Bauer, Glen Allen
Outfield: Scott Sweeney, Deep Run
Outfield: Andrew Bland, Douglas Freeman
Utility: Donovan Riddick, Glen Allen

REGION 5B BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Tevin Tucker, Prince George
REGION 5B BASEBALL COACH OF THE YEAR: Mickey Roberts, Prince George

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SOFTBALL:

FIRST TEAM:

Pitcher: Laura Thompson, Prince George
Pitcher: Savanah Henley, Lee-Davis
Pitcher: Rachel Davis, Atlee
Catcher: Logan Hawker, Lee-Davis
1st Base: Jesse Gentry, Lee-Davis
2nd Base: Ashley Hailey, Glen Allen
3rd Base: Korey Ellen, Glen Allen
Shortstop: Sarah Thompson, Prince George
Outfield: Sydney Guess, Lee-Davis
Outfield: Caitlin Abernethy, Prince George
Outfield: Rayn Robinson, Henrico
Outfield: Kelly Ayer, Atlee
DP/Flex: Emme Collins, J.R. Tucker
Utility: Lauren Murphy, Mills Godwin

SECOND TEAM:

Pitcher: Emerson Aiken, Glen Allen
Pitcher: Emme Collins, J.R. Tucker
Pitcher: Sam Conner, Henrico
Catcher: Alyssa Swords, Prince George
1st Base: Meg Rooney, Glen Allen
2nd Base: Alyssa Bernardini, Atlee
3rd Base: Angela Sperando, Deep Run
Shortstop: Lauren Taylor, Lee-Davis
Outfield: Hanna Cinella, Deep Run
Outfield: Hannah Mahan, J.R. Tucker
Outfield: Alexis Mills, Hermitage
Outfield: Madison McLaughlin, Lee-Davis
DP/Flex: Cassidy Maitland, Matoaca
Utility: Maddie Gutermuth, Deep Run

THIRD TEAM:

Pitcher: Claire Hoover, J.R. Tucker
Pitcher: Chloe McPhearson, Hermitage
Pitcher: Adaisia Randolph, Meadowbrook
Catcher: Emily Friel, Atlee
1st Base: Kyla Nase, Prince George
2nd Base: Brooke Loving, Prince George
3rd Base: Hayli Wagner, Lee-Davis
Shortstop: Carmen Betts, Glen Allen
Outfield: Amanda Cubeira, Mills Godwin
Outfield: Sydney Kuester, Atlee
Outfield: McKenna Mehlbrech, Lee-Davis
Outfield: Sydney Blackwell, Mills Godwin
DP/Flex: April Hooper, Atlee
Utility: Alexis Garnett, Varina

REGION 5B SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Sydney Guess, Lee-Davis
REGION 5B SOFTBALL COACH OF THE YEAR: Rasheeda Crews, Henrico

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GIRLS SOCCER:

FIRST TEAM:

Forward: Natalie Nettemeyer, Deep Run
Forward: Lauren Bruns, Douglas Freeman
Forward: Bailey Tran, Deep Run
Forward: Grace Gompers, Atlee
Forward: Marypat McCombs, Atlee
Forward: Katie Livesay, Glen Allen
Forward: Hannah York, J.R. Tucker
Midfield: Lexi Long, Deep Run
Midfield: Julianna McKean, Douglas Freeman
Midfield: Haven Lakey, Deep Run
Midfield: Lucy Grochulska, Henrico
Defense: Melissa Mancuso, Deep Run
Defense: Emma Schwarz, Deep Run
Defense: Logan Metts, Atlee
Defense: Karson Girivin, Douglas Freeman
Goalkeeper: Hannah McLaughlin, Deep Run

SECOND TEAM:

Forward: Maiya Pencile, Matoaca
Forward: Lauren Donovan, Glen Allen
Forward: Kayla Rinderle, Atlee
Midfield: Courtney Smith, Prince George
Midfield: Izzy Frazier, Deep Run
Midfield: Cali Bruce, Deep Run
Midfield: Kayla Rose, J.R. Tucker
Midfield: Sam Fee, Douglas Freeman
Midfield: Abigail Charleston, Glen Allen
Defense: Hastings Crenshaw, Douglas Freeman
Defense: Anni Waldenmaier, Deep Run
Defense: Jackie Hemp, Douglas Freeman
Defense: Maddie Strieffler, Deep Run
Defense: Lauren Johnson, Atlee
Defense: Laine Mumford, Douglas Freeman
Goalkeeper: Lauren Hargrove, Douglas Freeman

THIRD TEAM:

Forward: Caley Shriner, Deep Run
Forward: Lesly Pineda-Castillo, J.R. Tucker
Forward: Madi Thrasher, Matoaca
Forward: Joanne Torres, Meadowbrook
Midfield: Sydney Bartlett, Prince George
Midfield: Lindsey Rose, J.R. Tucker
Midfield: Lucia Lira-Colmenero, Hermitage
Midfield: Jessica Fox, Matoaca
Goalkeeper: Gabrielle Cook, Glen Allen

REGION 5B GIRLS SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Melissa Mancuso, Deep Run
REGION 5B GIRLS SOCCER COACH OF THE YEAR: Steve Chapman, Deep Run

BOYS SOCCER:

FIRST TEAM:

Forward: Tyler Schardein, Deep Run
Forward: Jin Kim, Mills Godwin
Forward: Arfenne Senior, Meadowbrook
Forward: Prabin Khulal, J.R. Tucker
Forward: Austin Adt, Lee-Davis
Midfield: Parker Lawson, Deep Run
Midfield: Cameron Smith, Atlee
Midfield: Matt Shriner, Deep Run
Midfield: Mamadou Bah, Hermitage
Midfield: Dylan Sykes, Prince George
Defense: Daniel Ahrens, Mills Godwin
Defense: Ryan Hall, Deep Run
Defense: Logan Pheng, J.R. Tucker
Defense: Henry Baird, Douglas Freeman
Defense: Ty Louthan, Matoaca
Goalkeeper: Nick Jordan, Deep Run

SECOND TEAM:

Forward: Ben Ungerleider, Mills Godwin
Forward: Marcus Wisch, Mills Godwin
Forward: Chris Ondoua, Mills Godwin
Forward: Fabian Moran, Prince George
Forward: Colton Howell, Glen Allen
Midfield: Ben Lynch, Mills Godwin
Midfield: Michael Follis, Matoaca
Midfield: Reece Coetzee, Deep Run
Midfield: Will Chapman, Atlee
Midfield: Leonardo Flores-Escobar, J.R. Tucker
Defense: Elvin Romero, Meadowbrook
Defense: Nico Cavallo, Douglas Freeman
Defense: Juan Menjivar, Meadowbrook
Defense: Lance Chaney, Atlee
Defense: Austin King, Deep Run
Goalkeeper: Nikos Mouris, Mills Godwin

THIRD TEAM:

Forward: Alberto Macias, Lee-Davis
Forward: Ashwath Malaisamy, Henrico
Forward: Asir Taha, Deep Run
Forward: Wylie Shiffert, Deep Run
Forward: D'Angelo Hunt, Varina
Midfield: Pema Dukpa, Douglas Freeman
Midfield: Vahdet Maletic, Douglas Freeman
Midfield: Carlos Nieto, J.R. Tucker
Midfield: Mason White, Deep Run
Midfield: Dickey Harris, Matoaca
Defense: Abdalla Bushra, Henrico
Defense: Jacob Parra-Mena, Mills Godwin
Defense: Jonathan Lagos, Meadowbrook
Defense: Matt Lim, Mills Godwin
Defense: Will Killius, Mills Godwin
Goalkeeper: Sam Alburger, Hermitage

REGION 5B BOYS SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Tyler Schardein, Deep Run
REGION 5B BOYS SOCCER COACH OF THE YEAR: Frank Ford, Deep Run

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BOYS LACROSSE:

FIRST TEAM:

Attack: Drew Miller, Atlee
Attack: Ford Burke, Douglas Freeman
Attack: Mason Walczak, Atlee
Attack: Mikey Krongaard, Mills Godwin
Attack: Murfy Flickinger, Douglas Freeman
Midfield: Andrew Cook, Atlee
Midfield: Kevin Dunne, Atlee
Midfield: Aidan Wheeler, Deep Run
Midfield: Brandon Smith, Douglas Freeman
Midfield: Ian Shirey, Atlee
Defense: Walker Everhart, Atlee
Defense: John Bryson, Mills Godwin
Defense: Trevor Tan, Deep Run
Defense: Hayden Moore, Atlee
Defense: Brent Blackmon, Mills Godwin
Goalkeeper: Easton Chucker, Douglas Freeman

SECOND TEAM:

Attack: Brian Hufnagle, Glen Allen
Attack: Aidan Shields, Atlee
Attack: Randy White, Lee-Davis
Attack: Luke Babilon, Deep Run
Attack: Thomas Laughlin, Douglas Freeman
Midfield: Carson Ayers, Deep Run
Midfield: Garrett Keogh, Mills Godwin
Midfield: Evan Herkins, Deep Run
Midfield: Dominic Demodna, Deep Run
Midfield: David Goodwyn, Highland Springs
Defense: Thomas Gentry, Douglas Freeman
Defense: Ian Courter, Lee-Davis
Defense: Quinn Broughton, Deep Run
Defense: Jack Drimer, Mills Godwin
Defense: Alex Moss, Douglas Freeman
Goalkeeper: Carter Strother, Glen Allen

REGION 5B BOYS LACROSSE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Andrew Cook, Atlee
REGION 5B BOYS LACROSSE COACH OF THE YEAR: Fielding Crawford, Atlee

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GIRLS LACROSSE:

FIRST TEAM:

Attack: Kellyn McGlamery, Atlee
Attack: Kelly Wyman, Deep Run
Attack: Annie Bartley, Mills Godwin
Attack: Bridget Patton, Douglas Freeman
Attack: Emily Karn, Atlee
Midfield: Kate Miller, Atlee
Midfield: Morgan Whitaker, Deep Run
Midfield: Faith Anna, Atlee
Midfield: Kerry Nease, Douglas Freeman
Midfield: Reaghan Kolb, Atlee
Defense: Ari Wheeler, Atlee
Defense: Hannah Braswell, Deep Run
Defense: Elizabeth Mauck, Douglas Freeman
Defense: Ellie Woodward, Atlee
Defense: Haley Woods, Mills Godwin
Goalkeeper: Stella Harrison, Atlee

SECOND TEAM:

Attack: Jessica Peffer, Atlee
Attack: Courtney Teyssier, Douglas Freeman
Attack: Ashley Varner, Lee-Davis
Attack: Caroline Godkin, Mills Godwin
Attack: Lilly Lutton, Lee-Davis
Midfield: Hanna Pawela, Deep Run
Midfield: Stephanie Bunce, Mills Godwin
Midfield: Madison Ulm, Lee-Davis
Midfield: Kameryn Shears, Douglas Freeman
Midfield: Landin Bostian, Mills Godwin
Defense: Jordan Chucker, Douglas Freeman
Defense: Ally Parlantieri, Deep Run
Defense: Lauren Oliver, Glen Allen
Defense: Hope Butler, Lee-Davis
Defense: Kathryn Super, Atlee
Goalkeeper: Gabriella Mignardi, Douglas Freeman

THIRD TEAM:

Attack: Elizabeth Moore, Atlee
Attack: Morgan Boyer, Glen Allen
Attack: Libbie Smith, Mills Godwin
Attack: Madison Gowin, Lee-Davis
Attack: Liza Loughlin, Douglas Freeman
Midfield: Anna Smith, Deep Run
Midfield: Ann Riley Goldschmidt, Mills Godwin
Midfield: Emma Josi, Glen Allen
Midfield: Margaux Schimick, Douglas Freeman
Defense: Jillian Slaydon, Mills Godwin
Defense: Allie Kelley, Deep Run
Defense: Devan Johnson, Glen Allen
Defense: Emily Devlin, Atlee
Defense: Madison Sherman, Douglas Freeman
Goalkeeper: Amber Stallings, Mills Godwin

REGION 5B GIRLS LACROSSE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kate Miller, Atlee
REGION 5B GIRLS LACROSSE COACH OF THE YEAR: Christina Dobson, Atlee

BOYS TENNIS:

Rishi Shankar, Mills Godwin
Shashwat Pande, Deep Run
Evan Limoges, Deep Run
Nick Prinz, Mills Godwin
Jeremy Curtis, Mills Godwin
Drew Campbell, Mills Godwin
William Westerfield, Douglas Freeman
William Sheppard, Deep Run
Ethan Xie, Deep Run

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Shashwat Pande, Deep Run
COACH OF THE YEAR: Mike Silver, Mills Godwin

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GIRLS TENNIS:

SINGLES:

Emme Levenson, Douglas Freeman
Audrey Butterworth, Deep Run
Casey Carnohan, Lee-Davis
Brooke Connatser, Deep Run

DOUBLES:

Olivia Wright/Audrey Butterworth, Deep Run
Allison Wandling/Katie Sarnowski, Atlee
Emme Levenson/Lucy Collins, Douglas Freeman
Emily Wirt/Sarah York, Mills Godwin

COACH OF THE YEAR: Maria Sorkin, Deep Run