Botetourt bulldozer plows over defenses
DALEVILLE — Lord Botetourt’s football team was in dire straits last October as the visiting Cavaliers trailed Alleghany by eight points with time running out in the fourth quarter. First-year Botetourt head coach Jamie Harless had a two-minute drill ready to pull out of his back pocket. Running back Chris Thompson ruined it. Junked it.
William Fleming golf coach Orren Prunty dies
It had been a difficult summer for Orren Prunty, in and out of the hospital four different times with a long-standing balky heart. That didn’t interfere with his preparation for his upcoming season as William Fleming’s golf coach, though. “He was still coaching from his bedside,” said Jaye Prunty, his wife of 32 years. From time to time, assistant golf coach Jordan Pinkard would call the Prunty house when an issue arose with the team. “Finally I told him, don’t call Orren, call me,” Jaye Prunty said with a laugh.
EastMont standout decides to stay put
ELLISTON — The biggest catch of the high school football season for Eastern Montgomery may have happened before the Mustangs’ first game. Junior Ron Ford, who has proven he can catch just about any pass that’s in the same area code, was caught before he headed out the door to transfer to another school. Ford had weighed the offseason option of transferring to nearby Three Rivers District rival Glenvar. “I
High schools: Giles’ Wilson leads way at Draper Valley Golf Classic
DRAPER - Kory Wilson of Giles shot a 4-under-par 68, as the Spartans had three golfers finish in the top seven on the way to a run-away win in the Draper Valley Golf Classic on Thursday. Wilson, who finished tied for eighth in last year's Group A state golf tournament, finished two strokes ahead of Graham's Ben Ramsey. Joe Clark shot 72 for Giles, and Gunar Frazier shot 74, as
William Fleming track coach Rudy Dillard dies, age 66
Back problems in recent years often prevented Rudy Dillard from standing up straight. However, to those who knew the longtime William Fleming boys track and field and cross country coach, he was a stand-up guy. Dillard stood for dedication to high school and middle school athletes in Roanoke for more than three decades, until Monday, when the Fleming coach died suddenly at his home at age 66. Former Fleming coaching
Notes: Northside's Muse commits to play football at Richmond
Northside senior DeAnthony Muse has made an oral commitment to play football at Richmond. Muse, who started as a defensive lineman for the Vikings as a sophomore and a junior, was recruited to play defense for the Spiders. The 6-foot-1 Muse led Northside last season with 21 tackles for loss and shared the team lead with seven quarterback sacks. A first-team All-Timesland choice in 2012, Muse has been a big playmaker
Salem's O'Keefe advances in USTA U18 tennis tournament
Salem's Harrison O'Keefe rallied from near-elimination Monday to win a third-round singles match in the USTA Boys 18-Under tennis championships in Kalamazoo, Mich. O'Keefe trailed No. 26 seed Robbie Bellamy of Pacific Palisades, Calif., 5-3 in the third set and was two points from defeat before scoring a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-1) victory over the Southern California recruit at Kalamazoo College. O'Keefe, 17, will face No. 14 seed Jared Donaldson
Salem's O'Keefe reaches final 64 in USTA under-18 tennis tourney
Harrison O'Keefe of Salem reached the final 64 with a second-round singles victory Sunday in the USTA Boys 18-Under National tennis championships in Kalamazoo, Mich. O'Keefe, 17, defeated Matthew Mendez of Mount Pleasant, S.C., 6-3, 6-3 at Kalamazoo College to set up a third-round match today against 26th-seeded Robbie Bellamy of Pacific Palisades, Calif. Bellamy has committed to play for Southern California. O'Keefe has vcommitted to South Carolina.
Salem's O'Keefe advances in USTA 18-under national tennis tournament
Salem's Harrison O'Keefe won his first-round singles match and advanced to the third round in doubles Saturday at the USTA Boys 18-Under National Hardcourt tennis championships in Kalamazoo, Mich. O'Keefe, 17, defeated Daniel Rayl of Carmel, Ind. 6-3, 6-1 to reach today's second round in the 256-player singles draw at Kalamazoo College against Matthew Mendez of Mount Pleasant, S.C. O'Keefe and Sebastian Beltrame of Windermere, Fla., stopped Nicolas Bradley of
Virginia Scrappers feeling the heat of summer softball
TROUTVILLE — There certainly can be tension in high school softball games. But playing in Amateur Softball Association tournaments in the summertime is even more stressful. The Virginia Scrappers, who are based in Roanoke County, played this week in the ASA/USA Girls Class A 18-and-under fast pitch national championship. The tournament, which began Monday and concludes Sunday, has drawn 89 teams and 1,315 players to the Botetourt Sports Complex in
10 things to watch in Timesland football
The field still measures 100 yards long. Quarters still last 12 minutes. Touchdowns are still worth six points. High school football practice began Thursday in Virginia with those traditional boundaries, values and measurements intact. However, plenty of numbers have changed for 2013. The Virginia High School League has adopted a new six-classification system for all its sports, with the four highest football divisions adopting the expanded playoff format used by
Roanoke Post 3 wins first round of Legion tourney
WILLIAMSBURG — Andrew Peterson (Cave Spring/UVa-Wise) and Hayden Smith (Hidden Valley/Allegheny College) each hit two-RBI singles during a five-run fifth inning, and Roanoke Post 3 went on to beat Newport News 12-6 in the first round of the American Legion Virginia senior state tournament at the Williamsburg Indoor Sports Complex. Harrison Richards, a 2012 Cave Spring graduate who now plays at Roanoke College, improved to 5-0 after allowing four hits
Pulaski County hires alumnus, ex-UVa star King as baseball coach
Jared King has been hired as the new baseball coach at Pulaski County High School. King, 23, was a two-sport star at Pulaski County before playing baseball for four years at Virginia, where he started 202 games in a career that ended in June when the Cavaliers lost to Mississippi State in an NCAA Super Regional in Charlottesville. King takes over a Pulaski County program that won just four River
Roanoke Post 3 plays in state Legion tourney Tuesday
Roanoke Post 3, baseball champion of American Legion District 9 West, opens play in the state tournament versus Denbigh Post 368 at 5 p.m. Monday at Williamsburg Indoor Sports Complex. Pitcher Harrison Richards (Cave Spring, Roanoke College) will start for Roanoke. Post 3 (15-2, 10-0 ) is making its third straight trip to the state tournament. Winner of the double-elimination affair that lasts through Aug. 3 advances to the Southeast
Cave Spring players head VHSCA all-state softball teams
Cave Spring’s Taylor Asimakopoulos and James River’s Jenna Sprinkle have earned top honors on the 2013 all-state softball teams selected by the Virginia High School Coaches Association. Asimakopoulos was named Group AA pitcher of the year after leading the Knights to their first state championship. Sprinkle, a first baseman, was named Group A player of the year for helping the Knights earn a spot in the Division 2 state semifinals.
Former Radford High assistant gets head coach job at school in West Virginia
Love brought Chris Vicars to the Mountain State. Independence High School football in Coal City, W.Va., will keep him there. The veteran former Radford High School assistant coach was named Tuesday as the head coach at Independence, a school of about 600 near Beckley. Vicars, whose last season with the Bobcats was 2011, spent this past season as an assistant coach at Summers County, W.Va. H e had moved to
High schools: Ex-Salem tennis star on fast career track
Harrison O'Keefe is still more than a year away from starting college. The former Salem High School tennis player is quickly proving he belongs there. O'Keefe, who has committed to South Carolina, added to an already impressive resume this summer by teaming with Jordan Beiga of Boca Raton, Fla. to place third in doubles in the National 18-under Clay Court Championships in Delray Beach, Fla., earning a coveted "Bronze Ball."
Roanoke wins District 9 West American Legion baseball title
Roanoke's Hayden Smith drew a bases loaded walk after Vinton opted to put two on with one out to set up the force at every base as the top seed won 6-5 in the final game of the District 9 West American Legion tournament Monday at Kiwanis Field. The situation was set up when Griffin Stanley led off the inning by abruptly pulling off a bunt attempt and swinging away
Shepardson hired as athletic director at William Fleming High School
Former Franklin County athletic director T.J. Shepardson has been hired as the new AD at William Fleming High School. Shepardson’s first official day on the job was Monday. Shepardson was the athletic director at Franklin County from 2007 until this spring when his position was eliminated because of budget cuts. He is a former athletic director at Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassas. Shepardson replaces John Otey as Fleming’s AD.
Salem's Drougas, Roanoke's Wood win Commonwealth Games tennis titles
Salem rising senior Michael Drougas won the Virginia Commonwealth Games 18-under boys singles tennis title with a 6-1, 6-1 win over North Cross rising sophomore Michael Fleming on Sunday at the Rivers Edge Tennis Complex. Drougas, the reigning Group AA boys singles champion, beat Antoine Timbers of Harrisonburg 6-1, 6-0 in the semifinals. Fleming defeated Joseph Brown of Richmond in the semis 7-6 (7-4), 6-3. Other boys division winners included
Big 2nd half gets East win in VHSCA all-state football game
NEWPORT NEWS - Khalid Abdullah rushed for two touchdowns and Dan Schiele threw for another as the East broke open a five-point game with three straight second-half touchdowns on the way to a 35-16 win over the West in the Virginia High School Coaches Association all-star football game Friday night at CNU's Darling Stadium. Abdullah, a James Madison signee from Heritage-Newport News, had 95 of the East's 253 rushing yards.
Pulaski County's Calfee looms large for West in VHSCA all-star football game
Now for the big story out of the Virginia High School Coaches Association football all-star game. That would be Ian Calfee, defensive lineman for West squad when it battles the East team starting at 7:30 p.m. today at Darling Stadium in Hampton. Calfee’s story is he’s big — way big. At 6-foot-2, 340 pounds, he’s a lot of nose tackle. Yet in many ways, his story is bigger than he
1. 41-vehicle wreck ties up traffic Sunday on I-81 in Rockbridge County
2. Virginia Tech football roster has holes on picture day
3. Medicare penalties hit hospitals in Roanoke, New River Valleys
4. Microfestivus beer event gets downtown Roanoke hopping
5. McFarling: 2 little numbers are a big hurdle for Virginia Tech football
6. DAN CASEY: Copter cost still stirring up dust
7. Roanoke farmers markets making local foods more accessible
8. Arrest made in case of missing Nelson County teen
9. Virginia attorney general's office grows under Ken Cuccinelli
10. Man's drowning is 5th in Lynchburg area
THE ROANOKE TIMES
