Entries for the 'Sports' Category

As Amherst resident Drew Ramsey reflects on how he got where he is today, he has a message to share: set goals, follow your dream, work hard, accept help, and don’t let a little thing like a serious car accident derail you.

Now just 22 years old and a K & N Pro Series East Official with NASCAR, Ramsey claims he was "born racing."　 With an uncle and cousin who raced, he always wanted to be behind the wheel. As an adolescent, he and his dad started go-kart racing just for fun, and it soon morphed into competition.   "While other kids were hanging out at the mall, I was getting dirty behind the wheel of a go-kart," he said.   At age 12, he was advised by his father that if he wanted to continue, he would have to get his own sponsors. He did that by approaching family and friends and one day on a return trip from the WKA (World Karting Association) World Nationals in Daytona, he hit pay dirt.　 On the plane, a stranger noticed his WKA ball cap and struck up a conversation with Ramsey and his father.　 This stranger soon became a benefactor and over time supplied tires, a chassis, and even an engine to the young driver.　 As Ramsey says, he was "beatin’ and bangin’ on a go-kart track" before he earned his drivers’ license.   Graduating from go-kart to race car, Ramsey logged some time in 2008 and 2009 as a crew member with Taylor Brothers Motorsports out of Madison, Virginia.　 In that job he worked with tires, race car preparation and repair in the shop, and other common race track duties. But racing is extremely competitive, and Ramsey opted next to enroll in general education courses with an eye to go into the emergency medical services program at Central Virginia Community College (CVCC).　 Recognizing that his heart was really on the track instead of the in back of an ambulance, Ramsey gave up his seat in the paramedic classroom and instead enrolled at the University of Northwestern Ohio in the High Performance Engine program.   Unused to the frigid temperatures and all the snow, Ramsey soon discovered that he would have to take regular mechanic classes for one year before he was ever allowed to touch a race car.　 That’s when a family friend said, "Why aren’t you at Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville? They work on NASCAR late models and are right beside a truck series team.　 That’s where you need to be." After learning about PHCC’s pull-down rig, shock dynameters and telemetry system, Ramsey determined that PHCC was where he could learn more about the technical set-up aspect of the race car and expand his knowledge.　 He enrolled in PHCC’s motorsports program in fall 2009, and because his instructor Talmage Thomas knew about his past experience with Taylor Brothers, he was turning wrenches on a brand new race car on his first day.   In the second year of the program, students study under Lou Larosa, known in racing circles for his work as engine builder for Dale Earnhardt and Kale Yarborough.　 Racing engines were new to Ramsey, and he would come out of class each night with a headache.　 Larosa made the students think so much they would be "steaming," Ramsey said, but he is proud to be able to say that Lou Larosa taught him everything he knows about a racing engine.　   Just as he was getting a good start in the program, Ramsey – who had always wanted to be behind the wheel -- fell asleep behind it.　 On his way to class in his second semester, Ramsey woke up sitting in the middle of the road. He was airlifted out and en route to the hospital couldn’t help but worry:　 "Will I walk again?　 Live? My dream is shattered."　   It turned out that his physical injuries were not as serious as he feared, although they did keep him bedridden and wheelchair-bound for some time.　 What didn’t happen was the loss of classroom time, thanks to Thomas, who showed up at Ramsey’s bedside to give him lesson plans he could work on from home.   "He kept saying, when are you coming back? We want ya, we need ya to come back," Ramsey said. And so he did wheelchair, crutches and all. It’s not easy poking around in a race car from a wheelchair, and Ramsey’s classmates offered lots of support, after dubbing him Bootie Barker after the Sprint Cup series crew chief in a wheelchair, and Lieutenant Dan after the character in the Forrest Gump story.   "I couldn’t have asked for a better place to be . . . to have that kind of thing happen, and to be fortunate enough to come back.　 When I got back, I picked right up and kept diggin’."   Ramsey earned his Associate in Applied Science in Technical Studies – Motorsports Technology in May 2011. A friend of a friend of a friend who happened to be a NASCAR official suggested that he put his name in for a job at NASCAR.　 A bit skeptical ("What are my chances of ever landing a job at NASCAR?") Ramsey procrastinated for a few months until he was urged to fill out an application again.   When invited for an interview, Ramsey – who had never had a job interview before – found himself in a chance face-to-face encounter with Mike Helton, president of NASCAR when he opened the door and wished him a good morning.　 "That was kind of an ‘Oh Boy’ moment," Ramsey marvels.　   After a series of interviews and multiple nerve-wracking trips in ensuing months to the mailbox looking for a job offer, Ramsey finally landed his position in the K & N Pro Series.　 Working with the NASCAR family is a dream-come true, he says.　 Not only is he employed by   As for others who may be seeking a job in the racing industry – or following a dream of any kind, for that matter – Ramsey has this advice:　 Never give up.　 Always work harder than the next guy.　 Believe in yourself. Learn the work ethic. These are things that Lou Larosa taught him, he said, along with: Always be doing something and never stand around with your hands in your pockets.　 If you are 15 minutes early, you are late.   And this from Drew himself: "Don’t do only what’s required. Work harder and exceed expectations. If you work your butt off, you can accomplish anything." the largest sanctioning body of stock car, he gets to travel from track to track throughout the season, from March through November. racing in the United States

Four years after the New York Giants stunned the undefeated New England Patriots 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII, both teams have clawed their way back into the Big Game.

The quarterbacks and coaches are the same: Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, making a record fifth Super Bowl trip together for the Patriots, and Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin in their second appearance for the Giants. But Super Bowl XLVI has a whole new set of subplots. "There are so many emotional levels to this game," says NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth, who will man the booth in Indianapolis on Sunday, Feb. 5 with Al Michaels.

New England owner Robert Kraft's beloved wife, Myra, passed away in July after a long battle with cancer and the team has dedicated the season to her, even wearing patches on their uniforms with her initials, MHK. "She's an inspiration," says Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo. "We want to win a Super Bowl in her name."

After New England eked out a 23-20 victory in the AFC Championship game -- thanks to the Baltimore Ravens missing a field goal with 15 seconds left -- Kraft said, "Someone was smiling; we had an angel." The Patriots are also motivated by that loss four years ago to the 12-point underdog Giants, denying them an unprecedented 19-0 season." The bitter taste of that defeat is still very much alive for the people that were part of it," Collinsworth says. "They want a chance to at least settle the score."

They also want payback for a 24-20 regular-season defeat at home to the Giants on Nov. 6. The Patriots haven't lost a game since. "We've won 10; hopefully we can make it 11," says Brady.

The Giants were the late bloomers of the NFC. After a loss to the Washington Redskins dropped them to 7-7, there was talk of firing Coughlin and defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. New York won its last two regular-season games, then went on the road in the playoffs, defeating the Atlanta Falcons, the No. 1 seed and defending champion Green Bay Packers, and the No. 2 seed San Francisco 49ers, 20-17 in overtime. "Obviously, we don't want to take anything from the '07 team; that was a great team," Giants defensive end Justin Tuck says, "but this... seems like a team of destiny."

Although the early line favors the Pats, Collinsworth says, "I don't see where one team should be favored over the other. If anything, maybe the Giants a little bit, just because of what they did on the road this year."

Manning, the first starting quarterback to win five playoff games on the road, says New York "just kept believing that we could get hot and we could start playing our best football, and we did that at the end of the season. Hopefully we can continue that momentum." (He could become the greatest Super Bowl-winning quarterback in the Manning family, ironically on the home field of older brother Peyton, who won the 2007 Super Bowl but was sidelined this season after neck surgery.)

Brady, who has already won three Super Bowls, is chasing immortality. Another win would put him "in a very small group of people we're discussing as the greatest player of all time," Collinsworth says. "His play this season really carried his team. They didn't have the great defensive team that they had in those first three Super Bowl wins, so this was very much his signature season."

Whether it's Manning or Brady who leads his team to victory on Super Sunday, another major chapter in NFL history is sure to be written. Says Collinsworth, "Somebody's coming out of here a legend."

 

With the help of mild and dry winter weather, work on the latest major construction project at Martinsville Speedway is well ahead of schedule and should be completed well before the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 on April 1.

The project includes demolition of all the restrooms under the Richard Petty Tower on the fourth-turn end of the front stretch and construction of larger, modern restrooms. The new restrooms are being built about 30 feet further back, allowing for a much wider concourse area to help improve pedestrian traffic. In fact, the width of the concourse in that area will be almost doubled.

“We have been very fortunate that with the exception of a couple of days, the workers haven’t been slowed by weather,” said Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell. “It also helps that the general contractor (Frith Construction Co. of Martinsville) is very efficient. They haven’t wasted any time.”

The new restrooms will be almost twice as large as the present ones and contain amenities comparable with any large entertainment venue. 

Fans will also notice a refurbished ticket office when they return for the Goody’s Fast Relief weekend this spring, which includes a new façade and redesigned and refurbished interior.

Racing returns to Martinsville Speedway March 30-April 1 with the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 weekend. Tickets for both events are on sale and may be purchased by calling 877.RACE.TIX or online at www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

Clay Campbell could have made an early descent from atop the Martinsville Speedway entrance sign Friday afternoon, but he knew the longer he stayed up in the air meant more money to help needy children in the Martinsville and Henry County area.

11/18/2011	Appomattox	35	Wilson	42
11/18/2011	Battlefield	38	Franklin Co.	21
11/18/2011	Broadway	50	Amherst	23
11/18/2011	Brookville	19	Rockbridge	14
11/18/2011	Cave Spring	41	Martinsville	9
11/18/2011	Cburg	41	Hidden Valley	20
11/18/2011	Covington	29	Bath Co.	9
11/18/2011	Galax	60	Castlewood	24
11/18/2011	George Wythe	22	Radford	10
11/18/2011	Giles	7	Gretna	27
11/18/2011	Grayson	20	Dan River	31
11/18/2011	Jeff. Forest	21	S. River	7
11/18/2011	LCA	50	St. Christopher's	8
11/18/2011	Magna Vista	36	Salem	35
11/18/2011	N. Stafford	41	George Washington	7
11/18/2011	Norfolk Christ.	13	North Cross	26
11/18/2011	Northside	42	R. E. Lee	14
11/18/2011	Richlands	58	Tunstall	7
11/18/2011	Sussex Central	20	Altavista	12
11/19/2011	Mathews	NA	William Campbell	NA

11/11/2011	Appomattox	40	Grundy	7
11/11/2011	Covington	28	P. McCluer	12
11/11/2011	Franklin	12	Bath Co.	20
11/11/2011	Franklin Co.	21	Col. Forge	14
11/11/2011	Galax	64	Holston	7
11/11/2011	George Wythe	73	Twin Springs	35
11/11/2011	Giles	44	Glenvar	14
11/11/2011	Grayson	35	Graham	15
11/11/2011	Greenbriar	59	Roanoke Cath.	24
11/11/2011	Gretna	55	John Battle	13
11/11/2011	Harrisonburg	9	Staunton River	28
11/11/2011	Heritage	8	Amherst	19
11/11/2011	Hidden Valley	24	Bassett	10
11/11/2011	LCA	45	Flint Hill	3
11/11/2011	Martinsville	46	Abingdon	0
11/11/2011	Massaponax	26	George Washington	42
11/11/2011	Rappahannock	13	William Campbell	40
11/11/2011	Rockbridge	33	Rustburg	7
11/11/2011	Rural Retreat	38	Chilhowie	39
11/11/2011	Rye Cove	24	Castlewood	38
11/11/2011	Salem	27	Pulaski Co.	6
11/11/2011	Tunstall	49	Marion	14

For the 15^th consecutive year, Martinsville Speedway will be spearheading a drive to help the needy children of Martinsville and Henry County. And for the second straight year, it will be a two-day event.

 

The 15th Annual Martinsville Speedway Toy Drive is scheduled for Saturday, December 10, the day after Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell will sit atop the track’s entrance sign to raise funds for the Martinsville Speedway Children’s Foundation.

 

Campbell will be lifted to his perch some 40 feet in the air at 8 a.m. on Friday, December 9 and remain there until he raises $20,000 for the Martinsville Speedway Children’s Foundation. Last year Campbell spent over eight hours suspended above the ground in frigid conditions before he came down after collecting $24,837.

 

“It was a bitter cold day last year, but it was worth every minute I was up there,” said Campbell. “I would like to get down a little earlier this year, so I urge all my friends to come by and write a check to help the youngsters in our area.”

 

The Martinsville Speedway Toy Drive will be held the following day, Saturday, December 10, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the infield of the track.

 

Fans will get to drive their personal vehicles around the historic Martinsville Speedway if they donate a toy or make a $10 donation. Pace cars will lead the personal vehicles around the track.

There will be plenty other options for those not interested in the drive around.

 

For a $25 donation, Campbell will give fans five hot laps in one of the Martinsville Speedway pace cars. Participants will receive a certificate of completion from Campbell.

 

As has become a tradition, the Martinsville Speedway staff will be manning the infield concession stand on Saturday, making and serving the Famous Martinsville Speedway Hot Dogs™. Hot dogs and Pepsi products are $1 each, with proceeds going toward purchasing toys.

 

Santa Claus will be making his annual appearance at the track at noon and will listen to the wishes of boys and girls.

 

Anyone who would like to donate a toy, but cannot make it to the Toy Drive, can drop them off at the Martinsville Speedway ticket office Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Grace Network, a local group comprised of almost 100 churches, will distribute the collected toys to families in need. The monetary donations will be used to purchase additional toys. All of the toys will remain in the Martinsville and Henry County area.

11/4/2011	Alleghany	28	Staunton River	40
11/4/2011	Auburn	14	Floyd Co.	61
11/4/2011	Bath Co.	41	Pendleton	6
11/4/2011	Blacksburg	10	Cburg	41
11/4/2011	Carlisle	30	Hargrave Mil	29
11/4/2011	Cave Spring	39	Hidden Valley	41
11/4/2011	Chatham	0	Nelson Co.	23
11/4/2011	Chilhowie	28	Holston	14
11/4/2011	Clintwood	28	Gate City	27
11/4/2011	Covington	29	P. McCluer	22
11/4/2011	E. C. Glass	6	Heritage	7
11/4/2011	Fort Chiswell	49	Bland Co.	13
11/4/2011	George Wythe	42	Rural Retreat	6
11/4/2011	Glenvar	63	East Mont.	6
11/4/2011	Grayson	6	Galax	21
11/4/2011	Gretna	21	Dan River	7
11/4/2011	Halifax Co.	0	George Wash	21
11/4/2011	Haysi	18	Honaker	36
11/4/2011	J. I. Burton	61	Central	20
11/4/2011	James River	37	Craig Co.	0
11/4/2011	Jeff. Forest	14	Rustburg	27
11/4/2011	John Battle	28	Lebanon	14
11/4/2011	LCA	36	Benedictine	24
11/4/2011	Liberty	12	Amherst	28
11/4/2011	Magna Vista	27	Bassett	14
11/4/2011	Marion	55	Abingdon	24
11/4/2011	Narrows	7	Graham	35
11/4/2011	Northside	28	Lord Bot.	27
11/4/2011	Patrick Co.	6	Carroll Co.	41
11/4/2011	Radford	17	Giles	21
11/4/2011	Roanoke Catholic	55	Kenston Forest	35
11/4/2011	Rockbridge	46	William Byrd	28
11/4/2011	Salem	35	Pulaski Co.	20
11/4/2011	Tazewell	18	Richlands	69
11/4/2011	Tunstall	14	Martinsville	21
11/4/2011	Twin Springs	12	Rye Cove	22
11/4/2011	Union	28	Th. Walker	14
11/4/2011	William Camp	20	Appomattox	23
11/4/2011	William Flem	0	Patrick Henry	14

Denny Hamlin made a spectacular move with 13 laps remaining Saturday afternoon to win the Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway.

 

“This is  a great race track for us. I knew this was going to be one of my best opportunities to win a truck race,” said Hamlin, who was driving a truck owned by Kyle Busch. “To win and to win in the fashion we did win … considering where we were running then, wherever that was … it was a special win.

 

“I just gave it all I had the last 50 laps…that’s the hardest 50 laps I’ve ever driven at Martinsville.”

 

It was Hamlin’s first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win and his fifth career win at Martinsville. He has four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories at Martinsville and will be gunning for a fifth Sunday in the TUMS Fast Relief 500.

 

On the final restart Hamlin was running third behind NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points contenders Austin Dillon and Ron Hornaday Jr. Dillon washed up the track entering the first turn and tapped Hornaday, allowing Hamlin to take the lead.

 

Hornaday wound up second with Dillon third. Johnny Sauter finished fourth with rookie Joey Coulter fifth.

 

“I just needed them to get single-file so I could pick them off. I felt we were so much faster than them,” said Hamlin, referring to Dillon and Hornaday on the restart. “We knew they were racing for points and didn’t want to put them in a bad spot. I just wanted them to move up and they did.”

 

“We gave it to him. I just didn’t make the first turn and I ran into Ron,” said Dillon. “If I hadn’t done that it would have been one of us in victory lane. I’ve just got to figure out how to make that first turn better on restarts.”

 

“It was a great day … a pretty cool day for us,” said Hornaday. “Austin raced me pretty hard at the end. I don’t know how Denny snuck through us and stole the win.”

 

Dillon remains the leader in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, holding an 11-point advantage over James Buescher, who finished 10 Saturday.

 

There were 12 different lead changes among eight drivers, a Martinsville record.

ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Cardinals capped a postseason nobody figured they’d be part of by defeating the Texas Rangers 6-2 Friday night in Game 7 of the World Series. The resilient Redbirds couldn’t be vanquished.

In the waning days of August, St. Louis had a 0.2 percent chance of reaching the playoffs, according to AccuScore, a company that calculates probabilities by running thousands of game simulations. Expressed another way, the Cardinals faced 1 in 500 odds.

And that was to make the playoffs. Their chances of winning the World Series were minuscule, like a speck of Midwestern dust somehow reaching Manhattan or Malibu. It might have been the greatest comeback in baseball history.

The Cardinals squeaked into the playoffs the last day of the regular season, earning the wild-card berth primarily because the Atlanta Braves folded down the stretch. Once in, they proved they belonged, beating the Philadelphia Phillies in five division series games and the Milwaukee Brewers in six championship series games.

After falling behind three games to two in the World Series by losing Games 4 and 5 in Arlington, Texas, the Cardinals were on the brink of elimination. Twice in Game 6 they were down to their last strike, only to rally.

And Friday night in front of an adoring sellout crowd donned in red, the Cardinals celebrated the 11th Series championship in the storied history of the franchise. Talk about flying high.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 on Friday has been postponed at Martinsville Speedway. Practice is now scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Saturday prior to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying.

Date	Home	HomeScore	Away	AwayScore
10/28/2011	Abingdon	29	Tazewell	0
10/28/2011	Amherst	14	E. C. Glass	7
10/28/2011	Appomattox	17	Gretna	10
10/28/2011	Bassett	42	Patrick Co.	6
10/28/2011	Bland Co.	0	Galax	49
10/28/2011	Cave Spring	26	Cburg	21
10/28/2011	Clintwood	46	Central	8
10/28/2011	Craig Co.	7	Covington	21
10/28/2011	Dan River	36	Altavista	11
10/28/2011	East Mont.	0	Giles	35
10/28/2011	Fishburne	12	Carlisle	20
10/28/2011	Fort Chiswell	7	Graham	10
10/28/2011	Gate City	14	Lee	7
10/28/2011	Glenvar	63	Auburn	0
10/28/2011	Grayson	48	Narrows	6
10/28/2011	Halifax Co.	7	William Fleming	9
10/28/2011	Hargrave Mil.	26	VES	0
10/28/2011	Heritage	14	Jeff. Forest	34
10/28/2011	Holston	0	George Wythe	42
10/28/2011	Honaker	42	Grundy	14
10/28/2011	James River	14	Bath Co.	6
10/28/2011	LCA	43	Prince Edw.	8
10/28/2011	Liberty	20	Harrisonburg	41
10/28/2011	Lord Bot.	0	Alleghany	36
10/28/2011	Marion	30	Carroll Co.	8
10/28/2011	Martinsville	17	Magna Vista	34
10/28/2011	Nelson Co.	32	William Campbell	27
10/28/2011	Patrick Henry	0	Franklin Co.	34
10/28/2011	Patrick Henry, GS	0	Chilhowie	55
10/28/2011	Pulaski Co.	28	Blacksburg	0
10/28/2011	Roanoke Catholic	22	Blessed Sacrament	49
10/28/2011	Rockbridge	6	Northside	19
10/28/2011	Rural Retreat	27	Northwood	0
10/28/2011	Rustburg	3	Brookville	35
10/28/2011	Salem	10	Hidden Valley	3
10/28/2011	Union	26	J. I. Burton	20
10/28/2011	Virginia	26	Lebanon	3
10/28/2011	William Byrd	0	Staunton River	24
10/29/2011	Floyd Co.	NA	Radford	NA

At a track known for wild finishes, Sunday’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 produced one of the wildest ever in the 64-year history of Martinsville Speedway.

In a race filled with 17 caution periods, a next-to-the-last-lap bumping incident between eventual winner Lee Pulliam and leader Matt McCall had fans on their feet and tempers running wild in the pits. Pulliam made contact with McCall as they went into Turn 3 to make the pass and take home the $25,000 first-place check and the legendary grandfather clock trophy.

McCall retaliated by spinning Pulliam in the third turn on the cool-down lap after the race.

"This is breathtaking and the biggest win of my career," Pulliam said. "I can't think of a bigger stage to be on and get it (win). This is our Daytona 500."

Pulliam, who finished third in the final NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national point standings, made the pass after running in the top five during the entire race.

“He got into me going into Turn 1 on the final restart and I just paid him back going into Turn 3,” Pulliam said of the finish.

Brandon Butler took advantage of the action up front to finish second and Stacy Puryear finished third. Dexter Canipe Jr. rebounded from an earlier spin to come home fourth. McCall was able to save his car and collect a fifth-place showing.

McCall visited the post-race stage to have a few words with Pulliam.

“I went up to him and told him I will see him around,” McCall said. “I have got too much going for me on my other career in racing but I will remember this and I will see him again.”

Davin Scites finished sixth and Greg Edwards seventh. Jeb Burton finished an impressive eighth, followed by Coleman Pressley and Mike Darne.

Philip Morris, the 2011 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National Champion and defending race winner, battled mechanical issues all day after winning the pole in Saturday's qualifying and finished a disappointing 22.

Racing returns to Martinsville Speedway on October 28-30 with the Tums Fast Relief 500 weekend.

10/7/2011	Abingdon	3	Carroll Co.	16
10/7/2011	Alleghany	21	Northside	42
10/7/2011	Altavista	24	Chatham	14
10/7/2011	Auburn	0	Giles	62
10/7/2011	Bassett	19	Tunstall	14
10/7/2011	Bath Co.	19	Covington	22
10/7/2011	Brookville	47	Liberty	0
10/7/2011	Chilhowie	22	Rural Retreat	28
10/7/2011	Craig Co.	22	P. McCluer	32
10/7/2011	Dan River	64	Nelson Co.	28
10/7/2011	East Mont.	0	Radford	57
10/7/2011	Galax	52	Fort Chiswell	0
10/7/2011	George Washington	2	Patrick Henry	31
10/7/2011	George Wythe	62	Northwood	14
10/7/2011	Glenvar	35	Floyd Co.	18
10/7/2011	Grayson	41	Graham	3
10/7/2011	Gretna	36	William Campbell	13
10/7/2011	Hidden Valley	41	Blacksburg	7
10/7/2011	Jeff. Forest	45	E. C. Glass	21
10/7/2011	John Battle	6	Gate City	36
10/7/2011	Johnson Co., TN	14	Central	48
10/7/2011	LCA	19	North Cross	7
10/7/2011	Lord Bot.	3	William Byrd	32
10/7/2011	Marion	0	Richlands	49
10/7/2011	Martinsville	10	Heritage	18
10/7/2011	Narrows	8	Bland Co.	16
10/7/2011	Patrick Co.	13	Magna Vista	64
10/7/2011	Pulaski Co.	7	Cburg	28
10/7/2011	Rustburg	18	Amherst	21
10/7/2011	Rye Cove	0	Eastside	26
10/7/2011	Salem	29	Cave Spring	26
10/7/2011	Staunton River	14	Rockbridge	21
10/7/2011	Tazewell	2	Virginia	35
10/7/2011	Twin Valley	13	Castlewood	39
10/7/2011	William Fleming	16	Franklin Co.	35

Just how solid is the field for this Sunday’s Virginia is for Racing 300 Late Model Stock car race at Martinsville Speedway?

 

Well, as the old saying goes, the numbers don’t lie.

 

Philip Morris, the defending event winner, and the 2011 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion is entered. So is Lee Pulliam, who finished third in the final NWAAS national standings and C.E. Falk, who finished fourth.

 

Frank Deiny Jr. (ninth) and Nate Monteith (10) give the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 entry list two more members of the national top 10. That means half of the top 10 national finalists are entered, and that’s with only about half of the anticipated entry forms received so far.

 

“The competition level here week in and week out is so much more advanced than what I see in other parts of the country,” Morris said after a recent test session “We know we can expect the best competition anywhere right here at Martinsville Speedway next week.”

 

The number of total wins this season from the 50 or so entries received so far is staggering, an amazing 147. Thirty of the drivers entered so far have at least one win apiece and six are in double digits. Roughly 100 entrants are expected by the weekend.

 

Four-time national champion Morris leads the way with 20 wins, with 19 coming at South Boston Speedway and one at Motor Mile Speedway. Pulliam piled up a track-record 16 wins at Motor Mile Speedway and a total of 17 overall while Anthony Anders had 15 victories at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina.

 

Falk and B.J. Mackey each totaled 11 wins on the season, Falk racing primarily at Langley Speedway and Mackey at Caraway Speedway. Nate Monteith was right behind with 10 wins at Kingsport Speedway.

 

Practice and time trials are scheduled for Saturday, October 8. Only the fastest 22 cars will make the field through qualifying with the remainder of the 42-car field filled through four 25-lap heat races beginning at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 9. The top five finishers from each heat race will transfer to the 200-lap feature.

 

Tickets are $20 for adults and children 12-and-under are free for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 on October 9. Tickets for qualifying on October 8 are $5. Tickets for qualifying day are on sale at the ticket office only.

Fan gates will open at 9 a.m. on October 8 and 9. Tickets for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 may be ordered by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX or visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

Philip Morris is on top of the world. He’s just won his fourth NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship. He’s the defending champion for next Sunday’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 at Martinsville Speedway.

 

But one thing is for certain, the veteran Virginia driver refuses to become over confident, cocky or lazy. It’s all business all the time for Morris.

 

“If you start relishing what you’ve done and you get satisfied, well, that’s all you are ever going to do,” said the 46-year-old Morris, who arguably has been the top weekly racer in the country for more than a decade.

 

“The guys I race with now, all the guys that are stepping up and breaking records, if you get satisfied then they are going to leave you behind. I don’t want to look back at what I’ve done until I hang the helmet up.”

 

He’s won hundreds of races, has those four national championship trophies and is one of only two drivers to have won the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 twice. But motivation is not a problem headed into next Sunday’s race, the biggest NASCAR Late Model Stock car race in the nation.

 

“I really didn’t want to bring it up, but I’ve never won this race (the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300) the same year as winning the national championship and I’ve been here three other times in that situation,” said Morris. “The fact that I didn’t doesn’t take away from those years, but how much better would it be than to be here celebrating winning a national championship and this race.”

 

Morris certainly has to be the favorite headed into the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300. In addition to everything else he’s done this year, his Clarence’s Steakhouse Chevrolet was the fastest car in an open practice session for the race last week. But again, he downplays his practice results and plays up the quality of competition he faces.

 

“The competition level here week in and week out is so much more advance than what I see in other parts of the country. That’s the headline I see here … Virginia drivers are coming to the front,” Morris said, referring to the fact that drivers from two other Virginia tracks, Lee Pulliam at Motor Mile Speedway and C.E. Falk at Langley Raceway finished in the top five in the national standings.

 

“I’m certainly going to be looking at my competition from this season in the race, but if history has anything to do with this race, you’d better be watching out for the guy you’re not looking for because there’s always somebody that’s going to step up. I’ve lost to so many excellent drivers here. I’ll try to take what I’ve learned from my losses and try to be that person who does a little something extraordinary in the race.”

 

Morris and about 90 other drivers will roll into Martinsville Speedway on Friday for a day of inspection and practice. Practice will begin late in the afternoon after inspection is completed. The grandstands are open at no charge on Friday.

 

Practice and time trials are scheduled for Saturday, October 8. Only the fastest 22 cars will make the field through qualifying with the remainder of the 42-car field filled through four 25-lap heat races beginning at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 9. The top five finishers from each heat race will transfer to the 200-lap feature.

 

Tickets are $20 for adults and children 12-and-under are free for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 on October 9. Tickets for qualifying on October 8 are $5. Tickets for qualifying day are on sale at the ticket office only.

Fan gates will open at 9 a.m. on October 8 and 9. Tickets for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 may be ordered by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX or visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

 

MARTINSVILLE, VA (October 22, 2010) – Denny Hamlin won the first round of his Martinsville Speedway showdown with Jimmie Johnson Friday afternoon.

Johnson and Hamlin are first and second in the Chase for Sprint Cup headed into the TUMS Fast Relief 500, but Hamlin put himself in a prime position to gain ground Friday by winning the pole for Sunday’s race. And while Hamlin nailed down the top starting position, Johnson qualified 19th.

Hamlin’s pole-winning time was 19.518 seconds (97.018 mph) around the .526-mile oval. Marcos Ambrose gave Toyota a sweep of the front row, claiming the outside pole with a time of 19.521 seconds.

It was Hamlin’s second Martinsville pole win and his 11th career NASCAR Sprint Cup pole.

“I feel like, if I can out-qualify the 48 (Johnson), I can potentially keep him from leading one lap,” Hamlin said after practice and before qualifying. “We spent all day working on qualifying trying to get the pole—trying to get that first pit stall, because, obviously, we do feel like it’s very important.

Johnson leads Hamlin by 41 points going into Sunday’s race, but will start the TUMS Fast Relief 500 in bit of a hole. In addition to starting well ahead of Johnson, Hamlin got to take his choice of pit stall. He picked the first one at the end of pit row, another definite advantage.

Greg Biffle (96.988 mph) will start third, followed by Ryan Newman (96.973 mph) and Juan Pablo Montoya (96.959 mph). Kevin Harvick, 77 points behind Johnson and the only driver other than Hamlin within 156 points of the Chase lead, will start 36th.

Despite his qualifying advantage, Hamlin gave a warning about Johnson’s and Harvick’s starting positions.

“When the green flag drops, they’re going to be coming,” Hamlin said.

Sprint Cup regular Kyle Busch won the pole Friday for Saturday’s Kroger 200 Camping World Truck Series race, barely edging second-place Matt Crafton.

Rounding ou the top five were Ron Hornaday Jr., Kevin Harvick and Johnny Sauter.

The Kroger 200 is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Good seats remain for both the Kroger 200 and the TUMS Fast Relief 500.

 

Pole Winners … There have been 21 different pole winners at Martinsville, led by four apiece from Jeff Fuller, Jan Leaty and Stefanik. Ron Silk was the pole winner in last year’s event.

Santos Surges To Early Championship Lead

The first championship chase in the diverse racing career of Bobby Santos is off to a stellar start.

Santos, a 24-year-old that grew up in a racing family, has been behind the wheel of various types of race cars and various levels of competition throughout his still-budding career. This season marks the first time the Franklin, Mass., native has competed for a championship at the higher levels of the sport.

Maybe he should have tried this before.

After just three 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races Santos has already shot out to a 64-point lead in the championship standings. While the season is not even to the quarter pole, to put his fast start in perspective, that is the largest differential between first and second place after three races since Mike McLaughlin led Reggie Ruggiero by 73 tallies in 1989.

Santos’ current margin is also the largest in the midst of a season since Ted Christopher led by 89 points following the 13th race of the 2008 campaign. Christopher closed that season with a 127-point margin following the season finale, but neither Christopher nor eventual champion Donny Lia had a lead of more than 53 points a year ago.

While Santos might not have experience with staying the course to a championship, his team does. Santos took over Bob Garbarino’s famed No. 4 “Mystic Missile” this year after Lia had piloted it to the title in 2007 and 2008. Chuck Hossfeld also paced the points standings in the car for half of the 2008 campaign.

To Santos’ credit, however, it’s not just the car. In the same equipment that many have piloted before him, Santos set track qualifying records at the two most-raced tracks in the history of northeast Modified racing in Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway and Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway to begin the season. Santos earned the second win of his career in the opener at Thompson, was runner-up at Stafford in the second outing of the season after he was spun mid-race, and then won in the return to Stafford last week.

Aside from the rally at Stafford in the second race after he was spun while in the lead, Santos has been at or near the front the entire season. He’s led 37-percent (179 of 487) of all laps completed this year, and has taken advantage of the lap leader bonus points that are new to the Whelen Modified Tour this year by compiling 20 so far.

For Santos, who has participated in Whelen Modified Tour races as a part-timer since 2004 prior to this year, the majority of his starts have come at Stafford and Thompson. To keep up the pace he’ll need to adapt to different tracks quickly. Next up is Martinsville Speedway, where he has just one career Modified appearance in which he started third and finished 20th. After that will be New Hampshire Motor Speedway where he has had mixed results in six starts.

 

Keith Decker shot 14-under 58 on Saturday at The Homestead's Old Course in Hot Springs. Decker now owns the course record at four Virginia courses. (Bulletin file photo)

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

By PAUL MONTANA - Martinsville Bulletin Sports Writer

After shooting a 58, most golfers would probably call everyone in their address book to gloat about it. Not Keith Decker. “I didn’t call anybody,” Decker said Tuesday, three days after shooting a course record 14-under par 58 at The Homestead’s Old Course in Hot Springs. “Well,” he added, “I did make my usual phone call to my wife, but that’s all.” Decker’s course record was quite a shock. His 58 from the white tees (par 72, 5,816 yards) shattered the old record of 62 by course pro Mike Fry. “I’d be jumping up and down, holding the card in the air — look at me, look at me!” said Mike Haley of Martinsville, one of Decker’s playing partners that day. “But again, he’s very modest. He’s never gonna self-promote. He’s from the school that, the scores speak for him. And if you look at his scores, they speak volumes.” Decker chuckled at the notion of bragging about his record. “That’s not my nature there,” he said. “I appreciate all the attention and everything, but that’s just not my nature.” And plus, course records are old hat for the state’s top amateur player, who could certainly play on the Senior PGA Tour if he so desired. He owns the course record at two local courses — his home course, Chatmoss Country Club (59) and Forest Park Country Club (62) — and another at the Royal Virginian in Gordonsville (64). On the other hand, legendary golfer Sam Snead didn’t frequent those courses like he did The Homestead. Snead played there “hundreds of times,” Decker said, but never reached that mark as far as anybody knows. “That means more to me than just about anything,” Decker said. So how does one shoot a 58? First, you don’t realize that you’re close to a mark like that. Decker said the other golfers in his foursome — Haley, Hunter Morin of Fredericksburg and Gregg Smart of New Jersey — didn’t change the way they treated Decker throughout the round, even though they had a handle on what he was shooting. “The guys I was playing with, they didn’t change,” Decker said. “They were reacting as always from the start of the round. That really helped, and it didn’t put the focus on it.” That’s in contrast to a round Decker played earlier this year at Chatmoss, when he had a shot to beat his old record of 59 but came up short. “We quit talking to each other, everyone was real quiet,” Decker recalled. “It was sort of like a no-hitter in baseball, they were leaving me alone and all that stuff. “It sort of put the focus on it, and made me start thinking a little bit more, and made me start pressing to get it done. And when you’re pressing, it usually isn’t gonna happen.” Brian McArthur, the golf pro at Lynwood Country Club in Martinsville, agreed. “If you realize you’re shooting that low, your head starts getting involved, and usually that’s gonna cause trouble,” he said. He also said it takes a certain confidence to be able to shoot a 58. Decker certainly has that. “The type of player he is, he probably feels like he could shoot that every day,” McArthur said. “It’s just a matter of the putts going in the hole.” “I’ve seen rounds like that,” said Jerry Wood, who played professionally overseas and on the Nationwide Tour for 10 years. “Sometimes a guy gets on a roll, and sometimes it doesn’t stop.” It certainly never stopped for Decker. He had 10 birdies and eight eagle putts — and that’s not counting his 35-foot chip-in for eagle on No. 17, which Decker called his shot of the day. “As soon as I hit it, I felt like I hit the exact right distance,” Decker said. “It started rolling like a putt, and it just went right in.” He also had a 10-foot birdie putt on 18 that could have given him a 57, but it only grazed the edge. And only then did Haley, who was keeping track of Decker’s score in his head, say to Decker, “Nice 58.” Decker’s reply: “Basically, he just said thank you,” Haley said with a laugh. “That wasn’t his first 50s score.” Decker might not have been eager to let people know about his record scorecard, but they found out soon enough. “I’ve had a lot of phone calls. People that I haven’t talked to in a long time have called,” Decker said. “It feels nice to get that recognition and to do that. “The biggest thing for me is, it’s really nice having the course record up there, because that’s one of my favorite places to go.”

 
Patrick Henry Community college will be hosting the 2011 NJCAA Region X Division II Softball Tournament at Martin Field on May 6-7. Therapy Direct has been named the official sponsor of the Region X tournament. This will be the first ever Division II Softball tournament in Region X history. The winner of the Region X Tournament will travel to the winner of Region 24a to compete for a District Championship on the 13th – 14th of May. The following schools will be participating in the Region X Tournament: Patrick Henry Community College (VA), Pasco Hernando Community College (FL), Stanly Community College (NC), College of the Albemarle (NC), and Surry Community College (NC). Patrick Henry Community College will be the number one seed followed by Stanly Community College, Pasco Hernando, Surry Community College and the five seed will be occupied by College of the Albemarle.

PHCC witnessed the impact of the baseball tournament hosted at Hooker Field last year and hopes the surrounding community will see the effect of the softball tournament as well. This is a great opportunity to come out and support your Patriot Softball team and see some quality college softball action. “We are pleased to host this event this year and we are looking forward to an excellent turnout,” stated Athletic Director, Christopher Parker.

PHCC will be providing concessions, photography, and tournament t-shirts at the tournament. Daily admission will be $7, while a tournament pass is available for $12. In addition, ESPN radio will be broadcasting the games live on ESPN 1160 or www.espnsouthsideconnection.com

PHCC To Host Softball Tournament

Patrick Henry Community College will be hosting the 2011 NJCAA Region X Division 2 Softball Tournament at Martin Field. This will be the first ever Division II Softball Tournament in Region X and we are very proud to be the host site. The tournament dates are set for May 6th-8th , with. This past year’s baseball tournament was a huge success and brought a lot of great business and exposure to the Martinsville/Henry County Area as well as to PHCC. We hope this tournament will do the same for the local economy and the surrounding areas.

Special Thanks To Tournment Sponsor Therapy Direct Inc.

The Patrick Henry Community College softball team swept Louisburg College on Monday, winning Game 1 3-0 and Game 2 4-3 at Martin field.

 The Lady Patriots won Game 2 in come-from-behind fashion against Louisburg, who play in Division I of the NJCAA. Trailing 3-1, PHCC got back-to-back home runs from Amanda Warley and Kayla Spurgeon to take a 4-3 lead.

 Spurgeon also had a RBI double in the first inning.

 Jessi Chandler got the win in Game 2, going six innings while allowing three runs. Rachel Hawks pitched a scoreless seventh with two strikeouts for the save after she had just shut out LJC in Game 1.

 Hawks threw a complete-game shutout in Game 1, striking out two and allowing just three hits. Brooke Chewning went 2-for-3 with a homer in the opener, and Danielle Santos also went 2-for-3.

 PHCC (34-10 overall, 13-1 Region X) will play its final series of the regular season against Southeastern Community College on April 29.

By BULLETIN STAFF REPORTS

Jamie McMurray Saturday afternoon when he won the pole for Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

McMurray turned a lap of 96.509 mph in his Chevrolet to earn the top starting spot for Sunday's race. He enters Sunday’s race ranked 28th in the Sprint Cup Series standings and with a season-best finish of 18th in the opener at Daytona.

''This is really big for our team,'' said McMurray. ''We've had some really good cars, and for the most part, the short tracks is where we've run the best. But we got caught up in that wreck at Phoenix and at Bristol ... got caught up in a wreck. It just seems like we've had really bad luck. But I hope this turns around for us.''

Ryan Newman qualified second with a lap of 96.342 in a Chevrolet. Kasey Kahne qualified third in a Toyota and was followed by Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Joey Logano and three-time defending race winner Denny Hamlin.

“I just couldn’t get off the corner as good as I wanted to,” said Newman

AJ Allmendinger was sixth in a Ford, and was followed by Bobby Labonte, David Reutimann and Kevin Harvick. Regan Smith rounded out the top 10.

Five-time Martinsville winner Jimmie Johnson qualified 17th.

The Goody’s Fast Relief 500 starts at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Good seats remain for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 and the speedway ticket office has plenty of options to allow easy ticket purchase right up until the start of the race.

Fans may call 877.RACE.TIX to purchase from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Tickets may also be purchased online by visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com. Fans may also opt for a print-at-home option when buying tickets.

 Andrea Barbour scored 45 points to lead the PHCC Lady Patriots to the NJCAA Division II National Championship game with a 91-72 over Kankakee C.C. on Friday night in semi-final action. The Patriots will battle Kirkwood C.C. on Saturday night with a chance to earn the school's first NJCAA National Title.

Barbour added 11 rebounds to her tournament high 45 points and Kendra Allen added 16 points for the 24-0 Lady Patriots. PHCC held a 51-40 lead at halftime. The Patriots shot over 55% from the field throughout the game and shot over 70% from the free throw line while holding Kankakee C.C. to just 40% shooting from the field.

PHCC's opponent Kirkwood knocked off Schoolcraft C.C. 58-44 in the other national semi-final game to advance to the championship. Kirkwood is now 35-1 on the season heading into the title game.

 This is a list of the games that BTW21/ESPN will be covering this season. The games will be recorded and photographed on Friday’s and will air on Monday night. Please tune in to BTW21/BTW21.com for our LIVE stream. COME EARLY FOR OUR TAILGATE PARTY SPONSORED BY TAYLOR'S SUPERMARKET!

2009 Piedmont District Football Game of the Week Schedule:

John Maloof played the part of David and slayed Goliath.

Danville native Peyton Sellers completed his first 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series race last weekend and came home with a solid 26th-place finish in the O’Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The #77 SFP Chevrolet was forced to go to their backup car to qualify for the race due to a wreck in practice. Sellers still managed to qualify 23rd among 49 drivers, with an average speed of 183.187 mph on the 1.5 mile track.

Three-time Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson continued his recent domination of Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, pushing aside Denny Hamlin with 14 laps to go to win for the fifth time in the last six races on the notoriously tight, paper-clip shaped oval.

It's true that blood is thicker than water. Just ask Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt Jr. continued his campaign on Friday to defend his crew chief and cousin Tony Eury Jr. despite ever-growing criticism from fans and media alike who believe Earnhardt Jr. might find better results with a new crew chief.

To say Kyle Busch is a busy guy this racing season would be a huge understatement.

After all, Busch has competed in EVERY race in NASCAR's top-three divisions thus far in 2009 - Sprint Cup, Nationwide and the Camping World Truck Series. His second Cup win and fifth overall victory of 2009 in last week's Bristol race moved the 23-year-old Las Vegas native one step closer to a record that is quickly approaching.

Franklin County’s J.T. Edwards isn’t shy about shooting the ball, that’s for sure.Edwards scored 14 of his team’s 18 points in the first quarter as the Eagles (3-0) topped Bassett 67-47 on Tuesday in Bassett.The senior shooting guard finished with a game-high 25 points. He converted 10-of-18 shots (4-of-8 from 3-point land) and made his only free-throw of the night.“You get a good shooter hot, it’s hard to cool him down,” said BHS coach Tom Hering.Edwards’ 3-pointer from the left wing gave his team a 9-7 lead it wouldn’t relinquish. He then pulled up for a mid-range jumper from the top of the key for an 11-7 lead, and following an offensive rebound and layup from teammate J.L. Tyree, Edwards drained a deep 3 before driving to the hoop with 27 seconds remaining in the first quarter for a contested layup.

 “He’s just got a lot of confidence,” Franklin County coach Doug Conklin said of Edwards, “and sometimes when he gets hot, he can stay that way for a while.”To be fair, Franklin County wasn’t entirely a one-man show. The Eagles got 18 points from Chris Tyree and 12 from D.A. Reynolds.Anton McGill and James Turner scored a team-high 13 points for Bassett.Franklin County out-rebounded a bigger Bassett team 33-25 on the night and 17-14 on the offensive end. Bassett also had 17 turnovers, compared to the Eagles’ 12.Hering wasn’t pleased with the effort from his team.“They (FCHS) wanted it more, especially in the first half and the beginning of the second,” he said.“We talked about controlling three things, and we didn’t do any of them in the first half.”Hering had asked his team to focus on controlling the game’s tempo, winning the rebounding battle and keeping possession of the ball.The Bassett coach has added some Princeton-style sets to his motion-based offense, but he wasn’t pleased with the team’s execution of those Ivy League plays, saying, “It’s not even close to where it needs to be.”That’s not to say it can’t get there.The Bengals (2-1) showed flashes while operating out of the Princeton sets — an offense that relies on back-door cuts and non-spoken adjustments to the defense’s actions.The Bengals scored the game’s first basket on a nice cut to the hoop by Matt Chitwood and got their next-to-last score on a backdoor layup from Vershaun Norman.There wasn’t enough of that in between, however, as BHS was unable to control the tempo.Franklin County’s guard-heavy lineup pressed full court after most made baskets and pushed the tempo in transition.“That’s the way we want to play,” said Conklin, “up-tempo because of our (lack of) size.”Hering emphasized that his team has the tools to be successful this season, noting that he’s “gonna keep being patient,” while his team works on execution and focus.The Bengals will look for the season’s third win at Patrick Henry on Friday night.

By JOHNNY BUCK - Bulletin Sports Editor

Photo By- BTW21 Sports

Boo Woods threw for three touchdowns and O'Shane Valentine returned a kickoff 88 yards for a score as the Bassett Bengals secured a share of the Piedmont District championship with a 28-6 upending of the Magna Vista Warriors Friday evening at Ed Bassett Stadium.

 

Valentine also caught two touchdown passes as Woods was 11 of 17 passing for 207 yards.

 

The title is Bassett's (7-3 overall, 3-1) fifth consecutive district championship under head coach Jay Gilbert. Coach's overall record in his six years at the helm of the program improved to 52-21 with two regional titles.

 

"I'm really proud of the whole team for their determination and work ethic," Gilbert said after receiving a nice, cool Gatorade bath courtesy of several jubilant Bengal players.

 

"The kids knew we had to win out to even have a shot at being co-champions and they dug down deep and didn't hang their heads when we got beat. That says a lot about their character and toughness and I'm very, very proud of this group of seniors and the whole team."

 

Woods continued a torrid late-season resurgence that culminated in six touchdown passes and over five hundred total yards over the last two games. Clutch victories over Martinsville (4-6, 2-2) and Magna Vista (0-10, 0-4) were pivotal after a mid-season slump that included consecutive losses to McMichael and Patrick County.

 

The Cougars' 38-10 drubbing of Martinsville on Friday evening ensured Bassett a spot in the regional playoffs while ending the Bulldogs postseason hopes.

 

Bassett's seniors shined brightest when it counted the most throughout the season, providing leadership and support to underclassmen while also tormenting teams throughout the district. Captains Dameon Hairston, Michael Hodges, Andrew Miller and Woods were determined to go out of the Piedmont District in style.

 

Mission accomplished. Now bring on the playoffs.

 

By Christian Dollarhite

For BTW 21

 The Patrick Henry Patriots Men's Basketball team picked up their first win of the season in their first NJCAA sanctioned game, a 82-55 decision over former VCCS rival Southside Virginia Community College.

Anthony Wooten led all scorers with 21 points for the Patriots, who turned a six point 37-31 lead at the half to a 82-55 rout. Marvin Brooks and Marlin Cribbs scored 14 and 13 points respectively and were joined by Lamar Ricks with 10 points as the four Patriots to score double figures on Opening Night.

Things got off to a slow start for the Patriots as Southside jumped out of the gates early as the visitors scored the first seven points of the game. "We started four freshman and just one sophomore so there were some nerves there at first," said Patriots Head Coach Chuck Moore. "Once we got settled down and started executing on defense, we wore them down and took advantage," added Moore.

The Patriots would rally just minutes later after Southside took the early lead. Anthony Wooten's three pointer with 12:10 remaining in the first half gave the Patriots a 16-13 lead, a lead that they wouldn't relinquish for the remainder of the game. PHCC opened up a 31-20 lead with seven minutes left in the first but Southside would turn up the heat and closed to within six to end the half.

The second half was all Patriots as they outscored Southside 45-24 and cruised to the win. Antron Fowlkes scored 16 points to lead Southside in scoring. "Southside has a very strong team with some good guards and some size in the middle, they should do very well in the VCCS," added Moore.

The Patriots travel to Nashville, Tennessee this weekend to play Volunteer State and Columbia State in the Volunteer State Invitational. "This weekend will be a big test against two division one teams with all scholarship players, it will be a good measuring point to see where we are early on in the season," said Moore.

By DOUG GIBSON - PHCC Sports Information Director

Fisherman get out your rod and your waders the state has stocked the river today. The truck was full of nice size trout today at around 10:30 when stocking began. The Philpot dam reported that they will make power today and tomorrow starting at 12:00 noon until 3:00PM so get up get out and go fishing.  You can get power generation schedule by calling 276-629-2432

BTW21 Sports

2008
Daytona 500

Would you believe the money that Nascar driver’s make for the 500. Take a look at this

$18,689,238 (was $18,386,023 in 2007)
1st - winner, minimum of: $1,445,250 2nd minimum of $1,044,400
3rd $752,400
4th $598,450
5th $471,500
43rd/last $233,865

• Past Purse/Race Awards (2007): $18,386,023; Winner [#29-Kevin Harvick] got: $1,510,469; 2nd; $1,102,258; 3rd: $819,216; 4th: $615,658; 5th: $529,350; and 43rd: $334,931; lowest payout: 42nd, Kyle Petty at $248,050
• Past Purse/Race Awards (2006): $18,029,052; Winner [#48-Jimmie Johnson] got: $1,505,124; 2nd; $1,095,766; 3rd: $796,116; 4th: $684,076; 5th: $537,944; and 43rd: $269,882; lowest payout: 40th, Hermie Sadler at $245,633
• Past Purse/Race Awards (2005): $17,623,980; Winner got: $1,497,154; 2nd; $1,106,138; 3rd: $828,796; 4th: $643,896; 5th: $533,579; and 43rd: $276,444
• Past Purse/Race Awards (2004): $15,972,313; Winner got: $1,495,070; 2nd; $1,096,070; 3rd: $758,839; 4th: $610,792; 5th: $472,189; and 43rd: $216,997
• Past Purse/Race Awards (2003): $14,030,129; Winner got: $1,419,406; 2nd: $1,027,101; 3rd: $707,526; 4th: $569,630; 5th: $444,609...and 43rd got: $195,663
• Past Purse/Race Awards (2002): $12,314,505; Winner got: $1,327,030; 2nd: $928,100; 3rd: $631,500; 4th: $479,075; 5th: $353,175; 43rd: $114,236
• Past Purse/Race Awards (2001): $11,049,049; Winner got: $1,303,826; 2nd: $905,700; 3rd: $608,050; 4th: $452,600; 5th: $334,650
• Past Purse/Race Awards (1959): $53,050; Winner [Lee Petty] got: $19,050; 2nd $7,650; 3rd $4,600; 4th $2,525; 5th $1,875; last 59th $100

Info from: jayski

Picture from: The New York Times

Three of the top five players in the state of Virginia, and 14 of the top 25, highlight a football recruiting class composed of 31 student-athletes who signed letters-of-intent with Virginia Tech on Wednesday.

"I congratulate my staff. I think they've done a great job of evaluating and recruiting not only talented kids, but good character kids ... players who overall put a priority on academics," head coach Frank Beamer said. "I think this class will turn out to be a really good class. These are all student-athletes we feel good about and we're happy with our success in the state. But then you have to look at the players we were able to attract from out of state. I think that group is the most talented group, outside of the state we've ever had."

After signing 19 players combined from the Commonwealth over the past two years, the Hokies inked 21 high school players from Virginia this year, including 14 of the top 25 prospects according to The Roanoke Times. Highlighting this year's in-state group are three talented players - Dyrell Roberts (#3 by Roanoke Times), Ryan Williams (#4 by Roanoke Times) and Vinston Painter (#5 by Roanoke Times) - who all earned SuperPrep All-America honors.

Roberts, who is projected as a wide receiver, is ranked the No. 27 athlete in the country by Rivals.com. The Windsor native became just the fourth running back in Bay Rivers or Peninsula District history to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark (2,236 yards) in the regular season. Williams, from Manassas, is rated the No. 26 overall player by ESPN.com, the No. 3 running back in the country by Rivals.com and was selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Painter, from Norfolk, is rated the No. 4 offensive guard in the country by SuperPrep.

Ten players from out-of-state signed with Tech, highlighted by five highly rated prospects from North Carolina. Nick Becton (Wilmington) is rated the No. 26 offensive tackle in the country by ESPN.com, while Michael Via (McLeansville) is ranked the No. 31 offensive guard in the country by Rivals.com. Eddie Whitley (Matthews) is rated the No. 16 cornerback in the country by ESPN.com, while Fayetteville's Lorenzo Williams is ranked the No. 11 safety in the country by the same outlet. Jarrett Boykin, from Matthews, rounds out the quintet and is ranked the No. 81 wide receiver in the country by ESPN.com.

Eleven other players from the state of Virginia are ranked in the top 25 in the state by The Roanoke Times. They are: Virginia Beach quarterback Marcus Davis (#9), Maidens wide receiver D.J. Coles (#11), Virginia Beach wide receiver Randall Dunn (#15), Amherst athlete Peter Rose (#16), Highland Springs defensive tackle Antoine Hopkins (#18), Stafford defensive end Isaiah Hamlette (#19), Amherst linebacker Derrick McCoy (#20), Virginia Beach linebacker Lyndell Gibson (#21), Ashburn rover Jeron Gouveia (#23) and Falmouth linebacker Jake Johnson (#24) and Richlands athlete Austin Fuller (#25)

The large in-state class also features seven others ranked in the top 38 by The Roanoke Times: Virginia Beach defensive end Joe Jones (#27), South Boston linebacker Allen Stephens (#28), Virginia Beach athlete Xavier Boyce (#29), Alexandria wide receiver Ben Barber (#30), Virginia Beach running back Tony Gregory (#31), Richmond quarterback Joseph Clayton (#33) and Woodbridge tight end Eric Martin (#38).

Virginia Tech has had a strong presence at Hargrave Military Academy over the years and picked up three more players from there this year. Leading the way is defensive end Leon Mackey, who is originally from Delaware. He is ranked the No. 25 defensive end in the country by SuperPrep. Also re-signing with the Hokies were linebacker Quillie Odom and athlete Kendrick Pressley, who signed with Tech last February. Odom, originally from Osbourn Park High, is ranked the No. 5 prep school player in the country by Rivals.com, while Pressley, from South Carolina, is ranked 26^th.

The Tech staff put heavy emphasis on the receiver and linebacker positions, led by linebacker Bruce Taylor, from Myrtle Beach, S.C. He is ranked the No. 12 inside linebacker in the country by Rivals.com and earned All-America honors from PrepStar. Painter and Ryan Williams also earned All-America honors from PrepStar.

"Wide receiver had to be a priority for us," Beamer said. "We think we've got a couple of guys who could fit in there next year. And at linebacker, we lost some good players there and feel good about the group of linebackers that's coming in here."

The Hokies used commitments from athletes in five states to complete their class, grabbing one player from Delaware (Mackey), one from South Carolina (Taylor), five from North Carolina and one from Florida in defensive tackle Dwight Tucker. Tucker, from Oviedo, is ranked the No. 22 defensive end in the country by ESPN.com and the No. 45 defensive tackle in the country by Rivals.com. With his signing, it marks the 18^th year since 1988 Tech has signed a player from Florida.

In total, 15 signees earned first-team all-state honors this past season, including 11 from Virginia's three classifications, three from North Carolina and Taylor from South Carolina.

2008 Virginia Tech Signing Class

Article from hokiesports.com

Bassett wins a close one over Magna Vista. 55-53 

Bassett fans roared after a close game to the Warriors. The game was explosive as were the students, the schools rivalry was as HOT as the game! BTW 21 was on location for the action! Call for games air dates or to purchase the game on DVD. pic of games are also cocated on sports page.

Head Coach Jay Gilbert addresses the Bassett team after their win over Blacksburg Friday night.  The Bassett Bengals defeated the Blacksburg Bruins 27 to 15.