Gearing up for the Virginia Derby

Hopewell’s firepower too much as New Kent Trojans finish as regional runners-up

For a majority of the year, skeptics have questioned the legitimacy of the New Kent Trojans’ basketball team and if they could be a threat to win the state title. And while the bid to win a regional title came up short to the visiting Hopewell Blue Devils, it was evidence that the Trojans still can make a case to win it all. Hopewell’s Blue Devils built an early advantage in the third quarter and held off one last rally by the New Kent Trojans en route to a 73-65 win to capture the Region 3A Championship Friday night inside…
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New Kent survives Heritage in overtime, earns berth to state tournament

Heritage’s Hurricanes from Newport News looked to leave a path of destruction as they squared off with New Kent’s Trojans in the Feb. 27 Region 3A semifinal contest with a berth of the state tournament on the line. And while both teams battled evenly for four quarters, it would be the hosting Trojans who weathered the storm. A Christian Joyner lay-in with 14.9 seconds proved to be the go-ahead score as New Kent defeated Heritage 90-88 in front of a sold-out crowd. Both teams played evenly for the first three quarters, with the back-and-forth affair continuing in the fourth quarter….
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Charles City Lady Panthers play well against hot-streaking Essex before bowing in 1A Regional Quarterfinals

For one half, Charles City’s Lady Panthers battled toe-to-toe with the hottest team in Region 1A, the Essex Lady Trojans, who had won 10 consecutive contests. And while the visiting Lady Panthers fought until the final buzzer, it was the size of the hosting Lady Trojans who triumphed. Essex emerged with a 64-32 victory over Charles City in the Region 1A Quarterfinals, bringing the Lady Panthers season to an end with a record of 12-10. Charles City set the tone early in the contest, as Kaylee Stewart and Aalaya King dropped back-to-back three-pointers to provide the visitors a quick 6-0…
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New Kent takes down Petersburg in opening round, eliminated by Hopewell in quarterfinals

New Kent’s Lady Trojans made the most of a trip to Petersburg in the opening round of the Region 3A basketball tournament. The visiting Lady Trojans used defense along with controlling the rebounding margin as they defeated the Petersburg Lady Crimson Wave 42-29 in Monday night’s contest. After holding only a two-point lead after the first (6-4), New Kent began making their presence known thanks to the play of Amiya Armstead. Armstead scored seven points by herself in the second frame, while taking care of rebounds as New Kent used that momentum to outscore Petersburg 19-10 in the second quarter…
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Johnson earns four silvers, Lady Panthers finish fifth at 1A regional championships

Charles City’s Derequa Johnson earned four silver medals as the Lady Panthers finished in fifth place at the Region 1A Indoor Track and Field Championships Monday afternoon at the Boo Williams Sports Complex in Hampton. Johnson placed second in the girls’ 55-meter hurdles (9.02), long jump (16’0½), and triple jump (33’6½’) in her individual events. She ran the anchor leg in the girls’ 4×200 relay, teaming up with teammates Jaida Braxton, Taniyah Williams, and Jaela Smith to accumulate a time of 1:57.91 to finish as runners-up in the event. The Lady Panthers scored 52 points to finish fifth overall at…
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New Kent High School’s wrestling team captures eighth consecutive regional championship

New Kent High School had no issues capturing its eighth straight Region 3A wrestling championship during Saturday action in their home gym. New Kent captured titles in several weight classes at the regional championships as they dominated several brackets. Regional title winners were Carter Roy (106 pounds), Alex Cuic (113 pounds), Tristan Carter (120 pounds), Noah Cuic (138 pounds), Quinn Morrison (150 pounds), Aidan Salmon (157 pounds), Jared Edeza (165 pounds), and Luke Adamson (285 pounds). Chase Wiles finished as runner-up in the 190-pound weight class, Aiden Slimick finished with bronze in the 126-pound division, Blake Gregory placed third in…
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Barnes’ 31 points leads Panthers to Senior Night win, snaps 10-game losing skid

While the script for Charles City’s boys’ basketball season hasn’t gone the way they had hoped for in the season, the final act was a masterpiece at home thanks to team play and hot shooting from a junior guard. Damian Barnes Jr. scored 31 points as the Panthers upended the visiting Carver Academy Wolverines 75-56 during the Feb. 13 Senior Night victory for the Panthers, ending a 10-game losing skid. The game started off strong with senior guard Gavin Stewart draining a three for the Panthers. After a score by Carver, Barnes drained what would be the first of five…
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Pole vaulters catapult New Kent to fifth place finish at Region 3A indoor track and field championships

New Kent’s boys’ indoor track and field team’s strong performance in the pole vault competition elevated them to a fifth-place finish in the Region 3A track and field championships held Feb. 14-15 at the Boo Williams Sports Complex in Hampton. Ryan Wright emerged as the top vaulter for the Trojans, clearing 14’9” in the competition to finish first in the competition. Four other teammates scored for New Kent in the event, with Liam Holloway finishing third (11’6”), Tayten Hybiak finishing fourth (11’0”), Landon Evans placing fifth (10’6”), and Mason Schalasny earning a sixth-place finish (10’0”). New Kent’s boys scored 47…
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New Kent earns victory number 20 with victory over Jamestown on Senior Night

The Trojans celebrated Senior Night in the best way: With a win and hitting the rare 20-win platform. New Kent cruised to an 84-55 victory over the visiting Jamestown Eagles in Friday’s victory, keeping in play the top seed in the Region 3A playoffs. For the first half, New Kent and Jamestown played on basically the same terms, with Jamestown’s Bowden Mayo half-court heave banking off the backboard and keeping the Eagles within striking distance (32-26) as they trailed by six at the break. In the third quarter, New Kent used a hard-trapping defense to force Jamestown into several turnovers….
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