Over and done: Charles City snaps 34-game football losing streak with thumping of Mathews

For five years and 34 games, Charles City High School’s Panthers have struggled to find a win on the gridiron. On Friday night, that chain of losses was broken. Three Panther players scored at least two touchdowns as the Panthers amassed nearly 500 rushing yards in a 60-14 victory over the hosting Mathews Blue Devils. Both teams entered Friday night’s contest not only winless, but also on losing streaks, with the Blue Devils dropping 18 consecutive. Ironically, their last win was a 57-20 win over Charles City. But Friday night’s tale was different. The Panthers struck early after recovering a…
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Lilley’s hat trick puts exclamation point on winning season for Lady Trojans

New Kent Lady Trojans’ field hockey team made sure Monday night’s game was a memorable one. Behind a hat trick from senior leader Jordan Lilley, New Kent blanked the visiting Bruton Lady Panthers 3-0, not only capturing the most wins in a season for the program but also their first winning season. Scoring started quickly in the contest, as 10 seconds in Lilley found the back of a goal for a quick 1-0 advantage for New Kent. That score would be the only one for the opening half as the hosts took that lead into the break. When both teams…
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Three-time Gold Cup champions

Earning bronze medals in Spain

Facing unfamiliar position, Lady Panthers squander leads as West Point sweeps volleyball match

One thing about programs that continue to improve is how to handle situations that they haven’t encountered before. Such was the case for Charles City’s Lady Panthers Monday night. Charles City saw two leads squander late in two sets, resulting in the visiting West Point Lady Pointers emerging victorious over the hosts 10-25, 22-25, 24-26. After West Point coasted to the first set victory, Charles City started making adjustments and playing better defensively. Successful digs and forcing Lady Pointer errors at the net assisted the hosts to a 20-18 late in the second set. A service error followed by score…
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Charles City shines on offense but penalties, defense lead to 66-28 setback on Senior Night

Friday night’s football showcase between the visiting Middlesex Chargers and the hosting Charles City Panthers provided a glimpse of the home team’s future as they celebrated Senior Night. And while the Panthers had sparks on offense, mistakes and the ability to bring down Charger running back JaQuan Griffin proved to be the difference. Griffin accounted for all eight Middlesex touchdowns as the Chargers pulled away from the Panthers 66-28 in the Panthers final home game of the season. Charles City set the tone from the opening kickoff, as Raizen Hilliard found a crease in the Charger special teams and raced…
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Special teams play swings game, possibly season in New Kent’s favor

A big play in the second half of New Kent’s Oct. 17 contest against York at Bailey Field proved to be the momentum the Trojans needed to swing the game around. And their season. A blocked punt led to a touchdown for the Trojans, who added a second one later in the contest to conquer the hosting York Falcons 14-9. After the first quarter ended in a stalemate, York orchestrated a drive midway through the second quarter. Their efforts placed them on the 16-yard line before New Kent’s defense stepped up to halt the attack. York settled with a field…
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New Kent High School golf team finishes sixth in Group 3A state championships

New Kent High School’s golf team earned a sixth-place finish in the Group 3A State Championships held on Oct. 15 at Heritage Oaks Golf Course in Harrisonburg. Kyle Diggs was the top performer for New Kent, finishing tied for 16th place and shooting seven over par with a score of 77. Ty Staub finished in 34th with a score of 82, Cayden Sheaffer finished 36th with a score of 84, and Charlie Swarz placed 39th with a mark of 89 to round out the scorers for the Trojans. Other participants for New Kent were Rylan Opett (T-46, 89) and Parker…
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New Kent continues strong volleyball season, sweeps York

New Kent’s Lady Trojans’ volleyball team march to contending for a championship continued Tuesday night. This time, a valiant York Lady Falcons’ team was game to take on a Lady Trojans’ team who has only lost to undefeated Grafton. But even the visitors from York couldn’t derail New Kent as the Lady Trojans swept the Lady Falcons 25-15, 25-8, 26-24. The hosts trailed by two (10-8) early in the first set before Fallon Greenawalt’s kill swung momentum. A spike and score by Leah Rounds led to premiere serving from Ava Nieto, whose two consecutive aces gave New Kent an 18-13…
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Early Zabriskie goal enough for Lady Trojans’ victory over Lafayette

In a game where sometimes all it takes only one score to win, the team has to be able to grab that opportunity when it is available. New Kent’s Lady Trojans’ field hockey team did just that. Emma Zabriskie’s score in the first period turned out to be the only point of the contest as New Kent blanked the Lafayette Lady Rams 1-0 in Monday night’s Bay Rivers District contest. New Kent struck early in the game thanks to Zabriskie, who found the back of the net at the 4:16 mark of the opening frame. From there, the Lady Trojans’…
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