Surry blanks Panthers 16-0 in baseball rout

The day before, Charles City’s Panthers let one horrible inning get the best of them at Surry County. At the March 21 rematch, that feeling multiplied in the first two innings. Costly errors and field miscues by the Panthers led to 16 Surry runs as the visiting Cougars cruised to a 16-0 win. The top of the first frame saw Surry connect with four hits, resulting in six runs. After the hosts were unable to push across a run in the bottom of the frame, the Cougars put together an offensive clinic and pushed across 10 more runs in the…
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Off to a good start

Colonial Downs track burning April 11

Colonial Downs will host a first ever “Track Burning” event on Friday, Apr. 11, 4-8 p.m., as its signature Secretatirat Turf Course will literally go up in flames. “This is an annual spring maintenance procedure that allows the grass to come back greener and more lush by removing dead “cover” from the track’s top layer,” said track superintendent J.D. Thomas. “This is the third year we’ve done a controlled burn, but the first time it’s been open to the public to witness and photograph.” Magician/fire juggler Jonathan Austin will be on hand with a pair of fire breathers to help…
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New Kent stuns softball pre-season favorite, defending Bay Rivers champion Smithfield 4-3

New Kent’s Lady Trojans took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh and final inning, holding off a last ditch Smithfield rally to upset the Bay Rivers preseason softball favorites and last year’s defending champs 4-3 yesterday (Tuesday) on the Packers’ home field. The contest featured two of Bay Rivers’ best pitchers in Smithfield’s Sydney Gay and New Kent’s Marisa Bush. Gay pitched a three-hitter, but the Lady Trojans took advantage of those hits (two by Stephanie Torrence and one from Brittany LaPrade) and capitalized on two Packer errors. Bush, meanwhile, scattered eight hits. New Kent broke a…
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NKPR 30 and up champs

Former New Kent standout takes team to NCAA tourney

New Kent native and former basketball standout Jamion Christian, now head coach of the Mt. St. Mary’s Mountaineers, led his team to an 88-71 victory over Robert Morris University to earn a berth in the NCAA Championship tournament. Christian’s team entered the tournament as the fourth seed. After opening the playoffs with a thrilling 19-point come from behind victory against St. Francis-Brooklyn at home, he led the Mountaineers to a road victory at Wagner, before clinching the championship trophy at Robert Morris. Mt. St. Mary’s led by as many as 20 in the first half and 19 in the second…
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Three-on-three winners

Charles City Lady Panthers claim Conference 42 championship

Two years, two conferences, two tournaments, two titles. Despite horrid free-throw shooting, Charles City’s Lady Panthers did just enough to survive a scare from the visiting Mathews Lady Blue Devils to claim a 36-32 victory and a Conference 42 championship trophy Early on, Mathews jumped out to an early 5-0 lead with buckets from Savannah Wooten and Maria Spadachini. The visitors attacked the Lady Panthers defense, allowing them to enter the bonus free throw situation in the first quarter. Those free throws allowed Mathews to maintain an 11-6 first quarter lead. The hosts got back on track to start the…
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Charles City’s Harris, Miles named Conference 42 Players of the Year

Charles City Lady Panther Adrienne Miles and Charles City Panther Antonio Harris are Conference 42’s players of the year. Miles averaged double figure scoring for the Lady Panthers and helped lead the team to the conference championship. Joining Miles on the first team are teammates Jessica Hill and Cheyenne Davis. Lady Panther Hailey Holmes was named to the second team. Harris was a runaway choice for the boys’ player of the year. The senior forward averaged nearly 30 points a game and pumped in 30 or more points in 12 games this year. Teammates Craig McElroy and Gavin Cotman received…
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New Kent recovers from 12-point deficit, tops Lafayette to advance to conference title game

Midway through the third quarter of last night’s Colonial 3A Conference semifinal with Lafayette’s Rams, New Kent’s Trojans and their faithful, who had made the trip to Southampton, could feel any chance of extending their basketball season slipping away. After leading for most of the game, the second-seeded Rams had built a 12-point advantage and appeared on the verge of eliminating the third seeds to advance to the conference title game plus earn a berth in next week’s region tournament. But a combination of Trojan defense and Ram inaccuracy from the floor altered the game’s flow. Over the contest’s final…
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