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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New Kent surges in fourth quarter to topple Grafton

New Kent continues to find ways to win, especially when it comes to closing out games. The Trojans used a strong fourth quarter to pull away from the Grafton Clippers 78-59, increasing their win total while remaining unblemished on the losing side. With each game, New Kent knows they are going to get each team’s best shot that will hand them their first loss. Such was the case against Grafton as the Clippers played tooth and nail with New Kent for three quarters, seven minutes, and 45 seconds. But the last 15 seconds of the third quarter proved why the…
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‘Rookie of the Year’

Wray spearheads second half run as New Kent continues to remain unblemished

New Kent’s Trojans continue to remain unblemished in boys’ basketball action. But it hasn’t come without its challenges. New Kent defeated the visiting Bruton Panthers 61-53 in a Friday night game that saw the Trojans pull away late. For most of the contest, both teams played on even terms and could not build a lead bigger than two points. After the first frame, Bruton led 11-9. By the time halftime hit, the visitors led by one (23-22). New Kent’s Marty Wray drained a three-pointer to begin the third quarter, bestowing the lead to New Kent. New Kent’s lead grew four…
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