Sports News
With Playoffs in Sight, Gators Start Hitting
Poor run support has been a pitching staff infection for the Fauquier Gators.That may have finally been cured, though, by a little rest over the recent Valley Baseball League all-star break.Since the July 12 all-star exhibition, the resurgent Gators (19-16) have averaged more than eight hits per game over a five-game stretch and scored at least five runs in four of those contests. During that stretch, they lost just one game, won three by one run and their latest victory was a 7-1 road win Monday over the Haymarket Senators. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Justin Wilson plays beat the clock
Justin Wilson’s all-star experience was the briefest of any Valley Baseball League player.It lasted 6.4 seconds.Wilson (UNC-Charlotte) accomplished a lot in that time, though. The Fauquier Gators outfielder won the 60-yard dash competition Sunday prior to the VBL all-star game at Central High School in Woodstock. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
After 30 games, Gators sit at .500; three weeks remain
Last Thursday evening, baseball fans witnessed the sort of moment that every eight-year-old Little Leaguer fantasizes about, a moment that can lead to greatness or great disappointment. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Fauquier Gators’ second baseman Rick Pacione stepped up with two outs and three men on base. The atmosphere in the Fauquier High stands, which had edged on disgusted for a greater part of the night, intensified as the Rockbridge Rapids’ Alan Watts sent two consecutive strikes, then a ball sailing over home plate. One pitch later, hope seemed to glimmer, but then was lost as the crack of Pacione’s bat sent the ball whizzing right to Watts, whose waiting glove clasped not only the ball, but a 5-1 triumph. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Pitcher impressive as Gators (14-13) move toward All-Star break
Michael Patton hit his stride just in time to look like an all-star team snub.The Fauquier Gators pitcher threw his best game of the Valley Baseball League season Wednesday in a 1-0 win over Waynesboro. Patton (North Georgia College) held the Waynesboro Generals (13-12) to five hits and one walk over eight innings while striking out eight, improving his record to 2-1 and dropping his season ERA from 3.87 to 2.87, the eighth lowest mark in the VBL. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Andrew Byrd: Blocking, catching, slugging were 250-pound Byrdman's traits
When a ball is thrown to Andrew Byrd, there’s a decent chance it will hit him square in the chest and fall to the ground.As odd as that sounds for a football player who had 21 receptions last season, it's one reason Byrd has been named the 2009 Fauquier Times-Democrat Boys Athlete of the Year from Fauquier High.Taking throws off the chest wasn’t Byrd’s strategy on the football field, of course, the senior is actually known for surprisingly soft hands in that realm. A 6-foot-2, 250-pound defensive lineman, he was an offensive weapon as a receiver out of the backfield for the Fauquier Falcons last fall. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
With Playoffs in Sight, Gators Start Hitting
Poor run support has been a pitching staff infection for the Fauquier Gators.That may have finally been cured, though, by a little rest over the recent Valley Baseball League all-star break.Since the July 12 all-star exhibition, the resurgent Gators (19-16) have averaged more than eight hits per game over a five-game stretch and scored at least five runs in four of those contests. During that stretch, they lost just one game, won three by one run and their latest victory was a 7-1 road win Monday over the Haymarket Senators. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Justin Wilson plays beat the clock
Justin Wilson’s all-star experience was the briefest of any Valley Baseball League player.It lasted 6.4 seconds.Wilson (UNC-Charlotte) accomplished a lot in that time, though. The Fauquier Gators outfielder won the 60-yard dash competition Sunday prior to the VBL all-star game at Central High School in Woodstock. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
After 30 games, Gators sit at .500; three weeks remain
Last Thursday evening, baseball fans witnessed the sort of moment that every eight-year-old Little Leaguer fantasizes about, a moment that can lead to greatness or great disappointment. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Fauquier Gators’ second baseman Rick Pacione stepped up with two outs and three men on base. The atmosphere in the Fauquier High stands, which had edged on disgusted for a greater part of the night, intensified as the Rockbridge Rapids’ Alan Watts sent two consecutive strikes, then a ball sailing over home plate. One pitch later, hope seemed to glimmer, but then was lost as the crack of Pacione’s bat sent the ball whizzing right to Watts, whose waiting glove clasped not only the ball, but a 5-1 triumph. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Pitcher impressive as Gators (14-13) move toward All-Star break
Michael Patton hit his stride just in time to look like an all-star team snub.The Fauquier Gators pitcher threw his best game of the Valley Baseball League season Wednesday in a 1-0 win over Waynesboro. Patton (North Georgia College) held the Waynesboro Generals (13-12) to five hits and one walk over eight innings while striking out eight, improving his record to 2-1 and dropping his season ERA from 3.87 to 2.87, the eighth lowest mark in the VBL. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Auburn, Warrenton finish as boys soccer middle school co-champions
When the Auburn Middle School boys soccer team defeated Warrenton 2-0 early in the year, and followed soon after with a 2-1 victory over a talented Marshall unit, it seemed little could stop Auburn from grabbing its third straight county title.But Warrenton coach Matt Adamowicz never stopped believing in his Warriors' ability to come back and win or share the county title. Lo and behold, Auburn stumbled in a key rematch with Marshall in late May, allowing Warrenton and Auburn to finish with identical 5-1 records, and share the middle school boys soccer title. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
County Champion Cedar Lee Girls Soccer Team Was Powered by Sixth Graders
Sometimes championship teams come in slender, light, baby-faced packages. Take the Cedar Lee Middle School girls soccer team, which won its first Fauquier County middle school title this spring with an amazingly young roster that included an astonishing 11 sixth graders.Sixth grade, for those who struggle in math, is one level past fifth grade.Fortunately for coach Harvey Fox, his sixth graders were talented beyond their years, and the seventh and eighth graders were pretty darned impressive, too. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Brentsville beats neighbor Kettle Run, 3-0, in girls soccer semis
Kettle Run's defense faced a stern challenge against Brentsville's strong offense in last Tuesday's Northwestern District girls soccer semifinals.At the end of the 80 minutes, Brentsville won 3-0 by steadily breaking down the Cougars.Kettle Run's standout freshman goalie, Hannah Carr, blocked shots taken roughly a foot or two away to keep her team in it, but ultimately the Tigers were too dangerous. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Battlefield scores four times in first half, ends Fauquier's season, 4-0
The Fauquier Falcons gave Battlefield reason to look at itself in the proverbial mirror earlier this season, as FHS nearly upset the Bobcats twice. That ended up reflecting poorly on the Falcons in the playoffs Tuesday.An inspired group, the third-seeded Bobcats dominated sixth-seeded Fauquier in Haymarket, winning their Cedar Run District boys soccer tournament quarterfinal game, 4-0, and ending the Falcons’ year. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Heather McInnis: Driven to succeed in sports and life
Heather McInnis has a saying that might just sum up her entire approach to life: “Go big or go home.” In a society where people often juggle many pursuits and master none, McInnis embodies athleticism and brains.One glance at her impressive list of accomplishments suggests that McInnis possesses a hearty understanding of just what it means to “go big.” Serving as a captain for both varsity volleyball and lacrosse her senior year, McInnis was the only LHS senior from her graduating class to letter in lacrosse all four years. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Twin titles make Will Garrett's senior year a dream
The Buffalo Bills — well-publicized losers of four straight Super Bowls from 1991 to 1994 — can relate to what the Highland School boys lacrosse team endured for six consecutive years.From 2003 through 2008, the Hawks lost in the state championship game each year.It was a remarkable streak really, characterized by great success and disappointment.After experiencing three of those state final losses himself, senior attacker and captain Will Garrett was ready to help change his school's destiny his final year. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Emma Wallace moves her Highland girls lacrosse team ever closer to a state title
A postseason sequence seems to have formed for the Highland School girls lacrosse team.Next in line is a state championship.One season after winning a quarterfinal game in the VIS Division II state tournament for the first time in school history, the Hawks went a step further in 2009, beating Cape Henry Collegiate, 18-8, in the May 15 state semifinals before losing the May 16 final to St. Anne’s Belfield, 15-11. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Highland routs Virginia Episcopal, 18-9, to win state lacrosse championship,
The Highland School Hawks were the six-time Virginia Independent Schools Division II boys lacrosse state runners-up.They truncated that title Saturday.Now, they’re simply State Champions.Second-seeded Highland upset No. 1 Virginia Episcopal School, 18-9, in Saturday’s state final at Grover Jones Field in Richmond, ending a streak of six consecutive losses in the championship game. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Ella Miller: Shortstop made all the plays, hit .800
Allowing an obvious nickname to go unused is among the most egregious errors possible on a softball field.Ella Miller’s teammates really dropped the ball on that.Named after her grandfather Newbill Miller, with whom she shares a birthday, Ella Katherine Newbill Miller played four years of softball and basketball at Highland School, but the inherent “cool” of her middle name went untapped. Miller’s newest name won’t be as easily ignored. The Highland senior can now be called the Fauquier Times-Democrat 2009 Girls Athlete of the Year from Highland School. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Spunky Kettle Run falls to Brentsville, 5-0, in softball playoffs
Usually the final game of your high school career has a sad air about it.Every team has a senior or two removing his or her uniforms for the last time, and feeling typically emotional.But Kettle Run has no seniors, meaning there were no tears after the Cougars' season-ending 5-0 softball loss to Brentsville in Friday’s Northwestern District quarterfinals. Only a cluster of girls nibbling on post-game sweets and acting like carefree high school freshmen, which most of them are. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Brittany Aubrey’s first career home run propels LHS over FHS, 2-1
Maybe dreams really do come true on Senior Day.Liberty left fielder Brittany Aubrey, who had never hit a home run in her three years as a Eagle varsity softball starter, crushed the first pitch she saw in the bottom of the fifth inning for a dramatic home run that provided the winning margin in Wednesday's 2-1 victory over Fauquier.Aubrey’s blast was a long, high, majestic shot up the left field line. It landed about 10 feet past the fence. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Multiple titles on the line for Highland, Wakefield sports teams
Highland School and Wakefield School are set to begin play in the Delaney Athletic Conference tournaments this week.But with 10 state-ranked teams between them, those DAC tournaments are likely only a tune-up for some lengthy runs in the upcoming VIS state tournaments.The Highland softball team and Highland boys lacrosse team have the best chances to win state championships this season. The Highland Hawks have won softball titles the last two seasons, and they’ve advanced to the boys lacrosse state final in six consecutive seasons. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Bowman nominated for prestigious track award
Sarah Bowman’s list of track accomplishments and honors is beginning to stretch as long as her signature race.A 1,500-meter runner at the University of Tennessee, Bowman was most recently nominated for the 2009 Honda Sports Award for track and field. The Fauquier High product is one of four NCAA Division I women nominated for the award based on her track accomplishments, of which the latest was qualifying for the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships on Saturday. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
After placing fourth at AAA state, Fauquier thrower Kyle Fortney sees his future taking shape
Kyle Fortney is in track and field purgatory. He's stuck on deck, anxious for his next attempt, but aware he won’t be called up to throw the discus again for months.Along with 10 Fauquier Falcon teammates, Fortney’s outdoor season ended this weekend with the AAA state meet at Todd Stadium in Newport News. It ended just as the junior felt he was reaching new heights as a thrower, or more accurately, new lengths. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Stefawn Ross can easily win spot on the VMI track and field roster
The shoe fits. He just hasn’t worn it very often.Despite taking up the sport of track and field in March and slipping on track spikes for the first time as a senior, Liberty's Stefawn Ross proved he’s a budding star Friday and Saturday. He competed in three events during the AAA state meet events at Todd Stadium in Newport News. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Helsel, Armstrong make strides for FHS distance corps
The 2009 Fauquier High track and field team was Loba-less for the first time in years and distance runner Emma Helsel suffered the worst withdraw.Long a staple in the stable of Fauquier girls distance runners, Grace Loba graduated after last season, leaving her protégé, Helsel, to run alone at the head of the pack this season.The Fauquier boys distance runners may soon empathize with Helsel, now that senior Talbot Armstrong is set to graduate. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Historic Warrenton Pony Show focuses youth participation, leadership
One of a kind in the U.S., the 90th Warrenton Pony Show concluded Sunday, rewarding winners and champions at the A-rated competition as well as graduating another class of junior committee members with real-life experience.The Warrenton Pony Show relies on young men and women to handle most of the duties.It's a tough job, said junior co-president Rachel Giampa, but she's glad for the unique opportunity. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Capital Hospice Polo Cup Benefits Loudoun Facility
Terminal illness is the great equalizer. It comes to the very rich as well as to the very poor.And the bottom line is that both groups will require the same level of care. When you want to raise $12-$15 million to build a much-needed free-standing hospice care facility, to whom do you turn?You turn to the rich and the famous and host a polo match or three. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
Magness Conquers Upperville's Mud
Maryland rider Tracy Magness added her eighth straight 2009 victory on the U.S. circuit Sunday at the Upperville Colt and Horse Show, winning the $100,000 Budweiser Jumper Classic and claiming the leading rider title at the historic horse show. Magness rode Tarco Van Ter Moude to victory over a big course made more testing by the muddy conditions. Rain plagued much of the 156th annual show, turning the hunter side of Route 50 into a mudpit and forcing cancellation of many of Friday's jumper classes, but there was nothing but sunshine for the signature finale at America's oldest horse show. | 0 comments - ›› more ...
What's New at Great Meadow?
With the summer polo season bearing down on Fauquier's horse country, we decided to take a minute to see what's new in the fast-paced sport. Newly-named Great Meadow Foundation president Rob Banner and Great Meadow Polo manager John Gobin took time out of their busy Monday to banter a bit about what's in store for the 2009 season. Fauquier Times-Democrat: The summer season is just a week away. Polo schools are going full-swing, and leagues are being formed. What's new this year in the world of polo? | 0 comments - ›› more ...