Branden Williams had a pressing question during the postgame gathering of the L.C. Bird football team. “Who dumped the water bucket so quick?“ Williams wanted to know. To which Bird coach David Bedwell had a quick response: “You should know I’m always one step ahead of you.“ When you’ve won as many championships as Bedwell and the Skyhawks have, you learn how to escape the traditional liquid-over-the-head celebratory gig, especially on a cold night.

Mitchell Perierra had 20 carries for 179 yards and a score as the Trojans defeated George Wythe. Jimmy Whitten added 11 carries for 63 yards on the ground, two touchdowns and also added 54 yards through the air and another score on 4 of 8 passing as the Trojans improved 2-7 overall and 1-6 in the Dominion District. The Trojans were led on defense by Mark Padgett’s two interceptions.

Joel Caleb completed 12 of 15 passes for 159 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Cavaliers, No. 10 in the T-D Top 10, to a commanding Dominion District victory. Christian Conklin caught five passes for 79 yards and a touchdown for the winners (6-2, 7-2). Conklin also kicked a 38-yard field goal and punted three times, dropping two of those kicks inside the Huguenot 20.

Jainard Crawley-Lambert totaled 76 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns to lead the Titans past the Chiefs in a Dominion District game. Fuller Hoepner threw for two touchdowns and 123 yards. Morgan Lusk led the defense for Cosby (5-2, 6-3) with eight tackles and a sack. Monacan (3-4, 3-6) led 14-10 at halftime behind two Logan Staib touchdown runs. Staib finished with 99 yards passing and 60 yards rushing.

Valerie Carroll logged 20 kills, 2 blocks and 10 digs to lead Midlothian to victory in the quarterfinals of the Dominion District tournament. Becca Tatum contributed 27 assists to the Trojans’ effort. Midlothian, the fourth seed, plays top-seeded James River in Wednesday’s semifinals. Kaitlynn Wickersham of Manchester was credited with 16 kills, 13 digs and two blocks in last game for the Lancers.

Brandon Chiles rushed 15 times for 174 yards and 2 touchdowns as Manchester (4-2 Dominion, 5-3), swamped Midlothian (0-6, 1-7). Jamal Winston had 12 carries for 82 yards, scoring three TDs two running and one passing. Midlothian’s Mark Padgett had 3 interceptions. Manchester————————————- 20 7 14 7—48
Midlothian————————————- 0 6 0 0—6

Joel Caleb rushed 21 times for 133 yards and two touchdowns, and the Cavaliers held the Chiefs to just 67 yards in the second half en route to a Dominion District win. Caleb was also 5 of 20 for 64 yards and an interception and Doug Tyler rushed 14 times for 58 yards and a TD for Clover Hill (5-2, 6-2). Defensively, Holland Fisher made two tackles, three assists, and an interception. He also made one pass deflection and a quarterback carry. Mo Gross also had two solo tackles, three assists, three for loss, with a pass deflection and a blocked kick.

Calvin Jefferson rushed for three touchdowns, including a 90-yard kickoff return, and the Rapids defeated the Falcons in a Dominion District matchup. Kevon White (14 carries, 67 yards) ran for two TDs, and QB Josh Wells (4 for 6, 91 yards) threw for two scores for James River (4-3, 5-3), including a 62-yard TD pass to Nelson Harris. Mario Williams paced Huguenot (2-4, 3-5) with three returns for 162 yards, including an 88-yard kickoff return for a TD, and two receptions for 56 yards. Donald Hill led the defense with a total of 14 tackles, nine solo and five assisted.

The Skyhawks stayed undefeated, and receiver Brandon Williams broke the school single-season record with his seventh touchdown catch of the season. Quarterback Anthony Harris went 7 for 13 for 139 yards, and Deon Clarke had 8 tackles and a sack. George Wythe————————————- 0 0 0 0—0
L.C. Bird————————————- 6 14 15 0—35

The Warren duo of Caitlyn and Courtlyn helped pace Manchester to a 4-2 win over Monacan in the opening round of the Dominion District girls field hockey tournament yesterday. Caitlyn’s first goal came in the first half for the fifth-seeded Lancers, and Courtlyn and Samantha White added scores to Warren’s in the second. Goalkeeper Alexis Meyers had five saves for the Lancers.

L.C. Bird didn’t feel the need to prove anything against Clover Hill’s big defensive lineman, Mo Gross. In fact, the team ran away from him. It proved to be a winning strategy as the Skyhawks sprinted to an early lead, then let their defense shut down the Cavaliers in a 27-3 romp. Now at 5-0 in district play, the Skyhawks both avoided a tie for first and, thanks to Manchester’s victory, put two games between themselves and the competition in the Dominion.

Jamal Winston had a 5-yard touchdown run in overtime then hit David Wilburn with a 2-point conversion pass out of the muddle huddle to give the Lancers a heartstopping overtime win over the sixth-ranked Titans. Winston’s touchdown helped the Lancers (3-2 Dominion, 4-3) survive a furious rally from Cosby led by Fuller Hoepner. Manchester led 32-20 at halftime but behind a 402-yard, 5-touchdown performance from Hoepner, Cosby (3-2, 5-2) pulled into a 43-39 lead in the fourth quarter. Hoepner’s favorite targets were Jordan Egerton (6 receptions, 186 yards, 3 TDs) and Bryce Dillion (8 receptions, 131 yards, 1 TD)

Arsaiah Robinson ran for 77 yards and two touchdowns and the Falcons held on for a Dominion District win over the Trojans. After Midlothian (0-5, 1-6) took a 3-0 lead, Robinson scampered in from 11 yards and 3 yards to put Huguenot (2-3, 3-4) in control. Peter Thomas chipped in with 71 yards rushing for the Falcons. The Trojans made a late rally with Jimmy Whitten hitting Ryan Hamner with a 5-yard touchdown pass and then passing to Collin Joyce to cut the lead to 3 points. Huguenot recovered and onside kick to seal the victory.

Kevon White rushed 12 times for 160 yards and three TDs as James River (3-3 Dominon, 4-3) defeated George Wythe (0-5, 0-6). Calvin Jefferson had one reception for 41 yards for a touchdown and a 95-yard kick off return to open the second half. James River’s defense held George Wythe to 103 yards of total offense. Zack Duell had an interception, two pass break ups and six tackles.

Manchester 12 8 10
Cosby 25 25 25
Highlights: Stephen Cunningham (C) 12 kills 2 aces 2 blocks; Cameron Vaile (C) 4 kills, 2 aces; Daniel Helderman (C) 8 assists, 3 kills, 3 aces
Records: Manchester 0-10 Dominion, 2-15; Cosby 9-2, 14-4