When: Today, 1 p.m. Tickets: $8
  Records: Thomas Dale Knights 8-2; L.C. Bird Skyhawks 10-0. L.C. Bird was ranked No.1 in the final Times-Dispatch Top 10 and No.5 in The Associated Press state poll. Fourth-ranked by the T-D, Thomas Dale was unranked by AP.
  Last meeting: L.C. Bird rallied from a two-touchdown halftime deficit to beat Thomas Dale 21-14 on Sept. 25. The Battle of Chester series is even at 17-17-1. This is their sixth meeting in the playoffs. The last was 2002, which also is the last time the Knights were in the playoffs. Thomas Dale has a 4-1 edge in postseason.

RICHMOND, Texas - Sophie Gustafson has moved within two shots of leader Lorena Ochoa at the weather-delayed LPGA Tour Championship. Rains swamped the Houstonian Golf and Country Club before dawn yesterday and the start of the second round was pushed back six hours. The tournament resumed at 1 p.m., but light rain started falling about two hours later and play was halted at 5:05 p.m. with darkness approaching.

SEATTLE - Long considered the best player in the U.S., Landon Donovan is now the best player in Major League Soccer. The Los Angeles Galaxy forward and six-time national player of the year was named the MLS most valuable player yesterday for the first time in his career. Despite all his accolades as the leader of the U.S. national team, Donovan had yet to be recognized by his own league until this season when he helped the Galaxy race to the MLS Cup final and overcame some of his own off-the-field distractions.

The eight Central Region teams playing in the Division 5 and Division 6 playoffs are set. The semifinal games are Saturday. All that remains to be determined are the kickoff times for each game. Last Friday was supposed to be the last night of the regular season, but rain forced most of the Central Region teams to finish last night.

Type text of update here. Brandon Williams blocked a punt, hauled in four catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns—all in the first half—as top-ranked L.C. Bird rolled to a Dominion District win against Midlothian. Lionel Williams scored three first-half TDs for the Sky Hawks (8-0, 10-0), and backup safety Javonte Dortch set a school record with three interceptions.

Clover Hill and Hanover have spots in the Central Region, Division 5 football playoffs. L.C. Bird has qualified in Division 6. Unlike several teams still trying to get in the show, that trio won’t have to worry as much about their final regular-season games this weekend. Clover Hill and Hanover have accumulated enough points on the Virginia High School League rating scale to earn at-large berths, according to calculations by The Times-Dispatch. They will be the top two seeds, in either order.

L.C. Bird has secured a spot in the Central Region, Division 6 football playoffs as the Dominion District’s automatic qualifier. The Skyhawks can wrap up the Dominion title outright by beating Manchester tonight. Bird is 6-0 in the district, 8-0 overall with two district games remaining. No other team has fewer than two district losses.

When players put their dreams on hold, good things can happen. They certainly do at L.C. Bird. The Skyhawks, No. 2 in the Times-Dispatch Top 10, put their best 11 players on defense, even if they don’t exactly fit the mold of the position. This mismatch is best exemplified by senior Xavier Myles, who weighs 190 pounds. He plays defensive end, which at the Division I level is often manned by 270or 280-pound giants. Not surprisingly, Myles had to deal with growing pains at his new position.

Maddie New made 31 assists to help third-seeded James River defeat No. 6 L.C. Bird 3-0 in the quarterfinals. Drew McLean added eight kills, three digs, a block and an assist for the Rapids. Andy Putnam totaled 16 digs for the Skyhawks, and Matt Bienvenu contributed fout blocks, 12 assists and three digs. L.C. Bird————————————- 16 9 18
James River————————————- 25 25 25