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ATHLETES of theWEEK
June 23, 2010 Powhatan, Virginia
Page 1B
By Richard Carrier
Contributing Writer
The Powhatan High School
softball team’s loss in the state
semifi nals closed a phenomenally
successful spring sports
schedule at PHS.
Six of the Indians’ teams –
softball, baseball, girls soccer,
boys soccer, girls tennis and
boy’s tennis – captured
Southside District titles and the softball and
baseball teams made deep runs into the postseason.
While these are commendable achievements
by the teams and their coaches, I’m hopeful that
they did not overshadow an achievement that I
feel is far more indicative of the total success of
an athletic program and even more important
and prestigious than state championships:
Collin Christovich’s earning the Richmond
Times Dispatch/Sports Backers Scholar Athlete
of the Year.
EQUAL HOUSING
LENDER
POWHATAN HIGH SCHOOL
GIRLS SOFTBALL TEAM
What they did: They are the Regional champs
who advanced to state semifi nals!
Focus on academics began at home for AD
PHOTO BY PATRICK DOBBS
Powhatan’s Ethan Beard is considering joining the
military after he graduates from PHS.
Pow-wow
The Powhatan Indians won the Southside District soccer
title – then cleaned up on post-season awards.
Joining Southside Player of Year Ethan Beard on the All-
District team were Lyle Shore, Joseph Bungard, Donald
Hopkins and James Snead.
EXTRA POINTS
Indians’ Beard
a ‘workhorse’
says coach
Powhatan athlete excelled in the
middle this season, earned Southside
District Player of the Year honors
By Fred Jeter
Contributing Writer
Ethan Beard is thinking about a career in the military,
but for now he’s earning his stripes on the soccer pitch.
The Powhatan High junior earned Southside District
Player of Year honors this spring, spurring the Indians to
the regular-season and tournament titles.
The Indians went on to upend Chancellor and lose to
Culpeper in the Region I playoffs and fi nished 14-3-1.
“Ethan was a workhorse; he was a beast in the
middle,” said PHS’s energetic fi rst-year coach Lee
McCullough.
The sturdy 6-foot, 180-pound center midfi elder/
center back had eight goals, assisted on numerous others
and, in general, dazzled the opposition with his fancy
footwork.
Beard dominated on offense versus Southside foes
before converting to defense at Regionals.
“I play defense for my travel team (Strikers U18
Academy) and think of myself as a defensive player,”
said Beard.
“I appreciate Coach McCullough giving me a shot at
center mid … allowing me to develop at that position.”
Beard has been a whirlwind in black and orange
since moving to Powhatan, from Suffolk.
He made All-Southside second-team as a freshman
and All-Southside fi rst-team last spring as a 10 th grader.
Following another year of club and school ball, he
hopes to continue kicking for the Coast Guard Academy
(in New London, Conn.) or Merchant Marine Academy
(Kings Point, N.Y.)
“I had a grandfather and older brother with military
backgrounds, and that’s what I’m thinking,” he said.
Beard’s older brother, Andrew, is a graduate of
Virginia Military Institute.
This summer, Beard will attend a soccer camp in
Connecticut with a primary purpose of auditioning for
the Coast Guard coaching staff.
There is an optional fi ve-year military commitment
for graduates of the service academies.
Looking far down the scope, his target might be a
We constantly give lip-service to our “student
athletes” at both the high school and
college/university levels and expound on
graduation rates and GPA’s, but Collin provides
us with the ultimate manifestation of the phrase
and the perfect blend of the talents and efforts
of not only the athlete but also the teachers,
coaches and the school administration.
Having said that, it is time to admit to a
mistake I made in last week’s paper. And it’s an
ironic one. A couple of years ago I was inter-
see Beard page 2B
YMCA’s Barracudas keep their eyes on the prize
By Richard Carrier
Contributing Writer
The Powhatan YMCA
summer swim team collected
its fi rst Division
Championship last year and
is looking to capturing the
prize again this season.
Now 80 members strong,
the YMCA’s program has
grown and prospered under
the direction of Aquatics
Director Rebecca Murray –
now in her fi fth year – and
Assistant Coaches Jessie
Harris and Aileen Toomey.
As a member of the
Chesterfi eld Aquatic
League, Powhatan’s Barracudas
is the only YMCA
team in the 20-team league,
otherwise comprised of
neighborhood pool associations.
The Barracudas are
divided into six levels,
dictated by age. The Youth
level is any swimmer six
years old or less, Mites are
seven to eight years old,
Midgets nine and ten,
Juniors 11 and 12, Intermediates
13 and 14 and Seniors
15 years old up to the top
age of 18.
Each swimmer begins his
or her career, all levels are
gender divided, at the
Bronze (beginner level) with
their fi rst goal to reach the
Qualifi er Level.
From there, improvement
see YMCA page 3B
see Extra Points page 2B
“He was behind in
the count so I was
looking fastball. I
was just looking
for something over
the plate that I
could hit.”
Post 201’s Boonie
Hagy, on his
homerun during
last week’s loss to
Post 361
Post 201
drops fi rst
game 6-5
361 sealed win
with home run by
Scott Lobbs
By Michael Schoeff el
Contributing Writer
On a muggy Monday
evening at Baltimore
Field, the newest
adaptation of the Post
201 American Legion
baseball team took to
the diamond for the fi rst
time, looking eerily
familiar to any fan who
followed Powhatan
baseball on their run to
the state semifi nals this
year.
Of Post 201’s 10
starters (nine position
players plus a designated
hitter), six were
transplants from the
orange-and-black.
Despite this, Post 201
came out on the short
end of a 6-5 defeat in a
hard-fought contest
against a talented Post
361 squad.
From the onset, 201
starting pitcher Connor
Paul, a member of
Blessed Sacrament’s
state championship
team, struggled to locate
his pitches through the
thick summer air. He
began the second inning
by issuing a walk to
Connor Brown, which
see 201 page 3B