Richmond Free Press
B2 December 17-19, 2015
Happenings
Springers bring home the crown By Fred Jeter
Instead of Highland Springs High School, perhaps it should be Highlight Springs. Forget the slow but sure approach. Coach Loren Johnson’s Springers were fast and sure in sprinting to the State Division 5 football title last Saturday at the University of Virginia’s Scott Stadium in Charlottesville. In a dominating 27-7 triumph, Highland Springs High made Stone Bridge High School of Loudoun County look like it was lugging shells on its back. The win energized the entire school, which held a victory celebration for the state champions Tuesday on the Springers’ football field. Embraced by sunny skies and springlike temperatures, team members paraded two blocks from the Oak Avenue school grounds to Beale Street, accompanied by a jubilant and jamming Highland Springs Marching Battalion and cheerleaders waving pompoms. As the gridiron heroes entered Kreiter Stadium, Springers Coach Loren Johnson, students, parents, comleft, receives congratulations from munity members and Superintendent Patrick C. Kinlaw. others cheered the team, which is now No. 1 in the state. Several county officials, including Henrico Schools Superintendent Patrick C. Kinlaw and Varina District Supervisor Tyrone E. Nelson, joined the festivities in congratulating the team. Team members received yellow gift bags and Coach Johnson received a framed congratulatory resolution from Dr. Kinlaw. Here are the game highlights: D.J. Anderson triggered the action, racing for a 61-yard first period touchdown. Anderson finished with 105 yards on 13 carries. K’Von Wallace dialed long distance twice on 55-yard and
Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
Springer players, from left, Greg Dortch, D.J. Anderson and Chris Thaxton lead teammates onto the field at Highland Springs High as cheerleaders and community members salute them as No. 1 in the state.
22-yard touchdown receptions from Juwan “Pootie” Carter. Wallace turned four grabs into 94 yards. And don’t forget the quickest of the quick, Greg Dortch. The elusive, do-it-all back snagged an interception on defense and closed the scoring in high style, running for 66 yards for the final touchdown. The Springers defense had an answer for everything Stone Bridge High tried in its rare single wing attack, with the shotgun center snap often going straight to a running back. That same Bulldogs offense accounted for 54 points in their
The Highland Springs Marching Battalion swings into action at the ceremony celebrating the state’s No. 1 football team. The band played Tuesday as the champions paraded from the school to Kreiter Stadium and the cheers of jubilant students and fans.
semifinal win over Tuscarora High School, and for 50 points in the Northern Region final over Massaponax High School of Spotsylvania. Quarterback Joe Thompson, under relentless pressure, was 2-for-10 passing for 17 yards and two picks. In the mismatch, the Springers amassed 366 yards offensively to Stone Bridge’s 186. It marked the 14th straight victory for the Springers after opening with a 22-21 loss to Hermitage High School in Henrico County. Highland Springs High gained momentum as the season wore on. Avenging the August setback, the Springers beat Hermitage High 42-35 for the Southern Region crown, and then trounced Chesapeake’s Indian River High School 35-10 in the state semifinals with big play highlights galore. This is Highland Springs’ first state title since 1961, when Coach Al Rinaldi’s Springers were voted No. 1 in Group AAA prior to the Virginia High School League playoff system. The Springers reached the Group AAA finals in 1978 under Rinaldi, losing to Annandale High School. Rudy Ward was coach in 1989 when they fell in the AAA finals to West Potomac High School. In last Saturday’s victory, Highland Springs logged the first state title by any Henrico County school since adoption of playoffs in 1969. Varina High School lost in the 1998 and 1999 finals. Serving as Highland Springs High’s student activities director the past two school years has been Michael Bailey, former head football coach and athletic director at Virginia Union University. It is the third straight year a Richmond area team has won the Division 5 football championship. Chesterfield’s L.C. Bird High School prevailed in 2013 and 2014. As for Highland Springs’seniors, Dortch has signed to play at Wake Forest University and Wallace at the University of Cincinnati.
Spike Lee’s ‘Chi-Raq’ grosses $2.1M in 10 days Free Press wire reports
Director Spike Lee hopes his latest film “Chi-Raq,” an adaptation of ancient Greek play “Lysistrata” looking at Chicago’s gun violence, will help make a difference in tackling the problem. Based on Aristophanes’ play in which the titular character rouses women to stop the Peloponnesian War by going on a sex strike, the movie sees Lysistrata try to persuade rival gangs to lay down their guns by using the same technique. The film is named after street slang comparing Chicago, the United States’ third largest city, to conflict zones in the Middle East. Its trailer begins with a statement saying “Homicides in Chicago, Illinois, have surpassed the death toll of American special forces in Iraq.” “We have to develop the capacity for empathy for people who aren’t like us, don’t talk like us, look like us. They’re still human beings,” Mr. Lee told Reuters, citing the example of a 9-year-old boy who was shot to death in Chicago
last month. “We have to care about human lives ... We should all be very angry about the execution of Tyshawn Lee ... It doesn’t matter whether his father has got gang allegiance or not. No 9-year-old anywhere on this earth should be shot twice in the head with a bullet, five shots in the body, executed.” Musician and television host Nick Cannon and actor Wesley Snipes play gang leaders Chi-raq and Cyclops, respectively, while “Mad Men” actress Teyonah Parris portrays Lysistrata. “Sometimes it’s good that audiences feel angry. Audiences felt angry after ‘Do the Right Thing’, audiences felt angry after ‘Network’, audiences felt angry after ‘Apocalypse Now’,” Mr. Lee said. “Channeled anger is not always bad.” “Chi-Raq” took in an estimated $1.2 million from 305 theaters during its limited initial U.S. release on Dec. 4. As of Dec. 13, the film has grossed $2.1 million. The film, written by Mr. Lee and Kevin Willmott, also stars Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson, Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack.
Photos by Rudolph Powell/Richmond Free Press
Graduation pride at VSU Below, Dr. Pamela V. Hammond, interim president of Virginia State University, leads the academic procession into the fall commencement ceremony last Saturday at Daniel Gymnasium on the campus. State Sen. Rosalyn R. Dance of Petersburg, the commencement speaker, is second in the line that includes members of the VSU Board of Visitors, administrators and faculty. Sen. Dance and Dr. Hammond received honorary degrees during the ceremony. Valedictorian Destini Orr, below right, of Petersburg, savors the VSU graduation scene after receiving her degree. The university’s top scholar majored in health and physical education/sports medicine. More than 400 students were awarded undergraduate and graduate degrees at the ceremony.
Serena Williams named Sportsperson of the Year Reuters
nized with the honor as an individual since Mary Decker in 1983, and the Serena Williams, who held all four magazine took the opportunity to reof tennis’ grand slam titles for the name its award from Sportsman of the second time in her career and won Year to Sportsperson of the Year. 53 of 56 matches in 2015, was named The magazine also cited Ms. WilSportsperson of the Year by Sports liams as a force off the court, using her Illustrated magazine Monday. broad platform to advocate for racial The 34-year-old Ms. Williams acjustice, gender equality and equal access complished her second “Serena Slam” to education around the world. while battling a string of injuries, proIt noted that Ms. Williams made a Ms. Williams ducing one of the greatest late-career powerful statement by returning to play runs in the history of any sport, the magazine a tournament at Indian Wells in California for said, hailing her a “global icon.” the first time since 2001, when she was jeered “Serena has made a very strong case as by the crowd and, according to her family, sufnot only the greatest tennis player of her gen- fered racist slurs. eration but of all time, and after the string of Ms. Williams called her decision to play her performances she put together in 2015, she is “greatest moment in tennis.” one of the most dominant athletes playing to“Everyone always asked, ‘What was your day,” said Sports Illustrated Group Editor Paul greatest moment in tennis?’ and I always said Fichtenbaum. it hasn’t happened. Ms. Williams was ranked No. 1 every week “But I think it has happened now, and that for the second consecutive year, and her three was going back to Indian Wells and playing. It successive grand slam wins to start 2015 lifted released a lot of feelings that I didn’t even know her within one of Steffi Graf’s record 22 singles I had. I was really surprised at how emotional I titles in the professional era. got — and how relieved I felt after everything “This year was spectacular,” Ms. Williams was said and done.” said in a statement. “For Sports Illustrated to Ms. Williams joins an elite group to have won recognize my hard work, dedication and sheer the award, including Muhammad Ali (1974), determination with this award gives me hope Arthur Ashe (1992), LeBron James (2012), Mito continue on and do better.” chael Jordan (1991), Billie Jean King (1972), Joe Ms. Williams is the first woman to be recog- Montana (1990) and Jack Nicklaus (1978).
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