LABC
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE:
This
fall we experienced another exciting season of Lafayette
sports. For the younger athletes, their
high school sports experiences are just starting and for the seniors they are
coming to an end this year. Many of our
athletes will go on to play college sports and for all those we are very
excited and will continue to follow their progress. Hopefully, all the athletes will have fond
memories of their days on the court, field or pool while a student at Lafayette. I know my best memories were of my team mates
and then my friends and family enjoying the games and meets I participated
in. Now as a parent, my fondest memories
are of my children playing and competing.
I hope they take away with them the spirit of competition and the
knowledge of how to strive for a goal through winning and losing. The coaches and administrators will do their part
to make sure your athlete succeeds; I hope all of us will do all we can as
parents to help them reach their goals.
They will be gone before you realize it, so please take an active part
in their high school experience. Some of
the ways we can help are going to as many events as possible and showing good
sportsmanship. Talk to our athletes about the event they have just been in and
always express the positive. Clip all
newspaper articles for their team and save them for a collage or just for later
in life when they will be glad they can share with their children what they did
in high school. Finally, you can help
the organization that strives to help your sons and daughters--the Lafayette
Booster Club. The $15 family membership fee is a sign that you appreciate what
we do. The funds are put to good use throughout the year. Happy New Year!
Dwight
Pinkett – President
LAFAYETTEBOOSTERS.COM
The LHS Boosters website is just over two years old
and has proven to be very successful in getting the word out on Lafayette
Athletics. Each of the past four months
this site has averaged over 18,000 hits. If you need schedules, addresses,
booster club notes and other sports happenings at LHS, this is were you will
find it. Got a suggestion on how to
make it better? Just e-mail us. Want to see a score or find out if a game has
been postponed? Just type in
LAFAYETTEBOOSTERS.COM. Do it today.
A VERY SAD TIME FOR THE LAFAYETTE ATHLETIC COMMUNITY. On
Saturday, December 29, we lost one of our own when Edward Stone passed on to a
better place. Edward was a ninth grader
and a member of the JV football team. At the time of his passing, Edward was
working hard towards meeting his childhood goal of playing on the varsity team
next fall. Edward was a young man that was very well liked by his peers,
teammates and by many other people who had the opportunity to come in contact
with him. This was quite evident at the
funeral services that were held in the Lafayette Auditorium on Saturday,
January 5. The auditorium was
overflowing with people wishing to pay their final respects to Edward’s family
and to his memory. Without question,
Edward will surely be missed by all. We
all pass along our deepest and most sincere sympathy to the Stone family for
their loss.
AD’s CORNER: by Dan Barner
In the world
of sports victory or defeat is often just a matter of inches: This fall two of our Bay Rivers District
Championship teams found out in the Region 1 Tournament how true this statement
can be. Unfortunately, in both cases the
inches would not favor our Rams. First,
our Field Hockey team lost a very hard-fought 1 to 0 decision to the Chancellor High School, the defending VHSL State
Champions, in the first round of the Region 1 Tournament. In this game, one
that was for the most part controlled by our Rams, we had two shots on goal
that hit front bar of the goal and bounced out. Considering that the front bar
is only about 2 inches wide, we only needed just a hair to the inside of the
bar on each shot and the out come of the game would have been completely
different. It is only a matter of inches.
A couple of weeks later the inches once again did not favor our Rams. In
the Region 1 Football Championship Game, a 13 to 12 defeat against Powhatan,
two plays of inches would have given our Ram a victory and the Region 1
title. A pass just inches out of reach
of a wide open receiver at the 15 yard line and a solid field goal attempt that
was kicked high and with plenty of
distance hit the upright of the goal post and bounced just outside of the cross
bar. Either play could have secured a
Ram victory and a trip to the VHSL State Semi-Final game. The game of inches was something that
definitely was not in the cards for our Rams during the playoffs this fall. The
two tough playoff losses aside, our Rams had another typical very good fall
season. Our teams won or tied for Bay
Rivers District Championships in Boys Cross Country, Field Hockey and Football.
Our football finished the year with an
11 and 1 record and now have secured the second most total “AA” wins in the
state during the 11 years that we have been in the “AA” classification. Our Boys Cross Country team finished as the
number 5 team in Region 1 as they finished the season with a very good 10 and 1
record. This years Lady Rams Field
Hockey team finished with a 13-5-1 record and, as mentioned
above, lost in the first round of the region 1 playoffs. Their one district loss this year was only
the third out of their last 41 district games.
37 wins, 3 losses and 1 tie during the past 5 years in the district is
truly an outstanding accomplishment and something that would be hard to match.
Hard to match? Not if you are a member
of our Girls Cross Country team. This year our lady runners finished the year
with a 10 and 2 record. They finished
third in the district and number 5 in Region 1.
Their 2 district losses this year were their first defeats in 4 years.
During the same 5 year period that our field hockey team had outstanding years,
our girl runners also complied some very impressive numbers. They were 39 and 5 during this time period
and won 3 straight Bay Rivers District Championships. Our Cheerleaders made it back to the VHSL
State Competition this year after missing out in 2006. They finished fourth in the District
Competition and were third in the Region 1 Competition. They finished the year as the number 15 team
in the state. Our Golf team had a good
year, finishing third in the District and fourth in Region 1. Our Volleyball team, as they did last year,
finished fourth in the district but did not make it to the Region 1
playoffs. As you can see, it was a good
fall season. Our 7 teams had a combined record of 70 wins and only 22 losses
and all 7 finished in the top 4 of the district final standings. This marked
the 15th time in the 31 sports seasons during the eleven-year
period we have been in the “AA”
classification that all our teams in a sports season have finished in the top
half of the district final standings.
What makes this feat so special is that only 3 of the other 10 schools
in the district can claim that they have accomplished this feat. Grafton has done it 6 times, Tabb 5 times and
Jamestown once. As
you can see, knowing how to win on the playing field is something that our Rams
do very well. However, winning on the
field is only a part of success story for the fall 2007 Lafayette Rams. This fall, our athletes carried on the proud
tradition of being just as successful off the playing field as they were on
it. In the classroom, 70 % of our athletes
earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher during the fall season and as always all of our
teams participated in one of a number of different community service
projects. Now that the fall 2007 sport
season is history, this group of Lafayette Rams did exactly what was expected
of them. Good on the field, good in the
classroom, good at helping in the community.
As a group, and just like those before them, they were all the things
that we want our kids to be. As I always
say “It’s great to be a Lafayette Ram.”
A GOODBYE AND
A GREAT JOB: After two years as our
Volleyball coach, Caroline Bowman will not return next year. Coach Bowman is expecting her fourth child in
late summer and as you can image, will not have much time left at the end of
the day to coach our Rams. We all wish
Caroline and her husband Doug the best of luck.
Also, our Cheerleading Coach for the past two years,
Lisa Garwood, will be moving to Charlottesville. Like Caroline, Lisa and her outstanding
leadership will be missed.
SPORTSMANSHIP
AWARDS: Each
sports season, one athlete from each team is named the recipient of our
Sportsmanship-Integrity-School Spirit award.
This is the most prestigious award given to our athletes during a sports
season. The winner of this award is
selected by a committee of students.
This fall’s 2007 recipients are:
Field Hockey – Grace Pinkett;
Cheerleading – Lauren Lisle; Girls
Cross Country – Kalie Johnson; Boys
Cross Country – Brian Jones; Golf – Kevin Whiteaker; Football – Ethan West;
and Volleyball – Megan Wine. Congratulations to these athletes for being
selected by their peers as the winners of this award.
MILESTONES: Hannah Lyerly: For the second year Hannah
has been named to the VHSL All-State Team.
Hannah has accepted a scholarship to play Field Hockey at VCU next
year. Jordan Barner, Chelsea Jensen and Melanie Marotta: All three were
also name to the All-State Team by the VHSL Coaches’ Association. Melanie
was also an All-District selection in Soccer last spring. Matt
Mares: Matt was named to the VHSL All-State Football team for the third
straight year, becoming the first player in LHS history to accomplish this
feat. Matt was also an All-District
selection in soccer last spring. TJ Ptachick: TJ was not only named to
the First Team All-State Football team, but he was also named the Bay Rivers
District and Region 1 defensive Player of the Year. William Hill, Tommy Dover and
Jeremy Kennedy: These three Rams were also selected to the VHSL All-State
Team. Garrick Piggott: Garrick became the 16th running back in
the last 11 years (“AA”) for rush for over 1,000 yards on the season. Garrick was an All-District and All-Region 1
selection and last winter and spring he was the VHSL State Champion in the
Triple-Jump.
ACADEMIC HELP: Just a reminder. If your
child needs help with their academic work, please do not hesitate to call our
athletic/academic advisor, Mr. Keven Jones.
He is monitoring many of our athletes on a weekly basis, but your input
is needed if your son/daughter is having an academic problem. Coach Jones is a
very caring educator and has done an excellent job the past few years in
helping many of our athletes become better students. Again, don’t wait until it is too late. Coach Jones can help. You can reach Coach
Jones by calling 565-4236 and asking for his voice mailbox. He will return your call as soon as possible.
Also, if your son or daughter is a junior, please make sure that you look at
the important dates for the SAT and ACT that are listed on the back sheet.
STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING
ROOM: Coach
Wheeler has the strength and conditioning room going full blast. Monday through
Friday, from 2:45 PM to 4:00
PM
Coach Wheeler works out any athlete who is not on an in-season sports team.
Each training session consists of strength training and speed work. Each day from 4:00 PM to 5:30
PM
Coach Wheeler works with athletes on in-season sports teams. Since we started our strength and
conditioning program 11 years ago, we have always stressed the importance of
having our athletes become stronger, faster and more physically fit. Off-season strength and conditioning is essential for all our
athletes, not only for better performance, but also for safety and reducing the
risk of injuries. Each year more and more athletes are taking advantage of this
great opportunity. The major benefits (not only physically but also
psychologically) of this program will enhance our
athletes' ability to perform at a much higher level. We ask you to strongly
encourage your son or daughter to get involved with this program. We would also
like to encourage you to come and visit one of the workouts so that you can get
a first hand look at this outstanding program that Coach Wheeler has put
together. For all upper-classman, LHS now offers strength and conditioning
classes during the school day. It is an
elective PE class that is worth one credit.
If you would like more information on this class or have questions
concerning the strength and conditioning program, please give me a call at
565-0440. Again, please encourage your son or daughter to get involved with
this program.
Finally, as I have had the
honor of saying after each sports season for the past 11 years, this fall we
again had another outstanding athletic season at Lafayette High School. We have had many exciting and priceless
moments and have seen our athletes achieve much success. Although a large
number of athletes mentioned in this newsletter received some type of
post-season honor, it is extremely important for everyone to know and
understand that our success is based on the hard work and achievement of all
our athletes. We have been very
fortunate at LHS to have so many athletes, starters and substitutes alike, who
have daily “stepped up to the plate” and have done what they needed to do to be
successful. We should all be proud of
each and every one of them.
RISING SENIORS:
HAVE
YOU FILLED OUT THE NCAA CLEARINGHOUSE FORM?
IF YOU ARE GOING TO PLAY AT THE DIVISION I OR II LEVEL IN COLLEGE, YOU
MUST FILL OUT THIS FORM NOW! GO TO: WWW.NCAACLEARINGHOUSE.ORG
RISING JUNIORS AND SENIORS:
HAVE YOU TAKEN
YOUR SAT OR ACT TEST YET? IF NOT, YOU NEED TO SIGN UP TODAY!
SAT TESTING FOR 2007 - 2008
Testing Date Registration Date
March
1** Jan. 29
May
3 April 1
June
7 May 6
**All
Testing Dates Include SAT Test Plus Subject Test Except on March 1 When Only
The SAT Test Will Be Given.
FOR MORE
INFO ABOUT SAT TESTING, GO TO: WWW. COLLEGEBOARD.COM
ACT TESTING FOR 2007 - 2008
Testing Date Registration Date
Feb.
9 Jan. 4
April
12 March 7
June
14 May 9
FOR
MORE INFO ABOUT ACT TESTING, GO TO: WWW. ACTSTUDENT.ORG
OTHER IMPORTANT DATES:
FEB. 5 – TEAM PICTURES
GIRLS BASKETBALL & SWIMMING
FEB. 6 – TEAM PICTURES
BOYS
BASKETBALL, WRESTLING &
INDOOR
TRACK
FEB. 12 – WINTER SPORTS SENIOR NIGHT
FEB. 13 – SPRING PHYSICALS – 2:30
PM
IN
CLINIC
FEB. 25 – SPRING SPORTS START
TRYOUTS
MARCH 5 – SPRING PARENT
SEMINAR –
6:30 PM - AUDITORIUM
MARCH 5 – MEET THE COACHES NIGHT – 7:30 PM – ROOM WILL BE LISTED
MARCH 10 – AD’S MEETING WITH
SPRING
ATHLETES - 2:30
PM
- AUDITORIUM
MARCH 30 – WINTER SPORTS
AWARDS CEREMONY
5:00 PM **** THIS IS A NEW DATE ***
APRIL 20 – BOOSTER CLUB’S
ANNUAL GOLF
TOURNAMENT @ FORD’S COLONY
JUNE 8 – SPRING SPORTS
AWARDS CEREMONY
5:00 PM
JUNE 10 – SENIOR ATHLETIC
BANQUET
6:00 PM @ FORDS COLONY
GO
RAMS!!!!!!!