<b>Kuter Signs with Mason</b>
From the beginning of the recruiting process, Robinson senior Brandon Kuter knew that he wanted to stay close to home. But in the end, the school just a long toss away from home won out.
Kuter, a 6-foot-6 right-handed pitcher, recently signed a national letter of intent to play baseball at George Mason University. Kuter will join a Patriot squad that already boasts one Robinson graduate in senior outfielder Spencer Wiggins.
“I got a good offer from Mason, and I decided to run with it,” said Kuter, who also plays basketball at Robinson and averaged 14.4 points and six rebounds per game last winter. “I didn’t want to go too far; I wanted to stay in Virginia. It just felt like the right thing.”
This past spring, Kuter amassed a 3-3 record on the mound with a 3.11 ERA and 28 strikeouts. The Rams finished 14-10 and lost to West Springfield, 1-0, in the Northern Region quarterfinals.
Kuter’s fastball has been clocked between 89 and 92 miles per hour. In addition to switching between two- and four-seam fastballs, he also relies on a curveball and changeup to keep hitters off balance.
"Widely considered to possess unlimited potential, he will be ready to assume a big role for us as a freshman," said Mason coach Bill Brown, whose team finished 30-25 overall, 18-10 in the Colonial Athletic Association this past spring.
<b>Renners Lead Mainland Squad in Hawaii</b>
In the first-ever Hawaii/Polynesia-Mainland Bowl, which took place Friday, Dec. 12 in front of 4,497 fans at Aloha Stadium, West Springfield senior quarterback Bryn Renner led the Mainland squad to a 22-8 win. The game featured 42 players who have verbally committed to Division I programs.
Renner, playing for his father, former West Springfield coach Bill Renner, completed seven of his 16 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns.
“The intensity was turned up a notch compared to high school, and you just had to think quicker and react quicker to what you saw,” said Bryn Renner, who has verbally committed to play football and baseball at North Carolina. “It took a little time, but I think we did pretty well.”
The Mainland team arrived on Monday and practiced for the first time Tuesday morning. After two solid practices, Hawaii was hit with a batch of rain and Thursday’s practice was cancelled.
With a brief walk-through on Friday morning, coupled with the news that two wide receivers from California wouldn’t be available because of high school commitments, the Mainland squad found itself on tough sledding for the game that night.
But Bill Renner used three running backs, a backup quarterback and his two remaining receiving options, as the team piled up 282 yards of offense.
“We hadn’t practiced with any of those kids at any of those positions, and all of a sudden in the middle of the game we had to re-teach the whole thing, so that was a little bit of a challenge,” Bill Renner said. “But with good kids who are good athletes, they made it happen.”
<b>Lancers on the Offensive</b>
With a 2-1 record, the Lee boys basketball team has not only had a positive start to its season, but it has also shown an ability to put up some serious offensive numbers. The Lancers started with a 55-50 win over Yorktown on Dec. 2. Frank Holloway Jr. led the team with 24 points and 18 rebounds. Holloway, a 6-foot-5 senior who has drawn comparisons to the NBA’s Charles Barkley, transferred from West Potomac prior to this season and has been an integral part of Lee’s offense. The following week, during a win over Robinson and a loss to Wakefield, the Lancers scored an average of 89.5 points per contest. Holloway had 38 points and 18 rebounds against Wakefield and Walter Griffin, a 6-foot-5 junior forward, posted 14 points, four rebounds, four blocks and four assists against Robinson. Junior guard Deonta Gatlin had nine assists against the Rams and added 17 points against Wakefield.
<b>Little League Registration</b>
Registration for the 2009 Central Springfield Little League baseball season will be Jan. 10 and Jan. 17, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Franconia Moose Family Center at 7701 Beulah St., Franconia. All boys and girls ages 5-16 are eligible to sign up. Parents must bring proof of age (e.g., birth certificate) and three proofs of residency. Visit www.csll.org for registration forms and required information.
<b>Softball Team Seeks Players</b>
The Leesburg Revolution, a U-10 girls fastpitch softball team, is recruiting girls from all over Northern Virginia who are interested in playing travel softball. The Revolution has two open roster spots. Girls interested in trying out for the spring team may contact Dave Carver at 10Urevolution@leesburggirlssoftball.org. The Revolution will conduct an open tryout in early March. For more, including dates and a location for the tryout, visit the team’s Web site at www.revolutionfastpich.org/.
<b>Volunteer Sports Officials Wanted</b>
The Fairfax County Department of Community and Recreation Services' Teen Services Division needs volunteer sports officials to work the annual Friday Night Lights event and intramural sports programs (flag football, basketball and soccer). Volunteers must be 21 or older; know the rules of the selected sports and have past experience participating in the sport he or she chooses to officiate. For more, contact Paulette Armstrong at 703-324-5679 (TTY 711), or send an e-mail at paulette.armstrong@fairfaxcounty.gov. For information about other CRS programs and services, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/rec.
<b>Jefferson Roundup</b>
Jefferson’s girls gymnastics team took first place at a meet on Wednesday, Dec. 10, besting second-place Edison, 132-117.65. Burke native Chrissy Franzel placed second on the vault (8.95), third on the beam (9.1) and first on the bars (8.3). … Both the boys and girls Jefferson swim and dive teams scored wins at a dual meet against Stone Bridge. The boys team earned a 226-60 win, while the girls held off the Bulldogs, 193-93. Brianna Kim of Fairfax posted a top three finish in the 100-yard butterfly, while Jon Spitz (Fairfax) was top three in the 50 freestyle and Sam Surette (Fairfax) finished top three in the butterfly.
<b>West Springfield Wrestling Roundup</b>
At the Sterling Lions Terry McGowan Invitational Wrestling Tournament at Park View High School on Saturday, Dec. 13, the West Springfield Spartans finished seventh out of eight teams with 38 points. Bishop O’Connell High School won the tournament with a score of 219.5 points. In the 103-pound weight class, West Springfield’s Mark Ragan pinned Matt Gillette of Briar Woods 1 minute, 52 seconds into the match for third-place honors. Ragan was also named the team’s most valuable wrestler for the tournament. Chad Todaro (135) took fourth place with a 19-2 loss to Artis Rutledge of West Potomac.
<b>Paul VI on a Roll</b>
The Paul VI boys basketball team improved its record to 7-0 with three road wins in three days last week. These wins include a come-from-behind victory over Washington Catholic Athletic Conference foe, St. Mary's Ryken, along wins over Trinity Christian (N.C.) and the host Christ Church School, which helped the Panthers take home the John Stone Memorial Basketball Tournament title. Against St. Mary’s, Paul VI closed on a 17-2 run and came away with a 58-51 win. Less than 24 hours later, the Panthers posted a 65-55 win over Trinity Christian, which has made the North Carolina state semifinals five of the last six years. Blake Bozeman knocked down six 3-pointers against Trinity. The Panthers finished the tournament on Saturday with a 73-57 victory over Christ Church, courtesy of 25 points from Erick Green and several strong dunks by Raven Barber and Eugene McCrory.
<b>Paul VI Hockey Falls To McLean</b>
On Friday night, Dec. 12, the Paul VI ice hockey team outshot McLean, 35-14, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win. McLean scored three of its five goals on the power play during a 5-4 win. Paul VI chipped away at an early 2-0 deficit with 8 minutes, 51 seconds left in the first period with senior Zach Depont’s goal from junior Nick DiBiasio. In the second period, Paul VI continued its aggressive play and found the net four minutes into the period. Senior Michael Summers stole the puck at center ice and scored with a backhand shot to the net, and at 9:58 senior Adam Kosna scored off of assists from senior Aaron Lim and DePont. In the final period, Paul VI was able to pull ahead, 4-3, on a power-play goal from sophomore Frank Duggan, but McLean tied it at 5:21 and got the game winning goal on a power play at 5:07. Paul VI’s next game is Friday, Dec. 19 at 6:10 p.m. against Madison at SkateQuest of Reston.
<b>Bruins Win Bobcat Classic</b>
Lake Braddock’s girls gymnastics team earned a first-place finish at the Bobcat Classic Invitational on Saturday, Dec. 13. The Bruins held off host Battlefield, 105.75-105.125. Senior Emily Parillo took first in the all-around division with score of 37.00, while freshman Caitlin Liberatore placed third (35.20). Earlier this season, Lake Braddock placed second in a six-team meet on Dec. 8. The Bruins trailed Langley, 129.20-126.80, and they were led by Liberatore’s third-place finish (33.20) and a fourth-place effort from sophomore Mary Gnozzio (32.25).