<b>Lee’s Harris Gets 300th Win</b>
With a 79-73 home victory over South County on Tuesday night, Lee boys basketball coach Mike Harris picked up the 300th win of his career. Harris, who’s in his 15th season of work on the Lancers’ bench, has his team off to a 3-1 start overall, 1-0 in Patriot District play. Lee has scored an average of 78.3 points per game. Against the Stallions, senior forward Frank Holloway Jr. led the Lancers with 21 points and a season-high 25 rebounds. Junior forward Walter Griffin added 17 points, junior guard Deonta Gatlin finished with 16 and junior forward Fenan Woldu added 13. Lee traveled to Lake Braddock on Friday, which ended after The Connection went to press.
<b>Fairfax Girls Start Strong</b>
It took one game to surpass the Fairfax girls basketball team’s win total from all of last season and only one more to double it.
The Rebels finished 1-22 last season and haven’t won a district game in more than three years, but, so far this winter, they’ve posted a 3-3 record.
“We definitely are a lot more confident,” said Fairfax coach Marcus Konde.
A big reason for the turnaround has been junior guard Lauren Burford, who transferred from St. John’s College High School this summer. In a 43-40 loss to Concorde District power Chantilly on Tuesday night, Burford led the Rebels with 25 points.
“She makes every single player better,” Konde said. “I’ve never seen a player as good as she is be as unselfish as she is on the court.”
<b>Robinson Reunion at RFK</b>
When Wake Forest and Navy met for the EagleBank Bowl at RFK Stadium last Saturday morning, Robinson football coach Mark Bendorf enjoyed a rare treat: watching a few of his formers players compete live.
Bendorf’s fall weekends generally consist of film study, meetings and the occasional game on TV. But on Saturday morning, he was able to watch Chip Vaughn (Wake Forest), Kevin Campbell (Navy) and Craig Schaefer (Navy) duke it out.
“With the demands of our season, I don’t get out to see many games unless guys make it to bowl games,” Bendorf said.
Vaughn, who graduated from Robinson in 2004, had 83 tackles his senior year. Schaefer graduated in 2005 and later switched to linebacker at Navy, while Campbell, who graduated a year later, totaled 462 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns at Robinson.
“We’re fortunate here at Robinson that most of our players have excelled at the next level,” Bendorf said. “That’s a real source of pride because it’s not an easy transition.”
<b>Alex Reed to Loyola</b>
On Saturday, Dec. 13, South County junior Alex Reed, a midfielder/forward on the girls soccer team, verbally committed to play soccer at Loyola College (Md.) in the fall of 2010.
Reed scored 16 goals and eight assists this past spring for a Stallion team that went 13-2-2, losing to Chantilly in the Northern Region quarterfinals.
“It was starting to get a little bit stressful,” said Reed, who also posted two hat tricks this season. “But it feels great to get it out of the way, and I’m so happy with my decision.”
Reed had received offers from such Atlantic Coast Conference stalwarts as N.C. State, Virginia Tech and Boston College, as well as Big East powers West Virginia and Louisville among others.
But in the end, Reed chose Loyola, a Division I school located in Baltimore. The Greyhounds finished 10-6-4 last season, 7-0-2 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
“I went there and it was beautiful. I loved the coaches, it was the perfect size,” said Reed, whose brother is a freshman rugby player at the school. Her grandfather also graduated from Loyola.
“It seemed like the perfect fit for me,” Reed added.
<b>Little League Registration</b>
Registration for the 2009 Central Springfield Little League baseball season will Jan. 10 and 17, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Franconia Moose Family Center at 7701 Beulah St. 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 actively recruiting girls from all over Northern Virginia who are interested in playing travel softball. The Revolution has two open roster spots, and to try out for the spring team contact Dave Carver at 10Urevolution@leesburggirlssoftball.org. The Revolution will hold an open tryout in early March. For more information, including dates and a location for the tryout, visit the team’s Web site at http://www.revolutionfastpich.org/.
<b>Volunteer Sport 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 you choose to officiate. For more information, 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.