Monday, April 18, 2005

Battle Continues Over King Village

Lacy Family Challenge Previous Property Transfers As Violating Subdivision Ordinance

A little more than a week after the Halifax County Board of Supervisors filed suit to condemn property that will pave the way for improvements to King Village Trail, the owners of the property have written a letter claiming supervisors aren’t following the county and state’s land development ordinance in the condemnation.
The landowners further challenge the county to enforce previous property transfer ordinances related to the King Village subdivision in the April 13 letter.
Claiming imminent domain allows the action, supervisors filed the suit to condemn approximately three acres for right-of-way acquisition and six drainage easements on April 5.
Supervisors’ suit claims the Board has the authority to condemn the property and take title to the property after paying the property’s owners “fair market value” as determined by the Halifax County Circuit Court.
According to state code, the plaintiff’s in the action, in this case D. Epps Lacy and James Lacy, the owners of the affected property, have 21 days from the date of the suit to file a response via a separate motion.
Contacted Friday, County Administrator Bryan Foster said that while his office had received the letter and are considering the merits of the Lacy’s claims, he doesn’t think it constitutes a response to the suit in the eyes of the law.
“This is a separate letter,” he said. “We have received it and are considering the substance of what is there.”
Foster said the letter has been distributed to supervisors, but the Board hasn’t met to formally discuss the matter.
Although last week’s letter doesn’t qualify as response to the suit, the Lacys also claim supervisors’ action will devalue their property.
The Lacy’s wrote Supervisors Chairman William Fitzgerald and the Halifax County Director of Planning and Zoning Jerry Lovelace on April 13.
“Irrespective of the propriety of this public works project, what we believe is your failure to enforce the land development law of our state and county as it applies to King Village has, and will continue to have an adverse impact on the value of our farmland, especially if it is utilized in the sort of development your tax assessors and appraisers say is the highest and best use of the property,” the Lacys wrote.
The letter cites sections of state code regarding the subdivision of property and land conveyance of subdivided property.
“The whole point of the ordinance is to ensure that county land development is attractive and safe,” the letter continues. “To that end you currently require that the plats of all non-exempt subdivisions depict drainage layouts, a cross-section of street construction, setback lines, a design that meets Department of Transportation standards for access to state roads, and structures compliant with other drainage and construction requirements.”
The Lacys contend that eight transfers of property were made between August 1979 and 2000, “…do not qualify for the family exemption and should therefore be required to meet the general standards for subdivisions.”
In their suit, supervisors claim the Code of Virginia empowers the county to “condemn real property and bring suits in (supervisors’) name on behalf of the county.
Supervisors cite state code as granting “the Board the power to acquire by condemnation title to land, buildings and structures, or any easement thereover, for the purpose of opening, construction, repairing or maintaining a road, of or for any authorized public undertaking, if the terms of purchase cannot be agreed upon,” according to the county’s attorney Russell Slayton.
Years of negotiations between the county and the landowners to transfer the property for the right-of-way broke down in April 2003 when the Lacy family declined to donate the property to the county.
Supervisors adopted a resolution authorizing the condemnation of the land during their March meeting.
But the Lacys claim that even if the right-of-way is condemned, the previous transfers make the King Village subdivision not conform to the subdivision ordinance.
“Your suit papers contain diagrams showing that the Department of Transportation’s road construction will proceed into the King Village tract and terminate in a cul-de-sac,” they wrote in last week’s letter. “We have been unable to find any recorded conveyance of the right of way by the adjoining owners, most of whom derive their titles from the transactions (listed in the letter).
“Even if we assume this right of way onto the King land is acquired and the extension completed at state expense as depicted, the nonconformity of the existing development will remain, and the Halifax Code provisions making violations continuous will preserve the correction of such a nonconformity as a current issue,” the Lacys claim in the letter.
The landowners further challenge the county to enforce the subdivision ordinance regarding the property transfers.
“We understand that it might initially be appropriate to call these violations to your attention and, if you agree with our analysis, give you an opportunity to abate them before we seek to compel abatement in court,” they wrote. “If you agree with this analysis, please let us know when we can expect you to initiate enforcement of the county subdivision ordinances in King Village, starting with the submittal of a plat to the planning agent for review.
“If we do not hear from you within two weeks of the delivery of this letter to your offices we will assume you disagree with our analysis and will not voluntarily bring any enforcement actions.”

 

 

A ‘Prizery’ Of A First Season

2005-06 Season Includes Nine Different Shows, Arts Gala, Films

After years of planning, construction and fund-raising, the completed Prizery will open its doors to the public on September 24.
The opening will be held in conjunction with the annual Harvest Festival in downtown South Boston.
“There will be a ribbon cutting on the steps with the high school band playing the National Anthem,” said Prizery Executive Director Chris Jones. “We decided it should open the way it has always been, a community thing. We wanted it to be for everybody.
“People will be able to roam around the building listening to bluegrass, jazz or gospel. And then upstairs we will have the whole Southern Heritage exhibit with quilters and beekeepers, and all of that.”
An official dedication ceremony will be held the following day at 4 p.m.
The new facility will serve as a venue for Halifax County Little Theater performances, Parsons-Bruce Arts Association classes and shows, Friends of the Library film screenings and a variety of traveling performances booked by the Community Arts Foundation.
Jones said he expects the new Chastain Theatre to have something happening in it every weekend after the grand opening.
The first travelling performance will be the Cashore Marionettes on September 30, with two school performances during the day and one evening performance at 7 p.m.
The performance features award-winning artist Joseph Cashore and his collection of lifelike marionettes.
The program, entitled Simple Gifts, is billed as a “series of touching character portrayals and scenes from everyday life set to a succession of stunning original and classical music including Vivaldi, Strauss, Beethoven and Copeland.”
The biennial Arts Gala opens with a black-tie event the following weekend and will feature over 40 local and regional artists.
Selections ranging form $100 to $6,000 will be displayed throughout the building through October 21.
The exhibit is the Parsons-Bruce Art Association’s major fund-raiser, raising over $30,000 in 2003.
During the show, Parsons-Bruce will sponsor tours for students and civic groups, lectures, musical performances and two floral interpretations of the exhibited artwork.
During the second weekend of the performance, October 15, The Manhattan Music Ensemble will play in the Chastain Theatre, surrounded on stage by the exhibited artwork.
The 8 p.m. performance will feature pianist Milana Strezeva, cellist Dmitry Kouzov, violinist Dmitry Lukin, pianist Konstantiun Soukhovetski and soprano Svetlana Strezeva.
The award-winning musicians have performed in variety of venues throughout the world including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic.
The next scheduled performance moves from classical to folk as the Chastain Theatre hosts musical duo Robin and Linda Williams.
The duo performs “a robust blend of bluegrass, folk, old-time and acoustic country that combines wryly observant lyrics with a wide-ranging melodicism.”
The pair, who have made appearances on such major programs as “The Grand Old Opry," “Austin City Limits," “Music City Tonight," “Mountain Stage" and “A Prairie Home Companion." They will perform November 18 at 8 p.m.
The following weekend Halifax County Little Theater will open its 50th anniversary season with Alan Menken’s interpretation of the seasonal classic “A Christmas Carol."
This musical version of Charles Dickens’ classic was performed in Madison Square Garden last year and was the basis for the NBC television spectacular featuring Kelsey Grammer as Scrooge.
The show will run for three weeks, including a number of school performances.
In January, The Prizery hosts the comedy group Chicago City Limits.
The improvisational group has been seen on HBO and the Today Show and has performed in such diverse venues as the Lincoln Center, the Smithsonian and the Super Bowl in addition to regular off-Broadway performances for the past 20 years.
The group will hold an acting workshop for middle and high school students on January 19 followed by an 8 p.m. public performance.
Halifax County Little Theater returns to the stage in February with Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun."
The play portrays an African-American family’s struggles with poverty and segregation while living in 1950’s southside Chicago.
The Hot House Jazz Club of San Francisco will also perform in February.
Their February 9 performance, “Silent Surrealism," will feature an evening of silent surrealist films combined with live gypsy jazz.
The program includes several short silent films by Charlie Bowers such as “Now You Tell One” and “It’s a Bird,” as well as films by James Sibley Watson and Harold Shaw. ºThe Hot Club accompanies these films with the distinctive music made famous by Stephane Grappelli, Django Reinhardt, and the Hot Club de France.
In March Visual artist and mime Michael Copper’s performance will feature a variety of handcrafted masks.
Finally, HCLT will end its season with “Swing" a musical dance revue billed “ as a dazzling display of some of the best music and dancing styles to emerge this century, specifically from the 30s and 40s."
The Parsons-Bruce Art Association will also be hosting its first major exhibit in The Prizery Art gallery in early spring.
In addition to the scheduled events, Jones said he is still arranging a lecture series, dance performance and gospel group.

 

Plans Unveiled For Sports Hall Of Fame Facility

The Proposed Halifax County-South Boston Sports Hall Of Fame Will Be Joined With The Visitor’s Center At Edmunds Park

BY Joe Chandler
jbc@gazettevirginian.com

The Halifax County-South Boston Sports Hall of Fame has announced plans for a $500,000 project to construct a Sports Hall of Fame and sports museum at Paul C. Edmunds Jr. Memorial Park.
Hall of Fame President Carlyle Wimbish said the facility will be a part of the proposed Visitor’s Center to be constructed at the park.
Hall of Fame officials announced the construction plan Saturday night during the 17th Annual Halifax County-South Boston Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet.
A fund-raising chairman for the project and members of the fund-raising committee will be announced.
A construction date has not been set.
“We will construct the building when we have raised the money," said Wimbish.
The Hall of Fame president said the location of the proposed facility at Edmunds Park is a great one.
“It’s a natural fit for what we’re trying to do," added Wimbish.
“James Edmunds invited us to put it in the park and we’re excited about having this opportunity."
Hall of Fame officials have been seeking a site for a year, either an existing vacant building that could be converted to a hall of fame and sports museum or a suitable site to build.
“We announced at last year’s Hall of Fame Induction Banquet that we were going to build," Wimbish said.
He said that after searching unsuccessfully for a vacant building or a good construction site, the Edmunds Park “opportunity" opened.
“ One of the great things about this is that the design of the proposed building will allow for expansion in two different directions, something that will give us a great deal of flexibility for the future."
The initial phase of the proposed visitor’s Visitor’s Center/ Sports Hall of Fame facility will contain 6,675 square feet. The Sports Hall of Fame will have about 3,000 square feet of display area and will be capable of displaying the memorabilia of more than 80 Hall of Fame inductees as well as housing a small gift shop.
Wimbish was quick to point out that the facility will be more than just a Hall of Fame for the organization’s inductees. The facility, he noted, will also serve as a sports museum, a place where a wide range of local sports memorabilia can be displayed.
“We want this to be a museum that will include all sports including motorsports," Wimbish said.
“Halifax County and South Boston have a very rich sports history and there is a lot of interesting memorabilia out there that should be placed on display for everyone to see and enjoy."
The Halifax County-South Boston Sports Hall of Fame does not presently have a facility to store or display the memorabilia of its 55 inductees. Display cases showcasing the memorabilia are scattered through the community at places such as the Board of Supervisors’ meeting room in Halifax, local banks and at Ed’s Honda.
Pledge cards were circulated among those attending Saturday night’s induction banquet. Anyone wishing to obtain a pledge card or to make a donation to the building fund may write to the Halifax County-South Boston Sports Hall of Fame, 1474 Broad Street, South Boston, Va. 24592.

 

Obituaries

James Dalton Garland Sr.

James Dalton Garland Sr., 77, of Chase City, and widower of Helen Estes Garland, died April 14 in South Boston.
Born in Mecklenburg County, he was the son of the late Clarence and Carrie Dalton Garland. Mr. Garland was a member and trustee of First Baptist Church of Chase City, a 32nd Degree Mason with the Masonic Lodge of Chase City, was a U.S. Army Veteran, and was owner/ operator of Garland & Estes Oil Company. Mr. Garland was instrumental in the establishment of the Estes Center, served on the Chase City Community Service Board, was treasurer of Chase City Medical Clinic Board, and served on the Mecklenburg County Board of Supervisors.
Funeral services were held April 17, at 3 p.m. at First Baptist Church with the Revs. Gene Burris and Dr. Ray Allen officiating. Burial was in Woodland Cemetery.
Mr. Garland is survived by two daughters, Patricia Garland of Richmond and Mary Ann Evans of Haynes Port, N.J.; one son, James D. Garland Jr. and his wife, Theresa, all of South Boston; and one brother, Edward Garland of Winchester. He was preceded in death by one sister, Audrey Franklin.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Chase City Community Services, Inc. for the maintenance of the Estes Center, c/o Bonnie Gilliam, Estes Community Center, 316 N. Main Street, Chase City 23924.

Peachie Booker Jones

Peachie Booker Jones died at her home in Arlington on April 10.
Mrs. Jones was born in Halifax County on February 15, 1915, the daughter of Peachie Dorsey Booker and Dr. Frank E. Booker, and was married to John Phillip Jones. She attended Virginia Intermont College and Randolph-Macon Woman’s College where she was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi. She was also a member of Randolph-Macon Woman’s Alumni Association and was past president of its regional chapter. She was a member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.
Survivors include one daughter, Sally Jones Austin of Herndon; one son, John Phillips Jones Jr. of Arlington; and one brother, Archie E.D. Booker of Greenwood, S.C.
Funeral services for Mrs. Jones will be held at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Arlington today, April 18, at 11 a.m. Graveside services will be held April 20 at 11 a.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church Cemetery in Halifax.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, or at St. John’s Episcopal Church Cemetery Fund in Halifax.

Billy Ray Smith

Billy Ray Smith, 51, of Bowling Green, Ky., formerly of Clarkrange, Tenn., died April 14 at Medco Nursing Home in Bowling Green.
Mr. Smith was born January 2, 1954 in Monterey, Tenn. to the late Albert D. and Nelma Wilson Smith. He was an operator with Virginia-Carolina Paving Company in South Boston.
Survivors include two sisters, Diane Brummett of Bowling Green and Rebecca Smith of Gainesboro, Tenn.; and three brothers, Jimmy D. Smith of Nashville, Tenn., Paul Smith of Dayton, Tenn., and Ronnie Smith of Muncie, Ind.
Funeral services for Mr. Smith were held April 17 at 1 p.m at the Chapel of Goff Funeral Home in Monterey, Tenn.

Alison Joseph Cox

Memorial services for Mrs. Alison Joseph Cox will be held today at 1 p.m., with services at the Jeffress Funeral Home Chapel.
The Rev. Dr. James Crowder will officiate.
Mrs. Cox, of River Road in South Boston, died April 14 at Halifax Regional Hospital.
She was 30.
Mrs. Cox was born in Massachusetts on June 6, 1974, the daughter of Mr. Hilferd W. Joseh and Priscilla Browne Joseph.
She was married to Timothy Cox and was a member of Christ Lutheran Church in Southwick, Massachusetts.
Mrs. Cox is survived by her husband, one son, Timothy Cox Jr. of South Boston, her mother, father and stepmother, Muriel Joseph of Lafayette La., two sisters, Shemeka Pohlman of West Springfield Mass. and Swanel Joseph of North Lauderdale, Fl., two step-sisters, Maria Drummonds and Crystal Drummonds, both of Lafayette, La., her paternal grandmother, Dorothy Joseph of New York, her maternal grandmother, Doreen Sheppard of Antigua, West Indies, five uncles, three aunts and a host of other relatives and friends.

 

Smiley, Crews, Wilborn Inducted Into HC-SB Sports Hall Of Fame

Amanda Rogers, Shemelia Brandon, Craig McCargo Named As Scholarship Recipients At Saturday’s 17th Annual HOF Induction Banquet

By Joe Chandler
G-V Staff Writer

The number of inductees into the Halifax County-South Boston Sports Hall of Fame swelled to 55 Saturday night with the induction of former baseball standout John “Click” Smiley and basketball standouts Calvin Crews and Bobby Wilborn into the Sports Hall of Fame.
Scholarships were also presented to three Halifax County High School student-athletes during Saturday night’s 17th annual affair with Buck Williams presenting the Williams Family Scholarship to multi-sport athlete Amanda Rogers and Bill Matze presenting the Matze Family Scholarship to Comets basketball standout Craig McCargo.
The Hall of Fame Scholarship, which was renamed by the Hall of Fame board of directors to be the Hugh M. Moore Memorial Scholarship, was presented to Halifax County High School track and field standout Shemelia Brandon.
Crews, the first of the trio to receive an induction plaque, played for the Halifax County High School varsity boys basketball team in 1972 and 1973 under former Comets head coach Don Thompson. The 1973 Comets team that Crews played on made it to the Virginia High School League Group AAA state championship game where it faced Petersburg High School and Moses Malone who had averaged 33 points per game for the season.
Crews, in one of the most outstanding games of his career, blocked Malone’s first attempted shot of that game and held Malone to just 14 points in the game.
Crews attended North Florida Junior College where he led the team in blocked shots and rebounding for two years. He was named as a Junior College All-American and, from there, went to Southwestern Louisiana. While at Southwestern Louisiana, Crews led the conference in blocked shots and rebounding and, in 1977, was tabbed as one of the top big men in the country.
The NBA Atlanta Hawks drafted Crews but Crews didn’t sign and, instead, played professional basketball in Europe for one year, playing on a team from Holland where, again, he was a leader in rebounding and blocked shots.
His brother, former Comets football standout Jack Crews, who served as the presenting speaker, noted that he started his athletic career playing pickup basketball games in the backyard.
“He was a little soft,” Jack Crews recalled.
“But, as he got older, he became a man in the game.”
Calvin Crews told the audience he is most appreciative of this honor.
“This night means so much to me,” he said.
“I want to thank everyone in Halifax County for what they have done for me. I really appreciate it and this is a very, very great honor to be here among the people that brought me up and made me the person I am today.”
Everett Snead introduced Smiley to the audience and cited Smiley’s military career, a career that saw him participate in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. In addition, Snead noted Smiley’s athletic career as a noted baseball standout for the South Boston Wrappers and other teams in the former county baseball league.
Smiley is also known as an accomplished bowler, having won several local bowling tournaments and having rolled in several state and national bowling tournaments.
“I want to thank my family, friends and fellow citizens for this honor as they have played a big part in making this possible,” said the 86-year-old Smiley.
“ It is a real privilege I can be here to participate in this. I want to thank the Good Lord for my health and strength and for the things that I have done during my 86 years of life.”
Former Halifax County High School basketball coach Don Thompson introduced Wilborn, one of the standout players on the great Comets basketball team of 1960.
Wilborn was the point man for the team and had the ability to can more than his share of long-range shots, many of which came from near the half-court line. Two of his teammates on that 1960 team, Chip Conner and Bill Morningstar, and their coach, Hank Hamrick, have already been inducted into the Halifax County-South Boston Sports Hall of Fame.
Wilborn is also known as an outstanding golfer and a winner of many area golf tournaments.
Thompson called Wilborn “one of the best all-around athletes to some through Halifax County in all of these years.” The former coach added “if they had had the three-point shot back then, there is no telling how many points he would have scored.”
Along with citing Wilborn for his athletic accomplishments, Thompson called Wilborn a true friend and noted how, during a time when Wilborn was a volunteer fireman, Wilborn was cited for his heroism in saving an individual from a burning home.
Wilborn told the audience he is very appreciative of the honor of being inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame.
“There is no inductee into this Hall of Fame that is more appreciative than I.” Wilborn said.
“I’d like to thank Carlyle Wimbish, the Board of Directors and everyone that had anything to do with my induction.”
He also thanked the Williams Family and the Matze Family for their contributions.
“Without people like you, we would not be here,” he said.
Wilborn said a lot has been noted about his accomplishments as a member of the Comets basketball team of 1960 and pointed out that the accomplishments resulted froma team effort.
“I accept this honor on behalf of all of my teammates because it was all about the team and without them, I would not be accepting this award,” Wilborn said.
Wilborn called out the names of the members of that special Halifax County High School team and noted that while several of them have been honored, one key player has been forgotten.
“The guy that nobody remembers that made the last shot that won the district championship was Tommy James,” Wilborn pointed out.
He dedicated his portion of the night to another player, Ed Stembridge, who lost his life in an automobile accident after graduation.
“He never got to stand up before you all and say thank you.”
Olympian Tisha Waller –The Guest Speaker
South Boston native Tisha Waller, a track standout at Halifax County High School, and the University of North Carolina and a two-time olympics participant, was the guest speaker for the event.
Waller first competed in the 1996 Atlanta (Ga,) Olympic Games and competed again in last year’s Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
Competing in the high jump, Waller won the U.S. Olympic trials last year but failed in her bid to qualify for the medal round in the Olympics. In her Olympics debut in1996, she finished in a tie for ninth.
Waller won the U.S. Olympic trials championships in both 1996 and 2004. She has been ranked as high as number two in the world rankings.
As a senior at Halifax County High School, Waller, in 1988, became the first female athlete in the school’s history to bring a state crown to the community when she won the high jump in the Virginia High School League Group AAA State Track & Field Championships.
She still holds the high jump record at Halifax County High School. Waller went on to attend the University of North Carolina where she won three ACC high jump championships.
Waller said she was pleased to be back at C.H. Friend Elementary School for the occasion.
“ I have so many memories of this place,” she said.
“It was the very foundation in which some of us, including myself, started from. The teachers of the community at this school as well as our middle school and Halifax County High School provided many, many opportunities for us to grow academically, socially and athletically. You can’t say that about every school but I can say I’m a product of an excellent school system and I’m proud to be a part of Halifax County.”
Waller said that while she is younger than the inductees and did not participate in sports with them, they share a common bond – that they are or were athletes.
“We share a love for sports, an understanding of sports, a celebration of sports, and, most importantly, a winning spirit,” she noted.
“It takes a winning spirit to be an athlete.”
The South Boston native said it is important to celebrate the accomplishments of these former athletes while they are here to receive the accolades.
“This is a wonderful forum for celebrating the achievements of our inductees,” Waller said of the induction banquet.
“This evening is truly about the achievements you gentlemen have contributed to South Boston and Halifax County. Most importantly you have displayed a strength of character and commitment to excellence that, to me, rates above all else.
“You are simply the best and are worthy of this achievement,” she added.
“ Hopefully, one day, I will join you.”
In closing, Waller said “Tonight we celebrate together. Let us not forget the achievements our inductees have made and let us continue to support our youth in sports to create our future inductees.”
The Scholarship Recipients
Rogers, the recipient of the Williams Family Scholarship, is a senior at Halifax County High School and has a 98.3 grade-point average.
She has participated in volleyball and cross country for two years and has participated in softball for four years. She has received the Most Valuable Player Award in both softball and cross country and earned an Outstanding Achievement award in volleyball.
She has served as SCA President, is a member of the National Honor Society, a member of the 4-H Honor Club and a member of the Future educators of America Club.
McCargo, who received the Matze Family Scholarship, has an 88.4 grade-point average. A standout for the Halifax County High School varsity basketball team the past three seasons, McCargo set a new HCHS career scoring record with 1,210 points and was named as therecipient of the Most Valuable Player Award for three years in a row. In addition, he named to the First Team of the All-Western Valley District Team three years in a row.
As a member of the Comets jayvee basketball team, McCargo received the team’s Most Valuable Player Award for the 2001-2002 season.
McCargo, a senior, is a member of the Future Business Leaders of America Club, participates in other school activities and is an usher at his church.
Brandon, a senior, was named as the recipient of the Hall of Fame’s Hugh M. Moore Memorial Scholarship. A noted track and field standout, Brandon has a grade-point average of 89.7.
A multi-time MVP and All Western Valley District track and field selection, Brandon holds seven school records at Halifax County High School in indoor and outdoor track.
As far as indoor track records go, Brandon holds the mark for the triple jump, the long jump, the 300-meter race and the 500-meter race.
In outdoor track, Brandon holds the school record in the long jump, the 400-meter race and the 200-meter race.

 

 

Still Rolling

The HCHS Varsity Baseball Team Netted Its Seventh Win In A Row Thursday With A 7-2 Win Over Amherst County

By Joe Chandler
G-V STAFF WRITER

Junior hurler Jeremy Jeffress fanned 13 batters and his Comets teammates generated more than enough offense as Halifax County powered its way to a 7-2 win over Amherst County here Thursday night.
The win was the seventh in a row for the Comets who improved to 8-2 overall and 1-0 in Western valley District play.
It also gave the Comets a sweep of the two games against Amherst County this season.
“It’s a good win,” said Comets head coach Kelvin Davis.
“We played a good quality baseball club in Amherst County and we saw some really good live arms out there. We saw their two best pitchers. The left-handed pitcher threw a lot of junk and then they brought in their ace and he threw heat. We saw what we wanted to see in terms of different pitching. That is going to help us.”
While the Lancers’ pitchers threw a good game, they could not match the performance of Jeffress.
Jeffress had another good night on the mound, fanning 13 batters while giving up three hits and three walks.
“We saw another great performance from him tonight,” Davis said.
“We saw a lot pitches we wanted to see. He threw a lot of breaking pitches to set the guys up (for the fastball). That’s something Coach (Kenneth) Day has really been working on with him. It’s something that will make him even more effective.”
Offensively, the Comets picked up four hits with Chris Conner, Justin Armistead, Marcus Humphrey and Bobby Owens each getting one hit.
The hits came at good times, and supplemented by six errors on the part of the Lancers, it was enough to allow the Comets to come away with the win.
Amherst scored a run in the top of the first inning with the help of a Comets error, a stolen base, and a bad throw from catcher Ryland Clark to Owens at third base in an attempt to nab a running trying to steal the sack. The overthrow allowed the runner to score and give Amherst County a 1-0 lead.
The Comets countered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning that started with back-to-back hits from Conner and Armistead. A passed ball allowed Conner to score and Armistead to move to third base. A sacrifice fly by Chris Perkins with one out plated Armistead to put the Comets up 2-1.
Halifax bounced back to score three runs in the bottom of the second inning. Humphrey walked to start the inning, went to second base on a wild pitch and scored when Blake Waller reached base on an error. Waller scored on a double by Owens to make it a 4-1 score and Owens scored when Armistead reached base on an error to make it a 5-1 Comets lead.
Three Amherst County errors allowed the Comets to score a run in the bottom of the fourth inning with Willie Stephens, who pinch-running for Clark, doing the honors to make it a 6-1 score.
Two Amherst County errors and a run-scoring hit by Humphrey gave the Comets another run and a 7-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Jeffress struggled some in the top of the sixth inning, giving up a leadoff double and two walks to allow the Lancers to load the sacks. A passed ball allowed one Amherst County runner to score and make the final 7-2 score.

 

Shemelia Brandon Signs With Radford

BY DOUG FORD
G-V STAFF WRITER

Comets girls track standout Shemelia Brandon has always set high standards for herself, and Friday she raised the bar even higher, signing a four-year scholarship to run track at Radford University.
Brandon, a member of the Comets girls indoor and outdoor track teams since her freshman year, plans to compete in the long jump and triple jump at Radford, and at least one relay, the 4x400-meters.
Brandon will leave Halifax County with at least seven school records, indoors in the 300-meters, 500 meters, the long jump and the triple jump, and outdoors in the long jump, 400 meters and 200 meters.
She is currently aiming for former Comet and Olympian Tisha Waller’s outdoor school record in the triple jump.
Waller has been a role model for the soft-spoken but focused senior.
“I look at her as a role model, and if I can make it that far, I would like to compete at the Olympic level,” said Brandon.
“She made it to the Olympics, so maybe I can too, and it will be a good accomplishment for me if I could.”
And, Brandon seems comfortable as a role model for others coming through the track program behind her.
“It makes me feel good that others behind me will look up to me as a role model. I have always done the best I could to be a good role model for them, and I hope this will help the other girls work harder so that they could get a scholarship, too. ”
Brandon chose Radford over several other schools, including Charleston Southern, Christopher Newport, Norfolk State, Hampton and Virginia Tech.
“I liked the people I met and the school,” said Brandon, including the Radford track coaches who saw her compete in the recent Faster, Farther, Higher High School Invitational meet at Radford.
It was in that meet that she set the girls outdoor long jump record, and the coaches obviously liked what they saw.
Brandon’s high school coach, Mary Douglas, along with her parents, Joseph and Doris Brandon, were on hand for the signing.
Douglas thinks Radford is the right “fit” for Brandon.
“She’ll be real competitive with them,” noted Douglas. “I think they will mainly concentrate on her jumping ability and have her fill in on some of the relay teams, maybe the 400. They’ve been keeping up with her scores, and her visit and talk with the coaches was the deciding factor.
“It feels really good as a coach to know she’s worked so hard for this. It also feels good knowing I had a little input as well,” continued Douglas. “I’m proud of her and happy she’s made the decision to go to Radford.”
The elevated training regimen available at Radford will increase Brandon’s potential, perhaps to the Olympic level, according to Douglas.
Brandon placed fourth in the long jump and fifth in the triple jump in the state indoor championship meet, and is ranked fifth in the nation in the long jump, said Douglas, who feels Brandon is capable of much more.
“Shemelia has the capacity to be an Olympian, she really doesn’t know what she’s capable of yet,” she explained. With the training she’ll get in college, I see her as a future Olympian.
“I don’t know if that’s what she wants to do, but I think she’s capable of that.”
Brandon’s parents have seen their daughter develop from a track novice in the Elementary Olympics at Turbeville Elementary to a budding star under coach Mary Hamlett at Halifax County Middle School to a polished athlete as a high school senior.
“We’re excited to see what she’s truly capable of,” said Joseph Brandon.
“Coach Hamlett saw her compete in the Elementary Olympics and asked her to try out for track at the middle school. That’s when her mother and I first thought she had something special. Coach Douglas then took her under her wing and she’s excelled ever since.”
Although Brandon has focused on the sport of track, she has other interests, including participation in the Good Shepherd Outreach program, and as a member of the New Bethel Baptist Church in Alton.
“We’ve tried to bring her up in the church and teach her good moral character,” said her father, obviously proud of the results.