Mia Clarkson recorded a shutout as Norfolk Academy topped First Colonial 2-0 last week. Sydney Huddleston had a goal in that game and also scored in a 3-2 win over Assumption, a Louisville team that came into the matchup ranked seventh in Kentucky by MaxPreps.

Tabb is 3-0 and has outscored opponents 21-0.

Two Hampton Roads players fired in five goals apiece last week. Gloucester’s Reese Miller also had an assist in a 10-0 rout over Kecoughtan, while Elizabeth Trant’s performance powered Poquoson to a 7-1 victory over Maggie Walker.

Caitlin Outlaw totaled four goals and an assist to help Nansemond River knock off Cox 3-0 and topple Lakeland 7-1. The Warriors, however, fell to Trinity Episcopal of Richmond 3-2 Saturday.

Great Bridge’s Lexi Curtis scored the winner off a feed from Bella Steckline as the Wildcats edged crosstown rival Grassfield 1-0. Goalie Cam Johnson notched three saves in the shutout, and Olivia Young chipped in with three defensive saves.

York has jumped out to three straight wins to start the season, with Natalie Moss and Gracie White recording a hat trick in wins over Lakeland and Colonial Heights, respectively.

This week, Cox continues its tough schedule to open the season as the Falcons travel to Norfolk Academy on Tuesday and Collegiate School of Richmond on Friday.

Great Bridge and Kellam square off in a key non-district tilt at the Regional Training Center in Virginia Beach at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Team, record, last ranking

1. Norfolk Academy, 2-0, 1

2. Tabb, 3-0, 2

3. Nansemond River, 3-1, 3

4. Gloucester, 5-0, 5

5. First Colonial, 0-1, 4

6. Great Bridge, 2-0, 7

7. Cox, 0-1, 6

8. Catholic, 1-1, 8

9. York, 3-0, 11

10. Poquoson, 2-1, 9

11. Princess Anne, 0-1, 10

12. Grassfield, 2-1, 12

13. Western Branch, 1-2, 14

14. Kellam, 1-2, 13

15. Menchville, 1-0, not ranked

Dropped out: Grafton.

Defending Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I champion Norfolk Academy hosts Virginia High School League Class 5 runner-up First Colonial at 5:15 p.m. Thursday in the season opener for both squads.

Nansemond River has a weekend full of tough matchups in the Beach Invitational at the Virginia Beach Regional Training Center. The Warriors are scheduled to face Cox, Kellam and state powerhouse Trinity Episcopal, a private school from Richmond. Last week, Nansemond River’s Caitlin Outlaw, Caydence Parker, Anyia Woods and Jordan White all had second-half goals in a 4-0 win over Western Branch.

The Southeastern District witnesses an early-season rivalry game Wednesday as Great Bridge hosts Grassfield at 5:30 p.m. The Grizzlies began the season with a 10-0 rout over Deep Creek. Meghan McDonald scored four goals, and Kaydence Holland added three more. Lily Johnson powered Great Bridge with two scores in a 3-0 victory over Lakeland.

On the Peninsula, there are two Thursday clashes worth marking on the schedule with Grafton hosting Gloucester at 5:30 p.m., followed by Western Branch traveling to Poquoson for a game at 7.

Team, record, last ranking

1. Norfolk Academy, 0-0, 1

2. Tabb, 2-0, 2

3. Nansemond River, 1-0, 3

4. First Colonial, 0-0, 4

5. Gloucester, 2-0, 5

6. Cox, 0-0, 6

7. Great Bridge, 1-0, 7

8. Catholic, 0-0, 8

9. Poquoson, 0-0, 9

10. Princess Anne, 0-0, 10

11. York, 1-0, 14

12. Grassfield, 1-0, 15

13. Kellam, 0-1, 11

14. Western Branch, 0-2, 12

15. Grafton, 0-1, 13

One is the loneliest number

Tabb was the 757’s sole Virginia High School League champion last season, going undefeated and capturing a third straight Class 3 trophy and 11th state title overall. Both Gloucester and First Colonial fell just short in their championship quests, advancing to the Class 4 and 5 finals, respectively. Other tournament qualifiers included Grassfield and Western Branch (Class 6), Cox, Nansemond River and Woodside (Class 5), Jamestown (Class 4) and Grafton, Poquoson and York (Class 3).

Another one

Norfolk Academy also went unbeaten en route to the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I title — the Bulldogs’ fifth overall crown. They were joined in the state tournament by Catholic (Division I) and Cape Henry Collegiate, Hampton Roads Academy and Walsingham Academy (Division II).

The streaks

Norfolk Academy has won its previous 23 games and has not lost since a 4-0 defeat to Collegiate of Richmond in the 2022 VISAA Division I final. Tabb is currently on a 68-game streak, with the Tigers’ last loss being 2-1 in overtime to Poquoson in the Class 3 state championship game in April 2021, after fall sports were postponed to the spring due to the pandemic.

Recruiting trail

The college ranks have long been mining talent from the Hampton Roads area, with the likes of American, James Madison, Liberty, Massachusetts, Old Dominion, William & Mary and perennial powerhouse Penn State just a handful of schools all having recruits playing this fall.

International scene

First Colonial’s Addie Savoie played with the AAU Under-16 team that captured the bronze medal at the Junior Olympics; Catholic’s Sophia Stavrides was also on one of the teams competing at the games. Also, Tabb’s Kira Trader and Poquoson’s Elizabeth Trant were selected for the U16 side that traveled to the Netherlands for the Junior U.S. Women’s National Team Europe Tour.

Introducing our new high school sports newsletter: 757Teamz Extra

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5 players you should know

Riley Brooks-Booth, First Colonial senior forward

Brooks-Booth, a Massachusetts commit, fired in 19 goals for the Patriots last season and wasn’t afraid to drop back to the middle and facilitate, chipping in with nine assists.

Mia Jones, Norfolk Academy sophomore midfielder

Jones notched 15 goals and was second for the Bulldogs in assists as a freshman.

Lily Johnson, Great Bridge senior forward

Johnson, a William & Mary signee, registered 14 goals and four assists in ’23 for the Wildcats up top.

Anyia Woods, Nansemond River senior midfielder

The Iowa commit controls the center of the field for the Warriors.

Erma Bailey, Cox senior midfielder

Bailey, a three-year starter, totaled 17 goals and 16 assists last year and will power the Falcons from the middle.

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757Teamz Top 15

1. Norfolk Academy

Joji Purdy led the area with 50 goals last season for the state champion Bulldogs. Cooper Cutchins, Sydney Huddleston and Mia Jones will patrol the midfield in front of senior goalkeeper Mia Clarkson. Purdy, Cutchins and Clarkson have all committed to Penn State.

2. Tabb

Kira Trader (28 goals and 33 assists), who has also committed to the Nittany Lions, and James Madison commit Mika Hilburger (37 goals and 27 assists) will be a formidable duo to contend with for the Tigers. Abbie McGinn anchors the defense, which allowed just two goals last year.

3. Nansemond River

Jordan White put up 26 goals and 14 assists en route to being named Class 5 Region B Player of the Year for the Warriors. She’ll be flanked by Brylee Johnston, Aubrey White and Anyia Woods as the core of the Warriors, who advanced to the Class 5 state semifinals and return a number of starters from the previous year.

4. First Colonial

Claire Hitchings and Isadora Kitzmiller will look to propel a stout defense in front of freshman goaltender Addie Savoie. Riley Brooks-Booth will lead from the front for the Patriots, who were Class 5 finalists in ’23.

5. Gloucester

Reese Miller, who had 34 goals, will be joined by fellow all-state first-teamers Mackenzi Reece, Abigail Junker and Addy Zabicki for the Dukes, who return eight starters from the team that made the Class 4 final last season.

6. Cox

Goalie Isabel Pardo, who allowed just 13 goals last season, will be fronted by Mac Derr, who produced a goal-line save for the Class 5 quarterfinalist Falcons. Erma Bailey will be relied upon on the offensive side.

7. Great Bridge

Lily Johnson will spearhead the attack for a team looking to make an impact in Class 5. Kenzie Cummins and Bella Steckline will provide support from the midfield for the Wildcats, who won five Class 4 titles over eight years before moving up to Class 5 last season.

8. Catholic

Forward Brooke Sutherland and midfielder Izzy Zaszewski will lead the attack for the Crusaders, who were knocked out in the VISAA Division I quarterfinals. Seniors Hannah Kirby and Lauren Gallager will provide leadership in defense and attack, respectively.

9. Poquoson

Elizabeth Trant (23 goals, 12 assists) and Grace Oates are first-team all-state selections who will be mainstays as the Islanders look to challenge for the Class 3 title.

10. Princess Anne

The Cavaliers are looking to qualify for state postseason play after falling to Cox in the Class 5 Region A semis.

11. Kellam

The Knights were edged out 3-2 by Princess Anne in a Class 5 Region A quarterfinal last season.

12. Western Branch

Seniors Hannah Christenbury, Alex Richards and Hailey Ward will comprise the leadership nucleus for the Class 6 quarterfinalist Bruins

13. Grafton

The Clippers return their entire team that qualified for the Class 3 tournament.

14. York

All-state selctions Natalie Moss and Alex Heckle will be relied upon by the Falcons, who were Class 3 quarterfinalists last season.

15. Grassfield

Eight of the 16 varsity returners are seniors, including forwards Kalyn Fluker and Meghan McDonald, who combined for 18 goals for the Class 6 quarterfinalist Grizzlies.

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Barton now stands beside Michael Dunphy (2014) and Wes Laine (1980-81) as local victors, who used their familiarity with the varying conditions that the 1st St. Jetty produces.

“It’s definitely a good amount of an advantage,” said Barton, whose usual break is just down the road in Sandbridge. “Because you know how these waves work and that it’s always changing positions. So you’ve always got to move around, and that’s a good thing to have in the back of your head.”

Florida’s Alana Lopez won the women’s final, which was contested right before the men’s heat. Both the men’s and women’s finals were extended to 30 minutes to give competitors ample opportunities to find gems among knee-to-waist surf that was affected by the pending high tide.

“The conditions were tricky, but when they came through, they were fun,” Lopez said. “I was just super-happy to get two good waves within
the heat and ended up winning.”

It was the first-ever wins in the World Surf League Qualifying Series for both Barton and Lopez.

Spectators mostly witnessed the competitors from both finals sitting out their boards and scanning the lineup for wave selection.

“It’s kind of difficult to identify the waves and which ones are going to be good — break good, have good shape and allow you the opportunity to get multiple manuevers,” Lopez said. “You just kind of have to pick and choose the ones you’re going to go for, and I happened to pick two good ones.”

Lopez, following in the footsteps of her father, pro surfer Cory Lopez, who has three ESPN X Games gold medals among his many accolades, came from behind to claim victory as her two top-scoring waves occurred during the final seven minutes of her heat.

Both rides featured two snapping turns off the crashing lip of the wave before coming through the bottom whitewash. The second wave in that sequence scored her the points needed to move into the top position for good with less than five minutes remaining.

Besides it being her first win, it was also Lopez’s first final contested.

“I saw my heat draw and know that Sanoa (Dempfle-Olin), Zoey (Kaina) and Lanea (Mons) are all really good surfers,” Lopez said. “I was trying not to think of it as much and just go out there and surf my own heat, but I was definitely nervous.”

ECSC surf director Phil Jackson explained with the tide coming in and disrupting wave breaks that competitors might only get the chance to complete one maneuver per ride.

The patch of decent surf remained through the beginning of the men’s final, and Barton took quick advantage, scoring a 6.0 (out of 10 points) moments after the opening horn blast.

“Today was definitely a lot better than the rest of the days,” Barton said. “It was coming in at a better swell angle, so it made for longer waves and not really on the shore. It was a lot easier for you to pick and choose what you wanted.”

Ten minutes later, Barton dropped in on a wave and powered two turns off the face, producing huge sprays of ocean over the nose of his board and garnering applause from the partisan crowd. That wave gave him an insurmountable lead at 14.0 points.

As the time ticked down in the men’s final, first Lucas Owston moved into second place, less than three points down, with a double-turn wave of his own with 12 minutes remaining. Two minutes later, North Carolina’s Owen Moss trimmed the lead to less than a point on a wave he was able to squeeze in three completed turns.

“I made it this far, so I just went out there and had fun,” Barton said. “I had my buddies in my heat and just felt like I had nothing to lose.

“No matter how good of friends you are, when you get into a heat together, you’re enemies,” Barton said. “You’re best friends on the beach, but we’re all taking it pretty seriously in the heat.

“And it’s always good times right after.”

The green circle was posted at the judges’ stand, signifying there were five minutes remaining in the heat, but nature didn’t provide the competitors much more in terms of high-scoring waves. Following the closing alarm for the final, friends and family were all at the water’s edge to hoist Barton up on their shoulders and celebrate.

“It’s incredible but undescribable,” Barton said. “I remember 10 years ago when I was sitting on the beach watching Dunphy win. That’s all I could think about was how much I wanted to win this event. And I told myself I would do it one day, and I did it.”

West, who grew up in Virginia Beach, retired in 2015 after serving as the ECSC’s director of surfing competition for 32 years. He died in October 2023.

“The paddle-out is the ultimate show of respect for a surfer,” said Rich Brown, a longtime friend of Paul West. “Whenever a fellow surfer passes away, the best way to show homage to him is to go paddling. Everyone paddles out in the ocean and forms a circle. It’s to signify how the ocean brings people together. Just like the ECSC does — from all over the world.”

After joining in a circle, the surfers dropped flowers into the water and celebrated with smacking the water, accompanied by audible cheers that could be heard on shore.

“It’s to show respect to your fallen friends. It’s a huge celebration in the water — celebrating life, friendship, camaraderie and the ocean,” Brown said. “The reason that we chose ECSC for Paul West is because he was involved with the event for so long.”

West was a mainstay for years at the jetty: as a youth surfer, and then later as an Eastern Surfing Association district director and ultimately as the director of surfing for ECSC. Brown met West in
the seventh grade when they started surfing together, and West was even a groomsman in his wedding.

Local legend Jason Borte, who together with Brown organized the memorial paddle-out, also befriended West at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.

“If you were at the beach at 1st St., you knew Paul,” said Borte who is an ESA All-Star, ASP East Championship winner and surfing journalist. “He did so much for me to get started in surfing — he was my first sponsor, sold me my first car, took me to Hatteras to surf for the first time. This is just a little bit of repaying the favors he did for me.”

Besides his influence with the ECSC, West served as vice president of the International Surfing Association and president of the United States Surfing Federation. But he is remembered most for developing the ECSC, now in its 62nd year, into the behemoth it is currently as the longest, continually-run surfing contest in the world.

“Paul was absolutely instrumental because, in the early days, when he was the ESA district director, he realized the importance of the (ECSC) event to Virginia Beach and the East Coast,” said Wes Laine, a former top 10-ranked ASP competitor and wearer of many hats across years of involvement with ECSC, which includes being event director.

Paul West, constant fixture of East Coast Surfing Championships, remembered as ‘epitome of Aloha’

“It wasn’t only a gem here, but for the United States.”

He explained that West viewing the ECSC through the eyes as both a former competitor and then director at ESA understood that the contest had the potential to be regarded as one of the greatest in the world.

“He saw the event as the equivalent of the U.S. Open of Surfing held annually in Huntington Beach,” California, Laine said. “It was really an opportunity for a lot of the local kids, not only to compete, but to get the chance to see a lot of the best surfers in the world here at 1st St.”

And it was under West’s guidance that the ECSC grew in to what it is today in terms of notoriety, as evidenced by its popularity with spectator and competitors, the number of divisions and prize money.

“He was so synonymous with ECSC, which is far and away the biggest thing here,” said Borte, who was inducted into the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame in 2016. “And he was just a larger-than-life person — this is the ultimate spot to remember him. For the event to cooperate with it is really special.”

Added Laine: “I think it was really important. We lost Paul last October, after the previous contest had been completed. He had a huge impact on the ECSC and the sport of surfing and he’s absolutely sorely missed.

“It was really nice that we were able to have this here today to keep him in our memories and to remind people of all the big things — and the little things — he did to make ECSC so special.”

Forecasted temps are projected in the high 70s to low 80s, with plenty of sunshine.

“It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful summer week,” ECSC surf director Phil Jackson said. “Lots of families are coming to town from all over the world and we’re hoping to get that sunny Virginia Beach weather that we all love.”

But it’s the effects from Tropical Storm Ernesto off the East Coast that has event staff and competitors brimming with enthusiasm.

“We have some Ernesto swell lingering around and another shot of northeast swell coming mid-to-late week, so we should have an exciting finish,” Jackson said.

Added ECSC general manager Tony Pellino: “Ernesto swells were ripping through (early Monday) and we’re hoping it sticks around through finals. There were killer waves on Sunday for the start.”

Hundreds of surfers from across the globe are expected to compete across the various men’s and women’s divisions — from the youngest mini groms to amateurs to professionals. Some competitors are traveling from as far away as Costa Rica, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Pro/am competition is scheduled to get underway daily at 7:30 a.m. at the 1st Street Jetty.

“We have a ton of up-and-coming East Coast, West Coast and international surfers in the (men’s) draw,” Jackson said. “It’s a stacked field on the women’s side as well.”

Included in the field are Virginia Beach’s Blayr Barton in the men’s division and Camden Hoover in the women’s. With competition rounds consisting of as many as five days, surfers are going to have to deal with variable, and sometimes, inconsistent wave heights and breaking conditions.

“Whoever has the stamina and ability to perform in ever-changing conditions, you’ll see them excel and make it through the rounds,” Jackson said.

It’s the 62nd edition of the ECSC and it boasts the title of the world’s longest, continuously-run surfing contest. And while the venerable competition is fun for both spectator and participant, its benefits extend beyond the shoreline.

“It’s also the world’s biggest charitable surf contest.” Pellino said, explaining that the Virginia Beach Jaycees, the ECSC event owners, use the funds raised from the ECSC to go toward local charities such as the Boys and Girls Club of America and the Flame of Hope Restoration Project.

The Jaycees also brought in a mini halfpipe for skateboarding clinics and open sessions. It’s just one of the new additions to the ECSC festivities along with sand lacrosse. Other activities happening outside the water stretching from 1st Street to 11th Street include BMX stunt team demonstrations, beach volleyball and live concerts.

Walk-up registration is still available.

Said Pellino: “Learn to surf, learn to skate — the Jaycees are all about getting the youth involved in something positive and healthy and getting them active.”

For a complete schedule of events, go to https://www.surfecsc.com.

“The direction of the team needed to change,” Knights coach Pat Aiello said. “I was there twice a week. The team had a lot of talent; they just didn’t have any direction. It needed a jolt. As a coach, you set a culture and that’s the most important thing. And then the kids, they either buy in or they don’t.”

His team bought in to the tune of a 17-1 record on the back of 309 goals and became the first public school from Hampton Roads to qualify for a state championship game. The Knights face three-time defending state champion Riverside in Saturday’s Class 5 final at Glen Allen.

“It’s pretty wild,” Aiello said. “I never thought at the beginning of the season that would happen. They’ve been king of the hill. We have our work cut out for us. The message is pretty simple — keep playing our game. We don’t change who we are.”

It’s the first year on the Kellam sidelines for Aiello, who started the season as a volunteer coach, but took over following the resignation of the previous coach after one game. But he brings a load of experience, having coached the sport all over the country for the past 22 years. His last stop was as head coach of Beach District rival Bayside last season.

Lacrosse is in its infancy in the area — to a certain extent. It is the second season of being a varsity sport for public schools in Hampton Roads; it was previously just a club sport. By comparison, the area’s private schools and Northern Virginia public schools have been playing lacrosse for decades.

Kellam was in Class 6 Region A last season and lost to Battlefield in the state quarterfinals. And although there were some minor successes that initial season, Aiello could see the potential for greater leaps and bounds this spring.

“Setting the culture was the biggest piece,” Aeillo explained. “It’s putting in discipline, accountability, respect for the game, respect for each other and respect for your opponents — the kids really bought into that and it kind of spirals in a good way.”

Kellam has some experience against the teams from up north. The Knights defeated private-school powerhouse Bishop O’Connell of Arlington 11-9 on April 5. A couple weeks later, they thumped West Springfield 16-6.

“Those wins really gave us that confidence boost that we can play with any team,” Aiello said.

At the start of the season, the Knights moved to Class 5 and beat previous champion Cox 9-5 for the Region A championship.

But it’s the manner in which the victories have amassed that Aiello praises his team, saying that opposing coaches, players and parents have remarked on the noticeable change within the program.

“That’s just how I was coached, being a former player myself,” Aiello explained. “You learn from your coaches and pay it forward. It’s been discipline. It’s one of the things we changed, and the kids have followed the system all season and it’s what helped lead to our success.”

The Knights have matured quickly in a year, but still remain very young with just four senior starters.

Senior attacker Evan Djunaedi leads the team with 62 goals and 67 assists, which is tops in the state. Djunaedi is flanked by junior Jacob Leonard, who has registered 59 goals and 11 assists, and sophomore Colt Goodwin, who has 35 goals and 19 assists.

In midfield, freshman Jacob Lyons has been lights-out on faceoffs this year, winning 212 of 262. Sophomore midfielder Elijah Lamb has tallied 31 goals and 19 assists.

Senior Kieron Auld and freshman long-stick man Jack Kelly power a defense that has allowed just 61 goals, and senior keeper Gavin Sinram has notched 75 saves and four shutouts.

Miller was a force on both wings all night — she combined with her twin sister, Skylar, for some interweaving play off a short corner from the right side and then slid a pass to the penalty spot to find Camryn Marcondes streaking through the middle. Marcondes slotted in the opening goal less than five minutes into the game.

“I just tried to go out there and have some fun and just find my teammates and set them up to score some goals,” Sydney Miller said. “That’s how I try to do it when I’m out there.”

Sydney Miller was then on the receiving end of a give-and-go down the left side of the penalty box and calmly stroked the ball into the net to put the Patriots up 2-0 midway through the first half.

That second goal seemingly spurred the victors on, and they started to press even deeper into the Menchville defensive third. Skylar Miller broke through with the Patriots’ third goal, powering through the middle of the field, slipping past her defender and curling a shot in with less than 13 minutes remaining before halftime.

Less than three minutes later, Emma Woods hit a centering pass to Izzy Coshland, who fired a goal into the top-right corner to give the hosts a 4-0 lead heading into the break.

Shortly after the restart, Sydney Miller assisted on three goals off of corner kicks during a six-minute span, connecting with Ava Bourne, Kylie White and Keaveny Dull to push the Patriots’ lead to 7-0.

“We practice set pieces every day,” Patriots coach Joe Tucei said. “Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t — today, we were on.”

Bourne then chipped in a corner kick that Victoria Hannah knocked in with less than 24 minutes remaining for the final margin for the Patriots, who didn’t allow a shot all game. The final whistle was blown just four minutes later.

First Colonial will face Midlothian — a 2-1 quarterfinal winner over Briar Woods — in the semifinals Friday at Glen Allen High.

“I’m excited to face either team,” Miller said, not knowing his opponent at the time. “It’s going to be a tough match and we’re ready for it.”

Added Tucei about keeping his team focused and relaxed before the next game: “It’s our fourth year in a row, so we’re kind of used to it. We just have to make sure we have enough time for travel and we’re not rushed or anything.”

Fifth-seeded Maury edged No. 2 Menchville 1-0 in the girls final, while top-seeded Menchville thumped No. 3 Norview 3-0 in the boys matchup.

Millie Darden scored seven minutes into the first half to lift the Commodores in the girls game.

“I was making a run and (the ball) went over (the defense), so I went around the player,” Darden said. “It was just me and the goalie, and I made a little tap-in toward the corner of the goal and got it.”

It was the fifth goal of the season for Darden, a senior who missed the previous season due to ACL and meniscus injuries to her knee. She also had the lone goal in the upset over top-seeded Granby in the semifinals.

“She’s a fast runner and she’s got a good little chip-touch,” Commodores coach Orion Hall said. “The last two games, she’s been really hitting her stride. We’ve been pushing that through-ball and she’s basically gotten the winner in the past two games.”

Maury played poised throughout the rest of the half and ushered in a lead at the break.

“It always calms you down,” Hall said. “We preach that we want to get up early and get that confidence built up.”

Less than 10 minutes after the restart came Menchville’s best chance at equalizing. A long ball over the top provided a breakaway for forward Caylyn Candia, who powered past the Commodores’ defense and ripped off a shot that keeper Lili White blocked. Menchville’s Alora Chappell corralled the rebound and tried to push a secondary shot past White, but she smothered the attempt in her arms.

“That was honestly me just flailing my body for whatever piece of the ball I could get,” said White, who has committed to play for James Madison next year. “It was definitely scary — I was shocked I got to that ball.”

Added Hall: “Having her back there is huge. The two saves, I don’t even know how she got to that second.”

Menchville then flailed at another goal attempt with less than 16 minutes remaining. Alyssa Ware streaked across the top of the penalty area and found Caitlyn Hollis, who sliced a shot just right of the goal — White had cut off the angle with both arms outstretched.

“You always know that she can do it (come up with big saves),” Hall said. “She doesn’t always have to do it, but when it comes down to it, that keeps your defense from worrying about mistakes. Mistakes are going to happen, but having her back there as a shield is incredible.”

Both teams advance to the Class 5 state quarterfinals. Maury will play Kellam, while Menchville will face Region A champion First Colonial.

In the nightcap, Zach Robinson opened the scoring with a snapping header less than 10 minutes in off a corner kick from Grady Morello.

“I’m pretty tall, so I waited at the back post and the ball came through,” Robinson said of his height advantage over the smaller Pilots. “I just put my head through the ball.”

The Monarchs fully wanted to exploit the size differential between the teams by playing deep and controlling possession. Toward the end of the first half, though, Norview, which is having its best season in school history with its first region final appearance, started to mount some pressure in the Monarchs’ half.

Leon Edwards blasted an ambitious shot from around 35 yards on the left side of the field that curled away late with less than eight minutes remaining in the half. Four minutes later, Keith Deloach drove in toward the goal by the right side of the end line and fired in a searching ball to earn a corner kick. He then collected the ensuing corner kick, but wasn’t able to connect on a shot with power. Edwards found the rebounded ball and swung another shot high over the bar.

“It was sticking to our game plan, we knew they were going to try and dump it a little more — they like to kick the long ball and they’re good at it,” Monarchs coach Bryce Fail said. “We just sat in a little bit, won those and tried to keep it a little more and eliminate them from having the ball.”

A minute later, a deep pass released Robinson on a run into the Norview box. He was fouled, and the referee signaled for a penalty kick.

“I ran as hard as I could, tried to shoot the ball and just got taken out,” Robinson said.

Christian Robertson’s first effort was blocked by keeper Joe Fernandez, but the rebound fell right back to Robertson, who didn’t miss a second chance to give Menchville a 2-0 lead going into halftime.

Two minutes into the second half, Morello sent in another corner kick that the Norview defense could not clear. Tristan Klompenhouwer pounced on the loose ball and knocked it into the net to put Menchville up 3-0.

“It’s a pretty big win,” Fail said. “We wanted to get the regional trophy back — next step is states.”

Menchville will face Region A runner-up Cox in next week’s state Class 5 quarterfinals.

Fail added it would be the school’s first victory at the state tournament level if the Monarchs win. Norview, which also qualified for the state tournament for the first time, will face off against Region A champion Great Bridge.

Brett Burvill and Max Puttman of Team Australia pulled into Virginia Beach on Friday with a time of 90 hours, 9 minutes and 11 seconds to win the race, dubbed “The Spark that Lit the Flame.” The duo captured 11 of 12 legs during the two-week race, which started in Hollywood, Florida.

“We’ve been sailing together for about five or six years now, so we have a very good synergy with each other,” Burvill said. “We don’t have to communicate a lot on the boat, we do it a lot by feel and we understand each other on how to make the boat go fast.”

Burville added that knowledge of how to pull every second of speed from the boat comes from months of designing and building the hulls, while his teammate Puttman builds the sails. Burville said every component of their boat comes out of a small factory in Fremantle in western Australia. And then there’s the countless hours of testing their design in the water.

“We know every component intimately on the boat,” Burville said. “We had zero failures and just everything was perfect. And for us to come all this way and achieve this on our first try — we’ve done an almost perfect event.”

Added Puttman: “Everything happens for a reason. We thrash these boats when we’re at home. We absolutely abused them to try and figure out what’s going to break, so we were very well prepared.”

Compatriots Team Australia 2 finished second at 93:11:15, followed by the French-American Team Cirrus/MM Sailing at 93:35:13. Both teams battled back and forth over the 12 legs for the runner-up spot.

It was that attention to detail combined with their racing skills that gave Team Australia 1 the edge over their competition.

“Max and Brett are world class (Formula 18) sailors,” principal race officer John Williams said. “They had maximum confidence in their equipment.”

Williams added that perfect boat preparation allows the racers to keep their heads in the race the entire time out on the water because you’re not thinking about the boat and any problems that can arise from equipment failure.

“You saw less experienced teams with events like this who spent days working on their boat after the start of the event,” Williams said. “It was a learning curve throughout the race.”

Williams explained that during traditional races, such as many buoy-rounding regattas, there are down times between heats when you can make adjustments to fix anything that comes loose or gets broken on a boat. But in the Worrell 1000, when sail days can take as long as 16 hours on the water, the equipment has to hold up and Team Australia’s boat was better prepared than all the others.

Virginia Beach’s Team Rudees finished fourth at 94:40:16.

“It’s all 1,000 miles and you’re fighting every inch, there’s no relaxing out there,” Smyth said. “And because of the weather, every day is so different.”

Smyth’s boat was the one that spoiled Team Australia’s Worrell 1000 sweep, winning the leg from Atlantic Beach to Ocracoke. Team Rudees edged Team Australia 2 by a little less than five minutes.

“You have a big option there because you can go the ocean way, which is a little longer, but you’ve got to go around Cape Lookout,” Smyth said. “That particular day, there was an offshore wind and there were better conditions on the inside, so we took the shorter course — which is the more treacherous course.”

Smyth explained there were a lot of unmarked and uncharted obstacles in the form of sandbars and shoals, and that bridges and fishing nets would also come into play in Bogue Sound. Getting back to the oceanside to where the landing spot on Ocracoke could have been a challenge as well because the inlet is small and narrow and if the tide is coming in, it makes for a strong current flowing back into the sound.

“That day had light wind, so if we had to fight the current, we may have never got out,” Smyth said. “We timed it just right and the current was going out, so we got flushed out. But it could’ve gone the other way.”

That strategy put the two boats ahead of the rest of the fleet by at least 50 mins.

Added Williams: “For the very first time, in the 50-year history of the event, somebody went into Bogue Sound, took Cape Lookout out of the equation and shaved 13 miles off of the course. It had never been tried before because it is incredibly risky. Shallow water, moving sandbars, shoals, lots of fishing nets — it’s nearly an impossible navigable waterway. Yet two boats snuck through there and it really paid off for them.”

Team Outer Banks, comprised of Hardy Peters and James Eaton. finished eighth at 103:24:33.

“It’s definitely a long two weeks,” said Peters, who competed in the race for the second time. “We had some really good days and we had some really long days. Coming into the race the last time, we were the deer in the headlights. This year, we knew what to expect, we knew what was out there and we had a much more comfortable feeling about what to do with the race.

Eleven of the 12 boats that started finished the race. Team Babysitting Robots was forced to retire after their boat capsized during the third leg.

“We had a hard day with thunderstorms off of Cape Canaveral,” Williams said. “That’s when we lost (Team) Babysitting Robots — their sailors were rescued by the Coast Guard and their boat was abandoned at sea.”

In 23 tries, every team reaching the finish line has happened just four times. But overall, racing was a mixed bag, Williams said.

“We had the thunderstorm and then leaving Florida is a long day,” Williams explained. “The 120-mile leg was a long day. The last boat got in at 3 a.m. in the morning. Then there are days like (Friday). The winds are mostly out of the south, during which boats can fly their spinnakers. It’s not as physically demanding and there’s enough breeze where it’s not a mental grind to perform. The boat is moving well and all the equipment is working.”