Boys SE Virginia Regional Tournament Previews: 4A
Th region 4A tournament is a 10 team bracket in which the #1 through #6 seeds receive a round one bye. 4A #1 seed: Great Bridge is ranked no. 2 in the 757 after an unbeaten regular season at 13-0-2…
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Continue ReadingTh region 4A tournament is a 10 team bracket in which the #1 through #6 seeds receive a round one bye.
4A #1 seed: Great Bridge is ranked no. 2 in the 757 after an unbeaten regular season at 13-0-2 and finished as the Southeastern district champions. The Wildcats will look to improve on 2022 where they advanced to the VHSL class 4 state tournament before bowing out to Jefferson Forest in the semifinals. The only blemishes on their resume this year are draws versus no. 6 First Colonial and no. 3 Hickory and includes wins over no. 5 Princess Anne, no. 12 Smithfield, no. 19 Nansemond River, no. 20 Western Branch, and no. 16 Grassfield. The Wildcats roster 11 seniors but also have a great mix of young players who have contributed significantly throughout the year. Senior keeper Thomas Seymour allowed only nine goals on the season with the help of his defense: senior Nick Adams, senior Holden Kinsman, junior Aiden Taylor, and sophomore Tim Adams. The midfield and the attack are stacked with quality players in senior Anthony Panayiotou and his sophomore brother Niko Panayiotou who always seem to have a connection. Freshman starters Cole Schuler and Jack Ottley have both burst onto the scene this season and will be a handful for years to come. Additional starters who all contain big game experience in their resumes include junior Carson Danner and senior Cameron Todd who are as dangerous in the final third as anyone in the 757.
Great Bridge will host the winner of the first-round match between #8 seed Kings Fork and #9 seed Churchland on May 25th. Pictured: Thomas Seymour and Holden Kinsman.
4A #2 seed: Jamestown (14-3-0) finished the season as undefeated Bay Rivers District regular season champions and also won the district tournament championship. The only setbacks the Eagles have suffered this season are to Kellam, Western Albemarle, and First Colonial (who are all ranked in the top seven in the state). The Eagles are led senior captains Peyton Smith, Nathan Stutt, Will Snead, and Hunter House. Junior keeper Caleb Nixon posted eight clean sheets and sophomore striker Max Cooper is a gifted and technical finisher.
Jamestown (ranked no. 7 in the 757) will host the winner of the first-round match between #7 seed Warhill and #10 seed Denbigh on May 25th.
4A #3 seed: Warwick (12-4-0) is one of the surprise teams in the 757 and climbed as high as no. 4 in the rankings before losing to no. 12 Smithfield, no. 17 Gloucester, and no. 9 Menchville down the stretch. The Raiders resume includes wins over no. 11 Grafton and no. 4 Kecoughtan as senior JaMarhe Wills led the Raider attack with 22 goals while sophomore Abdul Mokhtar contributed 10 goals and 8 assists. Senior Hagen Hines led the back line in front of junior keeper Ethan Chenoweth (8 shutouts) along with other key contributors: Sophomore Josh Barnhart, junior Jonathan Del la Cruz, and senior Akon Deng.
Warwick will face #6 seed Deep Creek in the quarterfinals on May 25th. Pictured: JaMarhe Wills
4A #4 seed: Smithfield checks in as the #4 seed after posting a 10-6-1 record that includes a PK shootout loss to Jamestown in the Bay Rivers district tournament. The Packers have high expectations after reaching the VHSL class 4 tournament in three out of the last four seasons including a state championship in 2021. In 2022, Smithfield lost to eventual champion Western Albemarle in the semifinals in extra time in their bid for a repeat as class 4 champions.
The Packers have an experienced roster with 12 seniors of which seven are starters. Onesime Meupu is one of the most gifted attackers in the area and was the 4A player of the year in 2022. Seniors Jaylen Marble, Patrick Leslie, Zach Colbert, and junior Clifton Tanner make up the back four in front of senior keeper Kevin Parker. In the attacking end senior Melvin Tamir, senior Josh Vincent, senior Colson Turner, sophomore Andy Meupu, sophomore Ian Lindsey, and freshman Jackson Young all make for a dangerous Packer attack. Pictured: Onesime Meupu & Jaylen Marble
4A #5 seed: Grafton finished the regular season ranked no. 11 in the 757 despite having seven losses. Two of their losses are one goal setbacks to no. 1 Kellam and no. 10 Ocean Lakes (both class 6 schools). The Clippers best results were a draw versus no. 4 Kecoughtan and wins over no. 18 Tabb and no. 12 Smithfield.
Grafton defeated Smithfield 2-0 less than three weeks ago and the two squads will face each other again on May 25th in Smithfield in what should be the best and most competitive match of the 4A quarterfinal round. Pictured: Caleb Lewis
4A #6 seed: Deep Creek (7-9-0) is led by three-sport star and captain Mo Gibson who can play anywhere on the pitch. The Hornets got off to a 5-1-0 start before falling to Southeastern district foes the second half of the season. Pictured: Mo Gibson
4A #7 seed: Warhill (7-8-0) spent a few weeks in the top 20 rankings and will face #10 seed Denbigh (2-11-3) in the first round. If the Lions prevail, they will get another shot at #2 seed Jamestown who defeated them in the regular season. Pictured: Arvin Picardo