Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Want to see Virginia teams in NCAA Tournament action? Act quickly, as two of them are No. 16 seeds. Plus, where to watch games in Mount Vernon and Greater Alexandria
March Madness is upon us! Have you filled out your bracket yet? Virginia flavor - James Madison, the No. 16 seed in the East Region, opens play Wednesday. The Dukes, who have not made the NCAA Tournament since 1994, got there by winning the Colonial Athletic Conference Championship Tournament, will play No. 16 seed Long Island University in a first-round game in Dayton at 6:45 p.m. The winner of that game goes on to a matchup with No. 1 seed Indiana on Friday. Virginia Commonwealth, a Final Four team two years ago, enters this year's NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed. The Rams (26-8), who got in with an at-large bid, will play No. 12 seed Akron - winner of the Mid-American Conference Tourney - in the late game (9:45 p.m.) Thursday in Auburn …
Friday, February 15, 2013
Senate Committee Kills ‘Tebow Bill’ on Thursday night, but some Patch readers think proposal should be voted into law.
Virginia's Senate Education and Health Committee shot down a bill Thursday that would have allowed home-schooled students to participate in public schools’ sports teams. Committee members killed House Bill 1442 — also known as the “Tebow bill" — on a 7-8 vote, shelving it for the remainder of this legislative session. But should the bill have reached the full Senate floor? In a Patch blog post, Fairfax County School Board member Ryan McElveen highlighted the defeat of the bill as one of the three most important actions residents could advocate for this session as Richmond pressed on with what he called an "educational extremism." The school board voted to advocate against the proposal, McElveen wrote, "because, in short, the bill would …
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Distance runner Lizzy Sagar will compete in the mile at the Northern Region Championships.
Mount Vernon High School senior Lizzy Sagar gives her all in everything she does, from the classroom to the track. Sagar, a distance runner and the girls indoor track team tri-captain, is aiming to get a new PR in the mile at the Northern Region indoor track championship at Wakefield High School, which starts Saturday. "I want to break 5:30 in the mile," Sagar said. "It's going to be really competitive. Thirteen runners auto-qualified for the mile." Sagar has been a regional qualifier in the 800 and 1000 meter race for the past two years, MVHS track coach Melissa Ferry told Patch. Running is something she shares with her brothers, who ran for the College of William and Mary. Sagar has run indoor and outdoor track for three seasons, and …
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Mount Vernon High School senior girls basketball players and team managers were recognized for their contributions to the team before Tuesday night's home game against Stuart High School. The following senior managers and players were recognized at the game: Senior players: Senior Managers: Subscribe to the Mount Vernon Patch daily newsletter for Majors sports news.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Junior set single-season rushing record in 2012.
Word spread quickly through Mount Vernon High School’s halls and classrooms last November that someone special was looking for Carlton Griffith and had a few words of advice to offer the running back. As the Majors geared up for their final game of the season against Wakefield, Griffith stood on the precipice of shattering a school record. Mount Vernon alumni and current Arizona Cardinals running back Thomas Clayton wanted to personally meet the guy who was about to break his record. What Clayton saw surprised him a little. “He looked at me, and said, ‘you?’ ” Griffith, a junior, said with a laugh. “I’m kind of small so I guess he didn’t expect that. He told me to break [the record], keep my head on straight and [he] said that I’d go far …
Saturday, February 2, 2013
The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers face off in Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday. Here's some information for getting the most out of the game in Mount Vernon and Greater Alexandria.
When the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers meet in Super Bowl 47, several players will be familiar to the Virginia/DC area. The game, of course, is in New Orleans, but the Super Bowl reaches everywhere, including Mount Vernon. Here's all the information you'll need to get the most out of the matchup, including local players to keep an eye on, television schedules and where to watch the game close to home. Look for Torrey Smith, a wide receiver for Baltimore who was born in Colonial Beach and graduated from Stafford High. (See Smith's bio here.) Ahmad Brooks is a 49ers linebacker who attended the University of Virginia, C.D Hylton High School in Woodbridge and Hargrave Military Academy. (See Brooks’ bio here). He was born in Fairfax…
Local high school coaches weigh in with their Super Bowl predictions.
Who will win the Super Bowl, the Baltimore Ravens or the San Francisco 49ers? We turned to two local football coaches for their predictions on Sunday's big game. Mount Vernon High School football coach Barry Wells predicts the 49ers will win on Sunday. "While I would like to see Ray Lewis retire as a Super Bowl champion, I have to side with the 49ers," Coach Wells told Patch in an email. I believe that their defense presents more problems for the Ravens' offense than the Ravens' defense will for the 49ers' offense. And as we all know, defense wins championships! I'm not sure how Flacco will respond to the defensive pressure he will likely face. All that said, I'm an NFC fan and believe the 49ers will win." West Potomac High School football…
Friday, February 1, 2013
Facebook data shows most Northern Virginia users are rooting for the Baltimore Ravens, who are playing the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday's big game.
It's not a surprise that most Facebook users in Northern Virginia and D.C. started the football season solidly supporting the Washington Redskins—even though many people who live here came from someplace else. "While winning seems to matter, NFL teams have local followings that are probably heavily influenced by family ties and/or where a person grew up," according to Facebook, which recently compiled data on Facebook users who are fans of an NFL team on the social network. During the regular season, Redskins fans on Facebook are likely to be friends with fans of the Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants—most of those are geographically close to the D.C. area, Facebook reports. But…
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Consider stopping by a few local bars and restaurants for game day specials during the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl LXVII is right around the corner, and if you don't already have plans to view the most watched television sports program of the year, the local sports bars and restaurants in Mount Vernon and Greater Alexandria have you covered. As expected, multiple restaurants will show the game Sunday night. Some will even have drink specials and deals on one of the most popular food choices for Super Bowl viewing: hot wings. If you and your football-watching crew want to avoid party preparation and the large groups in your own homes, visit some local hot spots and let them do all the work. Here's a short list of bars and restaurants to consider for watching the game: If you're hosting a party at home, Wingstop Alexandria is asking customers …
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Members of the team broke school records, attained personal bests.
The Mount Vernon Majors girls track and field team broke school records and recorded personal bests at the PG Sportsplex during Saturday's Montgomery Invitational. High school track teams from across the D.C. metropolitan area competed in track and field events during the twelfth annual invitational meet. The Majors 4 x 200 meter relay team ran the fastest time by a MVHS relay team in more than a decade, which qualifies the team for a spot in the Northern Region Championships with a rank of 5th place in the region. The squad consists of runners Kaleigh Winner, Alliyah Stevens, Jasmine Hill and Brianna Coleman. MVHS junior Jasmine Hill set a new school record in the 500 meter dash, placing 7th overall to move into first place in the …
Gleb Taran
2:15 am on Sunday, March 24, 2013
It is about tolerance! It is about multi-culturalism! It is about diversity! It is about accepting those different than you! You cannot discard those students who are being home schooled like they are second class citizens. When their parents pay for it, they are entitled to it however they see fit! They can choose to use it all. They can choose to use not of it. They can pick and choose whatever… more ›