Jeff Capps, in his 10th season as Liberty Christian Academy’s head wrestling coach, led the Bulldogs to their best Virginia Independent Schools state tournament finish in 25 years this winter.

It did not take long for Lance Carter to have a big impact on Amherst’s track program after leaving Appomattox. In just his second year with the Lancers, he took the girls track team from a seventh-place finish at the 2007 Seminole District indoor track meet to a fourth-place finish in the Group AA state meet. That is why Carter was selected as The News & Advance’s all-area girls indoor track coach of the year.

At some point, you have to wonder if Heritage’s Laura Rapp ever stops running. The senior is a standout on the Pioneers’ cross country team, the indoor track team, the outdoor track team and the girls soccer team.

A former All-American decathlete at Liberty University, Brookville’s Ramsey Moore is a master at multi-tasking.

One hundred and ten percent.That’s what Brookville senior Ethan Nixon tried to bring to the table every time he competed for the defending Group AA indoor track and field state champion Bees.

It was a bittersweet season for Brookville girls basketball coach Warner Dyke.

Joyous Tharrington established herself as Brookville’s all-time leading scorer (1,350 points) and rebounder (811) this season — statistics that gave her the slightest edge in selecting her over teammate and best friend Brittany Campbell as The News & Advance All-Area girls basketball player of the year.

LOVINGSTON — It wasn’t the 12 losses in 2006-07 that irked Nelson County boys basketball coach Brandon Garrett. It was the nature of the losses.

LOVINGSTON — Thomas Brown’s rapport with Nelson County teammates T.J. and Trever Martin was built long ago, when the three would visit their grandmother.

Brookville’s swimming coach wasn’t sure what to expect from his girls swimming team coming into the year after losing some key members of last year’s team. After being knocked off by Jefferson Forest at the Seminole District meet, the Bees rebounded to repeat as the Region III champions and that is why Brookville’s Hank Reed was selected as the News & Advance’s girls swimming coach of the year.

Few could have predicted Jefferson Forest freshman Susanna White would break the Group AA state meet record in the 100 breaststroke at George Mason University’s Freedom Aquatic Center in Manassas.

Jefferson Forest second-year swim coach Jann Brown never swam in high school. Her school in Pennsylvania only had a boys team, but she went on to Penn State where she enjoyed a career in synchronized swimming.

Jefferson Forest’s Travis Stauder had zeroed in on a goal for his season. He wanted to break Scott Thacker’s school record in the 100-yard breast stroke. Stauder accomplished that goal and he couldn’t have done it at a better time as set the record at the Group AA state meet. That was just one of the reasons that Stauder was selected the News & Advance’s male Swimmer of the Year.

Appomattox High School football coach Jeremy Haymore, who led the Raiders to an 8-3 record and Region B playoff berth and was selected as The News & Advance all-area coach of the year in his second season, resigned recently for unspecified personal reasons.

Many of the area’s brightest track and field stars came out and shined brightly Friday night at Brookville for the second Lynchburg Elite Invitational. It was run on the newly dedicated John O. Vasvary Track & Field Facility, named for Brookville’s retiring athletic director.

Holy Cross senior shortstop Kaity Harrison and Liberty Christian Academy freshman pitcher Killian Harrison had a little sibling rivalry going on in Thursday’s doubleheader at LCA.

Brookville leadoff batter Kristina Finamore has tremendous speed out of the box, which makes it almost impossible to throw her out when she gets the ball down with a left-handed bunt to the third-base side.

FOREST — Jefferson Forest senior midfielder Timothy Bullock became the first local recruit in several seasons for Liberty University coach Jeff Alder, signing a partial scholarship to play for the Flames’ men’s soccer team starting next fall.

APPOMATTOX — Guarding a half-game lead in the Dogwood District, Appomattox’s baseball team put together its best all-around game of the season in Friday night’s 6-2 victory over second-place William Campbell.

After a month-long search for Scott Abell’s successor, and a whirlwind week of interviews, Amherst High School named Cecil Phillips as its new football coach, a move approved at Thursday night’s school board meeting.

On Thursday night the Amherst County School Board approved Cecil Phillips of King’s Fork High School in Suffolk. Phillips has worked as head football coach at King’s Fork since 2004.

Visiting Jefferson Forest used three extra base hits to power its way past Heritage in a key Seminole Distinct baseball clash on Wednesday.

In soccer, unless you’re the goalkeeper, it’s illegal to touch the ball with your hands in the field of play.

Amherst’s junior LaCear Hubbard has been at the forefront of a resurgent girls track program under second-year coach Lance Carter.

FOREST — With members of Jefferson Forest’s boys soccer team providing continuous Brazilian-style percussion from the bleachers, the Cavaliers’ girls finally found their rhythm late in the first half of Friday night’s showdown with Staunton River.

Virginia Episcopal School goalkeeper Sarah Gencarelli came out of the cage with confidence, the ball cradled in the net of her stick with the Bishops and host E.C. Glass knotted at 13 in overtime.

Pending final approval from the Virginia High School League’s executive committee in early May, both E.C. Glass’s request to be reclassified as a Group AA school and placed in the Seminole District and Staunton River’s appeal to move to the Blue Ridge District will go into effect in the fall of 2009.

NARUNA — In a duel between defending state softball champions, William Campbell came out of its hitting slump and exacted a measure of revenge against Holy Cross with an error-free 3-0 non-district victory Monday at home. 

APPOMATTOX — Runs, of any kind, are precious commodities when the Dogwood District’s softball elites square off.

FOREST — This is the fourth consecutive season Jefferson Forest senior Tyler Johnston has played second fiddle to Josh Ranowsky in the Cavaliers’ boys tennis singles lineup.