LEWISBURG- As we head into the new year, everyone is excited to see what 2024 will bring in the world of sports.
Sports bring communities together and at least for the near future, will always be around, which provides new opportunities each season to break a record, earn a scholarship, or compete for a state title.
I have had the pleasure for the last 18 years of following this area and seeing the local schools and players make new memories in the sports world.
And 2023 may have been the most impressive so far.
Now, I may forget to list a special accomplishment because there were so many and as I get older, unfortunately my memory does as well. However, with that being said, here are some of the top sports moments locally in 2023.
After hoisting a state championship soccer trophy at the end of 2022, Adam Seams led his Spartan basketball team to a top 10 ranking for much of the season before the Spartans were shocked in the sectional tournament against Oak Hill. Still, Seams racked up the postseason awards for both sports, and eventually was named the Gatorade WV soccer player of the year, given to the best soccer player in the entire state.
Cadence Stewart became the second all-time leading scorer in Lady Spartans history with 1,545 career points.
The James Monroe Mavericks, led by coach Matt Sauvage, captured their second consecutive state basketball championship in March of 2023. The Mavericks had a historic couple of seasons thanks in large part to Eli Allen, who was named the Gatorade WV basketball player of the year not long after that second title.
The Mavericks football team also made a nice run in the state tournament before falling to the border rival Greenbrier West Cavaliers in the state semifinals just about a month ago.
Speaking of the Cavaliers, they also brought home a Class A wrestling state championship and Cole Vandall won a title for himself as well with a pin and he secured that team title also. Vandall then quarterbacked this past season’s football team that went undefeated and made it all the way to the state title game before falling to Williamstown. The atmosphere and excitement in Charmco has been at an all-time high lately and it shows no signs of coming back to earth anytime soon.
Greenbrier West also had six girls that made the state tournament in three different sports, a feat that is quite impressive and considering the run that the Cavaliers are on lately, it may not be the last time something like that happens and could even happen again in 2024.
Spartan cross-country runner Neena McClintic has established herself as one of the top young runners in the state. McClintic won the Oak Hill Invitational and had other top finishes against some of the best competition in the state.
Spartan soccer coach Lucas Lemine was named the NFHS WV soccer coach of the year and Matt Sauvage earned the same award for Mavericks basketball.
Dia Sauvage wrapped up her Spartan volleyball career with another all-state season and was named an AVCA third team all-American.
The Lady Spartan softball team came within one game–and one run– of making the state tournament but lost 3-2 to George Washington in eight innings. They finished the year 24-7 and spent much of it in the state rankings.
The Lady Cavaliers softball team did advance to the state tournament as head coach Tony Hinkle and his staff are just reloading the roster at this point. With several key players returning from ’23, this coming year will be just as exciting on the diamond.
The baseball programs at East, West, and James Monroe enjoyed some key moments last year as each look to be even better this spring.
But it wasn’t just the high schoolers that made waves. The Alderson archers went to the NASP Open World Championships in Myrtle Beach, SC and placed 16th out of 40 teams. Over the summer, the Central Greenbrier Little League all-stars made it to the state tournament and came up just short of moving forward, but gave everyone a story to cheer for.
There was more that happened that I’m sure I missed as this was all done from my bad memory. There will be more great things added at the end of this new year. All the schools are trending upward in the sports department. A key role that needs to be mentioned are each school’s middle school programs and coaching. The students are getting a great knowledge of their sport before they even reach their ninth-grade year. That is critical and hopefully continues at the current level.
So, again, as we move forward day-by-day through 2024, let’s see if the historic moments from ’23 can be overtaken. It will be a tough task, but the way things have been going lately, it certainly is not out of the question. In fact, it is most likely to happen.
**NOTE: Please pick up a copy of today’s (Tuesday, Jan. 2) WVDN and see the pictures of some of these sports moments listed above**
