SPORTS FOLDEROL

  Briefly told … well, sort of anyway: NOT TO WORRY, hockey fans. All systems remain  “GO” for a 17,500-seat coliseum in Henrico County on  the land where it was scheduled to be part of the $2.4  billion multi-use GreenSpace project … that was  scratched recently when rights holders failed to make the  assigned payments … We’re told there should be an  announcement “within 90 days” that the arena will be  built by a nationally-known company … and “all that  remains is coming up with a league to play in.” …  Ideally, the local minor-league team would be associated  with the Washington Capitals if for no other reason than  proximity … which would seem to limit it to membership  in the ECHL (formerly known as East Coast Hockey  League) … because the Caps already have a solid  working agreement with the Hershey Bears of the  American Hockey League … Then again, it’s too early to  discount anything. By the t...

  Of all things: Thank goodness … North Carolina State signed  WILL WADE  after Virginia also expressed interest  in the McNeese State basketball coach … thereby  saving the Cavaliers from potential embarrassment ...  Obviously, the Wolfpack overlooked – or just didn’t  care about -- Wade’s checkered past that included a  year-long suspension for illegal recruiting. (He was  caught bragging about it on a wire tap by the FBI,  for crying out loud.) … The announcement came on  the eve of McNeese first-round NCAA tournament  game … and Wade apparently made sure he let  everyone know he kept his players appraised with  what was going on … unlike the time he bolted VCU  for Louisiana State … when he told the squad he was  staying then, a few hours later, flew to Baton Rouge  to sign with LSU. (Then again, why not keep his  current group of players informed? Surely Wade will  tale some with him to R...

  Your new-look Richmond Kickers, off to good start  (winning at South Georgia 4-2 in Game 1 of the  2025 USL League One season), reverted to 2024  form in Game 2 … On the road again, the Kickers  dropped a 1-0 decision to the Charlotte  Independence, wasting another first-class  performance from 19 year old goalkeeper  JAMES  SNEDDON  … The only goal came in the 50 th  minute after DARWIN ESPINAL  turned the ball  over near midfield, and Charlotte’s  LUIS  ALVAREZ  sent a long, curling pass that eluded 18  year old defenseman  GRIFFIN BARNETT  …  straight to 5-7 substitute  ANTON SORENSON  who  scored his first goal since joining the Independence a  season ago … When Richmond’s three-times league  MVP  EMELIANO TERZAGHI  skied a penalty  kick about six minutes later, that should have been it  – game, set, match. Instead, the Kickers had the be...

Of all things: It’s a new season … but not the same old Richmond  Kickers of USL League One. A year ago they were  scoring challenged. To put it another way ...  “ they  couldn’t put a  soccer  ball in the ocean” … much less into  a regulation goal with its inviting opening of 192 square  feet.”…   In their 2025 opener, on the road at South  Georgia, your Kickers won 4-2. Who would have  believed it? … By halftime Richmond led 3-2, scoring as  many goals in 45 minutes plus than it did in any one  league game in 2024. In fact, only once did it manage  more than three goals … in a 4-2 decision over the  Maryland Bobcats in a U.S. Open Cup affair …  HAYDEN ANDERSON, CHANDLER O’DWYER and  DAKOTA BARNATHAN scored in the first half. NILS  SIEFERT added the clincher in the 74 th  minute …  MASON TUNBRIDGE scored both goals, the first on a  PK, for the Tormenta and was named league play...

  Briefly told … at least that’s the plan (subject to change): Life has taken some cruel twists and turns for Atlee  High School coach  RALLY AXSELLE  … but now,  here he is, a game away from winning his – not to  mention the Raiders’ – first boys basketball  championship … and, suddenly, it all seems  worthwhile. Win or lose Friday night, Axselle will  have accomplished a lot, more than most of us. For  one thing, in the midst of this living-the-dream  season, he left his day job as middle-school teacher,  to help out at home … where sister  ANNE MARIE  AXSELLE  was coming to the premature end of a  life that could only be described as  INSPIRING . We didn’t have to ask Rally if Friday’s game with  Varina at the Siegel Center in downtown Richmond  will be dedicated to Anne Marie. Come to think of it,  she would have loved just being there. To Anne  Marie, her brother already was a w...

Frankly, I haven’t kept up with Virginia Tech  basketball … so I’m not sure why the Hokies are  having a down season … but one thing is for sure: they made a great choice in signing Churchland High  School’s  SINCERE JONES  for the class of 2025 …  I know, I know … being virtually unstoppable in  high school doesn’t necessarily translate into  undergraduate phenom or, for that matter, four-year  starter. Still, based on what he did Tuesday night,  virtually a one-man gang against Atlee High in the  quarterfinals of the state tournament, Jones qualifies  as the real deal. Against a team that obviously was better (and won  63-54 on its home floor), the 6-7, 200-pound player  his coach calls “distinctly different,” scored 28  points and left Atlee senior  KNOX AXSELLE ,  assigned the unenviable chore of going one on one  defensively with Jones, admitting … “He’s the best  I’ve faced in high schoo...