“We’ve had some good days,” Odums said. “Guys are retaining information. This is the hardest week. That second week — pushing through, challenging themselves physically and mentally. But we’ve got a good spirit about ourselves. A lot of guys have been through this and have an understanding of how to prepare (and are) getting those younger guys up to speed with it. The tough camp is always your first camp. We’re here to schedule, we’re doing things the right way.”

After giving Norfolk State’s first practice a “B” grade last week, Odums said the Spartans are still hovering around that grade this week. He added the Spartans’ energy levels weren’t where they needed to be Tuesday, but execution-wise his team was trending in the right direction.

“There are some ebbs and flows to our energy levels,” Odums said. “That’s what we gotta get out of. We got to be excited. It’s tough during camp, but we got to be excited to be out here with a chance to get better.”

Slight position change for All-MEAC defender

Media members have been permitted to watch the last hour of two practices so far during fall camp. In both practices, redshirt junior linebacker Daylan Long could be seen working with the safeties.

Odums and defensive coordinator Steve Adams confirmed Tuesday that Long will be playing nickel for the Spartans this year.

“This is where he should have probably been at least last year,” Adams said. “But because of necessity, because when his brother (former NSU linebacker Tyler Long) transferred, we had to keep him there. We didn’t have any experienced linebackers because behind there were a bunch of freshmen.”

Long was named to the All-MEAC second team last year as a linebacker, starting 10 games and recording 41 tackles and three sacks. Of the 422 snaps he played on defense last year, 359 came playing in the box, while just 34 came in the slot corner position, according to Pro Football Focus. Long, who transferred to Norfolk State from Miami (Ohio) in 2022, has embraced the position change so far.

“My freshman year (at Miami), I was supposed to play that position anyway,” Long said. “But they needed me at the Will linebacker position. Then when I came here, they needed me at the Will linebacker position, too. So I just did what the team needed me to do. Now I’m doing what I wanted to do.”

Long said his skillset, specifically his speed, has made the transition to playing nickel natural thus far.

“He plays so aggressive,” Adams said. “When he sees that ball, his job is to trigger, and he’s going to trigger, and he’s going to fit fast. He’s just an instinctive player in that way. But then certainly, he can help us in space. … He just plays it at a different speed and he’s feeling really, really comfortable.”

Spartans sport deep linebacker room

Norfolk State’s linebacker room is one of the several position groups benefiting from increased experience in 2024.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Spartans had five linebackers log a total of 1,381 snaps in 2023. This year, Norfolk State returns all but one of those players and adds a few transfers, giving Adams plenty of cause for excitement about his defense.

“We didn’t lose one starter to the transfer portal,” Adams said. “We lost three seniors to graduation and then as a whole team, we lost five. … They’re buying into the process and we’re finally getting the roster and the locker room where it needs to be. In this game, it ain’t so much X’s and O’s, it’s the Jimmy’s and the Joe’s.”

Sophomore AJ Richardson played the most of any linebacker on the roster last year. As a true freshman, he led the team with 69 tackles and 11 tackles for loss, landing him in the top three of the MEAC in both categories. Richardson said he’s feeling confident about his development heading into year two as well as the depth the linebacker room will have this season.

“Experience is the best teacher,” Richardson said. “So with us being experienced, we’re gonna have a lot of guys that’s on the field that have played before and have been in those tough moments and know what to do.”

Richardson was an All-MEAC player last year and also earned FCS Freshman All-American honors. Long said Richardson “exceeded” his role last year and is so talented, he “has no ceiling.”

“He’s developed his body, he’s developed his mind and he’s developed his leadership,” Odums said. “So he’s gotten better in all areas. As long as he keeps doing that, we’re gonna be a good football team.”

Michael Sauls, (757) 803-5774, michael.sauls@virginiamedia.com

An All-American in college at the University of Florida, she enjoyed a 17-year career in the WNBA after college, where she played in 499 games — a record at the time of her retirement — and earned two All-Star selections while being part of the Los Angeles Sparks’ back-to-back championships in 2001 and 2002.

While those awards are impressive, Milton-Jones holds her Olympic gold medals as the best achievements in her career.

“It’s the top, it’s the crème de la crème,” Milton-Jones said. “It’s the top because of everything that it represents. You were the best in the world. You can be a world champion in the WNBA, but you’re still on domestic soil. But to take your talents and to go anywhere in this world and play against whatever country’s best, and you can crown yourself the winner, yeah, it’s always gonna be (at the top).”

Milton-Jones has two Olympic gold medals, one from the 2000 Games in Sydney and another from 2008 in Beijing. She remembers the call telling her she was selected for the national team in 2000 like it was yesterday, saying she felt “a plethora of emotions.

“When you know that you’ve been selected, it’s like Fourth of July fireworks, the coldest chills you could get with the biggest goosebumps,” Milton-Jones said. “It’s a plethora of emotions that you go through knowing that you accomplished something.”

The U.S. women’s national team went 8-0 in the 2000 Games, sweeping its way to a gold medal in dominant fashion. Milton-Jones averaged 4.5 points per game and 2.4 rebounds and shot 51.5% from the field.

Milton-Jones said she and her USA teammates embraced the pressure of competing in the Olympics.

“The pressure was a pleasure,” Milton-Jones said. “No. 1, you knew that you were doing it for your country. Then No. 2, you knew that because you’re doing it for your country, you’re going to have an entire country behind you. And then you look at what our country represents, we are forced within the world of sports. So just in the world, period. So there’s a level of respect that comes with having USA across your chest. Other players from other countries were begging us, and trying to pay us, or exchange Cuban cigars, for our shoes, our jerseys or our clothes. So we knew that we were doing something pretty spectacular.”

Her second appearance at the Olympics didn’t come until 2008 after an injury sidelined her from the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. Milton-Jones had already made the team in 2004, but tore her ACL a month out from Olympic competition. Her return for the 2008 Olympics made the gold medal in Beijing that much sweeter.

“That was probably one of the gloomiest moments in my life,” Milton-Jones said of her injury. “You dedicate all those years of service to making the team, you make it, and now you see the team leave without you and you can’t play. So yeah, huge gap. But within that time frame, there was a huge level of commitment to redeeming myself. And it took a lot of work and it took a lot of fight and grit. And I was able to accomplish that by making the team in 2008. So while 2000 is special because it was the first, 2008 was even more special because of the comeback tour.”

The United States was just as dominant in 2008. Led by legend Lisa Leslie, the Americans went 8-0 en route to beating Australia in the gold medal game for the third consecutive Games in a row. Milton-Jones averaged 2.1 points, 1.3 rebounds and shot 55% from the field in Beijing.

Milton-Jones’ history with the U.S. national team runs deeper than those two Olympic games, though. She was a member of 18 different USA basketball teams from 1994 to 2008 whose combined record was 125-10 and has six gold medals and five international tournament titles to her name.

Representing her country on the world stage numerous times meant “everything” to Milton-Jones.

“I said this a long time ago to some reporters, and I hope I’m not sounding disrespectful to our armed men and women who have served our country, but I felt like I was a soldier,” Milton-Jones said. “But my weapon was a basketball and my skillset. So I had that type of mentality when I went on the court. Instead of me having an AK, I had a clean jump shot or some mean elbows or whatever it was I was able to throw to get the job done. So that was the mentality and it was pride behind that. I wanted to make sure that I kept the honor attached to what we were doing and I kept the respect level that we wanted people to have, or even a healthy dose of fear we wanted the world to have when they saw anything USA coming at them.”

Milton-Jones began coaching with USA Basketball in 2019 and has two gold medals as an assistant coach with the U18 team in the 2022 FIBA Americas Women’s Championship and with the U19 team last year in the FIBA Women’s World Cup. Milton-Jones is still climbing the coaching ranks in the USA Basketball organization and has hopes of being named head coach of the national team in the future.

“Where (a play) could be a one-carat diamond on a high school team, it’s going to be a black diamond on the USA team — it’s going to become something priceless,” Milton-Jones said. “As complex as the game can be, they can simplify things because of their talent level and a high level of thinking that they have and it can open up your playbook as a coach.”

Along with her coaching duties for USA Basketball, she is also a member of the USA National Team Committee in charge of selecting athletes and coaches for USA teams competing in the Olympics, World Cup and other competitions. The selection committee made news recently when WNBA rookie Caitlin Clark was left off the team.

“It was hard and it wasn’t something that was fly-by-night and we just did it in one meeting,” Milton-Jones said. “I can’t even — I need to really count how many Zooms we’ve had over the course of four years. It’s been a lot of work. Flying to Colorado and watching the team, going to the Final Four, watching them in their minicamps. Tuning in to collegiate games and watching Caitlin, watching Angel (Reese) and watching everyone. Having meetings about it, talking to coaches, talking to opponents. Just gathering as much data as we could.”

At the end of the day, Milton-Jones is confident in the team she helped put together and believes they’ll bring home the United States’ eighth straight gold medal.

Michael Sauls, (757) 803-5774, michael.sauls@virginiamedia.com

It’s been almost three months since Boykin took over as the interim head coach for the Pirates after Robert Prunty and the university parted ways in late April. Life’s likely been a whirlwind for Boykin since then, but he said Thursday things have been great.

“We’ve been enjoying it,” Boykin said. “A lot of work. Some early mornings and late nights, but it’s been fun and exciting to kind of be in this position and get this thing rolling.”

Hampton has been selected to finish No. 12 out of 16 teams in the CAA preseason poll. The Pirates had been predicted to finish last in the conference last season before going 5-6 (3-5 CAA) and finishing at No. 11.

Before Prunty departed the program, he said he felt this year’s roster was the best he’d had during his time at Hampton. On Thursday, Boykin, who has been at HU since 2020, agreed with the positive sentiment because of the experience the Pirates are bringing into 2024.

“You got a lot of guys who have played a lot of football for us over these last 2 1/2 years,” Boykin said. “… I really do feel like this is a great, great group of young men who have a lot of football experience and you’re starting to see that come together.”

Burris and Marshall are perfect examples of players on the Hampton roster that come back with lots of experience. Burris, Hampton’s lone All-CAA Preseason honoree, was one of the top running backs in the conference before his season got cut short due to injury. Marshall’s 2023 season also ended early with an injury, but he played 24 games across four seasons for Richmond before arriving at Hampton.

“Everybody just, like Elijah said, has been attacking the field,” Marshall said. “Owning up to everything, taking accountability for everything and taking accountability for their own success and team success. (We’re) really caring about each other and it’s all showing, and it’s all gonna keep showing. We got places to improve on, but throughout the summer camp, we’re gonna get better.”

Boykin recently put the finishing touches on his inaugural coaching staff with the hiring of cornerbacks coach and co-special teams coordinator Darren Jackson last week. That hiring came after Boykin added Howard Feggins as running backs coach and special teams coordinator and Joe Dailey as quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator in June. Boykin also elevated wide receivers coach Bobby Blizzard to offensive coordinator.

“To surround myself with guys with the knowledge they have, the background that they have, to me it’s made my job a little bit easier,” Boykin said. “Because I can bounce some things off of them because they’ve been head coaches, bounce some things off of them because they’ve been coordinators. … I was taught you bring people that know more than you and you can have success. So that’s my biggest thing, is bringing in guys that know more than I do.”

Burris hasn’t had too much time to work with Feggins, but said he’s been a “great” coach since joining Boykin’s staff at Hampton.

“He’s got a lot of knowledge for the game,” Burris said. “In every meeting, he teaches the running backs to stay positive, stay focused and don’t ever get too high or too low. So we attack practice with high energy and make sure we’re doing everything right.”

With Hampton’s season opener against Morgan State a little over a month away, Boykin said the key for the 2024 season will be for the Pirates to reach their capabilities.

“We’ve got to reach our full potential in everything that we do,” Boykin said. “Attack it with that attitude (of) will you fight or will you quit? That’s something that we’ve stressed the whole camp: ‘Will you fight or will you quit?’ If we do those things, if we reach our full potential on and off the field, if we fight or will we quit, if we have that mentality, I think we’ll be OK. Things will take care of itself, but if you go in with that mindset, we’ll have a chance on Saturdays.”

Michael Sauls, (757) 803-5774, michael.sauls@virigniamedia.com

While there may have been some rust to kick off during day one, head coach Dawson Odums said the important thing is the early execution was there.

“They know what they’re doing,” Odums said. “ … I think when you look at it, do your guys know what they’re doing? Did it carry over from the summer? And I can say yes.”

Norfolk State will continue to practice without pads until Friday, when the Spartans will start to wear shells (shoulder pads and helmets), Odums said.

Quarterback update

Quarterback Otto Kuhns was back with the team during Wednesday’s practice after he was temporarily away from the squad in the spring. Odums said Kuhns rejoined the team during summer workouts.

When asked for details about Kuhns’ spring absence, Odums said it “wasn’t really a detailed thing.

“It’s just that, again, our decision-making has got to be better,” Odums said. “And when we make better decisions, better things happen for us. And life lessons take place, but other than that, he was still a part (of the team), but he just wasn’t out here (on the field).”

Kuhns started nine games last season and was named a preseason All-MEAC first-team selection Tuesday at MEAC Media Day. The senior has started 18 games at NSU and threw for 1,244 yards and 12 touchdowns last season.

After regaining his starting spot last fall camp, it appears that Kuhns is in for another quarterback battle this year. Odums didn’t blatantly say it after practice Wednesday, but certainly alluded to it.

“We went 3-8,” Odums said. “And we got a lot of guys that are coming back that played for us. But we got guys that we brought in and we got to see. We got to see if the guys that played for us have gotten better. And we got to see if the guys we brought in deserve an opportunity. And that’s what we’re going to figure out in this camp.”

The media was permitted to watch the last hour of practice Tuesday and, during that time, Kuhns took reps with the second-string offensive unit. Garden City Community College transfer Jalen Daniels took the first-team reps.

Daniels, an Arizona native who started his career as a walk-on at South Carolina, threw for 1,282 yards with nine touchdowns last year at Garden City.

“He’s a football player,” Odums said. “He makes that room competitive and that’s what you want. You want to keep adding pieces to the room that makes that room competitive, but not only make you competitive — make it better. That’s what we feel like we got in adding him to that room.”

New assistant coaches

Norfolk State’s five new assistant coaches began their first call camp on Wednesday. Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jason Phillips, wide receivers coach Tim Smith, offensive line coach Don Nelson, defensive line coach Aaron Tiller and cornerbacks coach Michael Johnson make up the new faces on Odums’ staff.

All but Smith were with the Spartans for their spring game in March.

Offensive lineman Garrison Wheatley, a preseason All-MEAC team honoree, said the addition of Nelson and Phillips to the staff made an immediate impact on the offensive line.

“Nelson has added a certain degree of technique to us and really is just grilling us on technique, technique, technique,” Wheatley said. “I think we’ve gotten better all over and I think we’re working better as a unit. So that way, we are better prepared for what’s up ahead.”

Returning experience inspires confidence

Norfolk State is returning 16 starters and 82 letter winners. That kind of depth and experience is just what the Spartans will need.

“We played with a lot of freshmen last year,” defensive back Terron Mallory said. “Now these guys are sophomores. They got a whole year under their belt, playing against talented teams. Playing against Temple, MEAC opponents and CAA opponents. So we’re going to build on (it) and camp is gonna help as well.”

Grade for the day: B

There’s always room for improvement and that was the case on Wednesday, with Odums giving the Spartans a “B” grade after day one of camp.

“I think from an execution standpoint, guys know where to go,” Odums said. “Our energy and enthusiasm is getting there. It was about a B today; we got to be at an A+. We’ll keep getting better. It’s just day one.”

Wheatley concurred with Odums’ grade for the first practice.

“It wasn’t our best day. It’s the first day, a lot to expect. Don’t know what’s gonna come out. But I feel like it was a good day. I think that’s a good score, a B. Definitely not perfect, but a solid start.”

Michael Sauls, (757) 803-5774, michael.sauls@virginiamedia.com

Representatives from all six teams in the conference — including Norfolk State head coach Dawson Odums, tight end Ikeem Wright and defensive back Devon Allen — all gathered to meet with the media and discuss their outlook on the 2024 football season.

The Spartans finished 3-8 last season, but Odums believes his team is in the right spot after a good spring and summer.

“It went well,” Odums said of Norfolk State’s summer workouts. “Guys got a chance to come in and bond together. We got ahead with install and it makes it kind easier for us that we got a lot of guys that have played coming back. We thought we picked up right where we left off from spring football. (We’re) just jelling as a team and really working on what is it going to take for us to be successful and just trying to hone in on that over the summer.”

After Norfolk State’s spring game in March, Odums said he felt the Spartans were “just a couple guys away” from being in a spot where they could have lots of success. Ahead of fall camp, which opens Wednesday, Odums feels his roster is “on the right path.”

“We’re still trying to put this puzzle together,” Odums said. “… If we can keep guys in our locker room together and we can develop, I think that’s the calling card of what I bring to college football and what my history and my legacy has been about — is developing players. It takes time to develop. We’ve been blessed, we’ve kept a lot of our guys and we’ve went through some things together. Now I think guys can draw from those experiences and I think that’s what’s gonna propel us going forward.”

The Spartans were picked to finish fifth in the MEAC preseason poll for the second year in a row on Tuesday. Odums, along with both Wright and Allen, all said they don’t read too much into the preseason polls.

“It’s challenging, a little bit, but it’s just extra motivation, honestly,” Allen said.

Last season, Allen landed on the All-MEAC second team and was one of the highest-rated FCS corners in the country by Pro Football Focus. The Ocean Lakes High product entered the transfer portal in December, but ultimately decided to return to Norfolk State and went through all of spring practice and summer workouts with the Spartans.

“It feels good to be here to finish what I started,” Allen said. “So it feels good to be back with my brothers.”

Norfolk State had 12 players named to the preseason All-MEAC teams on Tuesday. Quarterback Otto Kuhns, defensive lineman Keshawn Lynch, linebacker AJ Richardson and defensive back Terron Mallory were all first-team picks.

Heading into fall camp, Wright feels like there’s plenty of momentum to be carried from spring ball and fall camp.

“I think we can dominate on both sides of the ball,” Wright said.

Both Allen and Wright are excited to put the pads back on with Norfolk State’s first game of the year just over a month away.

“I’m really excited to get back to football,” Allen said. “Everybody is ready to get back.”

MEAC preseason poll

First-place votes in parentheses

1. North Carolina Central (4)

2. Howard (4)

3. Morgan State (1)

4. South Carolina State (2)

5. Norfolk State (1)

6. Delaware State

MEAC Preseason Players of the Year

Offensive Player of the Year: Jarett Hunter, Howard

Defensive Player of the Year: Kenny Gallop Jr., Howard

Norfolk State’s All-MEAC selections

• QB Otto Kuhns, first-team offense
• DL Keshawn Lynch, first-team defense
• LB AJ Richardson, first-team defense
• DB Terron Mallory, first-team defense
• RB Kevon King, second-team offense
• C Garrison Wheatley, second-team offense
• OL Vincent Byrd Jr., second-team offense
• OL Samuel Eskridge, second-team offense
• LB Daylan Long, second-team defense
• P Noah Tracey, second-team defense
• PK Grandin Willcox, second-team defense
• RS Jaylen White, second-team defense

Michael Sauls, michael.sauls@virginiamedia.com, (757) 803-5774

The Battle for the Real HU will be part of a nationally televised doubleheader Dec. 28. The CBS Sports Classic: HBCU Showcase will feature a game between North Carolina Central at North Carolina A&T at 2 p.m. before Hampton and Howard tip off at about 4.

Both games will be televised on CBS (WTKR-3 in Hampton Roads), streamed live on Paramount+ and played on campus. Hampton will host its game against Howard at the Convocation Center.

“The Hampton-Howard series is one of the great HBCU rivalries in college basketball, with the two teams having faced each other 92 times,” Hampton athletic director Anthony D. Henderson Sr. said in a release “The fans of both teams always look forward to any time our two schools match up, and having CBS take an interest in nationally broadcasting this game on its primary platform to illustrate the passion and competitiveness of the players and fans will allow an unprecedented audience the opportunity to see the excitement and emotion connected to the game and HBCU basketball.”

Hampton played Howard twice last season, splitting the series. The Pirates won the second matchup 63-61 in the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic which was nationally televised on TNT.

The CBS Sports HBCU Showcase is the second piece of scheduling news to be released since first-year head coach Ivan Thomas has taken over for Hampton. In November, Thomas will take the Pirates to the Cayman Islands Classic alongside fellow Hampton Roads schools Norfolk State and Old Dominion.

Michael Sauls, (757) 803-5774, michael.sauls@virginiamedia.com

Virginia strong safety Jonas Sanker landed at No. 39 on EA Sports’ list. The senior is listed with a 92 overall rating.

Sanker is coming off a junior campaign that landed him a first-team All-ACC selection. His 107 tackles last year led Virginia and were No. 4 in the ACC. Sanker was third in the ACC in pass deflections with 11.

Sanker’s rating of 92 overall makes him the highest-rated strong safety in the game.

Top 100 @JonasSanker x @EASPORTSCollege #UVAStrong | #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/Oat9apnNti

— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) July 10, 2024

Virginia Tech cornerback Dorian Strong landed at No. 66 on EA Sports’ top 100. The graduate student is listed as a 91 overall player.

Strong was a third-team All-ACC selection last year and was named to Action Network’s All-American second team. Strong defended 11 passes last season, tying him with Sanker for No. 7 in the ACC.

Strong’s rating of 91 makes him the ninth-highest-ranked cornerback in the game.

Sanker and Strong are the fourth- and eighth-highest-rated players from the ACC in the game, respectively.

Michael Sauls, (757) 803-5774, michael.sauls@virginiamedia.com

Old Dominion’s star linebacker has a rating of 91 in the highly anticipated EA Sports College Football 25, which is scheduled for release on July 19.

EA Sports has slowly teased information about the game in the past few weeks, and on Wednesday it released its Top 100 rated players.

Henderson, a senior, is at No. 50 on the Top 100 list.

Henderson is the only player from the Sun Belt Conference to be ranked in the Top 100. The All-American is also the sixth-highest rated linebacker in the game and the second-highest rated right outside linebacker.

Henderson is coming off a junior campaign in which he put up career numbers. He led the country in tackles per game with 14.2 and was third in tackles for loss per game with 1.6. He finished just one tackle shy of the most in the country with 170 in 12 games. He was also tied for fourth in the country with 19.5 tackles for loss.

Henderson was named to the All-Sun Belt first team for the second time in his career. He has amassed a total of 436 tackles in three seasons.

Michael Sauls, (757) 803-5774, michael.sauls@virginiamedia.com

Skylar Miller, First Colonial, senior midfielder

• The Virginia High School League’s Class 5 Player of the Year and Class 5 Region A Player of the Year
• Scored 17 goals and tallied 14 assists and 48 points
• Signed with Tennessee
• Read more: First Colonial’s Miller twins become 1st to share honor

___

Sydney Miller, First Colonial, senior forward

• Class 5 first team and Class 5 Region A first team
• Scored 17 goals and led First Colonial with 24 assists and 58 points
• Signed with Tennessee
• Read more: First Colonial’s Miller twins become 1st to share honor

___

First-team All-Tidewater

Ava Bourne, First Colonial, junior forward

• Led First Colonial in scoring with 19 goals and was third in points with 46
• Class 5 Region A first team and Class 5 second team

___

Alyssa Chuderewicz, Kellam, senior midfielder

• Finished with 11 goals for the Class 5 state champion Knights
• Class 5 Region A first team and Class 5 first team
• Signed with UNC Wilmington

___

Maria Delyannis, Norfolk Academy, sophomore forward

• Led the Tidewater Conference in scoring with 25 goals while also tallying 22 assists
• Helped Norfolk Academy to VISAA Division I state semifinals
• First-team All-Tidewater Conference
• Sixth in career scoring for Norfolk Academy after only her sophomore season

___

Eva Fields, Lafayette, senior goalie

• Helped lead a dominant Lafayette team to an undefeated regular season
• Anchor of a defense that allowed no goals until the state semifinals
• Tallied 29 saves in the season

___

Emma Hughes, Kecoughtan, senior defender

• Scored 26 goals and had 12 assists
• Peninsula District Player of the Year

___

Maddie Kainer, First Colonial, senior defender

• Key part of a Patriots defense that allowed six goals all year
• Class 5 Region A first team and Class 5 first team
• Finished with three goals and three assists

___

Lexi King, Lafayette, senior forward

• Led the Rams in scoring with 27 goals while adding 11 assists
• Class 3 first team and Class 3 Region A first team
• All-Bay Rivers District first team

___

Makayla Kyle, Granby, senior forward

• Scored 38 goals and recorded four assists
• Class 5 Region B Player of the Year and first-team All-Eastern District

___

Dylan McEntarfer, Kellam, junior midfielder

• Finished with nine goals and seven assists for state championship winners
• Class 5 Region A first team and Class 5 first team
• Committed to Old Dominion

___

Audrey Orrock, Great Bridge, junior forward

• Led the Wildcats with 36 goals
• Class 5 Region A first team
• Committed to James Madison

___

Reagan Thompson, Kellam, sophomore forward/defender

• Lead state champion Knights in scoring with 14 goals
• Class 5 Region A first team and Class 5 first team

___

Belma Tihic, Bethel, junior forward

• Netted 51 goals this season to lead the 757 in scoring and was among the top three in the state
• First-team All-Peninsula District

___

Taylor Walker, Lafayette, junior forward

• Second in scoring for Lafayette with 26 goals and also had 22 assists
• Class 3 Region A Player of the Year and first-team All-Class 3
• First-team All-Bay Rivers District

___

Anna Wise, Kellam, senior goalie

• Anchored a state champion defense that allowed four goals all season
• Recorded 16 shutouts and gave up just one goal in 19 games
• Class 5 Region A first team and Class 5 first team

___

Second team

• Isabella Cobos, Princess Anne, senior forward
• Brianna Curro, Smithfield, senior midfielder/forward
• Katie Dowd, Grassfield, senior midfielder
• Rowan Dull, First Colonial, freshman midfielder/defender
• Keaveny Dull, First Colonial, senior midfielder/defender
• Addy Hennessy, Norfolk Academy, senior forward
• Maddie Leach, Jamestown, sophomore forward
• Kelleigh Longacher, Norfolk Collegiate, senior defender
• Kira Moore, Lafayette, junior defender
• Abby Ostasiewski, Hickory, senior defender
• Brooke Owens, Kellam, junior defender
• Ceci Riggs, Lafayette, junior midfielder
• Avery Spell, Kellam, senior defender
• Alyssa Ware, Menchville, junior midfielder
• Mia Washburn, Cape Henry, freshman forward
• Anna Wiggins, Ocean Lakes, sophomore midfielder

Michael Sauls, 757-803-5774, michael.sauls@virginiamedia.com

Editor’s note

Jamestown’s Maddie Leach was a second-team All-Tidewater Girls soccer selection. She was inadvertently left off the list of second-team selections last week.

This season, the identical twins — both headed to play collegiately at Tennessee — each scored 17 goals and had an equal share in guiding First Colonial back to the Class 5 state final.

It was equally difficult to choose one over the other, with both receiving nominations from opposing coaches in the area. So for the first time in the award’s 30-year history, the All-Tidewater Girls Soccer Player of the Year honor is shared by the Miller twins.

“I’m super-excited and just thankful to be the All-Tidewater Player of the Year,” Sydney Miller said. “It’s kind of satisfying knowing that all the hard work finally is paying off, and also being Co-Player of the Year I feel like is just icing on top of the cake.”

Postseason awards have often gone to one twin or the other, but they’ll end their senior years with an award they can share.

“It’s cool because we work hard together, we do everything together,” Skylar Miller said. “I feel like me just getting something or her just getting something kind of stings a little bit because (of) knowing that the other one didn’t get it when we both worked just as hard for that. So us both getting something just is super-special because we both work extremely hard together.”

The sisters have racked up several accolades in their high school careers. Skylar was recently named the Class 5 Player of the Year, earned her fourth all-state first-team appearance and was selected the Class 5 Region A Player of the Year. Sydney was the Region Player of the Year last year and earned her third all-state first-team honor and fourth all-region first-team honor this year. Both have been named to the All-Tidewater first team during all four years of high school.

First Colonial head coach Joe Tucei’s reaction to the Miller twins being recognized as Co-Players of the Year was short and to the point.

“It’s about time,” he said.

Sydney and Skylar may not have been lights-out scorers this year — though they both had their fair share of goals — but their impact in games was evident.

Both scored 17 goals apiece this season while also keeping their teammates involved in the offense. Sydney led the Patriots with 24 assists and Skylar was right behind her with 14. Together, the twins accounted for 52% of First Colonial’s assists, 37% of its points and 32% of its total scoring.

Tucei felt this year the twins’ biggest improvement was ball distribution while also stepping up into their roles in the locker room and becoming “great” captains.

“Teams would key on them and then they were able to distribute the ball,” Tucei said. “Then, of course, we had players that were able to, obviously, put the ball in the back of the net. They’re versatile, they’re savvy, their soccer IQ is way up there. If they needed to drop in and defend, they would defend. If they needed to go play the flank, they would play the flank. Just the versatility of both of them. Also this year, unlike the rest, they really did well on distributing the ball to other players, getting everybody else involved. That makes a lot of difference because it keeps everybody happy.”

The Miller twins helped get First Colonial back to the Class 5 state title game this year, the third time in their high school career. Although the Patriots lost to Kellam in penalty kicks, Skylar and Sydney said it doesn’t take away from a year that saw First Colonial go 18-1-1 and win a region championship.

“Obviously, I wish we would have won the championship, but I couldn’t have asked for a better team and just a better year,” Sydney Miller said. “It was so fun. I’m so proud of our whole team because we did accomplish a lot.”

First Colonial has had two other players named All-Tidewater Player of the Year, the last being Karleigh Minson in 2021 and 2022. The Miller sisters have solidified themselves as two of the best to come out of the Patriots’ program and hope they leave behind a legacy of hard work and fierce competitiveness.

“The legacy that we’re leaving at FC is huge to me,” Skylar Miller said. “We’re getting a lot of attention, especially from the younger girls soccer players who are DM-ing me on Instagram after games asking for pictures. It’s super-sweet and wholesome knowing that because I used to be that little girl that liked to look up to other people. So being able to be someone like that gives me even more motivation because I know like these younger girls are watching me.”

While this chapter is coming to an end, Skylar’s and Sydney’s soccer careers are just getting started. This fall, the twins will be swapping their Patriot blue for Volunteers orange when they begin playing Division I soccer in the SEC at Tennessee.

“They’re outstanding players,” Tucei said. “I’m gonna miss them (and) the team will miss them.”

Michael Sauls, (757) 803-5774, michael.sauls@virginiamedia.com

All-Tidewater Girls Soccer Players of the Year

2024: Skylar Miller and Sydney Miller, First Colonial

2023: JaShyra Johnson, Kellam

2022: Karleigh Minson, First Colonial

2021: Karleigh Minson, First Colonial

2020: Season canceled (pandemic)

2019: Kaylee Kozlowski, Kellam

2018: Idelys Vazquez, First Colonial

2017: Star White, Maury

2016: Star White, Maury

2015: Darby Moore, Maury

2014: Alani Johnson, Cape Henry

2013: Alani Johnson, Cape Henry

2012: Brittany Krause, Cox

2011: Jessie Klamut, Cox

2010: Jessie Klamut, Cox

2009: Emory Camper, Cox

2008: Brittany Michels, Kellam

2007: Kristen Carden, Cox

2006: Liza Woodward, Cox

2005: Chichi Nweke, Princess Anne

2004: Meredyth Gehrig, Cox

2003: Kristen Furlough, Kellam

2002: Amanda Swiader, Cox

2001: Amanda Swiader, Cox

2000: Mindy Nixon, Princess Anne

1999: Sally Harrison, Kempsville

1998: Amy Caddies, Princess Anne

1997: Lauren Rafal, Kempsville

1996: Angela Hucles, Norfolk Academy

1995: Angela Hucles, Norfolk Academy

1994: Angela Hucles, Norfolk Academy

1993: Amy Rosenbaum, First Colonial