Today's Sports

The iceman cometh, but not in these parts.

I've gushed previously on the wonderful attributes that adorn life in this area of Virginia.  

Now, I'm griping.

Where's the hockey?

Now, I fully realize that neither the town nor the county of Bedford has the population or the inclination to support pro hockey at any level.

I also understand that the introduction of the sport at the high school level is too pricey a proposition to merit even consideration.

Considering their opponent, the Liberty Minutemen hoopsters didn't appear to be too, er, rusty.  The M-Men came away with a 62-43 win over a visiting crew from Rustburg.

The victory came to the Minutemen in their the first Seminole District game of the season.  The Minutemen, who now stand 2-1, went 1-1 in an earlier tournament held at Broadway.

The tone of the Rustburg game was set early.  Austin Porter dished to Jamaal Preston for an easy bucket.  Rucker Shipp followed up with a  three pointer.

Surprises are rarely neutral:  They can be good or they can be bad.

For Steve Mills, Jefferson Forest's new head coach of the girls team, his early-season surprises clearly fall in the latter category.

Mills found out early in his tenure that he would begin his inaugural campaign absent two of the team's best players from last year.  Guards Cassidy Ratliff and Katie Cousins have opted not to play roundball this season.  Instead, the duo will focus on soccer, a sport in which they have proven acumen.

Liberty's Seminole foes shall be challenged this year to keep up with the Joneses.

That would be Mikalah Jones, the Lady Minutemen's preseason candidate for Seminole Player of the Year consideration.

That would also be Mike Jones, the Liberty head coach, who also happens to be Mikalah's father.

The good news is Jones has nearly everyone back from last year's team, which finished 12-9 overall (5-7 in the Seminole).  The only one not returning is Lauren Morgan, who is focusing on volleyball.