Offensive guard earns second postseason academic honor

CHARLOTTESVILLE – Virginia senior offensive guard Patrick Slebonick, a North Stafford High School graduate, has been named to the 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference All-Academic Football team, announced by league commissioner John Swofford.

Georgetown vs. Duke
1/30 at 1 p.m.
The Hoyas asserted themselves as a genuine Big East contender with a win on the road against 11th-ranked Pittsburgh, 74-66. Chris Wright scored 27 points, helping to end the Panthers’ eight-game winning streak and a run of 31 unbeaten on their home floor. Duke has staked their claim to the premiere rung of national title hopefuls with a 13-1 start and, more recently, their first true road win at Clemson. The Blue Devils have a trio of high-scoring talent.

It’s still two months until the college basketball season hits its climax. And locally, there are a handful of teams that have legitimate shots at a spot in the NCAA Tournament in March.

With Alabama’s win over Texas last Thursday in the BCS National Championship, college football goes into hibernation for about an eight-month period. The previous four months could be deemed a success for only one local team — Virginia Tech. The Hokies won the Chick-fil-a Bowl in convincing fashion over Tennessee.

Georgetown vs. Connecticut
Saturday 1/9 at noon
With the exception of the Old Dominion stumble, it’s been a fine start for the Hoyas.

Bowl games on New Year’s Day
Friday 1/1
It’s not as extensive as it used to be, but there is still a good list of bowl games that can satisfy even the casual college football fan. The lineup begins at 11 a.m. when Northwestern faces off with Auburn in Tampa. Another match-up between the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference takes place in Orlando at the Capital One Bowl. Penn State, 10-2 on the season, plays the LSU Tigers at 1 p.m. At that same time, Florida State’s Bobby Bowden will lead his Seminoles for the final time as head coach —  culminating a legendary career. To make it a memorable final game, they’ll have to upset West Virginia in the Gator Bowl. Two BCS contests are later in the day. The Rose Bowl pits Ohio State and Oregon, while the Superdome hosts Florid— amid the Urban Meyer drama — and Big East champion Cincinnati.

STAFFORD — The next two weeks are mostly about college football. More specifically, the bowl games. Most are meaningless, but some providing intriguing match-ups. Below are several must-see games, as well as contests with local interest.

Jarrett Parker of Stafford walked to the plate on a sunny Friday evening in California. He was leading off for the University of Virginia baseball team.

STAFFORD — It was a good news and bad news sort of baseball season for Curtis Lazar, a sophomore at the University of Maryland.

STAFFORD — Colonial Forge High School graduate Chris Harpine has former prep teammates playing college baseball with Division I schools such as Virginia, Richmond and William and Mary.

Last spring Jason Kuhn was injured and drove on his own to North Carolina to watch his James Madison University teammates in the Colonial Athletic Association baseball tournament.

BLACKSBURG — Jake Johnson didn’t begin seriously following college football until his sophomore year at Stafford High School in Stafford County.

Billy Barber is a sophomore designated hitter for the University of Richmond baseball team. The Colonial Forge High graduate is also one of the top pitchers for the Spiders.

As his teammates scattered across the country, Jarrett Parker stayed in Charlottesville last summer.

North Carolina’s battle-scarred veterans won the one significant game missing from their resumes, defeating Michigan State 89-72 Monday in the NCAA Tournament championship.

Finally, we have four on the floor for the Motor City.

The Final Four – Who Will Win?

Already, we have witnessed history at the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, an event that has thus far been more about brass knuckles than magic moments.

Jeff Jones, a Colonial Forge High School graduate, has made steady if not spectacular progress during his baseball career at William and Mary.

Dustin Keys said he had nothing to hide. After the season ended, the placekicker for the Virginia Tech Hokies put together a DVD that highlighted his 2008 season for the Atlantic Coast Conference champions.

LYNCHBURG — North Stafford resident Jonathan Nichols, who plays for Lynchburg College, is one for one in the baseball season after two games started and one additional appearance. His current ERA is 6.75 after 10.2 innings pitched.

It is a long way from high school basketball in Northern Virginia to the Atlantic Coast Conference, one of the top Division I leagues in the country.

STAFFORD — April Sinkler had a very impressive freshman season as a track and field athlete at Clemson University in South Carolina.

Chanelle Downing played mostly power forward and center her first two seasons at Coppin State, a Division I school in Baltimore.

It took a medical scare for Damian Rodino to start swimming on a competitive level. And the George Mason University senior from Stafford has made the most of that opportunity.

HARRISONBURG — Heather Lambert and Brittany Wilhelm competed against each other in high school as top track athletes in Stafford County. Now the two not only are freshmen teammates but also roommates at James Madison University in Harrisonburg.

STAFFORD — Joe Pantaleo admits that he loves Goldfish crackers, a small, orange snack that has little nutritional value. Pantaleo, a freshman wrestler at Liberty University in Lynchburg, also admits it can be a challenge to make weight at 125 pounds.

Ken Reightler is a retired astronaut who flew into outer space in 1991 and again in 1998. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and the uncle to Kelly Reightler, a 2008 graduate of North Stafford High School and a freshman swimmer at Navy.

Colonial Forge High School graduate Jerry Neufang is getting ready for his second baseball season at a junior college in Florida.

The University of Georgia baseball team was runner-up in the College World Series in 2008. And despite the loss of several top players to the pro ranks, the Bulldogs are ranked fourth in the country in at least one pre-season poll with the start of the 2009 season just weeks away.