Josh Lichty, a 16-year-old from First Tee-Hampton Roads, was named to participate in the PGA Tour Champions’ Pure Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee, which will be held Sept. 19-21 at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill in California.
The tournament, televised on the Golf Channel, pairs 80 First Tee teenagers with pros and business leaders. First Tee-Hampton Roads is a program of the YMCA of South Hampton Roads, featuring a nine-hole course in Virginia Beach.
Lichty, a Kellam High junior who has been part of First Tee for almost a decade, was among the teens chosen based on golf ability, personal growth and commitment to First Tee’s core values.
“We’ve seen Josh grow tremendously, both as a golfer and as a young leader,” Nick Lomauro, Executive Director of First Tee-Hampton Roads, said in a release. “He represents everything this program is about: confidence, integrity and a commitment to giving back. Watching him earn this opportunity is inspiring, and we know he’ll make the most of every moment at Pebble Beach.”
The top 24 juniors will advance to the Sept. 21 final round, and one boy and one girl will be crowned champions.
Karate kids: Three students at Brian Hobson Karate competed in kumite (sparring) in the Pan American Karate Championships in Paraguay, which are sanctioned by Olympic committees.
Troi Harris, 12, won the gold medal in age 12-13 competition in his first time on the team. He attends Spratley Middle School in Hampton.
His sister, Torri Harris, fought in the girls 14-15 division, while Leo Remias — a football player and wrestler for Virginia Beach’s Cox High — competed in the boys 14-15 bracket.
Everybody’s ranked: ESPN’s Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC on X) has come up with a spreadsheet that will show exactly where your favorite college football team is ranked. Entering this weekend, it went from No. 1 (Ohio State, with a 75.5 performance rating) to No. 766 (New England College, minus -70.9). Georgia, Oregon, Mississippi and LSU completed the top five.
No. 44 James Madison, No. 60 Virginia, No. 63 Virginia Tech, No. 70 Liberty and No. 100 Old Dominion are the FBS teams from our Commonwealth.
Others of note: No. 56 Navy, No. 67 Army, No. 87 Air Force, No. 165 Richmond, No. 176 William & Mary, No. 217 Virginia Union, No. 225 Hampton, No. 277 Virginia State, No. 299 Norfolk State, No. 307 VMI, No. 463 Christopher Newport and No. 716 Apprentice.
Hypothetical point spreads quoted by Connelly: No. 6 Penn State by 139 over No. 765 Maine Maritime and No. 7 Oklahoma by 94 over No. 569 Oklahoma Panhandle State.
The ratings will mean more around the end of the season. But we wanted to let you know about it if you’re the sort who likes to track such things.
What’s coming up
Sunday: Christopher Newport has home games in women’s soccer (11 a.m.), field hockey (noon) and men’s soccer (2 p.m.).
Tuesday: It’s a girls volleyball showdown in Virginia Beach with top-ranked Cox visiting second-ranked Kellam at 6 p.m.
Wednesday: In women’s volleyball, Hampton plays host to American at 6 p.m., and Regent plays at Virginia Wesleyan at 7 p.m. … Also at 7 p.m., Virginia Wesleyan visits CNU for a field hockey game.
Friday: Delaware’s women’s volleyball team is at Old Dominion for a 6:30 p.m. match. Meanwhile, William & Mary hosts the women’s volleyball Tribe Invitational, including a Norfolk State-Liberty match at 4 and an East Carolina-W&M clash at 7.
Saturday: Langley Speedway’s card includes Virginia Sprint Cars, Late Model, Super Street, Grand Stock and Super Truck competition. … ODU’s women’s soccer team begins Sun Belt competition at home with a 6 p.m. clash against Appalachian State.
