COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Ex-Penn State commit pledges to Hokies
Messiah Mickens, a touted senior running back from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who had committed to Penn State before James Franklin’s firing, changed his pledge to Virginia Tech after the Hokies’ hiring of Franklin. The 5-foot-10, 210-pounder became the first ESPN 300 recruit for Virginia Tech in the Franklin era.
According to Nick Brown, Mickens is the first consensus 4-star running back to commit to the Hokies since eventual NFL player David Wilson in 2009.
UVA, JMU coordinators make Broyles Award list
Virginia defensive coordinator John Rudzinski and James Madison defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler were named two of 63 nominees for the Broyles Award, which annually honors college football’s top assistant coach. Also nominated was Penn State special teams coordinator Justin Lustig, who began his coaching career in 2001 with Christopher Newport’s start-up program.
The Broyles Award was created in 1996, recognizing Frank Broyles’ legacy of selecting and developing great assistants during his hall of fame career as head coach at Arkansas.
HIGH SCHOOL FIELD HOCKEY
Champion Tabb puts six on Class 3 all-state first team
As one might expect from a team that has won 113 consecutive games and five straight state championships, Tabb dominated VHSL Class 3 all-state balloting.
Senior Kira Trader was the Player of the Year for the second time, and Wendy Wilson was the Coach of the Year.
Trader, a four-time first-team all-state honoree and Penn State commit, finished her senior campaign with 42 goals and 56 assists while totaling 118 goals and 148 assists in high school.
Wilson, who has a 426-31 career record, guided a 2025 team that outscored opponents 180-6, setting a VHSL record by averaging 7.82 goals per game. The Tigers finished the year ranked second nationally by MaxPreps.
Tabb’s first-teamers were Trader, senior forward Parker Siegel, sophomore midfielder Kaila Trader (Kira’s sister), junior midfielder Erica Lombardo, junior defender Camden Torry and senior defender Megan Way.
Three York seniors — forward Natalie Moss, defender Carly Cooper and goalie Kamari Harold — made the first team. So did three Poquoson seniors: forward Lucy Carpenter, midfielder Elizabeth Trant and defender Casey Law.
The second team included Tabb senior forward Arushi Raizada, Poquoson senior midfielder Caroline Harper and New Kent junior defender Alivia Snow.
HIGH SCHOOL BOYS SOCCER
Area players take VISAA all-state awards
Numerous players from Hampton Roads earned All-Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association honors.
In Division I, Cape Henry Collegiate’s Graham Campbell made the first team, and Cape Henry’s Noah Hummel, Catholic’s Carson Stokes and Norfolk Academy’s Atharv Deshpande and Trey Hill were on the second team.
In Division II, the first team included Hampton Roads Academy’s Zach Busch, Norfolk Collegiate’s Jude Emerick and Jackson Hall and Atlantic Shores Christian’s Griffin Weaver. The second team included Atlantic Shores’ Connor Kline and SJ Tucker, plus Norfolk Collegiate’s Ethan Perez.
In Division III, Walsingham Academy’s Marshall Perry and Luke Stensland were first-teamers, and Walsingham’s Grant Blossom was a second-teamer.
https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/11/26/former-penn-state-committed-running-back-pledges-to-hokies/
