Many stars are shining brightly in youth sports

» It’s been a tremendous fall for local athletes in a variety of sports.

It doesn’t seem to matter which sport you want to talk about, these days there is good news to share about Culpeper’s teams and athletes. From the football field to the cross country course and beyond, plenty of area youths are excelling this fall.

Starting with some of the younger athletes in Culpeper, it’s hard to top the accomplishments of the Floyd T. Binns Middle School football team, which finished the season with a 10-0 record. Kudos to the Blackhawks and coach Kemp Pullen for building a powerhouse program that excels year in and year out.

Some other middle school-age kids also turned in tremendous accomplishments in the sport of baseball.  The Culpeper Cardinals recently won the USSSA 13-and-under state tournament, an amazing feat for a team just entering its second year together.

The success doesn’t stop in middle school, though, as it’s been a great fall for local high schools too. Culpeper County High School athletics have rebounded nicely this year, with the golf and volleyball teams taking third in the district and the Blue Devils football team winning three of its past four games. The boys cross country team also finished third in the district and is heading to regionals.

At Eastern View, the field hockey team has qualified for the regional tournament for the second consecutive year. Charlie Bayne has led the boys cross country team to regionals and has a good shot at qualifying for the state meet after finishing second in the district.

We’ve seen in the past few years that high school and youth sports have their ups and downs, but it’s becoming clear from watching these kids compete that hard work will pay off on the athletic fields, and it’s been fantastic following their efforts throughout the season.