SBS “Homecoming” Cavs Take Down Hampton Christian

Dateline: February 20, 2009, Hampton Christian School

Okay, if you are looking for some excitement… If you want to recapture what it is like to live in a “small town”…. If you want to see some really good small school basketball…. then Hampton Christian High was your destination.

For the fourth time, the boys varsity was the chosen “foil” for a Metro conference opponent’s homecoming, this time at Hampton Christian High. I say we schedule eight homecomings next year because the Cavs finish their homecoming gauntlet with an impressive 3-1 record.

I arrived with a flock of high schoolers as the first quarter was nearing the end and things looked bleak. The faithful band of 60 or so SBS fans were huddled in one corner of the bleachers, ominously quiet as the scoreboard revealed our Cavs were already down 15 points. But things started to turn. I give these boys and their coaches a lot of credit. Basically, any hopes of making the state tournament would be dashed with a loss to Hampton — ranked 12th (the last playoff spot) in the state. The boys kept fighting. Jimmy Tabb started driving to the basket. Brian got his shoulder brace. And we chipped away, cutting the lead down to two at halftime.

(BTW, I liked their “homecoming” halftime festivities. They had any alumni in attendance come out on the court and get an ovation. The the cheerleaders did a very good dance routine with the lights dimmed and spotlights on.)

Back to the game….

Not sure what happened in the third quarter, but I can tell you our band of fans — packed tightly into the far corner of the bleachers — really raised a raucous. I’d say we were outnumbered 6-to-1 but made at least as much, if not more, noise. Maybe it was because we had more highlights in the second half. There was Joel Arcieri stepping up big with some key buckets. Brian Palmer’s trademark slash to the hoop for another two. Wesley Carroll — the quickest guy on the court — playing with four fouls yet managing key buckets and clogging up the middle on defense.

We built a lead and ended up winning by a half dozen. The “Homecoming” Cavs had done it again — the onloy blemish on the homecoming record being a loss at Atlantic Shores, but I’m not sure any team public or private in Hampton Roads could beat Shores.

Breaking Down The Big City
But the real winners were both schools and their fans. In an almost magical way, these basketball games reduce our large network of cities with 1.5 million-plus residents to a small town. It was as if the entire “village” of Hampton Christian had come out to celebrate in their unique way and they invited neighboring rival StoneBridge Village to play. Our region is large enough that it is rare to see someone you meet when you are out and about, shopping at Wal Mart or visiting the mall. But here, I was among family. There’s Mark Keating with is “StoneBridge Swimming” jacket. Jim Arcieri to my left, cheering his son and the team on. The cheerleaders just over my right shoulder. There’s Trey losing his voice to lead the “Stone… what?” cheer. Phil Herring… John Cash… The girls basketball team…. Kellie Unsworth… and my co-color commentator for this game, Greg Akins.

We sat admidst Hampton Christian villagers and had good, friendly discussions about the homecoming… if their star player has received a basketball scholarship…. etc. Truth be told, it’s a village that is still in shock from losing one of its students this year to suicide. I’m sure Hampton Christian Village will still be recovering for some time to come. Hopefully, this Homecoming, surrounded by friends and family and with their good neighbors from StoneBridge Village taking part, helped in that process.