November 2015 Athlete of the Month
Lizzie Whitmarsh, Volleyball
Lizzie Whitmarsh played big time volleyball for the Dragons this season, and she picked up some significant postseason honors for the effort. Monroe’s lead middle hitter, Whitmarsh was named first team All-Conference 28 and first team All-Bull Run District, closing out her senior year on a high note.
October 2015 Athlete of the Month
Malik Mallory, Football
William Monroe started slow in 2015 offensively, so the Dragons made a shift. Malik Mallory was a huge part of the shift, as Monroe went to a power run game that made Mallory the bell cow running back. Mallory helped power the Dragons to their lone two wins on the season over Madison County and Strasburg late in the season, and finished with 1007 rushing yards on the year despite that slow start to the season where he didn’t get many touches. In the second half of the season though, slowing Mallory down was a tall task for Monroe opponents.
September 2015 Athlete of the Month
Austin Crenshaw, Golf
William Monroe faced a tall task trying to repeat as a state team qualifier this year with the graduation of Logan Yates and a tough Region 3A East to navigate. But Austin Crenshaw gave the Dragons a chance when he finished second individually with a 76 at the Conference 28 championships, helping spur Monroe to a second place finish and a spot in the region tournament. Along the way, Crenshaw also earned Bull Run District player of the year honors during September.
August 2015 Athlete of the Month
Yancey Harrison, Golf
William Monroe’s Yancey Harrison put together a rock solid August for the Dragons’ golf team. Harrison twice scored in the top four for William Monroe in wins over Central-Woodstock and Eastern View including a team-low 36 at Greene Hills against Central that helped power Monroe to a 17-stroke victory. With the Dragons looking to make noise again at the state level, Harrison could be a big part of Monroe’s performance this year.
July 2015 Athlete of the Month
Keegan Woolford, Baseball
William Monroe baseball’s Keegan Woolford played his fourth season with Albemarle Post 74’s American Legion squad, and the accomplished catcher led the Post 74 squad to a third-straight Virginia state title.
June 2015 Athlete of the Month
Nic Hayes, Track and field
William Monroe junior Nick Hayes made a major impact for the Dragons at the Group 3A state meet, winning the state high jump title with a leap of six feet, four inches. The leap helped Hayes best a strong field. Hayes’ leap would’ve also won the Group 4A and 5A titles as both champions in those groups won with leaps of 6-04.
May 2015 Athlete of the Month
Alec Yost, Boys Soccer
William Monroe’s boys soccer team had an incredible run that included a Conference 28 championship and senior midfielder Alec Yost is a big reason why the Dragons put together that tremendous campaign. Yost earned first team All-Bull Run and first team All-Conference 28 honors on the year.
April 2015 Athlete of the Month
Leanna Lamb, Softball
William Monroe’s junior first baseman Leanna Lamb is a big reason that the Dragons exploded for a 7-2 record in April. Lamb gave Monroe a steady glove at first base and was electric at the plate, going 14-for-26 during the month, good for a batting average of .538 during that stretch.
She knocked in six RBIs during the month and drew five walks for the Dragons. If Lamb can keep that hot streak going, it’ll go a long way toward propelling Monroe into the postseason.
March 2015 Athlete of the Month
Rachel DeMasters, Girls Soccer
William Monroe’s girls soccer squad entered 2015 looking to build on the squad’s historic 2014 campaign, and a 3-0 start showed the Dragons were picking up right where they left off. DeMasters was a big part of that early spurt, scoring 10 goals and notching six assists in those first three victories in Bull Run District play.
With DeMasters and other key players back and playing solid soccer, 2015 might be just as impressive a campaign for the Dragons.
February 2015 Athlete of the Month
Mark Sizemore, Wrestling
Mark Sizemore put together a tremendous month for William Monroe’s wrestling team, winning the Conference 28 title at 195 pounds to set the stage for a third place finish in the Region 3A East tournament which earned Sizemore a berth in the state tournament.
Sizemore fell in his opening match at the state tournament and was a victim of the abbreviated tournament format that was changed from a double elimination approach to single elimination due to weather concerns. That prevented Sizemore from getting the chance to wrestle back in consolations.
But Sizemore had a tremendous month, one that won’t soon be forgotten as the Dragons continue to build the school’s still young wrestling program.
January 2015 Athlete of the Month
Jeff Early, boys basketball
Whether it’s baseball or basketball, Jeff Early has been a key contributor for William Monroe for years. A testament to that longevity was Early crossing the 1,000-point career mark in January for the Dragons’ boys hoops squad. Early reached the milestone with a 17-point outing against Manassas Park. Early is averaging a double double this year, with 16.6 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, but he’s been filling up the stat sheet in other ways too, with 1.8 blocks and 1.6 steals per game. That’s a tremendous start to his senior campaign, and Early has plenty of basketball left.
December 2014 Athlete of the Month
William Monroe’s Breanna Strother
William Monroe’s girls basketball team lost its top three scorers from the 2013-2014 sesaon, but Breanna Strother has been stepping in to fill the gap and boost the Dragons to a 5-5 record. Strother, a senior, is averaging 10 points per game for Monroe, which goes nicely with her three steals and four boards per outing. That scoring output in the first 10 games includes a 24-point assault she unleashed against Manassas Park during December that paced the Dragons to a 54-17 victory. If Strother can continue her consistency throughout the rest of the season, the Dragons should get better and better as their newer faces settle in.
November 2014 Athlete of the Month
Cody Perkins, football
Cody Perkins was the engine that made the William Monroe football team’s offense hum. The senior tailback rushed for 1,370 yards and 13 touchdowns as part of a tremendous finish to his high school career. In October he broke the Dragons’ career rushing record, leaving his mark for good on the program. In the process, he helped boost the Dragons to a second-straight playoff berth in Region 3A East. Congratulations to Cody on a fine Fall!
