A long, strange search for a new head football coach at Lakeland wound up working out fine for the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers thought they had a coach in the spring with Ocala, Fla.’s Thomas Tedder. A few days after Tedder came to the Lakeland campus, he resigned. The next search found Virginia Beach native Glenwood Ferebee.

Ferebee, despite coming into the job with only a couple months to get ready for the season, led Lakeland to wins over King’s Fork and Nansemond River. Lakeland’s 3-7 mark was the same as last season, but it included many close losses with improved, energetic defense and big plays on offense by the Cavs.

At King’s Fork, Joe Jones became the second head coach in the school’s five-year history. Jones, a long-time coach in the area, at Franklin, Smithfield and Windsor, had the Bulldogs in the playoff picture until a loss at Great Bridge dropped KF to 4-5.

In Lakeland’s Suffolk football crown, the Cavaliers blew out their rivals with a 38-13 win over King’s Fork and a 47-12 win over Nansemond River.

Senior running back Cedric Johnson raced for 279 yards and four touchdowns against King’s Fork. Johnson’s night included touchdown runs of 74, 60 and 60 yards. The next Friday night, Johnson put up 211 yards and two touchdowns against the Warriors.

On the field hockey field, there was no rebuilding for Lakeland, only reloading.

Despite losing five seniors, including three who went on to play at Division I colleges, the Lady Cavaliers rolled undefeated through the Southeastern District for their ninth straight regular season title and eighth straight district tournament championship. Lakeland outscored district opponents 68-4 for the season.

Lakeland beat Granby 7-0 in the first round of the Eastern Region Tournament, then lost 3-1 to Princess Anne, coming up one step short of reaching the state tournament. Princess Anne went on to finish as state runners-up to Cox.

Kelsey Smither was Player of the Year in the district and a first team all-region selection. Kendell Combs led the Lady Cavalier offense with 24 goals. Midfielder Kaity Byrum was the lone senior this year for Lakeland, so a decade’s-worth of district championships seems a safe bet looking toward next fall. Combs, Byrum and defender Morgan McCaw were also first team all-region members.

James Madison’s field hockey team was again led by goalkeeper Kelsey Cutchins. The Lakeland graduate was a first-team All-American for a second straight season.

JMU won the CAA Tournament for the third straight year, reached the NCAA Tournament, got to as high as No. 4 in the nation, and finished with an 18-3 record, the best in program history. Cutchins, a junior, led the nation in save percentage and goals against average.

The Suffolk Steelers, Bennett’s Creek Warriors and Nansemond Suffolk Saints all had football teams reach the Mid South Region Pop Warner playoffs and all three local teams got to play their first-round playoff games at home at King’s Fork High School.

The Saturday was in effect a day-long Pop Warner festival, despite the three Suffolk teams losing their contests.

Nansemond-Suffolk’s Isaac Ballou was Player of the Year for the Tidewater Conference’s football season, even though this year, Ballou’s senior year, was the first season he had played football with the Saints since the 2005 season.

Ballou lined up at safety and wide receiver and also was NSA’s main returner on special teams. Ballou scored touchdowns through interceptions, rushing, receiving, punt returns and kick returns for the Saints.

Ballou has committed to play baseball and football at Marshall next year.

Franklin Chatman, who coached basketball at Nansemond River from 2000-04 and won the first three of what is currently seven straight Southeastern District regular season titles for the Warriors, became the head boys basketball coach at Nansemond-Suffolk.

Taking over a team which was 6-17 overall and 1-8 in conference last season, Chatman is already showing positive signs in his brief time in charge of the Saints as NSA is 5-3 through the early part of this season.