Keep it up, Suffolkians
Published 9:38 pm Thursday, July 26, 2018
Any town loves to see its native sons and daughters going on and doing great things, and Suffolk has had an embarrassment of riches in this category lately.
Our sports page has been full of them, with Suffolk natives succeeding well on all sorts of post-secondary levels, from collegiate sports to minor-league baseball to the National Football League.
Former Nansemond River High School standout Brandon Lowe has been on a hot streak in Triple-A baseball lately, leading to speculation that he may get called up to the major leagues at any time.
Lowe, who plays for the Durham Bulls, leads all players in the Tampa Bay Rays farm teams with 21 home runs. He recently made the MLB Pipeline Prospect Team of the Week.
Also looking good to move on up soon is Chuck Clark, who is heading into his second season with the Baltimore Ravens. The former King’s Fork High School standout and Southeastern District Defensive Player of the Year made an impression in his first season and is being talked about as a future starter.
At the college level, Holly Kozak was recently recognized by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association for her academic achievements. The former Nansemond-Suffolk Academy graduate earned the honor by maintaining at least a 3.5 grade point average while also having a standout season on the field. She had 27 goals and accounted for 33 points during her junior year.
Ariana Samuel from Nansemond River also is doing good things on the collegiate level. She appeared in 10 games for the Christopher Newport University field hockey team, which went 17-2 and advanced to the NCAA Division III Sweet 16.
And who could forget Sugar Rodgers? She tore up the court in her days on the King’s Fork High School Lady Bulldogs team, kept it going at Georgetown University and now regularly drains three-pointers for the WNBA’s New York Liberty. In a week’s time, she soared two places on the list of all-time three-pointers made for the Liberty.
These athletes and others who have been featured on our sports page lately have truly earned a special place in Suffolk’s heart for their achievements. We could not be more proud, and we look forward to many more good things from them soon.