Tomahawk Creek hammers competition

Lisa Billings/Chesterfield Observer Just a few of the many students who have helped contribute to Tomahawk Creek Middle School's athletic successes include (front row from left) Emma Manis, Tessa Broadwater, Jana Wilmot, Amanda Steinman and Marshall Ellick. Back row: Connor Wingo- Reeves, Alexis Sollars, Danielle Schneider and Nick Coppola.

They came from Swift Creek, Midlothian and Robious middle schools. Many were excited to attend a new school, with its gleaming paint and shiny floors. Others showed up for the first day of school because they had no choice in the matter.

From this melting pot of sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders, the coaches at Tomahawk Creek Middle School somehow built Chesterfield County's dominant middle school athletic program in the school's first year of existence.

"Some of it is luck because in middle school, you never know which kids you're going to have from year to year," said Ryan Marable, a social studies teacher at Tomahawk Creek who serves as the school's athletic director and also coaches boys soccer and basketball. "We've been really blessed to have a lot of talented kids in this area."

Talent doesn't tell the entire story of how the county's newest middle school already has won championships in three of five sports - boys soccer, boys basketball and girls cross country - during the 2008-09 school year.

It's an explanation that overlooks the hours of hard work put in by the school's players and coaches. Neither does it address the sacrifice and selflessness shown by kids who were more interested in team success than individual recognition.

Life doesn’t always work that way, especially when you bring together young people accustomed to being rivals and tell them they have to learn how to be teammates.

“A lot of credit goes to the kids putting aside their egos,” Marable added. “I thought it was going to be more of a concern than it was. There were no prima donnas, and everybody bought into the team system.”

Marable credited Principal Jeff Ellick for assembling a strong staff and taking an interest in the athletic programs from day one. Ellick even attended practices and encouraged the young athletes to represent the school well, setting the tone for excellence on and off the field.

Still, there were a few challenges inherent in launching an athletic program at a brand-new school. The boys soccer team didn’t have goals for the start of tryouts and its uniforms didn’t arrive until two days before the opening game. The cross-country coaches spent hours clearing out brush behind the school so their runners would have a home course on which to train.

Since the games started, the Timberwolves have been on a roll.

The Tomahawk Creek boys soccer team went 11-0-1 during the regular season – the lone blemish a 1-1 tie against Falling Creek – and outscored its opponents 55-4. The Timberwolves also won the county tourna-ment title, beating Davis and Robious before blanking Chester 5-0 in the championship game.

The boys and girls cross-country teams both went undefeated in six regular season meets. The girls finished first at the county championships and the boys placed second.

The boys basketball team lost its opening game to Swift Creek, but won 10 of the next 11 to end the regular season and swept three games in the tournament. The Timberwolves beat Bailey Bridge for the school's third county title.

The girls basketball team also enjoyed a spectacular season, compiling an 11-1 regular season record and reaching the tournament final before falling to Robious.

"I think everybody is happy we're winning a ton for the eighth graders. This is our last year of middle school, and you always want to go out a winner," said Alex Cohan, an eighthgrade soccer and basketball standout who came to Tomahawk Creek from St. Edward- Epiphany Catholic School.

The on-field success also has been a satisfying payoff for many eighth graders who would've preferred to finish middle school with the friends they already had made at their former schools.

Eighth-grader Nick Coppola acknowledged he and his parents discussed the possibility of seeking special permission for him to stay at Swift Creek. Instead, he enrolled at Tomahawk Creek and wound up playing a key role for two championship teams.

"I really didn't know how it was going to work out, but it's been better than I expected it to be," Coppola said. "I've made so many more friends than I would have just staying at Swift Creek with the same people."