Notebook: Ocean Lakes wins award

Ocean Lakes earned its 15th sportsmanship award from the Virginia High School League on Wednesday.

Ocean Lakes was 1 of 23 state high schools to win the 2011 Claudia Dodson VHSL Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity Award. No other school on this year’s list has won the honor more than 10 times.

The award is given to schools “that have established policies and procedures that make sportsmanship a priority and an expectation within the school and school community,” according to a VHSL press release.

Selection is based on whether a school meets criteria using a self-assessment of 50 points relating to administration, coaches, student-athletes, parents and spectators. A school loses points for player and coach ejections.

Other winners from Hampton Roads this year were Bayside, Deep Creek, First Colonial, Grassfield, Great Bridge, Hickory, Indian River, Landstown, Oscar Smith, Princess Anne, Salem, Tallwood and Western Branch.

First Colonial and Princess Anne won the honor for the 10th time, while Tallwood won its ninth and Great Bridge and Oscar Smith won their eighth.

Previously known as the Wachovia Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity Award, the honor was renamed in 2007 in memory of Claudia Dodson, a VHSL assistant director from 1971-2002. Dodson died in 2007.

Off to College

Western Branch outfielder/pitcher Shane Johnsonbaugh, a rising senior, has committed to Radford. Johnsonbaugh was an All-Southeastern District Honorable Mention pick at outfielder for this past season as a junior.

More on Townsend, Mungin

Sean Townsend became Great Bridge’s new baseball coach this week, replacing Wiley Lee.

Townsend, the son of legendary local AAU and high school coach Marvin “Towny” Townsend, previously served as the Wildcats’ junior varsity coach. He led the JV team to a 128-14 record over eight seasons and says he learned from the best: his father and Lee.

Townsend said his father gave him two pieces of coaching advice.

“He said never take a team you can’t see winning the district, and never follow ‘The Man,’” Townsend said. “I’m violating that second one, I guess. Following coach Lee and trying to fill his shoes is essentially setting myself up for failure, but I’ll find my own way to do it, and that’s probably the way my dad and Coach Lee showed me.”

Meanwhile, Mike Mungin has resigned as Landstown’s baseball coach. Mungin took a promotion within Virginia Beach Schools and will no longer teach or coach.

“It’s been a long run, and it was a tough decision for me,” Mungin said. “What I take the most pride in is the guys who come back and say, ‘You touched my life and I learned more playing baseball for you than I learned in school.’ Sometimes, it wasn’t about baseball. I just felt like the kids needed to learn more about life, and I tried my best to be a good role model.”

For more on Townsend and Mungin, see the story in Thursday’s Pilot and at 757teamz.com. 

- Jami Frankenberry