PLAYER OF THE YEAR -- James River's Nick Austin is the All-Metro player of the year for the second year in a row. A junior, Austin won his second consecutive season-opening L.C. Bird Tee Off tournament. His 9-hole and 18-hole scoring averages were under par, and he was named the player of the year in the Dominion District. Despite a 79 in the district tournament, he qualified for the region tourney and won by nine strokes. Austin shot 68-72 in the state Group AAA tournament and finished second for the second year in a row. After the school season concluded, he picked up his first International Junior Golf Tour victory (16-19 age group) at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club, then followed that up with a second place in the IJGT at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, Fla. Austin lost in an eight-hole playoff before a gallery that included Vijay Singh.