Two former Vidalia High School Football standouts have been named to the All-Decade Team at The Apprentice School in Newport News, Virginia. 

Linebacker Izhia Roundtree (VHS 2010) was named to the All-Decade Defensive 1st Team, while Shakeem Lassiter (VHS 2014) was named a linebacker to The All-Decade Defensive Team as Honorable Mention.

Roundtree began his career with the “Builders” as a running back before moving to the defensive side of the ball and finished his career with 160 tackles in his last two years at linebacker. Playing alongside Defensive Player of the Decade, Brock Bullock making them the most productive LB duo in school history, Roundtree finished his SR season with 91 tackles, including 15 tackles for loss and 4 sacks. He also played in the D3 SR Classic, played in Salem Virginia each year. 

For Roundtree, being named to the All-Decade Team is about hard work and dedication “For me, it shows that someone noticed my hard work and it paid off. And that’s the message I want others to hear, Vidalia produces good athletes, but they also produce good me who work hard. Vidalia and the school system are special, and there are so many people good athletes, have come through that system, they just need a chance.”

Lassiter, who also wrestled for the Apprentice School (62-38 Career), also began his career with the “Builders” on the offensive side of the ball before moving to the defense late in his last three years said being named to the All-Decade Team is a great honor. “Being named to this team is amazing because I began as a tackle on the Offensive Line and then switched to defense for three years and played linebacker. So to have this recognition and know that I am one of the best 30 something defensive players over the past 10 years is special.” 

Vidalia Wrestling Coach Bobby Blount, who coached Lassiter in Football and Wrestling, said that he is very proud of both of the former Indian players “This is why we do what we do. To see these two young men work hard, not only on the field but also in the classroom, is very gratifying. As coaches in Vidalia, we try to pour ourselves into the student-athletes, hoping that they will become successful in life one day. It’s the Vidalia Way; we want everyone to be successful not only in athletics but also in life. I couldn’t be more proud of Shakeem and Izhia; it shows that you can do anything you want with your life if you put in the time and effort.”

Both Roundtree and Lassiter are employed by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company with Roundtree as a Supervisor in New Construction and Lassiter as a Team Leader as a Heavy Metal Fabricator.

Located in Newport News, Virginia, The Apprentice School is a four-or five-year apprenticeship vocational school founded and operated by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company in Newport News in the U.S. state of Virginia. The school trains students for careers in the shipbuilding industry. Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, is the nation’s sole designer, builder, and refueler of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and one of only two shipyards capable of designing and building nuclear-powered submarines. NNS also provides fleet services for naval ships and recently expanded its nuclear and manufacturing expertise into the Department of Energy and alternative energy business ventures.(Courtesy of Vidalia High School)