volume 5, issue 2

T H E C E N T R A L V I R G I N I A S P O R T S A U T H O R I T Y

scrımmageplayVOL 5 . ISSUE 2 :: AUGUST 26, 2013

Alter EgosFour of the area’s best can change the game in the blink of an eyePAGE 7

CHANGE ON THE VOLLEYBALL COURT

FIND THAT SCHOLARSHIP

05 26

W H Y D A S?Because you didn’t get your back-to-school

shopping done before school started. You were too busy getting ready for the season.

Come into DAS and snag anything you need whether its shoes, shirts or shorts for

back-to-school.

www.downtownathletic.com199 Zan Rd Charlottesville, VA 22901

(434) 975-2704

PAPA’S PUZZLEWhen you support us, We support you. Help us complete the puzzle.

Get any large pizza for $13 Coupon code: SPCVILLE13

?x’s and o’sSTAFFBart Isley, Creative DirectorBob Isley, Infrastructure DirectorRyan Yemen, Creative Editor

ON THE COVERLeft to right:Jordan Jefferson, Kent Henry, Greer Martini, Chris Thurtson

MISSION STATEMENTLocal sports are the lifeblood of every community in America, and we’re here to reach beyond the basics and give compelling accounts about Central Virginia athletes to our readers.

CONTACT US4408 Ivy Commons, Charlottesville, VA 22903[ e ] [email protected][ p ] 434-202-0553

t h e c e n t r a l v i r g i n i a s p o r t s a u t h o r i t y

scrımmageplayvol 5 . issue 2 :: august 26, 2013

Alter EgosThe best football players in the area have a super hero ‘problem’page 7

chAngE on ThE vollEybAll courT

gET ThAT scholArship

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DEFINING PLAYER ROLES Trusting the coach to communicate03

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05THE NEXT PHASEMadison and Monticello volleyball make changes after progress

THE JUSTICE LEAGUE Football previews for 2013

YOU CALL YOURSELF A SALESMAN?The collegiate money pitch

Turn it upWestern Albemarle’s Steven Hearn catches a pass against R.E. Lee in an early scrimmage. Hearn should see an expanded role in Western’s potent passing attack and a lot of time as a defensive back again this year. Along with Kent Henry and Nic Drapanas, he’ll have to help guide the Warriors through a treacherous Jefferson District slate. To learn more about each team in Central Virginia flip to page 7 for our annual previews. ✖ (Photo by Bart Isley)PR

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Family

ABOVE » Woodberry Forest head football coach Clint Alexander goes out of his way to outline roles for players, down to what roles scout team players should be playing all week during drills.

Defining player rolesFor coaches, dealing with playing time all comes down to communication.

In our last installment, we talked about how a player should handle a lack of playing time. But if a coach approaches the creation and communication of roles correctly, it can go a long way toward helping eliminate one of the most frustrating parts about coaching — when players complain or stew about playing time and team chemistry starts to erode.

Too often, coaches misunderstand what a player’s feelings about playing time reflect. They assume that a player griping about play-ing time is a me-first, prima donna type who doesn’t get the team.

Often though, that player will change his or her attitude if the coach is communicat-ing what their role is going to be. That starts with a fundamental approach to coaching that ought to be a part of everyone’s process — find

roles for all your players. Every athlete, no mat-ter how fast, strong or smart, should have an explicit understanding of how they can help make a successful season happen.

Once you’ve figured out how everyone can contribute, from the go-to player in the clutch down to who is going to throw a long inbounds pass or morph each week into the opposing team’s best linebacker during practice on the scout team, tell them. Take the time to explain their role. Don’t leave any confusion. Invite dis-cussion of that role and make it a collaborative process.

In high school, my offensive line position coach came to me when I was a senior and explained that he pretty much needed a super-backup. I wasn’t skilled enough at any one posi-tion to start, but I had the ability to learn four different offensive line positions in addition to the tight end role and be the go-to backup at

CornerPRESENTED BY

five different spots. Given that role, I thought it was just fine

not to have to start for a number of reasons. For one, I was the only player who wore two jerseys, an eligible number and an ineligible number, which I still think is pretty slick.

Did I occasionally not play because everyone was healthy and my jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none skillset wasn’t needed? Definitely. But I knew my role and it gave me a sense of purpose and it made me a much better player.

Knowing their role can make all the difference for a high school player. It’s sometimes a challenge for a player not to be the star, but everyone on a team has a role to play, and it’s up to a coach to instill that sense of purpose that can help eradicate any concerns about playing time. That’s how Nick Saban’s Alabama football staff convinces superstar recruits like All-American C.J. Mosley that it’s okay to share a starting job — they lay out the plan and give the player some clear expectations about how they’ll thrive in the role they’ve outlined. Then they stay true to their word.

That’s also a recipe for success as a team, because players united with a sense of shared purpose are going to have a trans-formative experience that sets them up for success in endeavors beyond high school sports. Setting the table with a plan and a role gives players a sense of how to execute in real life. The more clearly they can see the process, the clearer the destination becomes. ✖

Scrimmage Play and Triple C Camp are partnering to cover family issues related to youth and prep sports in our new Family Corner.

Bart Isley,CRE ATIVE DIRECTOR

QuarterFirstThe next phaseTwo vastly improved programs get new coaches By Bart Isley

Madison’s Chandler Gentry will be a key part of helping the transition under a new head coach. (John Berry)

Central Virginia public school volleyball used to be a bit of a three-team show. Albemarle, Western Albemarle and Fluvanna County, in some order, have been the most consistent local winners year-in and year-out in recent memory.

But that started changing the past few years with the ascent of the local Group A schools and Monticello, who’ve all benefited from a deepening local talent pool and solid management from their head coaches. This year though, two of those programs on the rise — Monticello and Madison County — must turn to new head coaches with the tough task of maintaining and continuing the improve-ments of their predecessors. The Mountain-eers and Mustangs have made steady and significant strides over recent years under former respective head coaches Lindsay Von-Herbulis and John Mitchem.

Jackie Hargis takes over for Mitchem as the Mustangs’ new head coach, and she’ll have to re-tool the lineup a bit with the departure of first team All-Jefferson District outside hitter Charlotte Devine. But the cupboard is far from bare. Eight players with varsity experience return, including Lyra Payne as a middle blocker (157 kills in 2012) and Trystam Carr as a defensive special-ist (264 digs in 2012). Grace Simpson and Sydney Mace provide depth on the back line while Kaona Ayers, Abbie Wilson and Zimako Chuks should be factors up front. Throw in promising sophomore setter Allie Perez, who had a 545-assist season as a freshman and the Mustangs have a good nucleus to build around.

Carol Nowakoski was tapped as Madison County’s new coach and she has a lot of familiarity with the program as she’s in her 12th year in the county. She’s also got a lot of firepower back in the lineup that should

ease her transition into the first chair on the Mountaineers’ bench. 2012 Bull Run District player of the year Chandler Gentry, a senior outside hitter, returns to lead the Mountain-eers. The well-rounded senior had 214 kills and 371 digs last season, and is efficient and productive at any position on the floor.

Gentry, a three-sport star, immediately makes Madison one of the team’s to beat in the Bull Run District, but focusing solely on her could be disastrous for opposing teams. Sheridan Santinga, Cassity Lacy and Logan Coates can all make those teams pay for that error. Santinga and Lacy are also strong on the block, with 76 stuffs apiece last year.

All that firepower should help Madison’s offense get going in a big way to start the year and give them a chance to make some serious noise in Division 2. Former Region B opponent Goochland should be waiting somewhere out there in the Division 2 tourna-ment. When they clash could depend on how Madison performs in the Bull Run where only George Mason, another potential Division 2 foe, managed to beat them last season.

Both Hargis and Nowakoski have their work cut out for them as they take the helm, but with the pieces that are still in place, 2013 could be another step in the right direction for each of their programs. ✖

go online »For more volleyball head to our web-site at: www.scrimmageplay.com.

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{ KILLERS }New coaches at Monticello and Madison have some firepower to work with. Kill leaders returning for Madison and Monticello

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CHANDLER GENTRY

LYRA PAYNE

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103KIONA AYRES

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The next phase

BELOW » Gene Ware (middle) worked at the youth level and will be greatly missed after he devot-ed his life to making playing football possible for so many. (Central Virginia Pop Warner)

Community UpdatePassing of longtime coach leaves big void By Bart Isley

Every successful youth football program has a Gene Ware. Otherwise, they just can’t be successful.

“He held every position and role in our league, and there was not a Sunday during football season where you could not find him on a football field where one of our teams were playing,” wrote Leslie Roberts, president of Central Virginia Pop Warner (CVPW) on the league’s website.

Ware, a longtime youth football coach and the founder and past president of CVPW, passed away earlier this year. Ware had a major hand in the progression and develop-ment of youth football in Central Virginia. He drove the creation of the current incarnation of the CVPW league that is the home for many youth football players across the area.

“Coach Ware” helped spearhead the league’s commitment to giving every inter-ested player a chance to participate, as well as pushing for character development being a critical part of the league’s mission. CVPW has produced several nationally and regionally recognized scholar-athletes.

Just making the trains run on time in a local youth football league is a challenge, and Ware had a hand in every aspect of operations over the years, helping do everything from securing water for teams to drink during time-outs to securing sponsorships that helped the league and teams operate. He earned the respect of coaches and administrators throughout the area with his tireless efforts, and he gave Central Virginia a solid founda-tion to build upon in the youth football scene.

Many former current high school players including the area’s all-time passing leader Chad Byers, have been directly influenced by Ware as players for his squad. Even more have been indirectly influenced by playing in the league he helped create. While future players won’t get a chance to learn the game under Ware, his impact on the local game will be felt for years.

CVPW has set up a Gene Ware Scholarship fund in Ware’s memory. To donate to the fund, send checks to P.O. Box 8251, Charlottesville, VA 22906. Checks can be made out to the Gene Ware Scholarship fund. ✖

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THE JUSTICE LEAGUE

NO MATTER WHAT FORM IT COMES IN,

game breaking ability can look a lot like

a superpower. Whether it’s strength,

speed, a nose for the ball or locomotive

power, the best football players use their

given power to change the course of the

game.

Need a stop? A touchdown? An

interception? A clutch pass? These are

your guys — Woodberry linebacker Greer

Martini, Charlottesville running back

Chris Thurston, Goochland defensive

back Jordan Jefferson and Western

Albemarle quarterback Kent Henry. Four

of the area’s best at their positions. The

best at their respective strengths.

And four huge reasons why 2013 is

shaping up to be of the most intriguing

and exciting in Central Virginia history.


STORIES BY BART ISLEY AND RYAN YEMEN

PORTRAITS BY JOHN BERRYTHE JUSTICE LEAGUE2013 FOOTBALL PREVIEW

Patriots to lean on seniorsWith Mike Alley entering his fourth season at Albe-marle, there’s finally some luxuries to look forward to. So much is made about the Patriots moving into the Jefferson District and the lightened travel schedule, but that’s only a fringe benefit. Having 18 seniors returning on the roster, that’s the biggest reason for Albemarle to expect improvement.

This is the first true senior class under Alley’s watch with most of it returning on the offensive and defensive lines. In years past, Albemarle’s had skill position players to make a difference, Nico Troche and A.J Willy being prime examples last year. They’ll be relying on their line to develop those skill position players this year. Ryan Lon-dree’s size will be important for a line that doesn’t boast a lot of weight.

At quarterback, senior Jordan Shelton and D.G. Archer will split time with Peyton Alley gone. Shel-ton brings more size and experience to the position. Archer, the younger brother of former Albemarle and William and Mary standout R.J. Archer, brings great athleticism but is still very young. Albemarle has juggled quarterbacks in the recent past but this time it will be to allow Shelton to take plenty of snaps on the other side of the ball at linebacker and also to help

limit the wear and tear on Archer.Senior receivers Drake Bryant and Matt Crist

are both speedy receivers that work well in space. Senior Dominique Talley will carry the load at run-ning back and his work on special teams should play a big factor in field position too. The backfield is bolstered by newcomer JT Shorten, a transfer out of North Carolina.

On the defensive side, Bryant, Shelton, Bran-dong Haney and Kevin Bernardino lead an experi-enced group of linebackers. On the defensive line, Londree’s size and athleticism is a real problem, and with the emmergence of Nemo Lesesane at tackle and return of Nick Lawson on the edge, the Patriots should be able to get penetration. Crist and Andrew Hogg will help out in the secondary.

With this large group of seniors, if Albemarle gets out of the gate in good shape it could be in position to play spoiler here and there to the pre-sumed favorites in the JD from last year in West-ern, Monticello and Charlottesville. Should the Patriots qualify for the playoffs though, they will branch off to play Division 5 opponents making the early matchups with Massaponax, Stafford and Patrick Henry a big help. ✖

Black Knights plan to kill with speedCharlottesville’s record last season was a bit deceptive going into October. The Black Knights were far more competitive than most realized after a slow start, but a 1-point loss to Western Albemarle in an absolute barnburner proved that this was a program on the rise.

Wins over Monticello and Louisa County in Jef-ferson District play were the proof with the desired result. In the end, Charlottesville qualified for the Region II playoffs in coach Eric Sherry’s second season. Now the fun really begins.

There’s no question that losing Rashard Davis at quarterback hurts, but his graduation is slighty offset by the addition of former Blue Ridge stand-out Leon Straus as he brings height and athleticism to the position. Charlottesville’s speed on offense was it’s strength last year and it’ll be no different again. The Black Knights have weapons that oppos-ing defenses have to contain inside. Chris Thurston is a wrecking ball with wheels at running back, and Rashad Brock’s speed only adds to the depth at the position. The Black Knights will miss Darius Watson’s size and jump-ball ability at wide receiver but have Isaiah Green returning and newcomer Olle

Berggen to count on instead. Up front on the line, decorated center Wade Kammauff returns for his senior year at center and will get help from Jerimiah Jordan and Will White, a mauling guard.

Defensively the Black Knights will have to improve to increase their win total, but they have skill and experience in the secondary. Between Brock, Thurston and Nick Epps, Charlottesville has all the speed it could ask for. Troy Hughes’ size will be key on the defensive line, as too will be Kam-mauff’s gritty play. In the middle, Larry Anderson will anchor at linebacker and Jacque Howard will make the jump up from junior varisty last year to help bolster the unit. Throw in the versatile Robert Spivey and the stage is set for major improvement.

With so much speed and athleticism back in the lineup, the Black Knights have a deadly look to them in preseason. This team is going to put points on the board and do it with big plays. Its development defensively will decide whether this group, now in Division 4, is headed for the playoffs again, or can make a potential run in the playoffs. One thing is certain though, few teams will be more athletic or more entertaining to watch. ✖

JEFFERSON DISTRICT, 2012 RECORD: 1-9


9/6 vs. Massaponax9/13 @ Stafford9/20 vs. Patrick Henry9/27 @ Fluvanna County10/4 vs. Western Albemarle10/11 @ Powhatan10/18 vs. Charlottesville10/25 @ Monticello11/1 vs. Louisa County11/8 @ Orange County

8/30 @ Eastern View9/6 @ Culpeper9/20 @ William Monroe9/27 vs. Louisa County10/4 @ Monticello10/11 vs. Orange County10/18 @ Albemarle10/25 vs. Western Albemarle11/1 @ Fluvanna County11/8 vs. Powhatan

WHO’S GONE: NICO TROCHE (RB), A.J. WILLY (WR), PEYTON ALLEY (QB)

WHO’S BACK: RYAN LONDREE (OL/DL, PIC-TURED BELOW), DOMINIQUE TALLEY (RB), JORDAN SHELTON (QB/LB), D.G. ARCHER (QB), MATT CRIST (WR/DB), DRAKE BRYANT (RB/LB), KEVIN BERNARDINO (LB)

WHO’S NEW: NEMO LESESANE (DT), JT SHORTEN (RB/LB)

WHO’S GONE: RASHARD DAVIS (QB), DARIUS WATSON (WR), GARY NELSON, (DL)

WHO’S BACK: RASHAD BROCK (RB, PICTURED BELOW), WADE KAMMAUFF (OL/DL), CHRIS THURSTON (RB/DB), WILL WHITE (OL), LARRY ANDERSON (LB)

WHO’S NEW: LEON STRAUS (QB), OLLE BERGGEN (WR/DB), JACQUE HOWARD (LB)

9 :: @scrimmageplay

A L B E M A R L E PATRIOTS

C H A R L O T T E S V I L L E BLACK KNIGHTS

CHARLOTTESVILLE’S CHRIS THURSTON IS A BIT OF AN ENIGMA. AS HE DARTS THROUGH THE LINE, HE LOOKS, MOVES AND SHIFTS LIKE A SPEED BACK. THEN SOME LINEBACKER TRIES TO LAY A HIT ON THE 5-FOOT-8, 175-POUND TAILBACK AND THAT DEFENDER BOUNCES OFF THURSTON LIKE HE’S A BRUISING FULLBACK.

Make no mistake — Thurston is a big bruising power back wrapped neatly in a speed package.

“That’s what I love,” Thurston said. “Just let people look me and think ‘oh he just runs fast.’ But I pack a heavy truckload behind that speed.”

Thurston can drop his shoulder in short yardage situations when he’s not moving as fast and pick up a tough first down. But when his technically proficient, disciplined offensive line gives him a crease and he gets up to top speed? His momentum can become, essentially, irresistible. Safeties trying to make game-saving touchdown tackles don’t stand much of a chance, because they’re not going to get a solid hit on Thurston. He just runs too hard and with any open space, he’s just too fast.

He rushed for 1,367 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior and helped vault the Black Knights into the playoffs for the first time in a decade. He could potentially shoulder even more of the load this year, and that shouldn’t be much of a problem considering his history as a multi-faceted standout. Thurston has been grinding since he first set foot on the field as a freshman.

Thurston showed immense promise as a freshman, where he played a variety of roles for the Black Knights. From kick returner to defensive back to running back, Thurston was a jack-of-all-trades for the Black Knights. That’s one of many reasons why he’s such a balanced runner now. He’s had to use his speed and power in a variety of ways, sharpening his skills in the process. Turning himself into that difficult to slow down combination of force and speed.

That well-developed skill set could make 2013 a huge season for the Black Knights’ enigma. ✖

CHRIS THURSTONCHARLOTTESVILLE, SENIOR


A C A D E M I C E D G ES P O N S O R E D B Y H A R G R A V E M I L I T A R Y A C A D E M Y

1-800-432-2480 | WWW.HARGRAVE.EDU

ALBEMARLE’S SARAH WOODS

I M P R O V E D G R A D E S / 9 9 % C O L L E G E A C C E P T A N C E

F I N D U S O N F A C E B O O K

The Academic Edge is selected by Scrimmage Play’s staff with the consultation of coaches and athletic directors. To nominate an athlete email [email protected]

When Sarah Woods explodes toward the top of net, more often than any player on a loaded Albemarle High roster, she finishes.

She led the Patriots’ Commonwealth District championship squad with a .388 hitting percentage, .145 better than the next closest hitter. She also led Albemarle with 68 blocks, good for the third best season in the storied program’s history. Head coach Mark Ragland calls her the most strategic hitter on the squad.

She finishes in the classroom too where she currently sports a GPA north of 4.5 in the Math, Engineering and Science Academy program. She’s also a member of the Math, Science, English and National honors societies.

Woods plans to go pre-med in college with aspirations to attend UVa or William and Mary next fall. If her volleyball career is any indication, she’ll make good on that plan or something equally impressive.

ABOUT HARGRAVE MILITARY ACADEMY

Hargrave believes individual achievement is a gamechanger for all students, both on and off the field. With a college accep-tance rate over 99% and a heavy emphasis on academics, your son will have competitive advantages ahead of his peers includ-ing leadership and character development.

Flucos search to build on 2012Fluvanna County made some significant

progress near the end of 2012 with the Flucos spoiling rival Louisa County’s homecoming. And with an offensive line basically back in full and coach Jason Barnett switching over from running the defense to taking the reigns at offense, this team will install every package you can imagine to try and score points in 2013.

With Josh Weaton, Brendan Goode, Geoff Goodwin and Chris Moody back on the offensive line to go with newcomers Zach Pace and J.R. Fitz, the Flucos have a great foundation to build on. Add that to Lane Kadlec’s ability to block and catch at tight end and the front line is clearly the strength for this program.

Gavin Patrick and Mark Grooms will fight for snaps at quarterback, but Jesse VanDyke and Alex Turley’s production at receiver will aid both in their development with the departure of Jalen Harrison. Taquan Lewis adds depth at wide out but the Flucos will need to find a replacement for the rushing that Dashon Tibbs and Jovan Burton provided last year.

Don’t underestimate Barnett’s mind as he moves over to the offense. In years past running

the defense, Barnett was renowned for throwing out the playbook and putting together new looks to catch opposing teams off guard.

On defense, Deiondre Key was a disruptive force at nose tackle last year and is only better this season. With Jesse Lokits and Marcus Jack-son at linebacker the Flucos will look to control the run while VanDyke and Turley will help out in the secondary to control some of the pass happy teams in the Jefferson District.

Last year the Flucos had a daunting sched-ule in out-of-district play between Buckingham County, Goochland and Kettle Run. A much more favorable start should allow the coaching adjust-ments and personnel on offense a chance to build some confidence before the Flucos open up JD play with Albemarle. With a bigger and stronger offensive and defensive line, the little things should be far easier for this team than in the past. However, the loss of its great skill position players from last year remains the big hurdle. More often than not, solid play inside leads to production outside, but that’s the challenge this team faces as it looks to put together a winning season and compete for a playoff spot. ✖

Lions point to young talentWhether it was Zack Jackson, Andre Mealy or Anthony Hunter, there were plenty of recently graduated Louisa Lions in the weight room this summer working out occasionally with the cur-rent edition of the Lions.

They’re there, in part, to give their younger counterparts a blueprint for what it takes to be successful in one of the area’s most formidable, demanding programs.

After a 4-6 season, the graduation of the squad’s most dynamic offensive weapon in Jackson, and a shift in coaching responsibilities, the current Lions need that blueprint more than they have in awhile.

Head coach Jon Meeks is shifting back to calling the defense after a two-year experiment handling the offense. He’ll turn the offense over to Will Patrick, a Louisa product who played his college ball at James Madison.

Finding a replacement for Jackson is prior-ity one and Trey Cherry, based on scrimmages, appears to be the guy. Deion Johnson, who is Loui-sa football’s version of a Swiss Army knife, hauled in 400 yards through the air in just eight games last year and can also pick up yards on the ground.

He’s the squad’s top returning defensive back too. Markel Groomes and Cherry are also versatile, dynamic presences in the backfield, where both showed flashes of brilliance last season. Groomes, in particular, seems due for a breakout season in 2013 as he’s now two years removed from a major knee injury. They’ll need those playmakers to play big time as they try and replace offensive lineman Joseph Vaughn, a first team All-Jefferson District selection as a junior.

On defense, Johnson will play a critical role in the secondary. There’s also R.J. Jackson on the defensive front, a first team All-Jefferson District honoree as a junior who gives the Lions someone to build around in the front seven. Jackson has also performed well enough in the offseason to merit consideration for time on the other side of the ball. Sophomores Cooper Yancey and Javon Jackson, who are basketball standouts, could see time at a variety of spots while Deon Jackson, Mealy’s younger brother, has blown away previous weight room records for freshmen.

Experience and fresh talent? Now that sounds like a blueprint for success in Louisa. ✖


8/30 vs. William Flemming9/6 @ Spotsylvania9/20 vs. Culpeper9/27 vs. Albemarle10/4 @ Orange County10/11 vs Monticello10/18 @ Louisa County10/25 @ Powhatan11/1 vs. Charlottesville11/8 @ Western Albemarle

8/30 @ Spotsylvania9/13 vs. Courtland9/20 @ King George9/27 @ Charlottesville10/4 vs. Powhatan10/11 @ Western Albemarle10/18 vs. Fluvanna County10/25 vs. Orange County11/1 @ Albemarle11/8 vs. Monticello


WHO’S GONE: ZACK JACKSON (QB/DB), RAHEEM JOHNSON (WR), JOSEPH VAUGHN (RB/LB)

WHO’S BACK: DEION JOHNSON (RB/DB, PIC-TURED BELOW), MARKEL GROOMES (RB/DB), TREY CHERRY (QB/DB), R.J. JACKSON (OL/DL)

WHO’S NEW: COOPER YANCEY (ATH), JAVON JACKSON (ATH), DEON JACKSON (RB/LB)

WHO’S GONE: JOVAN BURTON (RB), JALEN HARRISON (WR), DASHON TIBBS (QB)

WHO’S BACK: ALEC TURLEY (WR/DB, PICTURED BELOW), JESSE VAN DYKE (WR/DB) JOSH WHEA-TON (OL), GEOFF GOODWIN (OL), CHRIS MOODY (OL), DEIONDRE KEY (DL), LANE KADLEC (TE)

WHO’S NEW: DONNY WILSON (LB), GAVIN PATRICK (QB), MARK GROOMS (QB)


F L U V A N N A C O U N T Y FLYIN’ FLUCOS

L O U I S A C O U N T YLIONS

Success Story: John DorseyGetting knocked down and getting

back up is one of the great signs of success. A Fork Union graduate in 1980, John Dorsey went on to start at linebacker at Connecticut before becoming a fourth round pick by the Green Bay Packers in the 1984 NFL Draft. However, a freak injury to his knee while warming up for the Packers’ season opener in 1989 ended his playing days well short of where they should have been.

Dorsey stayed on his path to have a career in the NFL though. He started anew as a college scout for the Packers and within six years was the head of the department. In 1999 he took the job as Director of Player Personnel for the Seattle Seahawks. A year later he returned to his old post at Green Bay. It was Dorsey who played an instrumental role in landing future star quarterback

Aaron Rodgers with the 24th pick in the 2005 draft. Dorsey built a name for himself by helping on that selec-tion and other notable picks such as Greg Jennings out of Western Michigan, B.J. Raji out of Boston College and USC’s Clay Mathews.

This winter, Dorsey reunited with Andy Reid who he worked with when he first got started in Green Bay. Dorsey was named the just the sixth General Manager in Kansas City Cheifs history with Reid getting tabbed as the head coach. Together the two made a splash in the 2013 draft as the Chiefs made Central Michigan tackle Eric Fisher the first overall choice.

It’s been a long road for Dorsey since his time at Fork Union, but through persistence and hard work, his NFL career is still thriving almost 30 years after it began.

Fork Union Military Academy is the leading Christian military boarding school for boys in grades 6 - 12 and PG.

www.forkunion.com — 1-800-GO-2-FUMA

Success stories begin here.

Woody era begins for MustangsIt’s a new era at Monticello both from a philosophy and personnel standpoint. After leading his alma mater Brookville to back-to-back state champion-ships, Jeff Woody takes over for Rodney Redd at coach.

Woody inherits a team that’s made it to the playoffs three straight years, but is retooling at a couple of different positions. With the roster turn-over and the new offensive mindset that Woody brings with him, this will be a different looking Mustangs squad in many ways.

Monticello has to find replacements for Sam Marshall and Austin Mays on the offensive line. If they do, it should be business as usual for the Mustangs’ running game which churns out top-tier rushers with ease seemingly every year. The addi-tion of Kyree Koonce will lighten the work load for T.J. Tillery who can focus on defense and being the team’s H-back or slot type runner. The combination of the two on the field is problematic for defenses as both are powerful backs with game breaking speed. Darian Bates only adds more depth, and between those three, Monticello can push their speed out in motion to become receiving threats. That’s something Woody did a lot of at Brookville.

With Jhalil Mosley graduated, James St. Hill takes over at quarterback and his athletic skill set will play perfectly into Woody’s scheme which incorporates a lot of running out of the pistol. St. Hill has Alex McNair, Zach DiGregorio and Josh Malm as receiving targets, and between himself, Tillery and Koonce in the backfield, should have a chance to exploit an overloaded tackle box. McNair’s size is a problem for defensive backs.

Defensively the Mustangs will need to develop at cornerback and linebacker, but there are pieces to work with up front on the defensive line and with Tillery playing safety, this unit has a great chance to improve upon last year.

Special teams should again be a difference maker as it was last year. In Koonce the Mustangs have the perfect kickoff specialist to replace Den-zel Terry’s production. Malm was the area’s most effective and accurate kicker 2012.

Schematically, the Mustangs are going to catch teams off guard, and with their run game will be able to establish control offensively. If St. Hill thrives in the passing game and the defense takes a step forward, it’s going to be the same old Monti-cello, no matter how different it might look. ✖

Hornets back with familiar rivalsOrange County has been in what amounts to football Siberia the last two years. The Hornets have endured a brutal Commonwealth District schedule in a move up to Group AAA that Orange clearly wasn’t prepared or properly stocked with athletes for.

But now the Hornets are re-entering many in the area’s consciousness with a move back into the Jeffer-son District (though they would compete in Division 5 in the playoffs if they qualify). They’ll have a complete-ly new look too as former collegiate assistant Keita Malloy, most recently of Old Dominion, takes over the program from longtime sideline fixture John Kaya-janian. Malloy is known as a high energy, emotional sideline presence, and that could be just the injection of enthusiasm that the program needs. Malloy’s arrival signals a new beginning for the Hornets as they try and reverse two years of one-win football for a program with a proud, distinguished heritage.

In a Jefferson District packed with offensive standouts, the Hornets will have to score points to keep pace and they have several key pieces in place to make that happen from the opening kick. Isaiah Ferguson is one of the area’s most underrated weapons as the safety/return specialist/running

back/slot receiver has gone largely unnoticed as the Hornets dropped game after game. Now a senior, he’s got the talent to be a game-changing force for the Hornets as they open a new chapter.

Damian Clark has the potential to do much of the same damage as Ferguson. The slot wideout has good route running discipline, quickness and a strong rapport with quarterback Garret Johnson, another key part of the equation for the Hornets. Johnson was thrown into the fire as a freshman and then got a chance to run the show for the most part as a sophomore. An 11 for 12 outing with three touchdowns against Culpeper showed that Johnson has the mind and accuracy, but he’ll need more strong outings like that in order to turn the tide for Orange.

Defensively, Ferguson is a rock solid backline defender. The rest of the unit will be something of a work in progress as the Hornets try and find a group that can stop the bleeding from 2012 — Orange sur-rendered more than 45 points per game last season.

With a new start and a set of opponents familiar to, at the very least, Hornets’ fans, Orange is clearly looking to build some fresh new momentum, and they’ve got some pieces in place to jumpstart it. ✖


9/6 vs. George Wythe9/13 vs. Fork Union9/20 @ Turner Ashby9/27 @ Powhatan10/4 vs. Charlottesville10/11 @ Fluvanna County10/18 vs. Western Albemarle10/25 vs. Albemarle11/1 @ Orange11/8 @ Louisa County

9/6 vs. Liberty Bealton9/13 @ Eastern View9/20 @ Riverbend9/27 @ Western Albemarle10/4 vs. Fluvanna County10/11 @ Charlottesville10/18 vs. Powhatan10/25 @ Louisa County11/1 vs. Monticello11/8 vs. Albemarle


WHO’S GONE: CAMERON RICKETT (TE), JACOB PUGH (OL/DL)

WHO’S BACK: GARRET JOHNSON (QB, DB, PICTURED BELOW), ISAIAH FERGUSON (RB/DB), DAMIAN CLARK (WR/DB)

WHO’S NEW: TREYVON FELTON (OL/DL), TARIEK HUMES (OL/DL)

WHO’S GONE: JHALIL MOSLEY (QB/DB), DEN-ZEL TERRY (WR/DB), SAM MARSHALL (OL), AUSTIN MAYS (OL), JAMES BANKS (WR/DB)

WHO’S BACK: TJ TILLERY (RB/DB PICTURED BELOW), JOSH MALM (WR/K), ZACH DIGREGORIO (WR), ALEX MCNAIR (WR/DL), ADAM HILL (OL)

WHO’S NEW: JAMES ST. HILL (QB), KYREE KOONCE (RB), DARIAN BATES (RB)


M O N T I C E L L O MUSTANGS

O R A N G E C O U N T Y HORNETS

Success stories begin here.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF VIGILANTES PUT A COSTUME ON. WHAT MAKES SUPERMAN UNIQUE FROM HIS COLLEAGUES IS THAT HIS COSTUME IS CLARK KENT.

Entering his third season as the starting quarterback for Western Albemarle, Kent Henry has put up the kind of numbers both statistically — and the one that matters most, wins — that makes you wonder if he was born wearing a football jersey.

But there’s no egomania with Henry. He has the mindset that he’s going to do what gets asked of him as best he can, but plans to lead on his fellow 21 senior counterparts to put together a polished product.

“We have more people stepping up leadership wise with 22 seniors on this team,” Henry said. “All of us are taking a bigger role in making sure we get out and practice properly and get the work in.”

That means fine tuning his own game as well. Henry has spent a lot of time during the offseason working with former Monticello standout quarterback Joe Sanford to take his play to a higher level.

“I’ve really been focusing on my footwork,” Henry said. “The right footwork helps you see the field better, get the ball out quicker with a better spiral and just makes the game easier.”

Of course, when you look at the numbers, getting to a higher level than the previous two seasons would put Henry in the upper echelon of elite quarterbacks to ever play in Central Virginia. With a season left to play, only Blue Ridge’s Chad Byers who went on to play at JMU and Orange Couty’s Bradley Starks who went on to play at West Virginia have more total offensive yardage next to their names. Henry needs just 995 yards to break Byers’ record of total offense and 1,763 passing yards to surpass the Central Virginia passing record, also owned by Byers.

Don’t expect Henry to try and play for those marks, it’s not his style. Instead look for him to keep Western as close to the top of standings as he can. That said, winning football and individual achievements have a funny way of going hand in hand. ✖


KENT HENRYWESTERN ALBEMARLE, SENIOR

Warriors ready for another runIn basketball, a squad can be a one-man team. One guy can lift the other five on the court. Football is a completely different story, but Western Albemar-le’s Kent Henry, who was the area’s top passer and one of the area’s most dangerous rushing threats in 2012, is as close to a completely game-changing force as we’ve seen in some time.

He’ll have options in the passing game despite the graduation of Daniel Kuzjak, who led the area in receiv-ing yards as a senior. Playmaking wideout Nic Drapanas is back after scoring 16 receiving touchdowns in 2012 and Steven Hearn, who hauled in 589 yards and four touchdowns last year is also back. Drapanas will have to shake off an injury that kept him on the sidelines most of camp, but that could end up paying dividends for the Warriors if Henry develops a rapport with the rest of the receiving corps, including 6-foot-3 basketball and soccer standout Chase Stokes, who’ll join the gridiron Warriors this year for his senior year.

While Henry will likely remain the main rushing threat, Oliver Herndon, a talented lacrosse player who broke his ankle during football’s preseason last year, is among the candidates to play tailback in the Warriors’ single back system. Justin Haws

also returns and should continue to see carries after showing flashes of a hard-nosed style in 2012.

With Donte Henry paving the way at tackle — he earned first team All-Jefferson District honors as a junior — Western should be able to cope with the graduation of Tommy Mullin and Patrick Maupin’s transfer to Blue Ridge. Look for several young stand-outs to factor into the mix.

Defensively there are a few more holes to con-tend with. The secondary should be a strength — Dra-panas and Hearn are both heady, speedy defensive backs. They’ll need to use Henry defensively too, as a rover-style role that Kuzjak filled last year. But Mullin’s graduation, and Dom Christmas’ graduation as well, will be felt more significantly at his middle linebacker spot. A variety of linebackers like Haws, Logan Sprouse, Alex Cassell and Matthew Mullin, Tommy’s younger brother, should see time in the heart of the defense.

Head coach Ed Redmond, now in year two, will surely be up to that task as the Warriors look to build on last year’s 10-2 record. With Henry and the other pieces that are coming together, the stage is poten-tially set for a deep playoff run. ✖

8/30 @ Spotswood9/6 @ Waynesboro9/13 vs. Fort Defiance9/27 vs. Orange County10/4 @ Albemarle10/11 vs. Louisa County10/18 @ Monticello10/15 @ Charlottesville11/1 vs. Powhatan11/8 vs. Fluvanna County

WHO’S GONE: DANIEL KUZJAK (WR/DB), TOMMY MULLIN (OL/DL), PATRICK MAUPIN (OL/DL)

WHO’S BACK: NIC DRAPANAS (WR/DB, PICTURED BELOW), KENT HENRY (QB/DB), STEVEN HEARN (WR), OLIVER HERNDON (RB), JUSTIN HAWS (RB)

WHO’S NEW: CHASE STOKES (WR/DB)


WESTERN ALBEMARLE WARRIORS

BO CARRINGTON COVENANT SCHOOL ‘04

DUKE UNIVERSITY ‘08ALL-ACC TOURNAMENT 2007

ALL-VISAA THREE TIMES

THE COVENANT LOWER SCHOOL | Pre-K through Grade 61000 Birdwood Road Charlottesville, Virginia 22903 434-220-8125

THE COVENANT UPPER SCHOOL | Grades 7 through 12175 Hickory Street Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 434-220-7330

Bo Carrington poured it in as a star for Covenant’s boys lacrosse squad, graduating in 2004 with a total of 181 goals and 202 assists. He went on to become a terrific midfielder for Duke University, including his 2007 season when he earned ACC All-Tournament team honors. He was also adept at getting it done in the classroom, where he was on the ACC Academic Honor Roll and took home an Academic All-ACC nod.

Carrington, who runs his own commercial real estate firm called Seven Development, is also back at Covenant, serving as an as-sistant boys lacrosse coach and passing all the lessons he learned at TCS and Duke. He is now poised to help head coach Mike Gardiner groom the next elite lacrosse players from Central Virginia.

THE NEXT STEP

CHARLOTTESVILLE’S ONLY CHRISTIAN PK-12 LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES SCHOOL

Knights look to stay dialed inBuckingham County has been the definition of consistency the last four years, making the Region B playoffs on each occasion and the last two years, winning playoff games but falling to Group A Divi-sion 2 runnerup in 2011 in and eventual state cham-pion in 2012, Goochland.

The rivalry between the Knights and Bulldogs has been as good as it gets, and with what Buckingham has returning, not a lot is going to change.

The Knights have their bruising running back in Kenneth Johnson, but will be without his tag-team partner from last year with fellow back Kyree Koonce transferring to Monticello. Nonethless, Johnson’s strength and speed at running back is problematic for so many of Buckingham’s opponents and he’ll only see more touches this year. The Knights were committed to the run last year but may open up the playbook a bit this year with what they have return-ing in the receiving corps and at quarterback.

John Edwards filled in and got the job done under center when QB Cam Johnson went down with an injury early last year. Now the reins are his and he has Justin Ayres, Jesse Hickman and Leon Ragland back to throw to at receiver. The passing game wasn’t a focal point last year, but don’t be surprised

if this team looks more like it did in 2011 where it leaned on the run, but wasn’t afraid to go for the throat with big plays through the air. Still, the keys to the car belong to Johnson as his ability to break tack-les, hit the edge and convert in the redzone make him one of the area’s best backs — 1,475 yards and 30 touchdowns despite splitting carries in 2012.

The big question for Buckingham will be up front, but in a good way. The Knights are young there, but are gifted physically and athletically. Look for Jacob Snoddy and Connor Christian to step up at guard an tackle to aid Demtrius Jones who returns, also at guard.

Filing Tariq Bartee’s production up front defen-sively is also key, but the additions of Dyshawn Per-kins at defensive tackle and Michael Marbury should help. The secondary should be strong with Ragland, Ayres and newcomer Tariq Gough. Hickman will lead the middle of the defense.

The continuity that this team has in its coach staff with Craig Gill in his 18th season at the school and the talent at the skill positions leaves Buck-ingham right where it left off in 2012. The Knights should be in the mix for a JRD title down to the wire. But they’ll be trying hard to take that next step and work deeper through the playoffs. ✖

State champion Bulldogs reloadLast year Goochland went young at the skill posi-tions and with a veteran offensive line and interior defense managed to overcome a 1-2 start to finish out Group A Division 2 champions in dominant fash-ion, absolutely destroying the last three opponents they faced, including unbeaten Essex for the crown.

It almost seems unfair, but after back-to-back trips to the state title game, this team isn’t reloading and that’s what makes this program one of the best in the state year after year. Goochland might be young in the trenches, but last year’s youth is now its strength.

For starters, preparing for the Bulldogs will be a challenge with the dynamic Jordan Jefferson and strong armed Reid Chenault splitting time again at quarterback. In Jefferson the Bulldogs have a pure athlete that perfectly fits the wing-T running game. In David Dyer and Conner Saunders Goochland has a perfect 1-2 combo at running back with Dyer bruising down hill and Saunders bringing break away speed. With Jefferson, Dyer and Saun-ders this will be another offense that has little trouble putting together homerun speed with physicality that creates demorilizing drives that

simply melt away the clock. Accounting for Chein-ault is the real dilemma as he only attempted 98 passes but 12 of them were touchdowns last year.

A vaunted offensive line turns over, but senior tackle Brandon Harrison will lead a young group with Kelvin Willis, John Creasey, Noah Doczi and James Lawry. If this group plays beyond its years, the sky is the limit offensively.

On the other side of the ball, Akia Timberlake is just a sophomore on the line, but showed devas-tating potential last year. Jefferson is a lockdown corner, but Markell Cooley and Heath Parrish will ad depth. In the middle, Saunders and Jaylen Allen should provide veteran leadership.

Two years ago Goochland’s special teams was as good as there was state-wide and with Parrish and Javier Moreno back this team will have a sec-ond offense and/or defense on fourth downs.

At the end of the day, Goochland remains the team to beat again in the James River District. On top of that, anything short of another long playoff run would be out of the ordinary. This is a case of a talent-wealthy program ready to keep the status quo, and that means playing for a trip to Salem. ✖

JAMES RIVER DISTRICT, 2012 RECORD: 9-3

8/30 vs. Appomattox9/13 vs. Amelia County9/20 @ Bluestone9/27 vs. Goochland10/4 vs. Randolph Henry10/11 @ Central Lunenburg10/18 @ Liberty Bedford10/25 @ Nottoway11/1 vs. Cumberland11/8 @ Prince Edward

8/30 @ Essex9/6 vs. Fork Union9/13 vs. Bluestone9/20 vs. Randolph Henry9/27 @ Buckingham County10/4 vs. Central Lunenburg10/18 vs. Nottoway10/25 @ Cumberland11/1 vs. Prince Edward11/8 @ Amelia County


WHO’S GONE: CAM JOHNSON (QB/DB), KYREE KOONCE (RB/LB), TYRIQ BARTEE (OL/DL)

WHO’S BACK: KENNETH JOHNSON (RB/LB, PITCTURED BELOW), JUSTIN AYRES (WR/DB), JOHN EDWARDS (QB), LEON RAGLAND (WR/DB), DEMETRIUS JONES (OL)

WHO’S NEW: JACOB SNODDY (OL), CONNOR CHRISTIAN (OL), DYSHAWN PERKINS (DL)

WHO’S GONE: NATHAN ADAMS (WR, LB), MITCHELL BRICE (RB), JOSH DRIVER (OL), PASQUALE GRAZIOSI (OL/DL)

WHO’S BACK: DAVID DYER (RB, PICTURED BELOW), JORDAN JEFFERSON (QB/WR/DB), REID CHENAULT (QB), CONNER SAUNDERS (RB/LB), AKIA TIMBERLAKE (DL)

WHO’S NEW: JAMES LOWRY (OL), MARKELL COOLEY (DB)

G O O C H L A N D BULLDOGS

BUCKINGHAM COUNTYKNIGHTS

JAMES RIVER DISTRICT, 2012 RECORD: 13-2

HE’S JUST ENTERING HIS JUNIOR YEAR AND ALREADY JORDAN JEFFERSON HAS PUT TOGETHER A GAME CHANGING RUN, A PASS, A CATCH, A TACKLE, AND AN INTERCEPTION. AND EACH OF THOSE CAME IN THE PLAYOFFS.

He’s the definition of clutch. Jefferson’s hands simply control the game on both sides of the ball. All of that comes with ability, but Goochland’s youth program up to its varsity level all works in tandem to instill fundamentals and confidence that multiply his effectiveness.

“Everyone believes in everyone.” Jefferson said. “The work in practice, it’s hard work, we get a lot coaching. The coaches believe in discipline. We take pride in Goochland.”

Trying to define him as a football player is difficult because he doesn’t excel at just one thing.

“When I was little I was a running back and safety,” Jefferson said. “That got changed to quarterback, then I started playing defense my eighth grade year.”

He’s arguably the most versatile player on the field in every game as he plays at quarterback, running back, wide receiver. Then on defense, he’s as good a tackling and shutdown cornerback as you’ll find. Wherever the ball is, Jefferson finds a way to manipulate the situation to where his hands are always ready to make a big play. Two years ago, he made one of the biggest stops in program history with a game saving tackle at the goaline on fourth and goal against King William in the Region B championship. Last year in the Group A Division 2 playoffs, he was simply too versatile at quarterback to slow down.

In the age of specialization, Jefferson is an old school standout. He wants to be on the field as often as possible. He’s as quiet and humble as they come, but brings that steady hand, that calm and collected nature that the best soft spoken talents always seem to have.

“You get the chance to change the impact of the game, the situation,” Jefferson said. “It’s in my favorite. I can do what I want, it’s in my hands.”

Those are hands that create problems, and they’re always on the field, never idle. ✖

JORDAN JEFFERSONGOOCHLAND, JUNIOR


Mountaineers turn over new leafMadison County was in a bit of a weird spot heading into 2012 with almost the same roster it had in 2011 but with the desire to improve great-ly after missing the playoffs that year to snap back-to-back trips to the Region B tournament.

Something clicked for the Mountaineers despite having to overcome an injury to its starting senior quarterback, Dustin Farmer. Behind great play in the trenches, Madison got back to putting together a solid season and making the playoffs again with James Graves stepping in at QB and the run game flourishing behind a 1,000-yard season from Logan Carpenter.

Now a new, but different challenge begins for coach Stuart Dean. While Dean doesn’t have to look for a great quarterback-wide receiver tandem with Graves back as a junior and Ashton Weakley back to run and catch as a senior, finding replacements in the backfield will be key if this team wants to maintain balance. Of course with what it has, Madi-son could look to throw the ball around like it did in 2011, or more.

Josh Lillard and J.P. Utz were keystone pieces for Madison both on the offensive line and up front defensively. It will be up to seniors Bray Lamb

and Andrew Allee and juniors Kenyon Smith and Thomas Shifflett to step up in that department. If that unit can give Graves time to drop back and use his big arm down field, this is going to be a Madison offense that’s well equipped to air the ball out with Weakley and Sam Turner at receiver. The Mountaineers will have to work things out at run-ning back with the loss of Carpenter, but running back development has been a forte for this program for a long time.

Defensively Bradley Goolsby will help out in the interior defense at linebacker with Allee, Smith and Lamb up front. Bernard Wise is another good addi-tion up front. Colin Shifflett at safety and Weakley at corner gives this team solid skill and experience against the pass.

While this Madison team has some kinks to iron out, its been waiting on this class of juniors and seniors for a while and so the transition should be pretty smooth. With so much of the Bull Run District revamping things, the Mountaineers should be in the running to get back into the postseason, particularly if Graves has a big year at quarterback. When Madison’s been successful in the passing attack it has put together solid campaigns. ✖

Dragons prepare for next stepMonroe went all in last year in terms of develop-ment, turning over almost its entire roster and handing the starting reigns at so many positions to juniors and sophomores. As such, the Dragons were overmatched quite often during Bull Run District play after competing at a high level in 2011.

But despite that, quarterback Jack Morris threw for a ton of yards and ran awfully well given what he was up against. On top of that, Cody Perkins had a breakout year at tailback. So the future looks pretty good for a 1-9 team just a year removed from mak-ing the playoffs.

But before training camp even began, the Dragons were hit with an unbelievably hard pill to swallow with Morris suffering a severe elbow injury to end what would have likely been a fruitful senior season. However, with Morris out, the Dragons still have plenty to strive for as the entire offensive line returns. So too does Perkins. And the receiving corps and defense gets a bit of a consolation prize with one of the area’s most prominent athletes deciding to give football a shot. Austin Batten played a key role in postseason runs in golf, basketball and base-ball last year. A senior with great strength and solid

speed, he’ll help to account for the loss of Dakwan Morris at receiver and will bolster Monroe’s second-ary at free safety. The middle of Monroe’s defense should be much improved against the run with the return of Josh King at linebacker and the addition of Tylik Burley who will also add depth at running back. Chris Glover will be a welcome addition to secondary after taking a year off.

But the key for this Monroe squad which is still insanely young is the development of its linemen. W.J. Lamb returns at center, Mark William at tackle and Jacob Grant and Ben Grant are bigger and stron-ger inside the line. That group should make strides for the Dragons.

The Dragons are now a Division 3 school, getting bumped up from their Group A Division 2 status last year. However, they are still going to play in the Bull Run which means they won’t see much of a change during the regular season. There’s been a lot of per-sonnel changes in the BRD, so if the Dragons master the fundamentals, despite the loss of Morris at QB, they still have a solid chance to compete a high level like they did in 2011 where they had the ability to run the ball and stop it on the other side. ✖

WILLIAM MONROE GREENE DRAGONS

BULL RUN DISTRICT, 2012 RECORD: 5-6

BULL RUN DISTRICT, 2012 RECORD: 1-9

9/6 @ Luray9/13 vs. East Rockingham9/20 @ Culpeper9/27 vs. Manassas Park10/4 @ George Mason10/11 vs. Clarke County10/18 @ William Monroe10/25 @ Strasburg11/1 vs. Central Woodstock11/8 vs. Warren County

9/6 @ Spotswood9/13 vs. Broadway9/20 vs. Charlottesville9/27 @ Warren County10/4 vs. Strasburg10/11 @ Central Woodstock10/18 vs. Madison County10/25 @ George Mason11/1 vs. Manassas Park11/8 @ Clarke County

WHO’S GONE: DUSTIN FARMER (QB/LB), JOSH LILLARD (OL/DL), J.P UTZ (OL/DL), LOGAN CARPENTER (RB)

WHO’S BACK: JAMES GRAVES (QB, PIC-TURED), ASHTON WEAKLEY (WR/DB), SAM TURNER (WR), BRAY LAMB (OL/DL, ANDRE ALLEE (OL/DL), KENYAN SMITH (OL/DL)

WHO’S NEW: BRADLEY GOOLSBY (OL, LB), BERARND WISE (OL/DL)

WHO’S GONE: JACK MORRIS (QB), DAKWAN MORRIS (WR/DB)

WHO’S BACK: CODY PERKINS (RB), JOSH KING (LB), W.J. LAMB (OL), MARK WILLIAM (OL), JACOB GRANT (OL), BEN GRANT (OL)

WHO’S NEW: AUSTIN BATTEN (WR/DB), TYLIK BURLEY (RB/LB), CHRIS GLOVER (WR/DB)

M A D I S O N CO U N T Y MOUNTAINEERS

MW


Governors to restart with PostonThe 2012 season started off with a bang for the Governors as they put together 64 points in a season opening win over William Monroe with 675 rushing yards from Tyler Vest and Devonte Turner. Unfortunately though, Nelson stumbled in eight of the next nine contests to leave them on the wrong end of the standings in the Dogwood District.

With Mark Wells’ departure after three years as coach, Mark Poston, formerly of Eastern Montgom-ery, takes over a team that is ready for a new iden-tity. Certainly changing the logo on the helmet sends a message, but the greater change will come from the new coach’s offensive style. At Eastern Monte-gomery, Poston got his team to the Group A Division 1 championship running a no-huddle spread offense at a pace that’s quick even for no huddle offenses. The Governors plan to run a snap every eight sec-onds. For programs digging out of tough stretches, scoring points is a smart way to keep the roster full and build morale.

Losing Vest and Turner leaves the Governors in a tough spot from the skill positions as both brought size and speed to the edge of the field from both sides of the ball. Peyton Galloway will take over at quarterback and have the difficult task of orchestrat-

ing the offense at such breakneck speed. In Caesar Perkins and Kelly Kirby the Governors have new talent at wide receiver to go with Sheldon Perkins. Finding a committee of runnings backs will be a chal-lenge, but finding someone to run behind shouldn’t. Over the last few years, Homer Barnett has played at a high level on the offensive line. Doug Taylor will get plenty of snaps at running back.

Defensively the Governors will have to try and slow down the run, a significant problem last year. Barnett and Sjostrom will be big up front on the defensive line, but both need help from a brand new linebacking corps. Taylor will be a factor there. With Galloway, Kirby and Perkins at defensive back, the edge of the field is a strength which should help mighitly against the pass.

The Dogwood District is going to be an unfriendly battle once again and Riverheads will be a tough challenge in week three, but the Governors have a chance to build confidence early in the year before they have to kick off DWD play with Dan River.

In the end though, should the Governors find success with Poston’s offense on a regular basis, the building blocks will be in place for this team to take the right steps forward. ✖

Barons have crown to defendIt’s easy to look back at Blue Ridge’s 9-2 VISAA Divi-sion II championship campaign last season and see a nearly perfect run to the title. The Barons, after all, lost just twice, once to the Division I championship squad Liberty Christian and once to Christchurch, a defeat they avenged in the first round of the state playoffs.

But the Barons had to scrap, claw and retool nearly every week during that run, adapting to personnel changes and a wide-ranging level of opponents on the schedule. Blue Ridge overcame all those obstacles en route to the title, but it was by no means smooth sail-ing. There was no one single star they leaned on.

Three different running backs alternately carried the load depending on the matchup. Often the defense, led by Shawn Steen, Ryan Etheridge, Leon Straus and Jared Arntzen carried the load for the Barons, making big plays or forcing turnovers.

The Barons will face a similarly inventive task this year as many of those versatile standouts like Steen, Straus, Arntzen, Cody Pegram and Darryl Smith have moved on, leaving Blue Ridge to re-tool as usual up in St. George.

One place they’ve got a lot of experience and talent is in the trenches where Etheridge, who piled up 114 total tackles last year including 49 solo stops, returns

to anchor the front. Etheridge, a first team all-state linebacker, played with his hand down and standing up in a variety of formations for the Barons last year while also helping pave the way for the squad’s dominant rushing attack. There’s also Nathan Johnson, a moun-tainous 270-pound two-way lineman who earned first team all-state honors on offense last season. Throw in Western Albemarle transfer Patrick Maupin, who was an instrumental part of the line for the area’s most produc-tive offense last season, and there should be plenty of protection for the skill position standouts.

Identifying those skill players will be a critical part of head coach Orlando Patterson’s early work in mid-August. Tristan Allen will return as the signal-caller and P.J. White, who started 2012 brilliantly, is slated to come back as a wide receiver. Look for Torian Pegram to step in at tailback and give the Barons a strong, physical runner a year after his brother Cody did the much of the same. But that still leaves a number of holes for Pat-terson to sort through as he figures out what the squad will look like as they begin their title defense.

Then again, as we learned last year, the Barons’ young coach is well-suited to retooling and adjusting. He adjusted his way all the way to a state title last year. ✖

DOGWOOD DISTRICT, 2012 RECORD: 2-8

8/30 @ Luray9/6 vs. Page County9/13 vs. Riverheads9/20 @ Hargrave9/27 @ Dan River10/11 vs. Chatham10/18 @ Altavista10/25 vs. William Campbell11/1 @ Appomattox11/8 vs. Gretna

9/7 @ Hargrave9/14 vs. Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot9/21 @ North Cross9/26 @ Covenant10/4 vs. Christchurch10/12 @ Trinity Episcopal10/19 @ Virginia Episcopal10/26 vs. Liberty Christrian11/2 vs. St. Anne’s-Belfield

WHO’S GONE: JAREDN ARNTZEN (RB/LB), DARRYL SMITH (WB/DB), SHAWN STEEN (WR/DB/K), LEON STRAUS (WR/DB), CODY PEGRAM (RB/LB)

WHO’S BACK: NATHAN JOHNSON (OL/DL, PICTURED BELOW), TRISTAN ALLEN (QB), P.J. WHITE (WR/DB), RYAN ETHERIDGE (DL/LB/OL)

WHO’S NEW: PATRICK MAUPIN (OL/DL)

WHO’S GONE: DEVONTE TURNER (RB/LB), TYLER VEST (QB/DB)

WHO’S BACK: HOMER BARNETT (OL/DL PICTURED BELOW), PEYTON GALLOWAY (QB/DB) , DOUG TAYLOR (RB/LB), NICK SJOS-TROM (OL/DL)

WHO’S NEW: CAESAR PERKINS (WR/DB), KELLY KIRBY (WR/DB)

BLUE RIDGE BARONSOLD DOMINION CONFERENCE, 2012 RECORD: 9-2

N E L S O N C O U N T Y GOVERNORS

William Grupp

D e n t i s t r y

SUPPORTING THE FUTURE SPORTS STARS OF TOMORROW

C o m p r e h e n s i v e C a r e F o r y o u r W h o l e F a m i l y

W i l l i a m a . G r u p p i i D D s , p C9 4 4 G l e n W o o D s t a t i o n l a n e

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W W W . G r u p p D e n t i s t r y . C o m

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B O D Y .M I N D .

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Best of luck to our 2013 student athletes as they embark on their college careers.

Maiah Bartlett University of Mary Washington LacrosseMiles Davis St. Joseph’s University LacrosseBlissie DuBose University of North Carolina Field Hockey Will Eppard Stevenson University LacrosseTyler Gimple University of Mary Washington SwimmingWill Grossman Colorado College Lacrosse Allie Nicholson University of Virginia CrewLloyd Smith Bates College LacrosseStewart Staunton University of Virginia SquashAaron Stinnie James Madison University FootballCatherine Towers Gettysburg College Lacrosse

C o n gr at u l at i o n s


Eagles hoping surge continuesCovenant experienced one of the program’s most electric highs in 2012 when the Eagles managed to beat St. Anne’s-Belfield for the first time in school history, beating the Saints in overtime on the strength of a Brady Doyle touchdown pass and a Gus Rose interception that sealed it.

But the win over the Saints interrupted a 1-5 slide that finished the year and erased a strong 3-1 start, leaving the Eagles just outside the playoff picture. Making sure that Covenant doesn’t experience something similar in 2013 is a top priority for this crop, which brings back a number of key pieces in the skill positions despite a big graduating class.

Finding a quarterback to replace Doyle, one of the great surprises of last season, will be one of the first steps. Jay Gaffney and Gus Rose could both see time here, though Rose has a huge role to play over on defense too where he’s one of the Eagles’ three returning linebackers. Either way, with a business-as-usual small roster at Covenant, both will likely be on the field in some capacity on offense, which after an injury sidelined Gaffney last year, will be a welcome sight for the Eagles.

Drew Gaffney, Quan Washington and Austin Llera will all also play a big role on offense too. Llera was a

strong second option behind Jaime Gaston (965 yards and 10 touchdowns as the starter last year) at run-ning back. He averaged an electric 7.7 yards per carry while also carrying a big load defensively as one of the Eagles’ linebackers and the squad’s second-leading tackler behind John Meade. Washington should give the Eagles a needed jolt of speed. The Fluvanna transfer was an electric return man for the Flucos last year. Spencer Godine should also work into the mix in a variety of ways, whether as a pass catcher or as a defensive back where he totaled 50 tackles as a junior.

Gaffney, also a lacrosse standout, is the third returning linebacker along with Rose and Llera, and that core certainly gives the defense enough to build around. With just a few true linemen in the mix early in camp, the Eagles are going to ask a lot out of their big men, especially with the hole that Meade’s graduation leaves. If Trenton Jenkins continues to improve, he could help fill some of the role that Meade handled.

Finishing strong will likely be a huge theme for the Eagles. If the relatively-small roster can stay healthy the Eagles could reverse last year’s slide and be playing in mid-November. ✖

Blue Devils begin overhaulIt’s a new era in Fork Union football, but don’t expect much to change as long-time coach Micky Sullivan focuses on being the school’s athletic director and hands the prep team’s reins to Brian Hurlocker.

Hurlocker played for Sullivan while graduating in 1994 from the academy and coached under Sullivan as both an offensive and defensive assistant for the last nine years. He guided the offense last year in his first year as the coordinator after four years as the defensive coordinator and helped lead the Blue Devils to a state runner-up finish in Sullivan’s final season.

Hurlocker’s extensive experience coaching a variety of positions (he’s coached every spot but the secondary at FUMA) should lead to a seamless transition as the squad’s leading man.

The most obvious hole he has to fill this year is at quarterback where three-year starter Chris-tian Hackenberg redefined what it meant to be a FUMA signal-caller. There’ll be a three-way battle to replace Hackenberg, with Hackenberg’s backup Julius Puryear the lone returner in the mix while Sam Allen and Preston Durocher also battle it out.

All three are solid athletes and will play somewhere.Whoever wins the starting job will have some

help as linemen Mark Uptegraff and Daniel Ampon-sah are slated to return. That tandem gives the Blue Devils a solid core to build around on both sides of the ball in the trenches.

Charles Clardy should be a factor in the back-field and on defense. Eady and Clardy should ease the graduation of T.J. Dudley and the slew of other tailbacks who handled the rushing attack last year.

Replacing UVa freshman Malcolm Cook in the secondary won’t be an easy task either, but the new arrivals should produce a crop of new standouts for Fork Union — they do almost every single year.

That’s the thing about Fork Union. A lot of the squad’s potential and makeup is determined by who shows up in late August on campus. There’s an imme-diate, demanding set of steps that Hurlocker will have to make including evaluating talent, slotting them into positions and teaching the playbook on the fly.

Pulling that all together is never easy, but Hurlock-er is well-suited for the unique challenges. That should mean it’ll be business as usual out at Fork Union. ✖

OLD DOMION CONFERENCE, 2011 RECORD: 2-8

PREP LEAGUE, 2012 RECORD: 10-3

8/23 vs. Atlantic Shores 8/31 vs. Christchurch9/13 @ Hargrave9/20 vs. Massanutten9/26 @ Blue Ridge10/4 @ Norfolk10/11 vs. Virginia Episcopal10/18 @ St. Anne’s-Belfield10/25 vs. North Cross11/2 vs. Trinity Episcopal

8/31 vs. Georgetown Prep (MD)9/6 @ Goochland9/13 @ Monticello9/21 @ Christchurch10/4 vs. St. Christopher’s10/11 @ Liberty Christian10/18 vs. Collegiate10/26 vs. Benedictine11/1 @ Woodberry Forest

WHO’S GONE: JOHN MEADE (OL/DL), BRADY DOYLE (QB), JAMIE GASTON (RB/DB)

WHO’S BACK: GUS ROSE (QB/LB, PICTURED BELOW), AUSTIN LLERA (RB/LB), DREW GAFFNEY (WR/LB), JAY GAFFNEY (QB/DB), TRENTON JENKINS (OL/DL)

WHO’S NEW: QUAN WASHINGTON (WR

WHO’S GONE: CHRISTIAN HACKENBERG (QB), BRETT SEIGEL (DL), MALCOLM COOK (DB), DONDRE WRIGHT (LB), AUSTIN STONE (WR), T.J. DUDLEY (LB)

WHO’S BACK: MARK UPTEGRAFF (OL, PICTURED BELOW),JULIUS PURYEAR (QB), CHARLES CLARDY (RB),

WHO’S NEW: SAM ALLEN (QB/DB), DAVID WILSON (LB)

C O V E N A N T EAGLES

F O R K U N I O NBLUE DEVILS

PURE, UNADULTERATED STRENGTH ISN’T JUST ABOUT EXPLODING ON A HIGHLIGHT REEL HIT. THAT’S NICE, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT, AND WOODBERRY FOREST LINEBACKER GREER MARTINI CAN HANDLE THAT KIND OF IMPACT PLAY.

But strength is also about the little things, strength is the ability to standup a block at the point of attack and then lay the second hit that brings the running back down. Strength is about fighting off an opposing players’ hands to get free and make an interception or scoop up a fumble.

It’s about using that strength to make productive, textbook plays with ease.

It’s about how Greer Martini uses it game in and game out to play whatever role the Tigers need from him. As a sophomore he was a ballhawk, picking off three passes and recovering five fumbles. Then as a junior it became all about making stops, particularly against the run. So he used his strength to make 112 tackles, 14 of them for a loss.

If Martini is stronger, things are only going to get more problematic for Woodberry’s opponents who have already suffered enough at th ehands of the Notre Dame-bound linebacker. Predictably, he’s been taking care of business in the weight room this summer and his focus has been on functional strength.

“A lot of the strength this summer has been about getting as strong as possible but stay as fast as possible,” Martini said. “I think a lot of this season I’m going to be a lot quicker on the outside but I’m also going to be a little bit more a musher in the middle.”

That’s real strength. The ability to utilize raw power efficiently and functionally and become whatever kind of player your team needs in that particular game, in that particular quarter, on that particular play.

That’s exactly what we could see if Martini puts it all together in 2013.


GREER MARTINIWOODBERRY FOREST, SENIOR


Saints eager to move aheadAfter years of success and then what appeared to be a brief blip of frustration in 2011, St. Anne’s-Belfield found its low point in 2012 in the midst of a 0-10 nightmare.

The Saints suffered through an avalanche of injuries that exposed a lack of depth as STAB was already leaning on freshmen and sophomores in a huge way even before their injured list expanded to include what felt like the entire roster at times.

The fact that so many different players — and young players at that — gained so much experience during 2012 might be the saving grace for the 2013 edition of the Saints. Nearly every capable body saw time last year, often in a variety of positions, which means STAB will be able to draw on a lot of versatil-ity and experience. That’ll be instrumental on the defensive side of the ball as head coach John Blake has vowed that fans and opponents won’t see the same old Saints on that side of the ball. The long-time coach plans to throw a variety of drastically altered fronts at opposing offenses in an effort to create confusion.

Versatile linebackers like DeeJay Anderson and Kareem Johnson will play a big role in those kind of fronts. All three have the speed and athleticism to

make a difference against the run and the pass and could have a similar multi-faceted role to play on offense. If all three can move around the formation and wreak havoc, STAB will be able to get off the field faster than they were able to last season. The secondary should also be improved with the addi-tions of Fluvanna transfer Jalen Harrison and Monti-cello transfer Brodie Phillips.

Still, some of the defense’s woes were due to the offense’s inability to move the ball — that unit averaged less than 150 yards per game while also struggling to score. The graduation of two-way line standout Aaron Stinnie won’t help matters and quarterback Jake Allen’s decision to focus on baseball changes the equation behind center. Lee Parkhill, a junior with a strong arm, is the early frontrunner in camp to take over. Parkhill showed flashes of poten-tial last year and has two big play threats now to work with in Harrison and returner Rob Schotta.

Blake admitted to struggling to adjust and reverse the momentum last year as the losses piled up, so look for the Saints’ head man to revamp and make some significant changes this year as STAB tries to shake off the wounds of 2012 and erase the memory of the last two seasons. ✖

Older, wiser Tigers ready to huntWoodberry Forest underwent perhaps one of the most emotional seasons in local football history in 2011 with Jacob Rainey’s devastating injury and that tidal wave of emotion didn’t really let up in 2012 as Rainey returned to the field as a part-time quarterback for the Tigers.

All that emotion barely impacted the win col-umn for the Tigers who won seven games against another brutal schedule. WFS fell to just Benedic-tine, Liberty Christian and Fork Union while weath-ering an injury to superstar Doug Randolph that had a seismic impact on a defense that needed to carry the Tigers as a young offense learned on the fly.

This year, things are quite a bit more settled for the Tigers, whose five-straight years of seven or eight wins have established Woodberry as one of the area’s most consistent current programs. A number of key pieces are back including starting quarterback Hunter Etheridge, top rusher H.T. Minor and three of the top four most productive pass catchers, including Christian Asher and Nate Ingram.

With strong blockers like Spencer Bibb (now mov-ing to fullback after playing up front the last two years) and Andrew Shofner also back in the mix, the offense

should be able to hit the ground running and erase the stop-and-go start the unit experienced last season.

Defensively, most of the attention will rightly fall on Notre Dame-bound Greer Martini, who plays one of the most flawless brands of linebacker ever seen in the area. He was a force of nature last year with 112 total tackles, 14 of them for a loss. But the Tigers are far from a one-man band on that side of the ball. Nathan-iel Tyrell, out of Brooklyn, New York, is an underrated, extremely talented defensive back who had eight pass breakups in 2012. Asher and Minor can also make big-time plays on defense, and Bibb could also be a factor in a variety of roles on that side of the ball.

Without Randolph, the Tigers will have to get someone to step up in the pass rush department. Look for E.J. Johnson, Isaiah Brown, Thompson Long or Myles Brown to bring the heat along with Martini, who could be let loose on quarterbacks in 2013.

Excellence year-in and year-out appears to be the only option for the Tigers. The 2013 squad adopted a mantra related to the team’s second place finish in the Prep League for the first time in six years — restore the order. They seem primed to do just that. ✖

OLD DOMINION CONFERENCE, 2012 RECORD: 0-10

PREP LEAGUE, 2012 RECORD: 7-3

8/31 vs. Virginia Episcopal 9/8 vs. Bishop Sullivan9/14 @ Trinity Episcopal9/21 vs. Nansemond-Suffolk9/29 vs. North Cross10/5 @ Ilse of Wight10/12 vs. Covenant10/19 @ Christchurch10/26 @ Blue Ridge

9/6 @ Benedictine 9/13 @ Liberty Christian9/21 vs. Paul VU9/28 @ Charlottee Country Day10/4 @ Collegiate10/11 vs. Landon School10/26 vs. St. Christopher’s11/1 vs. Fork Union11/9 @ Episcopal

WHO’S GONE: AARON STINNIE (DL), WALK-ER NEILL (LB/RB), NATHAN SILVER (OL/DL)

WHO’S BACK: KAREEM JOHNSON (TE/LB, PICTURED BELOW), LEE PARKHILL (QB), ROB SCHOTTA (WR/DB/P), GIDEON ELRON (OL/DL)

WHO’S NEW: JALEN HARRISON (WR/DB), BRODIE PHILLIPS (WR/DB)

WHO’S GONE: JACOB RAINEY (QB), DOUG RANDOLPH (DL), PHILLIP BERRY (OL)

WHO’S BACK: HUNTER ETHERIDGE (QB, PICTURED BELOW), GREER MARTINI (LB), CHRISTIAN ASHER (RB/DL), SPENCER BIBB (RB/DL), H.T. MINOR (RB/DB), ANDREW SHOFNER (OL)

WHO’S NEW: COLE MARTINI (OL), PATRICK SHEA (WR/RET), BRADY LOGAN (OL)

ST. ANNE ’S-BELFIELD SAINTS

W O O D B E R R Y F O R E S T TIGERS

Blue Ridge School

273 Mayo Drive, St. George, VA • 434-985-2811 • www.BlueRidgeSchool.com • [email protected]

ALL BOYS • ALL BOARDING • ALL COLLEGE BOUND

Torian Pegram Class of 2014

Boys Thrive at Blue Ridge School

Being Cody Pegram’s younger brother I expected to follow in his path but Blue Ridge School helped me learn that I have a choice.

Here I’ve been able to try a lot of varsity sports and make my own mark.

I’m playing football this year to prove to myself, to my friends, that I can do it. Now there’s nothing holding me back but my choice.

I want to play for Coach Patterson because he respects us.

Why all boys?I know that boys focus on the girls in the classroom. Without girls you don’t have to hold back, and every boy is doing the same. Boys also learn differently - we’re more hands on.

Blue Ridge School is a place where you can pick up anything you want and no one will judge you for it. At home I would never have thought of joining a choir. Here I learned I could sing, and got good at it too.

Blue Ridge also prepares you socially for college. At dances we meet girls, and over the years you learn how to talk to them which will be important in college.

When Torian graduates in May 2014, he’ll have played these varsity sports:

Wrestling 4 years (Torian was 3rd in the state in 2013)Football – 2 yearsSoccer - 2 yearsLacrosse – 1 year

You call youself a salesman?Getting money for college isn’t that tough a racket

Considered one of the great monologues in modern film, if you’re old enough to watch the 1992 film production of David Hammet’s play Glenn Garry, Glenn Ross, you should. Watch the whole thing, you’ll love it, but even if only for the seven-minute

long speech Alec Baldwin delivers to a group of down-trodden salesmen. Near the end of the less than gentle coaching seminar he says of potential clients, “They are out there wait-ing for you to take their money! Are you willing to take it? Are you man enough to take it?”

Prospective college students aren’t much different than salesmen. They have to find the leads, the prospective list of colleges that fit them, whether its academically or athletically. And if you haven’t been paying attention to the news, student debt is a nationwide issue getting time in Congress. Unless you’re on a full ride for a scholarship (and the vast majority of Central Virginians aren’t going to be that fortunate) someone is going to have to foot the bill for all that education. Some mom and dads will do it for you, but again, the majority of Central Virginians aren’t that fortunate. Congress is trying to reform student loan debt, but even if it does, it still costs an arm and a leg to get through college, and finding a job afterwards to pay it off is going to be the biggest hurdle most of you will face throughout your 20’s.

What so few high school seniors realize is that there are a nearly endless list of orga-nizations trying to help out in this department and one of them is right under every high school athlete’s nose. Each year the Virginia High School League teams up with Allstate Insurance and offers more than a handful of $1,500 scholarships to the top public school student athletes in the state. Whether you’re on the quiz bowl team, playing in the school band or performing in school plays or just plain playing sports, it doesn’t matter. If your grades are solid and you can put together a very short essay, your odds at getting one of these scholarships is crazily high. Crazy because there are so few applicants as of recently.

If I told you that you had a 25:1 shot at getting a scholarship from the VHSL and Allstate, what would you think? It happens to be the case based on last three year’s numbers.

“One of the things we battle is getting enough applicants and our goal is to have every school in the state nominate a male and female athlete of the year, an academic particpant and a courageous participant,” said VHSL media director Mike McCall. “It’s remarkable how many great kids that are out there and we just don’t know about them. If they would just apply – the quality we have is amazing already – but it would get so much better and we want to give more kids the recognition. We want to get more winners.”

These aren’t regional awards, nor are they awards for amazing stats. Having seen the applications first hand and how the selection process works for winning applicants, the bottom line is simple – if you’ve worked hard in the classroom and done your duties to build a strong extracurricular background, whether through sport or anything else, you’re a solid applicant. If you can pen a 100-word essay to sell yourself, you’re an outstanding applicant.

Western Albemarle graduate and current William and Mary football player Daniel Kuzjak was one of those who took the no-risk chance. It paid off, literally. This spring he earned the Group AA male student-athlete of the year honor and the cash that coes with it.

“You spend you entire high school career to be great in three phases with your aca-

demics, community service and athletics,” Kuzjak said. “This really is a simple process. I received this scholarship from the VHSL and the Allstate Foundation just because my guidance counselor told me about it and asked me to send an essay. There are so many opporunties like this and it really is great that people can be recognized for achievements. There are so many ways you can earn schol-arships, so many organizations that want to contribute.”

And that’s the central issue here, you have to be proactive or in the know. Do yourself a huge favor and do a little research or put your guidance counselor or college advisor to work. There’s money for you and it’s not just for the athletes with the best stat line. Get that money now, because it’s not so much fun trying to find it later, and with interest to pay on top of it. ✖

“There are so many ways you can earn scholarships, so many organizations that want to contribute.”

Overtime

back talk »What scholarships exist that we don’t know about? Contact Ryan at: [email protected] :: @scrimmageplay

Ryan Yemen,CRE ATIVE EDITOR

Blue Ridge School

273 Mayo Drive, St. George, VA • 434-985-2811 • www.BlueRidgeSchool.com • [email protected]

ALL BOYS • ALL BOARDING • ALL COLLEGE BOUND

Torian Pegram Class of 2014

Boys Thrive at Blue Ridge School

Being Cody Pegram’s younger brother I expected to follow in his path but Blue Ridge School helped me learn that I have a choice.

Here I’ve been able to try a lot of varsity sports and make my own mark.

I’m playing football this year to prove to myself, to my friends, that I can do it. Now there’s nothing holding me back but my choice.

I want to play for Coach Patterson because he respects us.

Why all boys?I know that boys focus on the girls in the classroom. Without girls you don’t have to hold back, and every boy is doing the same. Boys also learn differently - we’re more hands on.

Blue Ridge School is a place where you can pick up anything you want and no one will judge you for it. At home I would never have thought of joining a choir. Here I learned I could sing, and got good at it too.

Blue Ridge also prepares you socially for college. At dances we meet girls, and over the years you learn how to talk to them which will be important in college.

When Torian graduates in May 2014, he’ll have played these varsity sports:

Wrestling 4 years (Torian was 3rd in the state in 2013)Football – 2 yearsSoccer - 2 yearsLacrosse – 1 year

Come see our team at Taylor’s for all your collision repair needs. Taylor’s has been family owned and operated since 1986.

Always remember you have the right to choose where your vehicle is repaired.

TEAM SPOTLIGHT

495 Brookway Drive,

Charlottesville, VA, 22901

434-296-9821

www.taylorautobody.com

Albemarle’s coaching staff wants to have its athletes learn a lot more than just what happens on

the gridiron. Each year the team has a camp specifically put together just to talk about becoming a

responsible young adult, work on team building and help prepare each player for life after high school.

Albemarle football, your team ideals of Character, Committment and Team mean a lot to us over at

Taylor’s as well. Staying true to those ideals will lead you far. Good luck as you begin your first cam-

paign in the Jefferson District. Stick together and follow those ideals and it’ll be a succesful one!

ALBEMARLE FOOTBALL

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