13 BLUE RIDGE
GOES OUTDOORS
scrımmageplay THE CENTRAL VIRGINIA SPORTS AUTHORITY
VOL 7. ISSUE 10 :: FEBRUARY 11, 2016
Added leverage Western’s Russ Hill looks to close out his already unique wrestling career in style. PAGE 07
?
All Scrimmage Play Award
WHY D A S
Congratulations to all athletes s
Downtown Athletic Store iS prouD to SponSor
the 2014-2015 Winter All-SCrimmAge PlAy AWArdS congrAtulAtionS to All the AthleteS SelecteD for the 2014-2015 teAmS!
all-scrimmage
play win
ter 2014-2015
Downtown Athletic is prouD to sponsor
the 2014 Fall all-SP awardS congrAtulAtions to All the Athletes selecteD for the fAll 2014 teAms! www.downtownathletic.com 199 Zan Rd Charlottesville, VA 22901 (434) 975-2704
because we support local athletics including our sponsorship of all the All-scrimmageplay Seasonal squads
DOWNTOWNATHLETIC.COM all-scrimmage
play fall 2014
Under Armour • Russell Athletic • Adidas • Schutt • and more to
www.downtownathletic.com 1180 Seminole Trail, Suite 210, Charlottesville, (434) 975-2704 downtownathletic.com VA 22901
13 Blue Ridge
goes Hunting
scrımmageplay the central virginia sports authority
x’s and o’s
13
ON THE POSTGRAD ROAD PG hoops squad looks to maintain status
07
FOCAL POINT Russ Hill brings winning to Western
13
TRACKERS Hunting program flourishing at BRS
19
GAME TIME Fluvanna County girls stop Orange County
23
THE LOCAL ADVOCATES The VIA finally has its first HOF class
Added leverage Western’s Russ Hill looks to close out his already unique wrestling career in style. page 07
VOL 7 . ISSUE 10 :: FEBRUARY 11, 2016
21 07
05
vol 7. issue 10 :: February 11, 2016
S TA F F Bart Isley, Creative Director Bob Isley, Infrastructure Director Ryan Yemen, Creative Editor O N T H E COV E R Western Albemarle wrestling’s Russ Hill M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T Local 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. CO N TAC T U S [ e ] info@scrimmageplay.com [ p ] 434-249-2032
Community Partnership
Working hand in hand with Red Shoes Cville to support the Ronald McDonald House of Charlottesville. Choose the Red Shoes Cville special at www.papajohns.com
PREGAME
Another 1K Earlier this season, St. Anne’s-Belfield’s senior Ashley Taylor reached the 1,000 point milestone. Last week against Episcopal, the Saints added another member to the club, Brianna Tinsley. As freshman, Tinsley averaged 10 points a game. Last year she ramped it up to 15.2 points per contest. The number this year? Try 17.4. It all adds up to a 14 ppg career average over 72 games. That’s the fast way to get to 1K. ✖ (Photo by Ashley Thornton)
03 :: @scrimmageplay
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
The Classroom
Test gets a nip and tuck New elements on the ACT: Grade Deflation? By Clayborne Education
I
n the October issue of Scrimmage Play we detailed the radical changes afoot with the SAT, mentioning that most observers are recommending the ACT for this year’s juniors. But even the famously stable ACT is innovating; they are just doing it slower, more incremental ways. So what’s new with the ACT? Three noteworthy changes have occurred over the past year or so: A VARIABLE SCIENCE SECTION Whereas before the ACT science section always had 7 passages, it recently made the change to just 6 passage, and that held true for several tests. But lest students too comfortable, the December 2015 test actually reverted back to 7 passages! So we don’t know exactly what to expect, but students should rest easy: the same number of questions, the same time limit, and the same strategies still apply.
K AR A EL DER
A PAIRED READING PASSAGE One of the four passages on the reading section is now actually a pair of passages: Passage A and Passage B. The two passages are always related in some way, and they bear a strong resemblance to the paired passages that have been on the SAT for a good while (and will be on the new SAT as well). Students can adapt to this development fairly easily; they just have to account for how the two passage might “talk to each other.” A BRAND-SPANKIN’ NEW ESSAY FORMAT The new essay represents the ACT’s most dramatic recent change. Though the essay is still optional for many colleges, others recommend or even require it, so these changes will be of interest to a majority of collegebound students. And though the new format can be a bit confusing at first, students should celebrate the fact that they get a good deal more raw material to work with than on the old essay. Included with the prompt are three
4 :: www.scrimmageplay.com
perspectives on that prompt; reflection on these perspectives can be very helpful to jump-start the student’s thinking. For better or for worse, this essay is likely to feel more familiar to most students than did the old ACT essay, because it is meant to mirror the kind of thinking students do in school. Students will note one another change in the new ACT essay: the scoring. While the old ACT essay was scored out of 12, the new ACT essay has four different subscores, each of which is scored out of 12, for a total of 48. But even that is just the raw score; that score is then scaled out of 36, presumably to make it consistent with the other ACT sections. BUT: the ACT essay is still not included in the composite ACT average, also out of 36. Got it? Don’t worry; it took us a while to figure it out too. To make matters more confusing, reports from students who took the ACT during the fall are revealing that something went bonkers on the scoring scale for the essay, so that students who were getting 33, 34, or even a perfect 36 composite score were getting closer to the low to mid-20’s on the essay. Huh?! But even if the folks at ACT, Inc. don’t get these scoring anomalies fixed soon, students and parents should always keep two things in mind: 1) there is abundance of guidance out there for students, and 2) the folks in admissions know how to put all test scores in perspective. In the meantime, students should keep these modest ACT changes in mind. Slow and steady, in school and in test preparation, wins the race!
for more info »
Check out the ACT tip help section at: http://www.actstudent.org/testprep/tips/
First Quarter
On the postgrad road Donahue continues FUMA’s PG basketball legacy By Luke Nadkarni
I
Lewis Freeman starred on the FUMA varsity squad last year before joing the PG progam this year. (Fork Union)
{ WITH THE BIG GUYS } The height of the four tallest athletes on the FUMA PG roster.
7’0”
05 :: @scrimmageplay
6’5” C LAAY N KE.AR ELTO DER K AR A EL DER
C . D OU GL AS
G. C L ARKE
M. KUWORNU
6’8” 6’8”
t stretches up and down the East Coast, and U.S. Route 15 spans six states while passing straight through well-known basketball meccas Durham and Chapel Hill in North Carolina.
Along that very road in southern Fluvanna County, another less familiar, but particularly productive basketball program is enjoying a fantastic season. The Fork Union Military Academy postgraduate team, made up of former high school standouts trying to play their ways into college scholarships, has a record of 19-2 this season. The Blue Devils are led in scoring by Charles Minlend, Lewis Freeman, Josh Brown and Corey Douglas. Douglas and Freeman are the team’s top rebounders. Minlend has drawn interest from programs such as Rutgers and Charlotte. “This group is all really good kids. They’re exceptional kids,” head coach Matt Donohue said. “That’s what makes them so fun to coach. Sometimes we’ll play a team that’s more talented or better on paper, but we’ll come through because of our discipline.” Donohue, who’s been coaching for awhile now at Fork Union, including a stint as the prep team coach, is direct about what potential postgraduate players are getting into in a military school environment. “We tell our guys the truth about how it is here,” said Donohue, who also teaches English at the academy. “Everyone who plays here has to make sacrifices. You have to put the phone away. You have very limited free time. It’s not for everybody. It helps you focus on self-improvement as well as being a basketball player.” The rigid schedule cadets face off the court has no doubt contributed to their success on it. To this point in the season, FUMA is allowing just 58.1 points per game. “We simply try to break the game down into a series of miniature battles and we believe that if we win a certain percentage of
those, we’ll win the game,” Donohue said. The team operates essentially as a blend of a college and high school program. FUMA gets all its postgraduate players through recruiting, but instead of Donohue and his staff going on the road, potential recruits often come to Fork Union and try out. What makes postgraduate basketball different from other levels is that players only stay for one season. Each year, Donohue and his staff bring in a new group of players. Donohue largely relies on word-of-mouth, taking recommendations from regional high school and college coaches when determining who might be a fit for his program. Picking the players is only one step in constructing the team. “Probably the biggest challenge every year is taking 12 guys with different personalities, different upbringings, and making them into a team in less than a year,” Donohue said. The Blue Devils have played games as far away as Connecticut, New York and Ohio, and has played in facilities as storied as the University of North Carolina’s Dean Smith Center when they faced the Tar Heels’ junior varsity team last Wednesday. “Everywhere is different,” Donohue said. “We’ll play in the Dean Dome one week and then next week we’re playing in a rec center.” The Blue Devils will continue to compete throughout February before competing in postseason play. Following that, Donohue will focus on getting his current team through to college and prepare to welcome a new team of cadets for the next year. ✖
go online »
For more basketball coverage head to our website at: www.scrimmageplay.com.
Free throws
We’ve gone digital But you can have it in print too!
Storied Madison County girls basketball team honored By Alex Leslie Fifty years ago basketball was quite a bit different. The Boston Celtics were the NBA champions, Wilt Chamberlain was the MVP. Meanwhile, a little squad in Central Virginia was making some history of its own as the Madison County girls’ basketball team of 1965-1966 went 18-0. In January, Madison County honored the Mountaineers’ squad from that season that went unbeaten, rightfully placing one of the school’s all-time great teams alongside other storied Madison squads like the 2010 boys state championship squad. The Mountaineers’ perfect record was unprecedented and remains the ultimate measuring stick for programs in Madison County. However, the girls game in particular was very different 50 years ago. “We couldn’t go over halfcourt. We only had three dribbles and when I was playing we had one guard that could run the whole court, but we still could only do three dribbles,” member of the 1965-66 team Mary Margaret Tourond Wilson said. “I would have loved to play in today’s games.” Twenty minutes before tip off, both teams lined the gym as the women walked to the center of the court. They were met with a
standing ovation from the Madison County faithful. At center court the ladies unveiled a new banner featuring their 1965-66 team picture as well as the phrase “Birth of a Winning Tradition” to hang in the gymnasium commemorating their historical season and inspire other Madison County athletes. “Its really, really neat [to be back],” Wilson said. “It was great to see everybody and get that team sense again.” There was also a pretty good reason for the past Mountaineers to feel connected to the current incarnation of the Madison County girls squad as one legacy is currently taking the court for the Mountaineers. “Number 23 Makenna Santinga is my granddaughter,” said Eileen Lillard Smith, a member of the unbeaten team. “It’s wonderful watching her play.” Lillard Smith averaged 22 points per game on the undefeated squad, a big part of the incredible run that has lived on in the memory of Madison County residents and via its members impacted many different parts of life at the high school and throughout the community. Like the ceremony honoring the unbeaten squad, Santinga and Smith are a pretty good reminder — the past is never very far away. ✖
BELOW » The MCHS ‘65-66 girls squad is honored before the Mountaineers game with Monroe. (John Berry)
HOW TO GET A PHYSICAL COPY OF SCRIMMAGE PLAY Step 1 :: Click here and head to the MagCloud version of the magazine. It’s going to look like this below:
Step 2 :: Click the Buy Print button next to the magazine and follow instructions to order Step 3 :: Wait patiently by your mailbox Step 4 :: When it arrives, take it out and read or stash away to your heart’s delight!
www.scrimmageplay.com ::
06
focal point Story by bart isley photos by ashley thornton 07 :: @scrimmageplay
L
Last year’s Group 1A-4A state wrestling tournament was sheer frustration for a lot of wrestlers across the state of Virginia and Western Albemarle’s Russ Hill was one of many that were caught right in the eye of the storm. Inclement weather forced the VHSL to re-tool the state tournament on the fly in 2015, and the move to a single elimination, one-day format from the traditional twoday, double elimination setup made a bad draw, something that happens all the time in wrestling, impossible to overcome. “I lost to the state champion Josh Byars in regionals and then I got to states and not to take credit from anyone, but I definitely felt like I could’ve won that first match,” Hill said. “But with the tournament format changing I was kind of thrown off and he came in much more mentally stronger than I did.” www.scrimmageplay.com ::
08
“When other kids screwed up they maybe got a spanking. I was doing pushups.” - Hill 09 :: @scrimmageplay
That’s put Hill, now a senior, on a mission. A mission to make sure February and a potential run at a state title goes more according to plan. In the offseason he jumped headfirst into training. Whether it was camps or trips to work out at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington or national, elite level tournaments like Super 32, Hill was all-in. It was just constant wrestling. Except for one threemonth break. “He didn’t take any time off,” said Western coach Adam Mulcahy. “The only time he took off was for boot camp.” Russ Hill has grown up in a military family and he’s gotten the entire package that goes with it. You move every couple of years all over the United States and sometimes the world. Hill has embraced it and he’s known since an early age that he wanted in on the military lifestyle. “I first figured that out when I was five years old and I saw my dad jump out of an airplane for the first time,” Hill said. “I was just completely mesmerized and I just knew that’s what I wanted to do.” He hasn’t wavered much since, following the lead of his father, Russ Hill, Sr., who’s been preparing his son for the rigors of that life from quite early on in his life. “He always was kind of tough on me as far as physical training went,” Hill said. “When other kids screwed up they maybe got a spanking, I was doing pushups.” The physical part is just the tip of the iceberg. Hill’s father has also been instrumental in helping him develop the leadership skills that are so critical to pursuing a military career. “He was always trying to teach me to be in more of a leadership role,” Hill said. “I finished my Eagle Scout a few years ago (well ahead of the usual timeline) and I just started taking steps toward that. On my 17th birthday, he kind of ran an idea by me like ‘hey, you can sign up for the (National) Guard, it’ll help you pay for college’ and I just jumped right on that opportunity.” That led Hill to basic training this summer, a threemonth interruption of that rigorous wrestling training. Like for many new recruits, basic training in Fort Benning, Georgia was a jolt to the system. “I’d never had anyone just constantly yelling at me and just treating me like I was a little bit less than a person,” Hill said. “That was probably the scariest aspect, it was just a culture shock.” That came almost a year after another culture shock for Hill, the moment he arrived at Western Albemarle and joined the Warriors’ wrestling program that has been undergoing a multi-year overhaul under Mulcahy. When Hill’s father was transferred to UVa’s JAG school, he had to leave behind one of the state of North Carolina’s top programs, Jack Britt High in Fayetteville. Britt won the state title last year and finished as a runner-up the two
See a photograph you like? Defensive stand Warriors goalie has more than one trick | By Ryan Yemen
At Scrimmage Play we pride ourselves on offering the best possible graphics Two years ago the Western Albemarle boys to Shin, who doubles as a Junior National Judo soccer team get was fueled its underclassmen medalist, we can our byhands on, in both our but has developed into one of the with sophomores and freshman bearing the area’s most versatile goalkeepers. magazine as well as at our website at brunt of the work load. The netminder has shown he’s capable of Now two years later, forwards Aaron Myers making big saves, particularly in the team’s www.scrimmageplay.com and Alex Nolet, as well as senior defender two ties. In the first game of the season, Tom Rogers are all in their senior seasons and looking to earn a Region II bid, something that Orange County snatched away from them in the Jefferson District semifinals last season. After the first month of play, the Warriors seem to have the defensive side of the equation figured out and junior goalkeeper Kai Shin is a big part of that. Before Western went on its spring break, none of its four opponents were able to score more than once, a testament to the team’s play in the middle of the field, but also a nod
Shin endured wave after wave of Albemarle attack, but stood tall and showed no rust in the 1-1- tie. But while Shin’s on the field because he can make stops, his strong leg has also been of great use as he’s able to easily clear the zone but also spark fast breaks all by himself. The Warriors averaged a little over two goals per contest before the break, but if that average starts to increase, don’t be surprised if it’s because of Shin’s ability to contribute to the transition game. ✖
We want to make sure that our readers have the same opportunity to have these photos. If something catches your eye in either the magazine or on the web, you can order the photograph for yourself.
Whether it’s a 4x6 glossy print or a 13x11 mounted photo, we’ve got a full range of possibilities for you to choose from. Simply visit our smugmug website at
scrimmageplay.smugmug.com Covenant 1/2 page
Western Albemarle’s Kai Shin hauls in a shot during his team’s 1-1 tie with Albemarle that kicked off the soccer season for both squads. (Frank Crocker)
“Gabe pushed Russ every day because he had a super high motor.” - Mulcahy 11 :: @scrimmageplay
years before that. Western Albemarle, however, had only won a single district title in the entire history of the program. “I came in here my first year and it was a little upsetting to me because I wanted a tougher room but Mulcahy has definitely developed that and worked on it with us,” Hill said. “Everyone is getting so much better.” Hill has been a big part of that transformation, a change that helped lead to team Jefferson District and Conference 29 tournament titles this season, with four Western wrestlers — Will Davis, Nate Riley, Jake Jackson and Hill — winning individual conference championships. Those were huge milestones for a program that had become essentially an afterthought before Mulcahy took over. “He brought this mentality from his school that the expectation was that you went to states, that you won states,” Mulcahy said. “It really helped our kids because they saw what work ethic looked like and how to practice wrestling at a high level.” Mulcahy also makes a point of putting Hill right in the middle of the room each day and forces wrestlers of all ages and skill levels to go at the senior standout. That’s at the center of why Hill himself wanted a tougher room. Without wrestlers to train with every day who can push you and get you to ratchet your skill set and effort up a notch, you’ll struggle to get better. But Mulcahy has found ways to challenge Hill by bringing in assistant coach Jason Peters to drill with him and last year by partnering him up with Gabe RodyRamazanni, who gave Hill a particular kind of challenge. “Gabe pushed Russ every day because he had a super high motor,” Mulcahy said. “Russ has all the talent, so they were great partners.” It had a big impact on Rody-Ramazanni, who finished third in the state last year as a senior for the Warriors. He got better and Hill got better. Younger wrestlers who get a chance to go against Hill every day develop quickly too, and then matches come a little easier because they’ve already faced a wrestler who’s tougher than most anything else they’ll see on the mat. “(Mulcahy has really) upped the practices,” Hill said. “I was really impressed with how he had us in here a lot more. I went to basic over the summer so I wasn’t here a lot but when I got back I could tell everyone had gotten so much better.” Hill obviously has his sights ultimately set on bigger, more important things. This summer he’ll go to Advanced Infantry training. Already he has some weekends that are occupied by National Guard training, occasionally missing wrestling tournaments for those weekends. Then he’ll head to the Citadel next fall, where he plans to wrestle and where he’ll eventually be sent to jump school and other key trainings as he pursues a career as a
“He accepted it and decided it was his job to make it better.” - Mulcahy special forces officer. Hill has managed to stay the course largely since he was five and he saw his father jump out of that plane. “I have to give a lot of credit to the sport of wrestling,” Hill said. “Being on a constant grind, having that constant goal. I always wanted to do something that I’d enjoy but I’d have to physically work hard towards. That became a big part of my life.” It certainly has. It appears to have always been a part of who he is. That constant grind has brought him here, and even with loftier goals already on the horizon, Hill is looking for a little bit of redemption. With Jefferson District and Conference 29 titles already under his belt, he has a chance to make some serious noise at the Group 3A championships in Salem if he can navigate the Region 3A West tournament. But bigger than that is what he’s done for Western’s wrestling program as a whole. “He’s just a kid that just accepts (the situation) instead of complaining about it or instead of looking at the things where this isn’t as good or whatever,” Mulcahy said. “He accepted it and decided it was his job to make it better.” Mission accomplished, no matter what happens in Salem. ✖
www.scrimmageplay.com :: 12
TRACKERS
STORY AND PHOTOS BY BART ISLEY 13 :: @scrimmageplay
H
Hunting is a lot of waiting around. Deer hunting, in particular, is a lot of waiting around. You’ve got to be patient. You’ve got to be careful. You’ve got to be quiet. Sometimes there just isn’t much to do but wait. And wait longer. That’s not usually the natural disposition of high school students, but the Blue Ridge School Outdoorsmen program is teaching that mentality along with a host of other useful skills in an environment that blends the structure of a sports team with an entirely different pursuit. “It’s a huge overwhelming experience of fun things to look forward to at the end of the day,” said Chris Jones, a senior member of the program. This year the program continued its traditional off-campus hunt, heading out to Louisa County in early December. Since 2011, the Outdoorsmen program, under advisor Vinton Bruton’s direction, has developed from a lightly organized activity in its early days to a full-fledged program that has become a complete crash course in outdoor lessons that also provides a chance to perfect those skills. www.scrimmageplay.com :: 14
Vinton Bruton
“I THOUGHT WE’D FOCUS ON LEARNING THE SKILLS THAT ARE NECESSARY TO BEING A GOOD OUTDOORSMAN.” -- BRUTON 15 :: @scrimmageplay
“There were some guys at Blue Ridge who were really into hunting and fishing and that kind of thing and I guess in 2010 they asked me to sponsor a club and take them out to target practice with rifles and shotguns and things,” Bruton said. “I did that and there was a lot of interest.” Things really snowballed from there, with Bruton asking for a more structured situation, a program that functioned like sports teams do at Blue Ridge, with a budget and a regular schedule. “The headmaster was real supportive of it and I was like I think I can do this safely and there’s an interest there,” Bruton said. Like a lot of programs though, it started with that kernel of interest. Without students who were excited about it, the Outdoorsmen program would have faltered. A student from North Carolina, Scott Sullivan, however, was a major driving force in getting things going. Already an accomplished hunter who’d grown up traversing the woods, Sullivan wanted a chance to sharpen and maintain his skills while in school and away from home. “I thought we’d focus on learning the skills that are necessary to being a good outdoorsman, a good hunter, a good fisherman,” Bruton said. “We probably won’t get to go hunting, we’ll just practice the skills and that way if it’s something you’re really into and you do it at home then you’re keeping your skills sharp and if it’s something that’s brand new to you than you’re learning the basics and having a chance to practice those.” But they did get to go on a hunt, taking a trip onto Sullivan’s father’s land in North Carolina. The tradition continued this year, this time on Jones’ family’s property in Louisa. The hunt is conducted with a major emphasis on safety, stewardship and solid planning while also giving students a chance to make some of their own choices about how to handle themselves in the woods. The training and a hunting trip that allows students to put those skills into practice is a pretty solid foundation for a program, and it was an approach that could embrace both novice and seasoned outdoorsmen. Bruton first worked out an arrangement with Paul Benneche of the Rivanna Rifle and Pistol Club and UVa’s Rifle team coach. The Blue Ridge Outdoorsmen get a chance to practice the absolutely critical skill of marksmanship once a week at Rivanna. “For me being able to hit what you aim at is really important both in terms of getting something out of what you do and being successful but also that you don’t want to wound an animal and leave it to suffer and die,” Bruton said. “If you’re hunting you want to make a quick, clean ethical kill as often as possible.” So with marksmanship development taken care of, Bruton started adding to the program. There are fitness components and tutorials and practice with navigation,
ACADEMIC EDGE
S P O N S O R E D
B Y
H A R G R AV E
M I L I TA R Y
A C A D E M Y
BUCKINGHAM COUNTY’S MICHAEL ALLEN
Michael Allen’s presence inside for Buckingham County, isn’t just appreciated, it’s essential. His 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game help the Knights immensely in the paint and gets Buckingham’s transition game going. And when his number is called offensively, he delivers as he leads the Knights in field goal percentage at 51. He’s a smart player who knows how to pick his moments. When Allen is playing golf, basketball or baseball for the Knights depending on the season, there’s one guarantee — he’s going to spend an awful lot of time traveling. Few teams rack up the mileage like Buckingham does, but that hasn’t stopped Allen from being a top-notch student. “You have to do a lot homework on the bus, that’s for sure,” Allen said. “But you also have to meet with teachers and see what you can do, how you can get help on some assignments. It’s tough, but you have to battle through it. School always comes first.” And it shows on paper. Allen sports a 3.6 unweighted grade point average and is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Future Business Leaders of America, and the National Beta Club. It’s a lot to juggle, but Allen’s shown that’s he’s more than capable of handling it.
ABOUT HARGRAVE MILITARY ACADEMY Hargrave believes individual achievement is a gamechanger for all students, both on and off the field. With a college acceptance rate of 100% and a heavy emphasis on academics, your son will have competitive advantages ahead of his peers including leadership and character development.
The Academic athlete of the issue is selected by Scrimmage Play’s staff with the consultation of coaches and athletic directors. To nominate an athlete email info@scrimmageplay.com
1-800-432-2480 | WWW.HARGRAVE.EDU I M P R O V E D G R A D E S / 1 0 0 % C O L L E G E A C C E P TA N C E F I N D U S O N FA C E B O O K
www.scrimmageplay.com :: 16
“IT’S FUN BECAUSE I THINK WE’VE GOT GUYS WHO HAVE DONE IT ALL THEIR LIVES AND IT’S JUST A PART OF WHO THEY ARE.” -- BRUTON 17 :: @scrimmageplay
archery and other building block-type skills that make surviving and thriving in the outdoors possible. “The main thing Mr. Bruton says is that if I were to throw you into the woods for an extended period of time I want to know that you’ll know what to do,” Jones said. With that foundational idea laid, the Outdoorsmen seem to have a core philosophy. Since then it’s been about adding more skills, more pursuits. For that, Bruton got some help. “A couple of years ago I got an assistant coach named Brandon Deane who’s been at Blue Ridge for a long, long time and he’s a really good fisherman,” Bruton said. Deane joining the staff opened up a lot of possibilities for the team as they dove head first into fly fishing in particular. The group had a tremendous year fishing this year according to Bruton. That’s the kind of addition that makes it such a unique program, and a perfect fit for certain Blue Ridge students. “I grew up on boats, I grew up hunting, I grew up farming, I’m just pushing myself further,” said Blue Ridge senior Logan Parish, a native of Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Parish wanted to go to boarding school and found Blue Ridge on a visit. He didn’t want to be anywhere else after coming to campus. He showed up his first year with his bow after he found out he could bring that. The next year he added a shotgun and the Outdoorsmen started a winter shotgun program that year. He had found a way to match up his academic pursuit with the other things in his life he loved, in particular the outdoors. With plans to join the Navy by way of an ROTC program, the skills Parish continues refining certainly help lay a foundation for where he wants to go. There are also students like Zach Neumann, a freshman at Blue Ridge whose parents live in Saudi Arabia, who specifically sought out schools that included hunting and the outdoors in some capacity when searching for boarding schools. Then there are the true greenhorns, students who have either grown up in an area where hunting and fishing weren’t a part of everyday life or they just haven’t encountered it in any significant way. Like Dennis Dai and John Zeng, a pair of Chinese students who were a part of the hunt in early December. For Bruton and often for the students themselves, that can be a meaningful way for the Outdoorsmen to achieve their goals. “We’ve got kids who the first fish they ever caught is a (big) rainbow trout with a huge smile on their face, so that’s fun,” Bruton said. “It’s fun because I think we’ve got guys who have done it all their lives and it’s just a part of who they are and what they’re about, but it really is the beginners that are the most fun in some ways.” Bruton and the members of the team have also done
a tremendous job of building a collaborative culture, a mentality that allows for a ton of growth and some serious peer-to-peer learning. “It’s actually more enjoyable that way,” Jones said. “In Outdoorsmen everyone is showing each other their own way and building on to what they already know and teaching someone else the things that they knew. When it finally comes together and you see it all flowing, it’s like these groups that are all working together that you wouldn’t think would. “ Even doing all that and doing it right, you might come up empty on a deer hunt. There are no guarantees. But that’s a pretty good lesson in and of itself. Like in the outdoors, there aren’t any sure things in life either. It’s clear that lesson is being learned too. On that early December hunting trip, there was no complaining from any member of the hunting party despite the fact that nobody had come up with much more than spotting a deer and there was a theory floating around that the distant gunshots meant there was a bonanza happening just one parcel over. Nobody was complaining. They were problem solving. Or they were eating. Or they were stoking a camp fire. Or they were discussing plans for later that day. They were being outdoorsmen. ✖
Logan Parish
www.scrimmageplay.com :: 18
Game Time Fluvanna 45, Orange 31 By Bart Isley
Fluvanna’s Chaniya Brown finished with seven steals for the Flucos against Orange County. (Ashley Thornton)
19 :: @scrimmageplay
Sometimes you’ve got to take the good with the bad and let a player loose. That’s exactly what Fluvanna County has done with Chaniya Brown on defense. “She was worried about fouls for so long and (stealing the ball) is really a strength of hers,” said Fluvanna coach Chad White. “Maybe two, three games ago I just said … let’s see what we get with it and if we pick up some fouls I’ll deal with that.” Brown swiped seven steals, including several huge ones in the second half to help Fluvanna County secure a 45-31 victory over Orange County in the Jefferson District tournament semifinals. It was Fluvanna’s second win over Orange this year after the two squads split their regular season matchups. “I knew this was a big game tonight so I came out and I executed and I did all I could for my team,” Brown said. “I anticipated the passes, I saw them coming and I just went after it and got it.” Brown got some help defensively from Bri Harris, who drew the challenging assignment of marking star Orange point guard Kiani Hudgens. Hudgens finished with 11 points with Harris making her work for all 11. “She’s progressed a lot and she did exactly what our coaches told her,” said Fluvanna’s Katie Stutz. “Just watching her work hard was really helpful on defense and motivating for us.” Stutz had a monster outing in the low scoring game, accounting for nearly 50 percent of the Flucos’ offense. She poured in 21 points while also hauling in 10 rebounds
and going 13-for-18 at the free throw line. With Stutz firing on all cylinders and the Flucos’ offense clicking, Fluvanna appears to be lining things up at the right time. “Tonight was a big deal for us, we’ve been having a dip in our abilities lately,” Stutz said. “This night really brought our team together and we’re focused and ready to go.” Fluvanna jumped out to a 6-0 lead against the Hornets to start the game, and Orange never could dig out of that early hole. By halftime it was 24-11 Fluvanna with the Flucos’ defense stifling the Hornets. Stutz connected on a leaner with a high degree of difficulty at the buzzer, drew a foul and hit the free throw to push the lead from 10 points to 13 going into the locker room. The Hornets managed to cut the lead to nine but never could get over the hump. Sincere Cook finished with seven points for the Hornets while Diamond Towles had six points to go with Hudgens’ 11-point outing. “The style of game that was played tonight was their kind of style, that’s how they beat us the first time,” said Orange coach Dave Rabe. “They were able to play a little more physical and we didn’t respond well. They came out early in the game and kind of punched us in the mouth and we battled back it just took us awhile.” Tamara Cook finished with nine points for the Flucos, while Harris finished with seven points for Fluvanna. The Flucos advance to take on Charlottesville for the third time this year in the Jefferson District final. ✖
TEAM SPOTLIGHT MONTICELLO BASKETBALL Sometimes it’s just the little things that make a differenec. The Monticello girls and boys basketball teams embraced that mentality when they took the time this month to read to local preschoolers. The Mustangs were a big hit and brightened the day for a room full of youngsters. Great job, Monticello! Good luck with the rest of your season!
495 Brookway Drive,
Come see our team at Taylor’s for all your collision repair needs. Taylor’s has been family owned and operated since 1986.
Charlottesville, VA, 22901 434-296-9821
Always remember you have the right to choose where your vehicle is repaired.
www.taylorautobody.com
Best of luck to our 2015 student athletes as they embark on their college careers. Jake Allen
Baseball
Harvard University
TaylorAnne Barry
Women’s Soccer
Randolph-Macon College
Jeremy Benner
Baseball
Sewanee – The University of the South
Fritz Berry
Men’s Lacrosse
Trinity College
Molly Brooks
Women’s Squash
Bates College
Sadie Bryant
Women’s Lacrosse
Gardner-Webb University
Eric Buhle
Men’s Lacrosse
University of Richmond
Emily Carden
Women’s Lacrosse
Washington & Lee University
Gideon Elron
Men’s Lacrosse
Wesleyan University
Julia Haney
Women’s Lacrosse
Princeton University
Khalig Howard
Men’s Lacrosse
Denison University
Lang McNeely
Men’s Lacrosse
Rhodes College
Parker Morris
Baseball
Cornell University
Rhys Nordstrom
Men’s Squash
Bard College
Austin Park
Men’s Lacrosse
Amherst College
Lee Parkhill
Football
Christopher Newport University
Brodie Phillips
Men’s Lacrosse
Dickinson College
Rob Schotta
Men’s Lacrosse
Denison University
Audrey Schreck
Women’s Lacrosse
University of Denver
Bredt Stockwell
Football
Sewanee – The University of the South
St. Anne's-Belfield School
Grades PS-12, 5- and 7-Day Boarding in Grades 9-12
(4 3 4) 2 9 6 -510 6 · w w w. s t a b . o rg
Cole Rakes REALTOR ® Independently Owned and operated Licensed in the Commonwealth of VA RE/MAX Action Real Estate 1770 Timberwood Blvd Suite 101 Charlottesville, VA 22911 Cell: (434) 326-2905 Office: (434) 296-007
cole.charlottesvilleareahomes.com
Premier tutoring and college preparation serving all of Charlottesville and the surrounding areas
W
e can’t teach our students everything, but we can prepare them for anything. Our dedication to excellence rooted in spiritual formation assures that every day, whether on the field, in the classroom, or in the community, Covenant students are ready for the future ahead.
Overtime
The local advocates Hollins and the VIAHA deserve proper recognition too
F
ebruary has a different vibe over the last four or so years than before. If you haven’t been taking note, we’re in the midst of a long overdue racial climate change. But while it’s great to embrace the kind of change a new generation is pursuing, let’s not forget about the originals. To me, even though I was born in mid-western Canada which makes me a bit of an outsider in addition to being whiter than white, that’s the intended spirit behind Black History Month. If there’s one thing I know about people my age and younger (it’s worse the younger you are in many cases) it’s that we don’t know nearly enough about our elders. And on a professional level, one of the first people to educate me on just how little I knew about what was going on in our backyard was Jimmy Hollins. In my last days of work at the Daily Progress more than seven years ago, I was introduced to Hollins. At the time, he had just launched the Burley Varsity Club and the organization was raising money to brighten up their alma mater — an all-black high school until the 1970’s before Virginia underwent integration. I knew so little about segregated Charlottesville, but was absolutely enthralled by it. As such, in our fourth ever issue of Scrimmage Play, we wrote a lengthy feature about Hollins, his classmates and the history of the high school. Ever since that summer and fall of 2009, Hollins and I have kept in touch. And each year since I’ve known him, I’ve been witness to watch his mission of raising public awareness for the segregation era student-athletes grow. What started out as a trophy case seven years ago has turned into something far greater. Roughly two years ago, Hollins kindly invited me to a luncheon at Virginia State University for the inaugural meeting of what has now become the Virginia Interscholastic Association Heritage Association. Their goal? Since the Virginia High School Hall of Fame — a joint operation between the Virginia High School League and the Virginia High School Coaches Association — was struggling to induct athletes from an era where stat keeping was scarce, something had to be done. It was a truly fascinating event where there was a Hollins-like figure from each part of the Commonwealth in one room. Much to his credit, then executive director of VHSL, Ken Tilley, was also in attendance. Tilley spoke and offered his thoughts on how the group could logistically launch a VIA hall of fame. From there board members were announced (Hollins, fittingly enough, as the group’s chairman), a treasurer was named, and on down the line it went. They spent the rest of that meeting getting their house in order to put together a non-profit organization to go around and raise money for their goal of building a VIA HOF. Now, just slightly under two years later, the VIAHA has its first Hall of Fame class. There are 27 members of this first class that includes 11 athletes, 10 coaches to go along with six contributors and a special recognition member. Yes, it’s a crowning moment for this organization and how quickly they’ve gotten things together. Just to give you an idea of what they’ve done, former NFL great, Roosevelt Brown, fully enshrined in that League’s HOF in Canton, Ohio, now finally has a landed in a high school hall of fame. The posthumous Jefferson High alumnus has a street named after him in Charlottesville thanks to Hollins and the BRV. Now he’s in the inaugural VIAHA HOF class, again thanks to Hollins. And they’re only going to keep doing more and think bigger. And so on two levels, this is what I’m trying to get at here. First, you have an elder statesman like Hollins who is doing an awful lot each and every month to try raise awareness for those in his era that he went to school with, played against, you name it. Hollins
22 :: @scrimmageplay
“What started out as a trophy case seven years ago has turned into something far greater.” and other members of the BRV can regularly be seen at Charlottesville High football and basketball games to this day. They’re people that everyone on a local level should meet, get a chance to talk to — trust me when I tell you they have exceptional stories. Secondly, Hollins and his colleagues at the VIAHA have put so much time and effort into establishing this organization for the sole cause of making sure the best athletes, coaches and outside contributors of that time get the due that’s been overlooked. On June 20 we’re going to get a chance to hear about these men and women as the induction ceremony will be at the Double Tree hotel here in Charlottesville. It’s easy to point out the big national figures that have helped this country progress over the last 70 years on a diversity level. Thanks to Hollins and the VIAHA, we have an opportunity to learn about the figures on the local level that were part of a time that needs to be remembered with as much detail as possible, while we still have the time to get it from firsthand sources. ✖
Ryan Yemen
CRE ATIVE EDITOR
back talk »
What else needs to be discussed in our local past? Contact Ryan at: ryan@scrimmageplay.com
Success stories begin here.
Success Story: Kion Brown He’s Fork Union through and through. Kion Brown played for both the varsity and post graduate Blue Devils basketball teams as he looked to head to college to continue his playing career. And after playing for then varsity coach Matt Donohue (now the PG coach) and then legendary PG coach Fletcher Arritt, Brown found a home. In 2012, Brown made the decision to head to Radford over Appalachian State, Florida Atlantic, Evansville, Jacksonville and Wofford. Since his arrival, he’s made an impact playing for the Highlanders. He came off the bench as a freshman and went on to start nine contests. He had 14 points against both Wake Forest and High Point to set up a strong sophomore campaign. In his second season at Radford, he had six games in double figures while also recording his first career double-double against Hampton. As a junior, Brown played in 33 games and knocked down 43.9% of his shots. Brown’s had a strong senior year for the Highlanders so far. Radford is 13-11 at this point this year with its 82-80 doubleovertime win in November standing out the most. Brown had 10 points, eight rebounds and a block in the win over the Hoyas. Through 24 games, he’s averaging 5.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as a key contributor for Radford in the paint. He’s been productive dating back to his senior year at Fork Union back in ’11-’12 and not much has changed since. Kion Brown has consistently put in the work on the court and continues to thrive playing the sport he’s enjoyed so much.
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