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x’s and o’s
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THE DECISION STAB’s DeLaurier picks his school
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TIDES OF CHANGE Orange thrives under running back duo
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THE WAITING IS THE HARDEST PART Albemarle’s Yu gets opportunity at libero
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GAME TIME Western football tops Monticello
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GETTING THE SHOT Behind the SP photography scene
Barreling Downhill
VOL 7 . ISSUE 3 :: SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
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VOL 7. ISSUE 3 :: SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
Orange County’s running back duo has the Hornets winning again PAGE 07
S TA F F Bart Isley, Creative Director Bob Isley, Infrastructure Director Ryan Yemen, Creative Editor O N T H E COV E R Orange County’s Trevon Smith 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
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PREGAME
On the turf Covenant’s field hockey program got a chance to play on the University of Virginia’s facility when they hosted powerhouse Carlisle. Here, Lizzy Shim brings up the ball on the bright blue turf. While the Eagles fell 1-0 to the visitors, they’ve had an impressive start to the fall as they’ve played one large opponent after another, between Western Albemarle, Albemarle, Carlisle and Collegiate. ✖ (Photo by Bart Isley)
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Charlottesville’s Lorenzo Louderback celebrates after a touchdown against William Monroe. Filling in for Rashad Brock who was missing because of an injury, Louderback had 86 yards and a TD in the Black Knights’ 38-12 win on the road. Charlottesville piled up 400 yards of offense and got 355 of that on the ground. The Black Knights sit at 3-1, one of three Jefferson District teams in the same department as they head to face rival Monticello. ✖ (Photo by Ashley Thornton)
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PREGAME
Next man up
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First Quarter
The Decision
STAB’s DeLaurier picks the Blue Devils By Luke Nadkarni
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STAB’s Javin DeLaurier is heading to play for Duke University. (Ashley Thornton)
{ X PER GAME } DeLaurier’s totals from the 20142015 season, his junior year.
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4.2 2.8
ost of the hype this summer surrounding high school basketball players centered around former Blue Ridge center Mamadi Diakite enrolling early to take his spot with the University of Virginia. It’s fall now and another blue chip has made a choice.
St-Anne’s-Belfield star center Javin Montgomery-DeLaurier committed to defending national champion Duke over the weekend and will take his talents south beginning in 2016. Ranked No. 44 in that class by ESPN, DeLaurier selected the Blue Devils over North Carolina, Texas, Arizona, Notre Dame and Stanford. “It was definitely a hard decision -- the hardest decision I’ve made in my life so far,” DeLaurier said. “But once I made it, it felt right. I felt at peace and happy that the process was finally over.” The 6’9”, 205-pound DeLaurier made his decision during dinner with Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and announced the news on Twitter the following morning. This ends a rather fast-paced recruiting period for the senior — at this time last year, his most prestigious offer was from Virginia Commonwealth. DeLaurier credited his time spent playing AAU basketball during the offseason with his rapid ascent. He averaged 13.1 points and 8.1 rebounds with Team Loaded Virginia in the Adidas Gauntlet this spring. Later in the summer, he averaged 10.3 points and seven rebounds at the Adidas Uprising Classic in Las Vegas. As a member of the team, he played alongside and against fellow highly-touted recruits, including Diakite and Kentucky commit Sacha Killeya-Jones. “It’s definitely great when you get to play against high-level competition,” DeLaurier said. “It helps you get better. You have to get better.” Like with many recruits that choose Duke, academics certainly played a role in DeLaurier’s commitment. He plans to study biology — for now. “I’m a 17-year old kid, so that can change
from now to when I get on campus,” DeLaurier said. “[Academics were] absolutely a huge part, because I know the ball’s going to stop bouncing at some point, so I want to be able to do something with my life.” Another big influence in DeLaurier’s commitment was Krzyzewski himself. Entering his 36th season at the helm in Durham, the man known affectionately as “Coach K” is one of the most decorated coaches in basketball history, sporting five NCAA championships and two Olympic gold medals as the head of the U.S. team. But DeLaurier saw a different side of Coach K during the recruiting process, something that fans and other outsiders rarely see. That also played a large role in his decision. “He’s a lot more normal than you’d expect,” DeLaurier said of his future coach. “We sort of deify him as a basketball guy, but then you meet him, and he’s a funny guy. He’s really personable and it’s great. It was an amazing experience meeting him, and you sort of hang on to everything he says.” Even with his future sealed, DeLaurier is careful not to forget that he still has a full season of high school basketball for the Saints ahead of him. As a matter of fact, he sees getting over the hump of choosing a college as a positive development for the upcoming year. “It’s amazing. I can sit here and focus on being the best that I can be in my senior year and not worry about where I’ll go to college,” DeLaurier said. “It’s great. My family and I feel great about it.” ✖
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College Update
We’ve gone digital But you can have it in print too!
Patterson in final year of career at VMI By Ryan Yemen Sam Patterson is still scoring touchdowns and making big plays. He’s just doing it in the Big South now as a Virginia Military Institute senior. Patterson was the pre-eminent big-play threat for Monticello football during his senior year of high school, hauling in a ton of jump ball touchdowns from then-quarterback Jhalil Mosley as the Mustangs went 9-3. That explosive year after working as a tight end, lineman and linebacker at Covenant early in his high school career helped him land at VMI. Patterson played as a true freshman at VMI in 2012, but really exploded as a sophomore, earning second team All-Big South honors while snagging 38 catches for a team-high 646 yards for an average of 17.0 yards per catch. He even ranked second in the Big South in touchdown catches with eight on the year and was fifth in receiving yards. Those eight touchdowns were the most by a Keydets pass catcher since 1986. Patterson’s junior season was a more frustrating one as he battled through an injury that forced him to miss the first three games of the season. He still managed another 30-catch sea-
son with 357 yards and a touchdown. His senior year is off to a more promising start as Patterson has served as the Keydets’ third-most productive wideout with 183 yards on 17 catches plus a team-high two touchdowns through two games. Patterson was part of an explosive Monticello offense in 2011 as Mosley, now a backup at William and Mary, threw for 1,907 yards as a junior while Isaac Robinson, who’s a starting running back for Tusculum College, rushed for 2,017 yards and 28 touchdowns that year. The Mustangs also got 507 yards and seven touchdowns from Nathan DiGregorio during that incredibly dynamic campaign. Patterson himself went for 872 yards and nine scores while averaging an astounding 30.1 yards per catch. Patterson earned first team AllScrimmage Play honors that year and with his play in basketball and baseball was also named SP’s Sportsman of the Year. Now if he can mirror or better his sophomore campaign this fall in Lexington, he’ll likely be in line for a few more awards as his college career comes to a close. ✖
BELOW » Monticello alum Sam Patterson (here in 2011) is thriving again as a senior.
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Tides of Change Story by Ryan Yemen / Photos by Grace Wilbanks
07 :: @scrimmageplay
G
OING INTO TRAINING CAMP the message was simple for first-year coach Jesse Lohr — Orange County football is capable of so much more than the record over the previous seasons reflects. Coming into this season, the Hornets had won just five games in a four-year span. The last winning season was in 2010. It was not that long ago that Orange was a powerhouse in the Jefferson District. In fact, with a former standout on the coaching staff, Bradley Starks — who quarterbacked the Hornets before graduating in 2007 and went on the play at West Virginia — Orange has a constant reminder of past success walking the sidelines. There’s no question the move from the Jefferson District to the Commonwealth District wound up setting this program back a great deal. But those days are now firmly in the rear view mirror. October is on the horizon and the Hornets are playing meaningful football games. They won as many games in the first four weeks as they did the previous two seasons. There’s a different mood on the sidelines, a different mood in the stands. There’s a different football team on the field at Porterfield Park.
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“It’s surprising the way this has worked out, from being rivals in middle school to playing together in high school.” - Hunt 09 :: @scrimmageplay
“For the last so many years it’s been tough,” said Lohr. “But to see a senior class that’s only won a few games (coming into this year) out there having a good time, being successful — it’s still early in the season, but I want them to cherish this. But I also want them to learn from it and also get to a point where we mentally expect this.” The first sign that things were different came in the Hornets exhibition game with Fork Union. Behind an experienced offensive line and two very big running backs, Orange’s offense had something that was missing the previous years — physicality. With a tweaked scheme up front, there was a swagger to the offense that hadn’t been there in quite some time. “We made a few changes to the line, having played more of a zone scheme in the past few years,” Lohr said. “This year we’re playing more of a man scheme. We’ve got a little bit of size and some of them are pretty good athletes so they’re actually better just coming off the ball and tying into somebody. Right now we’re pulling some guards, down blocking a bit more and it’s allowing us to get to the line of scrimmage. And when you’ve got what we’ve got coming at you, all you have to do is give them a chance.” Them. About them. Trevon Smith clocks in at 5-foot-11 and 240 pounds. He looks more like an offensive lineman than a running back. He doesn’t run like a lineman. DeAngelo Hunt is 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds. He looks perfectly fit for the defensive line. He too does not run like a lineman. Anytime a pair of running backs team up well in the backfield it’s easy to go to the ‘Thunder and Lightning’ moniker that Ron Dayne and Tiki Barber made popular back in 2000 with the New York Giants. Smith and Hunt are different. They are thunder and thunder. They are wrecking balls. “We just get hyped when we see one of them run over somebody,” said senior guard Emanuel Wormley. “They just know how to break those tackles, it’s fun to watch.” It wasn’t so long ago that Smith and Hunt were playing against one another. In middle school Smith attended Prospect Heights while Hunt was at Locust Grove. They were more used to playing against each other instead of lining up together. Now they’re sharing carries in the same backfield. While it would be easy to think they’re competing for carries, that’s not their mindset. And game-in-game-out, the two seem to wind up with similar workloads and similar results. “There’s a bond, a chemistry between us,” Hunt said. “It’s surprising the way this has worked out, from being rivals in middle school to playing together in high school. It’s been a lot of fun.” The tandem got off and running in week one when Hunt toted the ball 20 times for 120 yards and two touchdowns while Smith picked up 108 yards on 16 carries and also scored a pair of TD’s to propel Orange to a 37-27 win over Culpeper. After a set back against Eastern View, the Hornets came home and beat up Spotsylvania 33-3 with Hunt totaling 132 yards on 11 touches and picking up two touchdowns and Smith running 13 times for 83 yards and adding 24 yards receiving and a touchdown. Just like that, the Hornets were heading into Jefferson District play with a winning record and a big showdown with Powhatan looming on a Thursday night. “We don’t want to be a one-hit wonder,” Lohr said. “We want to be someone who comes out week after week and competes for four quarters.”
ACADEMIC EDGE
S P O N S O R E D
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M I L I TA R Y
A C A D E M Y
CHARLOTTESVILLE’S SAM NEALE
Charlottesville High football’s Sam Neale is just a sophomore, but on a team full of young standouts playing big roles, Neale has proven up to the task. Neale starts as a free safety and is also the Black Knights’ backup quarterback. “Sam embraces the intellectual brutality of football and we have a lot of confidence in him making calls in our secondary,” said Charlottesville head coach Eric Sherry. Neale also plays basketball and lacrosse at Charlottesville and is one of the school’s most promising three-sport athletes. Part of the reason Sherry trusts Neale to help get the defense in the proper spot is that Neale takes care of business in the classroom. He currently holds a 4.0 G.P.A while taking all honors classes and while it’s early in the college process for him since he’s only in tenth grade, he is hoping to attend UVa or William and Mary and is interested in pursuing law or sports marketing. And to think he’s already got all of that on track as just a sophomore. Neale is poised for a big career at CHS. He’s certainly off to the right start.
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“They are taking on the model we gave them of making every day count. We’re trying to not look too far ahead.” - Lohr 11 :: @scrimmageplay
On his first carry of the night against Powhatan, Smith made a statement by reeling off a 49-yard touchdown to give the Hornets the lead. He finished with 106 yards on 12 carries and picked up the game winning touchdown for eight yards out in overtime to lead the Orange to a 28-21 victory, a statement game for the program as it put them at 3-1, the best start for the team since 2006 — as you guessed it, Starks’ senior year. That’s set up another big game, this time with a 3-1 Albemarle team making the trip up to Orange. If Lohr has his way and the Hornets stay focused, the big games should just keep coming. “I’m proud of these kids — they are out there fighting and giving me everything they can,” Lohr said. “They are taking on the model we gave them of making every day count. We’re trying to not look too far ahead. We just cross off the days.” Obviously the ground and pound game is the selling point for Orange right now, but as the season has progressed, the Hornets’ passing game has picked up the pace. “We’re showing that you can’t just focus on DeAngelo and I,” Smith said. “We can hit those plays. They’re worried about us running so much they aren’t worrying about the pass.” With Caleb Clenney and Matt James sharing snaps at quarterback, Orange has tried to capitalize on a loaded tackle box by going downfield to receivers like Elijah Smoot — he had touchdown catches both against Culpeper and Spotsylvania. Darius Minor hauled in a 32-yard touchdown against Powhatan. Fullback Donovan Jackson has gotten in the mix by catching the ball out of the backfield on screens and wheel routes. “It’s real dangerous right now,” Hunt said. “You’ve got a great offensive line, two Clydesdale horses and the pass game is opening up.” And the word is certainly out about trying to bring down either of these backs once they find daylight. Where early in the season these two were able to find contact and hit the truck stick, things are changing there too. “You can see the fear,” Hunt said. “Nobody wants to hit us up top. I would love to get pad-to-pad action but every time I look for that they’re diving at the legs. We’re not getting that pad-to-pad stuff right now.” That should work out in the long run and limit the toll that either back takes. Of course with two backs getting pretty much equal carries on a weekly basis, the Hornets are in good shape in that department. And with the way the line has played through the first four games, there have been some wide open lanes for both to cleanly pass through. “It’s nice being able to see a hole there,” Smith said. “You get to hit it and then when you get running downhill it’s even nicer.” From a community perspective, the success at Orange is a welcome sight. The atmosphere at Porterfield is understandably the best its been since 2010. Over the summer Lohr and principal Kelly Guempel got together and worked on some ideas. On Thursday nights, the team eats dinner together. Before the games the faculty is out tailgating with the fans. Orange girls basketball coach Dave Rabe gets the crowd fired up before games with his WWE-esque microphone work. The students have embraced this team and put together a raucous section in the stands. From head to toe, Friday nights have been overhauled at Orange and with the success on the field, it’s all come together to create a special environment. “We’re just trying to do everything we can to give these kids the best
experience we can,” Lohr said. “It feels good to have this family atmosphere.” And on the field it has created a family that’s working together, not one of dysfunction. “The last couple of years it didn’t feel like family,” Wormley said. “This year it does. We all talk together, we get excited together, we’re just one right now. We’re getting on the field as one and walking off it as one.” It should come as no surprise that Lohr knows how to tap into what makes Orange County tick. He was a long time assistant and former player at the school. He took over the baseball program a decade ago and in 2009, led them to the state tournament. He’s only been running the show for a few months right now, but he’s certainly had an impact on the team. “We know he’s behind us and he’ll fight tooth and nail with us,” Smith said. “It’s been amazing.” It’s been just as amazing to watch. For the last four years most of Central Virginia has wondered when Orange County would rise again, because it was bound to happen. It’s been a great start for the Hornets, and if all goes according to plan, Fridays in October are going to have that old familiar vibe again and that’s a welcome feeling. ✖
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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. www.scrimmageplay.com ::
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H EH T S I AR G IN
STORY BY BART ISLEY PHOTOS BY TOM PAJEWSKI
P
atience is the art of self-denial. Often it’s about putting aside your own desires for the greater good. It’s about willing yourself to wait.
Over the last three years, Cindy Yu has filled a variety of roles for Albemarle’s volleyball team. She’s been a backup setter, stepped in as an emergency hitter and provided depth along the backline. But the one spot that Yu is best suited for was the one that wasn’t available for her to play. That’s because it was manned by Taylor Bauman, a four-year fixture along the backline for the Patriots that graduated last season. Bauman now leads a 9-3 McDaniel College squad in digs and finished her high school career No. 3 all-time for Albemarle in passing rating. “(Cindy) came up as a 10th grader and played DS for us the last couple of years, but she happened to come in at the same time we had a really good libero in Taylor Bauman,” said Albemarle coach Mark Ragland. For the bulk of Bauman’s productive career, there was Yu nearby or rotating at practice, stuck with the bad luck of being a class behind one of the area’s best ever. www.scrimmageplay.com ::
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“She’s basically my sister and it’s so awesome to see her improvement and her confidence boosting. I have faith in her” — Ellie Benning 15 :: @scrimmageplay
During Bauman’s tenure, Ragland told anyone who would listen that as good as Bauman was, her backup Yu was right there with her, that Yu would almost certainly start for any other area team. “She did wait her turn, a lot of people would’ve loved to have Cindy as their libero the last couple of years,” Ragland said.”The first year she was the backup setter while playing DS, so she was mostly handling balls overhand in practice and then had to convert in matches, she never said a whole lot about it. She hit for us last year at left front because that was one of our options we needed out of her.” After three years, she finally got her chance to start at libero, and she’s off to an incredibly fast start. Yu leads the Patriots in service points (146 already), aces (36), passing rating (2.09) and digs (131). Just like in the past, she’s filling any gap Albemarle needs, only now it’s on the floor from the libero spot, where AHS has barely missed a step despite Bauman’s graduation because Yu was prepared. “It’s a team sport so you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to help out the team,” Yu said. “Outside of high school volleyball in travel I always play libero. Travel ball definitely helped me (transfer) my passing ability to high school volleyball.” In other words? She was ready for this year. Like, really ready. “It’s a big role, but I’ll take the challenge,” Yu said. “I love challenges.” It has to be a challenge in and of itself just to wait your turn that long. To toil in practice every day and know that your only paths for contributing in matches are to play out of position or in a reserve capacity. Yu, however, managed that with a lot of grace and dignity in part because Ragland and Albemarle alumni go way above the call of duty to create an atmosphere that’s more family than athletic program. Of course, within any family, you’re going to form some particularly close relationships, and Yu is no exception. She and setter Ellie Benning, who entered her third year as a the Patriots’ starter this fall, have been playing volleyball together for 10 years, since they were 8-years old. That is paying major dividends for the Patriots’ passing game as there is a clear comfort level for Benning at work even though she’s connected with Bauman the last two years while playing for Albemarle. “She’s basically my sister and it’s so awesome to see her improvement and her confidence boosting,” Benning said. “I have faith in her, so it takes the pressure off of me. She can take care of the back row and I can run the front row.” The feeling is mutual. Trust is almost second nature to the Albemarle seniors, and while it’s a feeling that percolates throughout the roster according to Ragland, there’s a particularly intensity and respect between his libero and setter. “Ellie’s effort into every play she makes is just ridiculous, but to see her go up on a tight ball that I pass I’m like ‘oh no, I’m so sorry’ and she’s like ‘oh no, it’s fine, do it again’,” Yu
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“Coach Ragland has built such a good legacy around Albemarle volleyball, the name and its reputation means a lot to me” — Cindy YU 17 :: @scrimmageplay
said. “She’s so supportive. She’s my volleyball sister.” That family atmosphere may have given Yu’s long wait purpose and direction, but purpose or not, Yu is savoring the chance to play a year at the libero spot for the Patriots. Instead of filling in, she’s running the show on the backline, getting the Patriots in position all the time. “It’s a great opportunity to fill Taylor Bauman’s and Caroline Porco’s shoes, all the former liberos here,” Yu said. “Coach Ragland has built such a good legacy around Albemarle volleyball, the name and its reputation means a lot to me.” She’s shown that by taking on an expanded leadership role according to Benning. The Patriots are definitely seeing a new side to Yu as a senior who is a permanent fixture in the lineup. “You’ll see her and she’s like ‘you’re standing here, you’re standing here’,” Benning said. “Before she was the shy girl kind of like “okay” but now she’s taking charge.” All that work in different roles over the last few years is also making her an even more valuable part of the regular lineup for the Patriots. She’s essentially helping erase mistakes with her combination of libero, setter and hitter skillset. “Any time you have a kid with multiple skills it’s really sweet because we don’t always pass the ball well, so when a kid is out of system and can deliver a nice ball for an outside to hit, that makes life so much easier,” Ragland said. “When Cindy touches the ball, you’ve got a sigh of relief going on.” She’s also getting the basic job of a libero done without making too many mistakes either. That’s a product of a lot of practice and developing her knack for anticipation. “She reads things so well, I think that’s what a lot of people take for granted, she kind of sees where the hit is going and is there early,” Ragland said. The bottom line is that Yu has worked at it. She’s stuck with the plan, she’s mastered that healthy kind of self-denial. She’s shown the discipline it takes to take the long road to success. We are now in an era where experts and talking heads claim that millennials and high school athletes in particular are almost entirely interested in immediate success and unwilling to put in the work and show a significant amount of patience. That they’re too focused on individual goals and personal success to be a team player. Yu proves emphatically that’s not the case. For three years she waited her turn. For three years she gave Albemarle’s volleyball team whatever she had and whatever the Patriots needed. Now, through leadership, enthusiasm and sterling play on the backline, she’s giving Albemarle everything she has again. “The team means a lot to me. It’s like a family,” Yu said. It’s just that now she gets to do it from the spot she waited to man all along. Patience pays off. Dedication pays off. Thinking about your team first pays off. Strike that last one. Thinking about your family first pays off. ✖
TEAM SPOTLIGHT ALBEMARLE FIELD HOCKEY Each fall the Albemarle Field Hockey team makes an effort to raise money for charity. This season the Patriots are holding a “Play for the Cure” game on October 15th in order fund raise for the National Foundation for Cancer Research. We can all support the Patriots and a great cause. Great job, Albemarle! Best of luck in your efforts and keep up the great work.
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Game Time Western 28, Monticello 7 By Ryan Yemen
Western’s Sam Hearn had 164 yards rushing in a win over Monticello. (Ashley Thorton)
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The bounces actually went Monticello’s way, for most of the first half at least. A fumble and a muffed punt by Western Albemarle allowed the Mustangs to stay within striking distance of the visiting Warriors despite the home team struggling in the yardage department. But when the Western defense came up with a goal line stand and forced a fumble in the third quarter, the finger was out of the dam, and it wasn’t long before the Warriors simply poured it on as their offense clicked after the break and the defense posted a second half shutout to beat Monticello for the third time in the last four regular season meetings, 28-7. “I thought our kids were relentless today on defense,” said Western coach Ed Redmond. “They played with some conviction, something we’ve been waiting for… Western and Monticello, it’s a rivalry that’s hard to compare. It’s a game that’s circled on both calendars and you learn from it.” With senior running back Oliver Herndon sidelined, the Warriors had to lean on quarterback Sam Hearn more as a runner than a passer. On the second Western possession of the game, the senior signal caller methodically took his team down the field and capped the drive with a 4-yard keeper. However, Monticello was able to answer in the second quarter after a few stalled drives and a fumble by Western deep in their own territory. After a penalty, the Mustangs picked up their lone score of the game, a 6-yard plunge from running back Darian Bates. And despite being out gunned offensively, Monticello was in the contest. Unfortunately for the Mustangs, the rest of the game was about penalties, a big turnover, and squandered opportunities. “You can’t win that way,” said Monticello coach Jeff Lloyd. “You can’t win with the amount of penalties we had, and you can’t win
turning the ball over like we did.” Western reclaimed the lead late in the second thanks to its special teams unit as they blocked a Monticello kick to start out with fantastic field position. Hearn picked up his second rushing TD of the game from a yard out just moments later to make it 14-7 in the final seconds of the first half. It was just the beginning of something big for the Warriors. The Western defense forced a punt on Monticello’s first drive of the second half, but with the Warriors muffing it, Monticello got the ball at the Western 29. With a bevy of flags on the next few plays, the Mustangs were suddenly in their own territory and soon had to punt again with Western’s defense rising to the occasion. The Warriors defense put their official stamp on the game on the next Monticello drive after Austin Haverstrom’s 32-yard reception from Kevin Jarrell set up first and goal from the Western 1-yard line. On the very next play, the Mustangs fumbled with Darren Klein coming up with the ball for the Warriors. “That was big,” said Western’s Osiris Crutchfield. “Especially when you’re backed up at the one, you’ve got to step up, got to get the momentum back for our guys.” Soon after that, Western saw Hearn reel off a 42-yard run and then watched the quarterback find Derek Domecq for a 54yard touchdown pass to make it 21-7. While Monticello turned the ball over twice in the red zone in the fourth quarter, Western wrapped up the scoring in the contest with Robert Sims capping a drive with 5:44 on a 7-yard run set up by a big pass and catch from Hearn to Michael Vale. The Western defense held Monticello to just 26 yards rushing as Crutchfield — who had 5.5 tackles, a sack and 1.5 tackles for a loss — along with his fellow lineman dominated the line of scrimmage in all four quarters. ✖
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. ✖
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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)
Success stories begin here.
Success Story: Latrell Scott Latrell Scott hails from Mechanicsville and attended Fork Union in high school. After his playing days were over at Hampton University, he returned to FUMA as a coach. Since then he’s made his presence known as a coach on the collegiate level. After working as assistant at Western Carolina University, he worked for Virginia Military Institute and then the University of Richmond. He then helped the University of Tennessee. In 2009 he joined the staff at the University of Virginia. Following his stint with the Cavaliers, Scott took over at Richmond as the team’s head coach in 2010, the youngest ever at 34 years old at the Division I level. After his time with the Spiders he was an assistant at James Madison University. He then moved on to Virginia State University in 2013.
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In his two years with the Trojans, Scott led VSU to a 19-4 record. In 2014, his Trojans went 10-3 and won their first Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championship since 1996. Later, his team won their first ever playoff showing by beating Long Island University in the Division II tournament. He was named the 2014 CIAA Coach of the Year for his efforts. This past winter, Scott was named the 17th head coach of the Norfolk State University football program after Pete Adrian retired after his 10-year tenure. Scott has traveled and coached all over the Commonwealth of Virginia. Now embedded at NSU, he’ll look to continue his journey where’s he’s made a difference at each program’s he’s touched. He may have gotten a jump start at Fork Union, but Scott’s journey has taken him far and in many ways, it’s just beginning.
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
Overtime
Getting the shot A wave of students are capturing great stuff
W
hen we launched back in 2009 I vividly remember one of the first games we covered was a volleyball game at Orange County against Madison County. There was a gentleman standing on the side with amazing photography equipment. He wasn’t shooting for a newspaper, he wasn’t shooting for us. At the time we had one photographer who was shooting regularly for us. We were looking to build a network of photographers that could help us with the magazine. As it turns out that gentleman was John Berry, and ever since that game he’s been an integral part of Scrimmage Play. That very same year, a colleague of my father’s came on board in the same capacity, Tom Pajewski. He had kids at Albemarle and outstanding professional equipment as well. Then we met Pat DiGregorio, whose sons were playing for Monticello. That was the start and we’ve only branched further and further out. While DiGregorio spent his last year on the sidelines helping us as his youngest son Zach graduated last spring, the network has been many of the same great parents. Schools that have those kind of dedicated photographers should be awfully thankful that they’re around. Not every area or school is as lucky to have that kind of talent prowling the sidelines. Walking the sidelines these last two years in particular, we’ve been struck by the number of students sporting high-end cameras and lenses. More often than not these are students looking to get involved in photojournalism, students who are shooting games for their high school yearbook or sometimes just for pleasure. When we started, that wasn’t too popular. Now, it seems as though every school, public or private, has a young ambitious student trying to capture the excitement of Friday night football. It’s exciting for us because as a magazine that covers high school athletics, it’s rewarding to see students dabbling in what we do for a living, getting a head start at it. Over the years, all of Pajewski’s sons and daughters have submitted photos that wound up in the magazine or on our website. In this issue, we’ve got the pleasure of saying we have our first ever student submitted photo to be featured on our cover. It’s something we’re all too happy to have happen as it’s a sign of the changing times in media coverage. Some elder photographers (none of whom work for us or share this opinion) have said that the digital technology has made it so that truly great photography is now a needle in the haystack of amateurs sporting high end gear. Both myself and our Creative Director Bart Isley share the opinion that the new technology has opened up a door in the field that allows a lot of people with fresh perspectives to, at the very least, experiment and experience what it’s like to shoot a game. With the amazing advances in cameras and lenses and the cost of both dropping over that time frame, you don’t have to be a diehard photographer to get involved in shooting action sports. What is really cool to see for us is that students on the field are being photographed by their peers and the product is getting better and better each year. These students like Orange County’s Grace Wilbanks are getting a massive head start that allows them to focus on the art of photography. With the auto-focus era of the digital camera firmly entrenched, the barriers to entry and to producing solid shooting are disappearing. You don’t have to shoot and develop 100 photos now to get one good shot, which used to be cost and equipment prohibitive. Because of that, we’re seeing a group of young photographers getting better at the stuff that really matters, which is having an eye for what’s significant, and then the most important part, the angles. I ran into Wilbanks first at Woodberry Forest’s game with Bishop McNamara at Orange’s Porterfield Park. I saw she had good equipment. I saw Wilbanks when Orange
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“It’s rewarding to see students dabbling in what we do for a living, get a head start at it.” played Spotsylvania and asked her if she’d be willing to submit some photos. Her stuff was on point. We knew we had a jumping off point. She shot the Powhatan game the next week and landed the cover shot. That’s a potential path to a career too, as our senior photographer Ashley Thornton started in much the same way, shooting and experimenting and trying new things out while improving and focusing on developing her own style and perspective. Now she’s produced countless iconic moments of Central Virginia sports and countless Scrimmage Play covers. I’m sure over the next few years we’ll run plenty more photos of Wilbanks’ to go along with the growing number of photographers we continue to add to our family of gifted shooters. But what is becoming more and more interesting is that the average age of these photographers continues to drop. This is a good thing, a product of both young ambition and technology allowing students to explore a great hobby or career. Technology and young people, it leads to great stuff. Ask MIT, NASA or anyone else — even a small magazine like ours. ✖
Ryan Yemen,
CRE ATIVE EDITOR
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Is there a downside to improving digital photography? Contact Ryan: ryan@scrimmageplay.com
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