Gold Rush: August 28, 2018

August 28, 2018

STAFF: EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jeffrey Kopp

SPORTS EDITOR Sam Palian MARKETING DIRECTOR Fred Brown

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

CONTRIBUTORS: Chris Crews, Drew Pescaro, Jazz Warren, Pooja Pasupula SALES: Edd y Falls COVER DESIGN: N at asha Morehouse COVER PHOTO: Chris Crews NINER MEDIA ADVISOR: Wayne Maikranz MARKETING ADVISOR: Kelly Merg es

AUG. 28, 2018

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2018 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

4.

2018 FOOTBALL ROSTER

6.

HIGH HOPES

8.

RUNNIN G IT BAC K

10.

BIGGER THAN FOOTBALL

12.

STRAIGHT FROM THE SIDELINES

14.

HUMANS OF UNC C HARLOTTE

GRAPHICS & PRODUCTION: Joshua Wood BUSINESS MANAGER: Laurie Cuddy OFFICE MANAGER: Kelly Dudden

James Bourke

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

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2018 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

by Sam Palian Sports Editor

Photo by Chris Crews

vs. Fordham Sept. 1 6:00 p.m.

Charlotte will begin their sixth season of play with a home game again FCS opponent Fordham. The Rams finished this past season 4-7 overall and 3-3 in the Patriots League.

The last time Charlotte opened the season with a home game was a 52-7 win over Campbell in 2013.

vs. App. State Sept. 8 6:00 p.m.

The second game of the season for the Niners will be against 2017 Sun Belt Conference co-Champions, App State.

It will be the first meeting between the Mountaineers and the 49ers.

vs. ODU Sept. 15 6:00 p.m.

To finish off the three-game home series, the Monarchs will set foot on McColl-Richardson Field for Charlotte’s first C-USA matchup of the year. The last meeting between the two was in Norfolk, where Charlotte fell 0-6 by a pair of field goals.

at Massachusetts Sept. 22 3:30 p.m.

The Niners will hit the road for their first away game at UMass. The Minutemen finished this past season with an overall record of 4-8.

at UAB Sept. 29 TBA

Charlotte’s second C-USA foe will be the Blazers, who finished out their season with an overall record of 8-5. The Niners defeated UAB last year for their only win. The Blazers went on to lose in the Bahamas Bowl game 41-6.

vs. WKU Oct. 13 3:30 p.m.

The Hilltoppers previously beat the Niners 45-14 in Charlotte and finished off their season with a 6-7 record overall, 4-4 in Conference USA.

at Middle Tennessee Oct. 20 3:00 p.m.

Although the 49ers remained consistent, putting numbers on the board to try and surface a comeback, they ultimately fell to the Blue Raiders. Middle Tennessee went on to finish with a 7-6 overall record and finish 4-4 in conference.

vs. Southern Miss Oct. 27 2:00 p.m.

Charlotte suffered a 66-21 loss to the Golden Eagles this past year. Southern Miss would finish the season off with an overall record of 8-5 and 6-2 in C-USA.

at Tennessee Nov. 3:00 TBA

In this away matchup, the Niners will face a new foe in Tennessee. The Volunteers suffered a winless season in conference and finished with a 408 record overall.

at Marshall Nov. 10 2:30 p.m.

The Herd beat the 49ers 14-3 previously at McColl-Richardson Field, but the last meeting between the two at Marshall ended with a 27-24 Charlotte win. The Herd finished out their season with an 8-5 overall record and a 3-4 record in C-USA.

vs. FIU Nov. 17 2:00 p.m.

The last time the teams met in Charlotte, the Panthers beat the Niners by a single point at 26-27. Charlotte was unable to pull out a win this past season against FIU as well, falling 30-29 away, by only a single point yet again.

@ FAU Nov. 24 6:00 p.m.

FAU went undefeated in C-USA last year, with an overall record of 11-3. Charlotte fell to FAU 31-12 last season and 28-23 the last time the teams met in Boca Raton.

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NAME Cameron Bent Ed Rolle Mark Quattlebaum Darius Irvin Cameron Dollar Alex Highsmith Aaron McAllister Denzel Irvin Workpeh Kofa Anthony Butler Hasaan Klugh Nafees Lyon R.J. Tyler Quinton Jordan Victor Tucker Tyriq Harris Dylan Ratliff Jonathan Cruz Alex Duncan Brady Pope Michael Holmes Joe Thompson Marquavis Gibbs Justin Jeffrey Evan Shirreffs Luke Martin Chris Reynolds Lance McMillan Jackson Vansickle Cade Barnhill Willie Green DJ Anderson Rico Arnold Juwan Foggie Angel Marrero JT Starr Matt Martinez Martin Delgado Denzel irvin

POSITION WR DB WR LB WR DE RB DB WR LB QB DB H DB WR DE QB K DB QB DE WR DB WR QB LB QB DB K WR QB DB WR LB WR DB DB DB DB

CLASS R-Fr. Sr. R-Sr. R-Jr. R- Fr. R-Jr. R-So. R-Sr. R-Sr. Jr. R-Sr. R-Jr. R-Sr. Sr. R-Fr. R-Jr. Fr. Fr. R-Sr. Fr. R-Jr. R-So. Jr. Fr. Gr. Fr. R-Fr. Fr. R-Jr. R-Fr. R-Fr. R-Jr. Fr. R-Sr. R-Fr. R-So. Fr. Fr. R-Sr.

2018 FOOTBA ## 26 26 27 28 28 29 29 30 31 32 32 33 34 35 36 37 39 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 51 53 54 55 56 58 59 60 60 61

NAME Jacione Fugate Caleb Parker Ben Bowbliss Ben DeLuca Keshaun McGaugh Calvin Camp Jonnie Pitman Ishod Finger Terrick Smalls Jr. Benny LeMay Julian Wheaton Roderick Staton Jeff Gemmell Wesley Bullard Robert Cheatem Keshaun Woods Kyle Corbett George Maya Markees Watts AJ McDonald Henry Segura Christian Haynes Cody Bartrum Javonte Misenheimer Dillon Overholt Jack Wellenhofer Trey Smlecer Chris Brown Jalen Allen Brian McDonough Michael Adams Will Graham Johnny Ray B.J. Turner Darren Drake Bryan Wallace Ernest King

PO

ALL ROSTER

OSITION DB RB DB DB RB RB DB RB RB RB DL RB LB WR DB DB P/K LB LB DB LB DB LB LB LB LS K/P OL OL LS OL LB DL LB OL DL DL

CLASS R-So. Fr. R-Fr. Jr. Jr. R-Fr. Fr Fr. Fr. Jr. R-Jr. R-Jr. R-Jr. Fr. R-So. R-So. R-So. R-Fr. Fr. R-Jr. R-Fr. R-Jr. R-Fr. R-Fr. Fr. R-So. Fr. R-Sr. Sr. R-Sr. R-Fr. R-So. R-So. Fr. Sr. Fr. R-Fr.

## 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 86 87 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 97 98 99

NAME Tyler Fain Jacob Webb Nate Davis John Brosnahan Jack Mitchell Ben Duyck Jaelin Fisher Dejan Rasuo DʼMitri Emmanuel Cameron Clark Gage Welborn David Foust Tim Baten Dominic Taylor Jonathan Timmons Malik Harkness Trevor Stacy Dalton Widner Ben Jacques Tyler Ringwood Zach Gemmell Chris Wiggins Ryan Eachus Ryan Carriere Moss Saccomanno Antoine Shaw Isaiah Harris Chris Phillips Jacob Hunt Chris Tomberlin Tommy Doctor Dantrell Barkley Nick Martin Emmanuel White Isaiah Belk Andrew Favaro Damon Weldon Jr. Timmy Horne Taylor Chandler

POSITION DL OL OL P OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL DL OL OL OL OL OL DE WR WR WR TE TE TE DE DE TE TE WR DL DL DL DE DL K DE DL DE

CLASS R-Sr. R-Fr. R-Sr. Fr. Fr. Fr. R-So. Fr. R-Fr. R-Fr. Fr. Sr. R-Fr. Jr. R-So. Fr. R-Jr. Fr. R-Jr. R-So. R-Fr. Fr. R-Fr. R-So. So. R-Fr. R-Jr. Sr. Fr. R-Jr. R-Jr. R-So. R-So. R-Fr. Fr. R-Fr. Fr. R-So. Fr. Photo by Chris Crews

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Photo by Chris Crews

HIGH HOPES

By Sam Palian Sports Editor After beginning the season as the team picked to finish last in the East Division and a 1-11 record in 2017, the Charlotte 49ers remain with their heads high and their sights set on some season-opening wins.

Last season, it seemed as if the Niners would get to the end of the season and have suffered heartbreak with a winless year. Instead, they showed fans why sticking around until the end of the game is always worth it and turned their Homecoming game into an amazing win.

After nearly ending the third quarter down 17-0 to UAB, quarterback Hasaan Klugh had a nineyard touchdown run accompanied by an extra-point kick from Nigel Macauley to bring the score to 17-7.

Charlotte worked hard to rally in the second half. In the fourth quarter, Trent Bostick caught a 68-yard pass from Klugh to make it 17-14 with an extra point from Macauley. Macauley later helped to tie Charlotte with UAB by way of a 24-yard field goal. Regulation time ended and a victor had still yet to emerge, so the teams would continue the matchup in overtime.

The 49ers gave the Blazers the first go at offense in order to know what they needed to put up on the board to pull out a win. UAB scored to gain a 24-17

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lead over the 49ers. Eight plays and 25 yards later, Klugh tallied his seventh touchdown of the season with a one-yard TD to put Charlotte on top at 2524 in OT. The Charlotte 49ers showed exactly how much heart they have in their single win of the 2017 season and intend to start the season off with even better energy.

With last season in mind, the Niners needed to make a lot of changes in order to work their way toward where they want to be in the future.

Plenty of new faces have been brought in this year, including coaching staff as well as players. A big change in the coaching staff was the addition of Charlotte’s new offensive coordinator, Shane Montgomery, who is just as optimistic as the guys putting on the pads.

“I know that we’re not happy with where the program is right now coming off of last year. But, that has nothing to do with last year. We have a great group of players, kids that worked really hard in the offseason and we’ve hired some new coaches and I think there’s a really good feeling around the program and we’re looking forward to Sept. 1,” Montgomery said.

Another new face around the stadium is Miami graduate, quarterback Evan Shirreffs. Shirreffs

was the Hurricane’s backup QB this past year and looks to be a contender for a starter on the Niners offense.

“We’ll see how that shakes out, whether it’s Evan, Chris, Hasaan, who that guy is once we start playing live plays in camp, so we’ll see as that moves along who wins the job,” said Coach Brad Lambert.

Not only are there new members of the program, but along with a new season has come a new energy in the 49ers. They feel as if they have nothing to lose and plan to put it all on the field, letting their hard work do the talking.

“We’re excited for the season to come and we want to put a show on for the fans, they deserve to see us win. They’ve been supporting us for the most part and we’re going to do everything we can, and fill the stadium,” said running back Benny LeMay. LeMay and the Nines will begin a three-game home series on Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. in Jerry Richardson Stadium against Fordham University, who finished their 2017 season with a 4-7 record overall.

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RUNNING IT BACK

Photo by Pooja Pasupula

The Charlotte 49ers step into their 2018 season at home, taking on Fordham University on Sept. 1 in front of Niner Nation.

By Jazz Warren Staff Writer

The Nation

The Rams

The Forty-Niners, coming off of a frustrating 1-11 season, look to turn a new leaf with “clear eyes and full hearts” as the famous television coach, Eric Taylor would say. With the offseason bringing in a change in coaching staff, Head Coach Brad Lambert has been given an opportunity to reshape the program in his image, and revitalize a winning culture within Niner Nation.

“It’s been good,” said Coach Lambert. “It’s always a worry of yours, but the nice thing about the guys we brought in, you know Chris has been a head coach before at Tulane. Glenn has been a head coach at West Georgia. Shane has been a head coach at Miami (Ohio). So it’s been good for me because they have good ideas, and we can bounce things off each other.”

With key offensive players like Hasaan Klugh, Benny LeMay, and Aaron McAllister returning, much of Charlotte’s running game will remain intact.

Klugh, a redshirt senior, has led the team as starting QB for the last two years. The QB has made up for 19 of the 49ers’ 23 touchdowns this past season, including every single TD in Charlotte’s 25-24 OT win against UAB at Homecoming.

Despite many of these key moments in his career, Hassan Klugh will not be assured of his starting spot, as graduate transfer Evan Sherreffs, and redshirt freshman Chris Reynolds are both talented prospects for Charlotte this coming season.

When it comes to the rest of the 49ers offense, a lot of excitement is present among the team.

“We have a lot of versatility in the backfield, Aaron McAllister is a very fast guy in the back field,” LeMay said. “Cam is so versatile in the open field, so it will be great seeing what those guys do.”

The Niners currently stand 3-2 when it comes to season openers, while the Fordham Rams also stand 3-2 for their last five openers.

The Rams ended their 2017 season standing with a 4-7 record. They started off their season opener in a 6-64 blowout loss against Army in West Point, NY. With a lopsided box score showing Fordham putting up 240 passing yards compared to Army’s zero, it would seem as if the Rams’ defense had an easy assignment, but the game itself would tell a different tale. Army’s Ahmad Bradshaw and D. Woolfolk would come together to combine for 272 rushing yards themselves. In the end, Army would rush for 513 yards compared to Fordham’s 105.

The rest of the Rams’ season would be a melting pot of triumphs and defeats. The Rams would taste well-earned victories in hard fought battles, such as their 38-31 win over Central Connecticut State University, and suffer crushing blows like their 10-41 loss against Yale University.

The Rams are returning for their 2018 season with 23 seniors, eight being receivers, along with two kickers and a long snapper, which could be very promising for Fordham’s passing and kicking game.

Players to be on the lookout for include senior wide receiver Corey Caddle, who started five games this past season. The young receiver put up 392 yards his junior season, with 11.9 catches and a team leading four scores. Having his senior year interrupted by injury, the receiver is sure to step into his senior year on fire, expecting his role to expand and grow as his confidence does.

Another weapon for Rams to look out for is senior QB Luke Medlock. Appearing in eight games last season, and starting in one behind Kevin Anderson. Medlock was the second highest in passing yard averages with 75 per game.

The Rams have been known for their extensive passing game. In the past they have been led by QB Kevin Anderson who averaged 219 per game. With the graduation of Mr. Anderson, there is sure to be a shift in power which will be seen for the first time on Sept.1 in Niner Nation.

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“He’s got a chance to have a really big year for us.”

-Coach Brad Lambert

The Captain Junior running back Benny LeMay has made his presence felt both on and off the field in his two short years in Niner Nation.

LeMay, a returning starter for the Charlotte 49ers will be serving his team as an on field captain this this coming season. The running back has 907 career rushing yards already, only 93 shy of the 1000 yards club, in his career as a 49er. He is number four all time in rushing yards for Charlotte, ranked ninth in C-USA with a 66.5 rushing average, having played all 11 of the 12 2017 season games, while starting in eight.

“Ben’s a fine, fine football player and we need for him to stay healthy. I like our depth at running back, with him being the lead guy. He’s got a chance to have a really big year for us,” said Coach Lambert.

“We want to be able to run the ball, we want to be able to put it in his hands as many times as we can, the thing that kind of gets over looked with Benny is he’s a really good catcher of the football out of the backfield, so we try to utilize that as much as we can as well, he’s a very skilled guy and we’ve got to utilize him.”

LeMay himself has set some high expectations on both himself and his team this coming season. When asked how the team plans to use last season’s 1-11 record to their advantage, this is what he had to say.

“We’ve definitely got a lot to prove this season. It’s something you definitely don’t want to throw in the trash, but you want to keep it in your rear view mirror. That way you see it everywhere you go, you use that as motivation for the season to come,” said LeMay. “They deserve to see us win.”

Kickoff is at 6 p.m., next Saturday at Jerry Richardson stadium.

Photo by Chris Crews

NINERTIMES.COM

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BIGGER THAN FOOTBALL Senior Juwan Foggie leads by example on and off the field

By Drew Pescaro Staff Writer

With the 2018 college football season right around the corner, the Niners are in full preparation mode for game one. They will be hosting Fordham University at Jerry Richardson Stadium and are looking to start the season on a high note.

Before the season begins, we sat down with Charlotte’s senior linebacker, Juwan Foggie, to get to know a little more about the selfless member of the 49ers defense.

When it came to finding his place on the football field, Foggie took some convincing from coaches to make the switch from wide receiver to linebacker.

Outside of football, Foggie knows exactly where he belongs. Volunteering in the community is something that Foggie enjoys immensely and he does so simply to put a smile on others faces.

The star linebacker for the 49ers is no stranger to community service. His upbringing has taught him the importance of giving back to the community.

Service became a part of his life early on and has stuck with him through life.

“It’s how I was raised, my parents instilled that in me early on and I have carried that with me into college,” Foggie said.

From the YMCA Miracle League to the Levine Children’s Hospital, Foggie has volunteered in all sorts of events throughout the community. He has been nominated for the 2018 AFCA Allstate Goodworks Team and has also been named to the Weurffel Trophy Watch List. Both of these honors commemorate an outstanding commitment to service on the college football level.

As a senior, Foggie knows that his time in college is quickly coming to a conclusion. He has prepared himself for this by considering two options for post graduation from Charlotte which he will be eligible for in Dec. 2018.

“I will try to give the NFL a run for its money and go on that path and if not I am considering going into grad school for Sports Psychology at UNCG (University of North Carolina at Greensboro),” Foggie said.

Football and service are not all that the 49ers linebacker is about. Off the field, he is very down to earth and has similarities to many college students.

Being an athlete hasn’t changed his various interests and the hobbies he partakes in during his free time.

“I’m a big movie guy, I like to watch movies as well as T.V. shows. Oh, and I have a dog too, his name is Caillou,” Foggie said.

Foggie has been around Charlotte for some time now and has fallen in love with the campus and all that it has provided him. Being a part of 49ers Football and the Charlotte community has been enjoyable for Foggie in various ways.

“All of the opportunities from off the field and on the field. There are so many different people that you come across which has allowed me to network with so many different people,” Foggie said.

Expectations are high for the senior and rightfully so. Coach Brad Lambert is glad that Foggie decided to make the position switch from wide receiver to linebacker, but does not allow that to be an excuse for not working hard. The linebacker gives it his all on and off the field and the coaching staff recognizes that on a daily basis.

“All of last year, we weren’t sure at this time last year that he was gonna make the move to linebacker and I wasn’t really sure about it. But he excelled and really played well for us and has continued to do that on the field. Off the field he’s as good as you want. We have a lot of guys like that, you could go down the roster and find a lot of guys who do a great job of getting out in the community and doing things outside themselves. That’s a big emphasis for us because every man needs a cause beyond themselves and that’s what we talk to the guys a lot about and Juwan is that lead guy for us,” Lambert said.

After last season’s 1-11 record, a bad taste was left in the mouths of the 49ers. Juwan Foggie does not let the past keep him down for long and he already feels confident in this year’s team. His confidence and optimism towards his teammates and coaches this year resonates with those around him which could be key to the success of the 49ers this upcoming season.

“The energy has been a lot better. Coming off that season we had last year you wouldn’t expect this type of energy from everybody. That’s really big coming from the summer that we had so hopefully that will carry on into the season and we can turn last season around and have a winning season,” Foggie said.

The path to a winning season starts on Sept. 1 as the 49ers kickoff the season in Charlotte at 6 p.m. Foggie and the rest of the 49ers Football program will look to capitalize on a positive off-season and turn things around.

Photos by Chris Crews

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STRAIGHT FROM THE SIDELINES

by Sam Palian Sports Editor

Brad Lambert Took on bringing the Charlotte football program to life in 2011as head coach and will lead the Niners into their sixth season this year. In the ten years prior to coming to Charlotte, Lambert was at Wake Forest with stints as defensive coordinator, linebackers coach and special teams coach.

James Adams Began with the Niners in 2011. After the first five seasons as defensive backs coach he will now serve as the safeties coach and was also promoted to assistant head coach in Spring of 2018. Adams was a defensive assistant coach at Wofford in 2010 and also worked with Lambert previously at Wake Forest as a recruiting assistant in 2008 and offensive graduate assistant in 2009.

Ulrick Edmonds Joined the program as the outside linebackers coach in Spring of 2016 and also took over as the recruiting coordinator at the end of that year. He will continue to serve as recruiting coordinator and will now oversee the defensive ends. Edmonds has spent time at both James Madison as an assistant and a short period of time at Old Dominion. More recently he served as the quality control director for NC State.

Shane Montgomery Hired in Dec. 2017 as Charlotte’s offensive coordinator after the program concluded its 1-11 season.

Prior to joining Charlotte’s coaching staff, Montgomery spent eight years on staff at Youngstown State.

Having over 20 years of coaching experience, Montgomery can also say he coached Super Bowl Champion Ben Roethlisberger at Miami (Ohio) and 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame Selction, Terrell Owens.

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Keith Henry Joined the coaching staff in 2017 as the runnings back coach and continues into this season as such. Before joining the Niners, Henry spent three years as assistant head coach at Catwba College.

Brad Queen Started as a graduate assistant with the offensive line in 2016, and moved on to the defensive line as an analyst in 2017. In early 2018, Queen was promoted to defensive tackles coach. Before coming to Charlotte, Queen spent four seasons at Eastern Kentucky assisting with the offfensive side of things.

Get to know the coaches ahead of the 2018 season Charlie Skalaski Started with the Niners as the football analyst workign with special teams in 2016, was promoted to special teams coordinator in June 2017 and took over as receviers coach in Spring 2018. Skalaski was the associate head coach at Eastern Kentucky in 2015 and also spent time with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars as well as Liberty University.

Glenn Spencer Hired in Feb. 2018 as defensive cooridnator after spending the 10 seasons prior at Oklahoma State.

Before his time at Oklahoma, Spencer held positions at Duke, Georgia Tech and West Georgia.

Chip West

Chris Scelfo Brought on in March 2018 as run game coordinator and offensive line coach. Scelfo was offensive line coach at Houston in 2017, and spent 2008-14 as tight ends coach with the Atlanta Falcons.

Joined the 49ers as co-defensiver coordinator and cornerbacks coach in Feb. 2018. West was previously the co-defensive coordinator, cornerbacks coach and recruiting coordinator at Howard, also having spent time with Virginia, Old Dominion, and James Madison.

Johnson Richardson Began with Charlotte as a graduate assistant in July 2012 and was promoted to full-time in 2014. Richardson served as tight ends coach from 2012-15 and then served as offensive line coach in 2016. In 2017, he moved back to tight ends coach and remains in that position. He spent 2010-2012 at Wingate in several different positions throughout his time there including assistant video coordinator, long snappers coach, assistant offensive line coach and director of football operations.

Photos courtesy of Charlotte Athletics

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By Sam Palian Sports Editor

Photos by Pooja Pasupula

“I’m excited to go to a tailgate, I wasn’t able to go last year, so I’m looking forward to that experience. I’m also looking forward to the Homecoming game against App. I have high hopes we’ll win a few games, and I’m hoping to go to more games with my family and friends.”

- Kaitlyn Milvain

“I could see us being able to win a few games this season and of course, I’m super excited for the tailgates. I also really hope everyone just has a great time this year, players and fans alike.”

- Caleb Smith

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