Powhatan Today, April 18, 2018
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PHOTO BY BILLY FELLIN
(L to R): Powhatan’s Trenton Tiller, Tommy Preston, Brooke Dippold, Gatlin Snyder and Nick Rini made their college commitments official on April 11 at Powhatan High School. Tiller, Preston and Rini will play baseball at Hampden-Sydney, Lynchburg and Lackawana, respectively, while Dippold will run cross country at Longwood and Snyder will compete in field hockey at Randolph-Macon.
Eight Powhatan athletes make commitments By Billy Fellin Sports Editor
Eight Powhatan athletes made their college athletic ambitions official on two separate days at Powhatan High School. First, three Indians football players signed their college commitments on April 10. Gabe Satterwhite signed his National Letter of Intent to Old Dominion University. “It’s a big relief,” Satterwhite said of his signing. Old Dominion plays in the Football Championship Series of Division-I NCAA football and is one of the newest programs in the state. The Monarchs began playing football in 2007 and are members of Conference USA. Satterwhite said the success that the Monarchs have had in their existence was one thing that drew him to the school. “They’re a really good football program,” he said. “They’re young, so there’s a lot to learn there. They’re on track to be very successful. I thought that if I went there, I’d have a good chance to be a champion.” Satterwhite is a dualthreat, having performed for the Indians on both offense and defense. Satterwhite participated in the Big River Rivalry game at Randolph-Macon following the 2017 season at the wide receiver position. Satterwhite said he hopes to study to become a physician’s assistant while he’s at ODU. He said that he’ll always remember the bonds that he made with his friends and teammates at Powhatan. “Just the family bonding I made,” he said. “(I’ll remember) the brothers that I’ll always have (from the football team.)” Ben Nowacki and Noah Dowdy, the other two football players to sign along with Satterwhite, both committed to HampdenSydney College. “It’s awesome,” Nowacki said. “It’s something you see on TV when you’re little and you want to be like the guys doing it on TV. Now that the day is
here, I’m happy to do it. There’s no other feeling to describe it.” Nowacki said that he took several visits to different colleges and that he hadn’t really considered Hampden-Sydney as an option for him before his cousin suggested checking out the Tigers. But, once he arrived on campus, that mindset was completely reversed. “I went for a game and it was a done deal from there,” he said. “It felt like home. They really welcomed you and made you feel wanted there.” He chose HampdenSydney over schools like Ferrum, Shenandoah and Bridgewater. “Hampden-Sydney’s football program and the way they run it…they’re one of the top programs in the state,” Nowacki said. “It was really their coaches and the way they ran things. The tempo was insane. It’s a lot quicker than high school ball.” Similar to both Satterwhite and Dowdy, Nowacki performed well on both offense and defense for the Indians at running back and linebacker. Nowacki said that where he’s going to play in college is still up in the air. “We’re talking about what side of the ball they want me on,” he said. “They’re talking about an H-back or slot receiver type role or a strong safety. Between the two, I’m OK with either. Wherever they want me, I’ll do my best.” Nowacki said that he wants to study Business or Economics. When he remembers Powhatan, Nowacki said that he’ll remember the team camaraderie. “We really came together as a group,” he said. “It was something crazy. I made some relationships and friends that’ll last forever.” Dowdy only spent one year at Powhatan after playing at Blessed Sacrament Huguenot in his previous high school seasons. Dowdy was the starting quarterback for the Indians this season and played on defense as well. He played
several different positions, including quarterback, while at Blessed Sacrament Huguenot. He said it was a long process to end up as a Tiger and it was a relief to sign with his teammates. “I’m glad to get it over with an excited for the next four years,” he said. Dowdy said that Hampden-Sydney represented a welcoming, friendly and family-like atmosphere that he likened to the community in Powhatan. Hampden-Sydney and Randolph-Macon were Dowdy’s top two schools. “It was cool to have different schools come and see me,” he said. “But, in terms of going over the top football-wise, HampdenSydney wanted me to play safety, which was a big thing for me. I like playing on the other side of the ball than I usually have been playing. It just felt like home to me, really. I knew that’s where I wanted to go the whole time.” Indians football coach Jim Woodson said that he was extremely proud to see three of his seniors continue to play at the next level. “All three are great, outstanding young men and great ballplayers,” he said. “I’m really happy they get to play college football and get a great education, which is of the utmost importance. It’s awesome for our school and the community.” On April 11, five more Powhatan athletes signed on the dotted line for where they’ll spend their next four years. Powhatan baseball players Tommy Preston, Trenton Tiller and Nick Rini committed to Lynchburg, Hampden-Sydney and Lackawana, respectively. Indians cross country and track athlete Brooke Dippold will run at Longwood and Gatlin Snyder will play field hockey at Randolph-Macon. Preston said that he was really excited to start the next chapter of his life and that playing summer ball was a big reason why he ended up at Lynchburg. “(Lynchburg) started calling me,” he said. “They
PHOTO BY BILLY FELLIN
(L to R): Powhatan’s Gabe Satterwhite signed his Letter of Intent with Old Dominion University, while Ben Nowacki and Noah Dowdy will each play at Hampden-Sydney College. The three football players were joined by coach Mike Mangiaracina and head football coach Jim Woodson.
told me to come up to the campus. I really fell in love with the campus and the coaches. The education, the opportunity, the resources...it was a great opportunity and it all came together.” Preston said that he had a few other schools in mind, but they couldn’t compare to Lynchburg. He said that he plans to study nursing in college. Tiller said that Hampden-Sydney fit his preference of going to a smallersized college. “Hampden-Sydney came up, I went on a few visits, and thought ‘this is the one,’” he said. “It was small, not much difference from Powhatan, really. The coaches are great and the campus is beautiful.” Tiller chose the Tigers over Randolph-Macon. He said he plans to study Business. As the Hornets and Tigers are both members of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), Tiller and Preston will go from teammates to opponents in college. Rini said that playing at Lackawana fulfills a goal he has had since was a kid. “It feels great,” he said. “It’s what I’ve been working toward.” Lackawana College is located in Pennsylvania and is a member of Region XIX of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
“I heard it was a really good school,” Rini said. “They develop players really well and I want to get to the next level, D-1, so it was a good choice in that regard. The coach is amazing and they work really hard.” Rini said that he’ll adjust well to the city-campus of Lackawana from Powhatan as he moved to the county from Pittsburgh. “Everyone (in Powhatan) is really supportive; it’s like a family here,” Rini said of what he’ll remember most of his time in Powhatan. He said he hopes to study Business with the hopes of opening his own baseball facility. For Dippold, she said that she never thought she’d have the chance to run in college and that it’s a “blessing” that it happened. “I was running at the Fred Hardy Invitational and Coach (Paul) Smartschan said that Coach (Daniel) Wooten from Longwood was there and was interested in me running there. Within a month, I was committed.” Wooten is now the interim head coach for the Lancers as Catherine Hanson resigned from the cross country head coaching position on April 13. Hanson was the coach of both the men’s and women’s teams for the past 11 years.
Dippold said that Longwood’s size and the people there made it very appealing. “It was really small and everyone there was very caring,” she said. “It was like a family. All the girls got along and were excited to do things together. That was great.” Dippold plans to study Mathematics in college. She said she’ll remember a lot about Powhatan, from the friends she made to the long runs during practices. For Snyder, she said it was a “surreal” feeling to sign with Randolph-Macon. “We did all this work, as a team, me and my coach and it paid off,” she said. “It shows that hard work and dedication do matter.” Snyder went to a playday in her junior year with the Yellow Jackets and said she “fell in love” with the coach and the team. “I fell in love with it immediately,” she said. “It was a great fit, for both of us.” As she was head-overheels for Randolph-Macon, it was the only school that she applied to, despite having other offers from other schools. Snyder said she’s going to study Chemistry with a focus in Forensic Science. The Yellow Jackets went 6-13 last season and 2-5 in the ODAC.