Spring Game and Relay for Life 2017

EXTRAPOINT April 20, 2017

THE

collegiatetimes.com

SPRING SPOTLIGHT In Justin Fuente’s sophomore season in Blacksburg, the Hokies have to prove that they weren’t one-hit wonders last season, which may be hard considering the team’s youth.

The Extra Point

COLLEGIATE

TIMES

NEWSROOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2319865 Editor-in-Chief: Andrea Pappas

SPRING GAME: WHAT TO WATCH FOR The Hokie football team is coming off one of the best seasons in recent memory, but with a handful of high profile departures, Justin Fuente’s second season could be a tough one.

(editor@collegiatetimes.com) Managing editors: Lewis Millholland and Zack Wajsgras Design editor: Jina Ro Assistant design editor: Alison Robertson Copy editors: Jessica Brady and Meg Connors Multimedia editor: Rebecca Choate News editors: Aly De Angelus and Izzy Rossi Lifestyles editor: Samantha Smith Assistant lifestyles editor: Katelyn Meade Sports editor: Faizan Hasnany Assistant sports editors: Kyle Cooke and Sierra Huckfeldt Opinions editor: Carson Bartlett Assistant opinions editors: Neha Oagle and Alexa Williams Photo editor: Armahn Rassuli Assistant photo editor: Cat Piper Social media editors: Melissa Fairfax and Lisa Kucharczk Web engineer: Matt Jones

collegiatetimes.com

Have a news tip? newstips@collegiatetimes.com BUSINESS STAFF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231-9860 Business Manager: Haley Keen (business@ collegemedia.com) COLLEGE MEDIA SOLUTIONS . . . . . . 2319860 Creative Director: Hannah Murray

CHASE PARKER football beat reporter

The Virginia Tech Hokies will hold their annual spring football game Saturday, April 22, in Lane Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 pm and admission is free. Here are three major keys to watch during the action.

1. Three-way quarterback battle For the second straight year, the coveted starting quarterback spot is up for grabs.

The three signal callers competing for the position are redshirt freshman Josh Jackson, JUCO transfer A.J. Bush and early enrollee Hendon Hooker. They all vary in age, but have the same alarming amount of Division I playing experience: none.

Jackson is the only one in the competition with experience in head coach Justin Fuente’s system. Even though he didn’t get the chance to play in 2016, the 6-foot-2 passer had the opportunity to learn the offensive scheme, which gives him a slight edge on the competition.

Bush was originally part of Nebraska’s

2014 recruiting class, but after never getting an opportunity to start, he decided to transfer to Iowa Western Community College in 2016. In early January, Bush transferred to Virginia Tech.

The third passer in the mix is truefreshman Hooker. He is the youngest of the group (18) and decided to enroll in January in order to put his name in the running for the starting spot. He was given a four-star rating out of high school and was ranked the No. 11 dual-threat quarterback in the country.

Fuente has said that all three will have an equal opportunity to establish themselves in the Spring Game.

2. The rebuilding of the wide receiving corps It’s no secret that the Hokies are in desperate need of some young receivers to step up to fill the void of Isaiah Ford and Bucky Hodges. The obvious assumption is that Cam Phillips will split out wide and become the team’s top target, but anything beyond that is foggy.

The only other receiver on the team with any notable experience is C.J. Carroll, who

Creative Staff: Richie Parks and Matt Cox solutions.collegemedia.com advertising@collegemedia.com

PAGE 2 April 20, 2017

The Collegiate Times, a division of the Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, was established in 1903 by and for the students of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The Collegiate Times is published every Monday and Thursday of the academic year except during exams and vacations.

To order a reprint of a photograph printed in the Collegiate Times, visit reprints. collegemedia.com. The Collegiate Times is a division of the Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to provide educational experience in business and production of mass media for Virginia Tech students. © Collegiate Times, 2017. All rights reserved.

Material published in the Collegiate Times is the property thereof, and may not be reprinted without the express written. consent of the Collegiate Times.

ZACK WAJSGRAS / COLLEGIATE TIMES D.J. Reid (48) makes a move around Jamieon Moss (50) during Fuente’s first Spring Game, April 23, 2016.

is out this spring with an injury.

Through the process of spring camp, a few young talents have stepped up.

Sophomore Eric Kumah has been praised for his ability to go up and get jump balls.

Early indications are that he will be filling one of the starting receiving roles come fall. Unfortunately, Kumah suffered a minor injury a little over a week ago, which will sideline him for the Spring Game.

With Carroll and Kumah sidelined, younger guys will get even more work in the Spring Game. So far, the coaches have been impressed with redshirt-freshman Phil Patterson and a pair of early enrollees in Kalil Pimpleton and Caleb Farley.

Redshirt freshman Samuel Denmark has earned a few honorable mentions by Fuente as well.

With multiple receiving spots wide open, each of the young pass-catchers listed above (other than injured players) will have a huge opportunity on Saturday in the Spring Game to separate themselves from the pack and earn a starting receiving spot.

3. Will the offensive line hold up?

With the departures of seniors Augie Conte and Jonathan McLaughlin, the entire right side of the offensive line has to be replaced.

Redshirt-sophomore Tyrell Smith is the frontrunner for the right tackle spot. So far in his career in Blacksburg, he has been moved all over the offensive line. Last season, he was slotted as a right tackle, center and right guard (never starting a game) at various times.

Braxton Pfaff, a redshirt junior, is penciled in as the starter at the right guard position. He’s never started a game, either.

An inexperienced offensive line can be a backbreaker for a football team. If the two young bucks on the right side don’t get acclimated to the roles soon, then both the running game and passing game will suffer tremendously.

Last season, the Hokies had a much more experienced offensive line and still struggled against teams with elite pass rushers, such as Clemson. The coaching staff hasn’t been optimistic about their depth on the front lines, but strong performances in the Spring Game may help Fuente and company sleep a little better at night. @ChaseParker_VT

With the departure of star receiver Isaiah Ford, Phil Patterson will take on a bigger role in Fuente’s passing attack.

ROBERT FLETCHER sports reporter

With the Spring Game just a few days away, when students and fans will get a first glimpse at how coach Justin Fuente’s team will look in the fall, it’s hard to imagine watching the game without seeing two of Virginia Tech’s most celebrated receivers, Isaiah Ford and Bucky Hodges, take the field. While the two pass catchers will wait to hear their names called in the upcoming NFL Draft, the Hokies are now looking to find which players will step up to fill the void left by two of last seasons’ top offensive contributors. The only returning players with in-game experience are seniors Cam Phillips and C.J. Carroll. Though players like sophomore Eric Kumah or true-freshman Kalil Pimpleton have shown promise, the man

that looks poised to break out this fall is sophomore Phil Patterson.

Patterson, a three-star recruit out of Bayside High School who redshirted last season, is a Ford clone in that he uses his 6-foot-2 size and 180-pound frame to his advantage, especially on the deep ball. Much like Ford, Patterson is absolutely dominant when it comes to the 50/50 ball down field and it appears that because of those similarities, he’ll be utilized much like Ford was. Though he’s not necessarily a speed demon, Patterson has a solid jump in his step and a knack for winning battles with his route-running, rather than just pure speed. In fact, wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins reportedly almost decided to lift Patterson’s redshirt last season when Ford went down with an injury against North Carolina because of the potential Patterson

showed in practice. Ultimately, Wiggins and Fuente decided against it and let him develop with a full year as a redshirt.

“I think he benefited from a semester being in the weight room — a semester of kind of learning what to do,” Wiggins said.

With the lack of depth at the position coming into the season, Patterson has the perfect opportunity to use that one year of weight training and learning on the sideline to his advantage. The Spring Game will be a huge opportunity for him to show Fuente — and the fans — just how much he’s improved after his redshirt campaign.

“I’ve been happy with Phil Patterson’s development,” Fuente said. “He’s got a chance.”

The coming weeks will be telling as to who Fuente and his staff favor to start alongside

The Extra Point

PATTERSON BRINGS HOPE TO HOKIES’ OFFENSE Carroll and Phillips at wide receiver for the opening matchup against West Virginia on September 3. With a similar skill set to that of a recent Hokie legend, combined with the backing of his coaches, all eyes will be on Patterson and whether or not he steps up to take the reins as the number two wide receiver alongside Phillips next season.

When asked about the progress of Patterson and Kumah, the most important word to come out of Fuente’s mouth was “strides.”

For a team looking for contributions from its freshmen and sophomores with little to no collegiate game experience, there’s no better way to describe them, especially guys with a skill set as special as Patterson’s. @CTSportsTalk

collegiatetimes.com April 20, 2017 PAGE 3

AHMED MUSTAFA / COLLEGIATE TIMES Redshirt-freshman Phil Patterson (8) reaches out for a catch as Tyree Rodgers (2) defends him at practice in Lane Stadium, April 18, 2017.

The Extra Point

collegiatetimes.com

AHMED MUSTAFA / COLLEGIATE TIMES Virginia Tech football holds an open practice at Lane Stadium, April 18, 2017, before the Spring Game on Saturday.

POSITION BATTLES ON DISPLAY IN OPEN PRACTICE In a rare spring practice open to the public, fans caught a glimpse of the ongoing, three-way quarterback battle.

JORDAN HUTCHINSON

PAGE 4 April 20, 2017

football beat reporter

From the seatless east stands of Lane Stadium, the media was permitted to watch a portion of practice on Tuesday afternoon. Students were also invited to watch the practice and go on field to meet both coaches and players post practice.

“I’m thrilled for tonight,” said head coach Justin Fuente. “You know, this was a fun event last year with the students.

Obviously they play a huge role in making Lane Stadium what it is. It’s fun to interact with them. Afterwards they’ll all come out and hang out with us and watch us work a little bit.”

A few quick on-field observations to start: Freshman cornerback Caleb Farley is going to be effective for the Hokies and

will make an immediate impact. ­­­­­­­Farley also looked very comfortable at wide receiver and may play on both sides of the ball.

The quarterbacks are all on the same level, for now. It seemed as if Josh Jackson and A.J. Bush took a few more reps with the first team, but Hendon Hooker doesn’t look far behind. One thing to note is that Bush looked very strong and is a legitimate contender for the starting job.

Running back Steven Peoples looked large and in charge carrying the ball last night. It’s been a quick turnaround, as he just switched over from full back.

Freshman wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton also looked impressive catching the football. Don’t let his size fool you, as he will fight for every ball thrown his way.

“

Freshman wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton also looked good catching the football. Don’t let his size fool you, as he will fight for every ball thrown his way.”

Moving on from practice, the spring game is on Saturday. There may be no correlation, but former Hokies quarterback Jerod Evans took the first rep at quarterback in last year’s spring game.

That may be something to watch, and I’d suspect that Jackson takes the very first snap.

Also, regarding the aforementioned seatless east stands, I find it hard to

believe that the east stands will be open during Saturday’s exhibition.

As spring ball comes to a close, not too much has been established. The offensive line seems settled in and the defense still has the Bud Foster touch, but that’s all. The quarterback battle is still going strong as well as wide receiver work.

If I had to guess, I’d say that Fuente will make his decision on who the starter will be at the last possible second.

Finally, my not-so-bold bold prediction is that the Hokies will have more than one quarterback start this season due to the strengths of Jackson and Bush.

@JHutchinsonVT

Relay For Life

collegiatetimes.com

April 20, 2017 PAGE 5

Metts’ personal goal is to reach $3,000.

But where does the money go?

“It goes to the American Cancer Society organization, but we try to let people know what it does,” Metts said.

“For instance, $25 is a night at the Hope Lodge.”

Hope Lodge is a program that provides housing to cancer patients seeking treatment away from home so that they do not have to be burdened with finding a place to stay.

Donations to Relay For Life are put toward other programs similar to Hope Lodge and toward overall cancer research.

Having teams compete for the most support raised and having an all-night party on the Drillfield are fun, but at the end of the day, the effort poured into the event by students like Metts and the 410 Virginia Tech Relay teams are truly helping to make the burden of those affected by cancer a little lighter.

@KatieRice_CT

Relay For Life

is more than anyone else on her team.

“A lot of the donations I’ve gotten has come from social media, just being that annoying person always posting about Relay on Facebook. It actually works more than you think,” Metts said.

Other fundraisers that Pi Beta Phi arranges include hot dog booths, bake sales and a car smash.

Car smashing is bringing in an old car and collecting a small donation in exchange for letting people unleash their pent up anger by way of sledgehammer.

This year is Metts’ second Relay For Life. Last year she participated with her sorority and raised over $1,200. After that experience, she decided to become a committee member.

“Working behind the scenes is awesome to be able to do. It takes up time, but it’s not miserable time because it’s something we’re all so passionate about,” Metts said. “There’s so much more that goes into it than you would ever think.”

According to Metts, there are around 15 committees working throughout the year to make Relay happen. The tasks range from hospitality to media relations to Greek life and more.

collegiatetimes.com

into remission. Eventually the cancer returned and he passed 11 months later.

As a freshman in high school, Metts’ life was changed forever by the loss of her father.

“I never really knew what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to help somehow,” Metts said.

Metts is part of Pi Beta Phi, which had the most support raised for Relay, other than the exec team, until this past Monday.

“It’s really great to have that support from all your sisters. You know you already have it, but when they’re with you for Relay it’s even better,” Metts said.

Pi Kappa Alpha took the crown on Monday, which came out of nowhere, according to Metts.

Pi Beta Phi still has a chance to make a comeback through the night of Relay.

They will have members there through the night and will have fundraising activities such as a Polaroid camera photo booth, riff-offs and karaoke.

“We’ve been pretty competitive the last couple days with them. But at the end of the day we realize it’s all going to the same thing,” Metts said.

So far, Metts has raised $2,185, which

PAGE 6 April 20, 2017 COURTESY OF RACHEL METTS

Successful teams: The face behind the funds Rachel Metts lost her father to cancer, and from then on — all she knew was that she wanted to help.

KATIE RICE lifestyles staff writer

It’s time to pull out those walking shoes and get your purple on because the largest collegiate Relay For Life is on Friday, April 21, at 5 p.m.

However, this event is not just about staying awake for one night and hearing stories about how cancer impacts lives.

Relay For Life is an ongoing movement throughout the year.

People who are passionate about Relay start collecting donations as soon as the year begins. For some, the start of the school year also means the start of support raising.

Rachel Metts, a sophomore in human development, is one of the students who knew early on that Relay would be an essential part of her college experience.

“Visiting colleges, I learned about Virginia Tech’s Relay For Life and it was definitely a huge factor in why I came here,” Metts said.

When she was 15 years old, Metts’ father was diagnosed with stage-four rectal cancer. The cancer was aggressive.

He underwent chemotherapy and went

April 20, 2017 PAGE 7

collegiatetimes.com

Relay co-directors: Why do you Relay?

The co-directors for this year’s Relay For Life have specific people for whom they Relay. But their favorite part? The community.

KATELYN MEADE assistant lifestyles editor

This year’s directors of Relay For Life, Brian Kelleher and Kristin DeCou, have been preparing for this Friday’s event all year long. But both of them began their involvement in Relay For Life long before their arrival at Virginia Tech.

DeCou has been doing Relay since middle school, and her freshman year at Virginia Tech, she served as a team captain, rather than being involved with the organization all year long. However, she said that she was so excited about her participation that her friends encouraged her to apply for a committee position for her sophomore year.

Unknowingly, she was actually applying for an executive position, which she found out after her interview had already started. DeCou became fundraising executive her sophomore year and maintained the position her junior year, becoming co-director this year.

Kelleher, however, said after participating in Relay in high school, he knew that he wanted to get involved in Relay before he even got to campus.

“I knew it was the thing I wanted to get involved with on campus the second I got here so I, at Gobblerfest, I found Relay For Life and signed up for the committee application,” Kelleher said.

Kelleher became a member of the recruitment committee his first year, then his sophomore year he became the recruitment executive, then went from assistant director his third year to being the co-director this year.

Both directors have their own reasons for getting involved with Relay, including their specific people that they relay for.

“My uncle passed away in 2011 and right after that, Relay For Life started at my high school. I got involved with the planning committee there and I found it as a way to grieve my uncle and fight back against the disease that took my uncle away from me … But throughout my six years volunteering for the American Cancer Society, I have met amazing people that I continue to relay for today,” Kelleher said.

DeCou said that she relays for her grandmother, who passed away from lung cancer just months before she was born.

“Never being able to meet her (mom’s)

Relay For Life

best friend was really something that has always made me kind of mad because that just — because that would have been an awesome moment in my life. So that kind of set me relaying and then … as Brian mentioned, there are so many incredible people that we get to work with and the stories we get to hear,” DeCou said.

Since being involved with Relay For Life, both Kelleher and DeCou agree that the community is their favorite part.

“We just had an event called Light up the Drillfield, where … we had three speakers share their story of why, like how cancer has impacted them and then there was time at the end for people to share why they relayed and their story with cancer. And it was very cool to see people just get up and feel comfortable enough … to share this intimate part of their life with everyone … a lot of them said, ‘I love this organization because it gives me that opportunity to not feel so alone being at college and dealing with this kind of stress.’ So I think my favorite part of it is that aspect of it that we get to give back to our peers and to our students,” DeCou said.

“I didn’t expect when I came on to Relay

COURTESY OF BRIAN KELLEHER

committee and Relay exec (executive) that I would find a community outside of my friends and family and I can definitely call all of them my family,” Kelleher said, agreeing with DeCou. The greatest lesson learned from dedicating your collegiate years to Relay For Life? According to DeCou it’s, what she calls, “the power of empowerment.”

“You see thousands of Hokies and community members come out, survivors walking that survivor lap. Just different ways that we’re giving support and empowering other people to share their story and empowering them to take action and fight back towards such a terrible disease,” DeCou said.

Kelleher said that both his favorite thing about Relay For Life as well as the greatest lesson he has learned is that anybody, anywhere, of any age, can cause real change.

“Anyone, no matter how old you are or who you are as a person, can make a change in the world. Whether that be through participating in Relay For Life and raising money for cancer patients worldwide or you know, participating in other campus events. Whether you’re helping the Blacksburg community or the greater NRV community or the state of Virginia, no matter how big or small, or what type of person — you can make a change,” Kelleher said.

DeCou, a senior hospitality major, said that her experience in Relay For Life has certainly changed her plans for after graduation.

“I came in wanting to do event planning, and at first I thought I wanted to do more the social sector in terms of weddings and parties. And that changed every year and then especially this year … I’ve really gotten to work one on one with our volunteers and organize them and help them grow and really mentor them in terms of helping them work through an idea and watching them get really excited when it works out … So that has kind of led me to wanting to do nonprofit work in terms of coordinating their volunteers, helping develop new growth strategies for them.”

Kelleher is headed to Washington, D.C., after his graduation in May, and both him and DeCou said that they look forward to participating in Relay For Life in any way that they can wherever their feet land.

@Meade_Katelyn

collegiatetimes.com

April 20, 2017

COLLEGIATETIMES

RELAY FOR LIFE