The Insider Magazine vol 21 #2 September 2018 by The Insider Magazine

INSIDER

the

September 2018

NOT SO GREEN Redshirt Freshman Marshall Quarterback Isaiah Green leads the Herd to a fast 2018 start.

HerdInsider.com

WHAT WE’VE GOT

09.18

VOLUME 21 NO. 2

UP FRONT

Contributing writer Bill Cornwell shares some of his experiences as a voice in the Huntington-area sports media.

Marshall MBB

Tropical

The Conference USA Champion Marshall Men’s Basketball took a trip to foreign shores that was both for business and pleasure.

Marshall FB

CHANGES

Redshirt Freshman Marshall Quarterback Isaiah Green leads the Herd to a fast 2018 start.

Marshall FB

LEGEND

“The Insider” remembers a Marshall Football legend, Reggie Oliver

HS FB

WORKHORSE

Cabell Midland Football’s “Swiss Army Knife”

555 Fifth Avenue Huntington, WV 25701 (304) 523-8401

General Manager Mike Kirtner Editor Bill Cornwell

Creative Director Haley Scaggs Contributor James E. Casto

Associate GM Reeves Kirtner First Subscriber Geoff Sheils

Writer Dave Walsh Printing The Printing Press Ltd.

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UP FRONT

09.18

VOLUME 21 NO. 2

compiled by Bill Cornwell THE INSIDER Editor

Weather has taken its toll on the fall Marshall sports calendar. Storms delayed the start of the season-opening football game at Miami by two-and-a-half hours due to lightning, plus the Herd’s game at South Carolina was cancelled due to Hurricane Florence. Football wasn’t the only sport affected, as the Marshall Cross Country team replaced a meet at Winthrop University cancelled due to Hurricane Florence with an appearance at a meet at Indiana State. A women’s golf tournament at East Carolina was also cancelled due to Florence, but the Herd golfers hope to find another event to play later in the fall to fill the hole in their schedule. -----------Speaking of Marshall women’s golf, congratulations to Coach Brooke Burkhammer’s squad as they were the winners of the William and Mary Invitational. Individually, Auburndale, Fla. junior Shelby Brauckmuller won medalist honors in the tournament as she finished with a six-under par score on the way to earning Conference USA Golfer of the Week honors. It was also her 7th career Top-10 finish at Marshall. Kerri Parks, Jackie Schmidt, Ylva Forslund and Stormy Randazzo also contributed to the Marshall win, the 7th for MU under Coach Burkhammer. ---------------Is there a new baseball home in Marshall University’s future? It’s looking more and more possible as the MU Board of Governor’s recently approved plans to seek architectural proposals for a baseball facility. Where that facility is located, what amenities it might contain and how many it will seat are unanswered questions. The most likely, but not definite location for a ballpark would be on vacant land not far from Dot Hicks Field,

the home of Marshall softball. There is plenty of land available, but one concern is the possible presence of industrial wastes in the soil. One hope for any ballpark is that it would have adequate lighting and clubhouse space for possible summer use by either a short-season college team or possibly a minor league rookie level team. Huntington has experience in the past with such a team, as it was home to the Chicago Cubs Appalachian League club from 1990-1994, followed the next year by the co-op River City Rumblers. ------------Marshall’s new million-dollar Cam Henderson Center video board is now in place. The board, provided by Marshall Athletics media rights holder, IMG College, will give fans the chance to watch High Definition video while IMG will utilize the board’s capabilities for advertising and promotions. Along with sound system and lighting improvements in recent years, the Henderson Center has all of the amenities of many big-time arenas around the nation and with the high expectations for the 2018-2019 Herd squad, the “Cam” could again be a “House of Horrors” for Marshall opponents. The Herd men get the regular season home slate underway on Sunday November 11th against Hofstra, while Coach Tony Kemper and the MU Women’s team tip off the home portion of their schedule on November 7th against the Indiana State Sycamores.

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HERD BASKETBALL GOES TROPICAL compiled by Bill Cornwell THE INSIDER Editor

While many were spending August vacation days at Myrtle Beach, a lake or a favorite amusement park, the Conference USA Champion Marshall Men’s Basketball took a trip to foreign shores that was both for business and pleasure. Head Coach Dan D’Antoni’s 2018-2019 squad spent a week in the Bahamas and played three opponents, joining programs such as Kentucky, North Carolina and Notre Dame for summer action in the islands. All games were played in the Sir Kendall Isaacs Gymnasium. Marshall opened the week with a 105-70 victory over the University of the Bahamas as freshman guard Taveion Kinsey led Herd scorers with 17 points, closely followed by senior guard Jon Elmore’s 16 points. The Herd’s middle game in the Bahamas was a bit more of a challenge, but Marshall topped the IBA Elite squad 10991. Elmore led Marshall with 18 points, followed by sophomore forward Darius George with 14 points. The final game in Nassau was another MU win, 112-98, over an experienced native ballclub, Providence Storm. Elmore had his biggest game of the trip as he poured in 38 points. The game showed the Herd had plenty of fight as it battled past 1st half and halftime deficits. D’Antoni was able to get an early look at newcomers like Kinsey, Iran Bennett, Cam Brooks-Harris, Ante Sustic and Jeremy Dillon during the Bahamas tour while allowing veterans such as Elmore, Rondale Watson, Jannson Williams, Jarrod West and C.J. Burks to work their way into basketball shape and develop some early team chemistry. It wasn’t all work, as the Herd’s travelling party had time for visits to the beach, shopping in Nassau and even some sailing in the Caribbean. Marshall’s regular season begins on the road November 7th at Eastern Kentucky.

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Not so Green Redshirt Freshman Marshall Quarterback Isaiah Green leads the Herd to a fast 2018 start. compiled by Dave Walsh THE INSIDER writer photos by Adam Gue

Marshall University football coach Doc Holliday held that final card until moments before the Thundering Herd opened the 2018 season against former Mid-American Conference rival Miami (Ohio) in Oxford. When Holliday put that final card on the table/field, and waiting out a 2-1/2 hour weather delay, you’d say he produced poker’s No. 1 hand. A royal flush. Holliday had watched freshman Isaiah Green and graduate transfer Alex Thomson battle for the No. 1 quarterback spot in fall camp. Thompson’s progress was slowed a bit by continuing shoulder issues, but the former Wagner standout came on strong late. However, Holliday opted to go with Green, who had a solid spring and fall camp, and did he come up big in his first collegiate start. He completed 24 of 37 passes for 272 yards, two scores and no interceptions to lead the Herd past the RedHawks, 35-28. That happened to be the fourth-most yards passing by a Herd quarterback in his debut. The 6-foot-2, 211-pounder also rushed for 22 yards.

Quarterback became void of experience when Chase Litton opted to leave after the 2017 season and enter the NFL Draft. He took all the team’s snaps as the Herd went 8-5. As for the rest of the lineup, the Herd has experienced players all over the field as they hope to contend for its first Conference USA title since 2014. Green followed up the big splash with another solid effort in Marshall’s 32-16 win over Eastern Kentucky in its home opener at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. So it appears the Herd has a steady hand at the controls with two of its toughest games coming up followed by the start of C-USA play. Marshall had a date at South Carolina on Sept. 15, with North Carolina State at home on Sept. 22 and the C-USA opener Sept. 29 at Western Kentucky. “He did what we expected,” new Herd offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey said after the Miami game. “I don’t look at him as a freshman. When the lights go on, good things happen.” “He didn’t play like a freshman. He handled the situation well,” wideout Tyre Brady said. “We had a freshman quarterback go in there and take care of the football,” Holliday said. “We had zero turnovers.”

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Green followed up with another strong outing in Week 2 against Eastern Kentucky. He connected on 23 of 39 passes for 278 yards and three scores in the Herd’s 32-16 win over the Colonels in the home opener at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. Brady is one of the many weapons the Herd has on offense. He caught nine passes for 116 yards and two second-half scores against Miami and had six catches for 66 yards and a TD against EKU. Sidekick Obi Obialo hauled in six for 47 yards in the opener and two for 60 (both scores) in Game 2. In the backfield, Keion Davis picked up 76 yards on 17 carries and Tyler King added 67 on 10 along with a key 50-yard punt return to set up a fourth-quarter TD. Then there’s 240-pound Anthony Anderson for short-yardage situations. He had six yards on three carries, but scored twice. The Herd’s running game didn’t have the night it envisioned against Eastern Kentucky with 89 yards on 28 attempts. “It’s something we have worked on since last spring,” Holliday said after Miami. “Anthony Anderson is a big back whose skill set we take advantage of. Tim

(Cramsey) has done a nice job at developing some goal line packages, as well as (offensive line coach) Greg Adkins, who brought some things with him as well. We are doing a good job at getting Keion (Davis), Tyler (King), and of course Anthony involved. I thought Tim did a nice job mixing and matching those guys and putting them in positions to make plays.” Up front, the Herd’s veteran offensive line opened holes for the backs and gave Green time to get passes off. Center Levi Cook anchors that line. “We do our job up front,” guard Alex Mollette said. “Tyler and Keion are fast, just give them a little crease. Anthony can take it up in there. We’ve got good receivers in Tyre and Obi and the guys. Plenty for defenses to think about.” Brady, expected to be in the hunt for the Biletnikoff Award again, had Miami defenders draped all over him all day, but he found ways to make catches. As the Herd’s top receiving threat, he expects that attention every week. Against Eastern Kentucky, he beat 1 on 1 coverage on his TD reception.

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“It was tough at times. I like it like that,” Brady said. “I want to be the go-to guy. We’ve got a lot of good receivers and backs. The line does a super job up front. It’s a new system with coach Cramsey, but we’re getting it down. It’s all about making plays.” “Put it close and he’ll go get it,” Cramsey said of Brady. “I’m glad he’s on our side,” Holliday said. Obialo didn’t play in the opener against Miami last year, so he was super excited to be on the field this time.

quarterbacks. That unit finished with six sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, three interceptions and 11 quarterback hurries. It helps cover for the Herd’s five turnovers and erratic play on special teams. EKU had two punts hit a Herd defender and the Colonels recovered the ball. MU had a fumble on the kickoff to start the third period and an extra point blocked. “It was very frustrating,” Holliday said. “We hadn’t seen that around here in a long, long time and you won’t see it again.”

In the opener on special teams, new punter Robert Lefevre had a 41.2 average on six kicks. Justin Rohr“It felt good to contribute,” Obialo said. “Isaiah, what wasser got the ball deep on kickoffs (four touchcan you say? He stepped up. That’s what this team backs) and went 5-for-5 on extra points. Against does. Players step up.” EKU, Rohrwasser recovered a fumble on his final kickoff and also made his first field goal of the seaOn defense, another veteran unit, the Herd stopped son. Miami on fourth down three times. One came on a fourth-and-goal at the Marshall 2 at the start of The Herd had an unexpected week off on September the fourth period. The third came when Channing 15th when Hurricane Florence forced the cancellation Hames batted down a fourth-down pass by Miami of the game at South Carolina. Marshall got some quarterback Gus Ragland on its final possession. much-wanted national television as CBS Sports NetMarshall then ran out the clock to spoil Miami’s work broadcast the highly-anticipated showdown homecoming and secure its 10th win in the last 11 at Joan C. Edwards Stadium with the ACC’s North meetings against the MAC East member. Carolina State Wolfpack. “We made stops at the end when we needed to,” defensive lineman Malik Thompson said. “We didn’t execute at times and it hurt us. It’s all about the finish. This time we did. Seeing that ball batted down felt good.” Linebacker Chase Hancock and corner Chris Jackson knew the experienced Ragland would challenge the Herd. In the third period, Marshall held a 28-7 lead, then had to weather a Ragland-led comeback. He threw for 357 yards and three scores. Hancock recorded 11 tackles and Jackson seven along with two pass break-ups. “Their quarterback is good and you’re not sure what you’ll see,” Hancock said. “It’s the first game. We played solid, then let things get away a bit and they came back. We came up with stops when we had to. The goal-line stand, the final series. We have a job to do each game.” Jackson wasn’t surprised that the defense thwarted Miami’s late-game momentum. “Our coaches put us in those situations everyday in practice, so we knew what we had to do and we just executed to the best of our ability,” he said. Marshall’s defense limited Eastern Kentucky to 139 yards rushing and 48 through the air by three

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photo courtesy of Sholten Singer and the Herald-Dispatch

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Reggie Oliver 1952-2018 “The Insider” remembers a Marshall Football legend....... compiled by Mike Kirtner

Kindred Communications General Manager

Editor’s Note: The quarterback of the 1971 Young Thundering Herd football team, Reggie Oliver, died Tuesday, August 14th at age 66. His death came just days after he was injured in an accident at his Huntsville, Alabama home. In a tribute to this legendary “Son of Marshall”, we re-run an article written in 2002 by Mike Kirtner letting Reggie tell his own football story, both collegiately and professionally. Who was Marshall’s first professional quarterback? Chad Pennington? Tony Peterson? Michael Payton? Keep on trying. Marshall football has developed an abundance of premier talent for professional football during the past 10 years. However, 30 years ago Marshall football was utilizing the talents of the man who would become the school’s first professional quarterback. His name was Reggie Oliver. Reggie was the leader of the team that was officially designated The Young Thundering Herd. His 1971 team was the first college team that was granted a special exemption by the NCAA to play freshmen at a time when other first-year students were required to sit out their first season. This exemption was granted when Marshall began its return to football after the tragedy of losing 37 players the season before in a plane crash. As a sophomore, Reggie had to grow up fast. He went from the youngest player to one of the oldest, he said “in a blink of an eye.”

Similar to many others in his class, he lost friends as well as teammates on that rainy November night. Unlike others, Reggie would be thrust into the spotlight as the quarterback of the team that would start a national football legacy. It didn’t take long for Reggie’s leadership to be tested. In the first home game, the Young Thundering Herd was playing Xavier at Fairfield Stadium. Trailing 13-9 with four seconds left on the visitors 13-yard line, Reggie took the snap from center. As the last second ticked off the clock, he spotted Terry Gardner open in the left flat. The pass was on target; Gardner got a block, dashed to the end zone and the Young Herd had a storybook ending...a 15-13 victory. The game has been chronicled as one of the top 100 games in college football history, and to many older Herd fans, that Oliver touchdown pass is still the most thrilling moment in Marshall football history. After graduation in 1975, Reggie was drafted into the original World Football League. Laughing and looking back, he said, “I did get a signing bonus. It turned out to be the price of the stamp to mail the contract back”. Reggie joined the Jacksonville Sharks as the team’s first quarterback. The World Football League had decided to directly compete with the established National Football League, a move that would lead to the WFL’s ultimate demise. “The league made the mistake of trying to sign NFL (drafted) players”, he said. “I played against

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photo courtesy of the Charleston Gazette-Mail

Jim Kiick and Larry Csonka. They played for Memphis during my last game in the league.”

punt and quarterback. White went on to start for the Cowboys, but, Reggie’s career had ended.

He also shared league time with future Raiders Alvin Wyatt and Drew Bowie. A future NFL all-pro, Ike Lasider was also in the league.

“ I played my last four games in Jacksonville and didn’t get paid,” he said. “But, nobody can take away my memories.”

Another alumnus of the league was Danny White. Reggie and Danny’s career first intersected while White was a quarterback in Memphis. They would meet again when both attempted to secure the last roster position with the Dallas Cowboys in 1976.

Reggie watched as moving vans pulled up to the Jacksonville stadium in the middle of the night. He saw the team’s equipment being loaded into moving vans.

Dallas had just won a Super Bowl and was looking for a back-up quarterback. The two former World Leaguers battled to the last cut. Some believe that Danny White won the position due to his ability to both

Reggie had to leave Jacksonville later as well. The team had promised owed salaries to be paid with stock options. Today, Reggie smiles at the innocence of it all. A lot of time has passed since Reggie became the first quarterback from Marshall to play professional foot-

September 2018 / THE INSIDER /

ball. Today he wears two rings. “I call them Ashes to Glory,” he said. “The first ring was given to six or seven of us at Marshall that lettered all three years after the crash. It was designed by Rick Tolley for the seniors. They never got to wear them.” The rings were issued to Reggie and his teammates upon graduation. “The rings we got all had the initials of one of the seniors that was on the plane. Mine has T.W.B. He was Tom Wayne Brown a DB (defensive back). Reggie calls this ring “Ashes”. “The other ring I wear was given to me by Coach Pruett and the Quarterback Club. It’s the three-peat championship ring of all about the Winningest Team in the Nineties. I call it Glory.” Reggie, now a high school teacher and coach, gets back to Huntington from his Columbus home three or four times a year. He fondly enjoys watching today’s Thundering Herd. He especially enjoys the play of Byron Leftwich. “You know, not only was I the first pro quarterback to come out of Marshall; but also, I was the first African-American quarterback at Marshall,” he said with pride. Marshall will give professional football even more quarterbacks in the future. However, there can only be one who was first. His name is Reggie Oliver.

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Ivan Vaughn: Cabell Midland Football’s “Swiss Army Knife” ONA -- When Cabell Midland is on offense, opponents pretty much know where the ball’s going. To running back Ivan Vaughn. Stopping him is another matter. Vaughn amassed more than 1,800 yards on the ground in each of the past two seasons for the Knights. The motivated senior is proving elusive again as he rushed for 192 yards and three scores in one half in a season-opening 62-0 win over St. Albans and followed up with 300-plus yards rushing and six scores in a 40-20 win at Parkersburg in Week

compiled by Dave Walsh THE INSIDER writer photos by Adam Gue

2. Better pay attention to him as a receiver, too, as he caught a 40-yard TD pass in the opener and hauled in a 34-yarder against Parkersburg. “I think this year he’s very driven. I see a different drive about him,” Knights coach Luke Salmons said of the 5-foot-11, 200-pounder. “He’s focused. He doesn’t get tired. After the game (Friday) I said good job and just be humble and hungry. If you’re humble and hungry, you’ll be the man. If you start drinking the Kool-Aid, it’s not good. You have to focus on what you have to do. “He’s excited. He’s out to prove in his mind he’s the best player. He’s hungry. That’s why you see that’s his mindset. I told him at Parkersburg, ‘you’re out, your brother (Isaiah) is in.’ He said, ‘Coach I just need three more carries.’ He wants to be that guy. “With the teams we play, if you’re that good you get a chance to prove it every week. That’s the best thing about playing in this (Mountain State Athletic) conference. A kid like that can prove it. He’s done it.” Vaughn, with 535 yards through three games, and the Knights had bounce back on their minds after a 35-7 home loss to Spring Valley in Week 3. In the next four-week stretch, Cabell Midland played at Hurricane, Capital, Riverside and Belfry, Ky. Vaughn knows Cabell Midland has produced its fair share of top running backs. He’s gotten to watch the likes of David Gaydosz, Cody Carter, Alex Childers and shared the workload his freshman season with Devin Stapleton and Caperton Humphrey to name just a few of the many 1,000-yard rushing club members.

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photos by Adam Gue

September 2018 / THE INSIDER /

“My freshman year was a learning process about the next level. It was good. They showed me what I had to do to make it this far,” Vaughn said. “It’s all about heart. The mentality has to be there. The team is pushing me and I’m pushing myself as hard as I can. Gaydosz was a monster. Devin just the same. After watching those guys, I want to be better.” Vaughn was a workhorse in youth football and again at Barboursville Middle. As a freshman, he saw action, but Stapleton and Humphrey carried the load for the Knights in a 12-1 season. Yet, Vaughn still managed some big games. He totaled 1,898 yards rushing as a sophomore and 1,850 last season. “As a freshman, we were really stacked. When we started (sophomore year) we didn’t know who the guy would be,” Salmons said. “We were playing some tough teams. Sometimes he doesn’t get the blocks, he just makes plays. He’s a contact guy, not a 4.4 guy. A really true running back. Told the coaches last week when I call a play, I can’t see it a lot of times. The only thing I’m looking for is when he pops out coming from somewhere. When he doesn’t I say daggone it. “He’s worked really hard. He’s been the guy since he was a little guy. It’s tough to be that kid all the time. I’ve watched him play. He can run, block, catch it, do it all. After the success as a sophomore, he got hurt some (junior year) and got upset about it. He’s got things you can’t teach. He gets stronger as the game goes on. The first few series he’s pretty good. At about 20 (carries), you’d think he’d get tired. He doesn’t. One guy can’t bring him down. He likes that. He’s got the big target each week. He wants to be that guy. When he’s rolling, he’s hard to stop.” “I don’t like being tackled by one person,” said Vaughn, who gets chunks of yardage after contact by the first defender. “That’s my pet peeve. I’ve always been that type of runner. Keep the feet going, don’t go down on first contact.” Vaughn and his senior teammates know this is their final year with the Knights. Like any team, their goal is a state championship. “My grandpa told me it’s my last year, if I want to go to college I have to run,” Vaughn said. “He told me when you run, college has to be on your mind. You’re running for college now. For me, I’m grinding, this team’s grinding to make it to the next level. Win a state championship. We’d be the first team to ever do it. That would be pretty nice.” Vaughn’s impressive start has thrust him into the Kennedy Award derby. He’s aware there are many talented players around the state worthy of the top honor for a Mountain State football player. “I really don’t worry about that stuff right now,” Vaughn said, stressing his thoughts were only on Week 3 opponent Spring Valley. “I do my job and we’ll see what happens. I’m trying to make myself better, the team better.” Vaughn, a two-time Class AAA all-stater, knows he goes nowhere without the big guys up front. Several of his current blockers have been clearing the way for him since youth football. There are four seniors on the 2018 offensive line. “It’s not all about size,” Vaughn said. “We have a couple smaller guys on the line. They’re physical, they have the will to win, They’re awesome. I tell them all the time, give me a crease, I’ll make a play.” “The best, meanest, toughest group. They have that mindset,” Salmons said of the offensive line. “They’re not the biggest, but they love to be physical.” Salmons expects Vaughn to generate Kennedy Award talk. At the same time, Salmons knows all Vaughn is thinking about is the next task at hand. “With any good player, as he goes, we’re going to make everything else better,” Salmons said. “Running, great fake and throw on the run, rolling out. All those things transfer into he’s the man. The Kennedy Award ... he’ll be in the conversation.”

Graeson Malashevich Spring Valley High School photo provided by Sholten Singer and The Herald-Dispatch There has been one common denominator in Spring Valley’s quick start to the high school football season---senior Graeson Malashevich has produced yards and points. The 5-10, 170 pound combination Running Back-Defensive Back has had a hand in much of the Timberwolves early season scores. In the season-opening 49-8 win over in-county rival Wayne, Malashevich exploded for two touchdowns---one each on the ground and through the air. His touchdown grab covered 87 yards on the way to a 130 yard receiving night. He also had 33 rushing yards. In week two, the Timberwolves beat Hurricane 27-3 and Malashevich had another touchdown catch and a combined 44 yards on the ground and through the air. Malashevich was truly a triple-threat in week three as the Timberwolves hit the road for the first time and beat rival Cabell Midland 35-7. After leading 13-7 at halftime, the Timberwolves pulled away from the Knights in the third quarter as Malashevich lined up as a “wildcat” quarterback and led Spring Valley two a pair of game-clinching touchdowns. For the night, Malashevich had a touchdown pass and a two-point conversion run, 103 rushing yards and 41 passing yards. The Timberwolves improved to 4-0 at South Charleston in a 42-14 win. Malashevich had a rushing touchdown along with 67 total yards on the ground as well as Spring Valley’s only pass catch on the night, good for 34 yards. Defensively, he was credited with six tackles in both the Hurricane and Cabell Midland wins. Graeson Malashevich comes from a true football family, as his dad, Billy, was a kicker for Marshall in the late 90s and his older brother, Trey, currently plays at Kentucky Christian University in Grayson. Graeson has not announced any official post-high school athletic plans.