Volume 5, Issue 3

05 AHS VB reloads on back line

26 Tigers top Cadets

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Fast as you can Can anyone keep pace with Monticello’s offense in 2013? page 7

vol 5 . issue 2 :: September 16, 2013

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WHy D A S

Because DAS has been partnering with local athletes since cleats looked like this Seriously, We carried this shoe.

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21 07 13

07

Getting the call Flucos move in new direction

New Frontier Woody era off to explosive start

13

Dig set Albemarle volleyball turns new leaf

19

Game time WFS football wins season opener

23

Take the ball and run Making the most of time on the field

26 CoVenAnt Gk CoMeS BACk

scrımmageplay vol 5 . issue 3 :: september 16, 2013

Fast as you can vol 5 . issue 2 :: september 16, 2013

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05 AHS VB reloAdS on BACk line

Can anyone keep pace with Monticello’s offense in 2013? page 7

S taff Bart Isley, Creative Director Bob Isley, Infrastructure Director Ryan Yemen, Creative Editor O n th e Cov e r Monticello junior Kyree Koonce M i ss i o n Stat e me 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 ntact Us 4408 Ivy Commons, Charlottesville, VA 22903 [ e ] info@scrimmageplay.com [ p ] 434-202-0553

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pregame

Hands team

Woodberry Forest’s Hearne King elevates for a catch in the Tigers’ season opening win against Benedictine. King was one of 10 players to catch a pass in the win. WFS started out its season with a guantlet of road games, first playing the Cadets who were a VISAA final four team, then traveling to to Lynchburg to face LCA, the defending state champs. Just two weeks in, the Tigers look poised again to compete for a Prep League title. ✖ (Photo by Bart Isley)

03 :: @scrimmageplay

Family

Corner presented by

ABOVE » Life is never easy as a parent. Some times stepping in because you’re trying to help your child can backfire, a classic example of good intentions yeilding undesired results.

Defining parent roles Perhaps the most volatile component in handling problems with playing time is parental involvement. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Parents can be a calming, bomb-defusing presence if they approach it the right way.

We’ve unpacked how students and coaches can better handle or avoid complaints about playing time boiling over into unhealthy, unproductive situations. Now we’ll take a look at how parents can properly handle situations surrounding playing time.

Parents who step in and complain to coaches about their student athlete’s playing time have become one of the most prevalent clichés in modern youth and high school sports.

The flaw in that approach? It works approximately .005 percent of the time and occasionally has the exact opposite impact of its intent. It’s one of the most illogical moves a parent can make, particularly the angry version of the complaint in the heat of a moment during or after a game. That approach can end in hurt feelings, embarrassment for the studentathlete and an icy future relationship with

the coach.

Coaches are universally defensive about parents who do that because they view it as an interference in the team dynamic, a challenge to their authority or a questioning of their competence. Or all three. Too often, it is just that.

Parent interactions over playing time are regularly cited as a reason that quality coaches leave the profession at the high school level.

The first rule of playing time when it comes to parents is just like Fight Club — don’t talk about playing time. When a parent talks about playing time constantly, it forces student athletes into valuing the wrong part of the experience. Putting too much stock in playing time can be a mistake for a player.

There are a lot of athletes who gain valuable experience and enjoy their time on a team even when they’re not playing. Game play is only a small fraction of the team experience, and it happens to be the only part that parents witness. Too often this leads to parents being the entity that places too much emphasis on the minutes or plays an athlete

gets in a game. They don’t see practice, they don’t gameplan or scout and they don’t, usually, understand the team’s dynamics better than the head coach.

Frustration with playing time should come from the student athlete, not from a parent. And when those complaints and frustrations arise, there’s a clear path for parents to handle it.

If parents take a step back and try and understand the entire picture, that new path emerges. It’s about supporting and empowering your student-athlete. When it comes to questions of playing time, that’s the best bet for a parent. Be a sounding board, help them gain perspective on what’s going on, and empower them to resolve the issues on their own.

But most importantly, let it be their experience and not you trying to drive what you think that experience should be like. Allow them to enjoy and navigate the adventure and avoid injecting undue or distracting pressure into struggles around playing time. Don’t come in with any expectations of your own, because every athlete’s experience is unique. There’s nothing worse than hearing a parent say “In my day” or “When I was playing” to their student athlete. Despite the shared DNA, you’re not the same person, and that means things are going to be very different this time around.

Often if you limit your own role, that can change the entire game and make the experience more enjoyable for everyone.

Scrimmage Play and Triple C Camp are partnering to cover family issues related to youth and prep sports in our new Family Corner.

Bart Isley,

cr eative dir ector

www.scrimmageplay.com :: 04

First Quarter Getting the call

Fluvanna taps Kline to lead youthful program

By Ryan Yemen

T

Fluvanna’s Maddie Kline is stepping into a featuring role this year. (Ashley Thornton)

{ Hitting percentage } How often you succesfully hit determines how often you get to hit. Kline’s numbers are working for her six games in 2013.

17

82 Kills Errors

05 :: @scrimmageplay

Ka r a El der

{ Hits}

he story of Fluvanna County volleyball so heavily revolved around Hannah Miller the last three years, and rightfully so. The former Jefferson District Player of Year and perennial All-Region II selection was as good as advertised.

But she’s at Christopher Newport University now.

What got lost in the whirlwind around Miller’s outstanding play often times was how young the Flucos were around her. Well that youth isn’t so green anymore and as such it looks like Coach Christi Harlowe-Garrett has found a way to keep her team right at the forefront of the Jefferson District if the few weeks are any indication.

Mandy Kline was an outstanding hitter for Harlowe-Garrett before Miller came aboard and it appears the volleyball genetics run strong in her family as her sister Maddy Kline, a junior, is stepping into the spotlight now to keep the tradition of strong hitters going in Palmyra.

The Flucos have always played a strong opening schedule and participating in the Albemarle Invitational at the start of September has become a frequent tradition. In years past it played a key role in getting the youth of this program important playing time against big time opponents. This year, the Flucos held their own, dropping just one match and earning a three-way tie with Albemarle and Battlefield with the latter taking the title based on tie breakers.

“I’m excited how the kids are playing so far,” Harlowe-Garrett said. “In a tournament like this you’ve got to have some depth playing four matches in a day and the kids really stepped up. They were scrambling, working hard and doing what they had to to keep the ball off the floor.”

Out to a 4-2 start with its 3-1 showing at the Albemarle Invitational paired with a home and away split with Waynesboro, the Flucos have leaned heavily on Kline and are already seeing great results. An athletic hitter, Kline’s length makes her versatile as she’s able to help set up the block, but also capable of manning the back line, aiding there defensively. In the first six games she had eight solo blocks to go with three assisted blocks while also piling up 62 digs. From an offensive standpoint, she’s put together 82 kills so far and also stepped up at the service line with 15 aces.

And while this is still a team dominated by an underclassmen presence, senior Emily Haden brings leadership and experience to round out this Flucos squad in a big way. She’s complimented Kline rather well, particularly on offense with her 50 kills, 23 digs and 14 aces that give Harlowe-Garrett some options.

“Those two are doing a great job leading this team right now,” Harlowe-Garrett said.

“They’re two of my captains and they are leading a really young team really well so far.”

The Jefferson District got a lot better and deeper with the addition of Albemarle to the schedule and the Flucos get the Patriots right out of the gate after seeing them just a few weeks ago in non-district play. Fluvanna fell to Albemarle 2-1 in that meeting and will look to see how much progress it has made since then

go online »

For more volleyball head to our website at: www.scrimmageplay.com.

College Update

We’ve gone digital But you can have it in print too!

Hackenberg off and running at PSU

By Ryan Yemen It didn’t take him long to get the nod as Penn State’s quarterback and three weeks in, the results are in and they are pretty darn good.

Fork Union graduate and standout quarterback Christian Hackenberg went through so much more than any recruit in Central Virginia in recent memory with Penn State being in the media focal point after the national scandal in 2011. Would he stay committed to Nittany Lions, and soon after that, would he be able step into the starting quarterback role as a freshman? Those questions look answered just two weeks into September.

For those who doubted, the hype wasn’t for naught for the Fluvanna County native.

Hackenberg stood out before he ever took the field for PSU, a rare high profile athlete that committed verbally relatively early and stayed true to it, and in the midst of a national scandal. Then he went to work in the summer and impressively seized the reins at quarterback as a true freshman, just the second freshman starter at quarterback for Penn State since 1910.

He went 22 for 31 for 278 yards, two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions in a win over Syracuse. The next week out, he moved Penn State to to 2-0 with a freshman record 311 passing yards.

It’s rare at the Big Ten level for a true freshman to step in at quarterback. And given the sanctions that left Penn State in a tough hole, Hackenberg’s performance stands out even more so early into the season as he’s thrown for 851 yards in three starts and thrown just three interceptions while tossing four touchdowns, cutting down the turnovers each week.

There hasn’t been a recruit more scrutinized for a college decision over the few years, certainly not in this area, but not even a month into the 2013 season the former Blue Devil and his new coach, Bill O’Brien are turning heads and putting the Lions back into the spotlight for all the right reasons.

Hackenberg’s early success is an easy story to enjoy. But this looks like just the beginning of something big. ✖

BELOW » FUMA alumnus Christian Hackenberg is already airing it out at Penn State as a true freshman. (Penn State Sports Information)

How to get a physical copy of scrimmage play Step 1 :: Click here and head to the MagCloud version of the magazine.

It’s going to look like this below:

Step 2 :: Click the Buy Print button next to the magazine and follow instructions to order Step 3 :: Wait patiently by your mailbox Step 4 :: When it arrives, take it out and read or stash away to your heart’s delight!

www.scrimmageplay.com :: 06

new frontier Story by Bart isley Photos by Ashley thornton and Pat Digregorio

Some time in the early part of this century, pace and tempo started to become an obsession for certain offensive-minded college football coaches. While Oregon now, rightfully so, gets a great deal of credit for taking playing fast to new heights, Rich Rodriguez’s stint at West Virginia seemed to first bring pace, traditionally more of a basketball concern, into the national limelight.

Rodriguez’s squads were almost entirely no huddle and played at three different paces that looked like frantic, fast and normal. At that time, all three were used to keep defenses on their heels. The switching between them seemed to be the largest source of angst for defenses because you didn’t know what the Mountaineers were going to do every drive. The then developing read option was a major problem for sure, but the pace was an equally maddening part of the equation.

The theory is pretty simple. If you run more plays and dictate how the opposition can manage substitutions, you can create advantages and exploit weaknesses.

Then the pistol started to emerge, a set that makes the read option happen even faster and allows quarterbacks more opportunities to read off of different players-particularly interior linebackers, inserting even more unpredictability into the offensive gameplan. Teams can now exploit whatever gap in the defense’s armor they want to and do it at approximately 1,000,000 miles an hour.

www.scrimmageplay.com :: 8

Newcomer Kyree Koonce (above) has added a new dimension to a Monticello running game that was already deep. His explosive nature has only aided coach Jeff Woody’d installation of his new system.

9 :: @scrimmageplay

What does all that mean for Central Virginia football? It’s time for opposing squads to be deeply concerned about Monticello’s football team.

Along with Goochland, the Mustangs are one of the only public school teams in the area with a state championship to their name in the last decade. But with Jeff Woody at the helm, who pushed Brookville to the last two Division 4 championships, the Mustangs are poised to become something entirely different. Something much more frightening.

The Mustangs’ past success has had a lot to do with program support from the community and administration and coaching as well.

It also had a lot to do with a unique combination of talent that’s been particularly obvious over the last few years — speedy, hard-charging skill players and big linemen with quick feet. That’s a good combination for most any offensive system, but with the proper numbers on the roster, it’s particularly tailored to running an up tempo, no huddle attack with a physical run game, which is exactly what the Mustangs are looking to do.

Think Oregon-lite, with playmakers coming from all over the place at a relentless pace.

Get ready for Monticello’s funky multiple-formation, no-huddle offense.

The Mustangs’ sideline under Woody looks more like an ice hockey bench with the personnel package changes going on constantly. Almost as soon as a play is over, if Woody wants to make a change, he uses simple one-word calls and a fleet of new skill players come sprinting out on the field. Those players don’t then get into a huddle, they get lined up, giving the defense little time to react to the changes, which can immediately have a huge impact on what the Mustangs are going to do.

“That’s how we practice — we practice moving in and out in packages coming in with certain personnel,” Woody said. “And we want to speed things up.”

That puts pressure on opposing defenses to change on the fly. They have to be a step ahead of Woody and the Mustangs or go with what’s on the field, because by the time they can recognize it, the Mustangs have snapped the ball and are off and running.

That’s particularly true of the power package that the Mustangs have utilized early this year, which, in principle, is similar to the offense Brud Bicknell ran with so much success at Monticello. It’s heavy on downhill running that gets to the point of attack quickly.

“We ran it a lot at Brookville and we had the personnel to do so and at Monticello I feel like that’s more what (the players) have done in the past,” Woody said. “These kids have that in their history and it’s part of who we are. We have grasped the (power) package here a whole lot sooner than we grasped it with the pass-happy Brookville team.”

Other packages’ use of wing and slot style tailbacks can complicate matters even further, because the Mustangs are absolutely loaded in the backfield. Kyree Koonce, Darion Bates, T.J. Tillery and Tyler Wagner are poised to be the most regular ball carriers, but odds are good some other players will eventually be in the mix. That quartet is uniquely suited to run the backfield and slot portion of the offense because they’re all multitalented backs who can catch out of the backfield and get downhill in a hurry.

Koonce, the Buckingham County transfer, is the home run hitter who hits the hole with a fury and glides past would-be tacklers. Bates is a talented, do-it-all sophomore and Tillery was the area’s leading rusher

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“This offense allows me to get all those guys on the field at the same time .” — Jeff Woody What does all that mean for Central Virginia football?

It’s time for opposing squads to be deeply concerned about Monticello’s football team. Along with Goochland, the Mustangs are one of the only public school teams in the area with a state championship to their name in the last decade.

But with Jeff Woody at the helm, who pushed Brookville to the last two Division 4 championships, the Mustangs are poised to become something entirely different. Something much more frightening.

The Mustangs’ past success has had a lot to do with program support from the community and administration and coaching as well.

11 :: @scrimmageplay

It also had a lot to do with a unique combination of talent that’s been particularly obvious over the last few years — speedy, hard-charging skill players and big linemen with quick feet. That’s a good combination for most any offensive system, but with the proper numbers on the roster, it’s particularly tailored to running an up tempo, no huddle attack with a physical run game, which is exactly what the Mustangs are looking to do. Think Oregon-lite, with playmakers coming from all over the place at a relentless pace.

Get ready for Monticello’s funky multiple-formation, no-huddle offense.

The Mustangs’ sideline under Woody looks more like an ice hockey bench with the personnel package changes going on constantly. Almost as soon as a play is over, if Woody wants to make a change, he uses simple one-word calls and a fleet of new skill players come sprinting out on the field.

Those players don’t then get into a huddle, they get lined up, giving the defense little time to react to the changes, which can immediately have a huge impact on what the Mustangs are going to do.

“That’s how we practice — we practice moving in and out

in packages coming in with certain personnel,” Woody said.

“And we want to speed things up.”

That puts pressure on opposing defenses to change on the fly. They have to be a step ahead of Woody and the Mustangs or go with what’s on the field, because by the time they can recognize it, the Mustangs have snapped the ball and are off and running.

That’s particularly true of the power package that the Mustangs have utilized early this year, which, in principle, is similar to the offense Brud Bicknell ran with so much success at Monticello. It’s heavy on downhill running that gets to the point of attack quickly.

“We ran it a lot at Brookville and we had the personnel to do so and at Monticello I feel like that’s more what (the players) have done in the past,” Woody said. “These kids have that in their history and it’s part of who we are. We have grasped the (power) package here a whole lot sooner than we grasped it with the pass-happy Brookville team.”

Other packages’ use of wing and slot style tailbacks can complicate matters even further, because the Mustangs are absolutely loaded in the backfield. Kyree Koonce, Darion Bates, T.J. Tillery and Tyler Wagner are poised to be the most

regular ball carriers, but odds are good some other players will eventually be in the mix. That quartet is uniquely suited to run the backfield and slot portion of the offense because they’re all multi-talented backs who can catch out of the backfield and get downhill in a hurry.

Koonce, the Buckingham County transfer, is the home run hitter who hits the hole with a fury and glides past would-be tacklers. Bates is a talented, do-it-all sophomore and Tillery was the area’s leading rusher just a year ago with more than 1,600 yards on the ground. Throw in Wagner, a talented faceoff man during lacrosse for the Mustangs who brings a physical authority to the position, and it’s a pretty incredible package of backs. In other offenses, those players might not get a chance to use their specific skill sets very often or they might even have to endure a position change to get on the field. But Woody’s system allows for a multitude of backs to shine, which should be a perfect fit at a school that’s produced a slew of top-flight rushers in the last decade like Takeem Hedgeman, Hines Banks, CJ Page, Jesse Ayres and Isaac Robinson.

“I’ve never had a football team with this many running backs,” Woody said. “This offense allows me to get all those

www.scrimmageplay.com :: 12

Mark Ragland is the winningest coach in VHSL volleyball history for a plethora of reasons. There is a lot more that goes into his job than just coaching Albemarle from game-to-game. His ability to indentify talent, position it, and then find a way to squeeze the most out of it is second to none. If you look at what he has done in the last few years just on his back line you have a short but overwhelming sample of why the Patriots are one of the best programs in Central Virginia year-in-year out.

The fact that the last two setters for set passing records in a program with a storied history says a lot. It says that a pair of sophomores, first Abby Hendrix starting in 2007, then Jessica Block in 2010, had long consistent careers. Hendrix was a center piece for Albemarle in its Group AAA title in 2008 and Block was equally important in getting the 2012 Patriots to the Group AAA tournament. But comparing the two was a bit of apples and oranges with Hendrix making a name on her athleticism and Block establishing herself as an even-keeled definition of reliability and consistency, something that carried over heavily into service game as well. Those are the footsteps Ellie Benning is following in. And, fittingly enough, she is a sophomore.

www.scrimmageplay.com :: 14

“

They expect me to be a leader of this team, to get everyone together and pick them up.”

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“The big difference here is that both Abby and Jessica got to play on varsity as freshman and we had two senior setters last year, so would it be better to get Ellie playing time on JV or let her be a backup-backup?” Ragland said.

“I decided it would be better to get her more playing time so that she’d have the experience we need at the position now. So there are still adjustments a gap to be closed, but she’s working very hard on that.”

If all goes as planned, Albemarle will have had three setters in nine years by the end of the 2015 season, an insane notion, but a realistic possibility now.

Benning’s not alone though in stepping into a prominent role for a premier player at the state level. In 2011 and 2012 you could easily argue that there was no more athletic libero in the area than Caroline Porco. On top of her speed, Porco played with a fearless grit that made her an all too perfect fit as the first line of defense.

Junior Taylor Bauman is stepping into the Patriots’ defensive specialist role this season. She’s been at the varsity level since she was a freshman playing behind Porco. While the playing time is an adjustment, knowing the personnel really isn’t, making her transition a bit more fluid. And as far as transitions go, Bauman’s been down this road before.

“I started as an outside hitter when I was young but I was a bit too short so I wound up doing a lot of passing,” Bauman said. “I enjoy it. I grew into it from being a hitter. I guess I enjoy that everyone is relying on you, so you have to be on your game. You have to keep your energy up because you’re always on the court. Because I played varsity the last two years though it hasn’t been too much of a change.”

Together they are the gas line that fuels this vaunted Albemarle offensive engine led by returning hitters Sarah Woods, Hannah Deal, Chelsey Woodfolk, Lexi Bron and Alexus Anderson – all of them seniors.

If the story of Albemarle’s amazing 29-game winning streak last year was the development of its never ending list of hitters, this year it will be Benning and Bauman jumping into the fold keeping the machine rolling from last year. Both players know that too.

“It was scary at first,” Benning said of her first game starting. “But everyone, all the girls they’ve been so

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At this point, it’s almost easier to list the clubs and honor societies that Mattie Morris isn’t in at Monticello.

Between the Math, English, Spanish and National honor socities, Key Club, Monticello Mentors, SCA, County Student Advisory Council and FCA, Morris knows how to keep busy. Along with all those clubs and honors, Morris sports a 3.9 GPA, which is particularly impressive considering the huge impact she’s had on the field at Monticello.

The Mustangs’ senior is one of the field hockey squad’s top midfielders and a captain. As a junior, she was a first team All-Jefferson District selection in both field hockey and softball, continuing a string of All-JD honors in both sports that started her freshman year.

Morris has clearly shown that great classroom work doesn’t have to come at the expense of on-field performance.

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“

Everyone is relying on you, so you have to be on your game.”

17 :: @scrimmageplay

supportive of me. They expect me to be a leader of this team, to get everyone together and pick them up. That first game I was just so nervous, like shaking at net, but they were so supportive, it meant a lot.”

Benning’s strength so far is her attitude. As the Patriots got off to a 4-1 start this year, Ragland’s been struck by her willingness to strive to get better. That’s a major positive because he’s the exact same way.

Albemarle took down Chancellor to start the season and in the Patriots own invitational they finished tied with Fluvanna County and Battlefield with 3-1 records with Battlefield taking the tie breaker. The early season blitz has given Ragland a good glimpse into what to expect from his setter.

“She’s kind of one of those kids that’s a perfectionist,” Ragland said. “She’s trying to figure things out with our hitters, but she’s working with senior hitters. So I feel like the window should be bigger for them, they should know how to hit everything. But what we want from her is to deliver a consistent ball height wise and the second thing is knowing how to release and get out of the way because we like to run a high-paced offense. That’s not easy to do.”

Working with depth rather than just one or two talents is something that Benning is all too happy about. On the club circuit, she’s wasn’t used to having so many options. It’s an exciting change as if the new role wasn’t interesting enough.

“There are so many good hitters sometimes you don’t know who to set,” Benning laughed. “But you try to go with whoever is hot, whoever is hitting well at the time. When I played in club I was really only setting one person so it’s been amazing here because all these girls are such great hitters. Every hitter likes a different set, maybe its higher so you have to learn, you have to see where they go in.”

Before Benning ever gets a chance to set the table for the multitude of hitters she’s working with though, she has to have faith that the ball is going to get to her. If being a setter is a thankless job compared to hitting, a libero is a setter’s hero because

it’s awfully lonely on the back line diving after balls sometimes.

But when you have a defensive specialist that’s committed to the role, life gets a lot easier. Bauman does just that for her setter.

“She goes after every ball and does everything to get it to me,” Benning said. “I’ve never had anyone like that before. It’s awesome to have her, I know I’m going to get the ball from her.”

While Bauman came into the season knowing what expect from the hitters who help her out defensively, particularly on the edges, getting to know Benning was key. While they both play for the same club program, they weren’t on the same team so the two worked together in a couple of practices for Albemarle this past May. The bridge between Bauman and Benning is key but Bauman has problems of her own to deal with. While a setter can work on chemistry with a hitter a libero is on an island in the sense that no two opponents play the same and so Bauman’s job changes in a significant way between each game, each match. Coaches and hitters are going to tailor their offenses depending to find holes in her game night in and night out.

Playing libero is much like playing goalie in field hockey or lacrosse where a player is constantly touching the ball, but can tend to dwell more on the stops missed than the stops made. It’s a psychological battle playing libero, knowing that the opposing

team’s most athletically gifted hitter is looking to run you in circles and get everything past you. That’s where Ragland comes in to offer perspective.

“He talks a lot about the mental game at this position,” Bauman said. “He says that you have to have the mindset that every ball is yours. He tells me that I always have to stay up, that I can’t get down on myself because the balls never stop coming, you have to keep it up. There’s a three second rule. You get that time to think about a mistake and then you have to move on.”

And that seems to be a microcosm of the Albemarle volleyball program, taking three seconds to think about what it’s accomplished before moving on to the next thing. It’s a bit different this year with the Patriots playing a Jefferson District slate for the first time, but what it loses in its intense rivalry with former Commonwealth District foe Colonial Forge it makes up for in getting to play Western Albemarle and the JD’s newest big gun in Powhatan. In truth this isn’t all that different of a Patriot volleyball team from last year given what’s back up front.

But with Benning, Bauman and the schedule it’s going to look different. However, you can bet that Ragland has done all the little things already to assure that the results won’t turn out much different than before. ✖

www.scrimmageplay.com :: 18

Game Time Woodberry 21, Benedictine 7 Tigers stymie Cadets on the road with defensive showing

By Bart Isley

Woodberry’s James Hewell’s rushing played a big role in knocking off Benedictine. (Bart Isley)

19 :: scrimmageplay

Three times Woodberry Forest receiver Christian Asher crossed the goal line on a first half Woodberry Forest drive. But only one counted as the first two came back for penalties and after finally tallying a score, Asher vomited before coming back into the game.

“I was dying,” Asher said. “I was sprinting back and forth. But it was good they kept going to me.”

It was that kind of day for the Tigers as they overcame obstacle after obstacle to hold on to an early three-touchdown to lead and beat Benedictine 21-7.

Plagued by penalties and unable to put the Cadets away for good after a fast start by the offense, Woodberry’s defense managed to preserve the win by holding Benedictine to just 227 yards of total offense. The Tigers’ front seven, led by Spencer Bibb in his first action as a defensive lineman after playing offense for Woodberry in past years, harassed usually productive Benedictine quarterback Bryce Hamilton into a 12-for-27 performance for 144 yards.

Bibb looked the part for someone in his first action, knifing through the line like former Tiger and current N.C. State player Rogers Clark did during his time at Woodberry.

“I’ve got to give a lot of credit my d-line coach, coach (Alex) Tisch, he’s worked with me a ton on technique,” Bibb said. “Rogers is probably the guy I look up to as a player but mostly as a leader, more than anyone.

If I could emulate a Woodberry grad, it’d be Rogers Clark. I don’t want to have a weakness that anyone can look at.”

The offense did its part too, especially early on when the Tigers bounced out to a 21-0 lead starting with a James Hewell

touchdown that capped the 8-yard opening drive. Asher’s score followed and then H.T. Minor ripped off a 48-yard scoring run.

“I’m just real proud of (offensive coaches) Ryan (Alexander) and Brian (Stephenson), they’ve both done a great job,” Woodberry coach Clint Alexander said. “They had a great plan and we knew what we had to do. We’d go through practice and throw 25 balls and drop two so I thought we were doing okay.

We thought we could come out and do what we did — we could work the edges and get them moving around a little bit.”

The Tigers were as balanced as they’ve been in years, with Hunter Etheridge efficiently running the offense that threw for 179 yards and ran for 215. Etheridge went 17 for 21 on a mix of medium length passes and a dizzying array of bubble screens. He connected with 10 different receivers, making life tough on the Benedictine secondary.

“He was working all summer long and the game showed it,” Asher said. “He can really throw the ball so that helps a lot.”

Hewell provided the power for the offense at tailback, carrying 17 times for 94 yards and his touchdown. Hewell was never stopped for negative yards and picked up more than 10 yards three different times.

The offense moved the ball in the second half, particularly on their first drive, but struggled to score and committed a couple of key turnovers that gave Benedictine life. The Woodberry defense proved up to the task though, and clamped down on the Cadets late to wrap up the season opening win. ✖ A new feature, now in each issue Scrimmage Play will highlight a game that stood out during the previous two weeks here in Game Time.

Supporting the Future Sports Stars of Tomorrow Best of luck to our 2013 student athletes as they embark on their college careers.

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The Next Step

Erin Hauser was an outstanding student athlete at The Covenant School and then went on to a striking career at Randolph-Macon College, earning all-conference honors four straight years and tallying 108 points. Her deep love of sports and her desire to serve in the athletic arena after graduation led Erin to enroll in VCU’s dual degree Sports Leadership program where she will earn both an MBA and a Masters in Education. In addition, she is gaining practical experience through serving RMC as a graduate assistant coach as well as working for Virginia Sports Properties in client services. The combination of her education and experience will give Erin extraordinary ability to build and shape athletic programs and athletes. It was at Covenant that Erin was prepared to, in her words, “…be a leader and to always strive to be the best that I could be in every aspect of life.” Her present education and work are simply continuing to take the next step.

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team Spotlight Woodberry Forest football Woodberry Forest’s football team took time out from early season practice in September to host a one-day clinic for the area’s youngest football players, with the team’s athletes running the entire clinic and putting players through a multitude of football drills. Well done Tigers on the incredible outreach and working with the community to foster the spirit of the game. Good luck this season Tigers!

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Overtime

Take the ball and run Sometimes an experience is all about taking a chance

K

atie Mastropaolo’s collegiate lacrosse career is an incredible story of seizing an opportunity and making the absolute most of it. But what she does next is about how she applies the lessons she’s learned and what she’s learned about herself.

Like all of us, college is just the beginning of the story.

Mastropaolo, a 2009 Albemarle graduate, didn’t start playing high school lacrosse until she was a junior. Before that, she was a gritty, hard-nosed basketball and volleyball player for the Patriots (including being a member of the 2008 state title-winning volleyball squad) who did a lot of the dirty work that didn’t show up in the box score. She built on that knack for doing the little things right when she picked up lacrosse and stepped in as a defender, joining the team because her basketball and volleyball teammate Abby Hendrix, now at James Madison, was playing lacrosse.

“I loved it from the start,” Mastropaolo said.

There was, predictably, a learning curve, and Mastropaolo took her defensive style cues from basketball, crouching down and getting low to mark opposing offensive players. That approach evolved over the years, but it was obviously helpful because just two years into her career, as a senior, Mary Washington’s coach approached her about playing for the Eagles. She’d already been considering Mary Washington as a school, and that helped seal the deal.

She didn’t waste much time once she got there either, playing in 19 games as a freshman before starting every game as a sophomore. She did all that early despite not really feeling confident in her own skill set from the outset.

“I didn’t feel qualified — I didn’t have that comfort level,” Mastropaolo said. “But I’ve always believed that if you’re surrounded with a group of people you rise to their level.”

She did just that and was named a team captain before her junior year, putting her in a leadership position she relished.

“I enjoyed just being that liason between the team, the coaches and the administration,” Mastropaolo said. “I’d much rather be on a team than be by myself.”

Mastropaolo put together an incredible senior campaign for the Eagles, earning first team All-American honors (believed to be the first Albemarle High graduate to accomplish that feat) while also being named the Virginia Association of Sports Information Director’s state collegiate player of the year. She picked up 71 ground balls and forced 56 turnovers during that season while Mary Washington amassed an 11-7 record. In just six short years, she’d gone from not competitively playing lacrosse to earning one of the sport’s highest honors. Just as suddenly as all that happened, she’s now no longer a regular part of the Eagles’ squad, graduating this spring with a major in geography.

“They’re starting fall ball now and (for me) it’s cold turkey,” Mastropaolo said. “It’s a learning process right now — I love them so much, it’s hard not being with (the team). I’m learning as I go.”

Like the great majority of collegiate athletes with no path to continue playing professionally, she has to think about what her next step is going to be.

“Coming out of college, I don’t exactly know what I want to do,” Mastropaolo said.

22 :: @scrimmageplay

“I’d much rather be on a team than be by myself.”

“I never felt that pressure to get a job right away. I’ve got a number of ideas, but I’m not sold on any of them.”

But that’s not say she’s going to be doing nothing — not by any means. Mastropaolo is leaving this fall to spend a year in Antelope, Oregon for an internship at Young Life’s Washington Family Ranch, the organization’s largest camp. She’s being patient about find her role, discovering that next step.

“I think people are different but those four years (of college) are a great time,” Mastropaolo said. “If you’re analyzing the future, you’ll miss the present.”

Don’t miss the present. That’s pretty good advice in an environment that pushes us to look to the future constantly. That’s how you can seize an opportunity and make the most of it like Mastropaolo did in lacrosse.

It’ll serve her well the next time a great opportunity comes by too.

Which won’t be long if she keeps focused on the present. ✖

Bart Isley,

c r eative dir ector

back talk »

Do you have an opportunity story you’d like to share? Contact Bart at: bart@scrimmageplay.com

Success stories begin here.

Success Story: Cam Johnson The Fork Union postgraduate team, for as long as coach John Shuman has been at the helm, has always been a chance for athletes to prove themselves and earn the chance to play collegiately. The Mantra is simple: “grind now, shine later.”

On academics alone, Buckingham County graduate Cam Johnson could have had his pick of just about any school. As a student he had little trouble posting a 4.0 GPA. But Johnson’s senior year at Buckingham didn’t go as planned. There’s no way to plan for an injury and coming into the 2012 season, the Knights then senior quarterback had all the makings of a potential collegiate athlete. But a broken arm derailed his senior year, something that greatly hindered his chances at earning a scholarship to play at the next level.

While the Roanoke Times listed him as

the best upside recruit that remained unsigned after the 2012 season and he got the attention of schools like Wake Forest, Johnson’s injury kept him from get the opportunity he more than deserves, to play in college.

Now playing for Shuman, the former Buckingham standout is just beginning his journey. For three years at Buckingham he was a standout receiver and now he’s looking to parlay his speed, height, amazing ability to elevate (ask any James River District basketball or football coach about that) and overall athletic IQ into a chance to shine like so many PG players for FUMA do at the collegiate level.

And so while Johnson’s journey is just starting, as an incredible student it’s only a matter of time before things pan out. But what’s evident though is that he won’t give up on

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