Volume 6, Issue 3

scr覺mmageplay THE CENTRAL VIRGINIA SPORTS AUTHORITY

Change in plans How an athlete responds when their number gets called PAGE 13

VOL 6. ISSUE 3 :: SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

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WHY D A S

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THE CENTRAL VIRGINIA SPORTS AUTHORITY

x’s and o’s 21 07 13

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OUT OF THE GATES Woodberry football opens with a bang

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PIECE BY PIECE Western volleyball’s youth movement

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CALL OF DUTY Puryear steps in at QB for Fork Union

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GAME TIME STAB football rolls past Trinity

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WHY IT WORKS Breaking down old school offense

VOL 6. ISSUE 3 :: SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

Change in plans VOL 6 . ISSUE 3 :: SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

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scrımmageplay

How an athlete responds when their number gets called PAGE 13

S TA F F Bart Isley, Creative Director Bob Isley, Infrastructure Director Ryan Yemen, Creative Editor O N T H E COV E R Fork Union’s Julius Puryear (Bob Kenward photo) M I S S I O N S TAT E M E 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 N TAC T U S [ e ] info@scrimmageplay.com [ p ] 434-249-2032

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PREGAME

The boot Covenant goalkeeper Johnathan Whyte uncorks one in his team’s 2-1 win over Carlisle. The Eagles and Barons met in the VISAA Division 2 state final with Covenant getting the edge for its first championship in school history. At 7-1, the Eagles are off to a hot start in their title defense with Whyte locking things down in net with three shutouts to his name already. ✖ (Photo by Ashley Thorntoni)

03 :: @scrimmageplay

Family

Corner PRESENTED BY

Embracing enthusiasm High school and college are both an excellent time to figure out exactly who it is you want to be. I spent a lot of time in both spaces vacillating between being a cynical critic of everything that walks, to being an enthusiastic, all-in voice of excitement for everything I saw. Too often though, I’d shut down that enthusiastic instinct because I was concerned about how it looked to other people.

We’re all passionate about something. I love war epics, movies like Braveheart and Gladiator — I’ve even become an amateur expert on ancient battle tactics (seriously). I dragged my then girlfriend, now wife, to see Troy when it came out and I woke her up (she has a habit of falling asleep early on during any movie I’ve selected) at one point and said really loudly “they got the tortoise formation right! They did it perfectly, look at it.”

She wasn’t amused, and her look just before she closed her eyes again said “you are a complete nerd.”

Totally reasonable reaction from her, sure.

But you can’t let even a judgmental look from

someone you really love impact your passion.

We all have that little voice inside that gets us to tamp down our emotional highs at the risk of looking like we’re not cool.

It’s particularly hard to ignore as a teenager when you’re still learning who you are and struggling to embrace certain aspects about yourself. That’s why it was refreshing to see Apollos Hester’s interview out of Texas that went viral last week (4.5 million views and counting). If you haven’t seen it, find it. The running back for East View High just exudes excitement and enthusiasm. He’s totally completely wide open and fired up about his team. He’s not trying to give the right answer or be cool, he’s just being himself.

That’s important to note, because while it’s easy to laugh at how all-in and turned up Hester is, he’s clearly tapped into his own passion and he’s expressing in a way that’d be hard for many of us to even fathom. He’s respectful while he’s doing it too. It just shows incredible poise, energy and passion we should all strive for.

Being passionate about whatever it is that you’re passionate about is cool. No matter what your parents, the kid at the other table at lunch, someone on Twitter or your jerk friend Bart says, it’s cool. I had a buddy in elementary and middle school who was obsessed with military aircraft.

Loved talking about planes from throughout history and everyone, including myself, made fun of him for it. Because it was strange and way more serious and indepth than I knew what to do with. Now? He’s transformed that knowledge into a career working in defense aviation and has a job that’s important enough that he lists a fake job on his Facebook account. I’m embarrassed by the way I tried to squash his excitement and act like it wasn’t cool and I’m glad he didn’t listen.

Whether it’s a come-from-behind football win or Ancient Greek military formations or planes, embrace your passion and support the passions of others.

You’ll realize pretty quickly how much easier and freeing it is to be enthusiastic about those pursuits rather than being the constant critic. ✖ Scrimmage Play and Triple C Camp partner up to cover a variety of player and family topics related to youth and prep sports in Family Corner.

Bart Isley

CRE ATIVE DIRECTOR

www.scrimmageplay.com :: 04

First Quarter Out of the gates

Woodberry picks up where it left off after long camp

By Ryan Yemen

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Woodberry’s Michael Davenport is at the heart of his team’s vaunted secondary (John Berry)

{ CONSISTENCY } Woodberry’s top win percentages under coach Clint Alexander.

.889

2009

.889

2010

.889

2013

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K AR A EL DER

2008

t’s a rivalry that’s just coming into its own. The three time defending VISAA Division 1 champions in Liberty Christian had three games under their belt when it came to Woodberry Forest to play a team making its season debut.

The last time a team from Central Virginia beat the Bulldogs was in 2010 when Fork Union upset them en route to a state title of their own.

So when the Tigers, a team coming of an 8-1 season, met up with LCA in the third week of September, the feeling was that this game was a defacto state title game all its own.

Woodberry’s deal with Episocopal where both teams end the season with each other keeps both programs out of the playoffs. The state should see the two most premier programs as of late in the Tigers and Bulldogs play once, if not twice a year, but that’s not going to change any time soon.

What was of interest in Woodberry’s 13-8 win over Liberty was that the Tigers finally had a true training camp. Woodberry, like Fork Union and Blue Ridge, often enters the regular season with little or any time to prepare for their week one opponent. With scheduling woes hitting the Tigers, they had three weeks to prepare for LCA, but no opponent to help out on a trial run. It wasn’t a problem.

Both Woodberry and LCA have sent their fair share of athletes to the Division I level collegiately, and the two programs are responsible for the most wins over the last six seasons in VISAA D1. This year, Woodberry‘s squad is built on speed and they faced a Liberty squad that brought its usual size and strength to the field. The result marked a potential changing of the guard, both in terms of style and recent results as the Bulldogs had won the previous two meetings behind their physicality.

The Tigers’ talent on paper starts with a national recruit at quarterback in Lindell Stone, who brings a profile similar to the one this area saw with Christian Hackenberg at Fork Union who’s now excelling at Penn State. But with Alexander, Woodberry’s always been about defense first, and this unit after just one week looks as good as any he’s put together.

In years past the Tigers have had their strength up front on in the middle of the field (Doug Randolph and Greer Martini at linebacker now at Notre Dame, Rogers Clarke at NC State, Nate Ripper at Richmond, Aramide Olanyian at UCLA). Nathaniel Tyrell and Michael Davenport might be the best one-two punch in the secondary you could dream up at the high school level.

That’s saying something. The Tigers had Ed Reynolds (Stanford alumnus and current Philadelphia Eagle) and C.J. Prosise (now a wideout at Notre Dame) play in the secondary recently. With the Tigers centering around their athleticism, Tyrell and Davenport lead a new defense that simply flies to the ball.

Woodberry likely won’t play an opponent better than LCA the rest of the season, making their campaign one of interest as they try to run the table for the first time under Alexander. Things need to change though. A program like this needs more than one high profile opponent from the region if Central Virginia wants to see one of its most elite teams get the recognition both on the state and national level that it deserves. ✖

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

College Update

We’ve gone digital

Fluvanna alum Miller at it again at Christopher Newport

But you can have it in print too!

By Ryan Yemen She was a force in high school and decided to waste little time establishing that same reputation in college. Fluvanna County graduate (class of 2012) came on strong as a freshman at Christopher Newport University. With her 104 blocks she was second team All-Capital Athletic Conference after she became just the third freshman ever at CNU to put hit the century mark for blocks in a season.

It was Miller’s end of the year though that drew the most attention. The Captains’ middle hitter was named to the NCAA Regional All-Tournament team when she went off for 19 kills to go with 10 blocks against Cabrinia.

Her nine double-digit kill contests saw five of them come from the last week of October through the postseason.

Now a sophomore, Miller went straight back to work. She was named the CAC player of the week for the second week of September when she led the way for CNU to the Mary

Washington Invitational title. The Captains went 4-0 and against 11th-ranked Eastern, she put together 19 kills and six blocks. Her decision making truly stood out by the end of the week.

Her line? 58, kills, 14, blocks and a .442 hitting percentrage. Against Eastern Miller snagged the CNU record for most kills without an error.

The Captains enter the last week of September at 14-1 and with one thier most talented players just really getting her feet wet still as a sophomore. That was exactly how Fluvanna County saw Miller’s rise as she showed promise as a freshman before taking over the Jefferson District as a sophomore and then winning back-to-back Scrimmage Play player of the year awards in 2011 and 2012.

Chistopher Newport knew it was getting something special when Miller arrived last fall. But it’s clear that the former Fluco hasn’t decided quite yet where her ceiling is, and that’s awfully good news for the Captains. ✖

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:

BELOW » Fluvanna County alumnus Hannah Miller is now leading Christopher Newport University after her breakout freshman season in 2013.. (CNU sports information)

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

PIECE BY PIECE

STORY BY BART ISLEY — PHOTOS BY ASHLEY THORNTON 07 :: @scrimmageplay

B B U M P,

S E T,

S P I K E .

That’s the basic rhythm that lies at the heart of volleyball.

Every player knows it from the first time they step on the court as young athletes.

The only problem is that when you make a leap from the junior

varsity to the varsity, the simple rhythm of bump, set, spike turns into a relentless onslaught of something that looks, feels and sounds more like ‘BUMPSETSPIKEBUMPSETSPIKEBUMPSETSPIKE.’ “It’s definitely the speed and every time it’s bump-set-spike and there aren’t usually free balls,” said Western sophomore Courtney Berry, who made the adjustment last season in her first year on the varsity. “All the teams are just scrappy and they can get up for everything. Even if it’s a really good hit, it’s going to come up and it’s going to come back over.”

www.scrimmageplay.com :: 08

Above, Courtney Berry

“I TOOK 14 WHICH IS A BIGGER SQUAD THAN I WANTED, BUT EVERY ONE ONE OF YOU BELONGS ON THIS TEAM” — RON PACK

09 :: @scrimmageplay

Several members of Western Albemarle’s volleyball squad are seeing that kind of speed and intensity difference as the Warriors undergo essentially a complete revamp, with a slew of players from 2013’s unbeaten junior varsity squad making up a big chunk of the largest roster that Ron Pack has retained in his three-year stint as the head coach.

“I said to the girls when I announced the team that ‘I took 14 which is a bigger squad than I wanted, but every one of you belongs on this team’,” Pack said. “That junior varsity squad from last year was very, very strong.”

That’s the beauty of the surge of depth that’s come in for the Warriors — there are lots of versatile options who are long on potential and have a chance to put Western back where the Warriors expect to be — competing for championships.

“I really feel like if we try as hard as we can and give it all we can, we can make regionals or states — I think this group of people can do that,” said junior hitter Colleen Forsman.

The last time Western Albemarle had this much depth at hitter was probably the 2010 season. That’s when Ana Asher, Katie Rossberg, Allie Nicholson, Alex Gay, Laura Bergin and Maggie Kooken were all emerging as consistent threats, and it’s also the last time that the team underwent a massive overhaul, replacing eight seniors from the 2009 edition of the Warriors.

The current group, with three sophomores and three juniors, has the potential to be similarly potent, but they’re in the opening stages of that development. They’re still trying to find that appropriate mix that’ll get the offense clicking against their toughest opponents like Albemarle and Fluvanna County that are old hands at taking away another squad’s strengths and making them win based on some other facet.

The Warriors, who carry just two seniors — Keller Whitlock and Christina Blount — are extremely young.

There’s no getting around that fact. Outside hitters Kelsey Grove, Makalya Shifflett and Sienna Kellum are all three juniors. Middles Olivia Nichols and Courtney Berry are just sophomores, though both check in at 5-foot-10. For good measure, there’s rightside hitter Colleen Forsman, a junior, and sophomore rightside Catherine Carmichael, who’s 6-foot-1.

That’s a lot of underclassmen hitters who are all eager to get a crack at becoming one of the Warriors’ go-to options. Throw in junior setters Erin Farina and Elissa Simpson sharing duties at that spot, and there are just a

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Left to right, Sienna Kellum and Kelsey Grove

lot of moving parts right now for Western as they try and shape their identity as a squad.

“I think at the beginning we had to push extra hard because we had nine new kids,” Nichols said. “A lot of us just didn’t know the level (that) varsity (required). We all came from JV last year where we never lost and I didn’t think that we were ready for the highest level of competition. So we had to work really hard in practice to make ourselves tough.”

That’s been particularly apparent as the Warriors struggle occasionally, mostly against their stiffest competition, with passing and moving the ball. Western seems acutely aware of that current struggle, but instead of getting frustrated and bogged down about it, they seem bent on overcoming it.

“I think that’s going to help us a lot this year — we pick each other up more than we did last year,” Grove said. “We’ve come back from a lot of runs this year instead of getting down on ourselves which is what we did last year.”

While the execution is a work in progress, the chemistry has been solid out of the gate. The Warriors struggled at times in 2013 to maintain the kind of chemistry that volleyball’s grinding style requires, the kind of togetherness that allows teams to bounce back quickly from the game’s inevitable runs and droughts. This year though, the influx of young talent has brought a breath of fresh air to the varsity unit.

11 :: @scrimmageplay

“I THINK THAT’S GOING TO HELP US A LOT THIS YEAR — WE PICK EACH OTHER UP MORE THAN WE DID LAST YEAR,” — KELSEY GROVE “I feel like having a lot of younger players was definitely challenging at first but it’s actually gone really well,” Whitlock said.

“It’s worked well chemistry-wise. Last year we had a little issue … the chemistry on the court is really good this year. It’s good for development, but they’re already playing well this year.”

They’re still translating it to the floor, but part of that is gaining some experience in huge matches. In mid-September against an Albemarle team that’s also undergoing a bit of an overhaul (albeit just their entire front line), the Warriors struggled to stop runs by the Patriots, letting small mistakes snowball at times and lead to big deficits. Unlike other teams that generally roll over when facing those

kind of onslaughts, Western managed to bounce back and eventually come within a few points of stealing the game.

That kind of fight and resilience is going to be critical as the Warriors keep acclimating to the pace of the game and start employing more strategy and creativity.

“We have really strong individual players and I think (against Albemarle) we may not have won but we worked really hard and that’s what really matters,” Forsman said. “As a team we all know that.”

One key to that developmental process will be Blount, the team’s rock on defense and Whitlock, a rightside hitter who is the lone senior front-line player on the roster. Grove, Berry and Whitlock are really the only players with significant varsity experience on the front line and Farina and Simpson are finding their stride at setter. Getting off to a solid start was critical and the Warriors did that, posting a 9-3 record in the squad’s first 12 matches.

“I feel like we’ve come out stronger as a team,” Whitlock said.

That’s a good first step. Now we’ll get to see just how far the Warriors’ newfound chemistry and young core can take them over the next couple of years. ✖

The

Great Wall of Crozet

Western Albemarle’s front line starting with Ana Asher (left), Katie Rossberg and Allie Nicholson has the Warriors thinking big.

By Rya n y e m e n Photos By Jon schaaf

“At the beginning of the match you wish them luck, and then you get up big and pull your shoulders back.”

Balance, that’s the key. It’s the formula in all team sports. An elite player can make waves on the court, but a well-coached team can adapt and learn to account for one person. In volleyball, strength in numbers is the way to go and this year Western Albemarle has just that.

Ana Asher is arguably the most athletic volleyball player in all of Central Virginia. She can move, she can elevate and she can swing away. As the lone senior for the Warriors this year, she’s at the forefront of Western’s aggressive attack.

Since they first began their Jefferson District dominance back in 2002, the Warriors have always had that one elite level player, and Asher is it. But the senior happens to be lucky. The young talent that will eventually replace her is a ready to help now. With the aid of underclassmen Katie Rossberg and Allie Nicholson, Western has a trio of hard hitters and able blockers that are making what probably should have been a rebuilding year – at least given the graduation of last year’s talent — a simple changing of the guard.

“They do feel like they’ve taken up where the last group has taken off,” said Western Albemarle coach Lance Rogers. “It is really quite amazing to have such a young group be so mature right in that way.”

The Warriors have a bevy of options to choose from. The team doesn’t have to lean on one player when in a tight spot, although Rogers certainly could if he wanted to, which is exactly what makes his team so dangerous. Pick your poison – Asher, Rossberg or Nicholson.

“Since we’re tall, we get to run really crazy sets,” Asher said. “We get to try and confuse teams because any one of us can hit right side, middle or left.”

With a lot of offensive weapons in the mix, that has made junior setter Riley Martin, who has the position to herself this year, a busy person. As the facilitator of the offense, Martin makes a lot of decisions on the court and executes the first part of any hit with a good clean set. The various Western hitters can ask for more touches, but Martin’s not going to give them out for free. She expects results.

“It’s funny, Riley’s the type of person that if a player were to ask for more chances she’d respond by saying, ‘Well you need to start putting it down more often,’” Rogers said.

With some of the best talent in the area already, having a physical advantage over most of the Jefferson District gives the young Warriors some welcome added confidence. They know that teams play them differently when it comes to lining up on the court.

“It makes a big difference,” Rossberg said. “When you have a big front, (on offense) teams tend to go a lot more conservative and try to tip.”

Of course that works the other way too.

“You’re more feared too,” Nicholson added. “Teams play defense against you differently when you have a height advantage. It’s intimidation.”

October 2010 :: 22

#THROWBACKto2010 Back in 2010, Western Albemarle brought in a slew of new talent to aid its lone senior, Ana Asher (left). Both Katie Rossberg (middle) and Allie Nicholson (right) had huge seasons for the Warriors as they won both the Jefferson District regular season and tournament titles.

www.scrimmageplay.com :: 12

Call of duty

Story by Bart Isley + Photos by Bob Kenward 13 :: @scrimmageplay

G

G E N E R A L LY I N H I G H S C H O O L F O O T B A L L , the backup quarterback isn’t particularly well known.

This isn’t the NFL or college where the backup is a wellliked player who many think should get a chance to start (think Kirk Cousins when he was backing up Robert Griffin III) or a highly touted young athlete with bigtime credentials built at the last level of play (think Tim Tebow when he was behind Chris Leak at Florida).

More often than not, the backup in high school is rarely seen and never heard from.

That’s not the case with Fork Union’s Julius Puryear who entered his senior year as the backup quarterback for the Blue Devils for the third-straight season.

That’s because Puryear is too smart, too fast and too good of an athlete to stay on the sideline. Instead of biding his time as the backup, he’s been plying his trade all over the field as a defensive back, a wide receiver and an occasional kick returner. Puryear, with his quickness, football savvy and speed was already a known commodity going into 2014.

www.scrimmageplay.com :: 14

“That’s exactly who I model my game after. I spend time every weekend just watching him.”

— Puryear 15 :: @scrimmageplay

But now, with returning starter Sam Allen out since week two with an illness, Puryear is also, finally, the starting quarterback for Fork Union.

Puryear isn’t some long time quarterback in waiting or anything of the sort. He’s a football player and athlete first, having never really played much quarterback in the early stages of his career. Instead, it was during his sophomore year at Fork Union when he finally stepped behind center. Back then former FUMA standout, current Penn State star Christian Hackenberg’s backup quarterback left school and the Blue Devils needed a contingency plan. Enter Puryear, a dynamic athlete with a tantalizing set of skills and potential. But Puryear knew the role was as a stop-gap behind Hackenberg and he threw just two passes that entire season as the Blue Devils put together a run to the state final, and he chipped in with spot carries on offense, some kick returns and some tackles along the way.

In 2013, Allen arrived on campus and Puryear was again one of the backups. The staff put him in the secondary and out on the boundary at receiver. He had 108 yards receiving in an early season performance against Monticello, but the Blue Devils stumbled all year to the tune of a 1-9 record.

This season, with the Blue Devils reloading with some new faces at key spots and ready to flip the script on an out-of-character year, Allen returned as the starter and Puryear appeared set to reprise his role as a free safety and contributor on offense. But when Allen got sick, Puryear knew he was about to get the nod.

“I just kind of got my mind right,” Puryear said. “I’ve been waiting for this for three years. I knew this was my time to step up and help this team.”

While Hackenberg was the elite quarterback that Puryear had the most immediate access to, it’s another former Prep League star that he’s trying to model his game after — the Seattle Seahawks’ Russell Wilson, a Collegiate product. Like Wilson, Puryear doesn’t have Hackenberg’s height and size, checking in at 5-foot-9 and 173 pounds. He and Wilson though, that’s different.

“That’s exactly who I model my game after,” Puryear said. “I spend time every weekend just watching him, studying his plays, studying his footwork. That’s what I want to be.”

Like Wilson, rather than sitting in the pocket and scanning the defense, Puryear often looks to buy time for his receivers by shifting around in the pocket or escaping to the edge. He’s particularly adept at the patience part of that equation, hanging in and making a tough throw rather than bailing out of the pocket too quickly.

“He’s done a great job,” said Fork Union coach Brian Hurlocker. “He’s just got to keep getting better, he’s our guy.”

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Kate Stutz is wearing a lot of hats right now. She’s a 3-sport athlete between volleyball, basketball and soccer, and a gifted one as she was All-Conference 23 in all three. But that’s just a small portion of the junior’s time management. Stutz is currently taking a pair of Piedmont Virginia Community College dual enrollment classes in calculus and chemisty to go along with a pair of advanced placement courses. She’s also a member of Fluvanna’s Bata club. So how does she get the job done across the board?

“It’s not easy,” Stutz said. “I get home from a game or practice, go straight to homework and then straight to bed. I try and get help when I can from my teachers, my teammates, my friends. They all support my academics.”

Stutz stands out in so many ways. Her 4.1 GPA is of most importance, but she’s also found a way to mix in the extracurricular and truly excel in that department as well. It might not be easy, but so far, Stutz has found a way to make it look as if that’s the case.

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Left, Julius Puryear. Right, Rashon Torrence One big reason that Puryear found some early comfort and success is the presence of Rashon Torrence in the backfield. The Blue Devils’ rugged, hard-nosed tailback who also boasts gamebreaking speed forces defenses to key on him first and foremost, leaving Puryear a little breathing room to make some noise. Torrence has rushed for more than 100 yards in three of four games, including a 162-yard effort in FUMA’s win against Goochland.

“It helps a whole lot,” Puryear said. “When my mind is cloudy, I give him the ball and it allows me to think — to really watch the defense and watch their adjustments. It helps a lot because he’s a natural athlete.”

Things are still a work in progress though for the Blue Devils, who fell to 1-3 to start the year. With Allen, the presumed starter, spending most of training camp running the show, Puryear is having to adapt on the fly with new receivers that are both new to FUMA in tall targets Micah Keels and Lewis Freeman along with returning pass catcher Juwan Miller-Rollins. Finding that chemistry and nurturing it is one of the challenges that the Blue Devils’ passing game is facing right now.

“It’s a learning process,” Puryear said. “Coach Hurlocker is helping me and I don’t have that much experience at quarterback, but I’m ready for this.”

There have been some promising steps, including a 10-for-17, 115yard debut against Goochland in a 33-14 win and a 188-yard outing against Monticello. He also threw for a pair of touchdowns against

17 :: @scrimmageplay

“When my mind is cloudy I give him the ball and it allows me to think — to really watch the defense.”

— Puryear Bishop O’Connell, but the losses keep coming for a squad that has to be one of the best 1-3 football teams around. For his part though, Puryear is convinced that Fork Union is going to get on track, that the Blue Devils aren’t about to pack it in despite the slow start in the win column.

“We’re really strong of mind,” Puryear said. “These guys are the

best, you can’t ask for anything more.”

The Blue Devils’ defense, with standout linebackers like Adam Hackenberg and Josh Nevers, has also been stout, holding an explosive Monticello squad to 24 points throughout the bulk of the game before a late touchdown when the game was out of reach. With that defense continuing to create big plays like Chase Bowman’s pick six against Bishop O’Connell, the Blue Devils could be dangerous down the stretch.

Puryear is certainly going to keep battling and making an impact. He’s no stranger to a team-first mentality, an approach he picked up growing up from his father Adam Puryear.

“My dad had a lot to do with that, I give (all the credit) for that to my dad,” Puryear said.

That’s a big reason why it seems like this has been a particularly special opportunity for Puryear — he truly cares a lot about his teammates.

“It’s been a dream come true,” Puryear said. “I just want to lead this team to states. That’s their goal and that’s my goal. I have to be that leader. At the quarterback position you have to lift up the team.”

That team-first approach has served him well, and it’s helped create this chance as a senior to try to ignite the Blue Devils as they enter the second half of the season. A lot of the pieces are there for Fork Union. When they fit them all together, things could get interesting quickly. ✖

PICKING UP THE PIECES QB INJURIES FROM L AST YEAR AND THE RESULTS

Goochland 2013 — The Bulldogs see expected starter Reid Chenault sidelined for the entire season. The injury moves Jordan Jefferson over from receiver. Jefferson picks up his role from the 2012 season where he quarterbacked the Bulldogs to a state title and leads them to a win away from the state final four.

Woodberry 2013 — Senior quarterback Hunter Etheridge gets dinged up early in the year and has to sit out nearly half the year. In his place, freshman Lindell Stone and junior Christian Zaytoun keep the ship floating, leading the Tigers through a tough stretch of schedule. Etheridge returns, Woodberry finishes 8-1 on the year.

Buckingham 2013 — In week one John Edwards gets hit hard in the head and the Knights have to turn to Leon Ragland.

The sophomore thrives. Edwards comes back with a focus on defense and plays receiver. Ragland’s breakout year helps put Buckingham in the state final four.

TEAM SPOTLIGHT C H A R L OT T E S V I L L E FIELD HOCKEY Charlottesville High’s field hockey team hosted a youth clinic on September 13 for first to eighth grade students as part of National Field Hockey Day. Way to spread your love of the sport to young players!

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Game Time St. Anne’s- Belfield 54, Trinity 14

By Ryan Yemen

STAB’s John Anderson had a fumble recovery in the Saints win over Trinity. (Ryan Yemen)

19 :: @scrimmageplay

It wasn’t the distance needed, nor the situation in the game. The reason St. Anne’sBelfield coach John Blake took a big gamble after his team’s opening drive looked to go three and out was a little more simple — first the rest of his staff didn’t talk him out of it, and second, well it’s more of a personal thing.

“I’ll be honest, I hate punting,” Blake said.

“It’s one of my biggest pet peeves — I hate the play all the way around. I asked (my staff) and they didn’t say anything, so I said why not. We literally put (that fake punt play) in yesterday.”

So when Kareem Johnson took that fake punt for a 49-yard touchdown to open up a busy night of scoring for the Saints, it was pretty obvious that he made his coach proud.

Johnson only touched the ball three times, but all three times found him in the endzone.

His fake punt, a pair of touchdown receptions from quarterback Lee Parkhill who was very efficient, and then a big second half from Jalen Harrison and Jake Allen paved the way for STAB as its bounced back from a loss to defending state champion Bishop Sullivan with a 54-14 win over Trinity Episcopal.

“We came out and played hard,” Blake said. “It was a rough week of practice with a bunch of kids out sick. I felt that today we really had a good talk, got everyone focused and played well. I told them, if we come out focused, we’re pretty good.”

STAB trailed for only a few minutes, and really only because its 2-point convert failed after Johnson’s big play on special teams.

The Saints looked to be in an early big-play fight with Trinity Episcopal’s Blake Bowen hitting Trevi Armstrong for 35 yards to give the visitors a 7-6 lead. But five minutes later, the Saints answered with a methodical drive capped by a 20-yard pass from Parkhill to Johnson, and there was little that Trinity Episcopal could do to slow down STAB from that point forward.

“We had trips on one side and Kareem isolated on the other,” Parkhill said. “When you have an athlete like him isolated that’s got to be the first look. It worked out well.”

Up 12-7, Jake Allen capped the next Saints drive with a 1-yard rushing touchdown to open up the first minutes of the second quarter. On the next drive, Johnson picked up his third TD of the day, this one on a Parkhill pass from 14 yards out to push it to 26-7 with 4:10 to go until the break.

“We’ve been working (on the passing game) and Lee’s really getting his passes on target,” Johnson said. “Both touchdowns for me were perfect throws. I think the offensive line did a great job too, gave Lee the time to throw the ball.”

After targeting Johnson early on, Parkhill shifted his attention to Harrison on the next few STAB possessions, first with a 72-yard bomb for a touchdown to put the Saints up by 26.

“It’s always good to be able to spread it around,” Parkhill said. “I can’t pin-point one guy, I just can’t do that. The ability for us to be able to spread it out to Kareem, then hit Jalen way down the field, that’s just huge.”

In what was Trinity Episcopal’s last breath of air, the Titans marched down field and scored Bowen pass to Armstrong for 17-yard touchdown to make it 33-14.

The second half was all STAB. For starters, Parkhill and Harrison continued to excel in the passing game, and the final nail in the coffin was the combination of the Saints’ defense forcing turnovers and Allen delivering the hammer at running back. Lucas Logan had a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown to open up the scoring in the second half for the Saints. After Allen bruised his way though a drive to set up first and goal, freshman Michael DiGiacomo scored on a run from seven yards out. Jameel Wilson then punched in a 17-yard run at the last seconds of the third quarter to make it 54-14. ✖

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GAME THIS EDUCATION - Youaswill receive guidance on injury prevention that SEASON will address training and technique issues needed (i.e. golf swing, soccer kick, tennis swing, throwing Get back in the game! motion, etc.). and technique issues as needed (i.e. golf swing, soccer kick, tennis swing, throwing Get back in the game!

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Overtime

Why it works Breaking down the old school offenses in football

I

’m an absolute sucker for old school offenses. Whether it’s the Wing-T, the Single Wing, T-Formation, the triple and midline options or any other offense that’s fallen out of fashion with the proliferation of the West Coast and spread systems, I love seeing those systems in action.

There’s something special about watching football played in the same style as when guys like Johnny “Blood” McNally, the Four Horsemen and Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside were toting the rock. It’s the ultimate throwback and always feels like a treat if you love learning how the games’ basic strategies evolved.

The best part about them though? In the right situations, with the right commitment and the right infrastructure in a program, they still work in high school football.

We’ve seen it locally most recently with Goochland’s Wing-T offense that’s helped ignite an incredible run including the Bulldogs’ 2006 and 2012 state championships. I’ll let Goochland coach Joe Fowler, who loves football as much as anyone I know, explain.

“The reason we run it goes back to 1999. I was an assistant and we had to play Lunenburg and they scored 81 points running the straight T,” said Goochland coach Joe Fowler. “So I decided to try to do everything the same way they did it. Each year, we would “break” the T a little bit more until we were true Wing-T. The Wing-T is so incredibly flexible in regards to personnel, plus the biggest benefit is that it allows all the linemen to block on angles so they aren’t forced to have to try to drive a superior opponent off the ball.”

The bottom line? You don’t have to wait for a bunch of superior athletes to show up to get competitive. You can compete with whatever you’ve got.

Louisa County’s single wing is another example of how utilizing an offense in that vein can give a previously dormant program a boost. The Lions’ single wing during Mark Fischer’s first stint helped change the program’s fortunes, giving the Lions an instant dose of identity, which is often a problem that programs with a history of losing face.

This year two local squads are trying to remake their respective identities in part through the implementation of old school ball-control offenses, with Covenant and Nelson County following something similar to the Goochland blueprint as they’re playing with the roster constraints of a small school.

Nelson County’s true single wing style approach actually has an o-back who lines up between the guard and tackle call the signals. The offense showed some promise in the opener against Luray at times and has now helped push the Governors, who were winless in 2013 to a pair of victories already this year over Page County and Hargrave.

At Covenant, the Eagles are off to an even quicker start, leaning on a mid-line option-based scheme that’s tailor-made for the kind of challenges that Covenant faces as a football program.

“We have smaller, faster, smart guys that can really move,” said Covenant coach Dave Hart before the season started. “This offense is all based off of angles and speed. If we get a hat on someone and just hold it for a second, the fullback is coming from three yards back at full speed and he’s going to be gone.”

22 :: @scrimmageplay

“You can compete with whatever you’ve got.”

So far so good as the Eagles are 4-1 now with a series of wins over Hargrave, Massanutten, Randolph Macon and Portsmouth Christian.

The lone loss was a close one too on the road at the hands of defending state champion Virginia Episcopal.

Covenant quarterback Paul Huemme, the speedy athlete charged with running the midline had never been a quarterback before, but he’s taken to the spot well early on. As Fowler pointed out, offenses like these allow for some more versatility in personnel and you don’t necessarily need an experienced, tall triggerman with a rocket arm like the spread often requires.

Huemme’s savvy, quickness and decision making is enough if the offense is run the right way.

Covenant is banking on the idea that it’ll improve how they play down the stretch too, so that’s when the real test comes as we enter the second half of the 2014 season. For right now though, the Eagles have a clear identity, which is exactly what a relic offense can give you in a hurry.

Just be sure to leave the leather helmets in Bart Isley the museum. ✖ CRE ATIVE DIRECTOR

back talk »

The WWII offenses or the spread?

What’s your favorite?

Email: bart@scrimmageplay.com

Success stories begin here.

Success Story: Antonio Allen At his size, Antonio Allen could and did play just about everywhere on the field. Sometimes athletes like Antonio Allen can get lumped into the dreaded ‘tweeener’ category where coaches at the next level can’t quite decide where they’d like you, and in the end, never do and move on. By the time that he finished up at Fork Union, South Carolina wasn’t entirely certain what do with Allen, but they knew that they’d find a way to make it work.

Allen came to FUMA by way of Trinity Catholic High in Florida to play for John Shuman’s celebrated post graduate football team. He left a more polished athlete and a stronger student. That allowed Allen to head to South Carolina in the spring semester of 2008 and participate through spring drills.

As a freshman, Allen found himself

playing “SAM” linebacker. The next year as a sophomore and junior, he slid over to the Gamecocks’ “spur” position. As a senior in 2011, Allen hauled in three interceptions and took one of them back for a touchdown.

He had a pair of fumble returns. He finished with 88 tackles, 55 of them on his own and 9.5 for a loss.

In the spring of 2012, Allen had his name called at Radio City Music Hall as the New York Jets seventh round selection in the NFL Draft.

Now in his third year, the former Gamecock and Blue Devil is locked in as a starter after he finished 2013 with 60 tackles, a sack and an interception which he returned for a touchdown.

In just seven years Allen’s gone from the recruiting gauntlet to the combine to playing on Sundays. He got that started at Fork Union.

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