Christopher Newport U. Football Off to First 3-0 Start in School History; defeats Shenandoah 34-6

I had the opportunity to cover my first college football game the other night. Now I have written articles about a few college sporting events (really, the Virginia Duals wrestling tournament and a couple of cross-country meets) but this was the first shot at football. My initial reaction -- I could get used to this. At the high school games, the press boxes mirror the elements and are either too hot, too cold, too wet, whatever. Also, at the college games, there is food -- three sandwiches for me on Saturday night, thank you very much. And they bring the stats to you -- no compiling by oneself. The sports information folks also make the players available to you, which is much easier than chasing a high school kid halfway across a gridiron.

Deadline was sketchy at the Daily Press on Saturday night, so I don't know if my final version ever ran anywhere. Here's a link to the version on the Internet, which was widely, well..from the looks of the numbers, widely missed.

(http://www.dailypress.com/sports/colleges/dp-spt-shenandoah-cnu-0922-20130921,0,3660745.story)

Just in case, here's my final version, complete with quotes --

NEWPORT NEWS --- Looking to capitalize on its first 2-0 start in team history, Christopher Newport rediscovered an old weapon – the right arm of backup quarterback Lyndon Garner – to blast Shenandoah University 34-6 before a capacity Family Day crowd of 6,192 at Pomoco Stadium on Saturday night.

The Captains entered the game ranked 25^th nationally, according to D3football.com, but had trouble hitting all cylinders on their first drive. Quarterback Marcus Morrast misfired on his first three passes. But Paul Dukes carried the early load, chugging out 36 yards on five carries as the Captains marched 63 yards down the field. However, their 13-play drive stalled on the three-yard line when Hornets defensive end Evan Griffin darted around the right end to level Morrast and force an incompletion on third-and-goal. Mason Studer’s 20-yard field goal gave CNU an early 3-0 advantage.

But Morrast suffered a shoulder injury on the final play and was relegated to the sideline, forcing Garner, the senior quarterback from Essex H.S. in Tappahannock, into the game.

Garner, who saw limited action as a junior after starting ten games as a sophomore, had not seen action this season until Saturday, but was ready when the call came.

“I just had to stay focused,” said Garner, who finished 9 of 11 for 219 yards and two touchdowns. “The biggest shift was getting back to game speed after working with the scout team all week.”

The new signal caller made an immediate impact on the first play of his second drive, as wide receiver Rudy Rudolph got behind the safeties and caught a strike from Garner, outracing the defense to the end zone for an 83-yard score.

The Garner-Rudolph combination struck again less than two minutes later, this time for a 53 yard score on the Captains next possession, giving CNU a 17-0 lead. Having found its rhythm, the Captains poured it on, with Strom Parker adding another score, this one on a 10-yard blast up the middle. In all, CNU tallied 347 yards in the opening half.

Having Rudolph as a target helped Garner in the early going.

“He’s our top target. A tall guy. I just throw the ball, and he’ll catch it every time.”

The Hornets (1-2)  lone scoring opportunity in the first half fizzled out on the Captain 12 with 2:26 left in the second quarter as a fourth-and-eight pass from Drew Ferguson to Charles McMillan sailed high into the end zone and was dropped.

A 26-yard field goal by Studer provided the only scoring for the third quarter as the Captains switched to a ball control offense.

The Hornets finally scored with 8:57 left, as Brandon Adams caught a flare pass from Ferguson and bounced into the end zone, with the assistance of several missed Captain tackles.

Daquan Davis added the Captains final score, bursting through the middle for a 18-yard touchdown.

Coach Matt Kelchner was pleased with his defense, which held the Hornets to 267 total yards, particularly after watching Shenandoah play Ferrum last week.

“They were down 21-7, and just came out and pounded them. With a new coach and a new system, I thought they had it going.”

Senior linebacker Evan Moog led the effort with 13 tackles.

“He’s playing as well as anybody in the country right now,” said Kelchner.

Kelchner also gave credit to the defensive line.

“Coach Kepa (defensive line coach) is doing a great job. The front four held up on the line, which freed up our linebackers.”

With the win, the Captains raised their record to 3-0, the fastest start in school history.

Shenandoah   0, 0, 0, 6   -- 6

CNU              3, 21, 3, 7 – 34

CNU – Studer 20 FG

CNU – Rudolph 83 pass from Garner (Studer kick)

CNU – Rudolph 53 pass from Garner (Studer kick)

CNU – Parker 10 run (Studer kick)

CNU – Studer 26 FG

Shen – Adams 19 pass from Ferguson (run failed)

CNU – Davis 18 run (Studer kick)

                         Shenandoah   CNU

First downs;      14, 21

Rushes-yards;   25-54, 44-239

Passing yards;   213, 232

Comp-att-int;   21-37-1, 10-16-0

Penalties-yards; 6-45, 9-85

Punts-avg;       6-28.5, 5-38.2

Fumbles-lost;   0-0, 2-0

New Job Update - Six Weeks in SoBo

Six weeks down in South Boston, VA.

The experience has been interesting. While I can’t discuss the specifics of the new job, I can report that things are going well. School has started again, and learning is taking place.

My soon to be home away from home in SoBo, VA

In the meantime, my own education is continuing.

It had not occurred to me until recently that I have never lived in a city with less than 100,000 residents. Alexandria, Newport News, even Staten Island (New York City), where I attended undergrad school at Wagner College are cities with all the trappings of a metropolis. Traffic is one. Suffice it to say, after 48 years of living in a metropolis, there are certain things that one takes for granted.

Like 7-11’s and cab or bus service.

While enjoying a steak sub at a local eatery last month, I was ready for a “nightcap,” and asked the teenage waitress where I could get a Slurpee.

Her look of befuddlement embarrassed me.

“A... what?”

From the next table, a woman who was educated in these sorts of things was kind enough to chime in. “We have Sheetz.”

Duly noted. No Slurpee’s in South Boston.

A couple of days later, the squealing from my brakes was too much to handle. I knew the pads had to be changed, so I followed some good advice and took my car to a place called Rice and Sons. It was close to my hotel, the South Boston Inn, so I walked home, figuring that I’d just catch a cab the next morning while the work was being done. (Point of note - brake pads, rotation and new inspection sticker - $160, less than half of what I would have paid in Newport News)

Imagine my surprise the next morning when I walked to the lobby and asked for a cab.

“There used to be one here, but I think it closed.”

I called work and someone had to pick me up. That doesn’t happen everywhere.

South Boston has a population of about 8,500 spread out over 12 square miles. It’s quaint, and it has seen better days. There are a lot of closed up businesses in the downtown area. Still, I’m optimistic enough to think the town will rebound. And, if a real estate speculator or two might be reading this, there are some foreclosed single family homes here that can be had for less than 50-60K. And by homes, I mean three bedroom colonials with a yard and the need for some TLC and elbow grease.

While the word “urgency” isn’t part of the SoBo lexicon, I am enjoying the friendliness of the town folks, and the quiet and lack of traffic is refreshing. Raj and Amil Gupta, who run the South Boston Inn, have been great innkeepers during my elongated stay there. If you’re in the region, I highly recommend it. Not the Ritz, but enough bang for the buck ($50 a night, in my case) to make the stay worthwhile. The room is clean, and there is Wi-Fi and cable. In simple terms – five weeks, no bedbugs.

Of course, I really miss being away from home. It’s hard to be away all week.

Ride and Tie???

When Toby Keith sang about wanting to be a working westerner in his classic melody “Should Have Been a Cowboy,” his yearning for living the lifestyle of one who wears a ten gallon hat came from the fact that he never learned how to “rope and ride.”

Toby Keith forgot about the running
part of being a cowboy. Running?

Perhaps he forgot the part about running.

Four local residents won’t have the same problem this weekend, as they will pair off and compete at the 43^rd Annual Ride and Tie World Championship in Ft. Bragg, California.

In fact, the teams of Mary Gibbs and Greg Brander, as well as Dave and Rhonda Venable, were the first two entries when the application process started on April 1^st. Gibbs is a Poquoson resident while Brander and the Venable’s hail from Yorktown.

Ride and Tie?

Before critiquing the roping and riding abilities of those involved, it helps to better understand the event.

As noted from its literature, the participants in Ride & Tie events race both on horses and under their own power, covering distances of 20 to 100 miles. The Championship in Ft. Bragg (located in upper California, four hours north of San Francisco by car) is a 35-mile race, noted for its ruggedness and breathtaking scenery.  The objective, as noted by the Ride & Tie Association, states:

"The goal is to get all three team members, two humans and one horse, across a cross-country course by alternating riding and running. The rider, being faster, rides ahead and ties the horse to a tree and then continues down the trail on foot. The team member who started out on foot gets to the horse, unties, mounts up, and rides past the runner, ties the horse...and this leapfrog continues over the entire course."

One unique aspect of the event comes from the strategy which each pair chooses to utilize. When, where, and how a team exchanges riding for running is almost entirely up to each duo, giving each team a signature characteristic.

There are other challenges, such as, the terrain. While the horses tend to maintain their balance and the humans are in above-average physical condition (Rhonda Venable is a former Peninsula Track Club president and Bethel High cross-country coach), there are plenty of opportunities for turned ankles and contact bumps. Straying off the beaten path can be nerve-wracking, especially after nightfall. During the Old Dominion Endurance Event, held last month in Orkney, VA, the evening race also included nighttime fog which Bradner said was "a little bit surreal. Distances got distorted and the trail was even more confusing." The athletes (and horses) had to rely on glow-sticks placed along the course by race planners.

While the Ride and Tie event is entrenched in its Western roots, the competition has become more popular in other parts of the world, mostly because of the attention given on social media, particularly Facebook, says Ride and Tie president Ben Volk. Volk adds that “we are still trying to get the word out via the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) and other worldwide equestrian websites.”

Additional information about Ride & Ties can be found at www.rideandtie.org.