Beach Begins On Bench (Daily News-Record)

In an upset, Kyle Beach won’t kick in Bridgewater College’s season opener Saturday.

Daily News-Record - By Jeremy Cothran

BRIDGEWATER — Kyle Beach has waited two years to kick for Bridgewater College, a journey that’s taken him from the Shenandoah Valley to construction work in Arlington to a community college in Huntsville, Ala.

Turns out, he still has some waiting to do.

In a surprise, Beach -- the starting place-kicker in 2002 and 2003 -- lost a battle to kick for the Eagles in the season-opener Saturday at McDaniel. That honor instead will go to Luke Taylor, a sophomore from Williamsburg.

"Kyle has done it before for us on Saturdays when it matters," BC coach Michael Clark said Wednesday. "It’s just not going to be this Saturday."

Clark said Beach’s 18-month layoff was a factor in his decision. He didn’t want to rush the junior from Manassas back into action too quickly, especially after he suffered a herniated disk in his back early in summer practices.

Taylor, who has never kicked in a varsity game for the Eagles, said he’s ready.

"I’ve been making them in practice," Taylor said. "So there’s no reason to believe that I can’t make them in the games. There will probably be some nerves when I step on the field [at McDaniel], but I’ll go into my normal kick routine I use in practice, and I’ve been making those."

Clark plans to give Taylor a little leeway with the kicking duties, because he knows how pressure can play havoc with a kicker who’s constantly looking over his shoulder at his backup. Even so, he said Beach still has an opportunity to unseat Taylor because there are so few variables in evaluating players. Either he makes it, or misses it.

"It’s the easiest position to judge," Clark said, "because it’s so cut-and-dry. What’s your range? What’s your percentage? I told Luke that one kick wouldn’t make or break it [for him]. I want him to relax."

Taylor spent two years backing up David Blackwell and knew it would be tough to edge out Beach, who held a trump card with the experience factor. What sealed the deal for Clark – who coaches the Eagles’ special teams when part-time assistant Harry Trevathian is not with the team – was Taylor’s performance in the Eagles’ pressure-kick drills at the end of each practice.

Still, he’s yet to kick a game-winning field goal in a competitive game.

"Most of my games in high school were blowouts either way," said Taylor, who attended Bruton. "I know that a big kick validates what the entire team has worked hard for, and that’s a lot of pressure."

He may be in that situation on Saturday. Last year, Blackwell missed three field goals – including a 39-yard attempt with 4:18 remaining – and had an extra point blocked in the Eagles’ 36-35 loss to the Green Terror.

For Beach, he looked at his return as a way to make up for a missed opportunity. He was working construction in Arlington after dropping out of school because of academic failures when he woke up one morning and asked himself, "What am I doing here?"

"It’s not a fun life," Beach said. "That was my motivation [for returning to school]. I thought, ‘Somebody else should be doing this.’"

Beach had a successful debut season at Bridgewater in 2002. He beat out Blackwell for the kicking job as a freshman, even though he was recruited out of Osbourn Park by ex-BC offensive coordinator Bob Colbert to play wide receiver. Beach was good enough his freshman season to earn second-team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference honors, going 7-for-10 on field goals and 46-for-51 on extra points.

"The year before, we were 1-for-14 in field goals," Clark said. "We still played for the national championship, but [Beach] didn’t have a tough act to follow."

Beach slumped his sophomore season, going 5-for-9 on field goals as he split time with Blackwell. It was then that his academic troubles bubbled into legitimate problems and he left school. From there, he bounced around from his construction gig to waiting tables at a seafood restaurant while he attended Calhoun Community College in Huntsville. Once he brought his grades up, a call was placed to Clark.

"He told me I could come back if that’s what I really wanted to do," Beach said. "I wanted to make sure that I’m graduating. I’m not a 19-year-old freshman anymore. I’m 22. It’s time to get on with life."

NOTES: Clark announced the rest of his special teams starters on Wednesday, including a pair of local players. Scott Ruebush, a sophomore from Fort Defiance High School, has been named the starting punter, and freshman lineman Louis Sanchez of Harrisonburg will start as the long snapper for field goals.

BC Linebacker Seizes His Chance (Daily News-Record)

Because of a teammate’s injury, Venancio Biela will start at linebacker for Bridgewater College’s football team this weekend.

Daily News-Record - By Jeremy Cothran

BRIDGEWATER — The Bridgewater College linebacker with easily the most unique name on the roster is more interested in the present than the future.

He’s not thinking about four weeks down the line, when the player he’s replacing is set to return, but only of Saturday, the date he plans to make his first collegiate start.

For Venancio Biela, this is all about carpe diem. Seize the day.

"He’s one of those ‘program kids,’" Eagles football coach Michael Clark said after practice. "He’s coming into his fourth year, and he’s never played significant field time. To me, that’s a great story of his persistence."

Biela, a senior, will start at whip linebacker in BC’s season opener at McDaniel, thanks to a little bit of bad luck among his teammates.

With senior Brandon Borst entrenched at the strongside linebacker position, Craig Smith retaking the middle after returning from a torn Achilles tendon, and Antwaine Campo set in the weakside (whip) role, Biela was not in the coaching staff’s plans. In fact, he was third on the depth chart at the whip position behind senior Brandon Kelley. Barring injury, there was a good chance the 5-foot-9, 200-pound Biela wouldn’t come close to sniffing the field this season. His last season.

Slowly but surely, though, the dominoes began to fall his way. First, Campo tore an anterior cruciate ligament during a pick-up basketball game this summer. Then, during the first few days of preseason practice, Kelley shattered his finger.

Campo was lost for the season, and Kelley is out for about four weeks. So, for now at least, Biela gets the nod. And his coaches apparently aren’t worried.

"I feel real comfortable," defensive coordinator Grant Higgison said. "The [linebacking] group is a good corps of players. … It’s the strongest corps of linebackers in the [Old Dominion Athletic] conference."

In Higgison’s defensive schemes, the whip position carries perhaps the most responsibility. It requires discipline to protect against tailbacks cutting back against the grain, coverage skills to shadow backs and receivers on pass routes, and enough muscle and speed to effectively rush passers.

Biela’s newfound role came in the nick of time. At the end of every season, Clark would conduct exit interviews with each player; when Biela’s number was called, the conversation always drifted toward playing time. Clark stressed patience and the Hampton native trusted him.

"We don’t give rewards here," Clark said. "But you have to cheer for those guys like Biela. They are kids that I would love to play, but sometimes it’s just not their time."

Biela’s teammates are glad he’s getting his time. The former Kecoughtan High School player spent this summer in Bridgewater working out with Borst and Smith, knowing he was not in the initial mix but preparing as if he were a starter.

"It’s a shot he’s well-deserving of," Borst said. "He’s what this team is all about."

What intrigues Borst -- and the rest of the BC team -- about Biela is the linebacker’s name. His full name is Venancio DaRessarreicao Biela Jr., and his appearance alone can result in some Michael Buffer-style introductions on the practice field.

"The funniest thing is that he’s a ‘junior,’" Borst said, laughing. "I can’t believe there were ever two people with that name."

The name has Portuguese roots – Biela’s father was from Angola, a former colony of Portugal – and Biela is intensely proud of it. It wasn’t always that way. When Biela was a child growing up in Hampton, he was teased often as being the kid with the funny name, but as he grew older it became more important to him. It became a legacy for his dead father – Biela Sr. died when Junior was a toddler.

As for football, Biela knows he can’t get married to the starting position, but admits it’s nice to think about himself as starting a Division III college game. And he’s already thought about how he’ll feel if Kelley returns from his injury to reclaim the starter’s role.

"We’re all really tight here," Biela said. "I wouldn’t be upset. He’s worked just as hard as I have. There would be no jealously, just as I’m sure there would be none with him if I ended up with [the position]."

It’s all about seizing the day.

Fan Buses to Away Games

The Alumni Office has reserved a bus for each of the away football games this fall. Join us! It's more fun to travel with a group of fans, and you won't need to worry about driving in traffic or the price of gasoline. Make your reservation no later than noon on the Monday before each game by calling 540-828-5451 or by email at shottel@bridgewater.edu. We need a minimum of 30 people for each trip; if we fail to make the minimum, we will notify you by the close of business (4:30 p.m.) on the Tuesday before the game. Plan to take a lunch; we'll make a dinner stop on the way back.

The schedule is as follows:

Sept. 2 - McDaniel - Leave BC at 8 a.m.; arrive back at approximately 9 p.m. Cost: $35 a person

Sept. 16 - Ferrum - Leave BC at 9:30 a.m.; arrive back at approximately 8:30 p.m. (Game time is 1:30 p.m.) Cost: $35 a person

Oct. 14 - Guilford - Leave BC at 7 a.m.; arrive back at approximately 10 p.m. Cost: $45 a person

Nov. 4 - Randolph-Macon - Leave BC at 9:30 a.m.; arrive back at approximately 8:30 p.m. Cost: $35 a person

Nov. 11 - Catholic - Leave BC at 8 a.m.; arrive back at approximately 9 p.m. Cost: $35 a person.

Eagles Scrimmage Hargrave PG

The Bridgewater College Eagles had their annual scrimmage versus Hargrave Military Academy's post-graduate football team on Thursday night. The game was played under the lights at Bridgeforth Stadium on the campus of James Madison University. Hargrave is known as one of the best prep teams in the country. They currently have 19 players committed to attend major Division I-A schools next season.

Hargrave won by a final of 35-20, with the second half played with no special teams except for extra points. The Eagles got on the board first with 5:29 remaining in the first quarter when junior Jeff Highfill connected with senior Michael Oakes for a 42-yard touchdown. Sophomore Luke Taylor added the extra point to give Bridgewater a 7-0 lead. The Eagles' defense held Hargrave to only 54 yards of offense in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Hargrave finally got on the board with 4:18 left in the half when Andrew Calantone found Ronnie Tyler (committed to Maryland) for a 50-yard score. Kyle Hughes' extra point tied the score at 7-7.

Following a three-and-out by Bridgewater, Calantone would find Ben Finney in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown. Another Hughes' extra point would make it 14-7. The Eagles' Taylor would boot a 28-yard field goal as time expired to bring Bridgewater within four at 14-10.

Senior Winston Young gained 49 yards on 11 carries for the Eagles in the first half, with junior Phillip Carter adding 32 yards on four carries. Highfill finished with 61 passing yards before senior Nick Lincoln took over in the second quarter, going 4-of-6 for 27 yards. On the receiving end, Oakes tallied 42 yards on two catches, while junior Brandon Copeland hauled in three receptions for 41 yards.

On defense for the Eagles, senior linebacker Craig Smith recorded six tackles through the first half. Senior defensive back Derrick Burroughs added four stops. Midway through the first quarter, with Hargrave on Bridgewater's one-yard line, Smith forced a fumble which junior Desmond Jalloh scooped up.

Special teams looked especially good, with sophomore punter Scott Ruebush booting a 55-yarder and 36-yarder. Senior Colin Owens added a 62-yarder and 42-yarder. In the return game, Young returned a kickoff 18 yards, while sophomore Rocket Gadsden ran one back 36 yards. Copeland returned one punt for 13 yards. Defensively, special teams blocked a punt and tackled the punter who fumbled the snap on another for a loss of 17 yards.

Here is the scoring summary for the second half;

-Bridgewater's Kyle Beach (K) kicked a 30-yard field goal with 3:42 left in the third quarter to bring the Eagles within one, 14-13.
-Hargrave's Jamie Childers (QB) scored on a 15-yard run with 1:17 left in the third quarter, a Hughes extra point made it 21-13.
-Hargrave's Emanuel Francis (QB, committed to Louisville) passed to Brent Vinson (WR, committed to Tennessee) for a 13-yard touchdown. Hughes' extra point made it 28-13 with 6:34 remaining in the fourth quarter.
-Bridgewater's Ricky Milbourne (QB) passed to Jon Brown (WR) for a five-yard score. Taylor's extra point made it 28-20 with 2:20 left in the game.
-Hargrave's Jamie Childers (QB) scrambled for a 47-yard score with 1:30 remaining in the game. Hughes' extra point made the final score 35-20.

Clark Looks For New Stars (Daily News-Record)

Bridgewater College’s football team is again the heavy ODAC favorite, but the Eagles enter the season with less experienced depth than usual.

Daily News-Record - By Jeremy Cothran

BRIDGEWATER — It’s hard to stay on top.

Bridgewater College football coach Michael Clark has first-hand knowledge of that maxim, having led the Eagles to five straight Old Dominion Athletic Conference championships. Every year, he notes, the rivals get hungrier, stronger and better.

But this year may be his toughest test yet.

The Eagles are losing 26 players – "difference makers," according to Clark – from last season’s NCAA Division III quarterfinalist, and are struggling to fill gaps on the offensive line, at tight end and at safety 1½ weeks before the season-opener Sept. 2 at McDaniel.

Friday – the end of preseason practice – is the cutoff date for players to prove their worth to the program. After that, the Eagles will begin working on installing plays and formulating a game plan for the Green Terror rather than developing players.

"We’re done developing," Clark said. "We’ve got to find out if this is the corps."

The Eagles go into the season ranked No. 13 by d3football.com. That, of course, means nothing. Clark looks at his roster and sees less experience than usual, and less experience often translates into less success.

Clark is hoping to get some insurance through the Eagles’ non-conference schedule. With at-large bids scare for the NCAA playoffs, a 4-0 record against the non-conference portion of the slate could carry a lot of weight. After the McDaniel game, BC will host regional rival Shenandoah on Sept. 9, then turn around and travel to Ferrum – the defending USA South champions -- on Sept. 16.

The Eagles will wrap up the non-conference schedule with a home game Sept. 23 against LaGrange, which added football this year.

"A good start, it gets you out of the gate," Clark said. "You’ve got a card that you can play later on."

The Eagles’ conference winning streak stands at 35 games and, for players, the pressure is simple: they don’t want to be part of the group that fails to win an ODAC crown.

"It’s my last year," senior linebacker Brandon Borst said. "I don’t want to be part of that group."

He added that even with some of BC’s key losses in personnel, it doesn’t change the mission players have set out to accomplish this year.

"We don’t want to be the 13th-best team in the country," Borst said, noting d3football.com’s preseason ranking. "That’s not what we set out to accomplish. In order to do that, to be like the Mount Unions or the Rowans, we need to be beating strong teams out of our conference."

Much of Borst’s motivation comes from the gut-wrenching blowout last year at Wesley. The 46-7 rout, in Borst’s home state of Delaware no less, provided plenty of motivation in summer workouts.

Borst and senior linebacker Craig Smith will be the anchors of a defense looking to improve after a less-than-stellar 2005 season. The big question mark is the safety position, where first-time starters Desmond Jalloh and Derrick Burroughs will be making their debuts.

The Eagles plan to start a freshman, 6-foot-3, 230-pound David Rodgers of Centreville, at the tight end. On the offensive line, BC has to replace seven of the top 10 players.

Elsewhere, there’s star power. Although honorable-mention All-American tailback Marcus Washington is gone, junior Jeff Highfill returns at quarterback and he’ll be joined on offense by a pair of standouts -- junior wide receiver Brandon Copeland and senior tailback Winston Young.

"Things are coming together," Highfill said. "I know we lost some quality players, but we’ve also got a lot of guys coming back who played a lot last year. Especially with guys like [fullback] Robert Matthews and Winston Young back there."

Highfill is not as concerned with the expectations of the 2006 season as he is about the upcoming McDaniel game. Considering the Eagles have lost two in a row to the Green Terror, it’s probably critical that a strong season begin with a win against a traditional rival.

"It’s important to send a message," Highfill said. "We have to go out and beat a good program. Not too many people can say that they’ve beaten Bridgewater two years in a row. We know they’re going to be fired up."

Borst agrees. He said Sept. 2 has been circled on his calendar for a "long, long time."

"I think about it 25 hours a day," the senior said with a chuckle.

Chaptman Turning The Corner At BC (Daily News-Record)

Daily News-Record - By Jeremy Cothran

BRIDGEWATER — Jeff Highfill called out his cadences, snuck a peek to his left, shouted an audible and threw the football toward the sideline, a quick out meant to catch a napping cornerback off guard.

Not gonna happen – not with Earl Chaptman playing defense.

Chaptman snatched the pass out of midair and turned on the afterburners as he raced down the sideline during football practice at Bridgewater College on Monday, prompting a prediction from one of the cornerback’s coaches.

"It’ll be the same against McDaniel," defensive coordinator Grant Higgison told Chaptman after the drill, referring to BC’s season opener Sept. 2.

Chaptman, a junior from Baltimore, will start at one of the two cornerback slots this fall. Although he’ll be playing opposite preseason Division III All-American Josh Knight of Harrisonburg, coaches don’t expect him to be overshadowed.

Rather, they expect Chaptman to help plug holes in a BC pass defense that allowed 3,302 yards last season.

"We’ve always had a lineage of great cornerbacks here," Higgison said after practice. "Starting with Steward White and now Josh [Knight]. Earl is going to be the next guy in line. He’s out on that edge, and I can tell you, he makes my life easier having him there."

It doesn’t hurt that Chaptman and Knight hang out constantly, whether playing EA Madden Football or going to the movies.

"Josh is one of my closest friends," Chaptman said as he pulled his mid-length dreadlocks underneath a silk cap. "I talk with him all the time. We talk a lot. Me and Josh have been on the field for three years together now. We’re even on the same page. We can look across the field at each other and know what’s going on."

Chaptman was born and raised in East Baltimore, a gritty inner-city neighborhood that served as the backdrop for HBO’s popular crime drama, "The Wire." Murders, drug use and gang activity are a part of life in the B-More projects, a backdrop of Chaptman’s life he’s happy to forget.

"It’s tough, man," Chaptman said. "It’s real tough. A lot of kids get caught up in things that get them off track. I’m glad that I had a mother and coaches that kept me on track. There might have been times that I got myself in trouble, but they always kept me on track. That’s what got me here today."

Chaptman said he still has friends involved in the city’s seedy side, a reason he spent this summer in Bridgewater working out and running sprints with Knight.

Knight grew up on Kelley Street, one of Harrisonburg’s tougher neighborhoods. He understood the need to put those aspects of life behind him.

"We got a saying back there [on Kelley] that ‘real recognize real,’" said Knight, who celebrated his 21st birthday Thursday. "So no matter where you from, we know we went through the same thing with all the violence growing up."

Chaptman mockingly scoffed at the notion that Knight truly understands his rough upbringing, saying that Harrisonburg and Baltimore are not on the same level.

"Where Josh lives now," Chaptman said, "I hate to say it, but the way I see it, I just don’t see it as tough as Baltimore. It’s such a big city, and it has so much going on in terms of murders and stuff."

BC unearthed Chaptman when coach Michael Clark received a call from his coach at Dunbar High School, the gist of the conversation being that Chaptman was a talented athlete – he played quarterback and was the starting point guard for the Poets – who was not getting any recruiting looks.

"We kind of lucked into him," Higgison said. "And so we went up there, coach [Peter] Raeford [Jr.] went up there, spent some time with him and then we got him here and we put him into the fire as a freshman. He’s learned from the repetitions and the game situations."

Higgison said Chaptman’s skills at cornerback allow him to take some gambles with blitzes and be aggressive with coverage schemes, instead of strictly relying on zone defenses when BC plays pass-happy Old Dominion Athletic Conference teams.

Chaptman’s lack of size -- 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds -- teased a lot of ODAC teams into trying to beat him with jump-ball passes on fade routs, but Higgison noted that Chaptman’s athletic ability allows him to compensate.

"For a guy his size," Higgison said, "he can go up and play that deep ball. A lot of teams would try to throw that fade on him, and he’d just jump up and get it. He’s gotten better and better over the years and become a more well-rounded corner."

As Chaptman’s game progresses, so should his stats. He finished with just one interception last year, five short of Knight’s total.

"It’s every man for himself out there," Knight said. "You just gotta handle your business."

Both on the football field and on the streets.

Soltis Revving Up BC’s Offense (Daily News-Record)

Daily News-Record - By Jeremy Cothran

BRIDGEWATER — Now that Bob Colbert has his own rig in Latrobe, Pa., Bridgewater College football coach Michael Clark has tossed the keys to the Eagles’ offense to the protégé – former wide receivers coach Joey Soltis.

So far, Clark said, the engine is purring quite nicely, though he isn’t averse to giving it a tune-up.

"He’s done a good job of identifying what we’ve done well," Clark said this week. "[But] anytime you put new people in charge, there are new ideas that are introduced that might end up making the bag."

Colbert, now the head coach at St. Vincent College, developed an entertaining, high-octane attack that helped turn BC into a Division III power. Not surprisingly, Soltis plans no major changes to an offense that averaged 37.1 points and 443.1 yards per game in 2005.

For one thing, Clark probably wouldn’t let him.

"He knows I’m not going to do anything that he thinks doesn’t work," Soltis said with a laugh.

Most of the key players from last year are back, with the only notable absence at the skill positions being tailback Marcus Washington. With junior quarterback Jeff Highfill now entrenched in the starting role, Soltis wants to tailor the BC attack toward both the Roanoke native’s strengths and those of senior tailback Winston Young.

Highfill is exceptionally mobile for a D-III quarterback, and Soltis intends to take advantage of that attribute.

"We’ll do a lot more option things out of the shotgun," Soltis said, "do a bit more inside and outside … in addition to our regular power running game."

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Highfill secured the starting job late last season when incumbent Jacob Lewis hurt his right thumb during practice two days before the NCAA Division III playoff opener against Washington & Jefferson. Even after Lewis healed, Clark stuck with Highfill, who led the Eagles to two victories before a 46-7 loss to Wesley in the national quarterfinals.

This year, Highfill has been given more responsibilities.

"Now, I can make more checks from the line," Highfill said. "We’ve added some new running plays and some blocking schemes that should help us, especially against some of the bigger guys that we’ll see like the ones we saw at [Washington & Jefferson] last year."

To help familiarize himself with Soltis’ playbook this summer, Highfill made the two-hour drive from Roanoke to Greensboro, N.C., to meet his top receiver and in-season roommate, Brandon Copeland. The duo spent time focusing on the offense’s routes, using repetitions to get more comfortable with each other and learn tendencies.

Sometimes, he said, Copeland would make the drive up to Roanoke, but the mantra was always the same — improve.

Soltis was pleased to hear of the bonding sessions.

"Oh man, it’s great anytime that you have quarterbacks and receivers who are trusting each other," he said.

Soltis said he still calls Colbert for advice, but not as often as he would like because both are busy. They also email each other. The 34-year-old Soltis knows he isn’t yet a finished product. For one thing, he said, his play calling needs improving. In the past, he called plays only for BC’s junior-varsity games.

"You’ve got to develop a feel for it," Soltis said. "I’m not exactly sure how I’ll deal with it, but I know I’ll have to be even more organized."

Colbert’s famous trick plays still will be in the repertoire, and Soltis has designed some new ones that he hopes to install in the next few weeks as the Eagles become more comfortable in his system.

"We’ve already broken out a wide receiver reverse or two in practice," Soltis said.

If there’s any pressure that comes from taking over an offense that’s led Bridgewater to five straight Old Dominion Athletic Conference championships, Soltis said he isn’t feeling it.

"We’re going to still stick with the things that made us successful that I believe in and our kids believe in," Soltis said.

Clark, whose team is ranked 13th by d3football.com, sounded almost jealous of Soltis.

"I’ve coached a long time," Clark said. "Funnest thing I’ve ever did in football is call passing plays. I’ve done just about everything else. There’s nothing more fun to do during a game than call the offensive plays."

Eagles’ ‘Uncle Craig’ Back (Daily News-Record)

BC’s Smith missed 2005 season with an injury

Daily News-Record - By Jeremy Cothran

BRIDGEWATER — The first time this summer that linebacker Craig Smith donned his shoulder pads, there was still that twinge of trepidation, the cautious voice in the back of his mind offering a constant reminder of last year’s nightmare.

Psst. Hey Craig. Remember me? You’ve been down this road before, and you weren’t even touched last time. I could be back at any time. Don’t sleep on me.

At the start of Bridgewater College preseason football practice last year, Smith was participating in a drill and blocking the quarterback while ex-safety Adrian Herndon was returning an interception. He felt a sharp stab of pain in the back of his foot, almost like he had been inadvertently kicked.

Turns out, it was a torn Achilles tendon. He was out for the season.

"I’ll be honest with you," Smith said outside the team’s locker room at Nininger Hall after practice Wednesday. "It was hard for me. The first day that we put on pads, and I’ve never been a nervous guy, but I was nervous. It was very much in my mind. I definitely think about it a lot."

You can’t blame Smith for tiptoeing through his first contact drill. Last year was supposed to be his swan song, anchoring an Eagles’ defense that was stacked with talented, athletic upperclassmen.

Smith’s absence not only created a gaping hole at the middle linebacker position, but an enormous void in terms of team leadership. The 5-foot-9, 207-pound defensive captain knows when to get in a teammate’s face, when to pick him up, where to make the defensive calls and how to keep emotions in check. It wasn’t a roster spot that Eagles’ coach Michael Clark could easily pencil someone into.

"He’s a voice," BC defensive coordinator Grant Higgison said, "that everyone listens and respects. He can go and do what needs to be done as a leader. His value is in intangibles. You can’t put any value on that."

Higgison is elated to have Smith back in the fold because he feels the linebacker will help galvanize a defense that was ravaged by seven departures. Smith believes that the Eagles "D," has a chance to get some much-needed swagger back after allowing 328 points last season.

"It’s a pass-happy league now," Smith said, referring to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. "Everyone wants to pass the ball and there are going to be a lot of big plays, lots of explosive plays. …We’ll get a lot better. You’ll see some explosion from us."

Off the field, Smith has a similar infectious impact on his teammates, most of who refer to the 23-year old Virginia Beach native as "Grandpa," or "Uncle Craig."

Need advice on school, girls, life or football? The therapist is in.

Said outside linebacker Brandon Borst, who took over Smith’s position last year after the injury: "Well, he is a little old. He’s a lot older than me. In fact, he’s just an old looking dude. He’s wise beyond his years, man."

Borst also pointed to last season’s opener against McDaniel – a game that the Eagles lost 36-35 – as a true barometer of Smith’s value.

"We don’t lose that game if he’s there," Borst said. "We let it slip away. We were missing that leadership, and you can’t just go and replace that."

It’s also Smith’s industrious personality that wears off on teammates. Undersized for his position, Smith’s success is born of hard work, Clark said.

"Craig Smith is one of those that maximized his talent," Clark said. "A topped-out athlete. More importantly, when we recruited him and I went and visited with his high school coach [at Kellam] he said, ‘This is the guy that you want in the locker room. When doors are shut and backs are turned, he’s going to be saying the right things to the right people.’"

Coaches also credited Smith for getting his roommate, Winston Young, involved in his summer conditioning sessions. After last season, Young weighed 190 pounds. Thanks to a dedicated offseason lifting weights with Smith, he’s bulked up to 218 pounds of what he termed "solid muscle."

"There are days when I didn’t feel like getting up," the senior tailback said. "But there would be Craig pounding on my door. He would always be yelling, ‘You can sleep later.’ He motivates me to be better than what I was."

One obvious concern is whether or not Smith will be able to retain his sideline-to-sideline speed, but he’s not too worried.

"Our trainers here are the best," he said. "It was crazy the things I was trying to do to get back in into it. They had me bouncing on my right Achilles, pushing me farther than I thought I could go. Rehab is tough, but it’s getting my body back where it needs to be."

The real test comes Sept. 2, when BC opens the season at McDaniel.

Clark Gets Plenty Of Bodies (Daily News-Record)

Now, the BC football coach has to figure out which ones will make a difference.

Daily News-Record By Jeremy Cothran

BRIDGEWATER — With Division III recruiting being so hit-or-miss, Mike Clark likes to take the Costco approach to filling out the Bridgewater College football roster.

It’s always smarter to buy in bulk.

"It’s like buying lottery tickets," Clark said after a practice for freshmen players Tuesday. "Your chances increase the more you get. We’re no different from any other college program in the country."

If only it were as easy for BC coaches to take their grocery carts down the aisles and pick out the exact ingredients needed for their recipe.

With 64 freshmen at practice this year, almost double the 34 who arrived at Bridgewater last season, Clark has more options to fill holes and more bodies to provide depth. And, much like the lottery, it’s a gamble which of the 64 will pay off as "difference makers."

"A friend of mine told me once, the only way to have success [in Division III] is to deal in volume," said Clark, a former Virginia Tech assistant now in his 12th season at BC. "When I got this job, I knew nothing about D3. My friend told me that of 50 or so players you recruit, you need to have 15 difference makers. That was the formula. There is a lot of truth in that."

The problem for BC last year was a large and established senior class, which scared off some recruits. This season, the perennially powerful Eagles – ranked 13th in d3football.com’s preseason poll -- had to fill plenty of holes. With more opportunities to play, freshmen arrived on campus in droves.

Some, like former Page County High School lineman Matt Ryman, could care less about the number of novices that arrive every year.

"At first, it seems like a lot," said Ryman, who has been practicing as a split-side guard. "But you see that it’s the stars that stand out. You just have to work hard, you know? Get better a little bit more every day. I don’t think it’s too much of a problem."

Another reason recruiting suffers some years is BC’s hefty price-tag. It costs about $28,000 to attend Bridgewater, which translates into sticker shock when dealing with recruits. D3 schools are not permitted to offer athletic scholarships, which means students either pay their own way or cobble together a variety of need-based and academic grants.

"Private education costs are always a problem," Clark said.

Defensive coordinator Grant Higgison said the increased competition recruiting against other Old Dominion Athletic Conference schools can be a hurdle. One way opposition coaches try to gain an advantage, apparently, is to get inside a kid’s head and tell him the Bridgewater roster is too stacked, too log-jammed.

"Kids these days," Higgison said, "they all want to play right away. … We lost 30 seniors this year, so there are a lot of spots open. We told them at the start of practice that we are going to play some freshmen this year."

Playing right away is not indicative of a recruit’s talent level, according to Clark. The BC coach pointed to former Eagles lineman Paul Getty as someone who rose slowly through the system and then exploded onto the Division III scene.

"In the past," Clark said, "we had Paul Getty, one of the better offensive players we’ve ever had. He played JV ball his first two years. Then he’s an All-American. If kids are willing to work, there is evidence of a return."

The type of kids BC coaches recruit range from those who finally realize Virginia and Virginia Tech aren’t interested and slip to Division III late in the process, to heated battles with conference foes like Hampden-Sydney and Randolph-Macon over more easily definable D3 players.

Ex-Stonewall Jackson quarterback Patrick Smoot decided on Bridgewater because of the success that another former General QB had with the Eagles.

"I talked a lot with Jason Lutz," Smoot said. "And he told me a lot of great things about playing here. I’d like to think I can have the same success that he did, but I know that it’s a lot of work."

Lutz led the Eagles to the 2001 Stagg Bowl, where they lost 30-27 to Mount Union in the national championship game.

Bridgewater coaches said Tuesday that it’s too early to identify which freshmen will be "difference makers." The rookies have practiced only three days and haven’t yet worked out with the veterans.

Clark, however, said several newcomers appear to have strong potential. Among them: Aubry Dicks, a defensive back from Pembroke Pines, Fla., and Ricky Milbourne, a quarterback from Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassas.

Several former area stars are trying to display their talents, including ex-Turner Ashby quarterback/cornerback Seth Little, Harrisonburg offensive lineman Louis Sanchez, Broadway linebacker Mark Brenneman, Spotswood running back Matt Paulette and Smoot. Former Trailblazer receiver/quarterback Chet Landes also decided to attend BC this fall, but tore his anterior cruciate ligament in April and will miss the season.

The freshmen and veterans – all 142 of them -- will practice together for the first time this morning as the Eagles prepare for their season-opener on Sept. 2 at McDaniel.

"After next Monday," Clark said. "I should know the chosen few that are in the varsity plans."

Audition Time For Freshmen (Daily News-Record)

Bridgewater College’s football staff got its first look at its rookies Monday.

Daily News-Record - By Jeremy Cothran

BRIDGEWATER — Every year in August, Mike Clark welcomes a bumper crop of eager freshmen to the auxiliary practice field at Bridgewater College, and every year it becomes the same dog-and-pony show for the program’s football coaching staff.

It’s the Eagles’ version of speed dating: show me quickly what you can do and why we should be interested.

On Monday, the second day of practice, the BC coaches ran 64 freshmen through a variety of drills and scrimmages, each designed to identify talent and potential as early as possible so the coaches can begin integrating those players into the regular practice sessions. It’s not quite an NFL combine atmosphere, but for a group of wide-eyed novices, it can be quite a petrifying experience.

"We’ve got to identify who, athletically, is ready to play college ball," Clark said after practice. "What you’ll find is that some kids just are not ready, physically. You’ve got to identify who can be a fill-in with the regulars."

Clark worked with the quarterbacks and receivers Monday, pantomiming everything from how to drop back properly to when to release the ball on a receiver’s break. With the short preparation period the NCAA allows Division III schools – Clark is granted a maximum of 25 practices – it’s a race against the clock to Sept. 2, when BC opens at McDaniel, to get players acclimated to college football.

"For better or worse," Clark said, "the installation is based on what the top kids can do. We know that’s a fact. We have the shortest preparation period. It moves very quickly. You owe it to the kids who’ve been here two, three years to make sure everybody’s ready for Saturday."

One freshman coaches are high on is former Turner Ashby High School star Seth Little, who is practicing as a cornerback. Little – who quarterbacked the Knights to a 27-13 victory over Richlands in the Division 3 championship game last fall, along with making a key interception – looked comfortable in the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, which he credited to a summer working out on campus and spending time with the team’s upperclassmen.

"It’s a totally different ballgame," Little said as he walked out of Nininger Hall. "It’s a lot faster, guys are much bigger and they don’t really care about what you did in high school. I’m just trying to go as hard as I can and soak it all in."

Little’s aspirations are to make the traveling roster and help out on special teams, an ideal objective for freshmen, according to BC defensive coordinator Grant Higgison.

"He’s very mature," Higgison said. "Just the kind of kid that sticks out as being mature. A legitimate goal for freshmen at any level is to make a special-teams roster and get used to the speed of the game. The key is to get out there and compete. A lot of our good freshmen start out that way."

Little loves that he doesn’t have to spend time with both offense and defense, which he said would be almost impossible at this level. Just trying to digest the defensive schemes in his playbook is tough enough.

"It’s all the new terminology that is tough," Little said, "and all of the coverages. Plus with the caliber of athletes that I’m going up against, I couldn’t even think of going both ways. It’s kind of nice to just be able to focus on one thing, one position."

And for the players not quite physically ready to contribute, coaches know that it’s also a mission to develop them, as well, even if results don’t come to fruition as quickly.

Defensive line coach Stephon Healey said the hardest thing for freshmen to grasp is the speed of practice.

"Going from what we do in meetings to the practice field," Healey said. "That’s tough to do. Plus we want to make it sound like hell for them. That way, it lessons the sharpness on the edge of the sword."

Healey added that because there are no athletic scholarships given in Division III, technically each player is a paying customer.

"They are your future," Healey said. "So you’ve got to make them feel loved. In Division I, it’s all business. In D3, they are paying customers of the school, so we’ve got to make them better."

Clark splits the sessions into two groups – the BC regulars worked out Monday morning – so coaches would be able to devote their full attention to the freshmen. Still, he added, it can be a tiring experience.

"Every coach here has multiple hats," Clark, who is entering his 12th season, said. "When the NCAA came down with this acclimation program, meaning we can’t have two-a-days back-to-back, it’s a good thing I have a young coaching staff. Because, I’m telling you, this kind of schedule can wear out a middle-aged man."

All together, the Eagles had 142 players at practice Monday.

Wakefield Becomes BC's TE Coach

Brandon Wakefield will be coaching Bridgewater's tight ends this coming season.

A 2005 graduate, Wakefield played three seasons for the Eagles, throwing for 4,842 yards and 42 touchdowns. He also had 641 rushing yards on 183 carries, 12 of which were scores. He started under center his last two seasons, leading Bridgewater to the NCAA semifinals in 2003.

He has spent the last two summers playing for the Montabaur Fighting Farmers in Germany. This past season, he led his team to a league championship and 8-1 record. Wakefield threw for 1,810 yards and rushed for another 417. He had 35 touchdowns - 27 passsing, 8 rushing - to only two interceptions.

Jermaine Taylor Update

Bridgewater's Jermaine Taylor has been in Orlando, Florida, at Tampa Bay Buccaneers' training camp since July 28. They have had a morning practice (8:30 - 10:45 am) and afternoon practice (2:45 - 4:45 pm) everyday since. The camp will end August 17 following their morning practice.

You can follow the Bucs training camp on their 2006 Training Camp Central website. Daily news articles, blogs and pictures are posted.

Taylor, who finished his Bridgewater career with a school-record 447 tackles, was allocated to NFL Europe this past spring, finishing tied for fourth in the league with 67 tackles.

Because he played in the most recent NFL Europe season, he will be exempt from the roster cut down limit in NFL training camp. He will not count against the roster limit until the final one, where it cuts to 53. Taylor made it until the final cut with both the Green Bay Packers (2004) and Bucs (2005).

Before being a part of the final cut last year, Taylor recorded five solo tackles in their four preseason games. The Bucs first preseason game this year will be August 11 versus the New York Jets. The preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on August 26 will be aired on CBS. Below is Tampa Bay's 2006 preseason schedule;

Aug. 11 - vs New York Jets, 7:30 pm
Aug. 19 - vs Miami, 7:30 pm
Aug. 26 - at Jacksonville, 8:00 pm
Aug. 31 - at Houston, 8:00 pm

To catch up on all of Taylor's happenings since he first signed with Green Bay Packers in May of 2004, visit his BridgewaterFootball.com Fan Page.

2006 Season Preview: Continuing Tradition

Albeit only six years worth. The 2000 squad won the school's first NCAA playoff game. The 2001 offense put up 43 points a game on their way to the Division III national championship game. The defenses in 2002 and 2003 held 22 of 26 opponents to 20 points or less. The six teams before prior to this season continued the all-division best 35-game conference win streak. With 77 returners and a group of 69 newcomers at the start of camp, this team has all the ingredients to be as good (or better) than their predecessors. For the second consecutive year, Bridgewater is ranked a concensus top 20 team by the five preseason polls.

New to the website this year is the Bridgewater News Blog and the Player Diaries. Graphics and links for both are located at the top of this page.

Peggy Erwin will be BridgewaterFootball.com's photographer for the third straight season. Her website - BridgewaterPhotos.com - currently hosts over 25,000 Bridgewater football pictures from the past three seasons.

The rest of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) must be smiling.

Bridgewater’s largest and third-most dominant class of players in program history graduated, only eight starters return, and offensive coordinator Bob Colbert left after eight seasons to take on the head coaching role at startup St. Vincent.

But fresh off their fifth consecutive ODAC championship, sixth straight season in the NCAA playoffs, and extension of an ODAC record 35 straight conference wins, the Eagles aren’t ready to hand over the reigns quite yet. “Until someone beats us, we’re still the [ODAC] champion,” said head coach Mike Clark.

Similar to 2002 – the year after the National Championship appearance – the Eagles will have just as many newcomers as they will returnees. Over 140 kids will report to camp on August 12.

To Clark, there will be three ingredients to having a successful roster for 2006. First there are franchise type players, who when on, can win you a game. Next, there are program kids, who played behind a heck of a senior class. And finally, the newcomers, who he hopes is as good as the recruiting class from four years ago.

The Eagles showed a lot of grit last season, especially with injuries. Losing an all-conference linebacker during preseason camp, their deep-threat receiver in the second game of the year, and their starting quarterback and running back while down by two scores during a key ODAC game on the road. Yet, when the dust settled, two other linebackers earned all-conference honors, another receiver stepped up and averaged 18 yards a catch, and they won that game versus Washington & Lee in route to another undefeated conference season.

At quarterback, junior Jeff Highfill is coming off a 2005 campaign having started four of the last five games, including all three playoff contests. In his four starts, he was 46-for-77 passing for 557 yards and five touchdowns, leading the Eagles to the NCAA quarterfinals. Currently at backup is senior Nick Lincoln, who Clark says understands the system. “The other kids haven’t taken a college snap, so we’ll see come August,” said Clark.

All-Conference Winston Young brings career marks of 2,019 rushing yards and 34 total touchdowns into his senior year at running back, being only 11 scores short of setting a school record for career points. Impressive, considering he has only started in five games. “What has made us good has been our productive depth at this position – tailback by committee,” says Clark. After Young, Clark is hoping junior Phillip Carter, sophomore Rocket Gadsden, or one of new recruits helps with the load. “Carter is a physical back, Gadsden has raw talent, and our recruits at this position have a lot of promise.”

With the return of All-Conference senior Robbie Matthews, the fullback position will look to be a potent weapon once again. In 36 career games, Matthews has racked up 1,102 rushing yards and 13 total touchdowns. His career 7.16 yards per carry is second best in Bridgewater history. “We’ve gotten spoiled with our fullbacks having tailback speed over the last couple years,” said Clark. Junior Tyler Thomas ran with the first unit this spring.

Clark believes the receivers will be the deepest position for the Eagles in 2006. With the return of junior Blake Warring from injury last season, Bridgewater will once again be able to keep the field spread for whoever is in the backfield. “We have quantity and quality at wide receiver, and we recruited solidly there,” says Clark. “We have three or four kids who opponents won’t be able to go one on one with without running the risk of giving up a big play.” Warring was averaging a startling 27.5 yards per catch last season. Junior Brandon Copeland caught 27 passes for 484 yards and five touchdowns, including a school record 99-yard reception during the playoffs. Michael Oakes brings 429 career receiving yards into his final year.

The tight end position is wide open with the graduation of Corey Hulsebus and Julian Pierre. Senior Jeff Jones, a former defensive end, took most of the snaps during spring practice, but some of Bridgewater’s top recruits are tight ends. “This position is wide open,” says Clark.

Eight different offensive linemen started at least one game last season. Four are returning in seniors Matthew Capriani and Henry Thode, and juniors Anthony Cotton and Keaton Culver. Junior Grant Holsinger also saw extensive playing time last year. “We will look to develop the young kids we’re bringing in,” said Clark. “And we have third-year kids like Marcus and Marcel Anderson who – if they worked hard during the off-season – could give us good volume again.”

In 2005, the defense had to face four of the top six passing offenses in the country. Even though they gave up an average of 30 points against those opponents, they were 4-0 in those games. Because of the pass-happy ODAC, and the graduation of five of Bridgewater’s top eight defensive backs, the coaching staff put a lot of emphasis on that area during recruiting. “The defensive back position has been well recruited,” said Clark. “Half the time, we have to have five of them in the backfield. We need to develop half a dozen secondary kids in three weeks because of the teams we play.”

All-Conference senior Josh Knight recorded 53 tackles, 11 pass breakups, six interceptions and three blocked kicks in 2005. Knight will be joined in the secondary rotation by seniors Derrick Burroughs and Desmond Jalloh, and junior Earl Chaptman, who combined for 95 tackles, 11 pass breakups and two interceptions last season.

The defensive line lost three to graduation, taking 17 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks with them. But All-Conference senior defensive end David Clements returns, having led the team last season with 11.5 tackles of loss and 4.5 sacks. Seniors Tony Burt and Josh King both started more than half the games in 2005, combining for 13 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. Juniors Carlton Morrison and Brandon Orndorff also received significant playing time last year. Balance at this position should provide stiff in house competition.

The coaches were excited about the linebackers returning this season, with three all-conference performers in seniors Brandon Borst and Craig Smith, and junior Antwaine Campo. Clark felt this group of linebackers could have been just as good – or better – than the trio from the 2001 Stagg Bowl in Gary Nelson, Lonnie Parker and Jermaine Taylor. Nice compliment seeing that all three of them were All-Americans. Then the coaching staff learned that Campo injured himself playing basketball this summer, losing him for 2006. “It’s never a good thing to lose a first team all-conference player and your best pass rusher,” said Clark. “He was a big play linebacker.” But senior Brandon Kelley saw plenty of action last season to vie for a starting role. “Then you have kids like Venancio Biela who have worked hard for three years and waited their turn,” says Clark. “Not to mention this position has been well recruited.”

Special teams will continue to give the Eagles an edge in 2006. The return of junior Kyle Beach, all-conference four years ago, will replace a graduated All-Conference kicker David Blackwell. Beach only played two years (2002 and 2003) before transferring, but placed himself in the record books with 72 career made extra points. Senior returning starter Colin Owens and sophomore Scott Ruebush will be called upon for the punting duties. “Those two have the leg strength to change field position in a game,” says Clark.

Young and Copeland will likely be the kick and punt returners for 2006. Young averaged 22.4 yards on 10 kickoff returns last season. Opponents are happy to see the graduation of All-Region performer Brian Awkard and All-American Marcus Washington. Awkard is Bridgewater’s all-time leader in punt return yards with 1,149, while Washington set a school record of 28.7 yards per kickoff return for his career. The two combined for seven return touchdowns.

D3football.com Ranks BC No. 13

D3football.com has released their preseason Top 25, what many consider the only poll to give any credence to. The Eagles are ranked number 13, marking the fourth-straight year D3football.com has tabbed Bridgewater a top 15 team to begin the season.

Mount Union was picked #1, UW-Whitewater #2 and Rowan #3. The D3football.com Top 25 is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country, and is published weekly.

None of Bridgewater's 2006 opponents are ranked, but several received votes. Ferrum, who the Eagles play on September 16, received 17 votes. ODAC-foes Hampden-Sydney and Washington & Lee received three and two votes, respectively.

Check out the D3football.com preseason Top 25, and the other four national polls, by clicking here.

DIARY: Winston Young

#32 | 5'10'' | 210

Winston Young is a running back from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The 2003 Boyd Anderson High School graduate will be a senior this coming season.

Young didn't waste any time, gaining 417 yards on 63 carries as a freshman, adding six scores. In 2004, he led the team with 606 yards on 102 carries and 12 rushing touchdowns. Young, even though injured for the first three games last season, finished with 996 yards on 108 carries and 11 rushing touchdowns. For his career, he has 2,019 rushing yards (eighth all-time) on 273 carries for an average of 7.4 yards a rush. He also has 25 career receptions for 176 yards and four touchdowns, four pass completions for 29 yards and two touchdowns, 30 kickoff returns for 564 yards, four punt returns for 89 yards and a touchdown, and on special teams has 15 tackles and four blocked kicks. Young is currently fourth in school history with 204 points, only 11 touchdowns away from breaking the record.

Young will write a weekly diary until the end of the Eagles season for BridgewaterFootball.com.