"Upon Further Review" by Jim Sacco

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Pooch Punt: 9-27-07

Just cleaning out the mailbox today:

On Waynesboro High School’s students-must-be-in-the-bleachers policy during football games

“I think it is utterly ridiculous that the students are punished because of the actions of a few who can’t follow the rules and behave themselves.”

“Is there anything you won’t complain about with the high school?”
“Thanks for writing that.”

On Rod Bowers and what he’s done at Stuarts Draft:

“As an avid ‘Cougar Crazie’ at the football games, it’s so great to finally see them getting big wins, and loving playing the game.  Coach Bowers is a truly great person and coach, who deserves all the respect in the world.”

“As a Christian trying to raise three kids with moral values I would be be proud to have any of my children playing for coach Bowers.”

On Wilson volleyball:

“A little early to say they’re the district champs?”

On the hiring of Derek McDaniel as the Green Hornets baseball coach:

“A class guy.”

“Can’t wait to see him where he belongs.”

And another thing: Really, can you expect a slack-jawed sports editor to sleep while this is going on?

Doobie-doo-doo: And Vick too.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Daily Pooch Punt: 9-25-07

Sure, I haven’t been blogging alot, so excuse me.

So to tide you over until after deadline tonight, here’s an edition of the Daily Pooch Punt that ran in today’s print edition.

Hey, that’s how I roll, dawg. (Do the kids still say that?)

E-mails. E-mails and more e-mails. Kind of makes a slack-jawed sports editor wince, hit reply and start answering questions.

So, let’s start off by answering a few of those e-mails right now.

No, The News Virginian is not on the Stuarts Draft payroll. Can you blame us for covering them when their volleyball and football teams are as good as they are?

Really?

Sorry, the Waynesboro football crowd still has something to prove to the players.

No, I won’t send a writer to cover U.Va. We’re preps, baby. And we love it.

And no, my mother doesn’t wear combat boots. (OK, I just threw that one in to see if it could stick.)

And another thing: Rod Bowers, for reasons known only to the second-year football coach at Stuarts Draft, won’t take any credit for what his Cougars have done this year.

I’d like to think that a coach is the main reason for a team’s 3-1 record.

The coach himself, however, would disagree.

Bowers shakes the credit off like a wet dog then tosses half of it toward the players and chucks the other half in the air.

Give credit to the kids, he’ll tell you. “And give all the glory to God,” he says.

Bowers just sits back and watches it happen after pointing the way during practice.
So if he won’t give himself credit, let it begin here.

Good show, Rod. Good show.

Getting no props: Bowers doesn’t like his Cougars heading to the Internet message boards. In fact, after they dismantled Waynesboro 52-0 and began to prep for the Blue Streaks, he made it a point to tell his players to stay away from the World Wide Web.

“Don’t go on the Internet,” he told his players after the win over Waynesboro. “We’ll let [Harrisonburg] come down here with their 50-plus players and we’ll bring our 28 …”
I
t ended up an improbable win.

Since the players aren’t supposed to be on the message boards, let us inform them that very few people outside the Draft community are giving the Cougars credit for Friday’s win over the Blue Streaks.

“Owah had an off night.”

“The line didn’t block.”

“They took Draft too lightly.”

Try this one on for size: how about the Blue Streaks faced a better team and lost?

Um, that works for us.

Attention all Waynesboro students: Remember, when your Little Giants are playing at home Friday against a tough Rockbridge team, you have to remain seated in the bleachers. Why? I don’t know. Why would the school want to give the illusion that football is supposed to be fun, when they prefer to treat your football stadium like the “yard” at Pelican Bay?

Do they have a student council? If Waynesboro does, that’s something they might want to talk to the administrators about.

Headline you’ll probably be seeing at the end of the fall season: “Wilson Memorial takes Shenandoah volleyball crown.” Lock the thread.

Another question: Anybody else looking forward to Draft and Fort Defiance volleyball slugging away at each other for five games?

If you are: Mark your calendar for Oct. 18 and we’ll see you there.

Oops, gotta go. Just saw a Waynesboro student not in the bleachers. I hope the school has a bounty if you turn them in.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Daily Pooch Punt: 9-14-07 Edition

Let’s be honest with ourselves here.

Whilst the rivalry is grand and all, the last few years of the annual Battle for the Ball between Stuarts Draft and Waynesboro has been ... how we can say this? ... not very important.

Sure, it was very important to the players (who no doubt get up for this game as Giants first-year coach Steve Issacs is finding out), the fans and the schools. But from an outside-looking-in standpoint, its had about as much importance in the race for the then-Valley District as that big curling match up between the Ottawa Teetotalers vs. the Medicine Hat Whippersnappers.

Who knows what can happen tonight and what implications it will have down the road. And sure, this game may not play a role in the brand-spanking new Southern Valley District, but you never know. It just may mean a little bit more this year to us slack-jawed sports editors and snot-nosed sports writers weaned on years of cynicism and seasons of regret.

These aren’t the Giants and Cougars of old. The Cougars are well on their way to becoming a contender with the 0-10 2005 getting the Rocky V treatment—having us scratching our heads and wondering if it really happened.

The Giants have shown flashes of what can be and, much to the fans’ chagrin, what once was.

But it goes without saying these two teams are on their way up, no matter how much father up the ladder one is over the other. And that’s what gets us excited. Now how about you?

And another thing: Hands down the best Battle for the Ball I’ve seen to date was the 2005 edition when Waynesboro’s Jordan Purvis introduced the masses in Waynesboro to the “B gap” when he sealed it up at the 2-foot line, keeping soon-to-be stud running back Isaiah Miller out of the end zone as time wound down.

Congrats Aleshire: It took longer than it should have, but first-year Waynesboro coach and former Little Giant headline stealer, Lori Aleshire, picked up her first win of the season. Let’s be honest here, Aleshire has been tested by taking over a team in a rebuilding year and was on the verge of tears after the Giants’ loss to Lee on Tuesday. But that first win can cure a lot of the pain, ease the frustration and have enough left over to build up the girls’ confidence.

Yes, Alex: I’ll take free speech for $500.

Hoorah: It’s an Audio Daily Double!!!!

OK: I gotta agree with my counterpart on this one. Already this Harrisonburg/R.E. Lee football game doesn’t have that much luster as it used to and should this year. But you gotta think it’s a preview of a Region III match up, right?

UFR Mail

“Come on, Draft’s not as good as you say they are [in volleyball].”
Um, yeah they are.

Ball Score: 14-13 Waynesboro and special teams plays a huge roll. To blazes with Beamer, we’ll call this Stevie Ball.

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Daily Pooch Punt: Sunday 9-9-07 Edition

Maybe today’s young athletes aren’t a lost hope. Maybe they don’t all idolize the T.O. and Merriman’s of the world.

Maybe they don’t all want to dance in the end zone or lift the ball over their heads before they cross the goal line, get slapped with an unsportsmanlike and complain about it all off-season long when that penalty costs them a state title. (See J.I. Burton).

Still don’t believe me? Well take a trip down to Stuarts Draft where you’ll meet running back Isaiah Miller who ran all over Riverheads to lift Stuarts Draft to a 38-35 upset win over the Group A, Division I champs.

After running for three scores and over 200 yards, Miller took it upon himself to take not a lick of credit. Instead pushing off the kudos to an offensive line that opened up holes the size of Natural Bridge, allowing Miller’s truck on I-81 speed to do the rest.

It’s nice when that happens. And it makes us wonder, whatever Draft coach Rod Bowers is serving up to the Cougars, we would love to buy some.

And another thing: Waynesboro finally gets a win under first-year coach Steve Isaacs after back-to-back shoulda, coulda and mighta losses to Turner Ashby (9-6) and Western Albemarle (6-0). We love the Giants’ defense and power running back Steven Brown is a Southern Valley District Player of the Year candidate of the future. And, of course, this Little Giant team not used to winning managed to shut the door on Covington when the Cougars started to make a comeback. Nice.

Now if only: The Waynesboro crowd would know when to cheer. Sure, you can’t make nonstop noise, but at least cheer louder when the defense has its back against the wall. Not when the cheerleaders start throwing plastic footballs into the crowds.

Did you notice: When the cheerleaders began tossing the balls, you would have though they were throwing porterhouse steaks the way students and fans were figting for those nickel keepsakes.

And please: Quit with the whole “students-must-stay-in-the-bleachers” announcement. Make football games a meeting place, not a prison outing.

My apologies to the Wife: Today starts the NFL season. She is now a Chicago Bears widow on Sundays.

Just askin’: So, who’s gonna win The Ball this year?

Thursday, September 06, 2007

The ShenValley 5

Some movement in this week’s ShenValley 5.

Here it is.

1. Riverheads (3) 0-0
2. Buffalo Gap 1-0
3. R.E. Lee 1-1
4. Stuarts Draft 1-1
5. Wilson Memorial 0-1

After it’s 44-41 loss to Alleghany, Lee dropped two spots to No. 3 and Riverheads moved up with all three first-place votes. Draft jumps back in with its 6-5 win over Wilson Memorial and Gap’s decisive win over Bath County has them jumping from No. 4 to No. 2.

I can’t explain Wilson Memorial at No. 5, though. But hey, I’m not the only voter here.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Daily Pooch Punt: 9/6/07 Edition

Sure, I wasn’t around in the glory days, when state championships were won and you met your girls off the court with thunderous applause after each and every match.

You know, those halcyon days when names like Lori Fortune, Kami Meeteer and Gretchen Rupert stole headlines and your hearts while leading from the floor as players, not from the bench as coaches.

Sorry. I missed those days.

Really, all I have to go on is what I’ve seen since my arrival a quarter score ago. And, in that time, the best volleyball team I’ve seen has been that beloved Waynesboro Final Four team from 2005.

So I’m going to say it right now. When it comes to sheer firepower, this Stuarts Draft team has the edge on those Little Giants . Rachel Maki, Tabitha Bowman, Tiffany Bowman and, to an extent, the work-in-progress Aliya Stevenson, posses cannon-like arms that leave plenty of opponents shaking.

Sorry, you really can’t compare the Cougars’ whirling dervish, walking-caffeine-pill Kerby Hatter with anybody. (Nor the business-like approach by Morgan Fox on that 05 team.)

But the things those Little Giants had that this Cougar team doesn’t have yet: a will to win, a expectation of decisive victories and a killer instinct.

Something tells me, however, before this is all said and done, this Cougar team could rival the Giants in those aspects as well.

Let’s wait and see how this turns out:

And another thing: The way things are going for the Little Giants football team (a 9-6 loss to Turner Ashby in Week 1 and a 6-0 defeat at the hands of Western Albemarle the following week), you gotta think the Little Giants’ first win could be over Covington 5-2.

Time to make a phone call: Thanks to the intense NL Central pennant race, next weekend’s Cubs/Cardinals series will be huge. When was the last time these two teams met and it actually meant something? Looks like I’ll have to call my favorite local Cardinal fans—Bob and Mary Oker—and start some stuff up.

Paging Robert Casto, your defense of the title starts in one day.

Attention Rod Bowers and the Cougars, please pick up the white-courtesy phone where you’ll learn that Friday’s game against Riverheads is the one that could make football fans in Stuarts Draft VERY excited with a win.

So, I’m thinking: How early do you need to get to Riverheads on Friday if you want a ticket?

Speaking of Riverheads: Got my 38 seconds with the Future Mayor of Greenville when I spotted him at the Riverheads/Stuarts Draft volleyball game. (Long story on the 38-seconds thing there.) He said Waynesboro coach Steve Isaacs, who he played for at Buffalo Gap and also gave Casto his first coaching job, is going to fit in well the players at Waynesboro.

Hey, I’m just askin: Will Waynesboro AD Mel Morris and his Riverheads counterpart, Matt Stevens, please get these two schools playing each other. Come on Waynesboro, Isaacs had his ceremonial return trip to Western Albemarle.  Let’s dump the Warriors and pick up Riverheads. While you’re at it, Mr. Morris, give Mike Anson at Fishburne a call. The Battle For the River City with Fishburne is another game that’s got to start happening. And soon!