4/20/02 - Hail to The Chief

By JOHN GALINSKY
Daily Progress staff writer

It seems hard to believe that just a year ago, the Virginia men’s and women’s lacrosse teams limped into their respective ACC tournaments as the last seeds. Each was promptly dismissed in the semifinals.
Today at Duke’s Koskinen Stadium, both UVa squads enter the same competition as the top seeds and hottest teams. Each went undefeated in conference play during the regular season. Both are on seven-game winning streaks. And now they get another chance to show how much they have improved since last season.
“We’re going in with a lot more confidence,” said A.J. Shannon, a junior midfielder for the top-ranked Cavalier men. “We have something to prove from last year.”
Same goes for the third-ranked women: “I feel like we should expect to win it this year,” said junior middie Lauren Aumiller. “We know it’s going to take hard work, but I know we have the ability to do it if we play hard and play well.”
Both tournaments are at Koskinen, with the women’s semifinals preceding the men’s semis today. Both championship games will be Sunday.
The Virginia women lead off at 1 p.m. with a matchup against Maryland, which went a shocking 0-3 in ACC play during the regular season. The Terrapins have won seven straight national championships, but they may need to win today to secure an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
“They don’t have a big win yet this year. We’re primed for the picking as far as they’re concerned,” UVa coach Julie Myers said.
The Cavaliers snapped a 15-game losing streak against Maryland with a wild 17-16 road victory on March 12, but they know better than to take the Terps lightly.
“People keep going, ‘Oh, Maryland’s lost so many games.’ I’ll never think that way,” Aumiller said. “They can lose a lot of games [in the regular season] and still make the Final Four. They know what it’s like. They’ve been there before. They can still pull it out.”
Still, the Cavaliers have to be favored, if only because of their remarkable improvement since last season, when they lost all of their ACC games. The biggest reason is the addition of three freshmen starters, two of whom are among their top three scorers. Amy Appelt and Cary Chasney have combined for 70 goals, including 10 in a 17-11 victory over George Mason on Tuesday.
“They make it realistic for us to be in double digits every game,” said Myers, whose team averages more than 15 goals per game, tops in the country. “When we’re scoring in double digits, we’re tough to beat.”
Likewise for the Virginia men, whose offense has been revitalized by two freshmen. John Christmas and Joe Yevoli are the top goal scorers on a team ranked fourth nationally in scoring. The Cavaliers, who play North Carolina at 6 p.m., are averaging 12.7 goals per game, compared to 10.4 last year.
UVa reached double digits in all three of its ACC games this season. That’s in contrast to last season, when it failed to score more than nine goals in any of its four conference games, including a 12-8 loss to Maryland in the ACC semifinals.
“I think everyone feels pretty good about the way we’ve played this year,” junior midfielder Trey Whitty said. “Hopefully we can carry that enthusiasm into this weekend and put on a good show.”
The bad news is that Virginia almost certainly will be without All-American defenseman Mark Koontz, who suffered a torn ACL last Saturday. Koontz could try to play in the NCAA tournament next month but probably not before that, said UVa coach Dom Starsia.
Starsia pointed out that the other three ACC teams also have plenty of incentive, since each likely must win one or two games this weekend to earn an NCAA tournament bid. The Cavaliers should make the 12-team field no matter how they fare, but the coach said they do not lack motivation.
“The most important thing is we don’t give up any of the momentum we’ve gained over the last month,” Starsia said. “I want to see us continuing to play better. If someone beats us, OK. But this team has developed a little bit of a hard edge and we don’t want to give that back.”

Note. The 2002 All-ACC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams were announced Thursday, and the Cavaliers landed nine players in total on the teams.
Five men were selected to the 11-member team. Virginia seniors Conor Gill and Mark Koontz were name all-conference for the third straight year and Chris Rotelli for the second. Sophomore Tillman Johnson and freshman John Christmas were on the team for the first time. ACC player, coach and rookie of the year will be announced Tuesday.
Four women, including rookie of the year Amy Appelt, led the Virginia contingent. Joining Appelt were seniors Molly Cangemi, Gina Sambus and Tiffany Schummer and junior Lauren Aumiller. UVa coach Julie Myers shared coach of the year honors with North Carolina’s Jenny Slingluff Levy.

By JOHN GALINSKY
Daily Progress staff writer

As entertainment goes, Virginia’s annual spring football game often ranks somewhere between Wednesday-night television and watching the grass grow. Last year’s scrimmage, for instance, was particularly dull for many fans.
That’s not unusual, says UVa coach Al Groh.
“Frankly, I’ve been to a lot of spring games, none of which I’ve found very interesting,” he said. “If you divide the team in half and try to turn it into the Super Bowl, who are you kidding?”
With that in mind, Groh and the school’s sports promotions department have put together plans for the Cavalier Football Festival, which will be held Saturday at Scott Stadium.
At 11:30 a.m., there will be a magician, a face painter, a balloon sculptor and a Bluegrass band, all at the West Gate.
From 11:45-12:45, former Cavalier standouts will sign autographs, a group that includes Chris Slade, Terry Kirby, Shawn Moore, Patrick Kerney and Antwan Harris.
There will be prize drawings for merchandise and football tickets. One fan will be invited to kick a short field goal to win season tickets. Two more will be teamed with Moore and Matt Blundin in a passing contest. Some students will compete in a flag football exhibition and a punt-pass-kick competition.
It’s all free. The idea, Groh said, is “to increase the passion and energy and enthusiasm for the program.”
Oh yeah, there will be a football scrimmage, too.
The contest on the field will start at 1 p.m. and have a format similar to last year’s, pitting Virginia’s offense vs. its defense. There are not enough linemen to create two full teams, Groh said, so a true Blue-Orange game is not possible.
Groh said his main focus is getting something out of the scrimmage, which also counts as the team’s 15th and final practice of the spring. At the same time, he wants fans to show up and have fun.
“It’s important that we practice,” Groh said. “But the activities will start long before the first snap.”

Pick ’em. It is shaping up as a slow NFL draft weekend for the Cavaliers, who are unlikely to have any players selected in the first three rounds Saturday.
A number of UVa players may go in the final four rounds Sunday, including tight end Chris Luzar, defensive tackle Monsanto Pope, offensive tackle Jermese Jones and linebacker John Duckett. All were projected to go in the sixth or seventh rounds by the Sporting News.
Luzar may be Virginia’s top prospect after a good showing at the NFL scouting combine, where he was among the biggest and fastest tight ends. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds even though he now packs 270 pounds on his 6-foot-7 frame.
“I think there’s significant interest in Chris,” Groh said. “He’s got very good measurables, and that’s hard to find. ... He’s not an elusive player, but he catches the ball well and what is apparent to scouts is that he wants to block.”
Tailback Antwoine Womack, guards Evan Routzahn and Josh Lawson, fullback Tyree Foreman, punter Mike Abrams and kicker David Greene are among those who hope to be drafted or sign free-agent contracts.
Womack, the ACC’s leading rusher in 2000, missed most of his senior season with a severely sprained ankle. Then he suffered a torn left anterior cruciate ligament in the Gridiron Classic, an all-star game in Florida, meaning he may not be able to play until the 2003 season.
“There’s been a pretty good interest in Antwoine,” Groh said. “It’s quite apparent to teams what his talent level is. ... Certainly, the circumstances with the second injury would lower his draft status for this year, but I think — and have tried to convey — that he would be a very good value selection later in the draft.”
Tight end Billy Baber was the only Cavalier selected in last year’s draft. The Kansas City Chiefs picked him in the fifth round. At least one Virginia player has been drafted for 19 straight years.

Extra points. Groh praised four freshmen who are finishing up their first spring with the Cavaliers: tackle Brian Barthelmes, nose tackle Andrew Hoffman, tight end Heath Miller and receiver Ottawa Anderson. Barthelmes, who redshirted, has played well enough at left tackle to allow Kevin Bailey to remain at center. ... Outside linebacker Raymond Mann, the star of last year’s spring game, had a somewhat disappointing sophomore season. But Groh said he “certainly is giving all the signs right now that his game is ready to move on. His game is very fluid.” ... Many of UVa’s top recruiting targets will be at Scott Stadium for Saturday’s festivities.

By DOUG DOUGHTY
Exclusive to roanoke.com by 5 p.m. Thursdays

A lack of depth notwithstanding, the battle for playing time on Virginia's offensive line apparently has been among the Cavaliers' most spirited football play.

My best guess at UVa's starting offensive line at the beginning of the spring would have been junior Kevin Bailey and senior Mike Mullins at tackle, sophomore Elton Brown and junior Micah Kimball at guard, and junior Jay Green at center.

Bailey finished the 2001 season at center, but I thought there was too much inexperience at tackle and too much experience at center for him to remain there.

Green, Kimball and sophomore Mark Farrington were all players with some background at center, if only during the 2001 preseason for Kimball.

What nobody was accounting for was the development of redshirt freshman Brian Barthelmes.

If the season started tomorrow, Bailey would be at center, which would help his chances for postseason honors.

"For the majority of the spring, we played Kevin at center," Groh said. "[There were] a number of reasons. One was, when he started playing center in the fall, he'd never snapped the ball before. It was kind of like, 'Get him in there, teach him the plays, prepare him for the game.'

"This was an opportunity to go back and teach him the fine points and nuances of being a center. Obviously, it's the only single position in there. He's profited from [the experience]. He's had a good spring. We like him in there a lot.

"He's going to be a very good center. He's the kind of center that we really want to have, so, if we can leave him there, it's going to be greatly to our advantage. It's given us the opportunity to give him the kind of work he's never had before."

With Bailey at center, the tackles would be Mullins and Barthelmes and the guards would be either Brown, Kimball, Green or Farrington. Farrington and Barthelmes are the two offensive linemen who have improved their stock the most in the spring.

"He's [Farrington] not an imposing guy size-wise, but he's a battler competitively and physically," Groh said. "He's got a competitive resilience about him. He doesn't let himself get turned away. He keeps coming back and coming back.

"I cited him among a few other players to the team, just saying, 'There's some guys, here of late, who have shown some things they couldn't do before.' He's done a nice job with his opportunity. He was a very successful wrestler in high school in Texas, so he's got that kind of body control and twist and leverage."

At 6 feet 2 and 270 pounds, Farrington is the bottom end of the size parameters for offensive linemen at the Top 25 level. Barthelmes, originally listed at 6-7 and 261 pounds but now closer to 280, doesn't have to deal with that issue.

Barthelmes is an interesting story because he was one of the most unheralded members of Groh's first recruiting class. Unlike most of his fellow recruits, who had committed to George Welsh or whose involvement with the Welsh staff was well-documented, Barthelmes' name never came up until it was reported in mid-January 2001 that he had committed.

The assumption (on this reporter's part) was that Groh's staff had connections that made it aware of Barthelmes. Not so.

"He was a player who was on the list that we got when we got here," Barthelmes said. "One thing we could find out, from our own research, is [he came from] a very close-knit, very supportive and very achievement-oriented family.

"So, we knew he really had a good foundation under him. We had seen him play basketball, so, with our own eyes, we had a sense for his competitiveness, which is very good. And, he was big and rangy and there weren't many linemen on that particular list.

"He had height and he had a big frame. I'd say he was 255-ish when we first encountered him. Now, 15 or 16 months since that first encounter, he's in the 280 range. He's an ambitious kid who has taken advantage of his opportunity."

JUDGING FROM GROH'S comments on the five UVa signees who are projected as defensive linemen, there are five offensive linemen in the Cavaliers' recruiting class: Brad Butler, Ron Darden, D'Brickahsaw Ferguson, Damian Spradlin and Brett Tobin.

A sixth offensive-line prospect, Robert Jenkins, is likely to return to Nassau (N.Y.) Community College for a second year in a row. If the Cavaliers lose only one player from their 26-member recruiting class, which must be down to 25 by the time the players enroll, it would be Jenkins.

If there is a position where a true freshman could sneak into the lineup it might be at left guard.

"We're pretty well set at one guard," said Groh, obviously referring to Brown on the right side. "We've got a guy who's going to be a long-time good player there."

GROH PREACHED CAUTION in forecasting the NFL Draft and hesitated for a moment in his Wednesday teleconference when it was suggested that tight end Chris Luzar might be the first UVa player selected.

Luzar, rated the No. 7 tight-end prospect by The Sporting News, was not among the 11 tight ends rated or two tight ends listed as sleepers by former Dallas Cowboys general manager Gil Brandt in a piece posted Monday on nfl.com.

By JOHN GALINSKY
Daily Progress staff writer

Matt Schaub is comfortable these days. Comfortable in the pocket. Comfortable reading defenses. Comfortable making quick decisions and difficult throws. Most of all, comfortable knowing he is the starting quarterback for the Virginia football team.
But comfortable, he hastens to clarify, does not mean complacent or satisfied.
Going into UVa’s annual spring game today at Scott Stadium — kickoff is at 1 p.m. with fan activities beginning at 11:30 a.m. — Schaub no longer shares his job with Bryson Spinner, who elected to transfer after last season. Spinner’s departure left him as the clear No. 1 quarterback in the eyes of his teammates and coaches.
Yet the rising junior insists that while his status is now relatively secure, his mindset remains unchanged. He is still competitive, still bent on improving as a player, and still focused on winning games.
“There’s a comfort level now, but I’m putting a lot of pressure on myself knowing we want to get to the level where we expect to win every week,” Schaub said. “You want to have that edge to you. You don’t want to relax or get too comfortable. That’s when things can fall apart on you. You have to stay on your toes.”
Ever since Spinner announced he was through as a Cavalier, Schaub has been able to stay on his toes without looking over his shoulder. Each started six games as a sophomore last season. Neither figured to have a clear edge going into the spring. That would have put them in the same position as a year ago — competing for the starting spot — with no resolution in sight.
In that sense, the upshot of Spinner’s decision was that Virginia, while losing a talented player with considerable potential, reached closure on what could have been an increasingly divisive issue.
“I don’t think it had a direct effect on the team, but I think it had an indirect effect,” safety Jerton Evans said. “I think the team was trying to overcome the fact we had a quarterback controversy.”
Said tailback Alvin Pearman: “Not to say it was that much of a distraction, but we all thought about it: Who’s going to be the quarterback this week?”
No longer. While freshman Marques Hagans has had a strong spring, UVa coach Al Groh left little doubt that Schaub is his No. 1 guy. He also said Spinner’s absence has allowed Schaub to assume the leadership role that should come with incumbency at quarterback.
“In that Matt is the one who’s here, I think it’s a positive situation in that the quarterback knows to himself, ‘Hey, it’s my team. I can act as such. I can feel that way. I can provide that kind of leadership,’” Groh said. “It’s been quite apparent [since Spinner left] that his persona is that of, ‘I’m your quarterback. These are the standards I’m setting. This is what I expect of myself. This is how I’m going to operate.’”
Groh said Schaub has progressed over the course of the spring in terms of decision-making and accuracy.
“He’s done a good job,” the coach said. “It’s obvious to us he’s more comfortable out there. I’d say in the last three practices he’s completed between 65 to 70 percent of his passes.”
For Schaub, the spring has been all about slowing things down.
“When I first got here, things were going 130 miles per hour on the field,” he said. “Now things are happening a lot slower. I know where all my reads are. I’m reading defenses and finding the windows where the receivers are going to be. I’m anticipating where they’ll be open rather than waiting for them to get open to throw it, and that’s a big key.”
Schaub says he is gaining more of a command of the offense, which was installed by Groh and coordinator Bill Musgrave last spring. Last season, “I was learning by on-the-job training. Now I have more time to improve my knowledge of what we want to do.”
Schaub has had the work ethic of a team leader. During the off-season, he threw to his receivers in informal practices and watched film by himself or with coaches about three times a week. That has earned him the respect of his teammates.
“We’re all looking for Schaub to lead us and have a great year for us,” Pearman said.
Words like that provide the greatest comfort of all.
“I have a lot of confidence in myself, but to know they have confidence in me makes me feel a lot more comfortable,” Schaub said of his teammates. “To know this is my team and that’s the way it is, I’m going to do what I have to do, day by day, to accomplish our goals."

By SCOTT HANDY
Daily Progress correspondent

By JOHN GALINSKY
Daily Progress staff writer
DURHAM, N.C. — Two weeks ago, the Virginia men’s lacrosse team beat North Carolina by one goal, but the Cavaliers walked off Fetzer Field a bit chagrined, feeling they had played far beneath their potential.
Not so Friday night. Following their rematch in the ACC tournament semifinals, UVa’s players left Koskinen Stadium knowing they had delivered a performance worthy of their top seed and No. 1 ranking.
Drawing inspiration from All-American defenseman Mark Koontz, who played despite tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament six days before, the Cavaliers dominated the Tar Heels, 10-3.
“In this game, we really wanted to show how we could play and prove we’re a better team than we showed last time we played them,” said sophomore goalie Tillman Johnson, who made 13 saves as Virginia (9-1) won its eighth straight game and held fourth-seeded North Carolina (7-4) to its fewest goals in 18 years.
Defensively, UVa could not have played much better. Johnson was brilliant, making eight stops in the first half, including several with his feet, while relinquishing a single goal. Sophomore defenseman Brett Hughes shut out UNC’s leading scorer, Jed Prossner.
But the Cavaliers received their biggest boost from Koontz. The senior suffered a torn ACL against Duke last Saturday but played a majority of the semifinal with a brace on his left knee to go along with the cast on his left arm.
Talk about walking wounded: Koontz has played all season with a broken wrist. Apparently, enough of his body parts still work. He held his assignment, North Carolina attackman Steven Will, scoreless before leaving the game late in the fourth quarter.
“How about that? How about that?” Virginia coach Dom Starsia said with a wide smile. “He couldn’t use his crutches Saturday because he couldn’t lean on his broken wrist. He didn’t practice all week. I called him [Friday] morning and told him I wasn’t going to start him. Then I called back an hour later and said I changed my mind if he felt he was up to it. That’s really something.”
Said Koontz: “I just wanted to show the team how much I care and how much I want to win.”
All of the Cavaliers wanted to play better than they did in their recent 10-9 victory at North Carolina. They ended up with the same number of goals, but they kept possession longer and exercised better shot selection.
As it turned out, Virginia generated all the offense it needed in the first quarter. Freshman attackman Joe Yevoli, the ACC leader in goals, raced around the cage and fired in a left-handed shot in the sixth minute. John Christmas, Conor Gill and A.J. Shannon followed with goals of their own in the next six minutes, making it 4-0.
Freshman goalie Paul Spellman kept the Tar Heels close with 15 saves. Virginia scored just one goal in the second and third quarters combined, then pulled away with five goals in the final period.
Yevoli finished with three goals, while Gill had two goals and an assist. Shannon and Chris Rotelli also scored twice for the Cavaliers, who will play Duke or Maryland in Sunday’s 3 p.m. final. The second semifinal started late Friday night because of a rain delay.
“Just a terrific win for us,” Starsia said. “I thought our kids played hard. Offensively, we didn’t shoot as well as I think we could. But I thought we could defend them all day.”
The Tar Heels scored once in each of the final three quarters and finished with their fewest goals since a 4-3 loss to Johns Hopkins in 1984. Their starting attack did not record a single goal. Johnson, Koontz and company made sure of that.
“We love having Mark out there,” Johnson said. “Having him tear his ACL and then seeing him play the way he did was a great feeling for everyone.”

Groh aims to prevent injuries
By JERRY RATCLIFFE
Daily Progress sports editor

Scattershooting around the ACC, while noting that Virginia football coach Al Groh is going the extra mile to try to prevent spring injuries …
With news coming out of Blacksburg that Virginia Tech quarterback Grant Noel tore his anterior cruciate ligament in spring practice, UVa’s Groh is taking measures to avoid such problems. He is even carrying his own whistle to stop potential pile-ups of players, a frequent cause for such injuries.
“Everything we do is designed to have our team ready to go on Aug. 22, which creates a juggling act on how much contact we have to get ready and the risk factor in doing so,” said Groh on Friday. “I want to have my team whole.”
Virginia has heavy-duty contact but doesn’t “tackle to the ground” except in live scrimmages, such as today’s spring-ending drills (1 p.m., Scott Stadium). Even still, there are precautions.
“A lot of injuries occur in pile-ups,” said Groh. “Our quarterbacks have had a minimum of live work. And I have a whistle to help unprotected players from getting injured.”
There will be game officials for today’s scrimmage and they will be asked to have a quick whistle to avoid piles. Just in case, Groh is packing his whistle, too.
Aloha Hawaii
Virginia’s football program has backed out of its Nov. 29, 2003, road game against the University of Hawaii. The Cavaliers already had postponed the game once (having supposed to have played at Hawaii at the end of the 2000 season).
Gerry Capone, the associate athletics director for football administration, said Virginia had several reasons for opting out of the deal, including having a new football coach and new athletics director who had nothing to do with the original contract signed four years ago.
“Our schedule [for 2003] is extremely difficult and going out to Hawaii for a 12th game wouldn’t help us,” Capone said.
Hawaii athletics director Hugh Yoshida said that Virginia notified UH of its decision to not play the game via a letter.
“It’s part of the landscape now,” Yoshida said. “Our recent success has had an impact on teams wanting to play us.”
He noted that Texas, Notre Dame, Iowa State and Purdue similarly have backed out of games since 1999.
Hoops update
Maryland has given its last basketball scholarship for its current recruiting class to Allegany (Md.) Community College forward Jamar Smith.
Smith, a 6-foot-9, 225-pounder, averaged 17.9 points and 12.8 rebounds for Allegany last season, helping the school to a 32-4 record and the Maryland junior college championship. He is a graduate of Overbrook High in Sicklerville, N.J.
He is the fifth recruit signed by the national champion Terrapins, including four early signees from November: Travis Garrison of DeMatha; Chris McCray of Capital Heights, Md.; John Gilchrist of Virginia Beach, Va.; and Nik Caner-Medley of Portland, Maine.
“Jamar is one of those special players who has the ability to play at both the small forward and power forward positions,” coach Gary Williams said.
Breakfast of champions
The Dogwood Festival is host-
ing a sports breakfast on Thursday, April 25 from 8 a.m. until 9:30 a.m at the Omni (tickets are $15 and available at Staples Barber Shop and Tuel Jewelers).
Among the sports celebrities in attendance will be Pro Football Hall of Famers Howie Long and Bobby Mitchell, currently assistant general manager of the Washington Redskins.
Long, of course, is a local resident who starred for the Oakland Raiders and is now a game-day studio analyst for Fox’s NFL coverage.
Several UVa personalities will also be on hand, including former AD Terry Holland, Pete Gillen, Al Groh, Debbie Ryan, Dennis Womack, Dom Starsia, George Gelnovatch and others.

Wahoo notes … With rising sophomore defensive end Chris Canty having suffered a broken leg in last week’s spring drills, the only serious injury thus far for Virginia’s football team, Justin Walker has filled in behind Canty, moving over from nose tackle. …
Meanwhile, redshirt freshman Melvin Massey, related to former UVa linebacker Ray Savage, has moved from linebacker to nose tackle.
“Melvin is about 250 pounds but I think he will grow into a 260-plus player,” Groh said. “He was an excellent wrestler, has fast hands and good leverage. I think the move has good potential. Fast hands, leverage are most important, then explosive power, all of which exceed poundage [for the position].”
Groh noted that when he moves a player from one position that he has played most of his life, to a radically different position, he often gets “either a blank stare or, a ‘What, are you crazy?’ look. But Melvin was very responsive to it and he’s already done a few really good things.” …
Groh will give the players some time off to train on their own (with the help of an organized program that coaches will keep track of) until reporting back on June 10 for the first session of summer school. …
Yes, the coach entered the spring with a lot of questions about his team but didn’t expect to find all the answers until later.
“I don’t think we planned on answering questions after 15 practices,” said Groh. “Particularly when a lot of the players [the incoming freshmen] who are supposed to provide the answer aren’t here right now. We’re moving toward those answers but it’s a continuing process.”
Groh, who is hosting several of the top-10 recruiting class that UVa bagged last February in addition to many future prospects, noted that two highly prized members of that class were waiting out in the hall for him, and quickly excused himself.
“They won’t be participating [in the spring scrimmage] but will be [participating] on Aug. 22, so I’m going to go out and greet them,” Groh said.

CHARLOTTESVILLE The event formerly known as the University of Virginia spring game has a new name - the Cavalier Football Festival - and a new format. It kicks off today at 11:30 a.m. at Scott Stadium. Before second-year coach Al Groh's team takes the field, fans can listen to a bluegrass band, compete in contests, get autographs from former Cavaliers and register for prize drawings.

"There's an energy level and an enthusiasm and a passion for football we're trying to promote," Groh said. "Knowing that the game means different things to different people . . . we're trying to make it something that people have reason to come out to every year."

At 1 p.m., the focus turns to All-America wideout Billy McMullen and Co. Fans, as well as numerous prospective recruits and former U.Va. players, will see McMullen, quarterback Matt Schaub and the rest of U.Va.'s offense battle the defense, led by linebacker Angelo Crowell, in various situational drills, with points awarded under a complicated scoring system.

"We'll be playing for one of the most coveted trophies in football: the blue and orange hydrant," Groh said.

Because of a severe lack of depth on each line, Groh was not able split his roster into two teams for a traditional intrasquad scrimmage this year. No great loss, he said.

"Frankly, I've been to a lot of spring games, none of which I've found very interesting," Groh said. "If you divide the team in half and try to turn it into the Super Bowl, who are you kidding?"

Groh will watch the kicking drills with special interest. Punter Mike Abrams and place-kicker David Greene were seniors in 2001. The leading candidate to succeed Greene, freshman Kurt Smith, "has very good potential," Groh said. "But since he's been at Virginia, this is the first time he's had to kick in front of fans. So it does add a different element."

This will be Cavaliers' 15th, and final, practice of the spring. After today, players "will be off until the end of school," Groh said. "What training they do, they'll do on their own."

Most, if not all, of the returning players will be back in town June 10 for the start of summer school. Practice for the Aug. 22 opener against Colorado State will begin in late July.

Groh's first team at his alma mater finished 5-7 overall, the Cavaliers' first losing record since 1986, and tied for seventh in the ACC. With only eight seniors - the second-fewest of any team in the ACC - U.Va. is likely to struggle again this fall. In late July, Virginia will add a highly regarded freshman class, which includes four Parade All-Americans, but its impact probably won't be felt until 2003 or 2004.

"I figure it'll be either seventh or eighth [in the ACC] that most of the prognosticators pick us, not without reason," Groh said. "But it doesn't mean anything to me one way or another."

Under Groh, Virginia's players generally are told not to tackle each other to the ground in contact drills.

"A lot of injuries happen in pileups," he said.

Today's drills will be "live," Groh said, "but I'll ask the officials to give us a fast whistle on it. That is, I don't want piles."

At least two defensive starters - end Chris Canty and second-team all-ACC safety Shernard Newby - will miss today's practice because of injuries. Canty's injury, a broken leg, left Virginia with only five scholarship defensive linemen. So Groh and defensive coordinator Al Golden shifted Justin Walker from nose tackle to end, and Melvin Massey from linebacker to nose, where he backs up Andrew Hoffman.

When a coach asks a player to change positions, Groh said, "sometimes you get kind of a blank stare or a what-are-you-crazy look. But in this case, Melvin was very responsive to it, and it worked out very nicely because his first day there, he did some very nice things, and that's kept him very positive."

McDaniel dies, but his legend as 'Chief' Wahoo will live on
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HOUSTON -- "Chief" Wahoo McDaniel, the former pro football linebacker who eventually became one of professional wrestling's most flamboyant figures, has died of complications from renal failure and diabetes. He was 63.

McDaniel, who lost both of his kidneys about 41/2 years ago, died Thursday night at Cy-Fair Medical Clinic in Houston, his oldest daughter said.

He'd been in failing health in recent years, often undergoing kidney dialysis. McDaniel was also on a waiting list to receive a kidney.

He was born in Bernice, La., on June 19, 1938, and initially carved out his legend as a schoolboy football star at Midland (Texas) High School in the 1950s.

McDaniel moved on to the University of Oklahoma, where he lettered at linebacker from 1957 through 1959. McDaniel also holds the school record for the longest punt with a 91-yarder against Iowa State in 1958.

"He was a wild, crazy Indian," daughter Nicky Rowe said yesterday. "He was bigger than life. He was just amazing."

The 5-11, 280-pound McDaniel was selected by Los Angeles in the second round of the American Football League draft in 1960. He bounced around the AFL for much of his eight-year career, catching on with the Houston Oilers, Denver Broncos, New York Jets and, finally, the expansion Miami Dolphins.

By the end of his football career, McDaniel had been wrestling during the AFL's offseason and already established himself as a big name in minor-league wrestling circuits around the country.

But as a member of the Jets, McDaniel began to headline wrestling events at Madison Square Garden with the help of the arena's owner, Sonny Werblin. Werblin was also involved in the ownership of the Jets.

McDaniel capitalized on the stardom from his gridiron days to make a smooth transition into full-time wrestling. He became one of the country's most popular and beloved wrestlers during the '60s, '70s and '80s.

"He was one of the first to make transition from football to wrestling," said Bob Ryder, who operates the wrestling Web site, 1wrestling.com. "When he found out he was making more money as a wrestler than a football player, he gave up football. He was such a big star."

Over the course of his 30-year wrestling career, McDaniel had memorable battles with wrestling stars such as "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Sgt. Slaughter. He won several wrestling titles before retiring in 1989.

"I wrestled all the top wrestlers in the world, and I traveled a lot," McDaniel said once. "I got to see a lot of places that I probably wouldn't have gotten to see."

He was also fiercely proud of his Chickasaw Indian heritage and always entered the ring with his trademark elaborate feather headdress.

Shortly after retiring, Rowe said, health problems limited McDaniel to one of his newfound passions - golf. He lived in Charlotte until recently, but moved to Houston to live with his daughter and son-in-law as his health began to deteriorate.

"He also became a mentor to a lot of other wrestlers," Rowe said. "He was so famous, I just didn't realize it until now. We've got so many calls from people."

Rowe said the family plans to cremate McDaniel's body and scatter the ashes over a lake near Del Rio, which was once the favorite fishing spot for her father and grandfather. They also plan to hold a memorial service for McDaniel in Midland next week.

He was survived by two daughters and a son.

Newcomers emerge on UVa offensive line

Spring games equal spring recruiting