Cavs avenge Maryland loss
Up next: Chance to get even with Duke in ACC tourney final
Saturday, Apr 26, 2008 - 12:07 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Last night it avenged one of its regular-season losses. Tomorrow afternoon the University of Virginia men's lacrosse team gets an opportunity to avenge the other one.

The host team in the ACC tournament looked very much at home in last night's second semifinal. Third-seeded Virginia never trailed in an 11-8 win over No. 2 seed Maryland before a crowd of 3,507 at Klockner Stadium.

"Probably our best game of the year," said U.Va. goalie Bud Petit. His coach, Dom Starsia, agreed.

The Terrapins (8-5), who humbled the then-No. 1 Cavaliers 13-7 in College Park on March 29, didn't face Petit in that game. Last night, in his fourth consecutive start for U.Va., the former Collegiate School star sparkled. The Terrapins' final two goals came in the final 92 seconds, with the outcome long since decided.

"I thought all our defensemen played well, but Bud stepped up for us today," Starsia said. "It seemed like we got a big save from him whenever we had to have it."

Now comes the rematch U.Va. wanted most. Virginia (12-2) meets top-seeded Duke (14-1) at Klockner for the ACC title tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. The Blue Devils floored fourth-seeded North Carolina 17-6 in the first semifinal.

U.Va. knows all about Duke's awesome firepower. The Devils scored the game's last 10 goals April 12 in a 19-9 rout of the Wahoos at Klockner.

"We haven't been thinking about Duke at all this week, not one bit," Petit said. "We just thought about Maryland. But now that we beat Maryland, it's all Duke. We've got a chance right now. That was our best game, and I don't know why we can't keep it going."

For the second straight game, all-ACC attackman Ben Rubeor scored four goals for the Cavaliers.

"Ben is Ben," Starsia said of Rubeor, who with 128 career goals ranks fifth all-time at U.Va.

Garrett Billings also had four goals against Maryland (8-5), but unlike Rubeor, the junior attackman from Canada had been a non-factor in the regular-season finale. Billings has been slowed by a bad back, and against Darmouth he failed to record at least one goal or one assist for the first time this season.

"He just looked horrible," said Starsia, who didn't mince words with Billings.

"I said, 'I know you're hurt. You've just got to figure out a way to play through it. You can't just give in to it,'" Starsia recalled. "And you could see a change in practice this week. . . . I don't know that he's feeling any better, but I think he's a little more determined to get something done for us."

Virginia, which fell behind 3-0 in College Park, scored the first two goals last night. Billings had both.

"I had a terrible game last weekend, and I knew I had to step it up today," he said.

Virginia ------------------------- 3 3 3 2 - 11
Maryland ------------------------- 2 1 3 2 - 8

Goals: Virginia: Rubeor 4, Billings 4, S. Bratton 2, Riley. Maryland: Catalino 2, Ritz 2, Groot, Young, Reynolds, Holmes.

Assists: Virginia: Lamade 3, Glading 2. Maryland: Reed 2, Catalino, Mendes, Sear.

Goalies: Virginia: Petit (8 saves). Maryland: Carter (33 minutes, 18 seconds; 6 goals allowed, 8 saves); Phipps (26:42; 5 goals allowed, 5 saves).
 

Cavs stop Terps in semis
By Whitey Reid
Published: April 26, 2008

One nightmarish memory erased. One more to go.
On Friday night at Klockner Stadium, Virginia — behind four goals apiece from Ben Rubeor and Garrett Billings — atoned for a dreadful loss to Maryland earlier this season with an 11-8 victory over the Terrapins.
Third-seeded UVa (12-2) advanced to face top-seeded Duke in the ACC Tournament final on Sunday afternoon. It was just two weeks ago that the Blue Devils embarrassed Virginia on its home field.
“They’re a powerful team, strong on both ends,” Rubeor said. “It’s a challenge we’ve been looking forward to. We wanted to be back in this position.
“They scored the last 10 goals against us. That was unacceptable and hopefully we’ll have a better showing this time.”
If Virginia can play at the level it did on Friday, it should have at least a fighting chance. Against Maryland, UVa played one of its most complete games of the season.
The Cavaliers outshot the Terrapins by eight, won the groundball battle by five and won 12 of 23 faceoffs.
A major key to the performance was getting off to a good start. Virginia was the aggressor from the opening faceoff.
“In the last game, I don’t think we played badly early in the game,” said Virginia coach Dom Starsia, “but we didn’t score and got a little bit frustrated while they gained confidence … they can play at a completely different pace when they have the lead.
“The fact that we were able to put some balls in early gave us a chance to dictate the tempo better.”
UVa jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead on a pair of goals by Billings.
“I had a down weekend last weekend,” Billings said, “so I wanted to come out and have a good game.”
Maryland (8-5), which never led in the game, was able to tie the game at 3-3 on a goal by Max Ritz early in the second quarter, but Virginia answered with three straight goals — two by Billings — to take a 6-3 lead going into halftime.
In the third quarter, Shamel Bratton sparked UVa. The much-heralded freshman scored a pair of nearly identical goals, both coming on crank shots from the outside off assists from Pete Lamade.
Bratton said the team really wanted to redeem itself against Maryland.
“You could see it on our face that we weren’t really ready to play [on March 29],” he said. “You have to sprint and go hard all game. We did that tonight.”
Virginia achieved its biggest lead of the game, 11-6, when Rubeor scored an unassisted goal at the 8:32 mark of the fourth quarter before Maryland was able to tack on two goals within the last two minutes to make the final score seem a lot closer.
“I think the biggest improvement since our last game was on face-offs,” Rubeor said. “In the third quarter, they were playing a decent amount of zone. When a team’s doing that, you can usually get your 12-yard shots, and we were lucky enough to cash in on a couple of those.”
In goal, Bud Petit played his best game of the year, according to Starsia. The fifth-year senior notched eight saves.
Overall, the Cavaliers were much better in their decision-making than they were in the first meeting.
“We really took care of the ball and worked all over the field today,” said junior Danny Glading. “We were a lot smarter on offense than we’ve been all year.”
Duke 17, UNC 6
In the first semifinal, top-seeded Duke defeated No. 4 North Carolina behind four goals from Zack Greer.
The Blue Devils (14-1) exploded in the second half, much like they did in their win over Virginia at Klockner Stadium on April 12.
UNC (8-5) cut the lead to 6-5 on a goal by Cryder DiPietro early in the third quarter before Duke responded with six straight goals to take a commanding 12-5 lead.
“One of our goals is always to play 60 minutes,” Greer said. “The way we get up and down the field, we want to play 60 minutes and hope they can’t hang with us, and that’s what happened today.
“A lot of these teams like to slow it down and aren’t used to playing at a high tempo and that works to our advantage.”
Max Quinzani and Zach Howell added three goals each for Duke, which outshot UNC by 20. The Blue Devils also won the groundball battle, 49-40.

Cavaliers Down Maryland 11-8 in ACC Tournament Semifinals
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 04/25/2008

Garrett Billings' 4 first-half goals helped lift UVa to an 11-8 win over Maryland in the ACC Tournament Friday night at Klöckner Stadium.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA—Garrett Billings scored four first-half goals to give Virginia the early lead as the Cavaliers gained an 11-8 win over Maryland tonight in the semifinals of the ACC Men’s Lacrosse Tournament before a crowd of 3507 at Klöckner Stadium.

With the win the third-seeded Cavaliers improve to 12-2 this season. They look to become only the second No. 3 seed to win the league championship as they face Duke in the title game Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Duke posted a convincing 17-6 win over North Carolina in the first semifinal game tonight to advance to the finals.

Billings had his most productive game in nearly six weeks and scored as many goals as he had in the previous four games combined. He scored on four of his first six shots of the game to help Virginia set the tempo in the first half.

“Garrett’s been a little nicked up like the other guys have been also, so he’s been struggling for a couple of weeks,” said Virginia head coach Dom Starsia. “I talked to him a week ago and I think he knew that we needed him. When they put the shortstick on him, they were saying essentially, ‘we can cover you.’

“I think any athlete worth his salt is going to react to that situation and Garrett stepped up and got us off to a great start.

“This is a team that is important to start well against because they want to control the tempo and the fact that we got off to a good start gave the game some flow and that really helped us.”

While Billings did the damage in the first half, Ben Rubeor notched three of his four goals in the final 30 minutes to help the Cavaliers extend its 3-goal halftime lead (6-3) to as many as five. Rubeor’s back-to-back goals to start the fourth quarter scoring put UVa ahead 11-6 with 8:32 remaining in the game.

Maryland scored its final two goals 18 seconds apart with just over a minute to play but could not get any closer. Virginia controlled the ball for most of the game’s final eight minutes and was content to maintain possession with the clock running.

Maryland’s Max Ritz forced the game’s only tie with a goal at the 14:26 mark of the second quarter, but Billings scored twice and Jack Riley once as Virginia took a 6-3 lead at halftime.

Shamel Bratton, who had his first multigoal game in a month, scored the first of his two goals early in the second half on a blistering shot that goalie Brian Phipps certainly never saw to push Virginia ahead 7-4.

Ritz scored an extra-man goal and was followed by Grant Catalino at the 3:05 mark of the third period as Maryland trimmed UVa’s lead to two at 7-5. But Bratton scored his second of the game and Rubeor his first of the half as Virginia moved to a 9-5 advantage. Bryn Holmes scored off the faceoff following Rubeor’s to cut into Virginia’s lead but the Terrapins were never able to get closer than three goals the rest of the way.

Unlike the season’s first match-up when the Cavaliers lost 15 of 23 faceoffs, tonight they were much improved by taking 12 of 23. Freshman Garett Ince continued his impressive play of late by winning 12 of the 20 draws he took.

Bud Petit made his fourth straight start in goal and made eight saves to highlight a stout defensive effort. Ryan Nizolek held Travis Reed, who scored three goals and had two assists in the team’s first meeting in March, without a goal for only the third time all season.

“I thought we played very well defensively throughout the game. I’m sorry we gave up a couple there at the very end,” Starsia said. “That’s a good Maryland team and I think overall (it was) probably our best effort of the season against a quality opponent. I thought it was our best 60 minutes. It was not flawless but pretty good overall.”


 

Focused Petit saves Cavs’ title challenge
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: April 26, 2008

Virginia’s players claimed they blocked any thoughts about Duke from their minds all week leading up to this weekend’s ACC Men’s Lacrosse Tournament. First, the Cavaliers had to deal with Maryland, a team that had beaten them soundly a month ago at College Park.
With that mission accomplished on Friday night — an 11-8 triumph over the Terps at Klockner Stadium — the Cavs can turn their attention to Duke for Sunday’s ACC championship.
Getting by the pesky Terps was the first step. Maryland had manhandled Virginia physically in the previous slamdance, a 13-7 upset that knocked the Cavs off their national No. 1 perch and ended a nine-game winning streak. Virginia head coach Dom Starsia talked to his team all week about answering the bell when Maryland became physical in the rematch.
This time, the Wahoos listened and responded.
It was UVa that jumped to an early lead and played physical lacrosse, which allowed the Cavs to dictate the pace, the greyhound tempo that Starsia prefers and Maryland disdains.
A big part of the plan was keeping Maryland’s shooters silent, and not only did Virginia’s defense play tough, so did fifth-year goalie Bud Petit.
The 6-foot-4 goalkeeper held the Terps at bay as Virginia bolted to leads of 3-1, then 6-3 at halftime and even 9-5 as the evening progressed. His eight saves were key in keeping a comfortable cushion.
Petit did not play in the first meeting with Maryland but gained the starting job immediately after the Terps proved too much for freshman goalie Adam Ghitelman to handle. Petit has been in goal ever since, except for a while against Duke in that 19-9 debacle a couple of weeks ago when the Blue Devils cut the Wahoos to ribbons in the second half in front of a record crowd of 8,000 at Klockner.
“This was Bud’s best game of the season overall,” said a pleased Starsia after the semifinal win. “He was one of the keys, Bud on one end, Ben [Rubeor] on the other end. Bud stepped up for us. We got a big save from him every time we had to have it.”
Those words were music to the Midlothian native’s ears.
“I thought I played pretty well,” Petit said. “I don’t know how many saves I had. I don’t really worry about that as long as we win.”
Petit said he only focused on stopping the next shot, then moving on. He was so focused on that one thought that he didn’t even look to see the halftime score.
“Just stop the ball,” he said. “I didn’t want them to get a couple early on me. I think I made a save or two, I don’t remember.”
Yes, indeed he did, big saves that helped prevent the Terps from jumping on the Cavs as they did at Byrd Stadium and kept them from gaining confidence.
Certainly having a comfortable lead made the last quarter a more pleasurable experience for the goalie, too.
“It’s a little more relaxing in there under those circumstances and my heart wasn’t beating as hard at the end,” Petit chuckled. “If you start thinking a little bit, sometimes that’s a negative in a goalie’s mind.”
Petit may not have that luxury against the Blue Devils, ranked second nationally, but probably rated higher than that in the Cavaliers’ collective minds after that lopsided defeat that still is lingering in their dreams, or rather their nightmares.
A second chance is what UVa wanted and now it has earned a shot at redemption.
“I want the game to start right now,” said a fired up Petit. “We had a second chance against Maryland, now we get a second chance against Duke. I didn’t get to finish against them last time because my leg was a little hurt.”
If anyone knows what Virginia can’t afford to let happen against the Devils, it’s the goalie. Duke shredded the Cavaliers’ defense in the last meeting, bolting away from a 9-9 deadlock to a 10-goal runaway.
“We can’t let them get going like that again,” Petit said. “Once they get comfortable, they start being Duke. They know how to beat a team down when they’re on top. They have no mercy. We’ve got to stay in there and keep within a goal or two because they can put up 10 in five minutes.”
That’s Petit’s challenge on Sunday. He has to gobble up everything coming his way, and he knows it’s easier said than done.

 

Rally puts Cavs in ACC final
By Bart Isley
Published: April 26, 2008

Duke won the draw, Duke held possession and Duke poured it on against Virginia Saturday in the ACC tournament semifinals at Scott Stadium — during the first half.
After that, Virginia pieced together a furious rally from a five-goal halftime deficit to take a 10-9 victory over the Blue Devils.
Virginia’s defense, led by goalie Kendall McBrearty’s five saves, held Duke to just one goal after the break, and it didn’t come until the Cavaliers had already stormed back to take a 9-8 lead. Duke’s Sarah Bullard’s equalizer came with 9:46 left on the clock.
A couple of minutes later, McBrearty took a huge gamble that would pay off for Virginia in a big way.
“They’d been passing it to the same spot over and over again,” McBrearty said. “I was just waiting until she got it that much closer to the crease.”
As soon as Duke did, McBrearty pounced, flying out of the goal for the
interception. The Blue Devils’ attack immediately closed in to triple team the goalie and seemed to have her trapped along the endline.
The senior made a leaping throw back across the field before tumbling out of bounds, and defender Liz Downs handled the bounce on the long distance toss. Downs immediately transitioned the ball upfield, creating a fastbreak opportunity for the Cavaliers.
“Kendall made a huge play, it was a great decision,” Myers said. “Even if she didn’t come up with the ball on that I would still say she needed to go for it — it was close enough and we needed something big to happen.”
The fastbreak led to a foul that set up Megan O’Malley for a free position shot. The senior midfielder buried what would become the game-winner with 4:48 to play. After the goal, Virginia’s offense did a solid job of killing the clock while the Blue Devils struggled to maintain possession whenever they could get a stick on the ball.
O’Malley, who scored all three of her goals after the break, and Jenny Hauser each finished with a hat trick to lead Virginia. Blair Weymouth had a pair of goals and an assist with all three points coming during the 6-0 run that opened the second half.
The Blue Devils’ last best chance came on a free position shot with 2:43 left that McBrearty saved. Throughout the second half, Virginia made all the defensive stops that it didn’t in the first half, with solid ground balls and forced turnovers by Downs, Claire Bordley and Brittany Kalkstein that led to goals during the Cavaliers’ second-half run.
“Duke only had seven shots in the second half and I think a lot of that was because our defensive play was just that tough,” Myers said.
Duke looked completely out of sync in the second after playing a near-flawless first half. The Blue Devils struggled on the draw after dominating before the break and then committed the series of critical turnovers that turned the tide in favor of Virginia.
“We just, unfortunately, got away from our gameplan at points in the second half and that really kind of doomed us,” said Duke head coach Kerstin Kimmel.
When the Blue Devils held to that gameplan, they created a lot of goals in the first half while leaping out to a 5-0 lead. Five different Duke players notched goals during the run as the Blue Devils whipped the ball through their offensive sets.
“In the first half Duke was playing amazingly well, they were crisp, they were shooting well and they were able to dominate on all those loose balls,” Myers said.
Duke held an 8-2 advantage at the half on ground balls, but Virginia completely reversed the trend, snagging 10 ground balls to Duke’s one after halftime.
Now the Cavaliers will look to pick up a third-straight ACC title Sunday at 1 p.m. against Maryland, the top-seeded squad coming into the tournament.

Cavaliers Advance to ACC Women's Lacrosse Championship Title Game
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 04/25/2008

Cavaliers celebrate come-from-behind victory over Duke to advance to championship game of ACC Tournament

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - In an offensive battle between the number two and three seeds in the first semifinal game of the 2008 ACC Women's Lacrosse Championship, Virginia pulled off a thrilling come-from-behind 10-9 victory over third-seeded Duke late Friday afternoon at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Va. With the win, the No. 2 seeded Cavaliers will play in Sunday's title game at 1 p.m. and seek their third straight league crown and fifth all-time.

"Talk about a story of two halves," Virginia head coach Julie Myers said. "I think Duke played amazingly well in the first half. They were crisp, they were shooting well and they were able to dominate on all those loose balls. The second half though, our team came out on fire and they were determined to make sure that they put a stop to Duke's run. To hold Duke's offense, which scored pretty easily in the first half to just one goal in the second, was just an outstanding performance."

Duke went on the offensive attack at the opening draw, as the Blue Devils had six different scorers in the half. Sarah Bullard and Megan Del Monte paced the Duke offense with Bullard tallying three goals and Megan Del Monte notching a pair. All-ACC pick Carolyn Davis put the Blue Devils on the board early just three minutes into the game with a shot in the lower right corner. Davis later picked up an assist on a goal by freshman Emma Hamm that gave Duke a 3-0 advantage. Goals from Jess Adam and Bullard put the Blue Devils in a solid 5-0 advantage before the Cavaliers were able to penetrate through the Duke defense.

The Cavaliers found the back of the net halfway through the opening stanza, as senior Kaitlin Swagart scored at the 12:49 mark. Virginia began chipping away at the lead with two more goals, one each from Kaitlin Duff and junior attacker Jenny Hauser.

The Blue Devils added three goals of their own before entering the break with an 8-3 lead. Caroline Spearman collected her first career goal, while Del Monte and Bullard both netted a goal for the second time in the half.

After trailing the first half for only the third time this season and giving up a season-high eight goals in one stanza, the tide turned for Virginia in the second half behind the stellar performances of Megan O'Malley, Blair Weymouth and Jenny Hauser. Two goals from O'Malley and Weymouth gave the Cavaliers the momentum they needed to close the gap against Duke.

Hauser proved to be instrumental for Virginia, as her second goal of the game at 15:03 evened the playing field. Three minutes later, she fired a shot that gave the Cavaliers their first lead in the game making it her third of the day.

The two teams would trade leads with Bullard scoring her third goal on the day to tie things up at 9-9. However, Virginia would regain the edge five minutes later when O'Malley netted her third goal in the game with 4:48 remaining and held off a late Duke rally for the overall 10-9 victory.

Virginia will face top seed Maryland Sunday, April 27, at 1 p.m. in the championship match. The Terrapins defeated North Carolina 6-4 in the other semifinal match Friday.



 

For two Cavs, ceiling is high
Long, Albert could be first U.Va. players to both go in the top 10
Saturday, Apr 26, 2008 - 12:07 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

The NFL draft starts this afternoon in New York City, and that's where you'll find Chris Long. In Edgewood, Md., outside Baltimore, Branden Albert will follow the proceedings on TV from his brother's home.

Long and Albert are connected, though, by their friendship and the three years they spent as teammates at the University of Virginia. Each made the all-ACC first team last season, Long at defensive end and Albert at offensive guard. By nightfall today, they should have something else in common: the distinction of being first-round picks and soon-to-be millionaires.

"To share this with him is very special to me," Albert said Wednesday.

The 6-3, 268-pound Long, a consensus All-American last season, could go as high as No. 2, to the St. Louis Rams, and he's expected to be one of the first 10 players taken. Projections for Albert range from No. 5 (Kansas City) to No. 7 (New England) to No. 14 (Chicago) to No. 23 (Pittsburgh).

Only once has Virginia had two players selected in the first round of an NFL draft: in 1997, when linebacker James Farrior went eighth and defensive end Jon Harris 25th. Long and Albert could make history today by both going in the top 10.

"It would mean the world" to see Albert drafted that high, Long told reporters on a teleconference Thursday. "I think what means almost as much to me as where I go is where Branden goes. . . . I keep saying that next to [No. 1 pick] Jake Long he's the best offensive lineman in the draft, and I really mean that.

The growing buzz about the 6-7, 316-pound Albert, who left U.Va. after his junior season, is "well-deserved," Long said, "and I think that would be awesome for the program if we had two guys in the top 10."

Said Albert: "When I came out of school, people projected me as a second-round pick. If I go top five, I'll be happy. If I go top 10, I'll be happy. If I go top 20, I'll be happy."

Cavaliers coach Al Groh will be among Long's guests at the draft. Groh said early selection in the draft "means a lot more for Branden and Chris than it necessarily does for the [U.Va.] program. They're both great success stories -- it's fun to watch and exciting to be part of."

Albert moved to the Baltimore area from Rochester, N.Y., when he was in high school. He spent most of his college career at guard, but he started two games at tackle last season, and that display of versatility raised his stock.

"Teams that are interested don't have to say he's a guard or he's a tackle," Groh said. "If they need a lineman, he's whatever lineman they need him to be."

Long, a graduate of St. Anne's-Belfield School in Charlottesville, has been in New York since the middle of the week, bopping from event to event in a group of elite prospects.

"It's been fun," said Long, who might move to outside linebacker if he's drafted by a team that runs the 3-4 defense.

"I'm just looking at it as a new experience and experience to live only once. This is our moment in the sun this weekend, as somebody put it, and we're all just having fun with it."

As the draft nears, not every member of Long's family has been so relaxed. The eldest of Pro Football Hall of Famer Howie Long's three sons joked about his father's anxiety.

"I think he's more nervous than I am," Chris Long said. "I've been the one kind of like, 'Hey, Dad, just calm down, it'll be all right. Whatever happens, happens. And I'll be better off at the end of the week than I was when I woke up Monday morning. This is going to change my life in a positive way, no matter how.'"

 

On line to big paydays
Chris Long and Branden Albert will make draft history for Virginia if both are selected in the top 10 today.
By Melinda Waldrop
247-4634
April 26, 2008

Chris Long's last name got him noticed even before he became a top prospect for today's NFL draft. He spent this past week making the rounds of sports talk shows before heading to New York City, where his name might be the second one called at Radio City Music Hall.

Branden Albert's first love was basketball. But though he didn't play football until his junior year of high school, his athleticism translated clearly through the out-of-focus, homemade recruiting tape Virginia coach Al Groh squinted to see in his office.

"We could see his size," Groh said. "We could see the athletic ability. It was very raw. In talking with him, there was clearly a lot of ambition on his part."

Ambition could morph into fame and fortune today if Long and Albert become the first teammates picked in the top 10 in Virginia football history.

Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long — no relation to Chris — reached a five-year, $57.5-million deal Tuesday with the Miami Dolphins, who hold the No. 1 pick. That leaves Chris Long, a defensive end and the son of Hall of Famer Howie Long whom SportingNews.com labeled "as sure a thing as there is in this draft," as a possible choice to go No. 2 to St. Louis.

Albert, an offensive lineman who left Virginia after his junior season, is projected as high as the fifth pick, held by Kansas City.

"I think that means almost as much to me as where I go, is where Branden goes," Long said on Thursday from New York City. "I really want to see him do well. I keep saying that next to Jake Long, he's the best offensive lineman in the draft, and I really mean that. I think teams, because he was a junior, didn't get a chance to look at his tapes as much, and that's why he had this late kind of push of momentum. But I think it's well-deserved, and I think that would be awesome for the program if we had two guys in the top 10."

Top-10 teammates are nothing new to college football's elite. Ohio State had multiple top-10 picks in 1996, 1997 and 2006, Florida State in 1997 and 2000, and Texas in 2002 and 2006. But it's never happened for the Cavs, whose last top-10 pick was Jets offensive lineman D'Brickashaw Ferguson, the No. 4 selection in the 2006 draft.

As a senior, Long had an ACC-best 14 sacks and 17 tackles for loss, and he first began topping mock draft lists before the Cavaliers' 2007 season ended Jan. 1. He's visited both the Raiders, for whom his dad earned eight Pro Bowl trips, and St. Louis in recent weeks and said he enjoyed his time with the Rams.

"I think I'm definitely in the mix (for the No. 2 pick), but to be honest, I only know what you guys know," Long said.

Albert's stock has been on a meteoric rise since the NFL combine in February, when the 6-foot-7, 310-pounder impressed scouts with a 5.17-second 40-yard dash and 9-foot, 3-inch broad jump. But he turned just as many heads when he shifted from left guard, where he spent most of his U.Va. career, to left tackle for two games, filling in for injured Eugene Monroe. Left tackles, who protect the blind side of right-handed QBs, have grown into a premier NFL position.

"He was forced in there without any practice time and he held his own," said ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. "He didn't give up a sack in either game. This is a kid that's got a ton of skills. He's got great feet, great athleticism."

Kiper projects Albert as today's fifth overall pick. Scout Inc.'s Todd McShay, who joined Kiper in an ESPN.com mock draft, is less sold, tabbing Albert as the 19th pick.

On "NFL Draft Countdown," Scott Wright has Albert at No. 5 — ahead of Long, projected at No. 6.

At Virginia's pro day on March 18, Long and Albert took it relatively easy while other players, including tight end Tom Santi and Poquoson product Josh Zidenberg, lifted weights and ran 40-yard dashes to impress scouts.

Albert did a few position drills, directed by the likes of longtime Washington Redskins offensive line coach Joe Bugel.

"I know that I am moving up on the draft boards," Albert said afterward. "I think a lot of people like the versatility that I can play both (guard and tackle). If somebody goes down, I can replace another guy. I think that's helping my stock out."

Long's stock never has been in question, though there has been speculation about whether Long, who played at 6-4 and 279 pounds in Virginia's 3-4 scheme, may be more suited for linebacker at the next level. Like Albert, Long said he'll play wherever teams want.

"They're both great success stories, how they've put their careers together and put themselves in this position," said Groh, who will be in New York with Long. "It's fun to watch and exciting to be part of."

Some of Long's family members also will join him at Radio City Music Hall, and his famous father may be the antsiest person in the room.

"He's more nervous than I am," Chris Long said. "So really, I've been the one kinda like, 'Hey Dad, just calm down. It'll be all right.' Whatever happens, happens, and shoot, I'll be better off at the end of the week then I was when I woke up Monday morning."

 

Cavs continue draft run
By Jay Jenkins
Published: April 26, 2008

In a way, Virginia’s football program will celebrate its 25th anniversary today.
Every year since 1984, the Cavaliers have had at least one player selected in the NFL draft.
That streak barely stayed alive last year as Marcus Hamilton (Tampa Bay) and Jason Snelling (Atlanta) were selected during the final 12 picks of the seven-round event.
Over the next two days, the newest dose of drama centers strictly upon how many and how early.
Defensive end Chris Long and offensive lineman Branden Albert appear to be locks for today’s first round (ESPN, 3 p.m.), which would mark the second time in program history that a pair of Cavaliers went in the opening round.
In 1997, linebacker James Farrior and defensive end Jon Harris were taken in the top 25 overall selections.
“It means a lot more for Branden and Chris than it necessarily does for the program,” said Virginia coach Al Groh, who will be in New York today with Long. “It’s a great day personally for those two kids. They are both great success stories how they put their career together and how they put themselves in this position. It’s fun to watch and exciting to be a part of.
“Obviously, program-wise, it gives us confirmation and makes us feel good that we have done our part in helping the player realize his potential and his aspirations.”
Long, who started his famed local career at St. Anne’s-Belfield, could be selected second overall by the St. Louis Rams. That would make Long the highest Cavalier taken since Bill Dudley was the top overall pick in 1942.
Long could also slip to fourth to the Oakland Raiders, the organization his father, Howie, played for during his Hall of Fame career.
With his parents expected alongside him today, Chris joked that his dad may have more butterflies during the potentially nerve-racking event.
“I think he’s more nervous for sure,” Chris said. “I’m the one that’s kind of like, ‘Hey, dad, just calm down. It will be all right. Whatever happens happens, and I’ll be better off at the end of the week than I was when I woke up Monday morning.’
“This is going to change my life in a positive way no matter how.”
Albert, considered versatile enough to play guard or tackle, has created a buzz in draft circles, climbing quickly in the eyes of many organizations.
That in itself is astonishing for a former unknown that credits former Virginia offensive lineman Brian Barthelmes with jump-starting his career.
“I learned a lot from Bart — his personality and how he played the moment I arrived,” Albert said. “He showed me the ropes and how to play football.”
While it seems unlikely that Virginia will challenge the program record for overall players selected — seven were taken in 2005 — others are expected to follow Albert and Long as the remaining six rounds unfold.
Tight ends Tom Santi and Jon Stupar are intriguing and proven players, guard/center Ian-Yates Cunningham is considered a versatile swing player, nose tackle Allen Billyk has experience clogging the middle in a 3-4 defense and safety Nate Lyles dazzled scouts with his pro day workout.
Former linebacker Jermaine Dias remains a possibility, and punter Ryan Weigand and placekicker Chris Gould could also latch on with teams, most likely after the draft.
Despite lacking gaudy stats, Billyk said teams have spoken to his agent.
“My agent said teams have called and got my draft-day phone number and asked where I was going to be,” Billyk said. “That doesn’t really mean that I will get drafted but at least I am on someone’s board, at least with a couple of teams.”
Santi said a team would be fortunate to land Billyk.
“He is just a Virginia football player,” Santi said. “There is not a lot of glamour in that 3-4 defense for a lineman like him, but Allen embodies that position. At nose tackle, he has to take on blocks so that he frees up other people, and you never hear him complain about it.
“He is out there busting it every time he is on the field. Somebody is going to be pleasantly surprised with what he can bring to the team.”
Several of the players will be torn as the draft unfolds. Being selected is memorable, but selecting a team as an undrafted free agent offers flexibility and could increase the chances of making a roster or a practice squad.
“It would definitely be really cool just to get called out and get drafted, but at the same time, if you go as a free agent you can choose between the teams interested in you,” Billyk said, “and you might be able to find a little better fit for yourself than if you get chosen by a team and you don’t know what the team’s plans are going to be for you.”
For Lyles, being drafted or landing in a camp would complete a lifelong dream that appeared impossible when he was carted out of Scott Stadium on Nov. 12, 2005 with a neck injury.
“It was scary, but I didn’t want to think that playing professionally couldn’t happen,” Lyles said. “Once the doctors cleared me to play football again, I feel like I played football like I could before. They told me not to hold anything back.
“That event was part of my life and I think it was a big deal when it happened, so I can understand why people would ask about it, but I don’t look at it as anything that is stopping me.”
Cunningham had a similar career-changing injury — he took a medical redshirt in 2004 due to back surgery that followed his rookie season. But Cunningham bounced back, starting the final 25 games of his career, and led the team with 47 knockdowns during the regular season.
“I wanted to be able to play, but you set goals and one of them was to get to the position I am in right now,” Cunningham said. “That’s just why I choose to work hard.”
Of late, Cunningham has heard from numerous organizations and has reason to think he will be drafted this weekend.
“Surprisingly, I have been getting a lot more calls than I expected,” he said. “A lot of people and a lot of teams have been calling and saying that they have me as a draftable guy on their board, and so it is looking bright for me.
“I am sure if my name is called it will surprise a lot of Virginia fans.”
Playing in the Hula Bowl, an all-star game in January, helped Cunningham considerably.
“It was a pretty big surprise for me and being able to be elected to go out there surprised a lot of people,” Cunningham added. “With [Albert] playing left guard, I was under the radar a little bit and not a lot of people had heard about me.
“I got to go out there and showcase my talents at center that I couldn’t show on film. I played center out there and did really well and I think that was beneficial for me.”
Given their position, the odds are stacked against Gould and Weigand. Gould has, however, heard from two teams that have guaranteed at least a free-agent tryout. Weigand has not been as fortunate.
“My agent said he has been in contact with the Texans the most,” Weigand said, “so I guess if something is going to happen it is going to happen with them.”
While Weigand and others are chasing the dream, former center Jordy Lipsey is not expected to pursue a career in football. Lipsey went to work with his father in Florida shortly after the Gator Bowl.

 

UM baseball beats No. 16 Virginia
Freshman pitcher Chris Hernandez struck out 11 to lead No. 1 UM past No. 16 Virginia 1-0.
Posted on Sat, Apr. 26, 2008Digg del.icio.us AIM reprint print email
BY SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

University of Miami freshman Chris Hernandez was named Thursday to the watch list for the Dick Howser Trophy, awarded at season's end to the top player in college baseball.

Perfect timing.

In his best pitching performance of a season already full of highlights, Hernandez allowed two hits in eight innings and had 11 strikeouts to shut out No. 16 Virginia 1-0 on Friday at Mark Light Field.

''I was keeping the ball down and throwing everything for a strike and guys were swinging and missing,'' said Hernandez, who walked one. ``I was able to use a changeup. They weren't hitting that at all because I was keeping it low and away. You keep the ball down and that's what happens.''

UM closer Carlos Gutierrez earned his 10th save by striking out David Adams, a Margate resident, with Greg Miclat on third. Miclat led off with a single, went to second on a sacrifice bunt and took third on a wild pitch.

Miami (34-5, 18-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), the nation's consensus No. 1, scored its lone run in the sixth inning on a double by designated hitter Joey Terdoslavich, followed by Blake Tekotte's RBI single.

''Great game if you like pitching and you like defense,'' UM coach Jim Morris said. ``Both starting pitchers were outstanding and we played really solid defense.''

Virginia pitcher Pat McAnaney also went eight innings, holding the nation's fifth-ranked scoring offense to the lone run -- a season low -- on six hits and one walk. He had six strikeouts.

''Our guy pitched a great game tonight,'' said Virginia coach Brian O'Connor, whose team fell to 32-13 and 13-9. ``He has been lights out all year. I feel bad for him that he didn't have a chance to win this ballgame, but that's a credit to UM's pitching. Chris Hernandez is very, very talented. He is going to have a great career, no doubt about it. The poise that he has as a freshman is pretty impressive.

``It's rare in college baseball to see a 1-0 game with no errors.''

Going into the bottom of the sixth, both teams had two hits apiece. Terdoslavich belted his sixth double of the season, but Dave DiNatale and Yasmani Grandal followed with strikeouts. The Canes finally got on the scoreboard when leadoff hitter Blake Tekotte singled to right, sending Terdoslavich home with a head-first slide to make it 1-0.

''I knew I had to get a good jump on second,'' Terdoslavich said. ``He hit it and they were playing kind of shallow. I didn't think I'd have a chance to score, but I came to home plate and got yelled at for sliding head first. We're not supposed to slide head first so we don't break our hands or arms.

``But it was awesome.''

In addition to Hernandez, reliever Kyle Bellamy and second baseman Jemile Weeks were also named to the Dick Howser watch list.

''I was really surprised at being named,'' Hernandez said. ``As a freshman it's a real honor. I just want to keep throwing well.''

 

No. 1 Miami Blanks No. 16 Baseball, 1-0
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 04/25/2008Va Media Relations

Pat McAnaney took a hard-luck, complete-game loss Friday vs. No. 1 Miami.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Despite a sterling pitching effort from Pat McAnaney (Sr., Syracuse, N.Y.), the No. 16 Virginia baseball team dropped a 1-0 game to No. 1 Miami Friday night in front of a standing room only crowd of 2,884 at Mark Light Field.

Virginia falls to 32-13 overall and 13-9 in the ACC, while Miami improves to 34-5 overall and 18-2 in the ACC.

Miami starting pitcher Chris Hernandez (7-0) matched McAnaney throughout. He allowed just two hits, a walk and two hit batsmen in his eight innings. Hernandez struck out seven of the first nine batters and tied a career high with 11 strikeouts. Carlos Gutierrez stranded a runner at third in the ninth inning to notch his 10th save.

McAnaney (4-2) went eight innings for his third complete game of the season. He gave up just six hits and a walk while fanning six. McAnaney limited the Miami offense, which came in ranked third nationally with a .339 batting average, to a season-low one run.

The pitchers’ duel last two hours, 19 minutes and featured just nine total hits (one for extra bases) while the pitchers combined for two walks and 18 strikeouts.

Greg Miclat (Jr., Concord, N.C.), David Adams (Jr., Margate, Fla.) and John Barr (Fr., Ivyland, Pa.) each had singles for the Cavaliers’ lone hits. Blake Tekotte and Joey Terdoslavich each had two hits for the Hurricanes.

The game’s lone run came in the sixth inning. Terdoslavich led off with a double, but McAnaney struck out the next two batters. Tekotte then lined one just past a diving Jeremy Farrell (Jr., Westlake, Ohio) at first base to bring home Terdoslavich.

Miclat had a one-out single in the ninth, moved to second on a Tyler Cannon (So., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) sacrifice and advanced to third on a wild pitch, but Gutierrez fanned Adams on a check swing to end the game. It marks just the second time this season that Virginia has been shut out.

Game two of the series is at 7 p.m. Saturday and will be televised regionally by CSS.

 

Like father, like son?
The Rams could take Virginia's Chris Long, but he may be picked by the Oakland Raiders.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

Now that the Miami Dolphins have removed all of the suspense from today's No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, the No. 2 pick has become the old No. 1.

Barring any 11th-hour developments, considerable attention will be focused on Virginia defensive end Chris Long as St. Louis prepares to make the second overall pick.

Long had been discussed as a possible Dolphins pick before it was announced Tuesday that Miami had come to terms with Michigan offensive lineman Jake Long.

"I kind of that saw that coming," said Long in a Thursday teleconference with Virginia reporters. "To be honest, I'm not into doing the No. 1 pick thing. I'm more focussed on what happens after the draft."

Long spoke by phone from New York, where he was doing promotional appearances with other potential first-rounders. It appears likely that two Virginia players will be taken in the first round, Long and fellow co-captain Branden Albert, an offensive lineman.

By the time Albert started to move up in the draft projections, invitations to Radio City Music Hall had been mailed. He will be watching on television from his brother's home in Glen Burnie, Md.

"The only thing that's been taxing or annoying is that I haven't been able to get in a groove with my workouts," Long said. "You know that you're going to have to show up in some team's mini-camp in about two weeks, maybe less.

"The sense of urgency to work out is pretty high but the opportunity to do it is not as good. It's been fun. I'm looking at it as a new experience. You only live once and this is our moment in the sun."

As of Thursday afternoon, 47 percent of the respondents to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch poll had indicated they would like to see the Rams take UVa's Long with the second pick. However, many analysts believe that St. Louis will choose LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey.

"I think I'm definitely in the mix," Long said, "but, to be honest, I only know what you guys [in the media] know. I could turn on ESPN and find out everything I could know."

St. Louis is followed in the draft order by Atlanta, Oakland and Kansas City.

If St. Louis and Atlanta pass on Long, a major draft storyline would ensue. Long's father, NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long, spent his entire 13-year professional career with the Raiders.

"It's a real possibility," Long said. "People will be talking about, 'Would it be tough for you to play there? Would it be fun to play there?' No matter what pressure that brings, it's really just another place where I have to prove myself."

Long's father and mother will be accompanying him to the draft, as will UVa head coach Al Groh. Howie Long is an NFL analyst for Fox Sports, but ESPN is the television home of the draft.

"We talk like any father and son would," Chris said. "I think I'm calmer than him, for sure. Really, I've been the one who's like, 'Hey, Dad, just calm down. It'll be all right.' Shoot, I'll be better off at the end of the week than I was when I woke up Monday morning.' "

Chris Long has taken visits to St. Louis and Oakland team headquarters. He also has been to Kansas, but only to serve as a guest coach for Kansas State head coach Ron Prince, a former UVa assistant.

The Rams have given every indication that their interest is sincere. Before meeting with reporters March 18 at UVa's pro timing day, Long had a sit-down with St. Louis head coach Scott Linehan.

At Rams' headquarters, defensive coordinator Jim Haslett joined the meetings.

"As I sat down and watched film with them, I felt very positively about everything they put on the board," Long said. "The things they asked me to do there, I think I'm very capable of doing."

Long's visit to Oakland included a meeting with longtime Raiders' owner Al Davis, his father's old boss.

"It was an honor," Chris said. "It was crazy. He really does have a great reputation. It was cool to talk to him in his office."

Still, Long leaves the impression that the draft can't end soon enough, a feeling that hit home last year for Notre Dame quarterback and Cleveland draftee Brady Quinn, who waited maybe 15 picks after his name was first mentioned as a possibility.

"The further you fall, the better the team," Long said. "I'm just going to look for the positive in any situation."
 

GW's Wilson a lock for Tech? Not at this point
Latest commitment for UVa is fifth Top 25 junior
By Doug Doughty

On Friday morning, North Carolina State became the 10th Division I-A football program to make a scholarship offer to George Washington High School running back David Wilson.

George Washington coach Dan Newell already has a candidate for No. 11.

“The first 10 were official [offers],” Newell said. “I have a pretty good feeling Alabama will be next.”

The first 10 schools to offer Wilson – Newell can remember them by going north to south – were Michigan, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, N.C. State, Georgia Tech, Clemson and Auburn.

“I got a message to call Florida today,” Newell said. “I know Tennessee is in the mix. Ohio State’s coming Wednesday. Florida State’s in the mix. It’s going to get bigger before it gets smaller.”

Newell’s going to have to cut it off at some point.

“I think his parents are going to make that decision for me,” he said.

Wilson got an offer for which he and his coach had been waiting when Virginia Tech came forward April 18.

“We knew Tech’s situation with [reduced] scholarships and they had told us, ‘It’s going to take a while before we sift this out,’ “ Newell said. “The timing of the offer was not unexpected. Did we take it as a slight? Absolutely not.”

Wilson, a 5-foot-11, 195-pounder, rushed for 1,556 yards as a junior and scored 20 touchdowns, two coming on kickoff returns, the first with Tech offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring in attendance for the Eagles’ opener against William Fleming.

Newell’s relationship with Stinespring goes back to the time when Newell was the coach at Lake Taylor in Norfolk and had defensive back Ronyell Whitaker, who signed with the Hokies and had a – how do we describe it, favorable ? – career at Tech.

Most recently, George Washington has sent Kenny Lewis Jr., Cam Martin and Orion Martin to Tech, but when asked if Tech is the team to beat for Wilson, Newell says, “I’m not going to say that?”

But, what if a sportswriter were to say Tech is the favorite for Wilson.

“He never has mentioned any one front-runner,” Newell said.

But, Newell can understand why Tech may be viewed that way.

“I think there are two reasons for that,” Newell said. “One is my connection to kids who have gone there in the past, but that’s not a real good indicator because, essentially, Ronyell Whitaker was going to go where Mike Vick went, and they were good friends and ended up rooming together up there.

“Then, Cam Martin and Orion Martin, their uncle, Bobby, played for coach [Frank] Beamer up there at Virginia Tech. They made that decision on their own. And, of course, Kenny Lewis’ father is a legacy up there.

“I didn’t really have to do anything to get those kids to go to Virginia Tech. That’s where they wanted to go from the get-go. I do know that one of the factors that is going to play into [Wilson’s] decision is his track career. He wants to continue to at least do the triple jump.”

Newell said that Maryland was the first school to offer Wilson a football scholarship. That was in December; then, along came Virginia in January.

“He took opportunities then, when his track schedule was a little lighter, to take junior-day visits with his parents,” Newell said. “He was very excited about the whole prospect and it was new to him.

“That makes a difference in these kids’ mentalities, [as to] who’s the first one in the door. Let’s face it, when you’re a recruit like him, this kind of stuff’s going to get old pretty soon. The little connections you make early on stick with you a little longer.”

Stinespring is recruiting Wilson for Tech and Wayne Lineburg is recruiting him for UVa, Newell said, which lends credence to the rumors that Radford native Lineburg will have an expanded role in southwest Virginia.

“I’ve known both of those guys for years and have great relationships with them,” Newell said. “If [the Cavaliers] have a chance, I feel that that’s their best chance of making a connection. I feel good about the way he represents UVa and his relationship with kids in this part of the country.”

EACH RECRUITING CLASS seems to have its own unique features and the 2008 state class is destined to go down as the first with four top five players to commit by April 30 of their junior year.

After West Virginia had taken commitments from three of the state’s top four juniors, according to The Roanoke Times, a fourth top-five player committed to former WVU coach Rich Rodriguez, now at Michigan.

Kevin Newsome, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound quarterback from Western Branch High School in Chesapeake, didn’t even have a list of finalists before announcing his intentions earlier this week.

“I was a little surprised; I think everybody was kind of surprised,” said Scott Johnson, entering his second season as Western Branch coach. “I do know that he was getting tired of the recruiting process. The calls and the visits … I think that just became a little burdensome.”

Virginia Tech had been seen as a player for Newsome’s services, particularly given its history at Western Branch, but young Hokies’ quarterback Tyrod Taylor has three more years of eligibility and potentially could be reshirted this season. Taylor, from Hampton,
was rated the No. 1 prospect in the state in 2007.

Newsome looked at Virginia Tech “and I will say he did his homework from the standpoint of who had committed and who was on the depth chart,” Johnson said. “That would have been a factor with whoever he was considering.”

Michigan could be hurting for quarterbacks. Starter Chad Henne used up his eligibility and is certain to be taken in the NFL Draft today. Back-up Ryan Mallett transferred to Arkansas and top recruiting target Terrelle Pryor picked Ohio State over Michigan and others.

“I don’t think the style they’ve had at Michigan really fits the offense that coach [Rich] Rodriguez will establish,” Johnson said. “I’m not sure anybody on Michigan’s quarterback depth chart really fits that because they’re pocket passers, drop-back guys.”

LUKE BOWANKO, the 6-5 ½, 265-pound Centreville High School offensive lineman who committed to Virginia on Thursday, is rated the No. 25 junior in Virginia by The Roanoke Times. Five of Virginia’s six commitments are from players ranked among the state’s top 25 juniors and the sixth, Liberty-Bealeton safety Corey Lillard, is a candidate for future lists.