U.VA. NOTES
Saturday, Aug 23, 2008 - 12:07 AM

Basketball team pays visit to soldiers
Virginia men's basketball coach Dave Leitao took his team on the road Thursday. The Cavaliers spent most of the day visiting injured soldiers and Marines at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.

The Wahoos are preparing for a trip to Montreal, where they'll play three exhibition games late this month. Leitao was looking for off-the-court team-bonding and team-building activities, he said yesterday, and "we had a bunch of kids that had never been [to Walter Reed], and I didn't know if we'd get there during the season."

Leitao's support of the military has been well-documented. In the summer of 2006, he was among the coaches involved in "Operation Hardwood III," a tour to Japan sponsored by the USO and Armed Forces Entertainment, and in January 2007, before Virginia's game at Maryland, he took his team to Walter Reed.

About three months ago, Leitao was one of five coaches on "Operation Hoop Talk: Talking with the Troops," a tour that took them to two military hospitals in the D.C. area and to Kuwait and Iraq.

During part of their time Walter Reed, the Cavaliers played basketball in the gym with some of the amputees, Leitao said. His players may benefit as much from the visits as the patients do.

"We all have our own crosses to bear in our own personal lives, and we can start feeling sorry for ourselves," Leitao said. "Just one look at a guy who's smiling and happy and trying to do everything you do, but only has one leg or one arm, gives you a different perspective than you'd have."

Moving forward without Mikalauskas
U.Va. is allowed 10 practices before its trip to Canada. Before the first one, Leitao said, he spoke to his players about center Laurynas Mikalauskas' recent dismissal from the team.

"Losing a teammate is never easy," Leitao said, "but they're mature enough to understand, and they've got move forward. They know there are standards I set but, most importantly, the university sets. And if you don't live up to those standards, there are consequences."

Cavaliers courting John Marshall star
Leitao's targets in the Class of 2010 include Travis McKie, a 6-6 forward who plays for John Marshall High School in Richmond.

McKie, an excellent student, attends Community High School. He's a longtime fan of North Carolina, and the Tar Heels are monitoring his progress, but his scholarship offers to date are from Boston College, Maryland, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and Virginia.

Former Caroline County High School coach Richard Fortune, a family friend, is advising McKie in the recruiting process. Fortune said yesterday that McKie is seriously interested in U.Va., "because it's an in-state school. Virginia and Virginia Tech are both high on his list right now."

As a sophomore in 2007-08, McKie was named to the all-Group AAA second team after averaging 18.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

Jason Williford was the last Justice to play hoops at U.Va. Williford, a 6-5 forward, started 83 games for the Cavaliers in the'90s.

Ex-Royal Bivens mending slowly
U.Va. football player John Bivens' comeback is progressing slowly. Bivens, a redshirt sophomore who starred at Prince George High, has had two operations on his left knee in the past 16 months.

Asked yesterday how much the 6-2, 233-pound inside linebacker has been able to participate during training camp, coach Al Groh said, "Just a restricted amount. Not enough to put him in the picture right now."

Dowling may not be ready to play vs. USC
When he's healthy, sophomore Ras-I Dowling probably has the best instincts of any cornerback at U.Va. But Dowling is recovering from an undisclosed injury and may not be ready for next Saturday's opener against Southern California.

The other candidates to start alongside junior Vic Hall at cornerback are sophomore Mike Parker and redshirt freshmen Chase Minnifield and Dom Joseph. -- Jeff White

 

USC on more solid footing as it breaks camp
By Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 23, 2008

There still are some question marks, some issues that need to be addressed.

To name a few: the stability of the quarterback's left knee, the offensive line's cohesion and the receivers' ability to hold onto the ball.

But with one week to go before its season opener at Virginia, USC appears to be on the mend and primed to make a run at its third Bowl Championship Series postseason game in five years.

The Trojans, ranked second in the coaches' poll and third in the Associated Press media poll, finish training camp today. They begin preparations for Virginia on Monday with one of the deepest and most talented rosters in college football.

"This team is really ready to go," Coach Pete Carroll said.

Carroll's assessment is based in part on the expected return of starting quarterback Mark Sanchez to full practice Monday.

An air of uncertainty shrouded the team after Sanchez crumpled to the ground with a dislocated kneecap on Aug. 8. But two weeks later, with Sanchez moving smoothly and throwing the ball well, it looks like it might have been a blessing of sorts.

Redshirt freshman Aaron Corp and sophomore Mitch Mustain never would have taken as many first-team snaps, or understood the offense as well, if Sanchez had not been forced to watch practice from a golf cart.

Sanchez, too, might have benefited from sitting out, according to offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian.

"When the season's going, midway through the year and most quarterbacks' arms are getting tired, his should still be fresh," Sarkisian said.

Sarkisian spent most of the last two weeks intensely tutoring Corp and Mustain, evaluating tailbacks, auditioning receivers and experimenting with offensive line combinations.

In the first scrimmage at the Coliseum on Aug. 12, it seemed as if defensive linemen outnumbered ballcarriers in the backfield after every snap. In Thursday's scrimmage, the offensive line appeared more cohesive, but still was penalized for several false starts.

"We're getting closer, we're making progress," offensive line coach Pat Ruel said.

So, too, it appears, are the receivers.

Arkansas transfer Damian Williams, who redshirted last season, and a healthy Travon Patterson have infused a corps that includes Vidal Hazelton, Patrick Turner and Ronald Johnson.

"We're at another level from last year," Williams said. "I think everybody's progressed and we're going to do a lot better."

No one seems too worried about the defense.

Averell Spicer and Christian Tupou will team to replace Sedrick Ellis at nose tackle. They are surrounded by experienced linemen and backed by seasoned linebackers and defensive backs.

"If we stay healthy and get turnovers, which is starting to happen, I think we can be really good," defensive coordinator Nick Holt said. "We have to keep our linebackers healthy."

Rey Maualuga, in particular.

The Trojans could withstand an injury at either of the outside linebacker spots, but with Chris Galippo (back) not expected to return until after the third game and Luthur Brown also battling a back injury, the Trojans are thin in the middle behind Maualuga.
 

Sanchez on track to start against Virginia
By Scott Wolf, Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 08/21/2008 10:57:54 PM PDT

USC held its mock game at the Coliseum on Thursday, but it might be better labeled a moot game.

As quarterbacks Aaron Corp and Mitch Mustain battled it out on the field, USC coach Pete Carroll said Mark Sanchez would probably start against Virginia.

"Mark legitimately threw today, and Mark's going to be back full speed in the next couple days," Carroll said. "He's going to enter back in the mix by Monday. If he does all right and handles it, he's positioning himself to be the starter. It's likely it'll be that way."

Sanchez did not participate in the scrimmage in front of about 7,000 fans but threw before it. Unless he aggravates his knee, he should start the season opener against the Cavaliers on Aug. 30.

Meanwhile, Corp and Mustain made their final pitches to claim the starting job if Sanchez is out, or the backup job if he plays. Corp completed eight of 10 passes for 85 yards while Mustain was 10 for 14 for 92 yards and a touchdown.

Corp completed 20 of 26 passes in the past two scrimmages, and the general feeling is that he pulled ahead of Mustain. He showed a new wrinkle Thursday by moving around the pocket and finding a receiver instead of relying on his speed to scramble.

"I really don't know (if I'm ahead of Mustain)," Corp said. "I'm not going to say until the coaches say something."

Mustain engineered his best drive of training camp, taking the Trojans 65 yards with a 22-yard pass to tight end Blake

Ayles the highlight along with two passes to wide receiver Travon Patterson for 25 yards. Tight end Rhett Ellison caught a two-yard touchdown pass to end the drive.
"I don't know how to evaluate the performance," Mustain said. "I think this is our last shot. Our last big one anyways."

Carroll did not want to evaluate the quarterbacks right after the scrimmage.

"They completed balls and handled it all right," he said. "I don't have a good assessment."

For all the hype USC's defense received, it showed some vulnerability early as fourth-string quarterback Garrett Green completed a 32-yard pass to wide receiver Jordan Cameron on the first play. Cameron, who did not play in the previous scrimmage because the coaches forgot to put him in, led USC in receiving with three catches for 81 yards.

"I felt like I got to do something for the team," Cameron said. "It was good to run around and get out there. We were just trying to create things."

Green led the reserves to a touchdown against the first-team defense and finished 9 for 19 for 134 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

"The (reserve) team, that's a good looking team," Carroll said. "They're young and talented."

Gable update: Tailback C.J. Gable admitted he was surprised he made such a quick recovery from Tuesday's hip and ankle injuries. Gable should be back by Monday.

"I thought I was done, but it wasn't that bad," he said. "I'll play hurt. I don't care."

Sitting out: Wide receiver David Ausberry (hip flexor), cornerback Shareece Wright (groin) and defensive tackle Fili Moala (back spasms) sat out the scrimmage.

 

 preseason list, for a change
And have you been to Skyline Drive?
By Doug Doughty

As opposed to The Roanoke Times Top 25, which has appeared on Christmas Day for what seems like 25 years, a preseason list of the state’s top football prospects has showed up at various times and in various formats.

Most years, it has been published in the print edition of The Roanoke Times. There have been other times, in recent years, it has been available only online. I suspect there was one year when there was no list at all.

Last year, it was referred to as a late-summer list, which hid the fact that it came out after the season had started, although I think I did come clean on that score.

So, they’re about to start the high-school season – I’ve got William Fleming at Magna Vista tonight – and I can legitimately describe this as a preseason list. Ultimately, we’ll make it available to be printed in a Microsoft Excel format, but I’m in too much of a hurry to do that now.

As you may have heard, former Roanoke Times prep editor Bob Teitlebaum passed away Thursday and I’ve been asked to eulogize him in a column. Between that assignment, the trip to Magna Vista and sending kids off to college today at Virginia Tech and Virginia, I’ve got a full plate.

So, here’s The Roanoke Times’ preseason list of the state’s top juniors and if it bears some resemblance to a list that appears in SuperPrep’s preseason issue, please accept my apologies. I’ve been the state correspondent for that publication for 20 years.

Here’s the list, to be followed by this week’s poll question. Results from the last two polls will be analyzed in next week’s column.

Virginia’s top senior football prospects for 2008

1. Tahj Boyd, 6-1, 195, QB, Hampton Phoebus – Committed to West Virginia.

2. Kevin Newsome, 6-2, 205, QB, Chatham Hargrave – Has reopened his recruiting after decommitting to Michigan. Transfer from Chesapeake Western Branch.

3. Morgan Moses, 6-7, 332 OL, Richmond Meadowbrook – Has more than 30 Division I offers; some publications rate him the No. 1 prospect in Virginia.

4. Logan Thomas, 6-6, 215 TE, Lynchburg Brookville – Actually plays quarterback for the Bees; object of this year’s prime Virginia-Virginia Tech recruiting battle.

5. David Wilson, 5-11, 190 RB, Danville George Washington – Committed to VT

6. Logan Heastie, 6-2, 200 WR, Chesapeake Great Bridge – Committed to WVU; SuperPrep (not me) ranks him the No. 2 WR in the country.

7. Dominique Wallace, 6-2, 230 RB, Fredericksburg Chancellor – Committed to UVa

8. Jerod Askew, 6-0, 215 LB, Portsmouth Oscar Smith – Uncommitted; most ACC schools and regional powers are after him.

9. Quintin Hunter, 6-2, 180 WR, Orange County – Committed to UVa; he may get a look at quarterback, his position at Orange.

10. Dominik Davenport, 6-0, 250, DL, Hampton Phoebus – Committed to WVU; height a little bit of an issue but production isn’t.

11. Lanford Collins, 6-4, 240 DE, Stafford Brooke Pointe – Another uncommitted player with interest from Tech and UVa

12. Jake Snyder, 6-4, 235 DE, Richmond Deep Run – Committed to UVa, where his brother is a walk-on wide receiver.

13. DeAntre Rhodes, 6-2, 279 OL, Richmond Varina – Varina has long been good to the Hokies, who are one of Rhodes’ leaders.

14. De’Antwan Williams, 5-7, 202 RB, Woodbridge – Don’t let the size fool you; academics may be a bigger issue. Likes Maryland.

15. Brynn Renner, 6-3, 198 QB, West Springfield – Committed to North Carolina; this is the highest I’ve rated him and some have him higher.

16. Jordan Love, 609, 185 DB, Richmond Deep Run – Move-in from Maryland has committed to Georgia.

17. David Wang, 6-3, 290 DL, Ashburn Stone Bridge – Frequently gets overlooked, a common issue with players who commit early; will join brother Ed at VT.

18. Telvion Clark, 6-1, 205 LB, Norfolk Granby – Got an offer out of VT’s camp and took it.

19. Tim Smith, 6-1, 190 WR, Chesapeake Oscar Smith – Major target for UVa, which has one of his teammates.

20. Andrew Miller, 6-5, 264 OL, Bassett – Top-rated wrestler in this group but eventually targeted for VT’s O-line.

21. Antone Exum, 6-0, 200 ATH, Richmond Deep Run – Didn’t jump as early as teammates Snyder and Love; Hokies in the mix for him.

22. Corey Lillard, 5-11, 190 DB, Bealeton Liberty – Committed to UVa during Cavs’ push up the U.S. 29 corridor.

23. Alex Owah, 6-0, 167 WR, Harrisonburg – Seems that legal problems are behind this UVa commit.

24. Ross Metheny, 6-3, 185 QB, Stephens City Sherando – UVa made a smart move taking Metheny when it did.

25. Damien Thigpen, 5-8, 170 RB, Manassas Stonewall – Speedster committed to Tennessee so early that he’s been underrated before and probably is here.

26. James Gayle, 6-4, 220 DE, Hampton Bethel – Hokies were strapped for scholarships but wasted little time in offering Gayle and taking his commitment.

27. Theron Norman, 6-3, 185 WR, Richmond Hermitage – Committed to the Hokies; will play quarterback this year at Hermitage.

28. Will Hill, 6-4, 260 DE, Williamsburg Lafayette – Said to have eight Division I offers; UVa still in the mix.

29. Luke Bowanko, 6-6, 260 OL, Clifton Centreville – Offer from FSU caused a stir before he committed to UVa.

30. Zach Thompson, 6-4, 240 DE, Ashburn Stone Bridge – Committed to Wake despite father’s ties to UVa (ex-player)

31. Shawne Alston, 6-0, 190 RB, Hampton Phoebus – Committed to WVU, where he will join teammates Boyd and Davenport

32. Tyrel Wilson, 6-3, 230 DE, Hampton – Father played at Tennessee; Hokies and Vols are interested.

33. Duan Perez-Means, 6-4, 235 DE, Richmond Hermitage – “Jumbo” athlete who joined Norman in committing to VT.

34. Nubian Peak, 5-11, 175 RB, Dublin Pulaski County – Committed to VT; looked like a blur when I covered him against Blacksburg.

35. Frank Figueroa, 6-4, 282 OL, Alexandria Edison – Virtually unknown before he committed to Penn State.

36. Sterlin Phifer, 5-10, 200 RB, Virginia Beach Landstown – Productive rusher in a good league, he’s committed to Boston College.

37. Perry Jones, 5-8, 177 DB, Chesapeake Oscar Smith – Virginia took a chance on Jones making the move from LB to CB but why not establish a toehold at Oscar Smith?

38. Bradley Johnson, 6-1, 205 LB, Dinwiddie – Ex-Rockbridge coach Billy Mills is building a power at Dinwiddie, with Maryland-bound Johnson leading the way.

39. Connor McCartin, 6-4, 209 LB, Warrenton Fauquier – Will be joining his older brother, a walk-on quarterback, at UVa.

40. Brian Slay, 6-3, 255 DE, Ashburn Stone Bridge – Move-in from Georgia might be Stone Bridge’s best player; he’s going to North Carolina State.

 

Cavaliers Top Loyola 4-0 in Season Opener
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 08/22/2008
Courtesy: Matt Riley / UVa Media Relations

CHARLOTTESVILLE – The No. 7 Virginia women’s soccer team opened up its 2008 season with a 4-0 victory over Loyola (Md.) Friday night at Klöckner Stadium. Kelly Quinn (Dublin, Ohio) had her first multi-goal game of her career, scoring twice to lead the Cavaliers to their ninth consecutive season opening win.

“This was a good result for us,” said head coach Steve Swanson. “Coming into the first game of the season, you are always a little concerned. We knew that Loyola had a good team with a lot of returning players and having played here in the NCAA Tournament last year that they wouldn’t be intimidated by the environment. We controlled the game early but it took us a while to get the first goal. The second one, with 16 seconds left in the half, was big because it gave us a little bit of a cushion.”

The Cavaliers took control of the game from the start but the Loyola defense held them off the scoreboard until the 37th minute. Alex Singer (Rye, N.Y.) sent a ball forward that Meghan Lenczyk (McLean, Va.) flicked on into the run of Quinn, who slotted a shot inside the far post. In the final minute of the first half Quinn struck again, as Amanda Stewart’s (West Chester, Pa.) corner kick was head across the goal mouth by Alli Fries (Dublin, Ohio) to Quinn, who blasted in the shot to double the Cavalier lead just 16 seconds before intermission.

Virginia continued to pressure the Greyhounds in the second half and added a pair of later goals. In the 84th minute, Lauren Alwine’s (Elizabethtown, Pa.) cross was played by Sarah Senty (Arlington, Va.) in the box to Lindsey Miller (Nashua, N.H.), who one-timed a shot for her first career goal. Two minutes later, Nikki Krzysik’s (Clifton, N.J.) long ball over the top sent Maggie Kistner (St. Louis, Mo.) in on a breakaway. Kistner was taken down in the box and Krzysik converted the ensuing penalty kick.

“It would have been nice to get the third goal and little bit earlier,” said Swanson. “That way we could have gotten some players some more minutes and gotten a few more into the game. We know get another week of practice before our next game to continue to improve and experiment with our lineup and roles.”

Overall the Cavaliers outshot the Greyhounds 26-1 and had a 11-0 corner kick advantage. Celeste Miles (Garland, Texas) made her first career start in goal and posted the shutout, while Brittany Henderson had 10 saves in goal for Loyola.

The Cavaliers return to action next Friday when they host Liberty at 6 p.m. The game is the first part of a soccer doubleheader with the Cavalier men hosting St. John’s at 8 p.m.
 

Quinn’s two-goal night leads Cavaliers past Greyhounds
By Whitey Reid
Published: August 22, 2008

For the Virginia women’s soccer team to have the kind of season it wants, two things need to happen.

One, the seniors on the roster need to step up. Two, they need to blend in seamlessly with some of the younger players.

On Friday night at Klockner Stadium, both those things happened as UVa — behind two goals from senior Kelly Quinn — opened its season with a dominating 4-0 victory over Loyola (Md.) in front of 848 fans.

“It was a good result for us,” said Virginia coach Steve Swanson. “Obviously, the first game you’re always a little concerned. I felt their team had a lot of returners back from last year and wouldn’t be intimidated.”

For a good portion of the first half, they weren’t.

But in the 37th minute, Virginia (1-0) took the lead when Quinn was able to maneuver around a Loyola defender and perfectly angle a shot to the far left post past goalkeeper Brittany Henderson.

“It was a good ball from Alex Singer in the back into [Meghan] Lenczyk, and her flick got me right in there,” Quinn said. “It was a great play from the back.”

About seven minutes later, in the 45th minute, Quinn struck again. Amanda Stewart knocked a corner kick into the box, which found its way to Quinn by the right post.

Quinn blasted the ball past Henderson for the first two-goal game of her career.

“I wish it wasn’t my first-two goal game,” said Quinn, smiling. “I wish I had one earlier, but hopefully it will be one of many this season.”

With the graduation of leading scorer Shannon Foley, the onus will be on Quinn, among others, to pick up the slack.

Swanson is counting on it.

“Kelly is as good of an athlete as you’re ever going to find…she did a great job tonight,” Swanson said. “She’s like our engine if we were a car. She has a lot of horsepower.”

When Virginia had the game in hand in the second half, Swanson switched engines and didn’t miss a beat.

In the 84th minute, sophomore Lindsey Miller scored. Then, in the 86th minute, freshman Maggie Kistner drew a penalty kick off a great ball from senior Nikki Krzysik.

“I was at half-field and the defense had stepped up,” explained Kistner. “[Krzysik] saw the space behind and I started making the run and she played it perfectly into space.”

Overall, Swanson was pleased. How could he not be? Virginia outshot Loyola 26-1.

“Whenever you can get a win like this and still have stuff to work on, I think it’s a good result for your team,” Swanson said. “But we’re by no means set. We have a lot of work to do on both sides of the ball.”