December 2007
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Tech Turns Over ACC Opener at Wake, 77-75 First, the Hokies did everything they could to lose, giving Wake Forest 20 first half points off of turnovers. Then, they did everything they could to win, turning a nine-point halftime deficit into a late game 8-point lead. But in the final 1:22, Tech fans experienced that same feeling they had on that October night in Lane Stadium after Matt Ryan’s two touchdown passes. Wake Forest guard Ishmael Smith sank a pull-up jumper from 18 feet with .6 seconds left for the game winner. David Weaver intercepted Deron Washington’s Hail Mary to Jeff Allen and the Demon Deacons won a shocker. The Will Call: Your Ticket To The Game Right around this time each year the regular season of college football is wrapping up…students are wrapping up classes with finals and parents are wrapping up presents for their kids. It’s a hectic time of year and with all the commotion going on guess what usually gets overlooked? COLLEGE HOOPS Each year fans of the sport miss some key November and December games that give hints as to how the season will unfold. Sometimes we miss championships of preseason tournaments and highly ranked contests. Did you know UCLA and UNC were sharing the #1 ranking until the Durant-less Texas Longhorns pulled the upset back on Dec. 2? And if you don’t know the new names Love, Beasley, Mayo, Rose, and Gordon, well…I feel bad for you. Feature: VTPD Goes Downtown Shower, check. Hair and makeup, check. New top, check. Matching pumps, check. Cell phone, wallet, ID, check. It’s Thursday night and right on schedule. 10:30 has arrived, so it’s time to catch a ride over to a friend’s house for a light pre-game before making our way to downtown Blacksburg. The Blacksburg Police and Virginia Tech Police departments gear up and head out as well. Their mission: to ensure “proactive patrol” and to instill the perception of being everywhere at once, said officer Geof Allen, community outreach officer for the Virginia Tech Police Department. Interview: Editor/Author Mike Harris Nothing is as inspiring as a good sports story. Countless movies and books have been based on lovable underdogs overcoming adversity on their way to victory. No matter how moving the victory lap is, perhaps what is even more moving is the way the story is told. Mike Harris has learned how to tell these tales through his years of sports reporting, covering a variety of sporting events ranging from the Olympics to the Final Four. Hokies Halted By Wake Forest In College Cup, 2-0
Earlier in the day Virginia Tech junior phenom Patrick Nyarko was named one of three MAC Hermann Trophy finalists. He may very well be the nation’s best player, but this evening belonged to the junior forward in Wake Forest colors. Marcus Tracy capitalized on Virginia Tech miscues in free kick defense, knocking in two second half goals shortly after resets. Tracy’s ninth and tenth goals of the season lifted Wake Forest to a 2-0 victory and a national championship bout with Ohio State, while ending the most successful season in Hokie history. Oliver Weiss: From National Power to Hillbilly School to National Power…Again It’s a Tuesday afternoon and the North Carolina men’s soccer team is heading off for their month-long Winter Break. The Tar Heels just won the 2001 NCAA Division I Championship two days earlier, so the celebrations are starting to die down as the students and coaches head off in their different directions. For one man, though, it is not that simple. A huge opportunity has just been thrown his way; an opportunity that will change his entire life. The top assistant coach for the Tar Heels has just been offered the head coaching job at Virginia Tech. His decision is a tough one; does he leave all the successes and great talent associated with UNC soccer for the hillbilly school in the mountains of Virginia that really has no national appeal except for an up-and-coming football program? Former Hokie Gets Mixed Reaction From Fans, Team There was a definite sub-story to Tech’s 68-36 win Sunday night over George Washington. It wasn’t that this was one of the best defensive efforts in over a decade for the Hokies or that they avenged a one-point heartbreaker to the team that beat them last year. Without the question, the return of former Hokie basketball player Wynton Witherspoon seemed bigger than the game itself. Witherspoon spent his freshman and sophomore years playing basketball for Greenberg until he transferred to George Washington. After sitting out last season due to the NCAA requirement for transfer athletes, Witherspoon became the second leading scorer on GW, averaging 13 points a game. Transitions: The Journey of AD Vassallo
Vassallo, a junior on the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team, has a very historic background when it comes to basketball. Vassallo’s father, Daniel Vassallo, is the all-time leading scorer for the Puerto Rican Professional League. Cup Bound!
Patrick Nyarko’s 21st minute goal supplemented Tech’s bend-but-don’t-break defense and the superb goaltending of Markus Aigner (4 saves). Hokies Turn To Tie Dye For Support
The “Hokies On Fire” program was created by the Student Government Association to bring back a big basketball culture on campus, and show that Virginia Tech is a basketball school according to the SGA website. The 2007 football season brings in sales for shirts of Orange Effect and Maroon Effect game shirts, and basketball wants a piece. The Life of Robert Canter: English Teaching Super Hero Robert Canter stood at his front door sipping a cup of coffee one early morning and watched a figure slash his car tires in his own driveway. It was a student of his. The year was 1994 and Robert Canter was in his second year teaching at Virginia Tech. The motive for the crime? Canter had given this student a “B.” Twelve years later, it is 9:30 p.m. on a Tuesday, but Robert Canter is still in his office in Shanks, visiting with a transfer student and talking about nothing in particular. The atmosphere is welcoming and friendly. Canter wears light blue jeans, a gray long sleeve casual shirt and dirty construction boots. His hair is curly and disheveled, complementing his full beard and glasses. When he speaks, his voice is low and calm. Media Professional Interview: Melanie Morris For Melanie Morris, this is exactly what happened after a summer internship on Capitol Hill turned into much more than just an experience to put on a resume. Instead, it paved the way for her future job as press secretary for U.S. Representative Allen Boyd of Florida’s 2nd District just one year after graduating from Boston University. Lucky for her, Florida is also her home state and where her love of the media and politics began in high school. School Board Approves Crisis Intervention Plan In response to April 16, the Montgomery County School Board approved plans for a crisis intervention grant proposal at their meeting Tuesday. The plan, called Project SERV, calls for $48,900 for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) to help students during an emotional crisis. The money would be donated by the U.S. Department of education’s Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, Project School emergency Response to Violence (SERV) Grants program. Shredding It Up Blacksburg Style with Skateboarder Donald Packard Fancher You won’t find him traveling across the globe or see his pictures plastered across pages of magazines, but anybody who pays attention to skateboarding knows about Packy Fancher. As Sergie Ventura’s protégé, Packy’s old-school approach and flow on vert ramps and in pools has earned him the respect of many professionals today. Rambunctious, aggressive, and driven, the guy radiates with energy on and off the board. What sets him apart from many up and coming skaters today, though, is that Packy has decided to pursue a college degree, majoring in history. If anyone wants to see what a professional skater can do, look for him shredding the pool at the Blacksburg Skateboard Park while he’s still here. Tech To Face Kansas In Orange Bowl Virginia Tech knew that its victory over Boston College meant no worse than a trip to the FedEx Orange Bowl. Losses by no. one Missouri and no. two West Virginia Saturday opened the door for a possible appearance in the BCS National Championship game, but Ohio State and LSU filled those top spots. The BCS announced on its selection show that the Hokies’ opponent in Miami would be the Kansas Jayhawks on Jan. 3, 2008 at Dolphin Stadium. "I'm just excited to be in a BCS bowl game,” said Hokie senior wide receiver Eddie Royal. “We're going to be in Miami and playing a great team like Kansas. You know they're going to put up a lot of points and that's a challenge for our defense and our offense because we have to be able to match such a talented team. I watched them on TV a couple of times. They have an explosive offense and a really good defense. We know we have to come ready to play." Complete Game Earns Tech Its Second ACC Championship
Tech fans called this a redemption game. The last time the Hokies faced Boston College, they paid the price for not putting the Eagles away, giving up 14 points in the final minutes to lose at home. This time around, the Hokies put together a full signature game and came away not only the 30-16 victors, but also the ACC champions. “It was a complete game for us,” said Tech linebacker Xavier Adibi. “We took their best punch in the first half and stuck to it; tied it up at halftime…We always preach coming out and playing better and going even harder in the second half and that’s just what we did and came out on top.” Bruce Willis Never Dies: Movie Review of Live Free or Die Hard Detective John McClane is challenged with foreign speaking terrorists, exploding buildings, and intense car chases for the fourth time in Len Wiseman’s latest from the Die Hard series, Live Free or Die Hard. However, don’t forget his challenges also include a weak plot and outrageous, unbelievable stunts. Even so, if the audience is expecting to see an action-packed 130 minutes full of ridiculous Bruce Willis fight scenes that would be impossible for any NYPD cop in real life, and doesn’t care about the actual quality of the story line, they will not be disappointed. |
PBTV: Sean Glennon on Hokies' Season
Commentary: A Mission To The World
At age 25, Peter Dorrell accepted Jesus in his life. It was then that his journey as a Navigator began through the world. “If you are committed to God you are committed to people,” Dorrell said. Winning Isn’t Everything, Especially In The BCS So we have all this talk about the college football BCS system; you know, sports’ most useless, botched, computer-memory-wasting way of getting 120 teams to fight their way to the title on the basis of filling in mathematical formulas. Yes, it does succeed in bringing about bragging rights for the higher ranked over the lower ranked, but it doesn’t truly succeed in bringing about the match-ups to back those bragging rights up. The BCS system has flawed college footballs organization since 1998, and what do you know? With teams like Kentucky, Cincinnati, Connecticut, South Florida and Missouri all cracking the top 25 this year, it is on the brink of bringing about even more questioning. On-Campus Dining Leaves Students Hungry For More Virginia Tech was awarded the top spot on The Princeton Review's list of colleges with the best campus food in 2008. I do not disagree with this decision. While I am one to crave the Frank’s Deli's "Fantastic Frank" when I am at home, I do not miss dealing with the hassle of the crowds in the dining halls. I have lived on campus for four years, and this year has been the worst year for crowds in the dining halls. There are 9,000 students that live on campus and the majority of them eat on campus every weeknight, which sometimes creates a very hectic atmosphere. Tech Makes Statement In Blowout Win Over G.W. For the third time this season, the Hokies held their opponent to its lowest point total of the year. This time the victim was George Washington—a team that had beaten the Hokies in their last two encounters, including a 1-point victory last year in the BB&T Classic. The Colonials’ 36 points is the lowest they have scored in at least 10 years and certainly under 2006 Naismith Coaching Award finalist Karl Hobbs. They finished 14-54 from the floor—just under 26 percent. Brief: Norris Hall Task Force Turns in Final Recommendation The Norris Hall Task Force sent their final recommendation to University President Charles Steger on Friday. A spokesperson for Steger’s office confirmed receipt of the document, which details the task force’s decision on how to use the 4,500 square foot space in Norris Hall under review. Funny Man Steve Carell Gets Serious For A Change Movie audiences tired of the usual family drama full of hugs and constant affection would find “Dan In Real Life” a unique alternative. Yes, it is considered a “family drama,” but only because it centers around a widower trying to raise his three daughters the best he knows how, which usually leaves them hating and resenting him. Hugs and kisses are replaced by scowls and frowns in this family, which is much more realistic and fun to watch anyway. Hokie Freshmen Carry Team To 67-39 Victory
“I’m pleased with our effort. Our whole challenge prior to the game was to re-establish our identity and our identity was to compete at a level higher than the level we were competing,” he said after the game. This “higher level” was reached through a 28 point victory over a UNC Greensboro team that had already beaten ACC rival Georgia Tech on its home floor and is anchored by a pre-season All-American candidate in forward Jeff Hines. Pete Hughes: More Than a Coach Passionate. It is a simple word, one that most people use to describe their feelings toward something or someone. Pete Hughes, head coach of the varsity baseball team at Virginia Tech, uses this word to describe his coaching style. Hughes is entering his second season here hoping to start fresh. In fact, he brought 18 newcomers on to the Hokie squad for this season. He has been a head coach at the collegiate level for 11 seasons, and will continue to do so until he no longer can. Elite Defense Lifts Hokie Men’s Soccer Over ODU and Into NCAA Quarterfinals, 1-0 As a series of corner kicks milked down the clock on Sunday afternoon, Tech Soccer Stadium roared like never before. That was because the 1,365 maroon-and-orange-clad crowd members stood through the rain, not in vain, but to witness their defense smother high-powered Old Dominion to only one shot in a 1-0 third round victory. "We just made the game plan focus on the defensive aspect,” said Tech coach Oliver Weiss, “In a playoff game, you really have to focus on not giving the other team a chance. When you do that, you stymie their enthusiasm and belief, and when that trickles down then it lifts ours.” Hokies Win Rollercoaster Home Game, End Three-Game Losing Streak  After being away from the comforts of Cassell since their season opener against Elon almost a month ago, the Hokies grabbed a 65-51 victory Saturday over UNC Asheville to end a three-game skid. While no one is complaining about a win, the way the Hokies sealed that victory certainly was not pretty. NFL Power Rankings: Week 13 Preferably on a couch instead of a bar stool, it’s the TEPR (Thomas Emerick Power Rankings)!!!
Women's Basketball Pulls Away Late, Wins 68-62 Over Minnesota After 40 minutes of battling back and forth for the lead against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the Hokies women’s basketball team was finally able to claim the 68-62 victory Friday night in Cassell Coliseum. Despite a strong effort from Minnesota junior Emily Fox, who not only was the only player on the court the full time of play but scored a career-high of 30 points, the defense of the Gophers (7-2) fell short with only 19 defensive rebounds compared to Tech’s 26. |
The Hokie men’s soccer team rendered Morrone Stadium confounded. Husky faithful perhaps couldn’t comprehend No. 11 Virginia Tech storming into Storrs, knocking off No. 3 seeded Connecticut 1-0, and returning south with their first final four bid in school history.
1. New England 11-0 (1)