2012 ODAC Champions!

It has been way too long sense our last blog, I apologize to all our loyal followers.  The primary purpose of this particular blog is to thank all of you that have given this 2012 team so much support.  The crowd and energy at the game this past Saturday was unmatched by any I’ve seen in my time here.  From the time we came out of the locker room with our parents and their cowbells to the ambulance siren welcoming the Generals to the field, simply put it was magical.  

I have said it many times but a program is much more than its current players and staff.  Saturday showed exactly what I mean.  I hope you all with continue to follow the Generals and bring that same energy each and every week.  

Many people have congratulated the team over and over but I want to congratulate our Parents, Alumni, student body and General Fans everywhere for helping build what Generals football has become.  We look forward to seeing everyone over these upcoming weeks.

Go Generals!

Coach Abell

Inside The Locker Room

Part II: The Generals Come Home

by Micah Fleet, ‘15

            I started off my last entry by telling everyone that the culture is changing at W&L, but I did not expect to see results this fast. Unless you live under a rock, you have heard that the Generals beat #23 ranked Centre College 34-16 this past Saturday night at Wilson Field. There was a lot for the team to get excited about: there was the home opener, playing under the lights, and the brand new uniforms we were sporting, but the biggest development waited until after halftime. Ask any Generals player the most frustrating thing about football and more than likely their answer will be that the fans leave after halftime. With the Generals leading 21-10 at the break, we returned to the gridiron to see students crowding the fence cheering us on.

            It was a sound decision for the students to ride the game out; we 2012 Generals had not shown the ability to close just yet. A physical rushing attack put up more yards and points against a tough Franklin & Marshall team than W&L had in a long time, but failed to garner a win. Defensive Coordinator Brendan O’Brien’s defense was the story at Sewanee, holding their potent option attack to only six points while Head Coach Scott Abell’s offense rallied with 14 points in the 4^th quarter to win 28-6.  The Generals were going into week three having not played its best football.

            Fast forward to the third quarter against Centre, 21-10 was not good enough. Two quarters was not good enough; every player on that team did not just want a win, we wanted to bury our opponent. Coach Abell had preached all week that a four quarter effort was what the team needed to win. No longer would the smart kids at that liberal arts college not be taken seriously; we had the lights, we had the jerseys, and we had the crowd; all we needed was to finish off the Colonels.

            Senior running back Luke Heinsohn’s 28 yard touchdown run in the third increased the lead by six. Again, the Centre offense was met at every turn by a General’s defense sparked by huge performances by freshman Patrick Wright (who proved to be a terror in Centre’s backfield) and junior defensive back Mitchell Thompson (recently named ODAC defensive player of the week). Junior quarterback Nick Lombardo threw for a score to fellow junior and tight end Alex Evans to bring our tally to its final 34. Points in every quarter, a bend but don’t break defense, and maximum effort for four (yes, all four) quarters led to what some might call an upset, but what we in Lexington now call just another Saturday.

            Players always think they are going to win a title. Coaches always wonder if this is the year when their team reaches the next level. The team has done all it can to make sure we are ready to make the leap, but it was that showing by the fans that has shown this university is ready for a change. Centre was an important step, but now the conference stretch begins and that is where champions are made. Physical football is demanding, but the Generals are proving to be a team up to the challenge. Plenty of seats still left on the bandwagon. . .

A Great Day To Be A General

Today is a great day to be a General!  The sun is shining, excitement is in the air.  Tomorrow we open our season at Franklin & Marshall at 1 p.m. in Lancaster, PA.  The players and coaches are all excited to get the season started and we hope everyone will be able to make it to Lancaster to support us.

GO GENERALS!

Inside The Locker Room

A player’s take on the Generals 2012 Training Camp

by Micah Fleet, ‘15

This football season started off, as so many others have, with uncertainty. How is new head coach Scott Abell going improve upon a team that went 8-2 last year, could defensive coordinator Brendan O’Brien bring a renewed sense of energy and excitements to the Generals Defense, and who in the world was going to coach defensive line? Those questions were answered; Abell has said that the team is further along at this point in camp than they have ever been. Coach O’Brien has installed a new scheme that has the veterans saying they feel more comfortable and that guy coaching defensive line, Eric Deustch, has his bunch more fired up than ever.

The Blue and White game to us, the players, is an opportunity to showcase our talent. The average scrimmage is the starting defense and second team offense versus the first team offense and the second defense, but Coach Abell threw a wrench in all of that. Coaches separated as a staff on either the Blue or White teams and held a draft to determine what players played for each team. If you thought the players were amped to compete before, the excitement doubled. Starting offensive linemen were talking to their running backs about how they were going to get destroyed by their team’s defense. Coaches were teasing one another about their player pickups based on performance in the practices leading up to the scrimmage. It lent itself to a relaxed competitive atmosphere, but all the jokes stopped when the pads came on.

Blue beat White with a score of 21-13 when the White offense failed to convert on 4^th down, but everyone thought the scrimmage was a huge success. Players could now see their weak areas and coaches could see what needed to be emphasized more. If anything, that is the biggest change in this year’s camp, the emphasis on the little things. Offensively, we could run up and down the field and coaches would be upset with our pad level, or steps, something as little as one step off line could ruin the timing of the option. Defensively, communication is key. A group that was once timid is now loud, making checks and identifying formations in order to put themselves in the best position possible. Successful plays are rewarded with praise from coaches and failure is met with additional coaching and occasionally pushups. As Coach Abell often says, he’ll be the first one to let you know when you did something wrong, but he’ll brag on you when you do it right.

Washington and Lee athletics have often been a serious undertaking, but the football team is elevating that to a new level. Attention to detail has led to a five yard gain for the offense, or 2 yard loss for the defense, regarded as subpar. No longer is an ODAC championship the only goal; it is expected for this team and every team after it to compete for the title. The ultimate goal is to play on Thanksgiving Weekend, which means a berth in the Division III NCAA tournament.

New coaches and a brand new philosophy have led to a culture shock on the W&L football team, winning is expected but excellence is the goal. We host Ferrum College at Wilson Field on the 23^rd, an important step for this team as it prepares to make a run that this team believes will be one of the most special in Washington and Lee’s storied history. Championship level play is becoming expected, a liberal arts school from a small town wants to be one of the final 16 teams left competing in D-III football, there is no question that the mentality of the Generals is changing, the only question is when everyone else will jump on board.

Training Camp Continues

The first week of the 2012 training camp has completed, what an exciting week for Generals!  We have had successes on both sides of the ball, but still need to work to improve each day.  The Blue team defeated the White team 21-13 in our Blue vs. White scrimmage to cap off week one.  It was a hard fought battle that included a grinding 18-play drive capped with the first touchdown of the scrimmage.  Some of our young men have stepped up and are working to earn playing time and pushing the upperclassmen for jobs, we’re excited to watch them progress as the year goes on.  As a staff, we are excited to see our men against a different opponent this week.  We will be scrimmaging Ferrum College Thursday at 1:00 PM.  After that, it’s time to prepare for F&M on September 1^st.  The season is fast approaching, and we look forward to seeing everyone in Lancaster for the Generals opening weekend.

Generals Staff

GO GENERALS!

2012 BEGINS

The Generals are excited as they begin the 2012 season.  On Saturday night our football family enjoyed the Kick-off dinner as new friendships began and the old familiar faces got together for the first time since the conclusion of the 2011 campaign.  The Generals report to camp 82 strong beginning aquest for the title. 

At practice yesterday our 23 first-years and two new coaches are acclimating quickly to General's football with great enthusiasm and intensity.  Although the team was only in helmets the bodies where flying around getting to the football or the endzone.  Each day is another step toward our opening game in Lancaster on September 1st.  The staff and players look foward to seeing all the General's faithful there dressed in the blue in white.

Generals Staff
GO GENERALS!

General's Prospect Camp

The Washington and Lee Football Staff would like to thank all the young men who attended our prospect camp for their outstanding effort and coachability.  We would also like to thank all the parents and family who joined us to learn more about our outstanding University and Football Family.  Below are the results from our morning session.  Thank you again and GO GENERALS!

First	Last	Position	State	40	Pro Agility	Broad
Ty	Abbas	OL / DL	VA	6.4	5.43	6'11"
Matt	Barton	OL / DL	NY	5.28	4.59	8'3"
Griffin	Beriont	QB	NJ	4.79	4.4	8'8"
Trevor	Bostic	RB / DB	VA	4.7	4.36	9'2"
Nate	Bowden	K/P	PA	5.05	4.89	8'7"
Marcial	Brock	QB	TX	5	4.82	8'5"
Brendan	Burch	OL / DL	VA	5.5	5.31	6'2"
Bennett	Campbell	OL / DL	TX	5.4	4.94	7'4"
Daniel	Claroni	RB / LB	CT	4.85	4.45	8'6"
Alexander	Clegg		VA	5.08	4.81	7'9"
John	Cook	QB	NC	4.97	4.64	8'9"
Zach	Cooper	WR / DB	WV	4.84	4.53	8'
Alexander	Cox	QB	VA	5	4.6	8'
Braden	Daly	RB / DB	MA	4.69	4.4	8'10"
Bradley	Davis	RB / LB	VA	5	4.88	8'6"
Stewart	Day	OL / DL	NC	5.28	4.87	7'4"
Alex	Demers	OL / DL	OH	5.15	4.62	7'9"
Anthony	Dileo	OL / DL	CT	5.84	4.85	7'1"
Kearsley	Dillion	OL / DL	VA	5.28	4.63	7'7"
Jimmy	Dugan	RB / DB	NY	4.64	4.61	9'
Will	Dyson	WR / DB	AL	4.64	4.49	8'10"
Caleb	Ewald	WR / DB	CT	4.68	4.25	9'3"
Nicky	Frizen	QB	TN	4.89	4.35	8'10"
Ben	Gallagher	QB	MO	4.89	4.63	8'2"
Grett	Godson	TE / DE	GA	5.25	4.88	8'4"
David	Gorsland	OL / DL	VA	4.9	4.66	8'
Dallas	Harper	OL / DL	VA	5.7	5.05	6'1"
Eric	Harris	RB / LB	VA	4.79	4.43	8'7"
Zach	Horvath	WR / DB	VA	4.81	4.18	9'5"
J.G.	Jones	OL / DL	VA	5.87	5.1	6'7"
Ryan	Kolb	RB / DB	VA	4.65	4.4	9'1"
Blake	LaDoucur	OL / DL	FL	5.5	4.88	7'5"
Tim	Landers		NJ	5.06	4.79	8'
Connoer	Linneen	WR / DB	PA	4.8	4.65	9'
Justin	Mariotti	K/P	WV	5.11	4.85	7'9"
Zachary	Martin	TE / LB	VA	5	4.52	8'7"
Mason	Martin	QB / DB	NC	4.7	4.78	9'2"
Price	Mcginnis	OL / DL	TN	5.53	5.19	6'1"
Nick	Miller	WR / DB	FL	4.8	4.36	9'1"
Mike	Molina	K / WR	WV	4.81	4.52	8'9"
Jake	Moross	RB / DB	NY	4.75	4.38	8'6"
Kendell	Pace	OL / DL	MD	5.84	4.78	6'7"
August	Peters	OL / DL	CA	5.21	4.47	8'2"
Trey	Pierce	RB / DB	SC	4.75	4.22	9'
Josh	Quick	OL / DL	VA	5.71	5.18	6'4"
Alex	Robinson	K	GA	5.25	4.89	8'1"
Will	Rosato	OL / DL	CT	5.15	4.68	7"
George	Scheibe	OL / DL	PA	5.84	4.9	6'9"
Andrew	Sodano	RB / LB	CT	4.99	4.45	8'4"
Robbie	Suite	WR / DB	MD	4.49	4.4	9'2"
Jack	Taylor	TE / LB	VA	5.08	4.62	8'7"
Blaine	Varley	LB	VA	5.15	4.77	8'2"
Thomas	Vineyard	OL / DL	FL	6	5.15	6'9"
Nicholas	Watts	RB / DB	NJ	4.77	4.4	9'
Reed	Williams	WR / DB	GA	4.73	4.36	8'10"
Montana	Willis	LB	VA	4.81	4.47	8'4"
Sam	Wilson	OL / DL	NC	6	4.9	6'8"
Will	Winters	RB / DB	TN	5.17	4.84	8'1"