Charlottesville sends Davis to Harrisonburg
Rashard Davis took his opportunity and ran with it, quite literally. Arguably the fastest athlete on the gridiron this season in Central Virignia, Davis churned his one season at quarterback into a Region II playoff berth for Charlottesville, and it did not go unnoticed. Davis drew the attention of a number of schools including VMI and Liberty, but his first suitor, James Madison came away the winner of the speedster’s services as he signed a national letter of intent to suit up with the Dukes.
“Right after the season I talked with (JMU coach Mickey Mathews) and was offered the scholarship,” Davis said. “After that the schools started piling up. When I went to talk to (Mathews) I liked what I saw. Everyone was cool, the players, the coaches and I liked the campus.”
Before taking over at quarterback, Davis played at wide receiver. However, his raw speed and athleticism made headlines this past fall as one of the best dual threat quarterbacks in the area. Equipped with 4.4 to 4.5 speed in the 40-yard dash, JMU already has plans for him.
“They’ve got me playing slot receiver and they also want me to come down before camp starts to work on punt returns and kick returns,” Davis said.
Tribe lands pair of Mustangs
Monticello’s Jhalil Mosley and Sam Marshall don’t know what it’s like to walk onto a practice field without one another. Not in youth football or in four years of high school.
For another four years they won’t have to find out.
The Mustangs’ quarterback/center combination both made it official Wednesday that they’re bound for William and Mary.
“It’s been kind of rough, this whole situation, its had its ups and downs,” Mosley said. “But it’s all for the best. I’m glad it’s over.”
Mosley was originally a James Madison commitment, but changed his mind in the last couple of weeks after receiving constant, unwavering attention from the Tribe’s coaching staff. Earlier in basketball season at a game at Fluvanna County, nearly the entire staff came to watch the senior play. A coaching shakeup in Harrisonburg that included Latrell Scott leaving for Virginia State also impacted Mosley’s decision.
“We decided to make the decision that was best for me academically and football-wise,” Mosley said. “The coaches were there from day one. William and Mary was talking to me on a day-to-day basis. William and Mary was just stable the whole time.”
Mosley accounted for 6,012 total yards of offense in his career, with 4,634 through the air and 1,648 on the ground, the second highest total in school history behind Takeem Hedgeman. He quarterbacked the Mustangs to the Region II semifinals in 2011 and the region final this season where losses to Liberty Bealeton and Kettle Run respectively ended the Mustangs’ seasons.
Marshall, a first team All-Scrimmage Play offensive line honoree, faced a challenging recruiting process despite an enviable body of work and an incredible capacity for the game that prompted former Monticello coach Rodney Redd to refer to him in interviews regularly as a coach on the field. Marshall drew a variety of interest, particularly late, and eventually chose William and Mary.
Next fall he’ll head there with his quarterback in tow.
Fork Union trio heads to the next level
Fork Union has become accustomed to placing top-end athletes in big-time programs at both the prep and postgraduate level. But even for the Blue Devils, the top-end quality of this year’s class is pretty tremendous.
As expected, top-flight quarterback Christian Hackenberg inked with Penn State, standout defensive back Malcolm Cook signed with UVa and lightning-quick wide receiver Austin Stone will head north to Eastern Michigan.
One of the nation’s top-rated quarterbacks, Hackenberg finally got the opportunity to end months of outside speculation that he’d abandon a verbal commitment to Penn State, a program that’s suffered mightily in the last two years. While Hackenberg rarely even wavered, the national speculation was rampant. He made good on that verbal Wednesday, signing with the Nittany Lions and ending all that other conversation.
“It’s just a huge relief and I’m finally ready to start focusing in on playing next year,” Hackenberg said.
Clearly Hackenberg wasn’t the only one getting pumped for information — head coach Micky Sulluvan opened Hackenberg’s portion of the ceremony with a joke about not having to answer questions about Hackenberg anymore.
While Hackenberg, who earned first team All-Scrimmage Play quarterback honors, would’ve preferred to enroll early at Penn State like his good friend and future target tight end Adam Brennaman did, he’ll now get a chance to enjoy a final semester of high school.
“He’s been telling me how great it is, he’s really been rubbing it in,” Hackenberg said. “I think I’m really going to enjoy the last half (of this year), I get to play baseball so I’m really focused but also having fun.”
Stone, who like Hackenberg grew up in Central Virginia, will join an Eastern Michigan program that also brings in another local star, Goochland’s Nathan Adams.
“We had a couple of collisions during the Goochland game, we’re trying to hang out some and get to know each other,” Stone said.
Stone scored five touchdowns in the fall for the Blue Devils and hauled in 266 yards through the air.
Cook has made perhaps the longest journey of any of them in just seven months at Fork Union, transferring for his final year from Armstrong High in Richmond.
“That’s a roller coaster right there,” Cook said. “It was tough leaving my background to come here. It’s been great here academic wise, the one-subject plan has been great, I love it.”
The hard-nosed safety earned Scrimmage Play defensive player of the year honors and put together a sterling campaign that included 7.4 tackles per game and nine interceptions — four of them returned for touchdowns — on the year. He’s widely regarded as a potential steal for the Cavaliers.
James Madison lands another late bloomer
St. Anne’s-Belfield coach John Blake summed it up nicely.
“Two years ago when Aaron (Stinnie) came to me about playing football we didn’t think we’d be here,” Blake said by way of introducing Stinnie’s signing.
Stinnie was one of two local James Madison signees along with Charlottesville standout Rashard Davis, and both got on the recruiting radar later than most of the athletes that inked letters of intent. Both could become steals for the Dukes for very different reasons — Davis for his speed and Stinnie for his size.
The Saints’ big two-way lineman (he was All-VISAA D2 on offense and defense) checks in around 260 pounds, but could potentially carry as many as 60 more pounds on his frame without missing much of a beat. With his wingspan and range of motion cultivated from years as a power forward in basketball, that kind of size could make Stinnie, now a project, into a prototype lineman.
Clearly, Stinnie is just tapping into his potential.
“Football never really occurred to me until I got to STAB,” Stinnie said. “Once I started playing I started getting looks and then I started progressing as a player and I thought to myself I can do this.”
Stinnie’s brother Bryan plays for William and Mary, so he’s going to have a leg up in that capacity, knowing what it’s going to take to get things done at the next level. He’s clearly pleased to be heading to James Madison.
“I really fell in love with the campus the first time I stepped onto it,” Stinnie said. “Once I got to meet all of the coaches I noticed I really liked them all and I know they like to win and I do as well, I’m a competitor.”
Flucos present trio of different collegiate athletes
At Fluvanna County, three athletes in three different sports were all able to secure their chance to play at the next level.
Hannah Miller is one of the most decorated volleyball players in recent memory, having won the Jefferson District player of the year and also being named Scrimmage Play’s volleyball player of the year twice. Miller is headed to Christopher Newport, a popular destination these days for Central Virginia’s best volleyball players, following in the foot steps of Western Albemarle alumni (2008) Jessie Carter and Albemarle’s Kara Elder (2009).
“It all started my sophomore year and just getting college coaches to look at me,” Miller said. “(The competition) was a major factor. I wanted to stay at a smaller school that felt right but going to a college where they’re nationally ranked. That was a big factor so I’m really looking forward to it.”
Dale Ludwig made an impact for a vaunted Fluvanna County soccer team as a freshman in 2010 and has parlayed that and the last two seasons into a chance to play for American University in Washington D.C.
Ludwig’s work on the travel soccer circuit and participation in camps helped to get him involved in the recruiting process early.
“The process started my sophomore year, emailing coaches,” Ludwig said. “I’ve got to give thanks to my mom and dad for really giving me all my soccer, anything I needed… I got the right coaches to come watch and now I’ve got the perfect school.”
This is the third time in four years that the Flucos have sent a boys soccer player to the next level as he joins Nick Shepherd (2010) and Taylor Rafaly (2011) to sign a NLI.
One signee was literally not allowed to enjoy his cake with a Region II weigh in looming. Justin Zimmerman had a big weekend winning a Jefferson District championship in wrestling for his school, doing so despite coming off an injury. He followed up his showing Saturday by signing with Ferrum just three days later.
“I’m kind of relieved that I’m finally committed,” Zimmerman said. “Ever since I started wrestling in seventh grade this has always been my goal, just wrestling in college. I was never very athletic, so I didn’t think it was possible. It’s pretty amazing. I’m excited. Hopefully I’m prepared enough to step up to the next level.”
Zimmerman passed the 100-win milestone last season as a junior.
Rounding it up
Louisa County track star Javanique Burruss officially signed with South Carolina Wednesday, sending Burruss, who’s on pace to become the most decorated female athlete in state track history, to the SEC. Burruss won titles in triple jump, long jump and 100m hurdles last year. She’s also been Scrimmage Play’s girls track athlete of the year for three years running while piling up six career outdoor titles, just three away from the state record.
Woodberry Forest football star Doug Randolph signed with Notre Dame Wednesday, giving Woodberry two straight years of signees with the Fighting Irish. Randolph was a first team All-Scrimmage Play defensive lineman and was a U.S. Army All-American. The Tigers’ Greer Martini, just a junior, is also committed to Notre Dame as the pipeline continues to develop. Randolph had 11 sacks and 63 tackles this fall despite being injured much of the first half of the season.
An injury to his left shoulder took football off the table for Charlton Larkins at the next level, but the Fork Union senior has found a home as a throws specialist in track and field. The reigning VISAA outdoor shotput champion will head to Western Carolina to throw shot, discus, hammer and the weight in indoor. Larkins is a Raleigh, N.C. native and wanted to be close to home. On a visit to WCU, he hit it off with the coaching staff and things came together recently to allow him to make it official with the Catamounts.
