More about the wilderness
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Well, the drive down to Hartford last week was about as exciting as watching paint dry. Thankfully my last trip of the NESCAC season had a little bit more scenery as I made my longest trip of the year to Clinton, N.Y., for the Middlebury/Hamilton game.
First of all, as much as I love my job, travel is the least glorious part. Some writers and broadcasters get to travel by plane, or even with the team on the team bus. I on the other hand get to travel in the luxury and style known as my 2000 Hyundai with vanity plates and 115,654 miles on the thing. The most fun part of the beginning of the travel day is waking up at 3:45 in the morning after getting home at 10:00 following a high school playoff game and trying to find a 24-hour gas station in Northern Vermont that at least serves Green Mountain coffee. Yes, I’m a coffee snob as it must have significant caffeine content and have a little flavor to its robust aroma. Ah yes, the glory of it all.
Anyway, as is my habit, I digressed. When the sun comes up, the drive from Burlington, Vt., really is a nice one. In Vermont, the drive takes you through the towns of Shelburne, Vergennes, Addison, and then miles of hills and farms. Word to the wise, if you don’t like the smell of various animal dung, roll up the windows and turn off the air. There is about a 15-mile stretch of Route 22A in which the smell is so bad, the car automatically speeds up about 10 miles an hour to get away from the stench.
Upon entering New York state, the obscure and the downright amazing become evident. First for the obscure since that is what I do best. When driving in between the state line and the New York Thruway, (interrupted by I-87) counted 14 Baptist churches (yes, I counted; I was bored) with various messages saying things like “Jesus is Lord,” “YOU were God’s best decision,” and other various messages looking to convert heathen tourists into Bible-quoting messengers as they go to spend their milk money at the outlet stores.
Also, if you are going to make this trip and don’t have satellite radio; go get one now. In Vermont I was able to hear Dana Jewell of WDEV giving me the local news and mentioning next Saturday’s “state holiday” -- the opening of deer hunting season. Ah yes, if you are going into the woods of Vermont for the next couple of weeks, just remember to wear orange, it will save your life. If you don’t wear orange, some dude named Bubba who has had two cases of beer for breakfast will somehow confuse you for a four point buck. “Dayum, I could have sworn that thang had antlers. Ah sheeewt, I guess we can still mount him on the wall next to the 57 Chevy we shot last year.”
Now to the downright spectacular. When the sun comes up over the Adirondack mountains, the view is simply stunning. Route 29 takes you through the Adirondack State forest and the road is literally surrounded by trees. For a few moments, the trees envelop the road and one feels like they are in some sort of natural tunnel. Despite the fact the temperature was in the low 30s, I still opened up the windows so I could smell the trees and the various lakes and streams I was experiencing. I was tempted to take a side trip to some of the various historical sites along the way, but held off since I did have a game to do.
Once I got onto the New York Thruway, I was very pleasantly surprised with the scenery. As I bombed my way towards Clinton, the drive takes you along the Mohawk River and into the hill country near Oneonta and Cooperstown. If you glance off to the right, you can see the dams and the hills that lead you into some of the small towns of this region. I have to admit that being the baseball addict I am, when I saw the Cooperstown exit, I was tempted to call the boss, say I was sick, couldn’t do the game and head to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Thankfully I am not that stupid and then turned my attention to passing a semi that was going only 45 mph.
When I arrived at Hamilton, I was beyond impressed. I went to the first building to find a restroom and ask where the Student Union was so I could grab coffee and breakfast, and it turns out the man I asked directions from was none other than head football coach Steve Stetson. He wasn’t content with just giving me directions, he offered to walk me over, and to give me a brief tour of the campus.
Hamilton boasts a brand new 9.7 million dollar science center, a new athletic facility, new training rooms, and countless other improvements to their academic facilities. The campus blends the old and the new to near perfection and it creates a wonderful setting for Hamilton students to study and learn. I also have to say this for Coach Stetson, he is truly a world class man. Here he was, two hours before a game, and he was taking the time to give me an education on the school he loves, he bought my breakfast, and then we talked more about the school and his football team. He had a recruit to talk to before the game, and he kept apologizing for the fact he had to run and keep our visit short. Trust me, coach, I was thrilled you took the time to give me a tour and appreciate some very good company after a very long early morning drive.
NEFC title game
This coming Saturday, 10-0 Curry hopes to keep their dream of a Division III title alive as they take on 8-1 Coast Guard. Here is my breakdown of the title game:
Offense: Curry comes in as the conference leader in scoring offense at 32 points per game and have a potent rushing attack lead by Jarrad Jordan and his nine rushing scores. Coast Guard isn’t too shabby either with Christian George and Lance Lynch. On the passing end, Curry’s Ryan Van De Giesen has thrown for 17 touchdowns while George has been a bit inconsistent for Coast Guard. George’s status is in question as well, after his injury against Worcester State. He hasn’t played since. Advantage: Curry.
Defense: Steve Arguelles has had a monster year with a conference high 11 interceptions, and as a team, CGA has intercepted a league-high 22 passes, which could make life difficult for Van De Giesen. This means Curry may have to rely more on the run, which isn’t so bad considering they are third in the conference in rushing offense and CGA doesn’t defend the run well. Curry only gives up 62 yards a game on the ground, so when all is said and done, Curry gets the advantage here.
Overall, I like the passing of Van De Giesen, and their balance a bit more than Coast Guard’s. But, I think Coast Guard will come into this one with the attitude of they can be the team to end Curry’s dream of going into the NCAA tournament unbeaten. Coast Guard is the home team, so there will be huge fan support there. Curry wins this one in a track meet 34-20.
Around the NESCAC
Bantams roll: Gennaro Leo showed why he is the best back in the NESCAC as he rushed for 194 yards on 41 carries and a score, and the Trinity defense held Amherst to 182 yards as the Bantams shutout the Lord Jeffs 24-0. Trinity is now 6-1 while Amherst goes into “The Game” against Williams at 4-2.
Williams is still unbeaten: Pat Lucey was 11-14 for 199 yards and three scores, and Jon Drenckhahn became the Williams all-time leader in receiving touchdowns as the Ephs move to 7-0 with a 51-21 victory over Wesleyan. Drenckhahn’s record breaking score came on a 23-yard wide receiver option pass from Brendan Fulmer. The Williams defense was able to hold NESCAC total offense leader Zack Librizzi to 12-27 passing and three interceptions; one that Sean Milano returned 43 yards for a touchdown.
Records set at Hamilton: In the Old Rocking Chair Classic, Middlebury’s Kevin Ryan had three sacks on the afternoon to break the NESCAC single-season sack record, and Steve Haushka set the Middlebury mark for career field goals as the Panthers defeated a pesky Hamilton squad 10-0. The officiating in this game was questionable at best, as on a Tiger Lyon interception, the Continentals had 13 men on the field and a penalty was not called. The teams combined for 19 punts.
That’s it, that’s all, and all of that fun stuff for me. I shall talk to you all next week at the same time and same Bat webpage. Fire away at me this week at chris.fells@gmail.com.