Virginia Spring Football Festival - The Sabre Has You Covered

Cavalier fans should get to see starting quarterback Christian Olsen in action.

The Virginia football team is set to take the field for its annual Spring Game after several weeks of practice. The Cavaliers are scheduled to kick off at 3:30 p.m. in what is expected to be a simulated, though shorter, game. If it is raining, the event will go on as scheduled unless thunderstorms force delays of some kind.

"If things go well today, and everybody who starts the practice finishes the practice, we should have the requisite number of players at each position to go ahead and do that," Groh said when asked about the format on Wednesday.

As always, the Sabre will provide you with full coverage of the game and the players involved. Check out www.theSabre.com on Saturday for reports from the game.

Of course, there is more to the Spring Game than a football scrimmage. The Cavaliers host a full festival on Saturday that begins at 1:30 p.m. And there are a lot of things to do for kids and adults. Some of the things on the docket:

• The Elementary School Challenge: The Charlottesville City or Albemarle County Elementary School with the highest attendance (in proportion to student enrollment) will win $1000. Fans are encouraged to come by Fan Fest to be included in the final tally for one of the schools.
• NFL Autograph Session: An autograph session with former Cavalier greats Alvin Pearman, James Farrior & Heath Miller will take place at Fan Fest. Fans are limited to one item to be signed by each individual.
• The Ultimate Virginia Football Tailgate: One lucky fan will leave Saturday as the winner of The Ultimate Virginia Football Tailgate. By guessing the total number of mini football in the back of a Toyota Tundra truck, one fan will win a one-year lease to the vehicle plus other great prizes including a gas grill, cooler, folding chairs, table, a supply of Pepsi products, two 2006 Virginia football season tickets and a football reserved parking pass.
• Vending and concessions: Concessions will be on hand and will include most of the food and beverage options that are present at games during the season. Concessions stands include Domino's Pizza, Blue Ridge Kettle Corn, Dip-N-Dots, Ben & Jerry's, Red Hot & Blue, Wahoo Shaved Ice, Pepsi, Stadium Concessions, and Cavalier Merchandise.

Also, here's a list of some of the other festivities and areas of interest: (Courtesy of UVa Sports Promotions and Media Relations)

• NFL Combine obstacle course
• Cavalier Moon Bounce
• Uniform Try-on Station
• Band performance on concourse
• Cheerleaders/Mascot
• Face painting
• A Live Band (Kendra & The Kingpins)
• Unveiling of the 2006 football fan shirt
• Postgame autograph session 2006 team

Don't forget that the Sabre has all of the essential Spring Game information in one convenient location for you. So anytime you need information on the weather, parking, the festivities, parking, or just about anything else, just click here!

Quarterback Peter Lalich is expected to attend the Spring Game at UVa.

Virginia's spring festival is tomorrow, and a number of top recruits plan to be on hand for the event. Here is a list of 2007 class prospects we have confirmed will or plan to be in Charlottesville tomorrow. These are the kids with official UVa offers.

West Springfield QB Peter Lalich
Hampton QB Tyrod Taylor
Kempsville WR Jay Smith
Manchester OL/DL Khalil Latif
Pottsville (PA) OL Brad Hallick
Culpeper LB Terence Fells-Danzer
Christchurch LB/ATH J'Courtney Williams

This is not a full list, and we will post any new names as we find them out. Stay tuned for updates.

One of Virginia's 2006 class of linebacker recruits is heading to Hargrave Military Academy. 6-2, 245-pound Trenton Central (N.J.) ILB prospect Almondo Sewell recently sent in his payment to Hargrave and will go there for one year before heading to UVa. He will now be a part of the 2007 recruiting class.

An excellent talent, the speedy Sewell racked up 125 total tackles in just eight games his senior season. The third-team all-state selection made a state-record 55 tackles over a 3-game period.

NT Asa Chapman and CB DeAndre Filer will prep as well, and there seems to be a good chance QB O.C. Wardlow will have to go the same route. There may be a few others as well.

Joining Sewell at Hargrave will be one of UVa's 2006 men's basketball recruits. 6-9, 235-pound Ben C. Rain (Mobile, AL) PF/C Johnnie Lett is heading to Hargrave after falling short on the ACT.

Lett averaged close to 16 points and 16 rebounds and four blocks per game in his senior season. In addition to improving academically, the big man is hoping to develop an 18-foot jump shot and improve his free-throw shooting.

With a long frame, Lett should be able to add some good weight as well.

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Sabre articles from the past week

New Coaches Find Groove Quickly
The Virginia football team has wrapped up its spring practices with only this Saturday's Spring Game left on the docket. There has been much discussion about the Cavaliers' players and their development, but what about all those new coaches? Mike London, Steve Bernstein, Dave Borbely, and Bob Diaco have already made an impact.

10 Things I Love About the Spring Game
Ah, the signs of Spring. Birds chirping, flowers blooming, linebackers blitzing. It's that time of year again. When hoards of Wahoo faithful come together to quench their football thirst for that intra-squad scrimmage known as the Spring Game. The Cavaliers verses the Hoos. Brother against brother. Bring it on. What's so great about the Spring Game, you ask? Plenty. Here's 10 Things to look forward to this weekend.

Women's Tennis Rising to Success
If you've been busy reveling in the success of UVa's lacrosse and baseball teams, you may be missing out on one of the best seasons ever for a Virginia spring sports program. The women's tennis team, led by first-year head coach Mark Guilbeau, has quietly put together their best season in school history, and seems poised to make what could be an eye-opening run in the upcoming ACC Tournament. Guilbeau was named the ACC Coach of the Year thanks to all of the success.

Best Seat in the House: Christian Olsen
Virginia quarterback Christian Olsen has taken over as the No. 1 quarterback for the Cavaliers this spring and Al Groh says he'll remain No. 1 unless someone else passes him on the performance scale. Olsen, for one, doesn't see himself as a fill-in QB that is supposed to carry the team through a "rebuilding" year. Olsen said he waited his turn and now he wants to make the most of his opportunity. He talked about that and more with Jed Williams on The Best Seat in the House.

Around the Horn: Cavs Focus on Stretch Run
The Virginia baseball team has used strong pitching to climb into a second-place tie in the ACC's Coastal Division. While pleased with where the team stands, coach Brian O'Connor knows there are several key conference games remaining, starting with a road trip to Miami this weekend.

Best Seat in the House: Vic Hall
Gretna's Vic Hall was a record-setting quarterback in high school, picking up yards, touchdowns, and titles with regularity. Now the redshirt freshman is ready to make his debut at Virginia, where he will be a defensive back this season. Hall joined Jed Williams on The Best Seat in the House to talk about his role with the Cavaliers, the Spring Game, and the upcoming season. Check out the Edge audio here and don't forget to tune in to the Best Seat weekdays at 6 p.m. on WINA 1070-AM in Charlottesville.

UVa's Offensive Line: Redemption or Renewal?
The Virginia football team's offensive line had a dominant year in 2004, pushing defenders aside as a freight train running game churned out yards. Last season's follow-up performance wasn't nearly as impressive and the three most experienced pieces of that line are now gone. So as Ian-Yates Cunningham and the Cavaliers point to 2006, does the Virginia offensive line have something to prove?

Best Seat in the House: Dirk Katstra
The John Paul Jones Arena continues to progress toward completion in Charlottesville with just a couple of months left before the building is ready to open. Dirk Katstra, Executive Director of the Virginia Athletics Foundation, joined Jed Williams on the Best Seat in the House to talk about the JPJ, the VAF, future projects at UVa, and more. Check out this Edge Audio to hear the entire interview.

Defensive Line Growing Up In Spring
As is the case with the Virginia offensive line, the Cavalier defensive front is going through a transition this season. The D-Line will go into the 2006 season with players that have started just 13 games, and 12 of those starts belong to Chris Long. How effectively the new faces - like Alex Field and Jeffrey Fitzgerald - are along the defensive line may determine how successful the 2006 Virginia season ends.

Sabre Edge recruiting updates from the past week ...

LB Sewell Headed to Hargrave
Virginia landed an impressive class of linebackers in the 2006 class, but the number enrolling this summer was recently reduced by one. Trenton Central (Trenton, N.J.) star Almondo Sewell will prep at Hargrave Military Academy next season before heading to UVa.

Alvarez Adds Offers, Makes Visits
Hylton (Woodbridge, VA) offensive lineman William Alvarez is up to six official scholarship offers, a number that certainly could grow throughout the month of May. Besides the programs that have offered, Florida, Notre Dame and Penn State are among the programs showing serious interest in the 6-5, 300-pound prospect.

Fells-Danzer Shows Speed, Versatility
Video clips have been added to Terence Fells-Danzer's recruiting card. At 6-2, 230 pounds, Fell-Danzer played a variety of positions his junior season including running back, fullback, defensive end and linebacker. He projects on the next level as a linebacker and has drawn official offers from Virginia and, just this past weekend, Virginia Tech. Duke and Clemson are among the other programs showing significant interest.

Haden Talks UVa
With recent offers from Boston College, Florida, Ohio State and Pitt, among others, Friendly (Fort Washington, MD) dual-threat quarterback/defensive back Joe Haden has seen his official offer list climb to close to 20 schools. UVa was the second school to extend a scholarship offer and was one of the programs to land an unofficial visit recently for spring practice.

Hermitage 2007: Tweedy Lands First Offer
As usual, Hermitage (Richmond, VA) head coach Patrick Kane has a handful of prospects that could potentially earn college scholarship offers. One - Ath Alonzo Tweedy - scored his first official Division 1A scholarship offer last weekend on his unofficial visit to Virginia Tech.

Four Schools Stand Out to Nuss
Stone Bridge (Ashburn, VA) offensive lineman Andrew Nuss still plans to make his collegiate decision this summer. The unofficial visits he has made this spring - he has visited each school that has officially offered - certainly will help him in accomplishing this goal. Right now, four schools stand out among the seven he has visited.

Lett to Make Best of Hargrave Experience
As reported last week by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Ben C. Rain (Mobile, AL) prospect Johnnie Lett will head to Hargrave Military Academy before heading to the University of Virginia. The 6-9, 235-pound power forward/center recruit would certainly rather enroll at Virginia later this year but is looking to make his Hargrave experience a positive one.

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