Hall As Holder Creates Options

Vic Hall

Virginia fans watched Vic Hall make a difference on special teams last season as a gunner on the punt coverage team. Hall, along with fellow defensive back Mike Brown, lined up on the edges and their speed upgraded that unit. The duo often sprinted downfield and disrupted the punt return game by arriving so soon - the punt returner didn't even have a chance to juke and run in many cases.

Hall may be able to make a similar impact on other special teams units this fall. The Gretna star is making more appearances on special teams this spring as a punt returner (competing for time) and as a holder (first string). That could give Hall an opportunity to showcase some of the high school heroics that earned him so many fans. The electric playmaker rolled up 13,770 career yards of offense at Gretna, breaking Ronald Curry's record. He passed for a state record 8,731 yards and 104 touchdowns in his career and rushed for 5,039 yards and 66 touchdowns. Hall's 170 total TDs rank second in Virginia high school history.

While Hall was the back-up holder last season, Groh said the coaches never really saw an opportunity to use him in games, mainly because it would set off the alarm for the opposing sideline. Plus, Groh said it would have been a one-time deal and that one special occasion never presented itself.

This season may be a different story.

"Now that Vic is there on an ongoing basis, clearly he's somebody we can utilize or he's a threat to be utilized at all times," Groh said.

Hall tossed a touchdown pass to Jeffrey Fitzgerald during spring drills last season. In other words, there are some wrinkles in the playbook.

This is just a sample of the football coverage you get with The Sabre. To sign up for an Edge subscription, please check out the Sabre Edge Sign Up and Information Page.

Basketball recruiting ...

TheSabre.com has the latest on 5-star power forward Patrick Patterson, as an article has been posted this morning on the EDGE. The 6-8, 235-pound Huntington (W.V.) star could have a final three very soon and UVa remains in contention. Be sure to check out the EDGE for the latest.

A couple of UVa's 2007 signees will be in action this week. 6'8", 215-pound forward Mike Scott and 6'4", 185-pound guard Jeff Jones will play in the Capital Classic on Thursday, April 5. The game, which pits the Capital All-Stars versus the U.S. All-Stars, begins at 8 p.m. Scott and Jones will suit up for the U.S. All-Stars.

For more information on Thursday's game, check out www.thecapitalclassic.com. TheSabre.com will be there for coverage of the event, so stay tuned for more on the performances of UVa's recruits.

Also stay tuned this week for a feature profile on St. George School (Memphis, TN) junior guard Elliot Williams, who is one of UVa's top targets for the 2008 recruiting class. Another top target, Benedictine's Ed Davis, has put Virginia in his list of eight finalists. The 6-8, 210-pound Davis also named two favorites at this point in his process and UVa is one of them.

Football recruiting ...

Look for more updates on prospects who visited UVa for the March 24 junior day. Early returns have been pretty positive for Virginia, which hosted about 15 junior prospects.

We have already provided updates on top visitors such as Churchville-Chili (Churchville, N.Y.) RB Averin Collier, Christian Brothers (Syracuse, N.Y.) WR Marcus Sales, Manasquan (N.J.) OL Art Forst, Riverdale (GA) OL Cordy Glenn, Highland Springs (VA) DL Antoine Hopkins, and Wayne Valley (Wayne, N.J.) LB/DL/TE Chris Pantale. York (Elmhurst, IL) OL Neil Deiters and Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) S/LB Cameron Johnson are among the updates you can expect this week.

UVa will no doubt host other visitors for spring practices this month. Gateway (Monroeville, PA) speedster Cameron Saddler, a 5'7", 155-pound dynamo, is expected to take in a spring practice or perhaps the spring game later this month. UVa is one of five schools to offer the talented junior and, at last check, was a favorite along with Pitt (which has also offered).

Chris Horne, our resident recruiting expert, provides updates throughout the week for Edge subscribers about UVa's commitments and recruiting targets in football and men's basketball. To sign up for an Edge subscription, please check out the Sabre Edge Sign Up and Information Page. If you're already on board as an Edge subscriber, click the links below to catch up on recruiting.

Sabre Edge recruiting updates from the past week ...

Patterson Working Towards Final 3
5-star power forward Patrick Patterson, one of the top remaining uncommitted prospects in the country, is working on narrowing his list of schools from six to three and may have this done very soon. Virginia remains one of the schools in contention for the 6-8, 235-pound prospect out of Huntington High School (W.V.).

Checking in with 2007 recruit Lamar Milstead
Since making his official visit to UVa in January, 6-5 offensive tackle Lamar Milstead has not had an opportunity to get back down to Charlottesville. He'll have that chance this weekend, as he plans to attend spring practice at his future school. Milstead discusses what he will look for in the practice, if he has attained the necessary SAT score and what he has been up to in recent months.

Kempe's Recruitment Heating Up
Junior quarterback recruit Conner Kempe, a 6-4, 215-pound prospect out of The Benjamin School (Tequesta, FL), has landed several written offers in recent weeks. More could be on the way, and perhaps one from the University of Virginia, a school he visited last Wednesday.

More updates since the last SabreMail ...

• Ed Davis Narrows List, Names Favorites
• Top RB Recruit Likes What UVa has to Offer
• Boykins up to Double Digit Offers
• Forst Discusses UVa's Standing
• Talented WR Enjoys UVa Visit
• Does UVa Lead for Star GA Lineman?
• Hopkins Makes Junior Day Visit

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Here are the first two sponsors.

Lowe's Home Improvement is running a very cool NCAA Final Four "Cut Down The Nets" promotion that provides every Lowe's customer, from March 1 - April 10, 2007, the opportunity to win a trip for you and three guests for five days and four nights to the 2008 NCAA Men's Final Four.

Our job is to promote awareness of this exciting opportunity by driving people to the web page Lowe's has set up that provides all the details on how you can participate. When it comes to showing support for Lowe's introductory sponsorship of The Sabre, this one is a lay-up. All you have to do is click any of the Lowe's banners, skyscrapers, message board promos (the posts at the top of our boards), and/or links on the sponsor's page for details.

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Allstate insurance wants you to know that they forgive you. Actually, not yet, but they will as soon as you sign up for their new Your Choice Auto-Accident forgiveness program. Allstate is excited to be sponsoring TheSabre.com. All they are asking from you is to Click any of the banners, skyscrapers, sponsor text message and/or links on the sponsor's page, check out their new Your Choice Auto program and get a quick, free quote.

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It is time to let Allstate Insurance know that they are in good hands with TheSabre.com

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Softball Team Tops BC In Finale: After a pair of tough losses to Boston College on Saturday, the Virginia softball team bounced back with an impressive 6-2 win over the Eagles on Sunday at The Park. The Cavaliers received three innings of excellent relief work from junior Whitney Holstun, who earned the victory in the circle, and home runs from freshman Kelly Haller and sophomore shortstop Kierstie Cameron.
• Baseball Earns Sweep of Virginia Tech with 8-5 Win: The No. 5 Virginia baseball team finished off a three-game sweep of Virginia Tech with an 8-5 triumph Sunday at English Field in Blacksburg. Virginia has now won nine-consecutive games against Virginia Tech. Sean Doolittle started for Virginia and tossed 6.2 strong innings, allowing just two unearned runs, five hits and three walks.
• Cavaliers Post Season-Best Score to Finish 13th at Augusta State: By virtue of shooting its best single-round score of the season, the Virginia men's golf team moved up the leaderboard four spots to finish 13th at the Administaff Augusta State Invitational. With three players going under par, the Cavaliers shot 5-under 283 during Sunday's final round for a 54-hole total of 13-over 877, the team's best tournament score this year. The Cavaliers' score was the third best during the final round in the 18-team field.
• Virginia Men's Tennis Blanks Georgia Tech 7-0: The No. 2 Virginia men's tennis team recorded its fifth consecutive victory, topping Georgia Tech 7-0 on Sunday afternoon at the Snyder Tennis Center. The Cavaliers improve to 19-3 overall, 7-0 in the ACC, marking the third consecutive season that the team has started conference play with seven straight victories.
• Virginia Women's Tennis Downed By No. 9 Miami: The Virginia women's tennis team closed out the road portion of its 2007 schedule with a 7-0 loss to No. 9 Miami Sunday afternoon at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. The loss evens the Cavaliers' overall record at 8-8 as they fall to 2-5 in the ACC. Miami improves to 15-3, 6-1 in the conference.
• Scanlin Qualifies for NCAA Regionals in 5K: Virginia's Kara Scanlin posted a personal best time by two seconds to take sixth at the Stanford Invitational and qualify for the NCAA Regional meet with her 16:34.37. This is the second consecutive year that Scanlin has qualified for the regional meet at the Stanford Invitational.
• McClurg Wins Pole Vault with Personal Best Mark: Virginia's Jeff McClurg vaulted 15' 3", his personal best mark, and won the George Mason Spring Classic in Fairfax. McClurg topped his own best mark by two inches and took the title on fewest misses. The Cavaliers also won the triple jump competition as All-American Tomika Ferguson sailed 12.76m (41' 10.5"). Virginia swept the hammer competition as assistant coach Carrie Lane won the title with her 168' 6", followed by her protégées Amy Bilmanis (153' 1") and Alexa Manning, who threw a personal-best 151' 9".
• No. 2 Virginia Wins 11 Races at ACC-Big Ten Challenge: The No. 2 Virginia women's rowers won 11 of 12 races at the ACC-Big Ten Challenge on Saturday at Lake Monticello. The Cavaliers hosted Duke, No. 19 Michigan, and No. 4 Ohio State at the regatta.

To read the full stories or gather more information on Virginia athletics, check out Virginiasports.com.

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Issue No. 191 - May 27, 2005

Former Sabre Editor John Galinksy provided this look at the baseball program.

Historically, Memorial Day weekend has marked the finish line for UVa athletics. It's the weekend of the NCAA men's lacrosse Final Four as well as the NCAA women's rowing championships and the ACC baseball tournament. By the start of June, the sports school year has typically run its course for all of the Cavalier teams. Time for Wahoo fans to hit the beach, take a few months off and start thinking about football season.

Brian O'Connor may be turning UVa baseball into an NCAA tournament regular.

No longer. Baseball is one of the few spring sports, along with track and field, to extend into June. That is, for teams that compete in the NCAA tournament. And until now, the Cavs had done that just once a decade - in 1972, 1985, 1996 and 2004.

The way things are looking, though, June baseball may be an annual occurrence (or close to it) for the 'Hoos. With eight straight wins, including two so far in the ACC tournament, Virginia (40-17) is a sure bet to earn its second straight NCAA tourney bid - an unprecedented feat for the program. Last year the Cavaliers hosted an NCAA subregional and finished with 44 wins. Remember, this is a team that never won more than 29 games in the six seasons prior to 2004 and finished with a losing record in ACC play for 15 straight years.

Who's responsible for the rise of UVa baseball? Brian O'Connor, obviously. In just his second year as head coach, he has transformed Virginia's program from an ACC also-ran to a national contender. Greg Waters wrote an in-depth profile of the coach for Edge subscribers this week. In the article, two of his former mentors at Creighton and Notre Dame explain What Makes Brian O'Connor a Winner?

Because of that, Virginia fans also are winners because they get at least another week or two to root for the Hoos. If O'Connor and company can keep this up, June won't be quite so dull around here any longer.

Coming Soon

The Sabre has you covered when it comes to Hoo news. This week, we'll have articles on spring football, baseball, lacrosse, recruiting, and men's basketball here's a sneak peak at some of the articles to expect on the site in the coming days:

• Around the Horn
  The Sabre continues its weekly look at the baseball team, which hosts Duke for a weekend series.
• Still Improving
  The men's lacrosse team added Maryland to its recent hit list. North Carolina looms this weekend.
• Spring Football Updates The Sabre continues to keep tabs on the football team's spring practice. There are notebooks and features planned this week, including an article with Darnell Carter.
  
• Recruiting 2008 The Sabre's Chris Horne keeps you in the recruiting loop with udates this week planned for OL Neil Deiters and S/LB Cameron Johnson among others.
  

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Cavaliers Topple Terps
Virginia coach Dom Starsia expected a close game against Maryland and that's exactly what he got during the first half of Saturday afternoon's showdown against the 10th-ranked Terrapins. But the third-ranked Cavaliers scored three goals in the first four minutes of the third quarter and built a comfortable lead en route to a 12-8 victory in front of a crowd of 5,048 on a breezy day at Klockner Stadium. As has become the norm, junior Ben Rubeor was Virginia's leading scorer on Saturday as the junior attacker notched five goals and one assist.

Duke Rallies To Victory
With an 11-5 lead and 28:51 left in the game, the No. 4 Virginia women's lacrosse seemed poised to win their 10th game of the season and third straight against the No. 5 Duke Blue Devils. Someone apparently forgot to tell Duke. Virginia's inability to control draws late in the game cost the Cavaliers as the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils rallied to the improbable 19-18 overtime victory.

Streaking Teams Set For Showdown
After dropping its season opener to Drexel, the third-ranked Virginia men's lacrosse team has rebounded by reeling off seven straight victories heading into Saturday afternoon's duel at Klockner against 10th-ranked Maryland. The Terrapins are also red hot at 7-2 with five straight wins of their own. That means Will Barrow and the Hoos have to be ready for another classic ACC showdown this weekend.

Around the Horn: Missed Chances
The Cavaliers improved to 22-5 (5-4 ACC) on the season with a series victory over the Miami Hurricanes (15-12, 3-6 ACC). The Cavaliers claimed the first two wins of the series with a 4-1 Friday triumph and a 3-0 Saturday shutout, while the Hurricanes secured the final game. Sunday's 4-2 loss was Virginia's third series finale defeat in three attempts this season. The Hoos lost 7-6 to Wake Forest and 9-4 to North Carolina earlier in the year.

Sabre Roundtable: UVa's Basketball Future, Part II
In Part I of a Sabre Roundtable to get you focused on the 2007-08 possibilities in men's basketball, we covered how to replace J.R. Reynolds and Jason Cain and more. Part II looks at Calvin Baker, rising sophomores Solomon Tat, Will Harris, Jamil Tucker, and Jerome Meyinsse, and more. J.W. Stehle and Dave Strumpf step in for WCAV TV this round, joining ESPN 840AM's Wes McElroy and The Sabre's Kris Wright.

Gorham Getting Shot At Receiver
What happens when a struggling offense loses its most proven playmaker? Virginia fans are about to find out as the news about Kevin Ogletree sinks in. But as bad as the loss of Ogletree is for the Virginia offense, the team needs to move forward and do its best to find a replacement. One option for the Cavaliers at receiver is Chris Gorham. Wait a second. Chris Gorham, the cornerback? Well yes, former cornerback.

Coach Boland's Sabre Q&A No. 2
After a temporary swoon during a Texas swing, the Cavalier men's tennis team is back on track with three straight wins. All three victories came against ACC competition, including a 6-1 romp against Virginia Tech on Wednesday. Virginia coach Brian Boland, who answers some more questions from the Sabre-ites here (correction version), was happy with how his team performed against the Hokies.

Ogletree Injures ACL, Needs Surgery
Virginia wide receiver Kevin Ogletree tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee late last week and will need corrective surgery, according to UVa coach Al Groh. Ogletree underwent an MRI earlier this week and this morning's results confirmed that ACL surgery is necessary. An official timetable for his return is unknown, but ACL rehabilitation can range anywhere from 5 months to 1 year in most cases.

Sabre Roundtable: UVa's Basketball Future, Part I
Ask most Virginia fans and they'll tell you that this basketball season proved exciting and rewarding. So much so in fact, no one can wait to talk about next season! Never mind that the Final Four has yet to be played, how will the Hoos look for the 2007-08 season? Never fear Sabre-ites, we've got you covered with a two-part Sabre Roundtable. WCAV TV's Marc Davis and Kris Budden join ESPN 840AM's Wes McElroy and The Sabre's Kris Wright to tackle Part I where they talk about replacing J.R. Reynolds and Jason Cain and more.

A Season On The Brink
This past weekend, as Final Four teams were immortalized in college basketball history, the same number of teams and their fans learned that their seasons ended on the brink of the sport's ultimate stage. And a few days before, a larger number discovered their own unfulfilled brink. The weekend before that, even more schools found out about their brink the hard way, including the University of Virginia. Still, Sean Singletary and the Hoos brought pride back to UVa basketball this season, which showed the Cavs could be on the brink of long-term success.

Shields Studying Hard At Center
Virginia redshirt freshman Jack Shields has a name that reminds you of a central character in some CIA movie. You know, the guy assigned to protect the President, played by Harrison Ford. In some ways, there's a convenient parallel there. After all, Shields has been watching carefully and observing his surroundings since arriving in the UVa football program and his future assignment will be to protect the top target of the offense, the quarterback.

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