Peerman Happy To Be Back

When Virginia running back Cedric Peerman was injured at Middle Tennessee State last season, it didn't look that bad. After all, football pile-ups happen all the time and to the viewer, it looked like a typical play. Even Peerman, who had 566 yards rushing in five games, assumed it wasn't that bad, noting that he walked off the field after the play.

Unfortunately, for UVa and Peerman, the injury was much worse than feared. He missed the rest of the season and required offseason surgery to repair his foot, which had a partial ligament tear and a slight dislocation. Peerman said the road to recovery from a serious injury is always challenging for athletes because you're not used to being hobbled so severly.

"You have your good days and your bad days whenever you're dealing with a long-term injury. How you come out of those things is how you press through the bad days I think because it's easy to go through the good days," Peerman said. "I think how you're able to come out of it positively is to go through the negative days and get through those days."

Rest assured, Peerman, his teammates, coaches, and fans are delighted the good days won out in the end. The William Campbell High product is back in action this spring and he has looked very strong and explosive in limited turns at open practices. To hear more from Peerman, check out The Best Seat Blitz on TheSabre.com home page (right side), this article from The Daily Progress, and this article from The Daily Press.

Kris Wright
Editor
TheSabre.com

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

A number of promising recruits plan to be in Charlottesville this Saturday for the University of Virginia's Spring Game. Samuel Simpson, a top offensive line recruit out of Henry Clay High School (Lexington, KY), plans to arrive in Charlottesville on Thursday, April 10, and he will head home after the Spring Game.

The 6-5, 265-pound Simpson, who attends the same high school current Cavaliers freshman cornerback Chase Minnifield attended, is considering offers from Virginia, Auburn, Kentucky, Louisville, Stanford, Tennessee, and Wake Forest, among others. This will not be his first visit to Virginia, as he visited last summer for camp.

Simpson won't be the only top offensive lineman expected in town on Saturday. Bassett (VA) star Andrew Miller, a 6-5, 275-pound recruit, plans to be there. So does 6-5, 260-pound Catholic Memorial (West Roxbury, MA) star Brennan Williams. Williams stars on both sides of the line for Catholic Memorial.

The Hun School (Princeton, N.J.) star Anthony LaLota tops the list of defensive line prospects planning to be in Charlottesville this weekend. LaLota is quickly rising as one of the top defensive line prospects in the East.

Liberty (Bealeton, VA) star safety Corey Lillard and Charlotte Catholic (Charlotte, N.C.) linebacker Tucker Windle will be in attendance as well. These are just some of the players we have confirmed, but we will continue to gather a list prior to the Spring Game.

Brookville (Lynchburg, VA) athlete Logan Thomas and Stone Bridge (Ashburn, VA) defensive end Zach Thompson headlined the list of prospects in attendance for Sunday's spring practice. Forest Park High School ATH Brandon Scott was also able to make the trip. There were other recruits there as well, so stay tuned as we try to confirm those names and follow up for reaction.

Multiple sources are reporting that Caleb Porzel, a 5-8, 180-pound speedster out of Good Counsel (Wheaton, MD), has indeed decided to reopen his recruitment. The star running back/wide receiver/return man originally committed to Virginia shortly after his February 24 junior day experience. We will work on confirming this, so stay tuned for more.

With Porzel's de-commitment, Virginia now stands at four verbal commitments in this 2009 recruiting class.

Basketball recruiting ...

On the basketball recruiting front, it certainly appears as if the staff would like to land at least one more player in the 2008 class. The staff is heavily recruiting 5-11 point guard Terrell Holloway, 6-0 point guard Paul McCoy, and 6-7 wing Wesley Witherspoon. EDGE subscribers can check out updates on Holloway and Witherspoon posted in the past few weeks, and stay tuned for more on McCoy this week.

Virginia currently sits at three signees for the 2008 class - 6-6 guard/forward Sylven Landesberg, 6-11 center John Brandenburg, and 7-0 center Assane Sene.

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 ...

Cavs Pursue 2008 Class Point Guard
Following the departure of former head coach Kelvin Sampson, 5-11, 170-pound senior point guard Terrell Holloway asked for and was granted a release from the letter of intent he signed with Indiana University. The University of Virginia, which had extended an offer to the Harmony Community Prep (Cincinnati, OH) standout prior to his choosing the Hoosiers, is once again interested.

Top OLB Prospect Visits UVa
St. Ignatius (Cleveland, OH) star linebacker prospect Dan Fox traveled to the Charlottesville on Sunday, March 23rd, making what was his first ever trip to the University of Virginia. The 6-4, 215-pound junior left for the University of Maryland the next day, but before leaving UVa he was able to take in quite a bit.

Lillard Hits Recruiting Trail
Liberty (Bealeton, VA) safety Corey Lillard made three unofficial visits this past week, a week he said was "excellent, overall." The 5-11, 208-pound junior toured one Big East program and two ACC programs and hopes to visit more schools this spring and summer.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• The Latest on OLB Tucker Windle
• Dinwiddie LB Boasts Four Offers
• '09 Profile: Lafayette DE William Hill

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Blog Banter: Gotcha!

I got into the April Fool's Day spirit this year on the blog and duped some folks along the way. Ha, ha! Here was the gag report that fooled The Hook among others:

This will hit the news wires shortly, but as Kris is reporting in that Edge Board post, Al Groh is going to resign as Virginia's head coach this week and accept a Director of Player Personnel position with his ol' buddy Bill Parcels. Son and assistant coach Mike Groh is taking over immediately. In the end, the lure of a low-stress NFL job in the Big Tuna's orbit and the chance to allow his son to take the reins at the Grohs' alma mater was too much to pass up. ... In the end, I guess this would be a very bittersweet morning if I wasn't pulling your chain because it's April Fool's Day. Sorry, had to do it. (Read the full entry.)

Read more from The Good Ol' Blog.

Robert Mahini (Vandy-Hoo)
TheSabre.com

Williams Dismissed From Football Program

Virginia linebacker J'Courtney Williams was dismissed from the program last week. The 6-3, 218-pound redshirt freshman was charged with credit card theft and credit card fraud. It had been reported earlier that Williams had received a marijuana possession charge, a misdemeanor.

UVa coach Al Groh releaed this statement about the situation:

"J'Courtney's time here has unfortunately been marked with issues which fall below the line of what is acceptable to us. Therefore, he will no longer be a member of our program."

History of UVa Football Documentary

Hey there long-time Wahoo fans! Do you have any old photos or memorabilia of UVa football from the 1950s, 40s, 30s, or even earlier? Perhaps your grandfather has an old collection in the attic, or a photo hanging on the wall! Photos of Lambeth Field, players, coaches, or even just the fans! A documentary would love to photograph or scan any items that could be useful in a documentary about UVa's football history, and they promise to not only protect it with their lives, but to return it to you unharmed, and give you credit.

So look through those old dusty boxes, call up old Uncle Frank from the class of '37, and let the documentary know if you have an old photo, newspaper clipping, helmet or uniform, pennant, game ticket, postcard, program, or something else that might help tell the story of UVa football. And maybe you have an amazing story about UVa football's past that not too many people know? Like the fact that President Calvin Coolidge used to attend the season-ending game against UNC because it was THE sporting event of the year! They want to hear your stories!

If you find anything, please contact Lisa Ermatinger [email protected] at the e-mail address to discuss. Thanks and Go Hoos!

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Virginia Men's Tennis Defeats Duke to Remain Unbeaten: Top-ranked Virginia improved to 23-0 overall and 9-0 in the ACC with a 5-2 victory over No. 41 Duke Sunday afternoon at the Ambler Tennis Stadium. Virginia extended its school record winning streaks of 23 wins overall and 26 wins against ACC competition.
• Cavalier Women's Tennis Suffers Loss at Clemson: The Virginia women's tennis team concluded the road portion of its regular season schedule Sunday with a 7-0 loss at No. 23 Clemson. With the loss, the Cavaliers fall to 9-10 overall and 5-4 in the ACC.
• No. 2 FSU Sweeps UVa Baseball: No. 2 Florida State finished off a hard-fought series sweep of the No. 14 Virginia baseball team with a 3-2, 10-inning victory Sunday in the second game of a doubleheader at Dick Howser Stadium. The Seminoles also won the first game of the twinbill by an identical 3-2 count in 10 innings.
• Hokies Sweep Softball Series with Virginia: The Virginia softball team (12-27, 4-8 ACC) was swept by No. 21 Virginia Tech (27-10, 9-2 ACC) in a weekend series that closed with a doubleheader Sunday at the Tech Softball Park. The Hokies took the first game 3-0 and won the second 7-1. Virginia's Carly Winger hit a solo home run in the second game.
• Former Cavalier Wigger Wins first Pro Tournament: Former Virginia women's golfer Leah Wigger won her first professional tournament Sunday in Daytona Beach, Fla. Wigger shot 4-under 212 to take top honors at the inaugural American Systems Invitational on the Duramed Futures Tour. Wigger's finish earned her a payday of $14,000.
• Cavalier Women Win Inaugural Virginia-Missouri Jefferson Dual Title: In the first dual meet for the Virginia track and field program in at least the last 11 years, the meet was a great success. At the inaugural Virginia-Missouri Jefferson Dual, both the men's and women's competitions came down to the last events, with the Cavalier women coming out on top, 103-99, while the men's squad came up just short to the Mizzou men, falling 105-97. In all, the women won 10 events and the men won nine, with 11 NCAA regional qualifying times met.
• No. 3 Virginia Rowing Wins Nine At Big Ten / ACC Duals: At Griggs Reservoir on Saturday, the No. 3-ranked Virginia rowing team posted nine victories against No. 9 Ohio State and No. 10 Michigan. With a time of 6:20.4, UVa's Varsity Eight defeated the Buckeyes (6:31.1) in impressive fashion in the morning session, then followed up with a victory over Michigan in the afternoon with a time of 6:18.1. "This regatta has been a very competitive one for us over the years, and I thought we performed as well as we ever have in the last 10 or so years here," head coach Kevin Sauer said.
• Cavaliers Earn Bye in ACC Tournament With Win Over Eagles: The Virginia women's lacrosse team earned a bye in the first round of the ACC Tournament Saturday afternoon with a 12-4 win over conference-foe Boston College. ACC Player of the Week junior Jenny Hauser led all scorers with four goals on the afternoon. Senior Megan O'Malley and sophomore Brittany Kalkstein each notched three goals and junior Ashley McCulloch had one goal and three assists. Junior Blair Weymouth tallied a goal and an assist, while senior Kaitlin Swagart contributed an assist.
• Cavaliers Rally to Stun North Carolina in OT: Steve Giannone scored on a rebound with 1:01 remaining in overtime to send the Virginia men's lacrosse team past North Carolina 12-11 in the rain at Fetzer Field Saturday. The overtime victory is Virginia's third of the season and the second in a row over the Tar Heels.

For more Hoo news or to read full releases, check out Virginiasports.com.

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Issue No. 59 - October 25, 2002

Brandi Teamer & Travis Watson Named Naismith Candidates
Official UVa Media Release

Virginia's Brandi Teamer and Travis Watson are pre-season candidates for the 2002-2003 Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Awards, Jackie Bradford, President of the Atlanta Tipoff Club, announced on Tuesday.

The Naismith Awards program, now in its 35th year, honors the outstanding college basketball players in the United States. The awards program was founded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, an organization dedicated to recognizing the achievements of student-athletes in basketball.

White Team Defeats Blue In Virginia's Intrasquad Scrimmage
Official UVa Media Release

Travis Watson scored 20 points and Nick Vander Laan added 15 to lead the White Team to a 67-51 victory over the Blue Team in the University of Virginia men's basketball team's intrasquad scrimmage at University Hall on Saturday (Oct. 19).

Todd Billet added 14 points for the White Team.

Elton Brown scored 14 points to lead the Blue Team. Derrick Byars scored 13 points and Jermaine Harper added 10 points for the Blue Team.

Virginia plays the first of two exhibition games on November 10 when the Cavaliers host Big Apple Basketball at University Hall. The game is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m.

Coming Soon

The Sabre has you covered when it comes to Hoo news. Here are a few of the articles to expect on the site in the coming days:

• Lacrosse showdown: Virginia and Duke square off in men's lacrosse this weekend at Klockner Stadium and The Sabre will be there to provide coverage.
• Spring football: The Sabre attended spring practice over the weekend. Look for several articles about the Hoos.
• Spring Game: The football program's spring game is Saturday at 2 p.m. Jed Williams takes a look at UVa's approach to the game. Plus, The Sabre will be there to cover the event.
• Around the Horn: Fresh off a sweep by FSU, the baseball team tries to get back on track this week. The Sabre's Greg Waters takes his weekly look at the Cavs.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

LB Spots Have Plenty Of Competition
While the dismissal of J'Courtney Williams from the Virginia football team closed the book for one player, the good news for the program is that there is plenty of depth and experience at the linebacker position to deal with the impact. Jon Copper, Clint Sintim, and Antonio Appleby return as starters while nine more players are listed on the spring roster as linebackers. That means the competition is fierce for a number of spots on the depth chart.

Around The Horn: Thompson Finds Groove
All-American hurler Jacob Thompson would be the first to tell you he was not having a very All-American season to open the 2008 campaign. In his first six outings of the year, Thompson collected just 27.1 innings of work, allowed 25 hits, 10 earned runs, and15 walks while fanning 34 batters. His record shook out at 3-0. Good numbers for most pitchers but not for Virginia's career leader in victories. In his first two seasons as a Cavalier, Thompson averaged 31.1 innings, surrendered 26 hits, allowed 9.5 earned runs and 11.2 walks, and delivered 35 strikeouts in his first six starts. He opened the year 5-0 in each season. So what was different in 2008?

Burd Hopes To Prove Himself Again
Before the start of his senior year, receiver Kris Burd attended a 7-on-7 and individual camp at the University of Virginia. With an offer already in hand, Burd still felt like he had something to prove because to him it seemed like the Cavaliers weren't recruiting him as heavily as earlier in the process. The Richmond native shined at the camp, caught the attention of the coaches, and UVa's interests peaked again, leading to his eventual commitment to the program. Now a redshirt freshman at Virginia, Burd once again feels like he has something to prove. That's what August back surgery and a year away from game action will do.

Interior Linemen Could Be Key In 2008
Most of the talk surrounding Virginia's spring camp has been on whether Peter Lalich can step in and fill the shoes of quarterback Jameel Sewell, who left the team in January for academic reasons. But a more critical issue might be the trio of interior blockers - Zak Stair, B.J. Cabbell, Patrick Slebonick, and Jack Shields are the likely front runners - that will be part of the offensive line charged with protecting Virginia's quarterbacks in 2008.

Lalich Focused On Improving
When Peter Lalich joined the Virginia football program last fall, no one was really sure of what to expect out of his true freshman year. Redshirt? Back-up quarterback? Split duty? The first of those questions was answered immediately when he trotted on to the field in Wyoming, while the splitting time vs. back-up debate carried on for a few more weeks. In the end, however, Lalich served as the back-up quarterback, seeing time in eight games. Fast forward to the spring. Jameel Sewell, the team's starting quarterback in the fall, is not enrolled at UVa due to academic problems. Lalich appears to be the logical front-runner for the top spot. He's not making any assumptions.

Quick Take: Mikell Simpson On Spring Practice
The Virginia football team started spring practice nearly 10 days ago but Sunday's open practice for media and fans was the first opportunity to see the Hoos in action. There were plenty of new faces on the field as players try to earn a spot on the depth chart before the summer training period. Of course, there were some game-tested players in the mix as well, including running back Mikell Simpson, who rose from a hybrid receive role to starting tailback last season. We caught up with Simpson for a quick take on spring practice.

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