Navy 2022

[The Orfling]

That sequence stuck in my mind too. #66 was a man possessed. ...correction, they all were.

Levitating Intensity- Firsties & Amplo lead Navy to star game win over Army

Attendance for @navymlax hosting @ArmyWP_MLax is 5,285.

Gotta believe that’s the biggest crowd to see a college lacrosse game so far this year, right?

Without the pandemic, the entire Brigade would be in attendance & local class reunion tailgates would fill the parking lot, just like football games, likely upping attendance to 8-9k. One thing is back to normal = Army at Navy is the best attended regular season lax game. If we could get JHU & MD back on Navy's Apr Sat schedule, we'd have another gate like this every year. The Big 10 & PL should work it into their master sched. Give JHU, MD, Loyola & Navy each, 2 home & home PL/BTN crossover Apr weekend games every year for all 4 teams. The local attendance & tv would blow away the same old conf matchups which take local rivalries & so much tradition out of the sport. Loyola, Navy & Army could play each other on the other 2 Apr weekends. The tv ratings & game attendance would justify it. ...yesterday, 250 attendance at Homewood for that rivalry game.

Wish I could have been there in person -- the energy looked awesome from watching the broadcast. I am pretty certain I saw (and heard, via some musical "overrated" Gregorian chants) the Navy Lacrosse Hooligans back at it?

[old salt]

The Hooligans were in fine form. FTR -- they've been vaccinated. Army had a big/loud contingent too.

Re. my Sched suggestion, here's Navy's Apr 2012-14 attendance :

2012
Apr 06 at #12 Maryland -- College Park, Md. 5,022 attendance
Apr 14 at Army -- West Point, N.Y. 10,192 attendance
Apr 21 #6 JOHNS HOPKINS -- Annapolis, Md. 11,917 attendance

2013
Apr 05 #1 MARYLAND -- Annapolis, Md. 6,961 attendance
Apr 13 ARMY -- Annapolis, Md. 12,103 attendance
Apr 20 at #11 Johns Hopkins -- Baltimore, Md 3,646 attendance

2014
Apr 05 #1 LOYOLA -- Annapolis, Md. 4,422 attendance
*Apr 12 at Army -- West Point, N.Y. 10,774 attendance
Apr 18 #6 JOHNS HOPKINS -- Annapolis, Md. 8,655 attendance
May 03 at #8 Maryland -- College Park, Md. 4,538 attendance

[old salt]

A while back Orfling asked about Naps vs direct entry. Not sure if it's a trend or covid related, but we may be getting an indication.

Of the plebes getting the most playing time -- 28, 33. 34, 43, 49 are direct entries

Napsters -- 6, 25

https://navysports.com/sports/mens-lacrosse/roster/2021

also asked about 47 -- last season, as a plebe, he ran MF1 & started 4 games. Switched to DM this year & appears to be 6th in the DM rotation. 3 of those ahead of him are Sr's, so we may see more of him next year. He got into the Mt St Marys & Bucknell games. Not sure if he's injured.

edited to correct

[Dip&Dunk]

I hope the blind, blanket policy to send players to either NAPS or a post graduate foundation selected school days are gone. I think it did more harm than good.

[youthathletics]

What a gem of a game. Congrats to the Navy team and coaching staff. Too many people to single them all out, but just an amazing career-defining day in goal by Spencer Rees.

One sequence stood out to me -- I watched the recording multiple times. With 10 minutes in the game, Army hit the pipe. LiCalzi made a great ground ball pickup and got it to Rees, who had to leap to snag the pass. Rees outletted to McKenna in the middle who was hit by a Mack truck and kept possession but then lost the handle as he went over the 50. Then the bodies hit the ground. McKenna stretched out to make a check to keep Army from getting solid possession; then deLyra (Joey Hat Trick) came flying in from the sub box, dived into a scrum and hit the ball forward 10 yards, then Daniel made a diving check to keep Army from getting initial possession and when the Army player picked it up near the sideline Daniel popped up and checked it out of bounds. Navy ball. Sideline going crazy. A 22 second sequence that showed every bit of the reservoirs of heart, desire, fight, and smarts that gave Navy the win over . . . who'd they beat again?

That sequence stuck in my mind too. #66 was a man possessed. ...correction, they all were.

Great observation Orfling and in many cases those scenarios have gone the other way far too often.

~ Another was late in the 2nd quarter (4:35) when Meehan slid to Nichtern, knocking him down while carrying the ball, then Meehan proceeded to pick the ball up and clear it. Unfortunately the referee effed up on the possession call after the Daniel shot a minute later....(Belichick agreed on TV).

~ Then in the final minute, Bonitz with the interception on the Army clear at the midline, having the presence to toe the midline until someone got back, was just high level IQ stuff.




~ On the constructive side....

• 1.Our midfielders need to work on finesse/vision. We tend to leave a ton of layups on the field, by either not seeing inside/open guys or throwing a poor/stressed pass. I believe that may be one reason why they bumped 21 to midfield to provide balance with 17. This is where we also miss having 32 on the field....he is a crafty, soft hands finisher with vision and 57 also provides balance in chemistry/vision. It's a great problem to have, but a scenario that leads[edit] to bullet point 2..

• 2.We have too many GLF's (Good Looks Effed). I'd recommend working on tight inside play...something like a 64 drill. Where two guys stay below GLE and can not go above GLE (feeders only) the entire time and you play 4v4 in front of the cage. This promotes playing in a phonebooth, using screens, picks, & off ball movement...and equally important touch passes and finishing. Helps the defense work through this type of inside chaos as well.

• 3.I was surprised we did not use picks more often Saturday. Army was pressing out and forcing us to beat them 1v1. This is fine, but I believe we missed a great opportunity to work on this aspect of our game. When we did set a pick/use the screen....it created the separation intended.

I see Quint's IL top 20 is out this morning....Navy moves up 11, just in front of Army.

#ChangeCourse #GoNavy

[old salt]

• 1.Our midfielders need to work on finesse/vision. We tend to leave a ton of layups on the field, by either not seeing inside/open guys or throwing a poor/stressed pass. I believe that may be one reason why they bumped 21 to midfield to provide balance with 17. This is where we also miss having 32 on the field....he is a crafty, soft hands finisher with vision and 57 also provides balance in chemistry/vision. It's a great problem to have, but a scenario that needs to bullet point 2..

Just to claify your point. When 21 was running MF, he took a few shifts with 2 guys each from MF1 & MF2, & played more out front, making him essentially a 4th attackman who came on/off through the box. Meanwhile 57/32/6 split time while 17 stayed on the whole time.
Would you prefer that ? I thought maybe 28's injury might be the reason 21 shifted to MF, & that it created a way to get 6 into the mix.

[youthathletics]

• 1.Our midfielders need to work on finesse/vision. We tend to leave a ton of layups on the field, by either not seeing inside/open guys or throwing a poor/stressed pass. I believe that may be one reason why they bumped 21 to midfield to provide balance with 17. This is where we also miss having 32 on the field....he is a crafty, soft hands finisher with vision and 57 also provides balance in chemistry/vision. It's a great problem to have, but a scenario that leads to bullet point 2..

Just to claify your point. When 21 was running MF, he took a few shifts with 2 guys each from MF1 & MF2, & played more out front, making him essentially a 4th attackman who came on/off through the box. Meanwhile 57/32/6 split time while 17 stayed on the whole time.
Would you prefer that ? I thought maybe 28's injury might be the reason 21 shifted to MF, & that it created a way to get 6 into the mix.

Great question and observation...which is why I noted "It's a great problem to have". If you recall, the Bucknell game was loaded with skip passes & 10 players had points. 21 ran a bunch of midfield.

Yesterday, guess who threw a skip pass to 66 for the first goal....21 . 57 and 32 are inside crafty guys (32 is great inside), but if you send them in you lose the size of 6 and have only 2 midfielders to choose from assuming you roll in with 17,21,57,32.

I'd have to believe the upside of having 28 and 29 on the field is higher than 'trying' to get attackmen open inside; this is why I suggested that the midfielders work on finesse, touch passes, and vision, to stretch their abilities. Ryan Wade was this kind of player

[old salt]

[The Orfling]

First of all -- good stuff! Great game analysis, youthathletics and old salt, and old salt, thanks for remembering the NAPS vs. direct entry discussion. That's quite interesting to see the contributions of the direct entry guys and I'll be interested to see if that trend continues post-COVID. If nothing else, direct entries keeps "Transfer John Tillman" from doing all his hunting in Navy waters! (Nothing personal -- Tillman is a legitimate coaching legend and could be on his way to another championship this year -- but he certainly knew to trawl NAPS each year for top talent.)

Secondly, I know I said I wouldn't call out too many names given that it was such a great team win but it was still an oversight not to mention the fantastic game by co-captain Nick Franchuk, who played lockdown defense against the more-than-formidable Brendan Nichtern of Army. To see the guy in the #40 jersey having an impact game like that made it all the more special.

Really enjoying watching this Navy team come into their own.

[laxpere]

A while back Orfling asked about Naps vs direct entry. Not sure if it's a trend or covid related, but we may be getting an indication.
Of the plebes getting the most playing time -- 6, 28, 33. 34, 43, 49 are direct entries
Napsters -- 25
https://navysports.com/sports/mens-lacrosse/roster/2021
also asked about 47 -- last season, as a plebe, he ran MF1 & started 4 games. Switched to DM this year & appears to be 6th in the DM rotation. 3 of those ahead of him are Sr's, so we may see more of him next year. He got into the Mt St Marys & Bucknell games. Not sure if he's injured.

It seems like there's always going to be a debate about NAPS (almost time for another NY Times article), but I'm not sure either whether there is an indication yet on Coach Amplo's approach.
I hadn't thought of the poaching risk. Shockey and Cope left NAPS for Maryland, but that's maybe two out of the last ten DORs. The DOR risk due to poaching is there, but I think that NAPS seasons many recruits on the NotCollege experience and the risk of punting at USNA is higher for a direct than a NAPSter. That higher risk is a problem since you can't fill the void right away, hence the higher number in recruiting classes at the service academies.
Some parents object to it, including some USNA grads, but most parents, including some prominent USNA grads, don't and NAPS serves to manage the recruiting pipeline over the longer term. Look at how the directs over the past two years filled out the midfield. I am thinking of Plebes 28/43 and 3C 48, and the transformation at midfield has been fairly dramatic. Maybe it was Army game plan to contain the Navy attack, but eight of the nine goals were scored by four midfielders, all of whom were directs. Aside from the re-emergence of 1C 66 in the Army game, most of the 1C and 2C midfielders who played over the past two years haven't seen the field much this year and some have been converted to DM.
I think that there will always be a mix of NAPSters and directs. Next year will be interesting to watch because many have said that the NAPS class of 2021 is very strong so maybe the number of directs gets squeezed.
FWIW, Plebe 6 is a NAPSter, as is his brother 2C 45. So is midfielder 3C 29.
Hearsay on 47 is inactivity is health related.
Looks like the team has recovered from ROM and is peaking at the right time for the PL playoffs.
Go Navy Lacrosse!

[youthathletics]

A while back Orfling asked about Naps vs direct entry. Not sure if it's a trend or covid related, but we may be getting an indication.
Of the plebes getting the most playing time -- 6, 28, 33. 34, 43, 49 are direct entries
Napsters -- 25
https://navysports.com/sports/mens-lacrosse/roster/2021
also asked about 47 -- last season, as a plebe, he ran MF1 & started 4 games. Switched to DM this year & appears to be 6th in the DM rotation. 3 of those ahead of him are Sr's, so we may see more of him next year. He got into the Mt St Marys & Bucknell games. Not sure if he's injured.

It seems like there's always going to be a debate about NAPS (almost time for another NY Times article), but I'm not sure either whether there is an indication yet on Coach Amplo's approach.
I hadn't thought of the poaching risk. Shockey and Cope left NAPS for Maryland, but that's maybe two out of the last ten DORs. The DOR risk due to poaching is there, but I think that NAPS seasons many recruits on the NotCollege experience and the risk of punting at USNA is higher for a direct than a NAPSter. That higher risk is a problem since you can't fill the void right away, hence the higher number in recruiting classes at the service academies.
Some parents object to it, including some USNA grads, but most parents, including some prominent USNA grads, don't and NAPS serves to manage the recruiting pipeline over the longer term. Look at how the directs over the past two years filled out the midfield. I am thinking of Plebes 28/43 and 3C 48, and the transformation at midfield has been fairly dramatic. Maybe it was Army game plan to contain the Navy attack, but eight of the nine goals were scored by four midfielders, all of whom were directs. Aside from the re-emergence of 1C 66 in the Army game, most of the 1C and 2C midfielders who played over the past two years haven't seen the field much this year and some have been converted to DM.
I think that there will always be a mix of NAPSters and directs. Next year will be interesting to watch because many have said that the NAPS class of 2021 is very strong so maybe the number of directs gets squeezed.
FWIW, Plebe 6 is a NAPSter, as is his brother 2C 45. So is midfielder 3C 29.
Hearsay on 47 is inactivity is health related.
Looks like the team has recovered from ROM and is peaking at the right time for the PL playoffs.
Go Navy Lacrosse!

Well said laxpere..I do not think there is ever going to be an easy answer. This 1C class of 2021, had a core group of NAPSters, 3, 8, 10, 11, 17, 18, 20, 40, 56, 57, and most of them have been crucial contributors.

I believe it was more than just the two you listed, if I recall it was quite a few....I getting old, wasn't Koby Smith in the class as well?

We are fortunate that Wellner was such a strong recruiter prior to his departure. This staff should have a much easier time recruiting, for reasons we understand.

[laxpere]

A while back Orfling asked about Naps vs direct entry. Not sure if it's a trend or covid related, but we may be getting an indication.
Of the plebes getting the most playing time -- 6, 28, 33. 34, 43, 49 are direct entries
Napsters -- 25
https://navysports.com/sports/mens-lacrosse/roster/2021
also asked about 47 -- last season, as a plebe, he ran MF1 & started 4 games. Switched to DM this year & appears to be 6th in the DM rotation. 3 of those ahead of him are Sr's, so we may see more of him next year. He got into the Mt St Marys & Bucknell games. Not sure if he's injured.

It seems like there's always going to be a debate about NAPS (almost time for another NY Times article), but I'm not sure either whether there is an indication yet on Coach Amplo's approach.
I hadn't thought of the poaching risk. Shockey and Cope left NAPS for Maryland, but that's maybe two out of the last ten DORs. The DOR risk due to poaching is there, but I think that NAPS seasons many recruits on the NotCollege experience and the risk of punting at USNA is higher for a direct than a NAPSter. That higher risk is a problem since you can't fill the void right away, hence the higher number in recruiting classes at the service academies.
Some parents object to it, including some USNA grads, but most parents, including some prominent USNA grads, don't and NAPS serves to manage the recruiting pipeline over the longer term. Look at how the directs over the past two years filled out the midfield. I am thinking of Plebes 28/43 and 3C 48, and the transformation at midfield has been fairly dramatic. Maybe it was Army game plan to contain the Navy attack, but eight of the nine goals were scored by four midfielders, all of whom were directs. Aside from the re-emergence of 1C 66 in the Army game, most of the 1C and 2C midfielders who played over the past two years haven't seen the field much this year and some have been converted to DM.
I think that there will always be a mix of NAPSters and directs. Next year will be interesting to watch because many have said that the NAPS class of 2021 is very strong so maybe the number of directs gets squeezed.
FWIW, Plebe 6 is a NAPSter, as is his brother 2C 45. So is midfielder 3C 29.
Hearsay on 47 is inactivity is health related.
Looks like the team has recovered from ROM and is peaking at the right time for the PL playoffs.
Go Navy Lacrosse!

Well said laxpere..I do not think there is ever going to be an easy answer. This 1C class of 2021, had a core group of NAPSters, 3, 8, 10, 11, 17, 18, 20, 40, 56, 57, and most of them have been crucial contributors.

I believe it was more than just the two you listed, if I recall it was quite a few....I getting old, wasn't Koby Smith in the class as well?

We are fortunate that Wellner was such a strong recruiter prior to his departure. This staff should have a much easier time recruiting, for reasons we understand.

Yes, the NAPSters in the 1C class of 2021 form the nucleus of this year's team, especially on defense with 20/40/3/18/10, but there is a fall off from there. Maybe it is the coaching change or a lull in the recruiting pipeline, but many NAPSters in the classes of 2022 and 2023 don't seem to be on the radar this year and the bulk of the roster attrition moving into this year was from the NAPSter ranks. Who will step into the void on defense left by the commissioning 1Cs? It seems likely to be more directs than NAPSters based on the current roster.

I listed the ones who left NAPS for Maryland in successive years, not just one class, and tried to push back on the contention that Tillman is the one coach who views NAPS as fertile ground. Many more of the recent DORs from NAPS have gone elsewhere, like Towson, Penn State, Saint Joe, Jacksonville, etc. Maybe with the new head coach, Holy Cross will become a new destination. The grass is always greener and social media doesn't help, but it is a tough road and it seems like there are other possible reasons to DOR, like academics and rules. Not sure that anyone wants to be too granular and offer a list, but maybe someone has kept better track than us.

Yes, Navy Lacrosse is fortunate that Coach Wellner was a solid recruiter and the pipeline wasn't dry for the new coaching staff. Winning might help, but will there ever be an easy time to recruit to the USNA and other service academies? As an aside, I just noticed that Jack Nichtern, a familiar last name to Army, recently committed to Navy's 2021 recruiting class. Wonder how that happened and whether he'll flip or divide the house?
Go Navy Lacrosse!

[old salt]

Who will step into the void on defense left by the commissioning 1Cs? It seems likely to be more directs than NAPSters based on the current roster.

Projected 2022 returnees -- 34, 5*, 49 & 47, recently 33 & 30* worked into the LSM rotation.
2, 60 (inj), 68* all have significant game experience (at meaningful times) under this coaching staff.
That's 6 poles & 3 DM's with significant, meaningful game experience under this staff.
* Naps

[laxpere]

Who will step into the void on defense left by the commissioning 1Cs? It seems likely to be more directs than NAPSters based on the current roster.

Projected 2022 returnees -- 34, 5, 49 & 47, recently 33 & 30 worked into the LSM rotation.
2, 60 (inj), 68 all have significant game experience (at meaningful times) under this coaching staff.
That's 6 poles & 3 DM's with significant, meaningful game experience under this staff.

With all due respect, I was referring to the mix of directs and NAPSters filling the void. I believe that six of the defensive guys on your list are directs, and three are NAPSters.
I agree that there is enough game experience there to build a solid defensive base, especially with Plebe 34 already a starter, but the huge question mark will be in the cage.
Go Navy Lacrosse!

[old salt]

Who will step into the void on defense left by the commissioning 1Cs? It seems likely to be more directs than NAPSters based on the current roster.

Projected 2022 returnees -- 34, 5, 49 & 47, recently 33 & 30 worked into the LSM rotation.
2, 60 (inj), 68 all have significant game experience (at meaningful times) under this coaching staff.
That's 6 poles & 3 DM's with significant, meaningful game experience under this staff.

With all due respect, I was referring to the mix of directs and NAPSters filling the void. I believe that six of the defensive guys on your list are directs, and three are NAPSters.
I agree that there is enough game experience there to build a solid defensive base, especially with Plebe 34 already a starter, but the huge question mark will be in the cage.
Go Navy Lacrosse!

Roger that. I figured that out & edited my post before you quoted it & *'d the Napsters.

[youthathletics]

Who will step into the void on defense left by the commissioning 1Cs? It seems likely to be more directs than NAPSters based on the current roster.

Projected 2022 returnees -- 34, 5, 49 & 47, recently 33 & 30 worked into the LSM rotation.
2, 60 (inj), 68 all have significant game experience (at meaningful times) under this coaching staff.
That's 6 poles & 3 DM's with significant, meaningful game experience under this staff.

With all due respect, I was referring to the mix of directs and NAPSters filling the void. I believe that six of the defensive guys on your list are directs, and three are NAPSters.
I agree that there is enough game experience there to build a solid defensive base, especially with Plebe 34 already a starter, but the huge question mark will be in the cage.
Go Navy Lacrosse!

laxpere and OS - appreciate the lax talk.

Because there is no fathomable way to know if a recruit is going to stay engaged on the mlax team, gravitate to the club team, roll out all together, there are rational and calculated reasons for assignment to NAPS or Direct....not to mention appointments. As laxpere mentioned, that HS class of 2017 that went NAPS really threw a loop into our recruiting, then the staff went in to damage control to fill that vacuum in the late fall early winter of 17'. The HS class of 2015 that went NAPS had its share of attrition, even once they got on the yard...only 5 graduates in 2020 (Higgins walked on after football making 6).

It seems if our current class of 2021 that went the NAPS route, went direct instead, one could argue we'd not be as successful, especially if we are now trying to figure out what to do next year. IMHO, player development was a contributing factor (offensively), prior to 2020, which takes an added year or two straighten out.

[old salt]

Xavier Arline watch -- in a preseason interview on the Sing Second podcast, Coach Amplo said he has a supportive comm channel open with Xavier, that he has an open door to come out for lax whenever he wants, he fully supports Xavier's decision to concentrate on football (right now) & joked that he probably hurt his cause when he told Xavier how much playing football meant to him.

While Xavier is #1 at QB going into spring ball, the QB competition is wide open & no one is wearing a green jersey yet.
2 of the contenders have as much or more triple option experience as Xavier & apparently are stronger passers, but don't have his quickness or big play breakaway potential ...ya never know.

https://www.capitalgazette.com/sports/n ... story.html

Xavier Arline was listed No. 1 on the depth chart going into Navy football spring practice because of the experience he gained last season. However, the precocious plebe has certainly not solidified the starting job and must fend off competition from the three other signal-callers in the program.

Speaking to the media during an online news conference last week, offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper said the quarterback competition is wide-open during spring camp. Jasper, who personally coaches the quarterbacks, added that current sophomore Maasai Maynor along with plebes Tai Lavatai and Jayden Umbarger (Spalding) would all
“I’m not just looking at Xavier. There’s four guys there that are all good football players. They all deserve a shot,” Jasper said. “I know Xavier is No. 1 and got game reps last season, but it’s not like it’s a clear-cut deal.”
Arline started the second game of the season at Tulane and struggled operating the offense, which had been simplified for the freshman. The Long Island native lined up in shotgun formation and Navy ran read-option plays, replicating the type of attack Arline directed at Shoreham-Wading River High.

Navy football plebes were unable to participate in practice until late August, which severely hampered Arline’s development. The 5-foot-9, 165-pounder was much more familiar with Navy’s triple-option system by the time he was reinstalled as the starter for the ninth game against Tulsa.
Unfortunately for Arline and the Navy offense, the results were not much better than what fans saw all season. However, Arline did finally show some of his athletic talent and dynamic running ability against archrival Army, rushing for 109 yards on 17 carries.
For the season, Arline finished with 210 rushing yards, which remarkably ranked third on the team. He only completed 4 of 12 pass attempts for 27 yards.

Maynor is the only other Navy quarterback who has appeared in a game. The New Jersey native made his collegiate debut toward the end of a lopsided loss to Air Force and displayed decent throwing ability. He completed 2 of 3 passes for 14 yards and also picked up 8 yards on a keeper in leading the Midshipmen deep into enemy territory. However, Maynor spoiled the possession by throwing an interception.
“We were very high on Massai going into last spring. Not having spring camp set him back,” Jasper said. “Maasai has been up and down, and we’ve talked about that. He’s shown a lot of progress mentally.”

Jasper said Maynor and Lavatai are both outstanding passers, possessing arm strength not seen at Navy since Ricky Dobbs was the starter in 2008 and 2009. Maynor, a product of St. Peter’s Preparatory in New Jersey, had some academic difficulties at the academy that have since been cleared up.
“Maasai is in a much better place right now. He has a lot clearer mind,” Jasper said. “He’s more confident and it’s showing in practice and showing on tests. He’s also a lot more vocal in meetings. He’s like a different kid and I hope that shows up on the practice field.”

Lavatai was the starting quarterback at the Naval Academy Prep School in 2019 and helped propel the program to a victory over the Military Academy Prep School. The Florida native is listed on the roster at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds and Jasper indicated the coaching staff would prefer he maintain a lighter playing weight.
" We’re trying to get Tai down to 215 or 210,” he said. “That said, he’s very light on his feet, very athletic. Just an all-around complete player and we’re excited about him.”
In addition to throwing the ball well, Lavatai has developed solid option mechanics, Jasper said.
“Tai just needs to get live reps so we can see how he executes the offense,” Jasper said. “The materials are there for him to be a good quarterback. He just needs to put it all together.”

Umbarger attended the prep school along with Lavatai but did not play much due to a knee injury sustained early in the season. The Archbishop Spalding product arrived in Annapolis and was immediately sidelined due to coronavirus protocols put in place by Naval Academy leadership.
Umbarger was relegated to the scout team and did not gain the game experience normally afforded plebes because the junior varsity campaign was canceled.
Umbarger was named first team All-County by the Capital Gazette and also earned All-Metro and All-State honors after rushing for 1,087 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior at Spalding. The Baltimore native passed for another 979 yards and five scores.

All four quarterbacks will participate fully in live scrimmage situations and will be tackled to the ground. Whenever Navy has an established starting quarterback, that individual wears a green jersey indicating they are off-limits to contact.
Navy began padded practices on Monday with the quarterbacks being required to run plays at full speed with the defense looking to hit the ball-carrier. Defensive coordinator Brian Newberry will attempt to confuse the young quarterbacks with stunts, blitzes and exotic coverages.
“We haven’t gone against our defense yet, so it’s hard to get a true evaluation,” Jasper said last week. “Everybody looks good running around in shorts. It’s a matter of getting into pads, getting live reps and seeing how these guys react.”

Arline is not that much farther ahead than the other three quarterbacks on a lot of levels, Jasper noted. None of them have been with the program long enough to have fully grasped all elements of Navy’s patented version of triple-option offense.
Jasper and coach Ken Niumatalolo would love to see one of the quarterbacks emerge as the clear-cut starter during spring camp. However, it’s quite possible the competition will remain relatively even and carry over into August training camp.
“I’m just looking for overall development — playing tough, playing smart, getting us in the right play, making great decisions and not going out and losing a game. It all starts now,” Jasper said.

[old salt]

https://soundcloud.com/singsecondsports ... o-the-wire

Lax talk first 5:49 -- after Loyola win / before Army win / before PL tourney expanded.

[old salt]

Speaking of Navy home attendance, found this :

Largest Navy Home Attendance Records

1. 18,694 Johns Hopkins April 24, 2004
2. 17,017 Johns Hopkins May 17, 2008 (NCAA Tournament; Quarterfinals)
3. 16,056 Army May, 31, 1969
4. 16,042 Johns Hopkins April 19, 2008
5. 15,271 Johns Hopkins April 20, 2002
6. 15,109 Maryland April 3, 2009
7. 14,625 Maryland April 6, 2007
8. 14,124 Maryland April 8, 2005
9. 14,000 Johns Hopkins May 12, 1962
10. 13,857 Johns Hopkins April 22, 2006
11, 12,705 Army April 15, 2017
12. 12,103 Army April 13, 2013
13. 11,917 Johns Hopkins April 21, 2012
14. 10,216 Army April 13, 2019
15. 10,128 Johns Hopkins April 24, 2010

[TheGoat1999]

Well done MEN ! Amazing WIN !

20 and 40 lead the MIDS in overall superior play.

66 - Well done Joe ! Not sure how a 1C with his overall skillset/passion is on the Scout Team. But, Glad the staff made the decision for the change.

32 and 57 still only playing man-up ? Wasn't 57 (1C) was a starter last year for the first 4 games ?

Overall, Fantastic effort by the MIDS !

Win first, Sing Second and beat army !

God Bless the MIDS