WILLIAMSBURG, Va.
(April 16, 2011) -
The William and Mary football team
concluded its spring practice season with the annual Green and Gold Game before
more than 1,000 fans at Zable Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Players on both sides of the ball
provided a number of highlights, as the offense found the end zone four times
while the defense piled up six sacks.
Offensively, four quarterbacks saw
action, as Raphael Ortiz
led the group by completing 5-of-11 passes for 102
yards with a touchdown. His 54-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Joey Brady
as the second quarter clock expired proved to be the longest offensive play of
the day. Michael Graham
also threw a touchdown pass, a 13-yard strike to tight
end Alex Gottlieb
, to conclude the scrimmage.
A trio of Tribe running backs combined
to rush for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Jarrell Cooper
registered 66 yards
(on 13 carries) and posted runs of 22 and 21 yards, while Darnell Laws
rushed
for 55 yards (on 17 carries) with a touchdown. Meltoya Jones
also found the end
zone on a 1-yard run.
Middle linebacker Jack Trantin helped
lead an impressive defensive showing and finished the afternoon with a sack and
a forced fumble. Defensive lineman Nick Zaremba
also came up big with a pair of
sacks, while Samuel Johnson posted a sack and a tackle for a loss. Linebackers
Dante Cook
and Airek Green
also added sacks, while Alex Goodman
and Mike Reilly
both posted 1.5 TFLs apiece.
Punter Tyler Bailey
provided a
highlight on special teams with an 82-yard punt early in the scrimmage.
At the completion of the game, the team
announced the captains for the 2011 season (as derived from a team vote) with
four players garnering the honor: running back Jonathan Grimes
, defensive end
Marcus Hyde
, center James Pagliaro
and linebacker Jake Trantin
.
Another major team award was announced
Saturday, as Grimes was selected as the recipient of the John A. Stewart Winter
Warrior Award, which is given annually to the player, or players, who best
exemplify the qualities of dedication, effort and achievement that defined
Stewart's career at the College. Awardees are judged on their improvements both
on the field and in the off-season training program.
