VALDOSTA —
Last week, David Dean told the crowd at his radio show that he really liked his team’s chemistry and unity.
From an outside point of view, that was hard to see. For everyone outside of the coaching staff and locker room, that had to be proven on the field.
And it was. And it only took one game.
So many things went terribly wrong in VSU’s first game against Wingate. The end of the first half was badly mismanaged on the sidelines and on the field, and Wingate cut a 16-0 deficit to 16-14 in a 1 minute and 12 second span.
VSU used five of its six timeouts because the wrong personnel was on the field. That left no timeouts at the end of the first half to regroup. Instead, quarterback Jimmy Coy took a knee on fourth down with 0.7 seconds left.
No timeouts were left at the end of the second half, meaning the Blazers had to rely on a freshman quarterback to get the team lined up for a spike as the clock wound down.
VSU’s defense played stout all game, but allowed Wingate to move down the field with ease in the final minute. The Bulldogs scored a touchdown to get within two points of VSU’s lead on a busted coverage.
Not only did Wingate convert the two-point conversion, but on the play, the Blazers lost senior defensive tackle Demario Jones to an ankle injury.
It was all going horribly wrong, but no one Blazer gave up or thought it was over. Matt Pierce, who was picked on heavily last year as a true freshman at safety, took the kickoff and followed his blocking across the field into Wingate territory.
Then Brett Whitmire, with all the time in the world, thanks to his offensive line, got off three passes, including one to Ronnye Nelson for 18 yards and another one to Jackson Dean for 4 yards.
With time ticking away, the whole offensive unit got on the same page, and Whitmire spiked the ball to stop the clock.
Then kicker Daniel Andersen got off one of the biggest field goals in VSU history, one that curled through the left upright to give VSU a 25-22 win.
Andersen said it best after the game when he remarked that he couldn’t have done his job without the 10 other guys on the field.
It was more than just 10, though. The defense carried the offense most of the night, but the offense picked up the defense on the final series of the game. It was a true team effort, something VSU fans didn’t see much of last year.
A lot went wrong. More went right. It’s only that way because the Blazers stuck together.
Local Sports
Column: Blazers stick together
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Wildcats close spring practice
VALDOSTA — The Valdosta Wildcats put their finishing touches on spring practice Saturday night with the playing of their annual spring game at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.
No score was kept in the game, but the Wildcats did play best-on-best, pitting the starting offense against the starting defense. -
Ely backs out of VHS softball job
VALDOSTA — Two months ago, the Valdosta High School softball team received a huge burst of excitement with the hire of Kristina Ely. -
Fans welcome home champion Blazers
Much like it had done all season, the local Valdosta community showed its support for the National Champion Valdosta State softball team Sunday.
The support started when the team reached the Georgia state-line on its trip home Sunday morning when it was greeted by 13 police vehicles -
COLUMN: Blazers title win caps off another year of local sports
The Valdosta State softball teams 4-1 victory over UC-San Diego in the Division II National Championship Game capped off another season of local area sports.
The next thing to look forward to will be the start of football training camps in August. -
Valdosta teammates Foster, Bridges sign with Albany State
Valdosta basketball players Sierra Foster and LaPorchia Bridges have been teammates for years. Now they will remain teammates at the next level.
Foster and Bridges have both signed letters of intent to play basketball for Albany State next year. -
David Dean youth football camp set for May 29 start
The David Dean Youth Football Camp is quickly approaching.
The fourth annual camp will be held May 29-June 1 at the Athletic Fieldhouse off Mary Street. -
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!
The Valdosta State softball team faced all kinds of adversity throughout the national tournament. After losing to UC-San Diego in the first game of the tournament on Wednesday, the Blazers staved off four elimination games en route to an appearance in the Division II National Championship Game on Saturday afternoon.
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VSU seniors come up big at national level
For the eight seniors on the Valdosta State softball team, Saturday’s 4-1 win in the national championship game capped off a four-year run filled with success.
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Blazers to play on championship Saturday
The Valdosta State softball team advanced to the final day of the NCAA Division II Softball Championship Tournament following two wins on Friday.
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VSU beats Southern Connecticut State, 6-3
Morgan Johnson hit a 3-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to carry the top-ranked Valdosta State Blazers past the Southern Connecticut Owls, 6-3, on Friday morning.
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Wildcats close spring practice
