By VIC DORR JR.
Times-Dispatch Staff Writer

Sedlar: making it easy
for H-SC’s receivers

Corey Sedlar’s arm might not be the strongest in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. But it’s doubtful that Hampden-Sydney’s receivers – or coach Marty Favret – would trade the senior quarterback for any other passer in the league.

Sedlar makes life pleasant for his wideouts – and humbling for opposing defensive backs – by throwing a ball that is uncommonly easy to catch. Virtually every completion, on virtually every route, seems to float into the hands of its intended target. Catching a ball thrown by Sedlar, a Mills Godwin High School alumnus, seems roughly as challenging as lifting a can of peas off a grocer’s shelf.

Said Favret: “He puts amazing touch on the ball – freakishly good touch, I’d say. We’re not just talking about 5-10-yard throws, either; a lot of guys can throw (short passes) with touch. We’re talking 30 yards and longer. He throws an absolutely great ball to catch – which is probably why he’s completing 68-69 percent (65, actually) of his passes.

Sedlar passed for 329 yards in last week’s 17-0 victory over Emory & Henry. His numbers through six games: 2,026 yards and 15 touchdowns. Favret expected little, if any, of this when Sedlar transferred to H-SC from James Madison at the conclusion of his freshman year. Sedlar, a backup at Mills Godwin, did not play football at JMU.

“What can I say? He’s a gift from heaven,” said Favret. “Right now he’s playing like a Hall of Fame kid.”

Simpson returns
to Tigers lineup

H-SC running back Josh Simpson, the reigning ODAC offensive player of the year, returned to active duty against E&H after missing nine consecutive quarters with a toe injury. He rushed 23 times for 86 yards and a touchdown and caught five passes for 28 yards. His third-quarter touchdown reception was erased by a penalty.

“We literally didn’t know 10 minutes before the game whether he’s be able to play,” Favret said. “We didn’t block real well for him at times and (E&H) took some things away at other times.” Still, Favret said, Simpson’s presence made a significant different for the undefeated, No. 24-ranked Tigers. “He makes our play-action (passes) so much more effective because everybody is keying on him. And he’s a terrific threat once we reach the red zone.”

Simpson, another Mills Godwin graduate, lost ground in his pursuit of C.W. Clemmons’ H-SC career rushing record of 3,771 yards. He trails Clemmons by 765 yards with four regular-season games remaining.

R-MC’s bye week:
a time to heal

Randolph-Macon coach Pedro Arruza says his club returned to basics during its off week.

“We did a lot of teaching. We worked a lot on fundamentals,” said Arruza, whose club will carry a 2-3 record into Saturday’s game at Emory & Henry. “But the biggest thing was, we tried to use the time to heal. We’re pretty banged-up right now.”

Among the injured: tailback Zak Thornton, who has rushed for only 546 yards and two touchdowns this year after leading the ODAC with 1,551 yards (and 15 touchdowns) a year ago. Of greater concern is the status of R-MC’s offensive and defensive fronts. Only two of the nine players who started along the offensive and defensive lines during last year’s 8-2 season are fully functional. Some have graduated. Others are hobbling.

“Last year I think we had one starter miss one game” because of injury, Arruza said. “This year…” He shook his head. “It’s been a revolving door – especially on the offensive and defensive lines. We’ve got some good young players” in those positions. “They just don’t have a lot of experience.”

Defensive-line play is of particular concern. R-MC ranks sixth in the seven-team ODAC in defense against the rush (175 yards per game) and seventh in sacks (three in five games).

Give the Riccas
a passing grade

The ODAC won’t soon forget this band of brothers.

Three siblings from the same family – Kevin, J.D. and Keith Ricca of Poolesville, Md. – enrolled at ODAC schools and established career pass-yardage records before graduating. Keith, a senior at Catholic University, was the most recent to do so. He threw for 287 yards and five touchdowns in last week’s 48-29 victory over Washington and Lee, in the process climbing to the top of the Cardinals’ career passing chart with 9,622 yards.

The record he broke belonged to Kevin, who threw for 9,469 yards while playing at Catholic from 1994-97.

Local fans are more familiar with J.D., who established Hampden-Sydney records for aerial yardage in a game (494 ), season (3,731) and career (8,633) while playing for the Tigers from 2002-05.

W&L’s offense
will test H-SC

Washington and Lee abandoned its spread offense and adopted a multiple option attack in the aftermath of a 24-0 opening-day loss to Franklin & Marshall. The Generals gained 51 yards against F&M. Since then – and since moving freshman Charlie Westfal into the starting quarterback’s position – they have averaged 354.8 yards per game. W&L, which will play host to Hampden-Sydney on Saturday, chewed up 467 yards – the program’s best in nearly three years – in last week’s loss at Catholic.

The Generals (4-2) are chasing their fifth consecutive winning season. W&L last posted five winning seasons in a row from 1981-85.

Robinson, Graham
Cited by USA South

Averett senior linebacker Charles Robinson was selected as the USA South’s defensive player of the week after contributing a pair of interceptions and four tackles to last week’s 31-17 road victory over Methodist.

The Cougars (2-3) last won a road game in October, 2006.

Robinson became the first Averett player since 2003 to intercept two passes in one game.

Christopher Newport placekicker/punter Jay Graham was chosen as the league’s special teams player of the week for the third time in as many weeks. Graham, a senior, set a CNU record by kicking four field goals in last week’s 40-7 blowout of Greensboro. He also punted twice for a 46.5-yard average. 

 

Posted by Vic Dorr in • College Sports • Division III
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