Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Preseason This And That

Dartmouth sports information has a story about the start of the football preseason HERE.

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As more and more of these things are cranked out I'm going to leave it to you to look 'em up on TikTok or one of the football program's other social media outlets. Before I do, here's one about who might be the worst basketball player on the Dartmouth football team. It goes on for a bit but is kind of funny:


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With a handful of Dartmouth grad transfers to FBS programs it's easy to overlook that defensive lineman Nate Boone also grad transferred, but in his case down to Case Western Reserve. Find his new bio HERE and a fun picture day photo he's in HERE.

Green Alert Take: Did we even know DIII programs took grad transfers?

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Valparaiso, the Big Green's Week One opponent on Sept. 17, was projected by the Analyst to finish ninth of 11 teams in the Pioneer Football League, widely regarded as the weakest league in the FCS. From the league capsule (LINK):

Valparaiso (4-7, 4-4) – Valpo will find it hard to replace the offense of running back Robert Washington, who accounted for the highest percent of scrimmage yards (43.4; 1,443 of 3,415) on any FCS team last season. The Beacons surely won’t lack for special teams success with the likes of kicker Brian Bartholomew and returners Josh Bechton and Chuck Maxwell. 

The Beacons fared a little better in the official PFL poll:

1. Davidson, 98 points (8 first-place votes)
2. San Diego, 91 (3)
3. St. Thomas, 78
4. Dayton, 72
5. Morehead State, 58
6. Marist, 52
7. Drake, 42
8. Valparaiso, 34
9. Stetson, 33
10. Butler, 30
11. Presbyterian, 17

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When former Penn State quarterback Jake Zembiec debuted his new football camp one of his counselors was Dartmouth grad Jared Gerbino, with whom he shared headlines when the two were high school standouts in the Rochester, N.Y. area. A Democrat & Chronicle story in which Zembiec said his hope for the camp is to teach young players that it is "OK to work with your competition in the offseason, make each other better, and ultimately compete at a higher level during the season," features a mention of Gerbino's success this year in Italy and includes him in a couple of pictures. Find the story HERE.

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Remember that Sports Illustrated Sign of the Apocalypse feature? Try this on for size (LINK):

(California high school powerhouse) St. John Bosco's football team is about to go where no high school team has gone — a team-wide name, image and likeness deal that will pay compensation to anyone who wants to participate.

It turns out that for logistical reasons they aren't calling it an NIL deal, but somehow players are in line to get $400 apiece.

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Speaking of NIL, could you use a primer on what an NIL Collective is? CLICK HERE for a very detailed explanation.

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Oh, and high school football has already started in some parts of the country. This trick play that won a four-overtime game in Georgia may not be topped anywhere in the country all year:

 

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EXTRA POINT
With housing costs in Hanover and neighboring communities so expensive, parking in town, at the college and medical center so difficult to find, and now gas prices so high, living outside of the immediate Upper Valley if you can ride a bus to campus or the hospital makes a lot of sense.

There are several routes that run small buses (think jitneys) from outlying towns into Hanover and over to the VA hospital in White River Junction. One of the routes has a stop at the park & ride near our little Vermont town.

Mrs. BGA rides the bus every day but the very limited schedule doesn't work for me once the season begins because the last bus leaves Hanover well before practice finishes.

But because the Big Green is practicing at 2 p.m. on weekdays in the preseason I am able to take the lone midday bus into town, and then be done with post-practice interviews in time to catch one of the only two evening buses back home.

Here's the kicker. Because the bus provides benefits to the town, college and hospital, it is generously subsidized. So much so that it's a free ride. What's not to like? 

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