Post by elon_phan on Aug 6, 2007 19:47:12 GMT -5
Quarterback picture will come into focus during Elon¡¦s training camp
Adam Smith / Times-News August 6
Scott Riddle chocked his Eastern Randolph High School career full of varied accomplishments and established, among the multitude, a distinguished reputation as a prep baseball player.
Whether he must hit the football equivalent of a home run to secure Elon University¡¦s starting quarterback job is an issue that will be sorted out during the next four weeks.
Elon opens training camp today with this afternoon¡¦s first football practice. And the quarterback competition between Riddle and Donny Kirby could become the chief position battle of the preseason.
¡§I¡¦m going into it with an open mind,¡¨ Elon coach Pete Lembo said. ¡§I¡¦m going to trust my offensive coordinator (Warren Ruggiero), because he does a great job. He¡¦s certainly going to know how I feel day by day about how things are going. And it¡¦s going to be a lot of fun to see how it develops.¡¨
Kirby, a redshirt freshman who didn¡¦t throw a pass last season, has a year¡¦s worth of experience within the Phoenix¡¦s multiple offensive system.
Riddle, the first of the incoming true freshmen to receive a scholarship offer from Elon, has worked out on campus since June 15.
Lembo said somebody armed with a clipboard, perhaps a student assistant or an injured player, will be assigned to chart every repetition taken by Kirby and Riddle in every drill this month.
¡§We¡¦re going to be very thorough and methodical in coming to that decision,¡¨ Lembo said. ¡§Donny knows that. Scott knows that.¡¨
Elon¡¦s quarterback spot suddenly became vacant in May when Wes Pope, who led the Southern Conference in passing last season, was suspended from school for the fall semester due to an academic honor code violation.
Pope attempted 375 of the Phoenix¡¦s 387 passes last season.
Two weeks before Pope¡¦s suspension, Kirby completed 10 of his first 11 passes and finished 12-for-19 for 103 yards in Elon¡¦s spring game. He also scrambled for a 3-yard touchdown in that one.
Riddle earned Most Outstanding Player honors in Eastern Randolph¡¦s victory against Charlotte Catholic in last year¡¦s Class 3-AA title game. He punctuated his senior season by tossing a touchdown pass in North Carolina¡¦s Shrine Bowl victory.
¡§I¡¦ve caught a lot of passes from him so far this summer,¡¨ Elon receiver Michael Mayers said, referring to Riddle. ¡§He¡¦s definitely real athletic. This preseason¡¦s going to be real interesting.¡¨
ƒÞ TOUCHING TRIP: Elon linebacker Corey Weaver, one of the leading returning tacklers in the Southern Conference, said his appearance at the league¡¦s football rouser two weeks ago was an unforgettable experience.
But not just because of the quick friendships he forged and cell phone numbers he exchanged with a collection of the conference¡¦s headlining players.
Weaver was part of a group that visited children at a Greenville, S.C., area hospital. He handed out T-shirts, towels, footballs and other Elon gear as gifts there.
¡§Some of them light up and some of them are so sick or medicated that they can¡¦t really respond,¡¨ Weaver said. ¡§They¡¦ll crack a smile and you¡¦ll know that they appreciate it. That was good enough for me.
¡§It was nice to go to the hospital. But it was kind of sad for me, really, to see the little kids like that because we¡¦re much more fortunate than they are.¡¨
ƒÞ NEW VOTING: Lembo and Furman¡¦s Bobby Lamb are representing the Southern Conference in this season¡¦s recently created coaches-only Division I-AA poll.
Ballots will be cast by 28 coaches from 14 leagues each week.
Adam Smith / Times-News August 6
Scott Riddle chocked his Eastern Randolph High School career full of varied accomplishments and established, among the multitude, a distinguished reputation as a prep baseball player.
Whether he must hit the football equivalent of a home run to secure Elon University¡¦s starting quarterback job is an issue that will be sorted out during the next four weeks.
Elon opens training camp today with this afternoon¡¦s first football practice. And the quarterback competition between Riddle and Donny Kirby could become the chief position battle of the preseason.
¡§I¡¦m going into it with an open mind,¡¨ Elon coach Pete Lembo said. ¡§I¡¦m going to trust my offensive coordinator (Warren Ruggiero), because he does a great job. He¡¦s certainly going to know how I feel day by day about how things are going. And it¡¦s going to be a lot of fun to see how it develops.¡¨
Kirby, a redshirt freshman who didn¡¦t throw a pass last season, has a year¡¦s worth of experience within the Phoenix¡¦s multiple offensive system.
Riddle, the first of the incoming true freshmen to receive a scholarship offer from Elon, has worked out on campus since June 15.
Lembo said somebody armed with a clipboard, perhaps a student assistant or an injured player, will be assigned to chart every repetition taken by Kirby and Riddle in every drill this month.
¡§We¡¦re going to be very thorough and methodical in coming to that decision,¡¨ Lembo said. ¡§Donny knows that. Scott knows that.¡¨
Elon¡¦s quarterback spot suddenly became vacant in May when Wes Pope, who led the Southern Conference in passing last season, was suspended from school for the fall semester due to an academic honor code violation.
Pope attempted 375 of the Phoenix¡¦s 387 passes last season.
Two weeks before Pope¡¦s suspension, Kirby completed 10 of his first 11 passes and finished 12-for-19 for 103 yards in Elon¡¦s spring game. He also scrambled for a 3-yard touchdown in that one.
Riddle earned Most Outstanding Player honors in Eastern Randolph¡¦s victory against Charlotte Catholic in last year¡¦s Class 3-AA title game. He punctuated his senior season by tossing a touchdown pass in North Carolina¡¦s Shrine Bowl victory.
¡§I¡¦ve caught a lot of passes from him so far this summer,¡¨ Elon receiver Michael Mayers said, referring to Riddle. ¡§He¡¦s definitely real athletic. This preseason¡¦s going to be real interesting.¡¨
ƒÞ TOUCHING TRIP: Elon linebacker Corey Weaver, one of the leading returning tacklers in the Southern Conference, said his appearance at the league¡¦s football rouser two weeks ago was an unforgettable experience.
But not just because of the quick friendships he forged and cell phone numbers he exchanged with a collection of the conference¡¦s headlining players.
Weaver was part of a group that visited children at a Greenville, S.C., area hospital. He handed out T-shirts, towels, footballs and other Elon gear as gifts there.
¡§Some of them light up and some of them are so sick or medicated that they can¡¦t really respond,¡¨ Weaver said. ¡§They¡¦ll crack a smile and you¡¦ll know that they appreciate it. That was good enough for me.
¡§It was nice to go to the hospital. But it was kind of sad for me, really, to see the little kids like that because we¡¦re much more fortunate than they are.¡¨
ƒÞ NEW VOTING: Lembo and Furman¡¦s Bobby Lamb are representing the Southern Conference in this season¡¦s recently created coaches-only Division I-AA poll.
Ballots will be cast by 28 coaches from 14 leagues each week.