The Blue Devil Report from Fork Union Military Academy's Athletic Department is your source for weekly updates on the Fork Union Blue Devils. Here's the latest from @FUMAathletics.
Want to view past issues of the Blue Devil Report? Find them all on our website.
Contents:
- Fork Union Announces the 2022 Sports Hall of Fame Induction Class
- Alumni Feature: Harrison Duncan
- FUMA Athletics Recap
- Feature Stories: Prep Baseball, Junior Prep Baseball, Track & Field
- Up Next in FUMA Athletics
- FUMA Divers Compete
- Have You Joined the Athletic Director's Club?
Fork Union Announces the 2022 Sports Hall of Fame Induction Class
The Fork Union Military Academy Sports Hall of Fame is proud to announce the four honorees in the Class of 2022 to be celebrated June 3-4 during this year’s Sports Hall of Fame Weekend in Zions Crossroads, Virginia.
This year’s class includes 1991 graduate Braxton Davenport, 1990 graduate Tyronne Drakeford, 1967 graduate Micky Sullivan and 1982 graduate Mike Young.
The Fork Union Sports Hall of Fame Weekend begins with a golf tournament on Friday, June 3 at the Spring Creek Golf Club. Tee times begin at 1 p.m. The Sports Hall of Fame Brunch kicks off the Saturday, June 4 festivities at 10:30 a.m. on Fork Union's campus in the Estes Dining Hall, followed by the Sports Hall of Fame Banquet at the Tavern on the Green at the Spring Creek Golf Club. A cocktail hour begins at 5 p.m., followed by the banquet dinner at 6:30 p.m.
To register for the Fork Union Military Academy Sports Hall of Fame Weekend, please click here.
The 2022 Fork Union Military Academy Sports Hall of Fame Induction Class:
Braxton Davenport | Class of 1991 | Track & Field
Braxton Davenport came to Fork Union Military Academy from Charles Town, West Virginia as a seventh grader in 1986. By the time he graduated in 1991, Davenport had won numerous championships across Virginia and the United States, set dozens of individual meet and facility records in the pole vault, and as a leader paced FUMA to numerous team championships.
In the Eastman Kodak Invitational (Johnson City TN), Davenport became Virginia's first schoolboy to vault 16-feet, a height he later cleared or bettered a dozen times while at FUMA. Winning the Golden South, he set a FUMA school record with a height of 16’ 9 1/2". His clearance 16' 1/2" at the Penn Relays set a record that lasted sixteen years.
Other significant wins include the National Scholastic Indoor Championship (Syracuse), East Coast Invitational (Richmond), Volunteer Track Classic (Knoxville), Sunkist Invitational (Los Angeles), TC Williams Invitational (Alexandria), and the VISAA State Championship four times. As a senior, Davenport was Virginia's selection to the Gatorade Circle of Champions.
Davenport was the recipient of FUMA’s Randle Award as the most outstanding undergraduate athlete, and the Captain's Medal as the team captain with the highest academic average.
After graduating from FUMA, Davenport took his talents to George Mason University, where he was twice Colonial Athletic Association Champion in the pole vault.
Tyronne Drakeford | Class of 1990 | Football
Tyronne Drakeford, Class of 1990, was a standout defensive back for Coach John Shuman on the postgraduate football team.
After graduating from FUMA in 1990, Drakeford signed with the Virginia Tech Hokies and was a three-time All-BIG EAST selection, including twice being named to the first team in 1992 and 1993.
To this day, he ranks second at Tech in career interceptions with 16. Drakeford led the Hokies in interceptions for three consecutive seasons (1990-92).
As a junior in 1992, Drakeford had seven interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown. Those seven interceptions are tied for third on Tech’s single-season list.
Drakeford was drafted in the second round (64th overall) of the 1994 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He played cornerback for the 49ers from 1994-97 and won Super Bowl XXIX in 1995. Drakeford had stops at New Orleans (1998-99) and Washington (2000) before returning to San Francisco to conclude his professional career in 2001.
From 2006-17, Drakeford was the Regional Athletic Director for the Greater Washington Boys and Girls Club. Upon completing his master’s degree in athletic administration from Ohio University in 2019, he was named the athletics director and head football coach at his alma mater – North Central High School in Kershaw, South Carolina.
Drakeford earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from Virginia Tech in 2005. He resides in Camden, S.C., with his wife, Cindi. The couple has three children: Julian, Justus and Jaycee.
Micky Sullivan | Class of 1967 | Football | Administration
Micky Sullivan came to Fork Union Military Academy as a cadet, graduating in 1967. After his postgraduate year with the Blue Devils, Sullivan received a scholarship from East Tennessee State University and played all four years for head coach John Robert Bell. The Huntington, W.Va., native graduated in 1971, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in History.
During his junior year, Sullivan helped his squad to one of the most historic seasons at ETSU. The Buccaneers posted an undefeated 10-0-1 record and earned a berth to the 1969 Grantland Rice Bowl where they defeated Louisiana Tech, 34-14.
In 1975, Sullivan returned to Fork Union Military Academy as a teacher and coach. Between 1975 and 1980, he served as an assistant postgraduate football coach, assistant prep basketball coach, assistant prep baseball coach, head prep wrestling coach and head junior prep basketball coach.
After a brief three-year stint in Huntington, W.Va., working at the Sullivan Distributing Company, Sullivan returned to Fork Union in 1983 as the head prep football coach doing what he loved every day. Nine times Sullivan was named the VISFA Coach of the Year and eight times his team won the VISAA State Championship. On the football field, he amassed a career record of 200-118-3, prior to stepping down as head football coach at the end of the 2012 season.
As Fork Union's Director of Athletics, a position he held since 1995, Sullivan helped grow an undergraduate program into a strong set of interscholastic teams. The Blue Devils produced state championships in track and field and swimming and diving, along with individual champions in wrestling and state playoff participation by both the basketball and baseball teams.
In addition to his accomplishments at Fork Union Military Academy, Sullivan helped found the Virginia Independent School Football Association, which has become part of the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association.
In 2017, Sullivan was inducted into the inaugural class of the Virginia High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame.
Coach Sullivan's accomplishments have been many, but when asked what he is most proud of, he said, "The most important thing that I did was - with the help of my wonderful wife Kathy - raise a great family of daughters who have turned out to be great women, wives, and mothers."
Sullivan married the former Katherine Neely in 1971. The couple has three daughters, Kate Melton, Emily Morris and Laura Owens, and have six grandchildren, Addison, Drew, Neely, Kellen, Brody and Hayes.
Mike Young | Class of 1982 | Basketball
Mike Young is a 1982 graduate of Fork Union Military Academy and has established himself as one of the top men’s basketball coaches at the collegiate level. Young arrived in Fork Union in 1981 to play for the legendary coach Fletcher Arritt, who is one of Young’s mentors to this day.
After graduating from FUMA, Young went to play for coach Bob Johnson at Emory & Henry College. He was a four-year letterman and team captain his junior and senior seasons. He credits Johnson for having a major influence on his playing and coaching career. He graduated from Emory & Henry in 1986.
After short stints as an assistant coach at Emory & Henry, Radford University and Wofford University, Young was named head coach of the Terriers in 2002 where he catapulted his coaching career. In 17 seasons, Young compiled an overall record of 299-244 (.551) and earned Southern Conference Coach of the Year honors four times (2010, 2014, 2015 and 2019).
Under his guidance, the Terriers registered an impressive list of nonconference wins, including ones over the likes of Auburn, Cincinnati, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, NC State, Purdue, Seton Hall, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Xavier and Wake Forest. Arguably the most compelling nonconference victory of his tenure at Wofford came on Dec. 20, 2017, when the Terriers faced then-No. 5 North Carolina at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and registered a 79-75 victory over head coach Roy Williams and the Tar Heels.
The 2019 Sporting News Coach of the Year, Young built the Terriers into one of the Southern Conference's preeminent programs and a perennial NCAA Tournament participant. He guided Wofford to five NCAA Tournament berths over 10 seasons and five Southern Conference championships. In addition to the on-court success of his teams, 100 percent of Young's student-athletes at Wofford who completed their eligibility graduated.
In Young’s final season at Wofford, the Terriers posted a 30-5 overall record in 2018-19, including a perfect 18-0 mark in Southern Conference play, and registered a convincing 84-68 win over Seton Hall in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
Following his outstanding Wofford career, Young was called home to the Roanoke Valley when he was named head coach at Virginia Tech in 2019. The Radford, Virginia native has made the NCAA Tournament in seven of the last 12 seasons, including being the fastest Virginia Tech coach to make The Dance. In his second season with the Hokies, Young led Tech to a 15-7 record, including 9-4 in the ACC to finish third overall and to be named ACC Coach of the Year. A year later, Young led the Hokies to their first-ever ACC Tournament Championship, as a No. 7 seed, beating top-seeded Duke, 82-67, in his third season in 2022.
In the summer of 2015, Young was inducted into the Emory & Henry College Sports Hall of Fame, as well as the Radford High School Hall of Fame.
Young and his wife, Margaret, were married on Aug. 13, 1994, and the couple has a daughter, Cooper, and a son, Davis.
Congratulations, Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2022!
Harrison Duncan Helps William & Mary to a 22nd Finish at the Colonial Relays
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Sophomore Harrison Duncan helped William & Mary to a 22nd overall finish at the Colonial Relays this past weekend.
On day one, Duncan won the long jump university event and recorded a personal best with a mark of 7.03m, the best jump in W&M history since 1993. The following day, the 2019 Fork Union alumnus placed second in the triple jump at 13.64 meters, which was just shy of a personal best.
The Green & Gold will compete at the Mason Spring Invitational in Fairfax, Va., April 9.
Check out Harrison Duncan's bio here:
Scores from the past two weeks:
Monday, March 28
- Junior Prep Baseball vs. Benedictine Middies • W, 12-2
Tuesday, March 29
- Prep Baseball vs. Saint Anne's Belfield • W, 8-0
Wednesday, March 30
- Prep Baseball at Blue Ridge School • W, 6-4
Friday, April 1
- Track & Field at Woodberry Forest Invitational • No Team Score
Tuesday, April 5
- Golf at Grace Christian School • L,
- Prep Baseball at Virginia Episcopal School • W, 4-0
- Tennis at Benedictine College Prep • L, 1-8
Wednesday, April 6
- Prep Lacrosse vs. Collegiate School • L, 5-13
- Junior Prep Baseball vs. Benedictine Middies • W, 9-1
Thursday, April 7
- Prep Lacrosse vs. Trinity Episcopal School • L, 6-11
Track & Field Shines at Woodberry Forest Invitational
Friday, April 1, 2022
WOODBERRY FOREST, VA -- The Fork Union Military Academy outdoor track and field team competed at the Woodberry Forest Invitational this past Friday.
The Blue Devils competed against Collegiate, Harrisonburg, Benedictine and the host Tigers. Fork Union collected 15 top-three performances, including three gold medals.
"Despite the less than ideal weather, our team made great progress and competed well," said head coach Winston Brown. "Sebastian Antoine-Pompey had two very good performances. Newcomer Mason Bligen remains undefeated in the high jump. Our 4x4 was big with legs of 48.6 and 49.3 by Dominique and Dominic Julius. Their time of 3:26 was No. 3 for all of Virginia last week. Credit to Pompey and Sa’eed Dasher for their efforts on the 4x4 as well."
Caleb Davis won the triple jump, Mason Bligen won the high jump and the 4x400 relay team took home another gold.
In addition to his gold, Bligen placed second in the 300-meter hurdles. Jaden Carter was also impressive in the hurdles, taking third in both the 110-meter and 300-meter.
Nhyiraba Asumadu Addo took home a second-place finish in the shot put, clearing 44-02.75, while hitting the 117-07 mark in the discus, good for third. Jackson Edwards placed second in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:13.09.
The squad returns to the track when they travel to Mountain View High School for the Wildcat Invitational Saturday, April 9 at 10 a.m.
Prep Baseball Continues its Win Streak with Two Road Wins
Tuesday, April 5, 2022
LYNCHBURG, VA -- The Fork Union Military Academy Prep baseball team continued its win streak this past week, defeating Blue Ridge School, Saint Anne’s Belfield and Virginia Episcopal School.
The victories lifted the Blue Devils to an impressive 6-0 record, including 1-0 in the Prep League.
Senior Connor Smith shined on the mound for Fork Union, leading the Blue Devils to shutouts against Saint Anne’s Belfield (8-0) and Virginia Episcopal (4-0). Against Saint Anne’s, Smith held the Saints to just one hit over seven innings, while striking out 18 last Tuesday. This past Wednesday, Smith returned to the mound and pitched all seven innings to record a two-hitter shutout with 14 strikeouts against VES.
Last Wednesday, Fork Union stole the lead in the fifth inning to clinch a 6-4 win at Blue Ridge. The Blue Devils racked up 11 hits with Lance Gowans, Smith and Casey Labasky recording multiple-hit performances. Gowans led the squad with three hits in four bats, while only surrendering one run on three hits over five innings on the mound for the win.
The Blue Devils will return to action when they travel to Randolph-Macon Academy Saturday, April 9 for a 2 p.m first pitch.
Junior Prep Baseball Sweeps Benedictine Middies
Wednesday, April 6, 2022
FORK UNION, VA -- The Fork Union Military Academy Junior Prep baseball team defeated the Benedictine Middies, 9-1, Wednesday to complete the two-game sweep.
Last Monday, the Blue Devils defeated the Benedictine Middies, 12-1.
The two wins lifted the Blue Devils to 2-1 on the early season.
"I thought our boys played well in all aspects of the game during these last two games," said head coach Donald Fields. "On Wednesday, we got off to a slow start but once they settled into the game, we began to play our style of baseball. The boys continue to get better and that’s important and rewarding for them to see their hard work paying off."
The squad returns to action Wednesday, April 20 when it travels to CVHSA for a 4 p.m. first pitch.
Please make sure you continue to check the athletic website on a weekly basis, for all game updates.
If you haven't already, please download the Fork Union Athletics Mobile App for all game day information right at your fingertips!
Up Next in FUMA Athletics:
Friday, April 8
- Tennis vs. Blue Ridge School • 4:30 PM
Saturday, April 9
- Track & Field at Wildcat Invitational (Mountain View High School, Stafford, VA) • 10:00 AM
- Prep Baseball at Randolph-Macon Academy • 2:00 PM
Monday, April 11
- Prep Baseball at Christchurch School • 4:00 PM
Tuesday, April 12
- Prep Lacrosse at Covenant School • 4:00 PM
- Tennis at Covenant School • 4:00 PM
- Prep Baseball at Collegiate School • 4:30 PM
Wednesday, April 13
- Golf at Randolph-Macon Academy (Shenandoah Valley Golf Course) • 4:00 PM
Thursday, April 14
- Golf at St. Christopher's School (Country Club of Virginia) • 3:30 PM
Wednesday, April 20
- Golf vs. Randolph-Macon Academy • 4:00 PM
- Junior Prep Baseball at CVHSA • 4:00 PM
- Prep Lacrosse at Charlottesville High School • 4:30 PM
Thursday, April 21
- Tennis vs. Trinity Episcopal School • 4:00 PM
Fork Union Divers Compete at the Carolina Big Dive Invitational
On Saturday, March 26, the Fork Union Military Academy diving team took on a bold new venture. Cadets Grant DeMorro and Everett Mitchell traveled to Huntersville, N.C., for the Carolina Big Dive Invitational to compete on the 3-meter springboard for the first time ever.
"At the Estes Aquatic Center, we have a 1-meter diving board which is about three feet tall, where as the 3-meter diving board stands a whopping 10 feet," said head diving coach Samson Miller. "In order to prepare for this meet, the FUMA diving team traveled to Alexandria, Va., on March 12 to practice on a 3-meter bard. Diving from this height is extremely difficult and requires an advanced level of both physical and mental fitness. However, DeMorro and Mitchell were both up for the challenge and wound up learning eight different dives each on their very first practice. When it came time to compete in Huntersville on March 26, the cadets performed phenomenally.
Mitchell placed first in the 16-18 Boys Novice 3-meter event with a score of 121.75, and DeMorro placed fifth in the 16-18 Boys Intermediate 3-meter event with a score of 164.15. Mitchell also competed in the 16-18 Boys Intermediate 1-meter event and placed fourth with a score of 158.10.
"I could not be prouder of the bravery and sportsmanship FUMA Diving displayed on the pool deck in Huntersville. We are looking forward to more 3-meter competitions in the future."
Congratulations, gentlemen!
Being a member of the Athletic Directors Club helps the department with buying new equipment and uniforms, post-game meals, partial scholarships and much more!
Below are the newest additions to the department.
