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February 10, 2023 FUMA Athletics Newsletter

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:

  • Advancement Takes over Mobile, Alabama
  • FUMA Athletics Recap
  • Feature Stories: Swimming & Diving, Wrestling, Track & Field and Prep Basketball
  • Up Next in FUMA Athletics
  • Carmelo Pacheco Named EPL Player of the Week
  • Have You Joined the Athletic Director's Club?

Advancement Takes Over Mobile, Alabama

John Shuman and Vashon Hubert of the Advancement Office Attended the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama Last Week

John Shuman and Vashon Hubert of the Fork Union Military Academy Advancement Office traveled to Mobile, Alabama last week to attend the 2023 Senior Bowl on Saturday, Feb. 4 to promote the 125 on the 125th Campaign.

Alumnus Roman Oben, Class of 1991, is the NFL's VP of Football Development and hosted Shuman and Hubert for the duration of the trip, meeting with several other Fork Union alumni who are NFL scouts and coaches and granting them on-field passes to each practice.

Oben has committed to giving to the 125th campaign. He played for Coach Shuman on the 1990-1991 squad.

"What an experience it was to be on the field with several of my former players and FUMA alumni," said Shuman. "It was amazing to be so close to great athletes competing for draft rights."

Shuman and Hubert met with Jon Eric Sullivan, Class of 1995, on the practice field. Sullivan is a Player Development Director with the Green Bay Packers.

The trip ended with a dinner at Ruth Chris Steakhouse with Dru Grigson, Class of 1997. Grigson is a Player Development Director for the Arizona Cardinals. Grigson and Hubert played on the same postgraduate team under Shuman.

"The Reese's Senior Bowl was a trip to remember," said Hubert. "Being able to experience such an amazing event in the presence of multiple alumni was incredible. We were able to secure two donations to the 125th campaign."

The next focus on Advancement's radar is the annual Phonathon. This year, Fork Union Military Academy is hosting two Phonathon weeks, starting February 27-March 2. The second week is scheduled for March 6-9.

We hope you save the date and answer the call as our cadets hit the phones each evening. You can also send in your gift by taking advantage of the Phonathon 2023 mailer that will be appearing in your mailbox soon. Check out the Phonathon webpage below:

Scores from the past two weeks:

Saturday, January 28

  • Junior Prep Basketball vs. Saint Anne's Belfield • L, 21-62
  • Prep Basketball vs. Saint Anne's Belfield • L, 46-93
  • PG Basketball vs. Winston Salem Christian Academy • L, 74-76

Sunday, January 29

  • PG Basketball vs. Middle Georgia Prep • W, 88-80

Tuesday, January 31

  • Junior Prep Basketball at Collegiate School • L, 33-50
  • Prep Basketball at Collegiate School • W, 59-57

Wednesday, February 1

  • Prep Basketball at Stuart Hall School • W, 55-36

Saturday, February 4

  • Swimming & Diving at Prep League Championships • 6th
  • Wrestling at Prep League Championships • 4th
  • PG Basketball vs. Scotland Campus (PA) • L, 68-72

Sunday, February 5

  • PG Basketball vs. Experience Academy • W, 106-82

Tuesday, February 7

  • Junior Prep Basketball vs. Trinity Episcopal School • L, 42-79
  • Prep Basketball vs. Trinity Episcopal School • L, 57-69

Swimming & Diving Place 6th at Prep League Championship

Saturday, February 4, 2023

RICHMOND, VA – The Fork Union Military Academy swimming and diving program placed sixth at the 2023 Virginia Prep League Championship, hosted by St. Catherine’s School. Junior Everett Mitchell highlighted the weekend winning the 1-meter board to be named a Prep League Champion.

On the 1-meter board, Mitchell scored a 338.80 to win the event, while Kellen Colevas also earned a trip to the podium as he placed third with a score of 295.65. Grant Demorro took fifth (282.55) and George Gurney took sixth (272.40).

“This is my third year coaching diving at Fork Union and I have had the pleasure working with some of these athletes for multiple seasons,” said head diving coach Samson Miller. “Demorro, Gurney and Mitchell in particular. I am so unbelievably proud of their growth, not only as athletes but as young men. This has been our most successful season by far and I am thankful to work with a group that is so passionate about the sport. Congratulations to Mitchell on becoming the Prep League Champion. He is truly paving the way for the future of FUMA diving. Despite being an eighth grader, Colevas had kept this team honest all season. He has row power, which is something you can’t teach, and I am excited to watch his diving journey unfold.”

On the swimming side, John Cottey led the way for the Blue Devils, achieving two individual qualifying times for VISAAs in the 50 and 100 freestyle events. The relay quartet of Gurney, Colevas, Cottey and Jaxon Brooks-Powell also qualified in the 200 freestyle relay.

“The swimmers performed phenomenal at the Prep League Championship,” said head swimming coach Jon Larson. “Our percentage of life-time best swims was higher than any meet that I can remember. To see the season’s hard work come to fruition was great. A big thanks to the divers who score far more points than any other school in the league.”

The squad returns to action Friday, February 17 when they travel to the 2023 VISAA State Championships at Liberty University. The two-day event starts at 9:30 a.m. on Friday.

Wrestling Places 4th at Prep League Championship

Saturday, February 4, 2023

RICHMOND, VA – The Fork Union Military Academy wrestling team placed fourth at the 2023 Virginia Prep League Championship, hosted by Collegiate School this past Saturday.

The Blue Devils placed in the top four in nine weight classes, including five runner-up spots.

The top finishers for Fork Union included second-place showings from Phillip Johnson in 126, Ronan Montez at 132, Ethan Stroh at 138, Tommy Manganiello at 150 and Lucas Yates at 157.

Four other Blue Devils scored for Fork Union. Luc Havens placed third at 165 and Selah Houston placed third at 215, while Brady Moring took fourth at 175 and Kameron Taylor took fourth at 190.

The squad returns to action Friday, February 17 when they travel to Benedictine for the 2023 VISAA State Championships. The two-day competition starts at 3 p.m.

Track & Field Shines at 60th East Coast Invite

Saturday, February 4, 2023

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA – The Fork Union Military Academy track and field program shined at the 60th Annual East Coast Invitational this past weekend at the Virginia Beach Sports Center.

The Blue Devils recorded four top 20 performances in an invitational with the top schools from all across the East Coast.

“What a colossal day for Jackson Edwards in the 500,” said head coach Winston Brown. “Three and a half second improvement and a VISAA leading performance for the senior. It was great to see him start to reach his potential and I think there is a lot more ahead for him. Overall, I think it was a consistent day for us with steady improvement by several athletes. Watch out for Jacob Seymore in the 500. Charles Campbell is ready to break 37 in the 300, unfortunately he didn’t draw a very good heat.”

Jackson Edwards highlighted the day for the Blue Devils, clocking a 1:07.50 performance in the 500-meter which is a three and a half second drop and a VISAA top time.

Ayden Bland placed eighth in the long jump with a 19-07.50 performance. Amad Shah took 18th in the shot put with a 40-04.75 mark and Douda Niang placed 19th with a 40-01.75 mark.

The Blue Devils return to action Saturday, February 11 at the 2023 Virginia Prep League Championships at St. Christopher’s School. Competition starts at 12 p.m.

Prep Basketball Picks Up Two Wins on the Road

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

STAUNTON, VA -- The Fork Union Military Academy Prep basketball team picked up two wins on the road last week. The Blue Devils stunned conference opponent Collegiate School, 59-57, on Tuesday, prior to traveling to Stuart Hall to secure a 55-36 win Wednesday.

“Last week, it all came together for us,” said head coach Reggie Barnette. “We were able to play a complete game for four quarters on the road against a well-coached Collegiate team before fending off a scrappy well-coached Stuart Hall squad. It was great to have those wins heading into a tough two-week stretch to end the regular season. We are peaking at the right time.”

Against Collegiate, Dreylan Creasy led four Blue Devils in double figures with 21 points. Isaac Rivera tallied 13 points, while Charles Moore and Jordan Anderson added 10 points apiece.

Against Stuart Hall, Creasy led the way again with a 14-point performance.

The squad returns to action Friday, February 10 when they travel to top league opponent Saint Anne’s Belfield at 6 p.m.

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, February 10

  • Junior Prep Basketball at Saint Anne's Belfield • 4:30 PM
  • Prep Basketball at Saint Anne's Belfield • 6:00 PM

Saturday, February 11

  • Track & Field at Prep League Championships (St. Christopher's) • 12:00 PM
  • PG Basketball vs. Mount Zion (Massanutten's Military Circuit) • 4:15 PM

Sunday, February 12

  • PG Basketball vs. Believe Prep Academy (Massanutten's Military Circuit) • 10:45 AM

Tuesday, February 14

  • Junior Prep Basketball at St. Christopher's School • 4:30 PM
  • Prep Basketball at St. Christopher's School • 6:00 PM

Thursday, February 16

  • PG Basketball at Massanutten Military Academy • 7:00 PM

Friday, February 17

  • Swimming & Diving at VISAA State Championships (Liberty University) • 9:30 AM
  • Wrestling at VISAA State Championships (Benedictine) • 3:00 PM
  • Junior Prep Basketball vs. Woodberry Forest School • 4:30 PM
  • Prep Basketball at Woodberry Forest School • 6:00 PM (Senior Night)

Saturday, February 18

  • Swimming & Diving at VISAA State Championships (Liberty University) • 9:30 AM
  • Wrestling at VISAA State Championships (Benedictine) • 10:00 PM
  • Track & Field at VISAA State Championships (St. Christopher's) • 10:00 AM

Sunday, February 19

  • PG Basketball at Elite Prep League Championships • TBA

Photos from PG Basketball's Military Circuit Weekend

The squad fell to league opponent Scotland Campus prior to ending the circuit with a convincing win over Experience Academy.

Carmelo Pacheco Named EPL Player of the Week

February 2, 2023

Fork Union Military Academy's Carmelo Pacheco has been named the Elite Prep League Player of the Week for the week of January 23-January 30.

A 6’4’’Guard in the class of 2023 at Fork Union Military Academy Post Grad, Pacheco led his squad through a tough stretch this week.

For the week, Pacheco scored 67 points (22 PPG) and made 16 total three point field goals. His top performance came in a big win for FUMA as he poured in 29 points on nine 3FG’s against Middle Georgia Prep at the Relentless Military Hoops Circuit.

He currently holds multiple Division II offers and is being recruited heavily by Air Force and Cornell. Richmond and others are also following his progress.

“Melo is as good of a shooter as you will find. Now he’s developing into a guy that can put i on the floor and get to the rim some. He’s a Division I shooting guard. Melo is a high IQ player and fundamentally sound. Just a winner and a great kid” stated Fork Union Head Coach Bob Williams.

Other nominees for Player of the Week included:

  • Jaden Daughtry - 6’7’’ F - Hargrave
  • Jake DiMichele - 6’4’’ G - First Love

Pacheco was also named to the Fork Union Military Circuit All-Circuit Team.

For more updates on the Elite Prep League - follow us on all socials: Instagram - @ElitPrepLeague, Twitter - @ElitePrepLeague

Two Blue Devils Sign to Play College Football Next Fall

Recently, two Blue Devils have signed National Letters of Intent to play College Football next fall.

Senior Nick Petrillo, who played for the postgraduate football team, signed a NLI to Southern Utah University on National Signing Day. He will play tight end for the Thunderbirds.

This past Wednesday, senior Jace Corbett of the Prep football team signed a NLI to play at Bluefield University next fall. The Colorado Springs, Colorado native will play defensive back for the Rams.

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!

The Athletic Directors Club recently helped purchase a new 32 passenger bus! Thank you AD Club Members!

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Created By
Kelly Barnette
Appreciate

Credits:

Kelly Barnette, Kristin Firewicz