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Hottel's kick boots Colonels to victory
WINCHESTER -- Peyton Hottel was ticked off on Friday night, and that was a very good thing for James Wood at Jerry Kelican Stadium.
The Colonels' starting place kicker and punter got off to an inauspicious start against visiting Washington, W.Va., when his first varsity punt was blocked deep in James Wood territory late in the first quarter.
Hottel got mad, then got even by nailing his first career field-goal attempt. Then he drilled a wickedly knuckling punt that resulted in a fumble to set up his second field goal to help boost the Colonels to a season-opening 13-7 victory.
"He was clutch tonight," James Wood coach Mike Bolin said. "We have two really good kickers -- we have Chandler DeHaven and Peyton.
"Honest to God, when it was all said and done, at the end of camp we decided to go with Peyton because he's a senior. Chandler's right there, and Peyton knows he's on a short leash. If he doesn't get the job done, Chandler's going to come in and help us out."
Tied at 7-all early in the fourth quarter, the Colonels capped a 17-play, 62-yard drive with Hottel's 26-yard field goal to take the lead with nine minutes to play. After forcing Washington (0-2) to punt on its ensuing possession, James Wood (1-0) got nowhere on its next series and sent Hottel out for his first punt attempt since the Patriots' Malcolm Newman had swatted his kick out of the air in the first quarter.
Hottel got the punt off, a soaring blast that covered 36 yards in the air. Washington's Colin Gustines had trouble settling under it as the ball carried, and when he fumbled the catch, the Colonels' Tripp Lewis was there to take advantage. One of the Colonels' appointed gunners on special teams, Lewis did his job by racing downfield to reach the ball just as it was falling to the turf.
"He had a great punt," said Lewis, who also had an interception in the game. "I was just hustling down there. I saw him catch it, but then it started coming out. So it just gave me an extra burst. I saw him fumble the ball, and I decided to go for it. I just hit him and I ended up coming up with it."
Hottel boots Colonels to victory
By Tom Myrick
Special to The Winchester Star
WINCHESTER- James Wood place kicker Peyton Hottel picked a great time to hit his first ever field goals in a competitive game.
A pair of fourth-quarter Hottel kicks handed the Colonels a hard-fought 13-7 victory over Washington (W.Va.) in their season opener Friday night at Jerry L. Kelican Stadium.
The senior broke a 7-7 tie with a 26-yard field goal with just over nine minutes to play, capping off a 19-play drive orchestrated by the Colonels' new starting quarterback, Matt Copley.
Hottel then buried another 26-yarder with three minutes left, after Washington's Colin Gustines fumbled a punt return.
"I was a little bit nervous before the first kick, but my offensive line and holder and all looked at me and told me it was going to be OK," Hottel said. "During the game, Matt [Copley] came over to me and said, 'If we get inside the 30- or 25-yard line, you can't miss. I just tried to do what he told me to do."
Fullback Cory Schrock scored James Wood's lone touchdown - a 28-yard gallop on an inside handoff on the Colonels first drive. The senior led the team with 79 yards rushing on 14 carries as Wood pounded out 221 yards on the ground.
Copley, meanwhile, completed six of his 12 passes for 48 yards, and he added 31 yards rushing.
"Matt played great," James Wood coach Mike Bolin said. "We tried to keep it simple for him, but he got a little pressure in there a couple of times. We've got to get better up front, and that will make Matt better."
Defensively, James Wood allowed just 134 total yards, including just 55 yards rushing. Washington could manage just eight first downs, compared to 19 for the Colonels.
Patriots quarterback Tyler Wilt completed seven of his 19 pass attempts, and he had one pass intercepted by Tripp Lewis on a Hail Mary just before halftime.
"Our defense played great," Bolin said. "For them to hold a good football team to just 134 yards is outstanding.
"Overall, I am proud of how we played tonight. We've got a lot of work to do, and we aren't satisfied by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a victory and we'll take it."
Wood pumped up for season opener
September 3, 2010
By David Selig
The Winchester Star
WINCHESTER- James Wood High School will kick off a new tradition tonight, as its football players enter the field running through an oversized inflatable helmet.
The Colonels just need to make sure they're not too pumped up for their 7 p.m. season opener against visiting Washington (W.Va.).
"I think people are going to get a kick out of it," Wood coach Mile Bolin said of the helmet, which was bought from money raised by the team's booster club. "We just have to win now."
Bolin said it can sometimes be a challenge to rein in players' emotions as they take the field for the first time in a season.
It might be even more tough for the Colonels, who had to wait an extra week to start theirs. (Washington opened with a 20-6 loss at Hedgesville last Friday.)
But Bolin said his team has made strides throughout the final weeks of the preseason, which included a scrimmage last Friday at North Hagerstown (Md.).
"We've steadily improved every day," Bolin said. We're moving in the right direction."Colonels junior prepares to take charge
WINCHESTER -- Mark Bean doesn't have to worry about having someone to lift weights with in the offseason. The James Wood junior and his fraternal twin brother, Christian, lift at least five days a week together in the offseason.
Being able to help each other out in the weight room has helped both of them elevate their game for James Wood.
"I actually like getting stronger because it makes you that much better on the field," Mark Bean said. "If you're not strong enough to play a position, you're going to get blown off the ball."
Mark Bean didn't have to worry about getting blown off the ball last season. When a James Wood starting linebacker was injured, Bean had to fill in and started the second game for the Colonels.
James Wood beat Musselman, 35-14, and Bean was the second-leading tackler for the Colonels. He held on to the starting spot for the rest of the season.
"I was scared, I really was," Mark Bean said of his first start. "I thought I would end up making too many mistakes."
He didn't make many mistakes last year, finishing with 84 tackles, which was second on the team.
James Wood coach Mike Bolin said Mark Bean is a natural at the linebacker position.
"Physically he's built to play the position," Bolin said. "He squats 440 pounds, he benches upwards of 340 pounds. He's got the strength to play linebacker where he can take on big, strong linemen."
It's his huddle now
After a long wait, Copley takes over as Wood QB
August 25, 2010
By David Selig
The Winchester Star
WINCHESTER- Matt Copley was giving an interview outside the James Wood football team house following a recent practice when one of the Colonels' assistant coaches came screeching by on a utility vehicle.
"You know that's Matt Copley, right?" the coach deadpanned to the reporter. "Are you sure you've got the right guy? You want to talk to him?"
Yep, after three years of waiting, Copley is finally James Wood's starting quarterback. And he's the new voice of an offense that has a significantly different look from last year.
Nobody will ever confuse the 5-foot-10 Copley, who has become known for his ability to scramble, with the 6-foot-4 rifle-armed Trae Tinsman, who stood under center at Wood for the past three seasons.
But if there were ever any doubts that Copley could take command of the team like Tinsman had, the previously quiet player hushed them from the minute he took the field this summer.
"From the first day of minicamp, he stepped in that huddle and you could tell that it was his huddle," Wood coach Mike Bolin said. "He let it be known at that time that he was in charge, and the rest of the players have responded well."
They should, because Copley is far from a newcomer - and the senior has proven time and again his commitment to the Colonels.
While serving as the backup quarterback the past two seasons, Copley also worked his way onto the field as a wide receiver and defensive back.
And even though he deep down would have preferred stealing Tinsman's job, he ultimately became Tinsman's favorite receiver, making a team-high 25 receptions for 256 yards and three touchdowns last fall.
"Coming into high school, I knew Trae was a great quarterback just from playing against him in middle school, so I knew I was going to have to wait my turn," Copley said. "It was tough [moving to receiver]. Usually it's good to work on one position and see how good you can get at that one. But I did whatever I could to help my team win, and receiver was it last year."More Articles...
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