http://www.victorysportsnetwork.com/...articleID=4893
Wise, Va. ? The "family atmosphere"? of a football team can be an important ingredient in determining on-field production. The NAIA's 10th-ranked University of Virginia's College at Wise football team takes the "gridiron family"? ingredient to the extreme like no place in the nation with five sets of brothers as part of the 2007 recipe for success.
The Highland Cavalier football "family"? can claim to be the closest knit group in the nation with over a tenth of the roster related. The high number of siblings is the most of any NAIA football team and is equaled only by NCAA-Division I member University of Montana Grizzlies.
"Our key theme as a program is family,"? explains UVa-Wise sixth-year head coach Bruce Wasem. "It wasn't planned to have this many brothers on the team and I can honestly say I have never seen any football team in all my years at all levels whether it be high school or college with this many."?
The five brother sets have come from all across the state of Virginia. Three sets, Henry and Jamal Potter of Virginia Beach, Kevin and Keon White of Newport News and Keith and Travis McBride from Hampton, call the Tidewater Region home. The other two pair, Aaron and John Mathis of Copper Hill and Josh and Luke Spurlock from Big Stone Gap, are southwest Virginia natives.
UVa-Wise, a small college of just over 1,900 students nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of southwest Virginia, is putting together one of the 17-year program's best seasons at 6-1 overall and a perfect 1-0 in the Mid-South Conference's East Division with the victory coming over perennial power and 19th-ranked Georgetown College, 63-56, in front off over 8,000 fans. The Highland Cavaliers host region rival Pikeville College this Saturday, October 20th in a 1:30 p.m. kick-off at Carl Smith Stadium.
"I think this year's team is a tighter knit group overall and having all of the brothers helps contribute to it. It tells a lot about the kind of people they are and how each of them felt they fit into the team's atmosphere and belief system,"? admits Wasem.
The White brothers were the lone set playing for the team last year while three of the other pairs saw the younger brother join the Cavs this season and the Spurlocks both came to the program in 2007.
"It says a lot that once one brother is here that another would follow. I feel it tells a great deal about the institution and its events, atmosphere and quality of a University of Virginia education the students receive and not just about the football program,"? points out the head coach and lone coach to be on the football staff since the program's 1991 inception.
The 10 Cavs are heavily slanted to the defensive side of the ball where eight of the brothers play. The most decorated of the group and lone senior, All-American left tackle Henry Potter is the anchor of the team's offensive line.
The 6-1, 309-pound left tackle is a big part of the reason UVa-Wise hails the top rated offense in the NAIA in both scoring (52.3 points/game) and total offense (525.3 yards/game). Potter from Va. Beach's Salem High also blocks for the nation's top rusher Ra'Shad Morgan, who is averaging 151.3 yards with 1,059 yards and 21 total scores, and the top rated quarterback Randy Hippeard, who has a 178.29 efficiency rating with 2,146 passing yards and 25 touchdowns.
The top flight tackle welcomed his younger brother Jamal to Wise this fall. Jamal, a redshirt freshman defensive back who ran track & field at the University of Maryland last year, has intercepted two passes and made 19 tackles.
"It is great to get to work with your brother,"? smiled Henry Potter.
Jamal agreed, "It's great when both of us make good plays. We owe it to each other and the team to make the best plays we can."?
The White brothers, Kevin and Keon, are a unique pair compared to the other siblings. The brothers are not only the lone set of twins but also backup each other at nose guard on the defensive line. The 6-0, 245-pound Kevin has been a part-time starter at nose guard and is one of the two Cavs rotating at the position. He has 14 stops on the year and combined with teammate Jerry Bentley, who also is a brother of a former UVa-Wise player, on a sack in the 69-28 win over Belhaven College last weekend.
"We always wanted to go to the same college to play football together,"? said Kevin.
Keon is Kevin's backup in the middle of the defensive line after playing side-by-side at Newport News' Warwick High. He has seen action in three games this season.
"I agree with Kevin as it was important to both of us to be continue to be part of the same team,"? confirmed Keon.
Sophomore defensive back Keith McBride was instrumental in bringing his brother, Travis, who is a freshman wide receiver into the "?family' at UVa-Wise.
Travis, who is the lone brother to have 2007 be a redshirt season, clearly pointed out, "Keith motivated me to come here to play. He has always made me work harder to continue to be better player."?
The elder McBride is a backup safety who has made 17 tackles, intercepted two passes and returned five kick-offs for 108 yards this season.
Keith gives another outlook on having his brother as a fellow Cav.
"Having your brother on the same team, I feel makes you more competitive and want to strive to better each day and game."?
The two southwest Virginia brother pairs, Spurlocks and Mathis', share more than being from the same geographical region of the state. All four siblings line up as part of the same kick-off coverage unit. In fact, the four are aligned Mathis-Spurlock-Mathis-Spurlock on the same side of the UVa-Wise kicker to comprise almost half the 11-man cover unit.
Three weeks ago against fifth-ranked Bethel (Tenn.) College, Aaron and John Mathis, who are both defensive ends from Floyd County High, combined on the first brother combination tackle on a kick-off. On the season, freshman John has 11 tackles with his best game last week of three stops and a sack.
Redshirt sophomore Aaron has eight tackles to his credit.
Aaron made sure to point out, "There is no competition to out do each other."?
Brother John conferred, "The competition we do have is more in a helpful way having your brother on the team with you."?
Luke and Josh Spurlock are the two most local set of brothers being from Big Stone Gap, Va. and Powell Valley High School, a 15 minute drive from Wise. The two defensive ends are both freshmen eligibility wise but Luke is the elder statesman of the siblings by two years.
"I started out going to another college not playing football. I came back home, enrolled at UVa-Wise and worked out in the end really well to play football and be on the same team as Josh,"? explained Luke.
Luke missed the team's first five games due to a hand injury but has started to make his presence felt the past two weeks with a tackle each contest on special teams.
The older Spurlock was able to watch Josh pull off a unique feat in back-to-back-to-back games. The 6-3, 218-pound end batted passes into the air and intercepted each pass against Concord, which he returned three yards for a touchdown, Georgetown and Bethel in consecutive weeks.
"I have been proud of my younger brother this season seeing his success with those interceptions and how he has played,"? added Luke.
Josh continues to lead the UVa-Wise defense with those three interceptions on the year to go with 10 tackles and two tackles for loss.
"It is special to have Luke on the team with me because you can share the experience with your brother which means even more,"? said Josh.
The "?family' of the 2007 UVa-Wise gridiron team has its sights set on more than just equaling last year's 8-3 record and posting just the second string of consecutive winning seasons in a row. The Cavs' brothers are focused on not only the third run into the NAIA national playoffs in program history and first since the 1996 campaign but also being part of a hopeful first ever playoff victory.
"Who doesn't want to win with family,"? said team captain Henry Potter.
Winning with family would make the 2007 Highland Cavaliers' best chance at the national playoffs in over a decade all the more sweeter with college football's version of "?Band of Brothers.'
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