2008 Around the Mid-Atlantic columns

November 18, 2008 Macon faces a tall task Arruza is aware, and respectful, of what kind of legacy the Yellow Jackets are up against when they face Mount Union in the first round of the Division III football playoffs.

November 11, 2008 A first year, but on familiar ground North Carolina Wesleyan’s Mark Henninger is comfortable pacing the sidelines in front of his team. After all, he’s been doing it for five seasons now, but not until this year has he done it as the Bishops’ head coach.

November 4, 2008 A football field far, far away The Apprentice School in Newport News is no normal school, and the independence these students feel is amplified more than most places. Employment and school work are intertwined, housing is up to the student, and the bills surely don't pay themselves.

October 28, 2008 Finishing the Ricca legacy Many fathers would be happy to have a son play collegiate football. John Ricca has felt that pride three times over.

October 21, 2008 A blanked look on their faces If it weren't for two momentum-changing events, Johns Hopkins and Ursinus might have ended 60 minutes of play tied at zero.

October 14, 2008 Winning and losing in the trenches Like many mechanisms in our lives, when they're working flawlessly, you barely even notice they exist. But a breakdown in the machine doesn't just ripple nearby -- it crashes the system. In this way, sports parallels life -- and life on offense revolves around the men in the trenches.

October 7, 2008 Salisbury looking for Chandler to return The Salisbury defense has been forced to overcome some hurdles this year, especially in terms of injury, but no blow may be as significant as the suspension of five defenders who have started at least one game this season.

September 30, 2008 Tigers improve their balance This year’s Hampden-Sydney is not the Hampden-Sydney of 2007. This is not the team that won a conference championship. And this is not the team that averaged 35 points on offense per outing. This team, in fact, is probably better.

September 23, 2008 Lifelong teammates Since the start of the 2007 season, Dickinson quarterback Ian Mitchell has thrown for 1,921 yards and run for 953 more. And he collects money for each yard he gains. The money isn’t for him, his education or his school. The money is pledged by donors who translate his success on the field into aid for families dealing with cancer.

September 16, 2008 A place he never truly left In a corner of the region where the University of Tennessee's iconic orange T is commonly plastered on bumpers, headwear and bar windows, a smaller school just down the road takes the field in a less resounding -- but no less intense -- way.

September 9, 2008 Taste of the big leagues Adam "Pacman" Jones approached David Hanna looking for advice on how to improve his playing on the field. No one told him to do that, nothing aside from a desire to improve himself and his team prompted Jones to reach out to the new face at the Dallas Cowboys training camp. Hanna was glad he did.

September 2, 2008 Turning over a new leaf We have ushered out such veteran stars as Eric Dube, Drew Smith and Tom Sturges. In turn we will give greater heed to the younger generation, whose leadership will become ever more crucial. More will be expected out of the Evin O'Sullivans, Torrey Lowes and Sean Matthewses of the mid-Atlantic.