Friday, August 23, 2013

FOOTBALL: Randolph-Macon Handles North Carolina Wesleyan in Lone Scrimmage

15 days before they play for real, the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets hit Day Field to finally play some football against someone other than themselves.

North Carolina Wesleyan made the two-hour trip north from Rocky Mount, NC. In the end, the Yellow Jackets took a 36-13 win, showed great flashes and typical August mistakes, and many new players got their first taste of game action in Ashland.



Returning QB Zac Naccarato looked very sharp in his nearly two quarters of work. The erratic throwing that beset him at times in 2012 was nowhere to be found. Backup Bubby Morgan led the Jackets on their final drive of the first half, which stalled just yards from paydirt.  A short field goal gave the Jackets a 24-7 halftime edge en route to a 36-13 win.

As well as Naccarato, a good night for sophomore tailback from Manassas Park High School, who scored the game's first touchdown and rushed well in typical Yellow Jacket "north-south" fashion. Returning leader rusher Will McGhee was held out of the scrimmage. McGhee is not injured; the coaching staff felt there was much risk and little reward to put perhaps their top returning offensive threat from 2012 in a scrimmage.

Byrd took advantage of that decision with a powerful performance.

The Jackets, picked to finish second in the 2013 ODAC race, open the season at home September 7th looking to avenge a loss to open 2012 to Johns Hopkins.

PREVIEW: Look for Rob Witham's (@hanoversports) in-depth preview of the 2013 Yellow Jackets this coming Thursday, August 29th, in the Hanover Herald-Progress!!

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