Ensign’s made a splash
May 16th, 2012 | After Action Coast Guard | Posted by Sean Smyth
Cadet 1st Class Orlando Morel is shown above the Coast Guard cutter Eagle in 2011. (Coast Guard photo via AP)
The story’s been making the rounds for the past few days, about how a young boy rescued by Coast Guard crews walked across the stage at today’s commencement ceremonies at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn.
What you may not know is that Ensign Orlando Morel, that rescued boy, was a big contributor to Coast Guard’s swimming team.
Morel was one of the Bears’ top divers, regularly capturing wins in the 1- and 2-meter dives.
Nearly 20 years have passed since Morel’s rescue, but the story still resonates. “I don’t think that anything I can do will be enough as payback,” Morel said.
If you’ve missed the story, we suggest giving it a read.
College football: Week 2 preview
September 8th, 2011 | Air Force Army Coast Guard Football Navy | Posted by Sean Smyth
Here’s a quick look at this weekend’s games.
AIR FORCE (1-0) hosts 25th-ranked TCU (0-1) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday (Versus). Nothing like running across an angry Horned Frogs team; TCU is still annoyed after last week’s 50-48 loss to Baylor. And it hasn’t lost consecutive games in four years.
Some numbers to chew on:
Air Force has won 11 of its last 12 conference openers.
TCU has won 17 consecutive Mountain West games. The Horned Frogs leave the conference after this season for — as of now — the Big East.
TCU quarterback Casey Pachall threw for 251 yards in his first college start last week.
Air Force quarterback Tim Jefferson comes in with 22 wins as a starter, tying the school’s record for wins by a starting quarterback.
ARMY (0-1) hosts San Diego State (1-0) at noon Saturday (CBS Sports Network). Aztecs senior quarterback Ryan Lindley has thrown for nearly 10,000 yards during his college career, and sophomore running back Ronnie Hillman ran for 189 yards in last week’s 49-21 win against Cal Poly.
The Black Knights fell 49-26 to Northern Illinois in Week 1. There were few highlights. Senior linebacker Steven Erzinger had 21 tackles, a career high. Army turned the ball over three times.
NAVY (1-0) visits Western Kentucky (0-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday (ESPN3.com). The Hilltoppers finished 2-10 last fall. They hung tough with Kentucky before losing, 14-3, in last week’s opener. It’s hard to believe, but Navy hasn’t started 2-0 since 2006, despite the recent run of success. The Mids rushed for 391 yards in last week’s 40-17 win against Delaware and will hope to keep the ground game in top gear.
COAST GUARD opens its season at 2:30 p.m. against Merchant Marine (0-1) (streaming at www.kpmariners.blogspot.com). The winner takes home the Secretaries’ Cup. The Bears went 2-7 last fall and were picked to finish next-to-last in their eight-team division in the New England Football Conference.
Day One Results, 2010 Combatives Tournament
October 2nd, 2010 | Army Coast Guard Mixed martial arts | Posted by Blair Tomlinson
Day one at the 2010 Combative Tournament was a grueling 12 hours with about 800 individual bouts. Here is who is heading to the semi-finals today:
Heavyweight Winners:
Aaron Jackson (Joint Base Lewis-McChord)
Lonnie Kincaid (Fort Riley)
Ngozi Collins (2/27 REG)
Matthew Gallagher (Fort Sill)
Heavyweight Consolation Bracket:
Jeremy Myer HBCT 3ID)
Ivan Iotchkolovsky Illinois National Guard)
Ryan McKraken
Benjamin Bradley (Fort Bragg)
Bantamweight Winners:
David Mason (III Corps)
Dylan Pablo (Guam)
Sean Stebbins, (Minnesota National Guard)
Robert Texidor
Bantamweight Consolation Bracket:
Elmer Arguelles, Fort Carson)
Matt Yaure (Fort Riley)
Jimmy WilsoN (Fort Riley)
Toni Vermiglio (4th PsyOps)
Flyweight Winners:
Erik Cabal-Garibay (Minnesota National Guard)
Jesse Thorton (III Corps)
Francisco Mercado (Fort Bragg)
Matthew Shoffer (Joint Base Lewis-McChord)
Flyweight Consolation Bracket:
Matthew Baker (Joint Base Lewis-McChord)
Brett Hayes (Fort Riley)
Eugene Roberts (III Corps)
Scott Eclavea (Guam)
Lightweight Winners:
Donnie Bowen (Fort Campbell)
Brandon Sandefur (Fort Knox)
Joseph Clark (Joint Base Lewis-McChord)
Neil Chitwood (4th BN 413TH)
Lightweight consolation Bracket:
Powell (Fort Leonard Wood)
Cesar Huizas (Fort Carson)
Darren Barnett (III Corps)
Thomas Soto, (Fort Bliss)
Welterweight Winners (try saying that five times fast):
Jason Kwast, (Fort Bragg)
Marquis Daniels (Fort Drum)
Shane Lee (III Corps)
Trey Robbins (Fort Bragg)
Welterweight Consolation Bracket:
Steven Wyatt (3 HBCT 3ID
Adam Therriault (Illinois National Guard)
Anthony Aqoun (Guam)
Middleweight Winners:
Andrew Chappelle, (Fort Sam)
Matthew Kyler, (MCOE)
Aoutneil Magny, (Illinois National Guard)
Jon Anderson (MCOE)
Middleweight Consolation Bracket:
Dennis Jones (Fort Bliss)
Jeffery Duncan, (Fort Campbell)
Travis Anderson, (MCOE)
Anthony Collet, (UASRK)
Cruiserweight Winners:
Jason Norwood (Fort Sill)
Daniel Cook ( USREC)
Samuel Vanderslice (Fort Bragg)
Jacob South, (95th Div.)
Cruiserweight Consolation Bracket:
Cody Lincoln, Minnesota National Guard)
Anthony Hopkins (Fort Riley)
Tony Martin (Fort Lee)
Matthey Jukkala (Minnesota National Guard)
Light Heavyweight Winners:
Patrick Miller (III Corps)
Brandon Wallace (MDW)
Richard Starks (MCOE)
Jason Eggelston (Fort Leonard Wood)
Light Heavyweight Consolation Bracket:
Tony Belasco, (MCOE)
Jesse Thurston
Donald Hamilton (Fort Bliss)
Brian Friedrichs (Minnesota National Guard)
Remember to check out all the fights today on our livestream of the event.
Week 4 football preview
September 24th, 2010 | Air Force Army Coast Guard Football Navy | Posted by Sean Smyth
Trent Steelman and the Black Knights visit Duke at 3 p.m. Saturday. (File photo / The Associated Press)
A quick look at the weekend’s games.
• AIR FORCE (2-1) has to rebound from last week’s gut-wrenching loss at Oklahoma, and a trip to Wyoming (2 p.m. Eastern) is on the docket. (Good luck finding the game on TV, unless you have a dish and can pull in The Mtn., the Mountain West Conference’s TV network.)
Wyoming (1-2) hasn’t even averaged two touchdowns per game this season — and is giving up 35 a game —while Air Force is averaging 41.3 points per game, second in the Mountain West and 16th in Division I. And the Falcons’ 399 yards per game on the ground is tops in the country.
In fairness, the Cowboys’ losses have come against two top-10 teams, Texas (34-7) and Boise State (51-6).
Air Force won last year’s game, 10-0.
• ARMY (2-1) and Duke (1-2) square off at 3 p.m. on ESPN3.com on the Blue Devils’ home gridiron, and temperatures are expected to be in the 90s. (How about that fall weather?) Duke was manhandled by Alabama last week, 62-13, and the Blue Devils are giving up 47.7 points per game. Sure, that average is skewed by losing to the nation’s top team — but not by much.
Duke’s also giving up 223 yards per game on the ground, not a good sign when facing the Black Knights. Army is the only team in the country to have at least five players averaging 40 yards or more per game.
Army senior slotback Patrick Mealy, lifted early in last week’s win against North Texas because of a knee injury, is listed atop the depth chart for this week’s game.
Duke won last year’s game at West Point, 35-19.
• NAVY (2-1) has a bye after its 37-23 win at Louisiana Tech, and the bye should give the Mids time to recover from a bunch of injuries, Ricky Dobbs’ balky ankle and a couple concussions among them.
Navy faces Air Force next week.
• COAST GUARD (1-1), smarting after being shut out at Curry College, visits Massachusetts Maritime (1-2) at noon. It’s the New England Football Conference opener for both schools and the Buccaneers’ first game at home.
Curry College 35, Coast Guard 0
September 19th, 2010 | After Action Coast Guard Football | Posted by Sean Smyth
Did the hangover from winning the Secretaries’ Cup linger? Probably not. Curry is just one of the better Division III teams in the Northeast, and with the Bears going on the road on a Saturday night …
Curry blocked a second-quarter punt, setting up some great field position and really helping the Colonels to roll. Senior Jesse Karr and sophomore Jon Resch split time at quarterback for the Bears. Sophomore Eric Gerken caught 11 passes, a game-high.
Coast Guard’s next game is at Massachusetts Maritime at noon Saturday.
College football: Week 3 preview
September 16th, 2010 | Air Force Army Coast Guard Football Navy | Posted by Sean Smyth
It’s another big Saturday for the academies’ squads. (All times are Eastern time.)
• ARMY (1-1) hopes to rebound from last week’s crushing loss to Hawaii when it hosts the North Texas Mean Green (noon, CBS College Sports). Army won last year’s meeting in Denton, Texas, 17-13, and is 3-0 all-time against the Mean Green.
North Texas will be without senior quarterback Nathan Tune, who dislocated his hip in last week’s loss to Rice, which means sophomore Derek Thompson will start against the Knights. Army quarterback Trent Steelman is listed as the starter under center, even though he hurt his non-throwing shoulder in the third quarter of last week’s loss.
Elsewhere on the injury front: Army now says sophomore linebacker Nate Combs, who was injured against Eastern Michigan in his first collegiate start, is out for the season.
• NAVY (1-1) vists Louisiana Tech (7 p.m., ESPN3.com). It is the second meeting between the schools. The Mids won, 32-14, last year in Annapolis.
Navy hopes to get its offense going after only rushing for 109 yards last week against Georgia Southern, the worst performance by the Mids on the ground in eight seasons. Navy gained 193 yards in total.
The Mids list the following injuries: senior wide receiver Mike Schupp (ACL tear) is out; senior offensive tackle Matt Molloy (concussion) is questionable; and junior offensive tackle David Sumrall (left knee sprain) and sophomore center De’Von Richardson (left hamstring) are probable.
• AIR FORCE (2-0) faces its toughest test of the young season, visiting No. 7 Oklahoma (3:30 p.m., Fox Sports Net). Oklahoma won the only previous meeting between the teams, 44-3 in 2001 at Falcons Stadium. It is the first time the Falcons have played consecutive games against teams in the top 25 since facing BYU and TCU in consecutive weeks in 2008.
As of Monday, Air Force didn’t list any injuries.
• COAST GUARD (1-0) travels to Curry (Mass.) College (7 p.m.). Curry (2-0) beat Fitchburg (Mass.) State, 28-0, last week, and the Colonels are the preseason favorites in the New England Football Conference.
Click here for a live stream of the game.
Coast Guard senior Pat Bennett winner of New England weekly award
September 16th, 2010 | Coast Guard Football | Posted by Sean Smyth
The Gold Helmet Award is a big deal in New England college football circles – two Gold Helmets are awarded weekly to players deemed by Gridiron Club of Greater Boston members as the best in the region, one for players in Division I (both FBS and FCS), and one for players in Divisions II and III.
Coast Guard often gets ignored – that changed this week when senior cornerback and kick returner Pat Bennett was honored.
The Capitol Heights, Md., native, who sat out in 2009 to focus on academics, returned the opening kickoff against Merchant Marine last week for 82 yards — that was the difference as the Bears won, 10-8, in their season opener, capturing the Secretaries’ Cup for the first time since 2007.
Bennett also came up big when he blocked a field-goal attempt in the second quarter. He had seven tackles and forced a fumble, too.
Bennett is the fourth Coast Guard player to receive the weekly award. Quarterback Jon Resch received the award last season for his 482-yard performance in a loss to Maine Maritime. Other Bears who won Gold Helmets were Niles Pierson (2006) and Scott Huerter (1988).
The tri-captain cornerback and kick returner also blocked a field goal in the second quarter, led the team with seven tackles, four solo, one for loss, two pass breakups and a forced fumble.
The Division I winner was Central Connecticut’s Gunnar Jespersen.
Week 2 football recap
September 11th, 2010 | Air Force Army Coast Guard Football Navy | Posted by Sean Smyth
A quick rundown on how the service academy teams did today:
• ARMY (1-1) took it on the chin, losing to Hawaii, 31-28. A fumble in the final minute resulted in Hawaii getting one last shot to win the game, and the ensuing field goal was the difference. Read more on the Army Times site.
• AIR FORCE (2-0) knocked off Brigham Young, 35-14, in the teams’ last meeting before BYU bails on the Mountain West Conference. It’s a big win, considering BYU leads the all-time series 24-7 after today’s game — and it was the first time the Falcons won in the series since 2003. The Gazette in Colorado Springs has more details.
• NAVY (1-1) had a tougher time than expected against Georgia Southern, pulling out a 13-7 win in the Paul Johnson Cup. See Phil Creed’s post below for more details.
• COAST GUARD won the Secretaries’ Cup for the first time since 2007, beating Merchant Marine, 10-8, in picturesque New London in the Bears’ season opener. Read more on the Coast Guard Athletics site.
Secretaries’ Cup up for grabs Saturday
September 10th, 2010 | Coast Guard Football Merchant Marines | Posted by Mike Hoffman
Forget Air Force’s conference matchup with BYU or Navy’s attempt to lick its wounds against Georgia Southern after getting upset by the Maryland Kenny Tates. There is a cup to be won Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in New London, Conn.
First, we’d like to thank Bill, a loyal reader, for the reminder. This Saturday, the Coast Guard Academy and Merchant Marine Academy will play in their 39th meeting for the right to own the Secretaries’ Cup.
If this year’s meeting is anything like last year’s, get in your car and drive up to New London now or plan to huddle around your television to watch on Al Gore’s invention.
The Merchant Marine Mariners took home last year’s cup in a nail biter, winning 33-27 in double overtime. Coast Guard tied the game with 1:29 left in regulation with a touchdown and two-point conversion, but lost after missing a field goal with 5 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
The Coasties won the first-ever Secretary’s Cup. Yes, that’s not a typo. Secretary was singular while the Coasties and Merchant Marines fell under the Department of Transportation. Once the Coast Guard fell under the beacon of bureaucracy (i.e. the U.S. Department of Homeland Security) in 2003, the cup was forever pluralized. Although the Coast Guard won the first meeting in 1949, it was the last time they led the series. The Mariners lead the series 26-12.
It falls to Coast Guard’s trio of quarterbacks to reclaim the cup Saturday. Senior Jesse Karr is in a fight for the starting spot with three other quarterbacks who have taken collegiate snaps. Karr threw for 1,640 yards last year and earned New England Football Conference second team honors.
The Secretaries’ Cup is Coast Guard’s season opener. Not so for the Mariners. Merchant Marine edged Galludet last weekend 35-34 on a last second 11-yard touchdown catch by freshman wide receiver Chaise Dunn. If the Coasties hope to reclaim the cup, they will have to slow down senior running back Karl Heimbrock who ran for 155 yards and scored three touchdowns in the Mariners season opener.
Coast Guard will have home field advantage this year for the first time since 2007. Last year’s game was played on the Mariners home field to avoid having the Merchant Marines open their season with three straight home games.
However, there is something to be said about getting the kinks worked out in a season opener. The Mariners had that luxury last Saturday, Coast Guard did not, so they will inevitably be a bit rusty.
Here at After Action, we’ll take experience and home field advantage and say Coast Guard wins this week. The Coasties took the Mariners to two overtimes last year without having one quarterback on the roster with any collegiate experience. This year they have three and reclaim the Secretaries’ Cup.
Prediction: Coasties 30, Mariners 28