After near death experience, Weissman fights to get back

The Evening Sun published a feature today on Gettysburg College sophomore Cory Weissman, who, as a member of the Bullets men’s basketball team, is fighting back from a near-fatal brain hemorrhage that almost claimed his life over the spring. Below is an excerpt from the story. You can read the full piece here.

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Quick Action

It happened in an instant and without warning. At about 4 p.m. on March 26, something was seriously wrong.

Fellow New Jerseyan Brendan Trelease and Weissman were lifting weights inside the Gettysburg facility when he had an intense headache. Weissman couldn't lift the weights.

"I started getting dizzy," Weissman said. "I sat down and couldn't hold myself up against the wall. Everything started spinning. I was still walking when my friend brought me to the training room.

"And by the time we got halfway there, I couldn't move my left leg. I was just dragging it. He was dragging me to the training room."

Upon entry, Gettysburg's staff – Krista Gruhn, Katie Whaley and Joseph Donolli – quickly took a survey of Weissman's status.

"He looked fine, looked normal," said Whaley, an assistant trainer. "He was just getting dizzy. He said that his legs were feeling heavy and his arms were feeling heavy."

But his body functions would soon deteriorate at an alarming rate.

Weissman fell to the ground. He would lose his ability to control the left side of his body, including his arm and leg.

"Within 30 seconds, his conscious state was decreasing," Whaley said. "His words weren't making a whole lot of sense. He was having involuntary muscle movement on the right side of his body."

Donolli immediately called emergency personnel while Whaley and Gruhn tried to keep Weissman conscious.

"He first started to present what we thought was a seizure," said Gruhn, now an assistant trainer at Furman University. "His right side of his body, his arm and leg, started to move and shake uncontrollably. I noticed the more I was talking to him and asking him questions, he went from talking normally to only the right side of his mouth."

The symptoms of stroke began to present a clearer picture.

Gruhn tested Weissman's Cranial Nerve 7, which is responsible for facial expressions, and she began to understand the severity of the situation.

Emergency medical staff arrived within 10 to 15 minutes of the initial call and they then drove Weissman to Gettysburg Hospital. After testing, it was discovered that the sophomore had an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), which is a tangling of the veins and arteries and which leads to brain hemorrhaging.

The best point of action at that point, Petrie said, was to transport Weissman to Milton S. Hershey Medical

Kerry Garrett, an athletic trainer at Gettysburg College, puts a patch on the left leg of basketball player Cory Weissman. The electrical current to the patch will create an impulse, which will return improved function to the leg. (Evening Sun Photo by Eric Drummond )Center, where he would undergo an embolization, which would temporarily glue the bleeding in the brain shut.

THE DAY AFTER: Colts 17, Ravens 15

AP Photo/Nick Wass

Monday, November 23:

POST GAME OBSERVATIONS

The most unfortunate scene for Baltimore had to be watching starting cornerback Fabian Washington make his way back to his locker on crutches with his left knee heavily wrapped. Washington tore his ACL when he collided hard with Indianapolis running back Joseph Addai with 2:42 left in the game. Washington was carried off the playing field, then carted back to the locker room. Washington will be replaced by rookie Lardarius Webb.

Washington is the second defensive starter the Ravens have lost in two weeks. Last week starting linebacker Terrell Suggs sprained a ligament in his right knee when Browns quarterback Brady Quinn chop blocked him. According to the Baltimore Sun, Suggs is hopeful he will be able to return sooner than expected.

DAY TO REMEMBER

Billy Cundiff, Baltimore K: Cundiff’s five field goals tied a franchise record for the most kicks made in a game. He did it under some pretty neat circumstances.

Cundiff’s five kicks tied former Ravens’ kicker Matt Stover who just happens to be the Colts’ kicker. Stover wasn’t re-signed by the Ravens last summer and instead was picked up by the Colts. Previously, Stover had been the only kicker the Ravens had in the franchise’s history.

While Ravens fans still have love for Stover, the 29-year-old veteran Cundiff got the loudest ovation I’ve ever heard a crowd give a kicker when he converted his first kick, a 46-yarder in the first quarter. Cundiff had a chance to surpass Stover’s record, but missed a 30-yarder wide right in the third quarter.

Cundiff on his kicking duel with Stover:

“To be perfectly honest with you, that had no bearing on my preparation whatsoever during the week. I know that was something that the fans had been talking about quite a bit, but for me, I never see this game as a kicker versus kicker matchup. It’s never that way. In fact, if you talk to most guys, baring the fact that they may hit a game-winner, you want to see the other guy succeed and I think that’s the fraternity of kickers.”

DAY TO FORGET

Willis McGahee, Baltimore RB: While McGahee was supplanted by Ray Rice as the Ravens’ starting running back at the beginning of the season, the former Miami standout has been a solid No. 2 option this season.

Not on Sunday.

With the Ravens on the Colts’ 1-yard-line, McGahee got the ball twice. The first carry, McGahee took the handoff and stalled his own pace in the hole, chopping his feet as if looking for somewhere to run. The second try was worse as he did the same thing and actually lost a yard when Indy’s Clint Session blew him up in the backfield.

Ray Rice had been the Ravens’ go-t0-guy on the drive as he accounted for 15 yards. Why not give it to the shorter Rice on the one?

Coach John Harbaugh on the options he had at the goal line:

“We talked about different guys at different times. I don’t think it would have made a difference who was carrying the ball in that situation the way it played out.”

Perhaps it would have, though. The line of thinking here is that you want a big, powerful runner to plow ahead for the 1-yard-score. Thus far this season, the Ravens have three backs who have carried the ball in these situations.

Baltimore touchdown runs from less than five yards out:

Fullback Le’Ron McClain (6-foot/260 pounds) has one.

Rice (5-foot-8/210 pounds) has one.

McGahee (6-foot/235 pounds) has two.

Maybe Rice’s shorter frame would have worked to his team’s advantage in this situation?

Xs & Os

Peyton Manning VS. The Cover 2: The Ravens secondary wanted to disguise its coverage schemes as much as possible to confuse prolific Colts passer Peyton Manning.

The Baltimore defensive backs did a good job early on.

Manning was baited into two first-half interceptions, the first came when Manning targeted Dallas Clark who was running a go route against Fabian Washington who was set up in the Cover 2. Washington was able to get a  hand on Manning’s pass and Baltimore safety Dawan Landry finished the tip drill by picking it off. On the second pick, Manning fixed his eyes on wideout Reggie Wayne for a few seconds giving Baltimore safety Ed Reed the time to come over and  help out cornerback Domonique Foxworth. Manning let the ball fly and Reed intercepted it easily.

Manning on the Ravens coverage schemes:

“The interceptions are disappointing, bad decisions. One’s a zone play where the corner falls off the Cover 2 and makes the play as soon as I throw it. the second one, I had the corner beat. I kind of stared the corner down in order to get Reggie to run by him. That part of the plan worked, but every time you star them down, it brings the potential of Ed Reed coming over.”

THE BIGGEST PLAY(ER) OF THE GAME YOU ALREADY FORGOT

Antoine Bethea, Indianapolis S: Bethea made arguably the game-saving stop for his team when he blasted Ravens wideout Derrick Mason at the 1-yard-line.

Mason caught a short pass from Joe Flacco and scurried 12 yards to get inside the Colts’ 5-yard-line. Mason tried to dive into the endzone, but Bethea put his  head down and knocked the veteran receiver out of bounds before the ball could cross the line. Three plays later, the Ravens had to settle for a field goal, the last points Baltimore would score on the day.

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Click here to read The Evening Sun’s game coverage of the Baltimore Raven’s on Sunday. The Indianapolis Colts defeated the Ravens, 17-15.

Baltimore Ravens coverage from Sunday

more about "Baltimore Ravens: Joe Flacco", posted with vodpod

It’s beginning to get dire for the Baltimore Ravens, who are a mediocre 5-5 and stuck in third place in the AFC North, behind Pittsburgh (6-4) and Cincinnati (7-3) — both losers on Sunday. There are still six weeks left — so no need to completely panic — but no one would blame you, the fan, if you were a little concerned about the State of the Union in Baltimore.

The Evening Sun covered the game yesterday in Baltimore. You can read the coverage here, or click on the third tab over “Quote the Ravens” for more information.

* As for other enganging pieces around the region, I thought this Mike Preston column was particularly insightful. He’s a columnist for the Baltimore Sun.

* And then there is this Kevin Cowherd column, which goes into the type of day Joe Flacco had under center.

* Perhaps you’re a fan of Peter Schmuck? He offers the conundrum that is Ed Reed.

College Basketball: Mount hits its free throws

Evening Sun photo by James Robinson

At the Division I level, any small advantage a team gives its opponent could be enough to decide a game’s outcome.

Turnovers. Rebounds. Fouls. Free three shooting.

The last was a reason for concern over the weekend for Mount St. Mary’s, seeing as though the team went 7-for-17 against American on Wednesday.

But after a 24-for-28 performance in a 63-44 win over Loyola on Saturday at Knott Arena, it seems that facet has been corrected.

Jeremy Goode went 15-for-16 and Jean Cajou put in 5-for-6. They represent the backcourt for the Mountaineers.

If Mount head coach Milan Brown could get that consistent touch every game, he believes they’ll be in a good position.

“If they were 20-for-23 from the free throw line, that’s great because they’re making them and we’re also getting there,” Brown said.

He later commented on Goode, who at one point was 12-for-12 and was creeping up on the school’s all-time individual game record of consecutive made free throws, which was 14-for-14.

He later missed in his first attempt after reaching that mark, but finished with 15, which is tied for sixth all-time in the category of most free throws made in a game.

“Sometimes he shoots like that,” Brown said. “That was big for us. We tried to make a big effort in making sure we shot free throws. We do them every day and it’s just a matter of us trying to stay locked in. And I think it speaks to him, being a senior and being in those situations.”

Goode realized he was hitting at a decent clip, but he had no idea his performance was reaching a crescent in Mount history.

Heading into the season, the senior point guard from North Carolina had told Brown of his intentions from the charity stripe.

“Before the season, I told coach I would be an 85-percent free throw shooter,” Goode said. “I told him that. I meant it, I said it plain. I don’t know. I worked on them. The last game was actually the first game where I missed a free throw, against American. I was upset that I missed it. And then I missed three that game. This game I tried to lock in, be more focused.”

The Mount return to action on Wednesday at Knott Arena, where they will face Niagra at 7:00 p.m.

Prep Football: District 3 Week 2 Rewind

We are down to one Hanover area team left in the District 3 playoffs.

That team is Delone Catholic.

And this brings me back to Week 2, right after the Squires lost a 7-6 heartbreaker to Trinity at JT Flaherty Field. You could see the palpable emotion on the field after the loss. It was a cold night, long breaths, iced sweat.

At 1-1, the season was far from over. But that loss did put a dagger in the hopes of many of the partisan.

Noah Sneeringer didn’t see it that way.

The senior tackle — in one of those rare moments when nothing else would suffice but this — stood up, took a hard breath, and said: “This isn’t over.”

He referred to the 2007 season, when the Squires were crushed by Trinity, 34-13, in Week 2 only to come back in the district finals, where they ousted their parochial rivals, 25-0.

It was stuff of motivational legend, if only the Squires can somehow produce a miracle against No. 1 Lancaster Catholic this Friday at Hersheypark Stadium (7 p.m. kickoff). The Crusaders are ranked fourth in the state according to the Patriot News latest polls. The Squires are listed in the honorable mention.

Taking a look back: I texted my Evening Sun counterpart Travis Johnson about 30 minutes prior to the Delone Catholic-Littlestown game. I was at South Western, where there was about a crowd of about 500 or so gradually making their way through the facility.

He texted back a video that I could not open — because my phone harkens back to the ice ages.

Later, he texted: “I’m saying close to 2,500 (people).”

Close to kickoff, he input: “THE 50.50 POT IS UP OVER ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS.”

Safe to say, this game was the bigget inter-area matchup we’ve seen in the past three seasons. Motivation was working for Littlestown, having lost to DC 25-13 in the regular season. And motivation was working for DC, who wanted to prove all the naysayers wrong that, even with Matt Zuber, the Squires were better than the Bolts.

The game certainly didn’t disappoint, with Delone Catholic pulling out a 27-24 win behind two Porter Strickler field goals, 300 rushing yards and an adamant running game that featured three runners over 60 yards.

Forty-three comments have flooded the game story since then.

Matt Zuber did everything he could for Littlestown, throwing for 220 yards and two touchdowns. He added 35 yards rushing and another touchdown on the ground.

He ended his season just shy of the 2,000 yard passing mark and 23 touchdowns, which simply is spectacular considering this was his first year on the job as the full-time starter.

But Littlestown wasn’t able to get past Delone Catholic, a team that simply continues to win week after week. Ten straight wins for the club, who is now headed into the District 3 Final for the first time since 2007, when they won the whole thing.

South Western falls hard: Meanwhile, the Mustangs struggled at home against the prolific Penn Manor Comets, who hung up 325 passing yards.

Comets QB P.J. Rehm was about as nasty as one could get, as he went 17-for-24 for 325 yards and three touchdowns. His receivers, completing the assist, were beyond exceptional. Demetrius Dixon had a touchdown and six catches on 156 yards. Aaron Frederick added 5 catches on 116 yards and another touchdown.

And it wasn’t as if the Mustangs didn’t adjust. They did. But the secondary couldn’t defend balls that were simply on a string. Rehm needled in some throws, in spaces that were downright infinitesimal.

Ian Smith was 9-for-23 for 154 yards and a touchdown, but it came mostly in the fourth quarter, after the Comets had developed a 34-0 lead.

South Western ended their season at 10-2, their highest win total since 2006, when they finished with 12 and reached the district championship game.

The particulars…

Quarterback:
Matt Zuber, Littlestown — 10 for 16 for 220 yards, 2 TDs
Ian Smith, South Western — 9 for 23 for 154 yards, TD

Running Back:
Dustin Reed, Delone Catholic — 20 carries, 138 yards, 2 TDs
Wes Smith, Delone Catholic — 15 carries, 73 yards
Kodi Reed, Delone Catholic — 11 carries, 63 yards
J.R. Mummert, South Western — 10 carries, 45 yards
Zuber, Litt — 8 carries, 35 yards, TD

Receiving:
Matt Koontz, Littlestown — 7 catches, 181 yards, 2 TDs
Kyle Mahorney, South Western — 4 catches, 62 yards, 1 TD
Mike Felton, South Western — 4 catches, 54 yards, 1 TD
Jimmy Nicklas, South Western — 2 catches, 34 yards
Levi Sager, South Western — 1 catch, 32 yards
Reed, DC — 2 catches, 28 yards
Mitch Deaner, Littlestown — 1 catch, 26 yards

Special Teams:
Porter Strickler, Delone Catholic — 2 Field Goals (20, 20)
Adam Hunt, Littlestown — 1 Field Goal (22)

Today marks the beginning of the winter season

It’s Friday, which means, outside of three Hanover area football teams vying for postseason supremacy, it’s the start of the winter sports calendar.

Boys and Girls’ basketball practice begins tonight. As does wrestling and swimming.

Quick storylines:

* How good will the Delone Cathlic boys’ basketball team be this year? The Squires were impailed by Trinity in the semifinals of districts and reached states, but they lost Chris Hartmann — last season’s Evening Sun Player of the Year — Cody Smith, Noah Landi and Corey Kauffman. Austin Brady is really the only big-minute player returning for the club — and he’s on hiatus until the Squires are eliminated from double-A football.

* Can Hanover repeat last year’s success? The Hawks (15-9) qualified for districts last season in double-A, where they beat Annville-Cleona dramatically to secure their first postseason win in over a decade. Gone from that team are 6-foot-4 Grant Mummert — now playing at McDaniel — and guards Jordan Martz and Nate Trish. But there’s a good amount of experience returning, including Pete Yingst,Shea Staub, Matt Bossalina, Brandon Wentz and John Perdue. Yingst, Bossalina and Wentz all started last year. Staub could be ready for a breakout role. Perdue, depending on how his summer went, could step in where Mummert left on.

* Boys’ teams that could be surprisingly good: Littlestown, South Western, and never discount New Oxford.

* As for the girls, you always have to be aware of Delone Catholic, who has third team All-State Sierra Moore back for her sophomore campaign. Yet, she’s the easy target. I’d be more interested to see how varsity newbies like Sierra Schmizzi (I believe that’s how you spell it) and Stormy Hibshman (I’m certain that’s NOT how you spell it) do in their first run of significant minutes. History lesson: The Squirettes were ousted in the semifinals of districts to York Catholic (43-32), but reached states, where they fell early as well.

* New Oxford should go through a down year, but South Western could pick up the scraps. The Lady Mustangs have an experienced crop returning, featuring Natalie Greenholt, Kera Hill and a couple others. They could be one of the Division I favorites.

* Section 2 Spring Grove went 18-10 last year and could expect a similar return to success in 09-10.

Wrestling:

* The biggest story here is how Hanover will respond off the turbulent offseason, when head coach Tyke Conover resigned. The Hawks will compete for the first time without a Conover (Tyke or Terry) leading the way.

* Team that should win Division 2: Delone Catholic. Close second and third? Bermudian Springs and Biglerville.

The Road to Paydirt: Playoff Edition

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Travis Johnson and I discuss Week 2 of the District 3 playoffs. We get into the heated Littlestown-Delone Catholic debate, follow with a little “Role Play” — paying homage to Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon on ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption — and end with talk of South Western and Penn Manor. Hope you enjoy. This was a fun one.

Mount Secures First Win in D.C.

Courtesy of Mount St. Mary's sports information

The Mount St. Mary’s men’s basketball team came away from their visit to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday with their first win of the year, beating American 73-62 heading into their home opener on Saturday at Knott Arena against Loyola.

While starting senior point guard Jeremy Goode had a great line of 17 points, five assists and three steals, the Mountaineers (1-1) need to feel impressed with the way 6-foot-5 Kelly Beidler played. In the Mount’s first two games, the small forward has shown an ability go after the boards hard while giving the team a nice scoring touch as well.

He had 10 points and eight rebounds against Oklahoma last Saturday and followed up with 14 points and eight boards against American.

Beside Goode, Beidler is presenting a nice second scoring option.

In due time, 2-guard Jean Cajou will find his shot. But it wasn’t quite there Wednesday, as he went 3-for-7 and 1-for-4 from three as he scored a scant seven points.

As for intangibles, the Mountaineers certainly had a better presence on the glass. They still were outrebounded (40-35), but the differential wasn’t as one-sided as it was against the Sooners. And the shooting was very good this time around, too, as The Mount stroked 49 percent on their shots inside three and 43 percent from behind the arc.

But a new concern has to be free throw shooting. The Mount shot 7-for-17 (41 percent) from the line, which is absolutely horrific for a Division I team, let alone a high school club. That just needs to get better, no question about it.

Notes: Failed to mention this in my last post about the team, but against Oklahoma, Bermudian Springs graduate Mike Harvey was able to get on the floor. The former Eagle hit from distance, scoring his first three-pointer of the year.

Seidenstricker looks back

I got a chance to see South Western practice under the lights Wednesday night. And they did it in a pretty special place.

Ever since 2006, when the Mustangs made their District 3 triple-A title game appearance, the team has orchestrated their training at the school’s band field, which has three lights and a beautiful backdrop of York St. lighting up the field in the distance.

If you’ve been to the site to see practice, perched atop the hill that overlooks the field, the glow of York St. is a really nice scene to take in.

After practice, I grabbed Don Seidenstricker, where we discussed varying topics on Penn Manor for the next ten minutes.

Afterward, I had to take his opinion on something. Where did last week’s 41-34 win over Cedar Cliff rank in the all-time pantheon of greatest games in Mustang history — or at least in Seidenstricker’s 20 plus year history as coach.

He said it was fifth, behind these games:

* 1990: South Western 10, Delone Catholic 8.
Notes — South Western entered with an 11-0 record out of the YAIAA. They were league champs. Delone Catholic, at this point in the Blue Mountain league, was 10-0. They were league champs.

* 2000: South Western 35, Reading 28
Notes — This was in district play. Reading had two future Division I players, including a player by the last name of Steward who went to Penn State. Both teams were undefeated. The lead changed seven times. Reading took a slim lead over the Mustangs before South Western shot back to end the game.

* 2006: South Western 34, Susquehanna Township 28
Notes — This was during the Mustangs district run. South Western RACED off to a 27-0 lead before the Indians somehow managed to come back and take the lead, 28-27. Eventually, the Mustangs scored the game-winner and took the game.

* 2006: South Western beats Manheim Central (sorry, didn’t get the score here)
Notes — This was also during the Mustangs district run. Unfortunately, I didn’t take many notes on this one. But I remember Seidenstricker saying that Manheim Central was a perennial district finalist and rarely was beaten in the playoffs over a decade long run.

College basketball: Gettysburg Eyes Quick Adjustment

There are some interesting storylines coming out of the Gettysburg College men’s basketball program in 2009-2010.

The first of which is a given: How will the Bullets respond off the graduations of Chris Nevolo (PG), Dan Capkin (SG), Corey Dorsey (SF) and Joe Spierenburg (C).

Capkin left as the fifth all-time leading scorer at the school (1,514 points), a first team Centennial All-Conference pick in 2008 and second teamer in 2009. He was a preseason D3Hoops.com All-American pick entering his senior year with the Bullets.

Dorsey, himself, was a 1,000 point scorer and Spierenburg wasn’t half bad, either, holding an honorable mention All-Conference pick in 2008. He left, perhaps, as one of the best defensive post players the program had in the past 15 years.

That leaves junior Andrew Powers, a preseason D3Hoops.com second team All-American player, as the only remaining starter back.

It should be mentioned the Bullets had the same five starters for the past two seasons.

Not all is horrible in Gettysburg Land, though. The Bullets were picked to finish fourth in the Centennial, behind only F & M, Muhlenberg and Ursinus.

As Borat would say, “Respect.”

Powers averaged a team high 34 minutes and garnered 18.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game last season. Kevin Kennedy averaged the next highest minutes, with 21, and points, 5.6.

He’ll fill the small forward position, essentially. The rest of the group is a bit muddled. Seniors Brendan Hager and Andrew Bohan figure to open the season as the starting guards. But junior Paul Crone could make a push at the 2-guard. Freshman Alex Zurn is presenting a good case to be included in the rotation as well. And head coach George Petrie said 5-foot-11 freshman guard Larry Geedey, out of Twin Valley, could also play considerable minutes early.

That’s the basic rotation, plus Chip Naddoff and Tim Lang at center.

The combined average of minutes back for this season — minus Powers? Eight minutes per game.

Experience will be a key variable this season.

What kind of season will we see out of Powers: This storyline will be the most appealing to keep an eye on this year. Because there’s precedent.

Capkin was a preseason All-American pick last season, too. But after a phenomenal junior year, where he scored 19.6 points per game and wolfed down 3.5 boards, teams were adamant about structuring their gameplans around his game.

As a result, his production saw a downturn last year. Powers, in turn, had a tremendous year. He led the team in scoring, was a go-to scorer in the post and earned first team All-Conference honors, plus D3Hoops.com’s Middle Atlantic Region Player of the Year honor.

Will the same happen this year?

Tough to say. Capkin was a product of double-teams in his mostly perimeter based offensive skill base. As a result, his shooting took a hit. He shot 49 percent his junior year, 45 percent his senior season. Not a terrible slide in percentage. But it was enough for his scoring to go down 3 points.

But oddly enough, his three-point percentage went up to 41 percent his senior year. It was about 40 in his third year.

So what will happen with Powers?

Expect double-teams to come quick and hard. You may see a spike in assists from the big man, who’s length should certainly help. But turnovers could be a problem, considering the ball works through the high and low post in the Bullets Princeton offense.

Powers role might change, too, from strictly a post based player to the mid- and high-post. He’s athletic enough to make that switch, though.

Where will the production come, beside Powers: It’s going to have to come from a secondary source this season.

There’s no doubt about it.

Bohan only scored three points last season — he missed the last fourth of the season due to an ankle injury — and he may provide a decent amount. But huge jumps in production aren’t always guaranteed. Based off last season, I would say Paul Crone has the best shot at improving his statistical numbers.

Brendan Hager should be more of a scoring point guard, too, compared to the pass-first Nevolo.

And don’t forget Kennedy, who’s got a silky stroke from three.