They have the same coach and the same stars, but the hawks have chance at new beginning
By Craig Juer
(Daiy Staff Writer)
FRONT ROYAL — In the brief time after practice during which his teammates and coaches were answering questions about him, Victor McKoy darted back to his room before returning minutes later, freshly showered and dressed, to coach Frank Sullivan’s office for his interview.
Though McKoy couldn’t have known he was going to be profiled following practice that afternoon, his impressively quick jaunt across Randolph-Macon’s hill-top campus illustrated well the point his fellow Jackets had just finished making.
“He’s a fairly fast individual as a running back,” Sullivan said in understatement.
Every individual polled that day as to McKoy’s best asset as a football player responded unhesitatingly with the same two words: “His speed.” On most teams, the lithe, wiry cornerbacks and wide receivers are regarded as the fastest players on the field. Not so at Randolph-Macon.
“I’m second to him,” junior defensive back and wide receiver Chase Beatty admitted. “He’s definitely the top fastest.”
Without being pressed to choose, sophomore wide receiver and quarterback Mark Martin concurred with Beatty.
“He’s the fastest kid out here.”
Not only is McKoy — who carries a frame sturdy enough to play running back and linebacker — the fastest player on the team, it isn’t even up for discussion. It makes sense, however, considering he first tried football in eighth grade at the urging of his middle school track coach. A sophomore last year, the state-caliber athlete competed in a laundry list of track events: the 100 meters, the 200, the 400, the 4x100 relay, the 4x400 relay, the long jump and the triple jump. His 4x100 relay team won the VISAA state title, and McKoy finished eighth in the 400 individually.
To clarify, however, it’s not just his speed that suits McKoy to be a ball carrier.
“He’s not afraid to hit people,” Martin said. “When he runs, he’ll run fast, but he has like a powerful run so people won’t just stop him if he gets hit. He’s not like a light type of guy where he’ll get hit and fall down.”
McKoy’s uncommon speed and power translated to 712 yards and five touchdowns a year ago. This year, he’ll not only be expected to carry the load offensively but will also need to be an impact player on the other side of the ball.
His best weapon offensively is what will make him a reliable defender.
“Being as fast and as strong as he is, he can just explode the gaps,” Beatty said. “If someone’s coming to go through the gap, Vic can fill that gap.
“With Vic’s speed, he gets there.”
Defensive backs like Beatty are happy to have McKoy because he can track down breakaway runners, wrap them up and allow the secondary to down them with a finishing blow. And in pass coverage, McKoy ties up plenty of loose ends.
“He’ll get to the ball as soon as he sees it thrown,” Martin said. “He’s always the first one there.”
As good as McKoy could be on defense, though, he’ll define the Yellow Jackets offensively.
“It’ll play off of everybody’s strengths, speed being one of our biggest assets,” Beatty said of the scoring unit. “We don’t have size, we have speed. And where we also don’t have size, we have strength. So that, with a little bit of discipline, will carry us.”
McKoy will be without Mario Scott this year, the quarterback (turned VMI wide receiver) who kept defenses spread out last year with his feet and arm. The soft-spoken McKoy insists he’s ready to lead the Yellow Jackets without Scott’s help.
“I think it’s going to be a lot of responsibility, because last year I also had Mario to take some of the responsibility with me, along with the other seniors,” he said. “It seems that all of our seniors are gone, so it kind of puts a lot of pressure on me. Not just me, but the team also.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Then, freed from his obligations to the tape recorder, McKoy sprung to his feet, politely excused himself and swiftly fled Sullivan’s office. Once outside, he quickly reached a half-gallop, backpack in tow, and disappeared among the red brick buildings in the blink of an eye to catch up with his teammates at dinner. Fast, indeed.
