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| Sammy McCorkle addresses the team after practice. |
HANOVER – When Dartmouth head coach Sammy McCorkle gathered his team on Blackman Practice Fields at the conclusion of the first preseason session of the year Saturday, he didn’t hold back.
McCorkle was probably a good 150 feet or so across the field from a couple dozen or so family members who decided to hang around for an extra day to watch practice after drop-off, but rest assured they could hear every word.
They may call it preseason camp, but McCorkle’s message to the team wasn’t exactly a kumbaya moment.
“We’ve got a lot of competition and guys in some spots need to step up,” McCorkle said of his sometimes fiery remarks. “We’ve got to come out fast, and we’re not going to feel our way through anything.
“It’s no different than a game. We can’t be feeling our way through the first quarter and then all of a sudden try to figure it out. We’ve got to come out fast and make corrections as we go. I’d rather slow them down than have to speed them up.”
As is often the case early in the preseason, the defense largely had the upper hand.
“I thought the defense came out here with good energy, and that’s contagious,” McCorkle said. “You could see it, even with the young players on defense, because they had no choice but to be excited.
“It’s different, obviously, with the offense, but they’ve got to have a little more sense of urgency. When good plays happen, we’ve got to get excited about it. And when a bad play happens, we have to forget about it. You can’t sulk. You can’t put your head down. You have to move on to the next play.”
ROLL CALL
Per McCorkle, there were no summer “retirements” from the program, and everyone the staff expected to report is back in town.
There were also two additions to the roster.
Will Stahl, a midfielder on the lacrosse team for the past couple of years since transferring from Holy Cross, has joined the program as a fifth-year wide receiver. And Jack Davis, a freshman walk-on, is looking to find a spot somewhere on the defensive side of the ball.
Stahl, whose younger brother Jack plays lacrosse at Princeton, was a three-year starter and senior captain of the football team at St. Margaret’s Episcopal High School in San Juan Capistrano.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Californian posted 84 catches for 1,172 yards and 18 touchdowns in 14 games as a senior per MaxPreps.
“He finished his senior (lacrosse) season last year and asked if he could join the team,” McCorkle said. “We had a chance to watch his film from high school and he was a real good high school player so we said, ‘Heck yeah.’ We heard great things about him and are excited to have Will as part of the program.”
Davis, a graduate of Franklin Road Academy in Nashville, Tenn., was selected a Scholar-Athlete Award recipient by the Middle Tennessee chapter of the National Football Foundation last season.
A 5-9, 190-pound linebacker/wide receiver, Davis helped FRA advance to the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association DII Class AA state championship game last season for the first time in more than three decades. “He came out here today and did a good job running around,” McCorkle said. “We’re super-excited to have him.”
THE GREEN-GREEN GRASS
Dartmouth has usually opens practice on Blackman for a few reasons, but there’s an extra one this year. For the first time since the 2021 Brown game, Dartmouth will have a game on real grass when it opens at Lehigh.
“It’s great to be out here,” McCorkle said. “There’s so much more space (than in the stadium). Obviously, it’s a little bit different, and there were some guys slipping, but you’ve got to learn to play on it. You’ve got to keep your feet under you.
“Our first game’s on grass, so they better get used to it. You can sit there and blame slipping on the grass, or you can figure out how to play on it.”
Barring rain, the Big Green is scheduled to be on Blackman for the next two weeks before a week on Memorial Field and then the start of game week, which will likely be back on Blackman, weather permitting.
“The players love it,” McCorkle said. “We’re excited to stay out here as long as we can. We’ll go back and forth a bit so we don’t tear it up, but it’s great to be over here.”
MORNING PRACTICES
Eight of the first 10 preseason sessions are set for 8:45 a.m.
“I like it,” said McCorkle. “Being out here in the morning helps us on the back end with meetings. We can meet more as a team and as a staff to watch all the (practice) video.
“It’s also good for rehabbing and treatment after practice when you go in the morning.”
NAMING NAMES
Plays, players, and notable goings-on that earned a notation in one onlooker's notebook Saturday morning included No’Koi Maddox with a nifty interception during team period … Grayson Saunier leading Ky’Dric Fisher perfectly on a slant a few plays later … Jorden Barnes with a clean pass breakup during pass skel… Niquis Raliff with another PBU.
During later team period, Ethan Couvertiere with an interception he brought well back upfield … Ian Scott with a nice grab over the middle … James Elliott getting a full two strides past the last defender on a long ball but the QB overthrowing him …. Luke Rives with a sliding/diving grab on the right sideline.
CATCHING COACH MAC’S EYE
McCorkle: “I thought Myles Craddock had some nice runs. Noah Trigueros threw the ball well today. He’s really feeling comfortable back there.
“Defensively, No’Koi had that great interception. You can hear him back there communicating. He’s just so much more confident this year. He knows what he’s doing and is getting guys lined up. It was great to see Ethan Couvertiere go high for that interception. … Linebacker-wise, Steve Simpkins and Johnny (Riley) were flying around.
“And (Matthew) Boydell was doing a really good job of getting us lined up. I think that was the most important thing for our defense. Now, obviously we haven’t put that much in but, hey, it’s better than the other way and not knowing what to do. They did a good job of getting lined up, and that’s half the battle.”
OVERALL
McCorkle: “The guys that have played for us and we expect to be our guys did a good job coming out here performing. For some other guys that we need to step up, it’s their first opportunity to be with that first group or that second group, and they can't feel their way through it. That's the biggest message I was trying to give at the end. Don't feel your way through it, man. Just go play.”
ON TAP
The Big Green will be back on Blackman Field Sunday at 8:45, again wearing shorts and “soft shell” shoulder pads instead of the real thing. By NCAA rule they’ll be able to practice in “uppers,” a day later and then move into full pads.
Scenes from practice:
