Blazers aim for second straight national championship

Posted 1:29PM on Wednesday 3rd August 2005 ( 19 years ago )

It's difficult to miss the massive ring on Scott Foss' right hand. ``It's a little gaudy,'' the Valdosta State senior said, ``but that's how we like it.'' While some coaches might discourage players from showing off rewards from the previous year, Chris Hatcher doesn't see it that way. The Blazers' coach wants his entire program to relish its first NCAA Division II national championship. ``All my assistants wear their rings,'' Hatcher said. ``I like it. That's the thing that I think has helped us. Our guys do a good job of focusing on what's in front of them, but they also do a good job of remembering what's in the past.'' Hatcher is quick to point out that the Blazers' 13-1 season, capped by a 36-31 victory over Pittsburg State in the Division II title game, was no fluke. He throws out numbers that are as flashy as the jewels on the championship rings. ``We take the last five years, we've won 59 out of 66 and we feel like that tradition and that attitude that we've been building is what helped us win the championship,'' he said. About the only thing missing was his own ring. ``Mine is a little heavy on my hand,'' Hatcher said. ``I'm not a big jewelry guy. I like to have them, now. I wear it every Sunday to church. That's the only time it comes out of the box.'' There could be more Sunday fashion statements coming in Valdosta, where the Blazers are no less reticent about planning for a second championship than they are shy about wearing the flashy rings. ``Really, there was no hangover from that,'' Hatcher said. ``We hadn't won it before, but we've been very successful. We preach it all the time, that's what they're supposed to do. We moved past it and talked about doing it again.'' In 2002, the Blazers lost in the national championship game, and in 2003 they fell to Carson-Newman in the first round of the playoffs. A key to last year's championship run was the play of quarterback Fabian Walker, a Florida State transfer who completed 72 percent of his passes (299 of 417) for 3,062 yards and 23 touchdowns while throwing only eight interceptions. Walker also rushed for 403 yards and five touchdowns before signing a free-agent contract with the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Clay Callaway a receiver last season junior college transfer Lewis Kuffour and 2003 starting quarterback Barrett Wilkes are competing for the starting job. Wilkes was held out as a redshirt in 2004. ``He had a good spring, a little rusty at times, but he knew the offense,'' Hatcher said. ``Those other guys had good springs too, so it'll be really interesting to see who comes out as the starter.'' Running back Vincent Brown, who rushed for 856 yards and 12 touchdowns, should help ease the transition to a new quarterback. Foss is one of seven returning starters on defense. He had 80 tackles and three interceptions from his free safety position. Foss knows the Blazers will be a bigger target for opponents as the defending champion. ``We've felt like that for the last couple of years,'' Foss said. ``Winning the national championship, it just gets bigger. It can make a season for a team that is not winning a lot by beating the defending national champion.'' On the Net: Valdosta State: http://www.valdosta.edu/athletics/football.html (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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