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Midshipmen Sink Cadets in 107th Army-Navy Game
American Forces Press Service ^
| John J. Kruzel
Posted on 12/03/2006 11:56:21 AM PST by SandRat
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2006 -- As the sun sank below Philadelphias skyline yesterday, gold helmets shone under the Lincoln Financial Field lights while the Naval Academy Midshipmen ground out a 26-14 win over the Black Knights of the Military Academy in the 107th Army-Navy football game.
The Midshipmens hard-fought victory yesterday before a crowd of 68,000 including thousands of current and graduated midshipmen, cadets, and their families -- puts Navy ahead of Army 51-49-7 in the overall series record and extends the Midshipmens winning streak to four years.
Coming into the game, the well-calibrated Navy team had committed the fifth-fewest penalties of NCAA Division I teams this season, and oddsmakers expected the Midshipmen to beat the Black Knights by almost three touchdowns. But the firmly-rooted attitude shared by both sides is that the season begins and ends with the Army-Navy Game.
Its the biggest game of the year, Frank DeMaro, a spokesman for the Military Academy, told American Forces Press Service. Its our bowl game.
As fans filed into the stands before kickoff, thousands of cadets and midshipmen marched across the field in perfect matrices and jet engines roared over spectators heads leaving mouths agape, as the percussion sections of the academy marching bands banged the cadence.
First played in 1890, this historic meeting continued through four wars, and is distinct from other college rivalries. Height and weight restraints on the academies incoming class member, including athletic recruits, make their football lineups look leaner and shorter than those of non-service schools. And because military training is required at Annapolis and West Point, the academies are rare examples of schools that boast cheerleaders trained in both pom-pom technique and hand-to-hand combat.
The Army-Navy games camaraderie resonates across the globe, from alumni reuniting at tailgate parties in the stadium parking lot before kickoff to deployed forces overseas huddled around televisions with satellite feeds.
The vital role Army and Navy servicemembers play away from the football field and bleachers was emphasized in the invocation presented by Navy chaplain Lt. Cmdr. Richard Bonnet before the game.
In many ways this game is brother against brother, said Bonnet, but when this day is over, our athletes will stand side by side on the field and our seniors will prepare to take their place alongside those who protect our precious freedoms around the world.
For Phil Panzarella, a 1979 West Point graduate in Philadelphia for the game, the Army-Navy rivalry is a rare instance in sports that encourages cohesion between opponents. This is one of the few college games where each team stands at attention for the others alma mater, Panzarella said. At the end of the game, its about patriotism and defending our country and working as one team.
Navys win guaranteed the 9-3 Midshipmen a post-season bowl game bid and secures their fourth straight Commander in Chiefs Trophy, awarded annually for the most successful year in athletic competition among the nations service academies. The seniors on Navys football team are the first in the schools history to go 8-0 in matchups against their Army and Air Force counterparts.
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TOPICS: Military/Veterans; Sports
KEYWORDS: 107th; armynavy; game
1
posted on
12/03/2006 11:56:25 AM PST
by
SandRat
To: StarCMC; Bethbg79; bentfeather; EsmeraldaA; MoJo2001; Kathy in Alaska; Brad's Gramma; ...
2
posted on
12/03/2006 11:59:18 AM PST
by
SandRat
(Duty, Honor, Country. What else needs to be said?)
To: SandRat
It was a great game and next year will be here in Baltimore! I bet tickets will be hard to get.
3
posted on
12/03/2006 12:01:07 PM PST
by
Vision
("As a man thinks...so is he." Proverbs 23:7)
To: Vision
4
posted on
12/03/2006 12:13:40 PM PST
by
Shimmer128
( My beloved is mine and I am his. Song of Solomon 2:16)
To: SandRat; MoJo2001; tomkow6; El Gran Salseron; mylife
Guess I know a few folks around here who are happy! LOL
5
posted on
12/03/2006 12:17:38 PM PST
by
StarCMC
(After the attacks of 9/11, profiling Muslims is more like profiling the Klan. - Ann Coulter)
To: StarCMC
State of confusion here. Come from a Navy Family (Dad and Father-In-Law: WWII Navy Vets) but Retired Army.
6
posted on
12/03/2006 12:19:47 PM PST
by
SandRat
(Duty, Honor, Country. What else needs to be said?)
To: StarCMC
7
posted on
12/03/2006 12:26:17 PM PST
by
El Gran Salseron
(The FR Canteen's World-Famous, Resident, Equal-Opportunity Male-Chauvinist-Pig! Got it? :-))
To: SandRat
"but Retired Army."boo-hiss.
8
posted on
12/03/2006 12:27:05 PM PST
by
El Gran Salseron
(The FR Canteen's World-Famous, Resident, Equal-Opportunity Male-Chauvinist-Pig! Got it? :-))
To: El Gran Salseron
Hey! I said I was conflicted over the game. Would be, no matter who won.
When either one goes against the USAFA that's easy,.... just keep whopping up on the AirForce Cadets.
9
posted on
12/03/2006 12:30:25 PM PST
by
SandRat
(Duty, Honor, Country. What else needs to be said?)
To: SandRat
LOL!! State of confusion indeed!! Well, in my family as far as I know, all who served have been Army save my cousin who is a Marine. :-D
10
posted on
12/03/2006 12:44:18 PM PST
by
StarCMC
(After the attacks of 9/11, profiling Muslims is more like profiling the Klan. - Ann Coulter)
To: SandRat
GO NAVY!!!!!!!
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!
11
posted on
12/03/2006 12:46:12 PM PST
by
Brad’s Gramma
(Get right with God....eternity is a long time.....)
To: StarCMC; SandRat
GO NAVY!!! Loved this game!
12
posted on
12/03/2006 1:41:30 PM PST
by
MEG33
(GOD BLESS OUR ARMED FORCES.)
To: SandRat
Proud to have worn the Air Force suit with alma mater affection for USNA Blue and Gold. Never a conflict, always: Go Navy !
13
posted on
12/03/2006 2:11:31 PM PST
by
middie
To: SandRat; StarCMC; Bethbg79; bentfeather; EsmeraldaA; MoJo2001; Kathy in Alaska; Brad's Gramma
14
posted on
12/03/2006 2:27:53 PM PST
by
Lady Jag
(Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid)
To: Lady Jag
To: SandRat
It will be many, many years before Army and Navy can ever hope to even up the series with Air Force:
Air Force 25 wins, Navy 14 wins
and
Air Force 27 wins, Army 13 wins
16
posted on
12/03/2006 3:04:49 PM PST
by
Nabber
To: Lady Jag
17
posted on
12/03/2006 6:22:11 PM PST
by
Brad’s Gramma
(Get right with God....eternity is a long time.....)
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