Q&A with Cody Journell
Cody Journell rushed for two touchdowns (1, 12), booted a 22-yard field goal and converted four extra points in helping Giles pick up its first victory of the 2008 season. Journell rushed for 96 yards on 13 carries and completed one pass for 38 yards. With the 31-6 win over Narrows, Giles moved to 1-2 on the season. TSL caught up with the 6-0, 175-pound Giles star – and Virginia Tech place-kicker recruit – for a quick “Q&A.”
TSL: How is the team progressing this season?
Journell: “I can feel us getting better every week. The better shape we get in, the better we play in the games. Starting off with Blacksburg and Christiansburg in the first two weeks is always rough. We are molding into a team, though.”
TSL: Two rushing touchdowns last week. A kick-off return for a score the previous week. Any chance you play somewhere else besides place-kicker at Virginia Tech?
Journell: “I don’t think I’ll be doing anything other than kicking (laughs). Maybe I can do a couple of fakes or something.”
TSL: Besides kicking, exactly which positions do you play for Giles?
Journell: “I’m returning kick-offs and punts and I’m the starting running back. I’m the free safety, too. I’m on the field all the time.”
TSL: Have you been doing anything to prepare for Virginia Tech? Have you been practicing kicking off the ground?
Journell: “I kicked off the ground this summer to try to get the transition, to see how it will be. When the season started, I started kicking off the block again. While the season goes on, I’ll kick off the block. Once it’s over, I’ll kick off the ground.”
TSL: Is kicking off the ground as opposed to a tee a big adjustment for you?
Journell: “I think it only took a week or two to get the hang of it. The major thing is getting a feel for where my foot needs to be. Once I get that, I think it’ll be pretty easy to get the hang of it.”
TSL: (Journell has been to both Virginia Tech home games so far this season.) At the Georgia Tech game, did you talk to other recruits?
Journell: “I hung out with Nubian and met a couple of kids. I met the Brookville kid who has a bunch of offers. It was nice to get out on the field and talk to other people, to get the feeling for what it might be like next year.”
TSL: In the first game you attended at Virginia Tech this year, how cool was it to realize that you’d be on that field as a player next year?
Journell: “It was exciting being there. Plus, it was a lot less stressful,” Journell said. “I’m enjoying stuff a lot more now.”
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Notable performances from last week…
(Note: The position listed in front of the player’s name is the position they are projected to play at Tech)
DE/LB Tariq Edwards and LB/TE Tyrell Edwards – Marlboro County (Bennettsville, S.C.) defeated Scott’s Branch 45-36 to move to 3-0 on the season. They face Conway this evening. In case you missed, here is a good article on the twins from last week.
DE James Gayle – Bethel rebounded from a blowout loss to Phoebus to defeat Warwick in a thriller, 31-28, last week. Bethel is now 2-1 on the year.
CB James Hopper – Hampered by cramps, Hopper didn’t play the entire game last Friday but still played a major role in Seventy-First’s (Fayetteville, N.C.) 28-12 win over South View last Friday. In just three quarters of action, Hopper rushed 16 times for 107 yards including a 46-yard touchdown run. The Falcons moved to 4-0 on the year.
Hermitage teammates, FS/WR Theron Norman and DE/TE Duan Perez-Means – Hermitage fell to Meadowbrook 20-13 last Friday in a battle of two of the top teams in Central Virginia. Hermitage is 1-1 on the season. Things don’t get any easier for the Panthers, who take on undefeated Varina this evening.
WR Nubian Peak – Nubian Peak had a monster game for Pulaski County, rushing 23 times for 188 yards and catching three passes for 48 yards in the 40-14 win over Franklin County. Peak scored three times, including two rushing touchdowns (25, 3) and a 22-yard touchdown reception.
DT David Wang – Stone Bridge moved two spots to #17 in the USA Today National Super 25 with a 63-0 win over Marshall. David Wang and the rest of the Bulldogs front seven limited Marshall to just nine yards on the ground.
CB Jerrodd Williams – Daniel (Central, S.C.) moved to 3-0 on the season with a 21-20 win over Westside.
RB David Wilson – Wilson rushed 13 times for 192 yards and two scores (80, 67), but GW-Danville fell to Amherst 34-13. GW-Danville is now 0-2 on the season.
LB Tyrel Wilson – Tech’s newest commitment helped Hampton to a 41-14 win over Denbigh last night. The Crabbers are now 4-0 on the season.
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