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12 WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM Zac Halbert shows dedication, passion as football player By Ellen Nicholas Staff Writer "Zac's a great person," said Head Football Coach Chris Rusiewicz. "I think it's important to know that about Zac." With a whopping 78 players, the Guilford football team might seem like an intimidating sea of maroon and white to some. In reality, it is made up of individuals who are more than just the number on their jersey. Zac Halbert, sophomore quarterback, is one of those individuals. "(Zac) doesn't take things for granted," said Halbert's mother Heather Halbert '87, in an email interview. "He works incredibly hard at the things he's passionate about and he has high expectations for himself in those areas. He doesn't complain; when he was in the hospital in September I don't think I heard him complain once." As a sports management major. Halbert has interests in soccer and basketball and hopes to pursue a career in the sports field. Nevertheless, it is clear that right now his true passion is football. "I grew up with it my whole life," said Halbert. "My dad, he coached it at Lenoir-Rhyne. So I grew up just watching football games and around football my whole life. I just love the sport." His passion for the sport is one of his greatest strengths. "He just really wants to be here," said Rusiewicz. "His commitment level is very high. His dedication, his love for the game, his want to succeed, all those things are great attributes ^ong with his talent." Interestingly, Halbert is left-handed, a rarity for quarterbacks. This is not the only thing that makes his story unique. Before transferring to Guilford, Hdbert spent a year playing for Brevard College, a Division II school. He also recently recovered from a heel injury that required surgery. Even with the setback of his injury. Halbert is thriving and becoming a leader on the team. "In the beginning of the year, he was very timid and didn't want to be that leader that the team needed him to be," said junior Thor Pate, Halbert's roommate and defensive lineman. "But as the season has went on, he grew into the leader we needed him to be." Sophomore offensive lineman Paris El-Ali agrees. "He's definitely one of those guys that everyone looks up to," said El-Ali. "I mean, he's not yelling in everyone's face or anything like that, but because he has such a good work ethic, everyone looks up to him as a leader." "He's going to be one of those guys who's going to lead us to a championship either next year or the year after," said El-Ali. "Everyone trusts in him. I feel like he has potential to do really great things here on and off the field. I'm really proud to be his friend and teammate." As Pate mentioned. Halbert has matured as a player. He recognizes his time on the field as precious moments in his college career and revels in each game. "He's always upbeat," said Pate. "He's positive and frequently finds a good thing in a situation." That attitude begins at home and is honed by players with high sports IQ's. "He's always been a team player," said Heather Halbert. "Even when he was a six-year-old playing soccer, he'd pass the ball to someone else in a heartbeat if he thought they had a better chance of making a goal." Though a young player with a lot ahead of him, it is clear Halbert has what it t^es to become great. Keep your eye on number five. With his evolving skill set, he will lead the Quakers to the top of the ODAC standings in the next season. Penn State swept up in melestatinn scandal By Charlotte Hudson Staff Writer A swirling cloud arose over the Pennsylvania State University campus on Nov. 10, when legendary football head coach Joe Paterno was fired amidst a’ child sexual abuse cover-up'that could be paralleled to that of the Catholic Church sexual abuse fiasco. The nightmare began on Nov. 4, when former assistant coach and defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was indicted on forty counts of sex crimes against young boys that lasted for at least a 15-year period. Those charges include felony charges of involuntary deviant sexual intercourse of someone under 16, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault of someone under 16, indecent assault of someone under 13, and corruption of minors. Most of the victims were participants in the Second Mile charity Sandusky founded.. Sandusky continued his work with Second Mile on the Penn State campus even after he retired in 1999. "This is a case about a sexual predator that used his position within the university and community to repeatedly prey on young boys," stated Attorney General Linda Kelly to FOX Sports. FOX Sports reported that athletic director Tim Curley and Gary Schultz, vice president for finance and business, were arrested on perjury charges after failing to report the abuse. Sandusky, who was arrested and formally charged on Nov. 5, has been banned from campus. The Grand Jury reports that Sandusky had molested eight unnamed boys within the Second Mile program. The first allegation came to light in 1998, when the mother of one of the victims reported allegations of sexual abuse that soon triggered the investigation culminating in Sandusky's 2011 arrest. In 2002, then-graduate assistant coach Michael McQueary was witness to one of many instances of abuse. Although he reported the abuse to Paterno, who later reported it to his superiors, nothing more was done and the abuse was reported to have continued. The bare-minimum of Patemo's effort to report the alleged abuse of his former long-time assistant is most likely the reason why he is was fired. President Graham Spanier, who had offered his support to the two officials charged with perjury, was forced to resign his position, joining the list of officials forced out by the scandal. McQueary, the most recent member of the football staff to be affected, was placed on administrative leave due to reportedly growing threats toward him. Both he and Paterno have been criticized for their failure to act more promptly to end the alleged abuse. The Penn State students who rioted the night Paterno was fired were harshly criticized for their actions. They simply did not understand that this was a situation of a much greater scale than one legendary coach, albeit one who has been a representative of the university for some 40 plus years. Penn State Interim President Rodney Erickson said that the university is committed to the victims and raising awareness of child sexual abuse. "We understand there will be lawsuits filed," Erickson said on Good Morning America. "We're prepared to do the right thing for all the victims. We will do everything we can do. ... We're going to engage in a wide range of programming that will raise the issue of child sex abuse, to make this a national issue." As the investigation continues, the dark cloud over the Penn State campus will most likely linger. More information is expected to be exposed as the investigation continues. A valuable lesson about reporting crimes against innocent children and the wrong decisions made by Penn State officials could be learned by other universities, as reports continue to leak out of the cover-up and more officials are fired or put on leave. Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett stated that more victims may come forward. "When the word gets out, when people understand that authorities are actually doing something about this, that they may be believed, then more people come forward," he said on Fox News Sunday. "If I had to speculate I wouldn't be surprised if we had more victims come forward." SPORTS Quaker Quality • Players'^ Hunter English 6 tackles - 2 solo tackles 1.5 sacks for 14 yards Chris Jessup 7 tackles - 4 solo tackles Kelcey Johnson 2nd place finish - 100 Meter Breaststroke; 1:40.16 Ben King 11 receptions - 87 yards Naomi Lewis 3rd place finish - 800 meter -14:13.15 Chad Norton 5th place finish - NCAA Division ill South/Southeast Regional Championships - 26:34.5 John Scott 8 tackles - 3 solo tackles Robert Smith 13 tackles - 6 solo tackles Amanda Williams 3rd place finish - 400 Meter Freestyle - 6:51.96 200 Meter Freestyle Relay Team: Kelcey Johnson, Gabriel Lahowitch & Amanda Williams, Gillian Bryant 2nd place finish - 2:37.56 Players are listed in alphabetical order. Individual scores are from the past week's games. Photos courtesy of Guilfordquakers.com & Zach Morgan
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