Fresh off their 63-10 win over the Point Skyhawks last week, the Blazers (1-0) will hit the road for the first time this season when they face the Albany State Golden Rams (0-1) on Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. in Albany, Georgia. Though they already have one game under their belt, this week marks the first “normal” week for the ...
Read More »History is made as Blazers rout Skyhawks to open 2023 campaign
Even with there being no power in Bazemore-Hyder Stadium, there were plenty of electric plays to be had on the field Saturday as the Blazers blasted National Athletic Intercollegiate Association (NAIA) foe Point University (0-2) 63-10. Caught up in the scoring barrage was a historic moment for Valdosta State University football as redshirt freshman kicker McCall Bennett became the first ...
Read More »Austin’s Angles: Do preseason polls matter?
Hello, everyone. My name is Austin Bruce and I am the Co-Editor in Chief of The Spectator. I have started a sports column titled “Austin’s Angles” to give a fresh take on the sports world at large. Everyone has their own angles or views on topics they care deeply about, and this series is aimed to highlight some of my ...
Read More »A day in the life of a college athlete
Written by Grace Beyer, Special to The Spectator. Photo courtesy of Grace Beyer. Painting an accurate picture of a student-athlete’s day is no easy task. With changing practice times depending on the day of the week/revolving around my team’s classes, long stretches of some weeks with road trips, and home games and events, our schedule is not something that we, ...
Read More »No Ties This Time: Red Team outlasts Black Team in VSU spring game
The VSU football team wrapped up its spring season on April 21 with its annual spring game, and unlike last year, there was no tie. “We weren’t gonna have a tie,” head coach Tremaine Jackson jokingly said. “We’d be out here all night.” The Red Team scored the go-ahead touchdown via an 11-yard pass from junior quarterback Sammy Edwards to ...
Read More »Richards puts the Blazer in trailblazer
Senior starting pitcher Samantha Richards embodies the type of student athlete that has all of the personal accolades, but prides herself as the ultimate team player. The Alpharetta native has been around the game of softball since her early days of T-Ball. “Growing up, I would get grouped with all the boys in T-Ball, which was great practice,” Richards said. ...
Read More »Under Pressure: Blazers tennis gears up for postseason
To say that the VSU men’s tennis team has been a force to be reckoned with this season would be an understatement. The Blazers are the last unbeaten team in Division II, standing at 14-0 overall and 9-0 in Gulf South Conference play, having captured the GSC regular season crown. The Blazers are also ranked No. 2 in the nation ...
Read More »Blazers weather the storm, sweep Hurricanes
The No. 10 Blazers (30-5) have been red hot as of late, following up a weekend sweep of Lee with a doubleheader sweep over the Georgia Southwestern Hurricanes (29-10), winning the games 6-4 and 5-2. The latest wins push the Blazers’ streak to six. The Blazers have also won 14 of their last 15 games overall. Game 1: Blazers 6, ...
Read More »Editorial: Media’s mishandling of Reese-Clark saga extends far beyond the game
Long after the confetti came down in Dallas following LSU’s 102-85 win over Iowa in the NCAA women’s basketball national championship, things seemed to be fine. And then they weren’t. All it took was a little prodding from the media. What was an otherwise historic NCAA women’s basketball tournament will now only be remembered by the black eye painted on ...
Read More »Former NFL player visits Valdosta to discuss mental health issues
For many student athletes, managing their mental health can be tougher than playing the sport they love. For former college football and NFL player Tra Battle, he knows firsthand about struggling with mental health. Battle, a former walk-on safety at the University of Georgia from 2003-2007 before spending six years in the NFL and United Football League, recently visited Valdosta ...
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