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Weekend in Hokie
Country (Cont'd) The room was packed all day long. TC noticed some fans in At about  He marched with the
throng, growing in number, as they moved
toward Lane Stadium. Approaching the gates, a droning "Let’s Go
Hokies!” chant started, ended, then started again elsewhere, and
continued
into the stadium. The scene inside was charged with expectation and excitement. Cap found his seat and surveyed his surroundings. Hokie fans are known as aggressive, in-your-face and looking for trouble. The back of the shirt of the guy in front of him pretty well summed up the mood: "You can run your mouth but can you run the ball?" Hmmm... The Highty Tighties Band took the field, playing Tech Triumph, followed by the Marching Virginians who struck up the "VPI Victory March" and the "VT Power Closer." The cannon boomed and the crowd roared its welcome as the Hokies ran out. Within minutes, the opening kickoff soared into the nighttime sky, and the battle was on. VaTech ruled the contest. They scored first as DeAngelo Hall plucked a And the HokieBird was everywhere – roaming the sidelines, in the stands – inciting the crowd, inspiring the team. After each score, he took to the field with a bench, and did bench presses – one for each Hokie point on the board. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the HokieBird appeared at midfield, where he led the crowd in the "Hokie Pokie” while the band played, and during the fourth quarter, the crowd passed him up – from the ground, all the way to the top of the stadium.. As the game neared the end, the PA announcer repeatedly warned the fans, “Anyone entering the field after the game will be arrested and prosecuted.” It was the Hokies all the way. Final: Virginia Tech 31, Miami, Fla. 7. The crowd was not deterred for a minute.  At the gun, thousands of delirious Hokie fans poured onto the field, as the grounds crew frantically worked to take down the goal posts before the Hokie Faithful tore them down. The crowd covered the field, and stayed there – screaming, jumping up and down – celebrating, expressing the thrill of victory. Cap eased out of Lane and strolled back across campus to Big Al’s – which was packed to the rafters. He headed to the Squire, where he watched GameDay Final brought him the finals from the evening games, and Kevin Jones earned helmet sticker glory, as the show closed the door on another autumn showdown Saturday. As he drifted off to sleep, amidst images of dancing HokieBirds, he found himself humming the final words from the chorus of Tech Triumph: “…Determined now to win or die; So give a Hokie, Hokie, Hokie Hi! Rearview Mirror Trip Captain slept in a little Sunday morning, then packed and headed to the campus for one last look. The campus was sleepy, quiet. He stopped in at Boudreau’s for a brunch - an omelette - then strolled leisurely to the Drillfield. He lay down under that same big tree he had sat under Friday, and breathed in the fresh autumn air. Another gameday weekend, in the books. As he rolled out onto I-81, he reflected on
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| “That's
the beauty of college football - every place is different...It's all
great fun, no matter where you go." - Craig James, in "Every Saturday in Autumn" |
