Nov. 2, 2005
By Greg Knowlden
Assistant Sports Information Director
Brandon Stanford's teammates know that if you put a football in his hands on a Saturday afternoon, his legs - and his mouth - don't stop moving. But they've also found that he's equally adept at taking his game to the basketball court in Kamine Gym, where the Leopards have had some of their most epic intrasquad battles. And he doesn't have to be prompted to let them know about it.
"They haven't beat us in three years, and they know we're coming this year," says Stanford, who has hooked up with twin defensive backs Taj and Tye Murphy to form the core of Lafayette's defending back-to-back intramural basketball championship team.
The team they've defeated to get there includes fellow wide receivers Archie Fisher and Joe Ort, along with tight ends Brandon Hall and Chad Walker.
"When we're playing ball, we hate each other and we hate to lose," Stanford said, "but as soon as it's over, we're best friends again."
Even so, "Brandon talks all the time," Fisher said.
Playful banter aside, the Leopards' wide receivers and tight ends arrived at Lafayette four years ago with impressive credentials in both sports. While all five seniors chose to play college football, they used basketball season to hone their gridiron skills.
"There are a lot of similarities between playing basketball and receiver," explains Fisher, who was third-team All-State as a wide receiver and `did the little things - playing defense and blocking shots' on the basketball court at Warren Hills in Hackettstown, N.J.
"The key as a receiver is going after the ball and not letting it come to you. You have to go get the ball at its highest point. When you catch a fade, those are basketball skills coming out. When you box out between the ball and the defender, those same things apply to running a curl route on the football field," Fisher said.
Fisher (6-2, 205) has been dubbed "The Playmaker" by head coach Frank Tavani, as he has seven touchdowns on 25 career catches when his body has allowed him to get on the field.
"Archie has had some tough injuries, with foot surgery and then the hamstring injury," Tavani said. "He's gone through the full application for a medical redshirt for last year, and we're looking forward to having him anchor our receiving corps next year."
Ort, the biggest of Lafayette's receivers at 6-5 and 210 pounds, used his athletic ability to make arguably the biggest play of the season for the Leopards a year ago. Bucknell trailed 14-13 with three seconds left in Lewisburg when the Bison lined up for a game-winning 39-yard field goal. Both teams traded timeouts, which gave Lafayette time to assemble a kick block unit.
"Archie wasn't dressed, so somebody came up to me on the sidelines and said, `go tell Coach Loose you can jump'," said Ort, who averaged 18 points and nine rebounds as a senior at New Smyrna Beach in central Florida. "Wes (Erbe) told me to cross my arms when I went up to block it, since usually the ball will go through your hands. I jumped, crossed my arms and closed my eyes and I knew when I went up that I was going to get it."
Amid the jubilation, Bucknell kicker Ryan Korn scooped the football up and ran down the right sideline before Torian Johnson tracked him down inside the one.
"I would have rather had him make the kick than lose like that," Ort said. "After the Bucknell game, we realized something special was happening and we had a chance to win the league."
If Lafayette is going to defend its Patriot League championship this season, the veteran group of wideouts will have to live up to their own expectations in the final four games of the year.
"I think we're the most athletic and talented receiving corps in the league," Fisher said, citing the abilities of junior Travis Hutson and freshman Shaun Adair as well. "We might not all get recognition, but that means we're able to spread the ball around and make first downs."
An All-Carlisle Sentinel selection at wide receiver and defensive back, as well as an 18 ppg. scorer on the basketball court as a senior, Stanford assumed punt return duties as a freshman and ranks fourth among active players in career punt return yardage. He has also been Lafayette's leading receiver over the last two seasons, with 62 catches for 590 yards while starting 19 games.
" I love having a chance to make big plays on punts," said Stanford, who is averaging 13.1 yards per return this season. "You have to have a rhythm and a swagger to be able to create something."
"As a point guard I'm in control of where I'm going, and as a receiver in a one-on-one situation, I have the ability to control the defensive back."
Although Fisher and Ort are natural targets in the red zone, Stanford has emerged as a scoring threat despite his 5-10, 165 pound frame.
"Most coaches hate throwing fades to small guys, and if I was the coach with those two I probably wouldn't throw it to me either," Stanford said. "But as an athlete you want to make plays consistently."
Stanford has shown off his ability to go up and get it with a pair of touchdown catches from inside 10 yards this season, along with a 22-yard catch on fourth down to keep the Leopards' last-ditch drive alive against Harvard their last time out. Stanford streaked across the middle of the field, then adjusted in mid-air to pull the ball down.
"Brandon's vertical is through the roof," Fisher said.
Hall, the more soft-spoken Brandon, may have had the most productive high school basketball career of the Leopards' tight ends and receivers, averaging 15 points and nine rebounds per game.
"We watched Brandon Hall play basketball at Oil City, and knew that he was a multi-talented athlete," Tavani said.
A high school quarterback who was first-team all-league in his final two years on the hardwood, Hall lined up under center for Lafayette in his first season as a Leopard.
"I was always a big quarterback, so size wasn't an issue," said Hall, who is 6-3 and 230 pounds, "but I wasn't used to hitting people when I moved to tight end. Route running and catching the ball were easier since I had played basketball."
While Hall was throwing the football around western Pennsylvania, Walker established himself as one of the top athletes in the Harrisburg area. He quarterbacked his high school team as a junior before returning to tight end as a senior. Walker also played prep hoops, contributing 10 points and eight boards, at Cedar Cliff with current Leopard defensive back Bryan Kazimierowski until his final year, when he chose to focus on football.
"I know how tough it was for me to go back to tight end after playing quarterback for one year, so I couldn't imagine making that move in college," Walker said of Hall's position change.
Hall's steady maturation was rewarded last April, as he was named the offense's most improved player at the conclusion of spring practice.
"Having two tight ends who are able to both block and catch gives us more run options since it creates two three-man surfaces on either side of center," Tavani explained. "The more athletic they are, the more flexibility we have."
"In our offense, the tight end is going to block," Walker said. "You're more of an offensive lineman who is also able to catch a pass. Brandon's one of the better tight ends that I've played with, and we're able to run to either side just as effectively without having a strong side (of a formation)."
Walker suffered a broken foot three weeks ago, and is expected to return to the lineup today. A starter for two games, Hall knows he is in a good position as he returns to his previous role.
"It's a great advantage when your co-tight end is your best friend, and the downside was that Chad wasn't playing next to me," he said of his roommate.
"We live together, hang out together, play the guitar together," Walker mentioned. "I just picked up guitar when I got to college, and Brandon's been playing for a while so he teaches me that, and I help him out on the field."
Lafayette is focused on making a return trip to the I-AA playoffs, but the Leopards' tight ends and receivers know their football careers will ultimately come to a close. That makes the intramural basketball season their last chance to mix it up in a competitive setting. Loyalties end on the court, as Hall and Walker will lose a teammate this winter.
"I got kicked off our team during the championship game last year. I had a disagreement with (former Lafayette tight end John-Frank) Stubits so I'm a free agent, and I'm going to play with Stanford and the Murphys this year," Ort confessed.
So what's the scouting report to knock off the defending champions, plus their key offseason acquisition?
"They're quicker than we are, but we'll make them drive. You can't let them shoot from the outside," Walker said. "We'll be ready for them. And we won't have morning runs to tire us out this year."
