Big Green Head into Offseason on a High Note with Spring Game

HANOVER, N.H. — The Dartmouth football team wrapped up its spring season on Saturday by holding its annual Spring Game at Memorial Field. The roster was split into two teams, with a special scoring system which saw points for not only touchdowns and field goals, but also interceptions, fourth-down stops and more. Only fitting for how competitive the game was, the final score between the sides was tied at 40.

"Good energy," said Sammy McCorkle, Robert L. Blackman Head Football Coach when asked to describe the day. "The way we set the scrimmage up with combining the teams, offense and defense, going green and white and having a point system, it allowed a little bit more energy and excitement out there. I thought across the board, guys came out and competed.

"There were some bad plays, but guys did a good job of bouncing back and not affect their next time out there," McCorkle continued. "I really thought as the scrimmage went on, both sides of the ball, competitiveness increased."

At halftime, McCorkle announced the team captains heading into next fall, which were rising senior defensive lineman Josiah Greene, quarterback Jackson Proctor and linebacker Braden Mullen.

2024 Big Green Captains#TheWoods pic.twitter.com/9kc5FziBm4
— Dartmouth Football (@DartmouthFTBL) May 4, 2024

"These three guys are phenomenal," said McCorkle. "They've proven to be leaders of this football program in every aspect, not just on the practice field, not just in the locker room, but in everything. Up the street on campus, the way they represent our football program, the way they train in the offseason, that's what you look for. They're three different guys, but three guys who were voted on across the board from the coaches and players. I can't say enough about how excited we are of these three guys."

As Greene said, "Today was good. Today showed what we really have in terms of veterans and young guys. We had a lot of energy, a lot of guys making big plays, big hits. I'm excited to see what the fall is going to bring and how our team comes together."

Saturday was the culmination of a successful spring slate for the defending Ivy League Champions.

"It was definitely great to see a long, tough spring session peak today," said Mullen. "We had a lot of guys make some huge strides this spring. We had a lot of leaders step up, offense and defense. Stayed healthy for the most part while bringing the young guys along. That's really what spring ball is about."

Competition was tremendous throughout Saturday, both offenses and defenses shining through at various points.

"We came out of the gate on both sides of the ball, and that's what we preach," said Greene. "Win first down. It doesn't matter what side of the ball you're on, you've got to win first down, come out and smack them in the mouth."

The Big Green hope to continue the strong aspects of a program that has won two of the last three Ivy League Championships, but hope to take the next step.

"The last couple championships we've won, we've tied," said Proctor. "Our goal is to go 10-0, win the Ivy League Championship outright. It's really something we're really striving for. We've talked about it a lot throughout the spring and going into fall camp. I like where we are right now, but we've got a long way to go."

To do that, the Big Green want to continue what they've been doing well over recent years, such as being resilient.

"Similar to in the past, we've had resilience this spring," said Proctor. "We've used what we worked on throughout this spring and were able to implement them in the spring game. Obviously, we had some mistakes and plays that didn't go our way, but we were able to move onto the next play and build from that."

Toughness is another word to describe Dartmouth football.

"We've got a lot of toughness," said Proctor. "We obviously lost some guys this past year, but I think our defense has had a really good spring. Our D line, our DBs, they're strong, they're super physical and down the road, that's going to be really good for us. On the offense, we've got a majority of our guys coming back. We just have to keep pushing."

Dartmouth wants to keep pushing the envelope heading into the fall.

"What is that next level? That's completely up to us what that next level will be," said McCorkle. "We've challenged our team, challenged our coaches and we challenged our entire program… let's get to a next level. Our guys understand that. They know it's not going to be easy and it's going to take us working hard every single day to do that.

"It's also establishing our identity – identity as an individual, identity as a position and identity as a team. It's not going to happen overnight."

The spring may be over, but the work is just getting started heading into the offseason.

"We have to commit ourselves every single day," said McCorkle. "Whether you're on or off campus, we need to train and we need to prepare ourselves. We need to make sure our bodies physically are prepared when we hit preseason… and mentally, we need to be prepared. Those are our expectations for our entire program, to come in preseason ready to roll and continue trying to work to try to get to that next level."

Notes: Along with captains, the spring most improved awards by position were presented (listed below).

Strength and Conditioning: Jackson Gerard
Quarterback: Woods Ray
Running Back: Colin O'Garro
Wide Receiver: Nick Lemon
Tight End: Sean Ward
Offensive Line: Vasean Washington
Defensive Line: Dakota Quiñonez
Linebacker: Nico Schwikal
Nickelback: Tyson Grimm
Cornerback: Patrick Campbell
Safety: Jamal Cooper
Specialists: Andy Belles

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