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It is an ancient combat practice.
When it defeats an opposing force on the battlefield, the victorious battalion places its flag where it was previously scrambled. A new region has been added. Victory has been won.
Waving it aloft for all to see is a sign of solidarity and honor – a point of pride and a reflection of a quest for dominance. Also, to the victor go the spoils he deserves.
While no ground is up for debate when Virginia and Virginia Tech meet each year in football during the Commonwealth Showdown presented by Smithfield, ask anyone on the Blacksburg side of the rivalry and they’ll tell you the opposite. For example, someone like Parker Wood, whose iconic sign could be read high on a Walmart posterboard, among the sea of Tech fans who flooded Scott Stadium after the Hokies’ 29-24, blowout victory last November in Charlottesville:
‘Lane Stadium North.
“I didn’t come up with his name anyway.”Lane Stadium North” said Wood: “I’ve seen it in different places before. But, before the night [the game]I thought about it.
At the time of the game, Wood was in his junior year at Tech, studying finance. Growing up about 30 minutes from Charlottesville, he attended UVA football and basketball games with his family while his older brother attended university.
“It wasn’t until my senior year in high school that I started looking at Virginia Tech more. I visited there at the end of my junior year and I really liked how it fit me. I was really late. I really started looking at Tech.”
By deviating from his brother’s path, Wood gave Blacksburg his chance at an academic match. It didn’t take a bit of convincing that the perfect recipe for a Tech football game day was to arrive early and always last until the end.
“At Lane, I was always in my seat before the team left. No matter how big the win, how bad the loss or how many people left, I always stayed after the game – even if it was cold, raining, whatever.
However, the expensive formula for the 2021 Commonwealth clash was at risk. After cutting a ticket to Scott Stadium, he woke up on the first Saturday of Thanksgiving, seeking a favor from his UVA brother to finally reserve his spot on the mound.
Quickly and boldly, ticket in hand, he decided he had one last chance to retrieve it.Lane Stadium North‘To life.
“I wasn’t sure if I was actually going to the game. My brother contacted me. [with a ticket] Two hours before pre-game. I quickly made the sign to Walmart. It was very last minute. But it certainly worked well. “
Wood’s confidence in carrying his signal behind enemy lines could only be matched by the interim head coach that night. JC price And the visiting Hokies, determined to finish off the Cavaliers and reach bowl eligibility. But with all the hate and hate, they greeted him with shouts of ‘Go Hokies’ and a wave of cheers.
After all, this was it Lane Stadium North.
“That was the first time I noticed that Hockey Nation was going well. I was definitely getting yelled at, but at the same time there were probably a lot of hockey fans out there. Sure, I had UVA fans. But it was there. The same calls of ‘Go Hokies’ from Tech fans, too.”
At the bottom of the mound in Scott Stadium, Wood had trouble getting his signal through the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd of Cavaliers fans.
“[My brother, his friend and I] They were at the bottom of the hill for the whole game and it was really crowded. I held my sign during the game only because the people around me didn’t like it much. But you know, I did my own thing!
“There were definitely a lot of UVA fans around me. But at the same time, after Tech scores, ‘Let’s Go Hokies,’ you hear it blasting on the hill and you look back — even though it’s hard. To tell Navy and Maroon in the dark at night — to see the shirts well.” I couldn’t, but we sure would have heard.
Dear’s night was about to go viral after his pregame photo and sign courtesy of @HokieSports went viral on Instagram.
“I didn’t have a good wifi connection in the stadium, but at some point, I finally saw it. I got a lot of texts from friends and Snaps. So that was really fun.”
Wood’s phone was blowing up, showing texts from friends and family watching the game remotely.
“My family’s reaction was more pride in me, ‘That’s my son!’ or ‘That’s my cousin!’ But my friends were thrilled to get my sign in front of all the UVA fans: ‘You’re famous!’ or ‘That’s who lives with me!’ There was definitely a lot of pride along the way.”
But the pride of the wood that night could not be destroyed. Before him, Tech was embroiled in a classic back-and-forth rivalry with Virginia, returning UVA touchdowns twice in the first half, including a 32-yard field goal by John Parker Romo The Hokies brought the ‘Hoos within 21-17 at halftime.
Rahim Blackshear A 50-yard run helped lead to Tech’s game-tying touchdown early in the third quarter, as the Hokies again drew level at 24-24.
Taking its first lead (27-24) on Romo’s second field goal, Tech’s sack of UVA quarterback Brennan Armstrong in the closing minutes of regulation seemed to seal the win, despite an untimely fumble that extended the game. However, the Hokies’ defense was able to successfully stop UVA in the red zone as the Tech fans flooded the field at Scott Stadium.
“You know, it was unusual for the away fans to come onto the field so quickly. It all happened so quickly. People on the left side of the hill started to go first. From then on, I was on the right side and I thought they were already there. 20-30 people going there, and I’m going to join them. i can.
To join a highly-enthusiastic Hockey Nation team that made his brother and friend Wood top-five Tech players all the way to center field.
“It was a special moment. I was very happy for the players. I mean, at the end of the day, I know the players, how hard they worked and how much they wanted. So I was very happy. See them celebrate and take everything right.
Arms aloft, Wood and his sign spelled the perfect expression of an excited Tech crowd. After all, the Hokies have now won 12 of their last 15 games at Scott Stadium; This became their second home field.
Lane Stadium North.
“People were saying at first, ‘You know, I’ve never seen a team that runs the field.’
“I didn’t get to see it until then, but I saw pictures. It was a great crowd on the field. It wasn’t just 20 or 30 people that I saw running out there. That surprised me. Really seeing how a home game feels.
You could say Wood’s pregame detour to Walmart was prophetic — a sentiment that manifested itself that night when Tech’s masterpiece took over Scott Stadium.
As Wood said, it was a moment only possible with Hockey Nation.
“All I can say is that the Hokies will travel — not just to Scott Stadium. I think the dedication we give to our players is amazing compared to other fan centers.”
Scott Stadium – Typically, Lane Stadium North.
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