WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Dec. 11, 2015) -- The Army Black Knights will battle the Navy Midshipmen Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the 116th Army-Navy football game. Around the world, excitement has been building in advance of the game.
In the Pentagon, the heart of America's military, Black Knights cheerleaders and band members from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, marched the halls Friday as part of a pre-game "Spirit Rally," stirring the passions of proud Soldiers and Army civilians, while drawing scowls from disapproving, dour Naval officers.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Works was nearly run over by the rowdy but respectful cheerleaders -- each an Army officer-in-training -- as they roamed the halls of the building, making noise and raising cheers wherever they went.
Works told them if the Black Knights show the same level of enthusiasm on the field as the cheerleaders were exhibiting in the Pentagon, the team would have a good chance of winning the game. He conveyed to them "good luck" from his boss, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. He added that Carter wants this to be "the year" for the Army team.
Lt. Gen. Gary Cheek, director of the Army staff, met up with Spirit Rally near the Army chief of staff's office. He said he'd give them the shortest speech they've ever heard:
"Go Army! Beat the hell out of Navy!" he said. Everyone cheered at the warm words of encouragement.
While Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark A. Milley was out of the building, acting Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning stepped out of his office to give them a warm welcome. With him was Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James. It was the first time both service secretaries met the Spirit Rally at the same time, he noted.
Fanning and Lee both gave hearty cheers as the band played and the cheerleaders did flips and other stunts. Fanning apologized for once having worked for the Navy secretary. The cadets forgave him and he looked pleased.
ENEMY TURF
Ray Mabus, secretary of the Navy, was also aboard to greet Spirit Rally participants a bit later. If the other encounters could be termed cheerful, his was rather icy.
"I love your enthusiasm and optimism," he said. "But it's not grounded in any connection to reality."
He shook his head with a look of pity, and said "Bless your hearts. Bless your hearts."
The cadets were biting their tongues as they saw they were clearly outranked and couldn't say what was on their mind. But then came a chance, as Mabus opened himself to attack.
"We're all coming from Annapolis, and we'll all be there at the game, including No. 19," he said.
As if on cue, the cadets asked, "who's he?" Not letting on that they knew the secretary was talking about rival midshipman quarterback Keenan Reynolds.
"Oh, don't do that," Mabus said. "Don't make Kennan mad."
Mabus added that "we're enemies now, but come Monday, we're all back on the same team."
Everyone could agree with that.
CADETS ALL WINNERS
Jacob Klamn, a West Point sophomore, played tenor sax during the Spirit Rally. He said he'll graduate in 2018 and hopes to become an Army doctor. He said his grandfather served during the Vietnam era and was a role model to him. His grandfather, he said, is the biggest reason he signed up for the Army.
Tobey Yates, a freshman, was playing symbols. She said she's psyched up being in the Army and will try her best to get branched into combat arms, "preferably front-line infantry."
She admitted that her parents were a bit nervous about her choice, but they're rooting for her. She added that she plans to "lead from the front."
Venessa Weston, a senior and a cheerleader, said she was excited to learn that she's been selected to field artillery. Combat arms branches were her first choice, she said. She has two younger brothers, she said. One already plans to follow in her footsteps, while the other is still coming around to the idea.
Natalie Reisweber, another cadet, was in the unusual position of having both her parents in the Pentagon to witness her participation in the pep rally. Her father, Mark, is a now-retired UH-60 Black Hawk pilot and is also 1981 graduate of West Point. Her mother, Deborah, is a retired officer with the military police, and was herself a 1982 graduate of West Point.
DOGS IN THE FIGHT
There's some really good news for Black Knights fans. It's an American tradition to root for the underdog, and the Black Knights qualify three ways in that respect.
First, they're two and nine, while Navy Midshipmen are ranked 21st, at nine and two.
Second, the last time Army beat Navy, young recruits now at Fort Jackson were just graduating from pre-school. That makes the Black Knights super underdogs.
And third, Army is facing Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds, football's leading quarterback rusher, who's accumulated 1,093 rushing yards. And, he's tied for second in rushing touchdowns with 19 and is tied for sixth in the Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring, with 114 points. Fouling Reynolds' anchor by Army would take him down a notch.
But Americans also love winners. So, with the Midshipmen having been smacked down by Houston, Nov. 27, in a 52-31 game, now's the time to kick them while they're still on the ground.
Rookie Army quarterback Chris Carter, who ran for 111 yards and a touchdown, and threw for an Army season-high 140 yards and a score, could help make that happen.
Another reason to cheer is Edgar Allan Poe. In 1831, Poe was thrown out of the U.S. Military Academy because of dereliction of duty and insubordination. But now he's back.
Not the poet Poe, of course, but wide receiver Edgar Poe, #82 on the Black Knights' roster, who just happens to have the same name. He's the team's leading receiver, with 320 yards on 11 catches. He also made five touchdowns.
HISTORIC SHOWDOWN
Saturday's game marks the 116th between Army and Navy, with the first taking place in 1890. Some Army senior leaders actually swear they remember that game when they were platoon leaders.
The mascots for the two teams are the goat for Navy and donkey for Army. When selected as the mascot in 1899, the mule was actually the equivalent of today's Heavy Expanded Mobility Truck, hauling supplies to battlefields from the Revolutionary War to the then-recent war with Spain. Some of today's sergeants major recall with pride driving those mules during those years.
The vast majority of the games, 85, have been played in Philadelphia. New York, Baltimore, and other East Coast venues have hosted the games as well. Army-Navy games west of the Mississippi have only been played twice. That would be the 1983 Rose Bowl in Pasadena and Soldier Field in Chicago for the 1926 game.
The 116th Army-Navy game will air Dec. 12 on CBS, at 3 p.m.
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