The Right Kind of Rivalry

After all, both programs have a long tradition of excellence and consistently rank in the upper echelon of the Prep League and VISAA as the Cougars’ three state titles, the Bulldogs’ two, and the teams’ 10 combined state finals appearances attest.

Collegiate and NA are philosophically similar in their approach to athletics as well.  Sportsmanship is a hallmark. The respective coaches stress fundamentals, teamwork, and cohesive play. Though they’re friendly rivals, the sides, coaches included, are ultracompetitive with one another, all of which creates the best case, what-high-school-sports-is-all-about scenario.

At stake in the Collegiate-NA matchup is the Tucker-Pitt Cup, a trophy which the winning team has taken home since its inception in 2011, the year Sean Wetmore, then the NA coach, proposed the idea to Charlie Blair, who headed Collegiate’s program from 1981 until his retirement after the 2018 season.

“Charlie and I are good friends, and good friends compete,” said Wetmore, a 1986 Academy graduate who coached soccer from 1993-2016 and now serves as director of his alma mater’s Batten Leadership Program. “I always felt like the Collegiate-Academy game was the one that was circled on the calendar, not just because the teams tended to be high quality in terms of their play, but it was such a great competition from coaches on down. We want to win, but we want to win the right way.”
 
Blair echoed his sentiment.

“Sean and I were tremendously competitive with each other but good friends too,” he said. “Both of us competed like crazy to beat the other but we did it like gentlemen.”

The Cup honors John H. Tucker Jr. and the late Malcolm U. “Buck” Pitt Jr.

The former served as headmaster at Norfolk Academy from 1978 until his retirement in 2000 and had a profound impact on Wetmore during his time at NA and has been a mentor for him throughout his professional journey.

The latter served as head of Collegiate’s Boys School from its inception in 1959 until 1972 and as head of school from 1972 until he retired in 1987. For 81 consecutive summers, he also worked at and led Camp Virginia where he became an inspiration and role model for legions of campers and counselors including Wetmore and Blair. 

“The reason I’m in teaching and coaching is because of Mr. Pitt,” Wetmore said. “He hired me (as a counselor for four summers) when I was at UVA. I saw the power of the relationships that came from the culture Buck created. Little did I know when I went there that there were men all over the place who were either aspiring teachers or master teachers and coaches.”

One of those master teacher/coaches was Blair.

“Sean loved John Tucker,” Blair said. “He was a wonderful school head who really believed in the whole-child kind of education. Norfolk Academy is a great school with high expectations academically and athletically and with a view that good things can come out of athletics in terms of individual growth, teamwork, and sportsmanship. 

“John Tucker stood for that. Mr. Pitt, of course, was the same way at Collegiate. They were like-minded school leaders, they loved sports, and they were great friends who had tremendous respect for each other.”

This year’s Tucker-Pitt Cup matchup occurs Friday at 4:30 p.m. on the pitch at Norfolk Academy. Coached now by Rob Ukrop, Cougars enter the game 6-0. The Bulldogs under Greg Monaco are 5-0.

“While the players might not know Mr. Tucker and Mr. Pitt, they understand the relationship between the two men and the spirit and camaraderie between the two schools and soccer programs,” said Shep Lewis, a long-time Collegiate assistant coach and Camp Virginia alumnus. “After the game when you gather as two teams and read the description of the trophy and present it, that brings sportsmanship to the forefront.”

The Cougars, who have outscored their opponents 26-3, have a nucleus of veterans, many of whom have shared the school and club soccer experience for years.

“We know each other really well,” said Will Neuner, a senior captain and four-year starter at center back. “We’re a tight-knit group with really good chemistry. When new people join the team, everyone’s immediately welcoming. Everybody meshes really quickly together. Everyone’s really invested in the program and has their heart set on our goals.”

The Cougars defeated St. Christopher’s 2-1 Tuesday, so the meeting of unbeatens will be Collegiate’s second rivalry game against a high-quality opponent on the road this week.

“We know a lot of their guys,” said Colin Ryan, also a senior captain and four-year starter at center back. “The games are always feisty. They were, even before our time. It’s always a battle, but, as a team, when the competition’s high, we all play at our best.”

Collegiate leads the series 5-2-2. The 2020 contest fell victim to Covid. The 2019 game ended in a scoreless tie, so the Cougars retained the Cup they earned in 2018 with a 1-0 victory.

The rivalry continues. It’s the right kind of rivalry. Each team’s goal is to win, of course, but this annual rite of fall is also very much about honoring the sterling legacies of John Tucker and Buck Pitt.

“We all know the phrase, ‘We stand on the shoulders of giants,’” Wetmore said. “Charlie and I stand on the shoulders of these men. Athletics is a vehicle through which you teach young men and women to become good citizens. We loved coaching teams full of boys with such promise. There’s something special about that.”