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by
Lloyd
Combs
Sports
Reporter
In
high
school,
Scott
Justus
was a
three-time
state
champion.
In
college,
Scott
Justus
was a
two-time
conference
champion
and a
four-time
NCAA
qualifier.
In
life,
the
former
Grundy
and
Virginia
Tech
athlete
is
now
qualified
to
take
on
challenges
far
greater
than
any
individual
opponent
on a
wrestling
mat.
Justus
is
now a
Navy
SEAL,
one
of
the
U.S.
Military’s
most
elite
special
forces
outfits.
A
1998
graduate
of
GHS
and a
2003
graduate
of
Tech,
Justus
was
one
of 30
members
of a
class
of
187
to be
recognized
as
Navy
SEALS
at a
ceremony
Friday,
Aug.
4, at
Coronado,
California.
Justus
completed
several
phases
of
intense
training
and
was
awarded
the
SEAL
Trident
pin
after
completing
SQT,
or
SEAL
Qualification
Training.
His
years
of
wrestling
at a
high
level
--
winning
three
Virginia
Group
AA
titles
for
Grundy
before
claiming
two
Eastern
Wrestling
League
crowns
and
reaching
the
NCAAs
four
times
at
Tech
--
actually
helped
prepare
Justus
for
the
challenges
of
SEAL
training.
"Wrestling
actually
helped,"
said
Justus,
who
enlisted
in
the
Navy
in
September
of
2004.
"It
requires
mental
toughness
and
(SEAL
training)
is
mentally
tough.
Everything
they
put
you
through
is
designed
to be
a
gut
check."
Because
of an
ear
problem,
Justus
spent
a
year-and-a-half
to
complete
the
SEALS
program
(it
usually
takes
one
year).
It
has
three
main
phases
leading
up to
the
SQT
process,
including
an
indoctrination
program
with
physical
conditioning
(which
lasts
eight
weeks),
diving
(eight
weeks),
and
land
warfare
(nine
weeks).
The
first
phase
includes
what’s
known
as
"Hell
Week,"
which
is
exactly
what
it
sounds
like.
"That
was
pretty
rough,"
Justus
says.
"I
had
trouble
keeping
food
down
during
Hell
Week.
They
make
you
stay
up
basically
five
days.
"You
get
to
sleep
an
hour
on
Wednesday
and
an
hour
on
Thursday,
but
otherwise
they
keep
you
up
and
you’re
constantly
moving.
Then
they
let
you
sleep
on
Friday."
SQT
includes
drilling
in
various
skills,
including
rifle
training.
Even
after
the
grueling
grind
Justus
has
endured
the
past
18
months,
he is
still
learning
and
still
training,
before
he
will
be
assigned
to
the
typically
dangerous
and
often
secret
tasks
Special
Forces
undertake.
For more of the
story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at
newsstands now. For more information on how to subscribe to the Mountaineer,
call 276-935-2123 today.
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The schedule has changed from
what a couple of coaches
originally received, but the teams are the same at the
Teco Coal Kickoff Classic Saturday evening at East
Ridge, Ky. High School.
All three Buchanan County varsity football teams,
Grundy, Hurley and Twin Valley, will be in action. It
will be the first scrimmage action for the three
Virginia squads.
For East Ridge, Jenkins and Phelps, it will be the
final preparation for a regular season that opens the
weekend of Aug. 18. The regular season for Virginia
high school teams begins the weekend of Aug. 25.
The teams will play roughly a half’s worth of a
controlled scrimmage and then play the second half
under regular season rules.
Hurley starts a new era Saturday under first-year head
coach Greg Tester. Phelps is coached by former Garden
High School standout Chris Hagerman.
TECO COAL
KICKOFF
CLASSIC
SCHEDULE:
Twin Valley-Jenkins
5:00
p.m.
Hurley-Phelps
6:45
p.m.
Grundy-East
Ridge
8:15
p.m.
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