Sports: Multimedia Belt

Between sets and after games, the Syracuse women’s volleyball team gathers in a corner of the court. They are often laughing, smiling, or — if things aren’t going so well during the game — discussing game tactics with each other. Monika Salkute, the 6-foot-3-inch, pale, blonde Lithuanian, nods quickly at her teammates’ chatter and laughs loudly when they joke.

A year ago, she stood silent and alone in the corner, too afraid to speak.

Three possessions, no first downs. The Syracuse offense started its home-opener much like it has all season: without much momentum or rhythm. But with the substitution of Terrel Hunt at the quarterback position, that all changed. Hunt’s first five possessions all resulted in touchdowns, as Syracuse routed Wagner 54-0 in Scott Shafer’s first career victory.

Syracuse finished with 597 yards, while only allowing 87, in a dominant win that was never truly in question.

The Syracuse Half Marathon takes runners through the heart of downtown Syracuse, up through the northern and eastern areas and back into city. In planning those 13.1 miles, race director Ken Hammond made certain runners would pass by abandoned buildings on James Street, the once-bustling Inner Harbor and through the new developments in historical Armory Square.

In a life in which Damien Rhodes could be anywhere after graduating from Syracuse University in 2006 and playing pro football in Germany, passion for his high school and his community led him back to Fayetteville-Manlius. There, he instills the same mentality as when he gave opposing coaches nightmares, but as the head football coach.