FORT DRUM, N.Y. — Following a rifle demonstration at the conclusion of Wednesday’s practice, Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer stood in the center of a circle of SU players preparing to pugil fight.

Shafer told his team that there would be two whistles: one at the start of the 20-second fighting period and another at the end. Players matched up one-on-one for the military-style bout, each with a pugil stick that was thick on each end and thin in the middle where the players placed their hands.

Senior center Rob Trudo and senior defensive end Donnie Simmons started off the action as the surrounding players yelled and jumped whenever a swing was landed successfully.

Shafer occasionally called out the two players that he wanted to see go up against each other and also sometimes asked certain positional groups to choose a representative. During some fights, Shafer cracked a wide grin while keeping the whistle in his mouth.

A list of the matchups:

Trudo (6’4”, 301 pounds) vs. Simmons (6’2”, 264 pounds)

Ervin Philips, sophomore hybrid (5’11”, 181 pounds) vs. Antwan Cordy, sophomore safety (5’8”, 175 pounds)

Eric Dungey, freshman quarterback (6’3”, 202 pounds) vs. Austin Wilson, sophomore quarterback (6’3”, 217 pounds)

Colin Byrne, freshman offensive tackle (6’5”, 303 pounds) vs. Jake Pickard, freshman defensive end (6’5”, 244 pounds)

Josh Parris, junior tight end (6’4”, 246 pounds) vs. Zaire Franklin, sophomore linebacker (6′, 230 pounds)

Corey Winfield, sophomore cornerback (6’1”, 180 pounds) vs. Brisly Estime, junior wide receiver (5’9”, 178 pounds)

Kendall Moore, junior tight end (6’5”, 245 pounds) vs. Jonathan Thomas, sophomore linebacker (6’1”, 214 pounds)

Amir Ealey, freshman defensive end (6’3”, 237 pounds) vs. Evan Adams, freshman offensive guard (6’6”, 314 pounds)

Matt Keller, freshman long snapper (5’11”, 217 pounds) vs. Keith Mitsuuchi senior long snapper (5’10”, 223 pounds)

Here is a video of the Byrne (No. 64) vs. Pickard (No. 99) fight, taken by assistant sports editor Matt Schneidman:

Published on August 19, 2015 at 9:14 pm