Alex Light, a 2014 graduate of Salem High School who went on to star of the offensive line at the University of Richmond, has made the Green Bay Packers opening day 53 man roster.
The final cutdowns were last weekend and Light, an undrafted free agent, made the squad. The 6’5”, 309 pounder is listed second on the depth chart at right tackle behind Bryan Bulaga, a 2010 first round pick out of Iowa.
“The cuts were coming on Saturday and I knew it was going to be close,” said Light. “It got to be 10 or 11 o’clock(am) and a couple others got calls, then it got to be 1 in the afternoon and I still didn’t get a call. At 3 o’clock they told me they were putting me on the active roster. It was pretty exciting.” Alex was a standout tackle at Salem and was also a center on the 2014 state championship basketball team.
At Richmond he started 38 consecutive games at tackle and guard. He went undrafted but the Packers signed him after the draft and he made the team. “It doesn’t surprise me,” said Stephen Magenbauer, his coach at Salem High. Magenbauer also coaches the offensive line and worked closely with Light. “He played at such a high level, we all thought he was a big time lineman. He has that innate toughness and aggressiveness a lot of big guys don’t have.” Light felt he had a shot at making the team when he did well in the Packers’ off-season workouts.
“I thought the OTAs (organized team activities) went pretty good,” he said. “The surprising thing is they kept me at tackle. I thought they might move me inside.” Light caught the eyes of the coaches during summer practice with his hard work, something he was known for as far back as his Salem days. “You have to give 100 percent all the time because you never know who’s watching,” he said. “It was definitely hard, but I felt like I belonged.” At one time he was one of four former Spartans on the Richmond roster along with Reggie and Stephen Barnette and Seth Fisher. Light had just two scholarship offers coming out of Salem, from the Spiders and VMI, and it’s obvious now some big time colleges missed the boat on him. “I sort of had a chip on my shoulder, I always thought I could play with the best of them,” he said. “But I enjoyed playing for Richmond.” Alex is the son of Kelly and Auburn Light of Salem. Salem’s Alex Light has made the roster of the Green When he suits up Sunday in Green Bay against the Bears he’ll be just the second Salem High player to make an NFL team. Dennis Haley played for the Baltimore Ravens in 2005 and 2006. He was also on the Jets and 49ers rosters but never suited up for a regular season game with those teams. Light will wear number 70. Green Bay’s opener with Chicago is the Sunday night NBC game at 8:20 pm. On September 23 the Packers play the Redskins in Washington.
HOYT PART OF HOKIE WIN
Speaking of former Salem High linemen, Zachariah Hoyt of Salem was the starting center for Virginia Tech when the Hokies beat Florida State to open the season Monday. The Hokies took a 24-3 win in Tallahassee in case you missed. While my eyes were on Hoyt for much of the game, he got your typical offensive lineman treatment. He was mentioned when they went over the starters, and you didn’t hear his name again until he snapped one over Josh Jackson’s head, his only bad snap of the game. The Hokies will have their home opener Saturday against William & Mary. Coleman Fox of Salem is also a member of the Tech team and his younger brother, Riley, is on the William & Mary squad. Riley had ankle surgery in June and only recently started practicing. “It probably will depend on how he practices and how the ankle feels to determine if he will be at the VT game,” said Rich Fox, dad to Coleman and Riley. “I would hope they let him dress for that game.”
GUEST RUNNER SETS NEW RECORD
Michael Wardian, who annually comes to Salem as a guest runner for the Salem Distance Run, recently set a new record for running the 184.5-mile C&O Canal Trail from Cumberland, MD to Washington, DC. He covered the span in 36 hours and 36 minutes. It was even more amazing that he ran it in extremely hot and humid weather. The previous FKT (fastest known time) was 36:48 set by Park Barner in 1976. Thanks to former Salem High and Roanoke College track coach Richard Browder for the heads up on this.
GLENVAR KEEPER HAS TRIAL IN ITALY
Luca Gustafson, a junior at Glenvar High School, has been scouted by one of the most famous professional soccer teams in the world, Inter Milano. Last spring break he spent a trial period in Milano with the team and also went for a tryout at Genoa in Genova. Next June he will try out at Napoli and Atlanta and Inter has invited him back after a successful stay. Luca is a goal keeper for the Highlanders and the Roanoke Star travel team.
ED GREEN’S GREAT BEGINNINGS
The Great Beginnings program for football and soccer will begin on September 16 and run through October 14, covering five Sundays. The program is for kids three to seven years old as a bridge to playing recreation sports. Parents participate with the children in a fun atmosphere. West Salem Elementary School is the site for the program. Cost is $70 per parent-child group. For more information or registration call Ed Green at 387-9516.
