NEWPORT NEWS — Of the 50 touchdowns he’s scored for Christopher Newport University, Gunner White can’t be expected to recall each of them. But he’ll never forget No. 49, and not because it came only three weeks ago.
It was a 28-yard run for six against Salisbury, and it sealed the Captains’ 45-42 win, along with a spot in the NCAA playoffs. If that wasn’t enough, there’s this: Three days earlier, White was fairly certain his career was done.
Which is why, in his own words, “it was by far my favorite touchdown in my life.”
Keep in mind those 50 touchdowns (39 rushing, 11 receiving) are 12 more than what anyone else has in the program’s 25-year history. But there’s nothing like the fear of losing something special to put things in perspective.
It was Nov. 1 against Montclair State, which turned out to be a closer-than-expected game. On the first play of the third quarter, White ran for 18 yards and a first down. But there was pain in one of his big toes, and the immediate concern was a fracture.
He was done for the day. And, it was feared, beyond.
“I had pretty much accepted that my career was over,” White said. “I was talking with my family, and I was so blessed and fortunate to have had the career I’ve had.
“I made a lot of relationships and had a lot of fun here. So I was kind of ready to start coaching the rest of the year and cheering the guys on.”
The following morning, White met with head athletic trainer Robert Kearn, who, after an X-ray, ruled out a break. He still believed White would at least miss the last two games (Salisbury and The College of New Jersey) of the regular season.
On that Tuesday, an MRI revealed a torn tendon that was further down the toe. White had it taped and was given a cortisone shot. The game was Friday night, so it was a short week.
“I didn’t know I would be playing until that night,” he said.
The plan was for White to play only when needed. That’s how it went in the first half, when White was used only on a screen pass in open space. But on the first play of the third quarter, freshman back Drevyon Tharrington was injured at the end of a 33-yard run.
The Captains were already without Jordin Lennon, who was injured in the previous game against Montclair State. So White was called on.
He answered. With a 38-36 lead early in the fourth quarter, the Captains needed two things: time off the clock and more points to make it a two-possession game. Thanks largely to White, they got both.
On the eight-play drive, he carried four times for 44 yards, the final 28 coming on the touchdown to make it 45-36 with 6:22 remaining.
“He’s a tough, tough kid,” CNU coach Paul Crowley said. “We weren’t even sure he could play against Salisbury and he ends up scoring the winning touchdown. That’s a testament to his toughness.”
As one of the top eight seeds in the Division III playoffs, CNU (10-0) received a first-round bye. That gave White an extra week of recovery heading into Saturday’s second-round game against Susquehanna at TowneBank Stadium.
White played high school ball for Tallwood in Virginia Beach, where he made third-team All-Tidewater as a senior. Division I liked his toughness and savvy but couldn’t get past his height (“Five-eight in shoes,” he said) and non-elite speed.
White was a sophomore at Tallwood when he first heard from Crowley, who at the time was an assistant coach at William & Mary. Crowley believed he would be preferred walk-on material. But after that season, Crowley joined Art Link’s staff at CNU.
Crowley was hired as the Captains’ head coach in 2022.
“When I got the job, he reached back out,” Crowley said. “I was like, heck yeah, I’d love to have you. We sold him on the idea of staying close to home, your parents can watch, and I challenged him to be in the Hall of Fame one day. And 50 touchdowns later …”
Yes, those 50 touchdowns. But in addition to that, White is also first in points (302), second in all-purpose yards (3,604), third in rushing yards (2,737) and attempts (543) and fourth in yards per carry (5.04) on CNU’s all-time list.
And in his four seasons, the Captains have won 31 of 41 games and two conference championships.
“Anyone that says they don’t care about leaving an impact would be lying,” White said. “I mean, it’s not the record. I just like leaving a legacy behind. But my biggest source of pride is being a part of this team.
“Statistically, this is my least amount of yards this season. But it’s been my favorite season by far because we’ve won and it’s been a special team. We’re the first 10-0 team, and I think we can make a good run here.”
Susquehanna at Christopher Newport
When: Noon Saturday
On the air: ESPN+, 99.1FM
The Captains: Thanks to the best regular season in the history of a program that began competition in 2001, CNU (10-0) gained a bye to the round of 32 and a top-eight seed, the Captains’ best position for any of their 12 playoff appearances. This is their first playoff home game since 2006. Led by New Jersey Athletic Conference Player of the Year Connor Barry’s 34 touchdown passes and the NJAC Coaching Staff of the Year, headed by Paul Crowley, the Captains are ranked sixth by d3football.com. Some D-III experts have concern that a shaky pass defense could make CNU ripe to be upset, but LB Noah Martin, DB Yasir Geter and their teammates want to alter such perceptions.
The River Hawks: They probably didn’t imagine they’d return to Newport News for a rematch so soon after losing 41-27 on Sept. 27 at TowneBank Stadium, but a 6-0 Landmark Conference record and a 38-32 first-round home victory in Selinsgrove over Pennsylvania team Washington & Jefferson last week earned them a trip back. At 9-2 and ranked 22nd by d3football.com entering the playoffs, they have averaged 43 points per game while yielding 16. RB Rahshan La Mons (144 carries, 761 yards, 10 TDs) and QB Josh Ehrlich (123, 665, 4) are effective runners. Ehrlich, whose father, Bob, was Maryland’s governor from 2003-07, has thrown for 74 TDs and more than 7,000 yards in his three-year career.
— Sonny Dearth
