WSSU Rams embrace role as CIAA favorites

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Coach Kienus Boulware of Winston-Salem State is going into this football season with plenty of reachable goals — winning the CIAA title again and getting back to the Division II playoffs.

For Boulware’s first two seasons as head coach after a long stint as defensive coordinator, the Rams have been decent, bordering on good. Last season, the Rams fell apart early and stumbled to an overall 6-5 record.

But the obvious silver lining was being just good enough to win the CIAA championship game by upsetting Bowie State 17-14 on Will Johnson’s last-second field goal.

Despite going 6-5 and suffering two rare regular-season losses at home to Shaw and Chowan the Rams were picked in the preseason coaches’ poll to win the league again. The Rams have won the CIAA title in three of the last five seasons.

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