Richmond, VA - Kevin Grisby knows he's lucky to have a job. On May 9, his position as head football coach at Saint Paul's was terminated when the school cut the athletics program to keep the school alive.
Players and coaches were left scrambling to find new teams. Virginia Union hired Grisby as defensive coordinator. Others weren't as fortunate. Some coaches haven't found jobs, yet. Some players are still without a team.
"Bad timing," Grisby said. "It was pretty tough on the kids and the coaches."
His job description includes installing a new defense at Virginia Union, transitioning to a new school and a new team and helping abandoned Saint Paul's players find new homes. His first chance to showcase his defense comes today, when Union hosts Saint Augustine's in the season opener at 2 p.m. The game was scheduled late because both teams were supposed to play Saint Paul's this year.
Grisby served as Union's defensive coordinator from 1997-2003. He was part of the 2001 squad that claimed the CIAA championship.
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Showing posts with label CIAA Football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CIAA Football. Show all posts
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
VSU football, a force to be reckoned with
Petersburg, VA - After falling in the CIAA (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) championship to Shaw University last season, Virginia State University’s (VSU) football team is gearing up for another hard-hitting season on the grid iron. The team is currently undergoing preseason training camp, preparing for their season opener on Monday, Aug. 29, against Livingstone College in Salisbury, N.C.
Ranked sixth (out of 12 teams) in CIAA’s 2011 overall preseason poll, the Trojans are defending a season in which they finished first in the conference’s North division – where they are currently predicted to finish second.
Coach Andrew Faison, soon to begin his tenth season as the team’s head coach, isn’t the least bit bothered by the polls.
“It’s only preseason. I tell our guys: It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish,” he said. “Last year we were predicted to finish eighth, and, hey, look what happened. They moved us up a little bit, so hopefully this time around we will bring home the trophy.”
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Ranked sixth (out of 12 teams) in CIAA’s 2011 overall preseason poll, the Trojans are defending a season in which they finished first in the conference’s North division – where they are currently predicted to finish second.
Coach Andrew Faison, soon to begin his tenth season as the team’s head coach, isn’t the least bit bothered by the polls.
“It’s only preseason. I tell our guys: It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish,” he said. “Last year we were predicted to finish eighth, and, hey, look what happened. They moved us up a little bit, so hopefully this time around we will bring home the trophy.”
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WSSU's Ward says diet has helped
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| Rams Coach Connell Maynor |
Ward, a senior defensive end from Holly Springs, helped WSSU lead the CIAA last season in sacks, contributing 4½ of the team's 32, and in total defense (245 yards a game allowed). He also had a team-best 11½ tackles for losses.
"This is the best I've felt coming into a season and I really feel like I'm in great shape," Ward said.
For his first three years at WSSU, the 6-foot-4 Ward weighed about 285 pounds. He's now at 255 pounds and feeling less like an interior lineman. Ward, a four-year starter, has 25 career tackles for losses and is drawing the attention of NFL scouts.
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Bowie State aims to make run at CIAA title
Bowie, MD - The Bowie State University football team didn’t live up to expectations in 2010. The Bulldogs lost on a last-second bomb Oct. 2 against Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association rival Virginia State University. Though the team bounced back to win its final four games of the season and finish 6-4, that loss to Virginia State prevented Bowie State from contending for the CIAA title.
With more focus, experience and key additions to the team, the Bulldogs plan to reverse their fortunes in 2011. With 53 returning players, Bowie State begins its season Sept. 3 with a visit to Assumption College in Worcester, Mass.
“It’s like we’re taking this team more serious, day-by-day,” senior cornerback Kenny Turner said. “This year, we’re more of a unit; there’s more chemistry between us.”
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Wednesday, August 24, 2011
At last, Smith’s time arrives at ECSU
Elizabeth City, N.C. - As the Elizabeth City State football team’s season opener approaches, Brandon Smith may be the most grateful player on the Vikings’ squad. Smith has not played football in two years and it was not long ago that he thought his career might be over.“I really do appreciate it more,” said Smith, who will play his first game in a Vikings uniform on Saturday at Delta State. “I mean, I waited two years to play one year, not knowing what could happen after this year. I just wanted to fulfill my whole college term of playing football.”
Smith, a senior, was a star at Virginia Union. The 6-foot, 235-pound outside linebacker was an All-Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association rookie team pick in 2006 and followed that up with back-to-back ...
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Tuesday, August 23, 2011
3 QBs, one opening at JCSU
Charlotte, N.C. - Johnson C. Smith’s quarterback derby is now a three-man race.True freshman Andrew Alexander has impressed coaches after a week of drills and is in line to contend for the starter’s job, head coach Steve Aycock said. Alexander, an Ardrey Kell High graduate, is battling redshirt freshman Maliek McCall and true freshman Keahn Wallace for playing time. McCall finished spring drills as the starter.
“It’s still up in the air,” Aycock said. “(Those) guys are fighting and pushing each other, but one guy that’s been standing out with the coaches is Andrew Alexander and he’s on Maliek McCall and Keahn Wallace’s heels like never before. He’s a take-charge kid…. He’s really grasping the game (offensive coordinator Maurice) Flowers has given him.”
Aycock said he wouldn’t rule out spreading playing time, but is leaning toward ...
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Fayetteville State's Larry McDonald shows physical strength and mental toughness
Offensive starIf Fayetteville State can find reliable playmakers at tailback and receiver, quarterback Brandon Cluff, a transfer from Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College, has a chance to open some eyes with his arm strength.
Defensive star
All-CIAA safety Andre Lyles had 70 tackles, six interceptions and 15 passes defended last season.
Extra points
Linebacker Marcos Esquivel, who led the CIAA in tackles in 2009, returns after a one-year hiatus to finish his eligibility. ... Coach Kenny Phillips believes sophomores Anthony Council and Colon Bailey plus junior Anthony Williams can all be factors in the Broncos' running game.
Board Drill.
It's a daily staple at Fayetteville State football practices, a test of strength and determination that calls for Broncos linemen to battle one another with vigor.
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Sunday, August 21, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
QB spot still up for grabs at WSSU
Winston Salem, N.C. - During Winston-Salem State's first preseason camp under coach Connell Maynor, there was plenty of trial by error because Maynor didn't know his personnel that well.
This time around, things seem to be going a lot smoother.
"I think we are ahead of the game where we were at this point last year," said Maynor, now in his second season. "We expect the team to get better, and we'll be ready for that first game on Sept. 3."
Maynor and the Rams — who are going through two-a-days this week — have had nine practices and will have a scrimmage at 9 a.m. Saturday. The annual "Meet the Rams Day" will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, near the clock tower on campus. "We have to come back bigger, stronger and faster than we were last year," Maynor said.
The Rams finished 8-2 last season, with two key CIAA losses that eliminated them from the Southern Division berth for the championship game.
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This time around, things seem to be going a lot smoother.
"I think we are ahead of the game where we were at this point last year," said Maynor, now in his second season. "We expect the team to get better, and we'll be ready for that first game on Sept. 3."
Maynor and the Rams — who are going through two-a-days this week — have had nine practices and will have a scrimmage at 9 a.m. Saturday. The annual "Meet the Rams Day" will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, near the clock tower on campus. "We have to come back bigger, stronger and faster than we were last year," Maynor said.
The Rams finished 8-2 last season, with two key CIAA losses that eliminated them from the Southern Division berth for the championship game.
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Thursday, August 18, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
5 questions for the JCSU Golden Bulls to work on
Charlotte, NC -- Johnson C. Smith football coach Steve Aycock promises his Golden Bulls will get off to a fast start in 2011.At the CIAA preseason media day in July, Aycock predicted Smith will win at least three of its first four games - a bold statement given the Bulls' 5-15 record in his first two seasons.
"I feel good about the young men who are coming back and the way they've dedicated themselves over the last six months," he said. "We'll see a difference come Sept. 3."
But will it be enough to move Smith to the middle of the pack in the CIAA South? Maybe, if the Bulls answer these questions:
1. Can the defense be fixed?
Former Carolina Panthers safety Mike Minter and Craig Cox are the new co-coordinators of a unit that allowed 39 points and 405 yards per game.
"From the defensive side, we've made some changes and are doing some things different and most definitely placing a lot of emphasis on stopping the run," Aycock said.
2. Who'll start at quarterback?
Redshirt freshman Maliek McCall closed spring drills...
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Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Progress Name of the Game for Shaw Bear's Darnell Evans
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| Darnell Evans |
Raleigh, N.C. - Darnell Evans began practicing this week for his Shaw University encore. The former Madison High School standout is coming off a 2010 football season in which he led the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association with six interceptions and was the only freshman named to the all-conference First Team.
The cornerback helped the Bears to their third CIAA title in four years and earned the 2010 Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Already named as a Consensus Draft Service Preseason All-American First Team selection—one of only four sophomores on the first team—it's easy to see that Evans was destined for an impressive collegiate career.
Except he almost never gave himself the chance for such accomplishments.
Had he not refocused his academic energies at County College of Morris, then spent a second year in the Shaw classroom, Evans would've been left imagining success instead of realizing it.
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Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Division I Runningback Flowers Key for Bowie State
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| Ramono Flowers (Courtesy Bowie State Athletics) |
But after one redshirt season in 2003, Flowers left Central Michigan for personal reasons. His former Central Michigan head coach, Brian Kelly, left for Cincinnati in 2006 and is now the head coach at Notre Dame. Former CMU assistant Butch Jones is now the head coach at Cincinnati.
"I was working for a few years," said Flowers, who worked in the home security business. "I wanted to go out and play [college football], but I did not have the funds" to pay for college.
But then Flowers, who grew up in Largo, ran into Damon Wilson, the head football coach at Division II Bowie State. Flowers grew up playing with the brother of Wilson in a youth league in the Kettering area of Prince George's County.
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Maynor confident Winston Salem Rams can run the table
Winston Salem, N.C. - The offseason has been long for coach Connell Maynor of Winston-Salem State. He helped turn the football program around in his first season, taking the Rams to an 8-2 record and keeping them in contention for the CIAA title.
Fans were happy, alumni were thrilled, and wins over rivals N.C. Central and N.C. A&T — both Football Championship Subdivision teams — were icing on the cake. But all the success, after a 1-10 finish the season before he took over, wasn't enough for the ultra-competitive Maynor.
Close losses to Shaw and St. Augustine's left the Rams 11 points short of a perfect regular season and the chance to play for the CIAA championship.
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Fans were happy, alumni were thrilled, and wins over rivals N.C. Central and N.C. A&T — both Football Championship Subdivision teams — were icing on the cake. But all the success, after a 1-10 finish the season before he took over, wasn't enough for the ultra-competitive Maynor.
Close losses to Shaw and St. Augustine's left the Rams 11 points short of a perfect regular season and the chance to play for the CIAA championship.
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Saturday, August 6, 2011
QB Carrothers transfers from Grambling to WSSU
Winston Salem, N.C. - Anthony Carrothers Jr. — the starting quarterback at Grambling State last season as a freshman — has transferred to Winston-Salem State. Carrothers, a dual threat, guided Grambling to a 9-2 record in his first season out of Charlotte's Independence High School."There's no quarterback controversy," coach Connell Maynor of the Rams said Friday after announcing the Carrothers' transfer. "Kam (Kameron Smith) is still our starter, but he's got to keep his job just like every starter who is coming back."
Smith helped the Rams to an 8-2 record last season but missed spring practice because of surgery for Crohn's disease. Maynor said Smith will start practice next week 100 percent healthy.
Last season, Carrothers (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) passed for 1,443 yards (93 for 170) and seven touchdowns, with eight interceptions. He also rushed for 247 yards and three touchdowns. Carrothers' father, Anthony Sr., played for WSSU in the early 1980s.
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A Wild Journey For Laurel High Grad/Bowie State's Erhie
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| OgheneMaro Erhie |
What makes the Erhie story unique is that while he attended and graduated from Laurel High he never played football for the Spartans.
"I was mostly a soccer player. I was not really interested in football," Erhie, a 2006 graduate of Laurel, told Patch on Thursday. Erhie played soccer while at Laurel High and did not play organized football until he was a walk-on at Morgan State in Baltimore.
"I guess I got really big. I liked (watching) football and wanted to play," he said. "I think I made quite an impression at Morgan State. I never dressed but I was on the practice squad in 2007."
He then transferred to Division II Bowie State and last season he made the CIAA All-Rookie team as a 6-foot-6, 340-pound offensive lineman for the Bulldogs.
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Thursday, August 4, 2011
Bowie State Football Has Strong Local Flavor
Bowie, MD - Trevon Bennett is still waiting for his chance, and he may have to wait one more year. A Riverdale Baptist graduate, Bennett is a rising sophomore quarterback at Bowie State University as the Division II Bulldogs get ready to begin practice later this month. Bennett was a true freshman last season and played behind starting quarterback Clifton Budd, who returns this season as a senior after throwing for 1,538 yards last year."I want to be the No. 1 backup," Bennett told Patch on Tuesday. "The hopes are real high going into the season." "We had a better turnout this year than last year," he said. "Everyone is on the same page this year. And after attending eight weeks of summer workouts at Bowie State, "everything is going pretty well."
The Bulldogs open the season Sept. 3 at Assumption in Worcester, MA. The first home game for Bowie State is 1 p.m., Sept. 10 against Benedict College.
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Friday, July 29, 2011
Saint Augustine's Walter Sanders signs with Baltimore Ravens
"This is a dream come true,” Sanders said. “I proved to the non-believers I can make it happen. I accomplished my goal - I am in the NFL from Division II."
Baltimore, MD - At about 11 a.m., Walter Sanders was watching the NFL Network in his East Baltimore home with his 2-year-old daughter, Makenzii, when his agent, Jason Sklar, called. That’s when the Baltimore native learned the Ravens planned to sign him.
“It’s a tremendous honor to sign with the Baltimore Ravens,” Sanders said. “It’s been my dream all my life to play in the National Football League, but not only the National Football League, but, in particular, with the Baltimore Ravens.“ “What more can you ask for than to play for your hometown team?”
At Mervo High, Sanders excelled in basketball and football and became a regional champion in the hurdles during spring track. The 5’10’, 227-pound back decided to continue his football career at Saint Augustine’s College in Raleigh, N.C.
Despite the Division-II level of competition he faced, the blazing back, who most recently clocked a 40 time of 4.39 seconds, still managed to attract attention from NFL scouts. Last year, Sanders finished his senior campaign with the first 1,000-yard rushing season for the Falcons in the modern era of college football.
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VISIT: SAINT AUGUSTINE'S COLLEGE
VISIT: SAINTAUGFALCONS
Baltimore, MD - At about 11 a.m., Walter Sanders was watching the NFL Network in his East Baltimore home with his 2-year-old daughter, Makenzii, when his agent, Jason Sklar, called. That’s when the Baltimore native learned the Ravens planned to sign him.
“It’s a tremendous honor to sign with the Baltimore Ravens,” Sanders said. “It’s been my dream all my life to play in the National Football League, but not only the National Football League, but, in particular, with the Baltimore Ravens.“ “What more can you ask for than to play for your hometown team?”
At Mervo High, Sanders excelled in basketball and football and became a regional champion in the hurdles during spring track. The 5’10’, 227-pound back decided to continue his football career at Saint Augustine’s College in Raleigh, N.C.
Despite the Division-II level of competition he faced, the blazing back, who most recently clocked a 40 time of 4.39 seconds, still managed to attract attention from NFL scouts. Last year, Sanders finished his senior campaign with the first 1,000-yard rushing season for the Falcons in the modern era of college football.
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VISIT: SAINT AUGUSTINE'S COLLEGE
VISIT: SAINTAUGFALCONS
Virginia Union's David Mims Signs with the Kansas City Chiefs
"Happy to say that I am officially a Kansas City Chief" Mims tweeted on the morning of July 26.
Mims, a 6-8 offensive lineman from Charlotte, N.C., anchored a VUU offensive line which allowed Panther runners to rush for 1,884 yards in 2010 and set a school-record 490 rushing yards against Virginia State University in 2009.
Mims becomes the first Virginia Union football player to sign with an NFL team since Jerome Leslie signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004.
VISIT: VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY
VISIT: VUUSPORTS
Chowan Hawks projected fifth in CIAA-North
ETTRICK, VA. — Michael Jordan used to say about winning championships, “It’s the shoes”.Thursday at the annual pre-season football Media Day for the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) you could have said, “It’s the hair”. Or maybe, the ‘lack’ thereof.
The coaches of the four top picks to win the 2011 CIAA Football championship are: (1) from the league’s South Division, and (2) happened to have been sporting bald heads on Media Day. Members of the CIAA Football Coaches Association have picked defending 2010 champion Shaw University to repeat in 2011. Winston-Salem State was picked second, followed by St. Augustine’s College, and Fayetteville State.
Elizabeth City State edged out Virginia State to win the North Division and play November 12 in Raleigh for the league title. Meanwhile, Chowan was picked fifth in the division and ninth among the dozen league teams. The Hawks were among the teams who had to adjust their schedules...
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VISIT: CHOWAN UNIVERSITY
VISIT: GOCUHAWKS
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