Division II Virginia school cuts sports program

Saint Paul's College produced one NFL player--
DB Greg Toler of the Arizona Cardinals.  Greg was
selected in the 2009 NFL draft, 31st  pick
4th round, 131st overall.  Toler is from
 Temple Hills (Prince George's County),
Maryland, Northwestern High School.

Lawrenceville, VA -- The grass on the practice field stood knee-high. A hawk that had been perched on the bleachers took flight and plunged in near the 30-yard line.

Nearby, Kevin Grisby waded through the weeds on his last day as St. Paul's College football coach.

Like most coaches and athletes at St. Paul's, Grisby prided himself on doing more with less. He fielded a team with just 7-1/2 scholarships that played home games at a high school stadium. He'd done without an adequate weight room and an air-conditioned office. He'd recruited players to a tiny rural school with a declining enrollment, many of whom came sight unseen based on his promises to their coaches and parents that he'd take care of them.

"If guys actually come to visit," he said, "it's tough to sell the school."

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Saint Paul's athletes search for new homes

Lawrenceville, VA - Saint Paul's College wide receiver Raymond Mack already was enduring a tough semester when his school decided to eliminate its athletics program. On Jan. 6, he returned from an unofficial football practice to find his house on fire. Mack lost his house and all his possessions inside. Firefighters would later blame the house's old wiring and a space heater.

As the semester wore on, things began looking up for the junior. The football team named a permanent coach and Mack prepared to become a leader on the field the next season. "We just got back on our feet, and everything was good," Mack said. "It was too good to be true."

Now Mack prepares to transfer, as do many other athletes at the school. He'll have to learn a new system, find a new home and settle in at his fourth college — Mack attended two junior colleges before enrolling at Saint Paul's. In an effort to recruit Saint Paul's elite athletes, a number of schools...

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JCSU football scrambles for Sept. 3 game

Golden Bulls look to replace St. Paul's College

Charlotte, N.C. - Wanted: One opponent for Johnson C. Smith’s Sept. 3 football season opener. Apply immediately.

The Golden Bulls are in negotiations with multiple schools to fill a hole opened by St. Paul’s decision earlier this month to shut down its athletics program. Neither JCSU Athletics Director Steve Joyner nor head coach Steve Aycock would identify the schools contacted, but suggested a deal could be struck by next week to remain on a 10-game schedule.

“Nothing is concrete yet,” Aycock said.  JCSU has contacted three non-CIAA schools about Sept. 3, including at least one Division I program, Joyner and Aycock said. The others are Division II teams. Schools in the South Atlantic, West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic conferences are in immediate proximity to Smith.

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CIAA Tournament: WSSU women rip Saint Paul's

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Winston-Salem State women opened the CIAA Tournament with a convincing 66-33 victory over Saint Paul's on Monday night at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Rams (17-10) took an early lead and never let up. The Tigers (3-23) lost to the Rams for the third time this season.

In earlier first-round games: Chowan, playing in its first CIAA Tournament game, defeated Livingstone 56-52; Saint Augustine's defeated Virginia Union 69-53; Virginia State upended 2010 champion Fayetteville State 65-44; and Shaw rolled to a 95-63 win against Lincoln (Pa.).

Lady Rams Cruise in 66-33 Win Over Saint Paul's at CIAA Tournament

CHARLOTTE, NC - Judging by the numbers at the half, the Winston-Salem State Lady Rams seemed vulnerable in the opening round of the CIAA Tournament on Monday night. Except for one thing: the Lady Rams had Jasmine Newkirk.

Newkirk scored 14 of her game-high 15 points in the first half to lead Winston-Salem State to comfortable edge at the half as the Lady Rams took care of St. Paul's 66-33 to advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament.

The victory sets up a heavyweight matchup in the next round when the CIAA South's third-seeded Lady Rams (17-10) will face Bowie State (17-9), the number 2 seed from the CIAA North, which received a first-round bye. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.

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