Stillman drops homecoming game to Concordia

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama | The Stillman football team could not pull out a victory Saturday, losing a close game to the Concordia-Selma Hornets 12-7 on homecoming. It was also a homecoming of sorts for former Stillman coach and Concordia defensive coordinator L.C. Cole, whose defense held Stillman to just 115 yards and forced two turnovers.

“We don’t sit back, we bring that heat,” Cole said. “We try to get the quarterback disturbed a little bit, our goal was to contain him, and I think we did just that.”

Stillman got the scoring started on its opening possession behind a strong rushing attack. After long runs by Carlos Wilson and Deandre Holley, quarterback Dondre Purnell took the ball in for a touchdown from 6 yards out on third-and-goal.

After forcing a three-and-out on defense, the Hornets struck back, scoring on a 12-play touchdown drive. The key play was an 18-yard fourth-down pass from ...

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Stillman coach has eye on making Pioneer Bowl

Coach Teddy Keaton

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- If the Stillman College football team can win on Saturday, it will achieve the best record since the school joined the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

Stillman will celebrate its homecoming with a game against Concordia of Selma. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.

Under the direction of first-year coach Teddy Keaton, Stillman is 7-3 overall, 5-2 in the SIAC. The Tigers were in contention for a berth in the inaugural SIAC Championship Game until they lost to Miles 9-7 on Oct. 27. Miles, the West Division champion, will play Albany State from the East in the title game, which starts at 2 p.m. at Clark Atlanta University’s Panther Stadium. Miles enters the game with a 6-4 record. Albany State and Morehouse, the East runner-up, are 8-2.

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Stillman rallies for milestone win against Tuskegee

TUSKEGEE, Alabama - The Stillman College football team scored only one touchdown on Saturday, just enough to achieve a milestone victory. Quarterback Brandon Allen, who didn't start, scored on a 1-yard run, and cornerback Lakeevis Tabb came up with a fumble recovery to preserve Stillman's 13-9 victory over Tuskegee.

Stillman came into the game 0-6 against Tuskegee, the winningest program among historically black colleges and universities. As Allen knelt down to run out the final seconds, head coach Teddy Keaton and defensive coordinator Dedrick Dodge got the water-bucket treatment.

Tuskegee led 7-6 at halftime and 9-6 in the fourth quarter after recording a safety.

“We talked about overcoming adversity all week,” said Keaton, who saw his team get penalized 16 times for 130 yards. “When you go on the road, there's going to be some things you've got to play against. I thought my kids today fought back, and we played well and we ended up winning. We teach them to become relentless competitors.

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Sloppy Play Sends Shaw To 16-13 Defeat to Stillman

Tuscaloosa, AL - Shaw's offense could not find a rhythm, while the defense held homestanding Stillman to only 212 yards on the game, but gave up two touchdowns on the way to a 16-13 loss at Stillman Stadium.

"I don't think this team has a sense of urgency right now and until we have a sense of urgency we're going to have more nights like this one. Stillman didn't beat us, we beat us," said Shaw head coach Darrell Asberry.

The tale of the tape came on the ground, where Stillman's ball control offense rolled up 171 yards while Shaw lost five. The Tigers attempted only seven passes on the night - connecting on five - for 41 yards. As a team, Shaw was 18 for 32 for 176 yards with one interception.

The offensive woes were foremost in Asberry's mind after the game. "Offensively we need to improve at the quarterback position and we need to improve at the running back position right now. Defensively I thought we played Shaw football, we just didn't make one or two plays."

The performance by the defending CIAA champions baffled Shaw fans, but Asberry sees a difference in this team compared to his championship teams. "This team does not have a swagger or sense of arrogance about them. The championship teams had an arrogance to them. I saw that chemistry beginning in the second half, but we just ran out of time."

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Stillman coach sees progress in preseason camp

TUSCALOOSA | The Stillman College football players were able to leave after Saturday’s practice session, but first-year coach Teddy Keaton and his staff had more work to do.

Keaton planned to draw up a depth chart based on the results of the final scrimmage of preseason camp. The Tigers open at home on Saturday, facing Shaw University from North Carolina. Shaw University is ranked second behind Albany State in the Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN) Division II HBCU poll.

Keaton said the scrimmage featured live hitting, “all except for takedowns.” Keaton brought in a crew of referees, who told him it was a crisp session with only seven penalties. Keaton said the Tigers committed 14 penalties during an earlier scrimmage.

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Stillman sweeps LeMoyne-Owen

TUSCALOOSA, AL | The Stillman College baseball team set three school and one NCAA record in a 38-2 win over LeMoyne-Owen in the second game of doubleheader at Stillman Park on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers won the opener 5-0 as junior left-hander Josh Cagle flirted with a perfect game.

With the doubleheader sweep, Stillman improves to 21-16 overall and 15-2 in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. The Tigers has won all 11 games in the SIAC Western Division this season. LeMoyne-Owen falls to 3-23, 2-19 in SIAC play with the two losses. The Magicians have lost 13 straight games.



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Stillman baseball sweeps in-state rival Tuskegee

TUSKEGEE, AL - The Stillman College baseball team scored five runs in the fifth inning to overcome a one-run deficit en route to an 11-4 win over Tuskegee University at Washington Field on Sunday afternoon.

Stillman (12-13, 6-1 SIAC) trailed for the first time this season in SIAC play when Tuskegee pushed across a run in the bottom of the second inning for a 1- 0 lead.

Stillman bounced back with a five-run fifth inning and then blew the game open with a four-run eighth to win its sixth straight SIAC game.

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Stillman Tigers advance after Rhone’s late basket in overtime

Stillman College Athletics Director Curtis Campbell

HUNTSVILLE, AL | Following his coach’s instructions, Ladarius Rhone crashed the boards to help the Stillman Tigers advance in the NCAA Division II South Regional. Rhone grabbed an offensive rebound and made a putback shot, and the No. 7-seeded Tigers edged No. 2 Harding University 87-86 in overtime on Saturday.

Stillman plays Florida Southern in the semifinals today at the University of Alabama at Huntsville. The championship game will be at 7:30 on Tuesday. Florida Southern defeated Rollins 76-74 on a 3-pointer by Dominic Lane with 2 seconds left.

Harding (25-5) took an 86-85 lead when Kevin Brown converted a 3-point play with 12.4 seconds remaining. Rhone, a 6-foot-5 sophomore forward, scored after senior point guard Rakee Anderson missed on a drive to the basket.

Harding Bison Fall in Overtime at NCAA Tournament

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Stillman forward Ladarius Rhone recovered a loose ball in the paint and laid it in with 3.8 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Tigers an 87-86 victory over Harding in the quarterfinals of the NCAA II South Region Tournament on Saturday at Spragins Hall.

Harding (25-5) had taken the lead with 14 seconds left when senior forward Kevin Brown converted a 3-point play to give Harding an 86-85 lead. It was the 18th lead change in the game.

Stillman guard Rakee Anderson took the ball to the basket on the last possession but had his shot blocked by Stephen Blake. Rhone grabbed the rebound and scored only his third shot in seven attempts to win it.

“We made them take an incredibly tough shot,” said Harding head coach Jeff Morgan. “We just did not do a good job of grabbing the backside rebound. That hurt us a couple of times in the game.”

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KSU football: Mistakes bury Breds

The Kentucky State football team entered Saturday’s game against Clark Atlanta with the hope that it could score a win for its fans on Homecoming. Four quarters later, KSU coach Wayne Dickens walked off the field thinking things couldn’t have gone much worse for his team. The Thorobreds lost to the Panthers 19-7 under a mountain of fumbles, missed tackles, penalties and blown assignments.

“We took turns today making every conceivable mistake you can make in a football game,” Dickens said. “And it cost us.” Mistakes plagued KSU from its first drive, which ended when junior quarterback Jerrel Noland lost 17 yards on a mishandled snap and the Thorobreds couldn’t recover the yardage.

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Stillman’s McKinnis earns SIAC honor

Jamila McKinnis, a junior outside hitter on the Stillman College volleyball team, was selected as the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week.

McKinnis was named to the All-Tournament team after the Lady Tigers participated in the Christian Brothers Invitational in Memphis, Tenn. A two-time All-SIAC selection, McKinnis was chosen the league’s most valuable player after her sophomore season.

McKinnis recorded a .250 hitting percentage and had 43 kills in four tournament games. Stillman lost to Christian Brothers (3-0) and Cameron (3-0) on Friday. On Saturday, Stillman lost to Ouachita Baptist (3-1) and to Illinois Springfield (3-0). McKinnis had 12 kills, 12 digs and 10 assists against Ouachita Baptist. She posted 17 kills and 12 digs against Illinois-Springfield.

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Smaller schools face economic challenges

TUSCALOOSA, AL -- While the University of Alabama’s athletic program is able to fund itself at a multi-million dollar level, that’s not the case with most schools. And Division II schools and junior colleges with athletic departments at the lower end of the economic spectrum face their own challenges. Stillman College, a private school just down the road from the University of Alabama, moved up to NCAA Division II in 2005 after playing at the non-scholarship Division III level for a few years after reviving its football program in 1999 after a 49-year hiatus.

Stillman College 2007, 2008, 2009 SIAC CHAMPIONS.

The school doesn’t fund the maximum scholarships allowed for every sport, but stacks up well among its peers in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. “We’re not at that level yet,” said Athletics Director Curtis Campbell. “We make increases each year. Somewhere down the road, we’ll be close (to 100 percent scholarship-funded). “If you look at the conference we compete in, we’re at about the middle of the conference or a little bit above in terms of what we give in athletic aid as opposed to what others give. We’ve got 13 schools in the conference and we’re probably fifth or sixth. Of course we’d love to be No. 1.”

Campbell is confident that Stillman sports programs have the facilities and support needed to be successful. “Each of our programs have everything that they need, the resources to get done what they need to get done,” he said. “Coaches always want more. They have wants, but their needs are met.”

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Ashton Johnson signs with Stillman College

FAIRHOPE, AL – Fairhope High School Pirates right-hander Ashton Johnson signed with Stillman College Monday in the Fairhope library. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound pitcher, who also swings the bat well, helped the Pirates reach the semi-finals in the 6A division this past spring. Now he's looking forward to the college experience with the Stillman Tigers in Tuscaloosa.

"I am just really excited to go play," Johnson said. "My family needs this and it is going to help out a lot. I am just really excited to know where I am going and I am glad that it is a nice school like Stillman. They are a very strong team and I think I will be a good fit for the program. It is a very good academic school and it will fit me perfectly. That is why I like Stillman." Johnson plans to major in psychology.

As a All-County senior right-hander, he went 5-2 with 62 strikeouts in 49-2/3 innings for the No. 2-ranked Pirates. "He was one of our most affable kids in the program in the last four years," said Fairhope head coach Stu Fuller. "He got along with everybody and just pulled for his teammates so hard. If you ask me what I am going to remember about Ashton, it is going to be that." Combined, Johnson finished his 2009 and 2010 seasons on the mound with a 9-5 record, 131 strikeouts, 79 walks and an earned run average of 4.51. The Pirates finished 35-9 overall.

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Jackson State beats Stillman 17-7

PHOTO GALLERY:JSU vs. Stillman College

The switch-em-up rotating unit that is the Jackson State offensive line trotted out Saturday with yet another version — still looking for the perfect match. The first group looked lined up in the 17-7 win over Stillman with (from left tackle to right tackle) Mikael Harshaw, Michael Odister, William Davis, Terrael Williams and Talon Boudreaux. The results were better than the season opening loss, but still could still use some improvement.

“As a unit as a whole, we did all right,” Harshaw said. “Shuffling guys in and out, we still have to find our solid line to start with so we can roll with. “That’s what you have to do to find the best five.” The group opened gaping holes that allowed running back Bloi-Dei Dorzan to rush for 111 yards. And Stillman only accounted for one quarterback hurry and three sacks.

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Attendance: 7,950 (13%) @ Veterans Memorial Stadium, Jackson, MS (Capacity: 60,492)

Stillman rolls past short-handed Miles College

The Billy Joe Era at Miles College that was launched with such hope two weeks before Christmas got off to a dismal start on Sunday night at Legion Field.

The Golden Bears played without more than half their roster in a 38-12 loss to Stillman College before a crowd of 25,370. Joe said he found out on Saturday that he would be able to dress only 40 of his 85-man roster for the Labor Day Golden Classic due to concerns the Miles administration raised about eligibility issues.

"In my 31 years as a head coach," Joe said, "I've never, ever been confronted with that issue before. I thought our guys played a great game with their hands tied behind their backs. "We had to change our special teams around, our offense, our defense. We were very, very, very - how many `verys' can I use? - short." The new coaching staff held meetings with their players until late Saturday evening, making changes in the game plan.

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Attendance: 25,370 @ Legion Field, Birmingham, AL (Capacity: 83,091)