McKinnis leads talented senior class for upcoming season

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama | If Stillman senior forward Jamila McKinnis excels in basketball the way she did in volleyball, she should be in line for more Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors.

McKinnis was recently named the SIAC Player of the Year in volleyball. She was also a first-team selection on the preseason All-SIAC basketball squad. McKinnis averaged 14.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.1 blocked shots in C.C. Moorer’s first season as head coach. The Lady Tigers went 16-13 and reached the semifinals of the SIAC Tournament.

McKinnis averaged 14.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.1 blocked shots in C.C. Moorer’s first season as head coach. The Lady Tigers went 16-13 and reached the semifinals of the SIAC Tournament.

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Stillman Tigers seeking homecoming win

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - The Stillman Tigers have achieved a winning record in Teddy Keaton’s first season as coach. If they win today’s homecoming game, they’ll have the best mark since joining the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 2005.

“I tell my kids homecoming is not really for you right now,” said Keaton, a 1999 Stillman graduate. “Homecoming is for the alumni and the people that come back and support them. I really believe people are coming back to homecoming to see what we’ve done with this program in this short amount of time. I’m excited about some of my classmates coming back.

“More importantly, I want to make sure my team stays focused and that we don’t forget what’s at stake here; what’s the ultimate goal about finishing and not overlooking your opponent. Let the alumni and everybody else celebrate, and you stay focused on what we came here to do today.”

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2011 Road To The SIAC Championship Episode 9

The Clark Atlanta Panthers duel the Stillman Tigers in their last game of the season.

Stillman rebounds with win against Clark Atlanta

Atlanta, Georgia -- The Stillman College football team found a way to rebound from two tough losses as the Tigers defeated the Clark Atlanta Panthers, 16-6, Thursday night.

After surrendering six points in the first quarter, Stillman broke into the scoring column as Alejandro Perez-Huerta nailed a 23-yard field goal with 29 seconds left in the first half. In the third quarter, Stillman quarterback Dondre Purnell hit Deandre Holley for an 8-yard scoring play to give the Tigers a 10-6 lead.

In the fourth quarter, Huerta made field goals of 48 and 28 yards to make the final scoring margin 16-6. CAU outgained Stillman 242-240 while maintaining time of possession 31:01 to 28:59.

Purnell finished 14 of 21passing for 168 yards with one touchdown while rushing 15 times for 27 yards. Reese Sturgis caught four passes for 34 yards while Holley rushed for 33 yards on nine carries.

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Stillman Tigers falls in close one against Miles Golden Bears

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama (Oct.27, 2011) | The Miles College Golden Bears squeaked by rival Stillman College to claim the Southern Intercollegeate Athletic Conference Western Division title with a 9-7 victory, one year after going 3-8 and finishing in near the bottom in the conference.

The Golden Bears (6-3) won with a suffocating defense, holding the Tigers (6-3) to just 210 yards of offense and forcing three interceptions, including two in the fourth quarter. They also got just enough offense, led by quarterback David Thomas who went 17 of 25 for 180 yards.

“It’s been a long time coming for Miles College,” first-year coach Reginald Ruffin said. “I asked these guys to just to buy, and these guys have bought in.”

The Golden Bears got off to a fast start, starting the game with a trick play. Quarterback David Thomas threw a 50-yard bomb to D.J. Fife on a flea-flicker pass on the first play from scrimmage. Several plays later, running back Jordan Lewis took a pitch in from four yards out for the score, diving into the end zone to cap off the scoring drive. The extra point was blocked.



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SIAC West on line when Stillman meets rival Miles

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama | Trying to bounce back from its worst loss of the season, the Stillman College football team remains in contention for a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference division title.

“If I win, I win the West,” said Teddy Keaton, Stillman's first-year head coach. “If Miles wins, they win the West. This game is bigger than it's ever been. It's the first time that both of these schools have got a chance to play for the SIAC championship. That's huge for both programs. They're both under new leadership. I have great respect for coach (Reginald) Ruffin and the job he's done with his team up there. It's going to be a battle. They have some weapons. They've been playing really good football over the course of the last three or four weeks.

"We've got a lot of kids on our team from Birmingham. They have a lot of kids on their team from Tuscaloosa. So there's a lot of rivalry, a lot of bragging rights that goes into it.”


Last Week: Stillman Tigers took an ole fashion beatdown at FVSU Homecoming.

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Stillman, UWA dream of postseason

Tuscaloosa, Alabama -- Teddy Keaton and Will Hall, a couple of young, enthusiastic head coaches, are preparing their football teams to face in-state rivals Thursday.

If Keaton's Stillman Tigers and Hall's West Alabama Tigers win, they'll enhance their chances of qualifying for the NCAA Division II playoffs. Stillman and UWA are ranked among the top 10 in Super Region Two. Both coaches know that the top six teams qualify, and both know that the best way to get there is to keep winning.

Hall said the top two teams in the region get byes for the first playoff round. The No. 3 seed opens against No. 6, and No. 4 will play No. 5.

Stillman plays at home Thursday, facing Miles College in a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game. Both teams are 4-1 in league play, and the winner claims the West Division championship.

“That's how big this game is,” Keaton said.



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FVSU romps to big homecoming win over Stillman

Fort Valley, Georgia -- Fort Valley State entered Saturday’s game against Stillman College seeking a fresh start, a turnaround in its final stretch of games of the season. Playing in front of a homecoming crowd, the Wildcats got exactly that and then some, steamrolling the visiting Tigers 52-3.

“We’re not giving up as a team; we’re still playing hard,” FVSU defensive end Cody Nash said.



The loss is the first of the season in SIAC play for Stillman, which falls to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play. FVSU improves to 2-6 overall and 2-3 in conference play. The Wildcats host Morehouse on Saturday before finishing out the season in the Fountain City Classic against Albany State in Columbus.

Morehouse defeated Benedict 37-31 on Saturday. “We’re looking at it as a new season and want to win the last three games,“ FVSU head coach Donald Pittman said. “Now, we’ve got one.”

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Fort Valley State ready for homecoming atmosphere

Fort Valley, Georgia -- Regardless of what happens between the sidelines and end zones, good weather on homecoming means at least the fans have a quality day. Fort Valley State hopes to add to that with an upset win Saturday when the Wildcats host SIAC leader Stillman on homecoming at Wildcat Stadium.

Almost as many fans will remain outside the stadium during the game for the socializing that will be inside watching to see if the Wildcats can break a three-game losing streak and finally turn a close game into a win.

FVSU has lost games by one, three and five points, and the other losses have been to a pair of FCS teams and a Division II power. “The schedule, the schedule’s been tough, man,” FVSU senior linebacker Bernard Goodrum said. “It was tough.”

Key injuries early on in one of the most ambitious SIAC schedules in years have left the Wildcats reeling, frustrated at being close but unable to come up with the late-game big play.



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Stillman comes from behind to defeat Chowan 24-21

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- The Stillman Tiger football team showed the ability to lead from start to finish last week against Benedict. This week, the Tigers showed the prowess to come from behind. After surrendering 192 yards of total offense in the first half, Stillman held Chowan to 123 yards in the second half while getting key defensive plays to defeat the Hawks 24-21.

With the win, Stillman moves to 6-1 while Chowan falls to 1-6.

The scoring opened for Chowan as Cameron Stover found Kevin Hodrick for a 20-yard pass play as the first quarter was coming to a close. A missed PAT made the score 6-0 in favor of Chowan. The Hawks then got a 32-yard field goal from Ryan Murphy to make the score 9-0.



Midway through the second quarter, after a Ronnie Partridge punt pinned Chowan to the two yard line, Stillman's Antonio Johnson forced a fumble which was recovered by Jeremy Hall in the end zone. The follow-up PAT cut the score to 9-7. Chowan would tack on a field goal as time expired to make the halftime deficit 12-7.

In the third period, both teams had two possessions, with Chowan scoring on their first, capping a 12-play, 73-yard drive with a 26-yard field goal by Murphy.

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Stillman defense steps up big with eight turnovers in rout of Benedict

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama | A stingy, opportunistic defense led Stillman College in a 44-0 rout of the visiting Benedict. Stillman scored 37 points as a direct result of turnovers.

The Stillman defense came out swinging against Benedict, forcing a season-high eight turnovers and allowing 102 yards, including only 27 yards in the first half.

“They played hard, they played fast and they played together,” Stillman coach Teddy Keaton said. “Those are the things you want a defense to do.”

The carnage started early. On the opening drive, Benedict mixed the run and the pass and made it all the way to Stillman’s 22-yard line before quarterback Christopher Thomas threw an interception to Bryant Mosley.

Next, it was Stillman quarterback Dondre Purnell who connected with Roger Dixon on a 27-yard touchdown strike. Dixon blew by two defenders and scampered all the way down the sideline for the score.

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Not pretty, but Stillman will take it over Lane Dragons

Coach Teddy Keaton

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama | The Stillman Tigers rumbled, bumbled and fumbled their way to a 28-17 victory over the visiting Lane Dragons at Stillman Stadium. Turnovers defined the game, with Stillman giving the ball away four times, three on fumbles.

“This is the sloppiest we’ve played all season,” Stillman coach Teddy Keaton said. “I think we made too many mistakes, too much stuff that could take a good ballgame and take it away from you.”

Stillman (4-1, 3-0 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Confernce) played three different quarterbacks Saturday night, none of which was effective except in short spurts. The Tigers finished with 315 yards of offense, 165 of which came on the ground, with the quarterbacks going a combined 11-for-23 passing with two interceptions.

“I came out with the first touchdown, but there at the end, I slowed down,” sophomore quarterback Brandon Allen said. “I just have to do better.”

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Former Dothan player leads Stillman College defense

Dothan, AL - Former Dothan High standout Jarell Thomas is hungry to finish his college career with a bang. He figures the team he plays for – Stillman College - is primed for some big things as well.

“We have players that really want it and we have a coach (new head coach Teddy Keaton) we don’t mind fighting for,” Thomas said. “We are determined and don’t want to accept failure. We’re very hungry.”

Thomas, a senior linebacker, leads Stillman College with 44 tackles (18 solo, 26 assists) through the first four games of the season.



Stillman, which is located in Tuscaloosa and competes in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) on the Division II level, is off to a strong start at 3-1, 2-0 in conference play, after a win at Tuskegee last Saturday.

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Senior provides spark for Stillman offense

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - Deandre Holley played a significant role last Saturday when the Stillman College football team beat Kentucky State 31-29 on the road.

But the running back didn’t find out until Monday that he had reached a personal milestone. Holley’s contributions included a career- and team-high 106 yards rushing on 19 carries, including a 7-yard touchdown run. He caught two passes for 24 yards. His longest run covered 23 yards, and the longest catch went for 19.

“I didn’t see a stat sheet,” said Holley, a senior from Belle Glade, Fla. “Actually, it was Monday at practice when they were telling me. I was like, ‘OK, I want more.’”

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Stillman slips by Kentucky State

Frankfort, Kentucky - The Kentucky State football team channeled the spirit of Santa Claus Saturday night against Stillman College at Alumni Stadium. That was the assessment from KSU coach Wayne Dickens after the Thorobreds (2-1) fell 31-29 to the Tigers.

“We gave them a laundry basket full of gifts today,” he said. “You can’t expect to do that against a good team and win. Our guys have to learn that lesson, and when it you learn it, it’s painful.”

The basket of gifts included a 72-yard punt return touchdown by Raphael Amey that was called back for unnecessary roughness and a failed third-down conversion near the end of the first half that gave Stillman the ball back and allowed the Tigers to score.

There was also an uncharacteristic missed extra point by Cade Berryman that forced K-State to go for a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter, which it failed to convert. The two failed PAT tries would prove extremely costly in a 2-point defeat.

“I’m afraid when we go back and watch this film, we’ll see a lot of things that we just gave them,” Dickens said. “We decided to play Santa Claus. It’s OK to do that in December, but not now.”

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K-State prepares to open conference play against Stillman

Frankfort, KY - Kentucky State’s football team will put its unbeaten record on the line when it hosts Stillman College Saturday night at Alumni Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Saturday’s game will be the conference opener for both teams.

Stillman comes into the game at 1-1, having won at home against Shaw 16-13 to open the season and falling to Samford 48-6 last week in Birmingham, Ala. Freshman quarterback Dondre Purnell has led the Stillman offense with his arm and his feet.

In the win against Shaw, Purnell rushed for 130 yards on 14 carries and scored one touchdown. He was 5-for-6 passing in that game.

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Senior steps up to lead Stillman defense

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - Jarell Thomas was listening when Stillman College football coach Teddy Keaton talked to his seniors about leaving a legacy. Keaton, a Stillman graduate, is in his first season as head coach. Thomas wants to go out as a winner.

“I approached this season with a goal in mind,” said Thomas, an outside linebacker from Dothan. “The goal was to accomplish something that we haven’t accomplished in a while, and that’s to win over five games. During the summer workouts and all that, I just strived for the best.”

Thomas’ best was evident in the opener, when the Tigers defeated Shaw 16-13. Thomas was chosen as the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week. His contributions included 11 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry.

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Stillman travels to Samford

TUSCALOOSA, AL - Teddy Keaton, Stillman’s first-year head coach, didn’t invoke the “24-hour rule” after the Tigers opened the season last week with a 16-13 win over nationally-ranked Shaw University. Keaton didn’t want his players to forget about it. He wanted them to enjoy the victory and remember how it was earned.

“Of course, you want to enjoy the victory, but we’ve still got work to do,” Keaton said. “We’re trying to get our kids to understand winning is a habit. We want our kids to expect big plays, expect to catch the ball, expect to do things the right way." “Yes, in a way they’re riding the momentum, but we’ve tried to calm them down as much as we can. We’ve got a bigger challenge this week against a (Football Championship Subdivision) team.”

Samford, coached by former Auburn quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan, opened its season last week with a 31-17 loss to Georgia Southern.

Kickoff tonight is at 6 p.m.


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Stillman volleyball downs Lemoyne Owen

TUSCALOOSA, AL - Stillman College defeated Lemoyne Owen in straight sets at the SIAC West Volleyball Cluster on Friday. Set scores were 25-20, 25-18, 25-17.

For Stillman (2-5), Jamila McKinnis had 12 kills, seven digs and six blocks while LaShaunda Spurgeon added five kills and five blocks. Chelsea Nix also had five blocks while Phyllice Eubanks added four blocks, four digs, four assists and three kills. Cynteria Jones also finished with three kills and a block.


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Stillman Tigers starts season against No. 25 Shaw Bears

Coach Teddy Keaton
(Photo Courtesy: Steven Lockhart/Stillman College)

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - Teddy Keaton has only one chance to win his first game as Stillman College’s head football coach.

Stillman opens the season at 5 p.m. today against Shaw University from North Carolina. Shaw is ranked 25th in the American Football Coaches Association Division II poll and second in the Heritage Sports Radio Network for Division II Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The Bears posted a 9-3 record last season and won the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association title.

Shaw’s Charles Deas was the only CIAA player named to the Preseason HBCU All-American team as chosen by Boxtorow.com. Deas, a senior defensive lineman, had 56 tackles, 11.5 tackles for losses and 3.5 sacks in 2010.

No matter what happens today, Keaton has a plan for reviving the program at his alma mater.

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