Gold XU Rush preseason rank is 12th straight in NAIA top 10

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana was in a familiar spot in the 2013 NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Preseason Poll announced Tuesday.
    
The Gold Rush, 18-8 this past season, are No. 8 in the first of nine team polls this year. It's the 12th consecutive top-10 appearance for the XU men dating to May 2011 and their 42nd consecutive top-25 ranking dating to April 2007.
    
It's also Xavier's highest preseason ranking in this sport. Xavier was ninth in the 2012 preseason and finished the year No. 7 after becoming the first from Xavier in any sport to reach the national quarterfinals since men's basketball in 1973.
    
Xavier opened its spring season this past weekend with a 6-1 loss to Tulane. The Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets will travel to Houma, La., to play Nicholls State at 4 p.m. Saturday. The next Gold Rush home match will start at 2 p.m. on Feb. 8 against NAIA No. 6 William Carey at the new XU Tennis Center.
    
The next two top 25s will be announced Feb. 19 and March 5.

NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records are from 2012 season) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (8) 20-4 279 3 2 Auburn Montgomery (2) 17-8 271 5 3 Vanguard (1) 15-11 265 6 4 Lindsey Wilson 19-6 245 10 5 Concordia (Calif.) 9-13 243 12 6 William Carey 17-5 235 9 7 Westmont 12-10 230 8 8 Xavier 18-8 223 7 9 Aquinas 26-3 212 13 10 Bethany (Kan.) 22-4 205 14 11 Cumberland 18-3 179 16 12 Belhaven 16-4 174 15 13 Olivet Nazarene 15-5 168 20 14 Campbellsville 19-7 166 17 15 Warner 13-5 160 18 16 Graceland 9-7 143 RV 17 McPherson 15-4 137 RV 18 Pikeville 12-6 126 RV 19 Northwestern Ohio 18-7 119 21 20 Webber International 15-7 116 23 21 Spring Arbor 10-2 100 24 22 Georgetown (Ky.) 12-11 90 RV 23 Coastal Georgia 6-7 89 NR 24 Biola 5-14 73 RV 25 Lee (Tenn.) 9-8 67 RV Others receiving votes: Indiana Wesleyan 55; Davenport 49, Missouri Valley 41, SCAD Savannah 23, St. Francis (Ill.) 14, Martin Methodist 13, Tennessee Wesleyan 6, Asbury 4, Hastings 3.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

WSSU looking for first win at J.C. Smith since 2006

RALEIGH, North Carolina  --  Winston-Salem State has won in men’s basketball nearly everywhere it has played since rejoining the CIAA before the 2010-11 season.

Johnson C. Smith’s Brayboy Gym — one of the CIAA’s smallest (capacity about 2,500) and toughest places to play — has been the exception.

“We haven’t won there in my career,” said guard Marcus Wells, a senior who is 0-2 at Brayboy.

No. 16-ranked WSSU (15-3, 2-1 CIAA Southern Division) will try to reverse that tonight at Johnson C. Smith (13-6, 2-1) in a game between teams tied for second place in the division. Tipoff is set for 7:30.

A combination of things makes Brayboy a tough place to play, including how close the fans are to the court and Johnson C. Smith’s long tradition of success. For WSSU, which last won at Brayboy in 2006 but didn’t play there from 2007 to 2010, there’s also the rivalry.

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XU Nuggets are 13th, matching their best preseason ranking

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana was 13th — matching the program's highest preseason ranking — in the 2013 NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Preseason Poll announced Tuesday.

The Gold Nuggets, 7-22 this past season but a qualifier for the NAIA National Championship by virtue of winning an unaffiliated group tournament, matched the preseason rank of Xavier's 2007 team. This is the Nuggets' highest ranking at any point in a season since they were 13th in the final poll of 2008. Only three times have the XU women ranked higher than 13th; all three occurred in 2007.
    
Xavier began its spring season Friday with a 9-0 victory against city rival Loyola in the first intercollegiate dual at the new XU Tennis Center, which opened in October. The Gold Nuggets and Gold Rush will travel to Houma, La., to play Nicholls State at 4 p.m. Saturday. The Gold Nuggets' next home match will start at 2 p.m. on Feb. 23 against McNeese State at the XU Tennis Center.
    
The next two top 25s will be announced Feb. 19 and March 5.

NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records are from 2012 season) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Auburn Montgomery (12) 26-2 312 1 2 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 23-4 302 2 3 Brenau 14-6 292 6 4 Lindsey Wilson 17-4 276 8 5 Concordia (Calif.) 15-8 275 7 6 William Carey 15-10 264 9 7 Lewis-Clark State 8-15 243 14 8 Westmont 7-11 239 18 9 SCAD Savannah 9-4 233 13 10 Vanguard 7-11 226 15 11 Indiana Wesleyan 25-5 213 16 12 Campbellsville 14-8 205 17 13 Xavier 7-22 196 19 14 Olivet Nazarene 12-8-1 179 RV 15 Lee (Tenn.) 9-7 170 20 16 Robert Morris (Chicago) 19-3 168 21 17 St. Thomas (Fla.) 5-4 151 23 18 Oklahoma Baptist 10-8 142 24 19 Marian (Ind.) 21-6 129 25 20 Bethel (Kan.) 15-6 115 RV 21 Martin Methodist 11-4 106 22 22 Cumberland 6-10 90 NR 23 Belhaven 14-7 78 RV 24 Nebraska Wesleyan 12-9 70 RV 25 Davenport 21-6 65 RV Others receiving votes: Webber International 61, Georgetown (Ky.) 59, Milligan 56, Northwestern Ohio 36, Graceland 30, SCAD Atlanta 17, Indiana Southeast 15, Hope International 11, Cumberlands 6, Missouri Valley 4.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
XULAATHLETICS

Paine baseball team expects to contend for conference title

AUGUSTA, Georgia  --  After losing the conference championship to a perennial power a year ago, Paine’s baseball team has unfinished business.

With coach Kerby Marshall entering his second year with the program, the team returns most of its bats from a solid offense a year ago, and additional pitching depth, Paine is coming together.

The Lions won 30 games and reached the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship in 2012 before bowing out to Stillman, which won the championship for the fifth time in six years.

“It was a major process to go through without having a team of kids that I recruited,” Marshall said. “We had to learn how to work together to become a good team. I think it was a pretty good season, but it could have been a lot better. This year, we’re definitely going to make another run for it.”

Entering a new season, Paine is returning ...

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Searching for the next Kaepernick, Flacco

NEW ORLEANS -- Call this year's Super Bowl the battle of the QB Davids.

Delaware alum Joe Flacco and Nevada alum Colin Kaepernick were, in college, about as far removed from the glitz and glamour of big-time football as you can imagine.

Which could bode well for the following five quarterback prospects, who all hail from non-traditional football schools.

So, if one of these 2013 NFL draft candidates start in the Super Bowl one day, remember where you heard about them first.



4. James Stallons Specs: 6-6, 210 pounds
School: Shaw University (enrollment: 2,265)

Stats: Stallons' 3,101 passing yards last year shattered the Shaw record by nearly 1,000 yards. He also led the conference with 310.1 yards per game.

Fake scout says: Stallons is a big-armed pocket passer who will have to get rid of the ball quicker if he wants to sniff any playing time at the next level.

Potential Super Bowl puff piece: Stallons is the first white quarterback in Shaw history. A transfer who started his college career at Wisconsin, Stallons says he chose the small North Carolina school because it had won four CIAA championships since 2003.

Odds of playing in a Super Bowl: Slim. Sure, he's big, but unless Stallons develops a Marino-like release or goes to a team with a stellar O-line, he's toast.

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FAMU Alumnus Travis Williams to be featured in HBO Documentary ‘Gideon's Army'

Travis Williams, Esq.

TALLAHASSEE, Florida –  For Florida A&M University (FAMU) alumnus Travis Williams, growing up in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and seeing how the poor were “abused by the criminal justice system” inspired the public defender to want to work to prevent injustices from occurring.

“I see this job as the best way to prevent (these injustices) even though it's only one case at a time in my small section of the world,” said Williams, a senior attorney at the Hall County Public Defender's Office in Gainesville, Ga.

Williams’ passion was recently noted in a documentary called Gideon's Army, which will appear on the cable network HBO later this year. A segment of the piece was featured on the New York Times website as part of an op-doc ‘True Believers in Justice’ (Video & NY Times Article)

Williams was approached after a few short interviews to be a part of the documentary, to which he admits he reluctantly said yes.

“I was a little nervous at first to have a camera crew invade my personal and professional life but then I reconsidered,” he said. “I wanted to make sure there was an enthusiastic voice for justice portrayed in the film.”
   
The documentary follows Williams and two other public defenders based in the South. The film focuses on the struggles of working as a public defender, and issues dealing with difficult cases, managing the workload and the act of balancing a personal life. Williams recently returned from the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, where the film premiered.

“I was blown away,” he said of viewing the documentary. “It is weird seeing yourself on the big screen but overall, I was satisfied with the way I was portrayed.”
   
Williams earned his bachelor’s degree from the FAMU School of Business and Industry in 2005, and his juris doctorate from the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga. While at FAMU, Williams was a freshman and sophomore senator and served as an escort for the Royal Court during his sophomore year. During his freshmen year, he was awarded the Freshman Senator of the Year Award. In 2011, the Georgia Association of Circuit Public Defenders recognized the young attorney as the inaugural Assistant Public Defender of the Year. In 2012, he was also honored as one of 14 “Rising Lawyers Under 40” in Georgia by the Daily Report, a newspaper for lawyers in Georgia.
   
“I will always owe FAMU everything,” said a humbled Williams. “FAMU taught me that if I work hard enough, anything is possible.”

COURTESY FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS

Lincoln's Sims picks Florida A&M

Chole Sims
6-2/260 OL
2012 ALL-BIG BEND FIRST TEAM

Sims commits to FAMU over offers from B-CU and Tennessee State

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- The Earl Holmes effect continues to play out among local players for the FAMU football program, as Lincoln offensive tackle Chole Sims announced Tuesday that he’s committed to becoming a Rattler.

Just like the two previously disclosed commitments before him, Sims said he was impressed with the direction that Holmes would like to take the program. Holmes was hired earlier this month for his first collegiate head-coaching job.

Sims’ commitment came three days after he took a visit to FAMU.

“It’s like a family, like where I came from at Lincoln,” Sims said. “I like the coaching staff, really. With Coach Holmes, I feel like they have a good program going. I feel like they know what they’re doing.”

Bolstering the offensive line had been a priority for Holmes’ predecessor, Joe Taylor, and Holmes seemingly is continuing to add depth to the unit. Last season, FAMU played with a line that had Robert Hartley as the only senior and at points during the season had all freshmen around him.

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Apopka center Dazzie Morris commits to Bethune-Cookman

Morris commits to B-CU over offers from FAMU, North Carolina A&T, Charleston Southern, Presbyterian College and eight other FCS programs.

APOPKA, Florida  --  Apopka offensive lineman Dazzie Morris has committed to play college football at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, and he is excited about the opportunity.

“I’m feeling good about it,” Morris said. “It’s Division 1 [Football Championship Subdivision] football and they win … they’re the MEAC champions.

“Mostly I like it because it’s just like Apopka. It’s hard work, it’s discipline and they harp on family.”

Morris, who played center for the 2012 Florida Class 8A state champion Blue Darters, and has also played guard and tackle at Apopka, said he sees a little bit of his coach Rick Darlington in the way B-CU coach Brian Jenkins carries his authority.



“He’s cool. He’s really intense and that’s a good thing,” Morris said. “He asks a lot of his players on and off the field and that’s also a good thing.

“He talks about graduation his people and it’s the part that people don’t think about so much, but you gotta get your degree when you go to college, not just play football.”

B-CU has been on the Dazzie Morris wagon for a long time. The coaches saw him play last spring at Daytona Beach Memorial Stadium when the Blue Darters faced Seabreeze in the spring game, and BC-U coaches were on the horn with a scholarship offer the next day.

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New vibe at CIAA

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  --  This isn’t your daddy’s CIAA.  The 12-member collegiate athletics conference is moving forward in its second century with a new commissioner, branding and a 21st century approach to its signature event – the annual basketball tournament. Commissioner Jacqie Carpenter, the first black woman to lead a conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, has overseen the transition in five months on the job. “Initially, it was a little difficult for me because I was a part of the old branding as a former student-athlete at a CIAA school, but this is fresh,” the graduate of Hampton (Va.) University said on Tuesday at a press conference in Charlotte. “It’s new, it’s exciting. We’ve got our membership on board, our presidents on board and I’m excited to talk about our brand and the new direction our conference is going in.” The tournament is Feb. 28-March 2 at Time Warner Cable Arena. Carpenter unveiled the new league logo at the Charlotte Convention Center. The double-circular seal incorporates the league’s acronym; five stars (for founding members Hampton, Howard, Lincoln, Shaw and Virginia Union universities) and two sheaves of wheat representing growth and education. The update replaces a brand that had been used since 1985. READ MORE

Gold Rush 10-1 on road after 57-53 OT victory at Mobile

Anthony Simmons

Wanto Joseph

Denzell Erves

MOBILE, Ala. -- Seniors Wanto Joseph, Anthony Simmons and Denzell Erves combined for all but three of Xavier University of Louisiana's points after halftime in a 57-53 overtime men's basketball victory against Mobile on Monday.

The Gold Rush (19-4), ranked 11th in NAIA Division I, completed a two-game season sweep of the Rams (11-9). Xavier has won eight of its last nine games. The Gold Rush are 10-1 on the road this season.

Joseph scored 17 points, Simmons 15 and Erves 12 for Xavier, which led 20-18 at halftime but needed a Simmons free throw with 15 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the score at 49 and force overtime.

Joseph's two free throws at 3:39 of overtime tied the score at 51, then he converted his steal into an assist to Erves for a basket at 2:54 to put the Gold Rush ahead to stay, 53-51.

Mobile missed two shots in the final 20 seconds which could've tied the score. Erves made two free throws with two seconds remaining to clinch the victory. Xavier is 3-0 in overtime this season, its best mark since going 4-0 in 1992-93.

Chris Richardson scored 13 points for Mobile, which had dropped three straight, and Julien Sargent had 12 points and eight rebounds.

Xavier missed all six of its 3-point attempts but outshot Mobile 44.2 to 34 percent from the floor. The Rams had a 36-30 rebound advantage, but Erves grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds in his 14th double-double of the season and 21st of his career.

Xavier has beaten Mobile seven consecutive times -- the longest Gold Rush win streak in the series -- and 10 of the past 11. Xavier leads the series 32-26.

Xavier's next game will start at noon Saturday against Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opponent Talladega at XU's new Convocation Center. Xavier and Philander Smith are 6-1 in the GCAC and share first place.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Nuggets get a dozen from three, win 76-58 at Mobile

MOBILE, Ala. -- Whitney Gaston-Loyd, Whitney Gathright and Chelsea Broussard scored 12 points each Monday to lead NAIA No. 14 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 76-58 women's basketball victory against Mobile.

The victory was the fourth in a row for the Gold Nuggets (16-4) and their second this season in two meetings with the Lady Rams (11-10). Xavier clinched its 12th consecutive winning season, which extends a school record, and will finish above .500 for the 20th time in 21 seasons.

Gaston-Loyd and Gathright were a combined 9-of-9 from the floor -- Gaston-Loyd made all six of her attempts -- and Broussard led Xavier with seven rebounds.

Carmen Holcombe had nine points and six rebounds for the Gold Nuggets, and Paige Gauthier had eight points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals. Gauthier, Gathright and Andraquay Quinnine each made two 3-pointers.

Briana Edwards had 20 points and eight rebounds for Mobile, and Deonica McCormick had 17 points, seven assists and three steals.

Xavier trailed 17-12 in the ninth minute, then scored the next 14 points to take the lead for good. Broussard's basket at 6:57 capped the run and gave the Gold Nuggets a 26-17 lead. Xavier led 36-27 at halftime and held a double-digit advantage for the final 13:27.

Xavier, winning by double digits for the 12th time this season, had a 43-28 rebound advantage -- the Gold Nuggets had 25 offensive rebounds -- committed 15 turnovers and gained 23. Mobile outshot the Gold Nuggets 43.8 to 39.4 percent from the floor.

Xavier's next game will start at 6 p.m. Thursday against William Carey at XU's new Convocation Center.

By Ed Cassiere, SID
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

NCCU runs by Morgan State, still unbeaten in MEAC

DURHAM, North Carolina  —  N.C. Central hasn’t lost all month, getting its seventh straight win Monday night in front of a McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium crowd that is developing a palate for the sweet taste of success in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

NCCU beat Morgan State 69-61, the score indicative of a closely contested ballgame.

The Eagles (13-7, 6-0 MEAC) had a little bit more heart than the Bears, Morgan State coach Todd Bozeman said.

“It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say they wanted it more, and they worked at it,” Bozeman said.



“Clearly, we have size, we have talent. But we’ve just got to do a better job of focusing. We’ve got to do the little things. 

“You’re not going to win many ballgames if you miss 17 free throws and (have) 18 turnovers.”

About that size Bozeman referred to, Morgan State had 7-2 center Ian Chiles in its starting lineup.
NCCU’s Jay Copeland had to guard him.

“I’m only 6-7,” Copeland said.

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Texas Southern outshoots rival Alabama State

HOUSTON, Texas  -- Omar Strong scored 27 points, including five 3-pointers, and the Tigers shot a 52 percent from the field Monday in a 97-65 trouncing of Alabama State.

Lawrence Danner-Johnson contributed 20 points and hit six 3-pointers for Texas Southern. Ray Penn scored 19 points, Fred Sturdivant put in 13 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, and Aaron Clayborn added 11 points.

“Tonight we did not do a good job of getting out to the shooters to take away those long shots, and they shot it well,” Alabama State coach Lewis Jackson said.

Phillip Crawford lead ASU with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Joshua Freelove scored 14 points. The Hornets only shot 35 percent, including just four of 20 3-point attempts.

Jamel Waters put in eight points and recorded a team-high six assists and four steals.

ASU trailed by 10 at halftime when Texas Southern went on a 16-5 run to put the game away.

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FAU Tennis Falls to Florida A&M

ORLANDO, Florida  -  The Florida Atlantic University men's tennis team fell to 0-2 on the season with a 5-2 setback to Florida A&M University on Sunday at San Lando Park in Orlando.

The Owls earned the doubles point when the tandem of senior Jose Fantova and sophomore Richard Meade won a tiebreaker at the No. 2 position. Sophomore Robert Dubuque and freshman Andrei Morin-Kougoucheff picked up a victory at No. 3 doubles 8-7 (7). However, Florida A&M won five of the six singles matches to record the victory. Sophomore Will Neuner picked up the only singles victory with a 6-3, 6-0 win at the No. 2 position. The victory marked his third straight and 11th win overall. Three of the six singles matches went three sets. FAU returns to the court on Saturday, February 2 at 10 a.m. against Florida State University in Tallahassee. The team host Troy University on Sunday, February 3 at noon. Florida A&M 5, Florida Atlantic 2

Singles
No. 1 Salif Kante (FAMU) def. Jose Fantova (FAU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
No. 2 Will Neuner (FAU) def. Admire Mushonga (FAMU) 6-3, 6-0
No. 3 Chidi Gabriel (FAMU) def. Andrei Morin-Kougoucheff (FAU) 7-5, 6-2
No. 4 Takura Happy (FAMU) def. Richard Meade (FAU) 6-4, 6-2
No. 5 Zack Evenden (FAMU) def. Sean Bacha (FAU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
No. 6 Temeura Asafu-Adjaye (FAMU) def. Matthew Samberg (FAU) 7-6, 5-7, 6-2

Doubles
No. 1 Kante/Happy (FAMU) def. Bacha/Neuner (FAU) 8-2
No. 2 Fantova/Meade (FAU) def. Gabriel/Mushonga (FAMU) 8-7 (3)
No. 3 Robert Dubuque/Morin-Kougoucheff (FAU) def. Asafu-Adjaye/Evenden (FAMU) 8-7 (7)

Final Stats


COURTESY FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Mansfield's Verlan Hunter commits to Grambling State

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Grambling continues to build a football pipeline into Mansfield High School.

For the second time in as many weeks, the Tigers have landed a commitment from a Wolverines football player.

Mansfield wide receiver Verlan Hunter, a 6-foot-3 1/2, 190-pounder, pledged to the Tigers on Monday, joining teammate Arkez Cooper, who committed last week.

“They told me I had an opportunity to get in and play if I put in the work,” Hunter said.

Hunter, a two-sport standout who helped lead the Wolverines to the state basketball semifinals, caught 16 touchdown passes for the Class 2A playoff participants.

It was just Hunter’s second season of high school football.

“I think Grambling got the steal of the state,” Mansfield coach Glen Hall said. “They got a big, big-play receiver.”

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Godby Cougars' Helms commits to Florida A&M

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  Luke Helms, an inside linebacker who played on Godby High School’s state champion football team two months ago, has decided to pass on potential offers from several SEC and ACC programs as he has committed to FAMU.

Helms, who took a weekend visit to FAMU, will join his brother, Matthew, a defensive end who played on special teams for the Rattlers last season.

“I made the decision early because we had been praying for it for a long time; just trying to fit into the right school and to see what God wanted me to do and where he wanted me to be,” Helms said Sunday night. “We started calling coaches for their perspective on life and football and theirs (FAMU’s) lined up exactly with ours. That is one of the main reasons I committed.”

He said he’d visited six schools, including Georgia Tech, Florida, Purdue and Vanderbilt before making his decision.

As a member of the Cougars’ championship team, Helms (6-foot-2, 220 pounds) was credited with 120 tackles, four sacks, and 10 quarterback hurries. He played only his senior season at Godby after spending the previous year at North Florida Christian. Helms began his high school career at Leon.

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2013 HONDA BATTLE OF THE BANDS SHOWCASE

ATLANTA, Georgia - The 2013 Honda Battle of the Bands Showcase exceeded all expectations, even without the Florida A&M University Marching 100 Band, which is still on university imposed suspension. Watch as much improved Edward Waters College and Albany State puts on great shows... Edward Waters, the pride of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, clearly had a superior musical sound for the small category bands. Go EWC Tigers!

If you missed Saturday night Super Bowl for HBCU Marching Bands, here are some high definition and surround sound highlights courtesy of local videographers. 

The winners?  It's a tie...  Enjoy!  (beepbeep)