Norfolk State Spartans Renew Virginia State Labor Day Rivalry to Kick Off 2017

Labor Day Classic Week Activities  |  Game Notes  |  Live Video  |  Live Stats  |  Listen Live

NORFOLK, Virginia --Two long-time rivals meet for the first time in five years Saturday as Norfolk State hosts Virginia State in the ABNB Labor Day Classic at Dick Price Stadium to open the 2017 season. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.
 
Game 1: Virginia State (0-0) at Norfolk State (0-0)
Saturday, Sept. 2 • 6 p.m. • William "Dick" Price Stadium (30,000)
Radio: WGH 1310 AM, WNSB 91.1 FM (Pre-game - 5:30 p.m.) - Play-by-Play: Ross Gordon; Color: Maguell Davis
Twitter Updates (NSU): @NSUSpartans • @NSU_FB
Series History: 51st meeting - VSU leads 26-20-1 (3 NSU wins vacated)
Last Meeting: NSU 24-0 (Sept. 1, 2012)
Series Streak: NSU won 6 straight on field; Last VSU win - 2005
 
1st and 10
1. NSU kicks off the 2017 season with the return of long-time Labor Day Classic foe and former CIAA rival Virginia State University.

2. The teams have not met since 2012, but have played 50 previous times. The teams met each other in the first game of the season every year from 1991-2009 in what became known as the Labor Day Classic.

3. Virginia State leads the all-time series with NSU. The Spartans have won 23 games on the field, but vacated three wins, leaving the series at 26-20-1 in VSU's favor.

4. Norfolk State College used to be a part of Virginia State University system. NSC teams were known as "Little State" and "Baby Trojans" and even wore blue and orange like VSU's teams. The Norfolk Division (now NSU) achieved its independence in 1969. In Greek mythology, the Spartans were a warlike people who were enemies of the Trojans, leading NSU to adopt its current nickname.

5. The Spartans return 19 players who started at least one game from last season's team which went 4-7 for the second year in a row, yet won three of its final four games to close 2016.



6. The Spartans were picked to finish seventh in the MEAC preseason poll of conference head coaches and sports information directors. DL Chris Lee (first team), TE Demetreus Ferebee (second team) and LB Kyle Archie (third team) were voted preseason All-MEAC selections.

7. This will be NSU head coach Latrell Scott's first time coaching against a VSU program which he directed from 2013-14. Scott compiled a 19-4 record in two seasons leading VSU, including a CIAA title and first-round NCAA Division II playoff win in 2014.

8. Scott is one of several NSU staff with close ties to VSU. Associate head coach and inside linebackers coach Andrew Faison preceded Scott as the head coach at VSU. Faison compiled a 58-52 record as coach of the Trojans from 2002-12. In addition, NSU director of football operations Shawn Hunt was a placekicker at VSU from 2011-13, playing under both Faison and Scott. Defensive coordinator Matt Dawson held the same position at VSU in 2013 under Scott.

9. Virginia State was picked to finish second in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Northern Division behind Bowie State in the league's preseason poll, and third overall when divisions were combined.

10. Senior running back Trenton Cannon was named both a preseason All-CIAA pick and a preseason black college All-American by Box To Row after leading the Trojans with a school-record 1,214 rushing yards last year. 

NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

HBCU Football Judgment Day Scoreboard - Week 1

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31



Tennessee State 17, Georgia State 10
Winston-Salem State 34, UNC Pembroke 31
Clark Atlanta 32, Mississippi College 29
West Georgia 34, Fort Valley State 9
Catawba 49, Saint Augustine's 0
Delaware 22. Delaware State 3
Arkansas  49, Florida A&M 7



SATURDAY, SEPT. 2

MEAC
Miami 41, Bethune-Cookman 13
Virginia State 14, Norfolk State 10
Towson 10, Morgan State 0
North Carolina A&T 45, Gardner-Webb 3
Duke 60, North Carolina Central 7
Ohio 59, Hampton 0
Howard at UNLV

SWAC
Mississippi Valley State at North Dakota State, 3:30 PM, ESPN3
Alabama A&M at Alabama-Birmingham, 3:30 PM
Morehouse at Arkansas Pine Bluff, 7 PM
Miles at Alcorn State, 7 PM
Jackson State at Texas Christian (TCU), TV: FOX
Grambling State at Tulane, 8 PM, ESPN3
Tuskegee at Alabama State, 8 PM
Prairie View at Texas Southern - Postponed

OTHER

Charleston (WV) at West Virginia State, 12 Noon
Lincoln (MO) at Langston, 3 PM

CIAA

Lincoln (PA) at Cheyney, 1 PM
Elizabeth City State at Cenral State (OH), 1 PM
Virginia Union at LIU Post, 1 PM
New Haven at Shaw, 1 PM
Bowie State at Seton Hill, 3 PM
Livingstone at Benedict, 5 PM
Wingate at Johnson C. Smith, 6 PM
Fayetteville State at Chowan, 6 PM

SIAC

Lane at Texas College, 1 PM
Slippery Rock at Kentucky State, 1:30 PM
Valdosta State at Albany State, 6 PM

SUNDAY, SEPT. 3

MEAC/SWAC Challenge
South Carolina State at Southern, 2:30 PM, TV: ESPN2, ESPN

FAMU's Overton confirms next Atlanta Classic will be at Mercedes-Benz Stadium

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas -- Florida A&M Athletic Director Milton Overton Jr. is working toward reviving the Atlanta Classic, and while he wasn't quite ready to name the Rattlers 2018 opponent, he confirmed the game's location.

The next Atlanta Classic, slated for 2018, will be played in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Overton said.



"We'll have to sell a lot of tickets," Overton said with a laugh. "It's an expensive venue."

Overton has envisioned the Rattlers playing in FAMU-owned classics since he first arrived on campus in August of 2015.

The Rattlers will play Tennessee State in the FAMU Tampa Classic on Sept. 16 in Raymond James Stadium.



CONTINUE READING

FAMU Rattlers penalized in Arkansas game for illegal jerseys

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas -- Florida A&M’s football team played Arkansas at a disadvantage Thursday that had nothing to do with the number of scholarships FAMU has compared to the Razorbacks.

The Rattlers were penalized at the start of each quarter due to illegal jerseys in their 49-7 defeat.

FAMU’s away jersey has white numbers with an orange outline on a white background.

The numbers on FAMU’s jerseys were tough to see from the press box here at War Memorial Stadium. The penalty meant FAMU lost a time out at the start of each quarter.

Milton Overton, FAMU’s athletics director, took responsibility for the jersey error.

“It’s a rule we probably should have known, frankly,” Overton said.

“However the rule changed two years ago around the same time we purchased the jerseys. We played all last year -- the official (Thursday) brought it to our attention.

CONTINUE READING

Price and Sewell run away with GCAC weekly awards

NEW ORLEANS — It was business as usual for Taylor Price and a notable debut for Camren Sewell, both of whom produced Xavier University of Louisiana's first Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Runner of the Week awards of the 2017 cross country season.
     
Price, a sophomore from Missouri City, Texas, and a graduate of Ridge Point High School, earned the sixth GCAC award of her career after winning the 2-mile race by nearly 30 seconds at the Xavier Big Easy Opener in City Park. Price's time of 12 minutes, 51.42 seconds was the second-fastest by a XULA woman at that distance.
     
Sewell, from Cincinnati and a graduate of La Salle High School, became the second Gold Rush freshman — the first since Mark Dotson in 2009 — to earn GCAC Runner of the Week as a result of his first collegiate performance. Sewell was third in the Big Easy men's division, running 5,000 meters in 17:36.27.
    
 The GCAC awards were for the week of Aug. 21-27.
     
Next for the Gold Nuggets and Gold Rush will be a Friday trip to Clinton, Miss., for the Mississippi College Opener. The women will run 4,000 meters at 5 p.m., followed by the men's 5K at 5:30.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

Tomasoni, Phillips, Dalla Vecchia sweep GCAC honors

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Juliana Tomasoni, Tiffany Phillipsand Anna Dalla Vecchia are recipients of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference's first weekly volleyball awards of the 2017 season.
     
Tomasoni was named GCAC Attacker of the Week for the third time in a career. A 5-foot-9 senior outside hitter from Nova Trento, Brazil, and a former Northeastern Oklahoma A&M standout, Tomasoni led the Gold Nuggets with 34 kills in four matches during the season-opening UM-Dearborn Early Bird at Dearborn, Mich. Tomasoni hit .260 and produced 56 digs.
     
Phillips, a 5-9 sophomore from Gardena, Calif., and a graduate of Bishop Montgomery High School, was chosen Setter of the Week for the seventh time in her career. She reached double figures in digs in each of the first three matches and produced a double-double — 23 assists and 16 digs — in a 5-set victory against Lawrence Tech.
     
Dalla Vecchia, a 5-7 freshman from Vicenza, Italy, was named Defender of the Week after leading the Gold Nuggets with 76 digs. She averaged 5.76 digs per set as XULA's primary libero in the first three matches.
     
Tomasoni, Phillips and Dalla Vecchia helped XULA earn the first 3-1 start in the program's history. The loss was in five sets to NAIA No. 24 Madonna.
     
The GCAC awards were for the week of Aug. 21-27.
     
The Gold Nuggets will play host to city rival Loyola at 6 p.m. Friday.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

Nuggets' 2017 home matches will be streamed live

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana will offer free live streaming of all home volleyball matches during the 2017 season via its official athletics website,xulagold.com, and YouTube.
     
It will be the first time that XULA offers this service on a regular basis for this sport. XULA broadcast the Gold Nuggets' home match with St. Francis (Ill.) in the 2016 NAIA National Championship Opening Round.
    
"Xavier is excited to provide live streaming of our home matches this season," said Director of Athletics & Recreation Jason Horn. "This will be a valuable service for many of our constituents, especially family members of our student-athletes."
     
Horn added, "From a broadcasting standpoint, the match against St. Francis was a success and a catalyst in helping us reach this point."
     The first streamed broadcast will be the Gold Nuggets' 6 p.m. Friday match against city rival Loyola at the Convocation Center.
    
 The schedule of streamed matches (all times Central):
     •  Sept. 1 (Fri.) vs. Loyola (N.O.), 6 p.m.
     •  Sept. 7 (Thu.) vs. Spring Hill, 6 p.m.
     •  Sept. 9 (Sat.) vs. Tougaloo, 1 p.m.
     •  Sept. 11 (Mon.) vs. Edward Waters, 6 p.m.
     •  Sept. 16 (Sat.) vs. Talladega, 1 p.m.
     •  Sept. 28 (Thu.) vs. Dillard, 6 p.m.
     •  Oct. 5 (Thu.) vs. William Carey, 6 p.m.
     •  Oct. 7 (Sat.) vs. Philander Smith, 1 p.m.
     •  Oct. 26 (Thu.) vs. SUNO, 6 p.m.
     
The Gold Nuggets' home match against Mobile — which was postponed Tuesday due to Tropical Storm Harvey — will be streamed after a makeup date is secured.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold