Benedict Tigers hungry for leaders

 GALLERY: MEDIA DAY: Benedict College

Columbia, S.C. - Benedict College is one week from opening its football season against Virginia Union in the Palmetto Capital City Classic at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium, but things are far from settled in Tigers camp.

Along with a youth movement, the team was rocked by news that starting quarterback Michael Adams will miss the season after tearing an ACL in practice last week.

"I guess you could say we’ve had our share of setbacks, but I look at setbacks as setups — opportunities for other players who are prepared to take advantage,” coach Stan Conner said.

The Tigers could start as many as nine sophomores and one freshman in the opener, but most of the attention will fall on the quarterback position in Conner’s double-wing, option-based attack.

Sophomore Johnny Carson and redshirt freshman Harlon Samuels are prime candidates to fill the void, but former Irmo star LeAnder Barney, a transfer from Georgia Southern, is in the mix.

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First team looks the part during FAMU scrimmage

Tallahassee, FL - Every time freshman quarterback Damien Fleming returned to the sidelines — whether he was leading the Orange or Green team — he was met with a lot of helmet-slapping and high-fiving.

He hardly looked like the newest addition to the Florida A&M quarterback corps, instead appearing as if he was soaking up every minute of his appearance during Saturday night's scrimmage at Bragg Stadium. It was almost as if Fleming wanted to prove to coach Joe Taylor he is indeed a solid backup to starter Austin Trainor.

Taylor promoted the freshman from Jacksonville from fourth-string to No. 2 on the depth chart because of an injury that has sidelined Memphis transfer Tyler Bass most of the first three weeks of preseason camp. Fleming and Trainor alternated under center for the Green team, which put up 74 points on the scoreless Orange squad that was made up of second- and third-teamers.

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Ultimate football state: No one can touch Alabama for football success

Excerpt:

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Seven different universities in this state have combined to claim 31 national titles, and it's not just the University of Alabama with 13 championships and Auburn University with a pair of its own.

It's Tuskegee with eight Historically Black College and University titles, stretching from 1924 to 2007.

Alabama A&M in 2009 and Alabama State in 2010 won their divisions to advance to the SWAC Championship Game.

Tuskegee won the 2009 Pioneer Bowl, the only NCAA-sanctioned bowl game for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, its fourth victory in that game in five years.

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Virginia Union University football opens season today

Richmond, VA - Kevin Grisby knows he's lucky to have a job. On May 9, his position as head football coach at Saint Paul's was terminated when the school cut the athletics program to keep the school alive.

Players and coaches were left scrambling to find new teams. Virginia Union hired Grisby as defensive coordinator. Others weren't as fortunate. Some coaches haven't found jobs, yet. Some players are still without a team.

"Bad timing," Grisby said. "It was pretty tough on the kids and the coaches."



His job description includes installing a new defense at Virginia Union, transitioning to a new school and a new team and helping abandoned Saint Paul's players find new homes. His first chance to showcase his defense comes today, when Union hosts Saint Augustine's in the season opener at 2 p.m. The game was scheduled late because both teams were supposed to play Saint Paul's this year.

Grisby served as Union's defensive coordinator from 1997-2003. He was part of the 2001 squad that claimed the CIAA championship.

Live Stats  Live Audio  

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Belhaven escapes in the fifth to spoil Hamilton's XU debut

JACKSON, Miss. -- For just the second time in Xavier University of Louisiana's women's volleyball history, the Gold Nuggets forced a fifth set after losing the first two.

But Belhaven escaped with a 25-19, 25-17, 18-25, 24-26, 15-12 victory Friday in the 2011 opener for both teams and the XU debut of head coach Christabell Hamilton.

"We started off slow and very timid. It was the collegiate debut of our seven freshmen, and they were very much overwhelmed," Hamilton said. "But once we got our rhythm, things started clicking for us."

Xavier outhit Belhaven .260 to .085 in the final three sets after the Blazers outhit the Nuggets .273 to minus-.057 in the first two.

2011 XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA GOLD NUGGETS VOLLEYBALL TEAM
(Click photo to enlarge--credit: XULA Sports Information)

No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. Exp. Hometown High School (Previous College/JC)
7 Iva Bobkova RS/OH 5-10 Sr. 1L Brno, Czech Republic Ludvika Danka (New Mexico Military JC)
13 Jeanay Butler OH 5-8 Fr. HS Fort Mill, S.C. Charlotte Country Day
4 Kerris Crier MB 5-9 So. 1L Houston, Texas Westfield
12 Chinedu Echebelem OH/DS 5-6 Fr. HS Dallas, Texas Duncanville
8 Patrice Hightower S/DS 5-5 Sr. 1L New Orleans, La. McGehee
3 Joyy Joseph DS 5-2 Sr. 1L Donaldsonville, La. Ascension Catholic
15 Moira Kirk MB 5-9 Fr. HS Dallas, Texas Bishop Lynch
1 Celeste Poe L/DS 5-4 Sr. 1L Cerritos, Calif. Gahr
14 Alexandra Rencher S 5-6 Fr. HS Mobile, Ala. Davidson
2 Taylor Reuther OH 5-7 Fr. HS Metairie, La. Dominican
6 Kia Smith S 5-6 Fr. HS Humble, Texas Nimitz
9 Morgan Stallings MB/RS 5-7 Fr. HS Spring, Texas Klein Oak

HEAD COACH: Christabell Hamilton (Eastern New Mexico 2005), first season
ASSISTANT COACH: Darrilyn Broussard (Xavier 1986), third season
GRADUATE ASSISTANT COACH: Brittney Johnson (LSU 2011), first season
VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT COACH: Lashira Williams (Virginia Union 2011), first season

Freshmen accounted for 36 of Xavier's 45 kills, with Taylor Reuther collecting 16 and Chinedu Echebelem 10 in their debuts. Reuther also had 17 digs and two aces, and senior Celeste Poe had a career-high-tying 16 digs.

Taylor Williams had 16 kills and 20 digs for Belhaven. Christina Atwood had 13 kills, Samantha O'Malley 11 and Natalie Davis 10 for the Blazers. Katherine Owen had 17 digs, and Serita Owen had six blocks.

Belhaven outhit Xavier .154 to .121 for the match, and both teams had 63 digs. The Blazers had eight more kills than Xavier, plus advantages of 7-3 in aces and 11-5 in blocks.

Belhaven did not drop a set in beating Xavier twice last season. The Blazers won at Xavier in the Nuggets' 2010 opener, which was XU's first intercollegiate match since 2004.

"To stick it out and fight to the fifth set showed heart and character," Hamilton said. "The upperclassmen did a good job in being good leaders and keeping things calm out there.

"It's tough to fight that hard and not get that win, especially on the road, but we now know what we are capable of. We are coming back Sunday to keep working on getting better."

Xavier will play its home opener at 7 p.m. Monday against Mobile at The Barn.


Box score

NOTES: Reuther, a standout last season at St. Mary's Dominican High School in New Orleans, did something no Gold Nugget did last season -- reach 15 kills and 15 digs in the same match.  Erin Vincent had three kill-dig double-doubles in 2010 and didn't record her first until XU's 16th match . . .Belhaven's Ashley Stathas, an assistant at USC Upstate the past four seasons, also made her collegiate head-coaching debut . . .The only other time Xavier reached a fifth set after dropping the first two was in a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference home victory against Dillard last season . . .Hamilton said the Nuggets' GCAC opener against SUNO at The Barn on Sept. 17 was pushed back to 4 p.m.

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

Capers to be Smith's top returning threat

Charlotte, N.C. - Avius Capers can't go unnoticed much longer.

As a freshman receiver at Johnson C. Smith, he was virtually unknown from Independence High, one of North Carolina's top football programs. As a sophomore, Capers is the top returning threat on an offense that led the CIAA in passing in 2010. No one - except Capers perhaps - expected it.

"I don't like to talk about it," he said. "I like to show by example so they can see for themselves."

Capers worked his way up the depth chart last year, going from fourth receiver to starter with the Golden Bulls during a 2-8 campaign. He caught 21 passes for 313 yards and two scores, trailing only Jeremy Franklin, the school's all-time receiving leader. His best effort was a four-catch, 119-yard game against Livingstone in the season finale that included a season-long 75-yard touchdown.

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NCCU Eagles ready to fly under Frazier

Durham, N.C. - The Henry Frazier III train is about to start. But what a first stop on the track back to respectability. N.C. Central opens its season Sept. 3 at Rutgers in a game that will be broadcast on ESPN3.

After three straight losing seasons, including last year's 3-8 embarrassment, Frazier was hired to do what he does best - turn losers into winners. But NCCU is not a hard fix. Despite their record, the Eagles have plenty of talent returning, including redshirt senior quarterback Michael Johnson (1,179 yards, 8 TDs) and top junior wide receiver Geovonie Irvine (758 yards, 5 TDs).



The offense averaged 307 total yards, 1,559 rushing yards and 1,818 passing yards per game. Still, it had trouble finding the end zone in the second part of the season. Turnovers caused the most problems, however with eight offensive starters returning, Frazier thinks he has a fix on that.

"I expect the offense to score some points," the former Prairie View A&M and Bowie State coach said. "We have weapons to be a true multiple offense and have true balance. I expect us to take care of the ball and take what the defense gives us."

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