MVSU Delta Devils cross country repeats as SWAC champs

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CLINTON, Mississippi – The Mississippi Valley State men's cross country team captured the SWAC

It marked the fourth overall championship title for the Delta Devils, including their third in the last four years. MVSU's Danielle Douglas was tabbed Coach of the Year for the second straight year.

MVSU had three runners to finish in the top 10 totaling 66 points. Valley's Daniel Kibet won the individual crown in the men's 8k for a second consecutive year, crossing the finish line at 26:28.16. As a result, he earned the SWAC Cross Country Male Athlete of the Year. His teammate, Felix Kiprop, finished second with a time of 26:28.16.

Jose Serrano came in 6^th place with a time of 27:29.02 while Romello Nalepa captured the 15^th spot with a 27:57.94 finish.
Cross Country Championship Monday for the second straight year at the Watson Cross Country Course of Choctaw Trails.

Other Valley athletes include: Juan Perez (42^nd, 30:17.60), Victor Chesang (30:43.18) and Earl Winters (58^th, 37:49.17).

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2013 All-SWAC Men's Cross Country - First Team
Name	Team
Daniel Kipet	Mississippi Valley State
Felix Kiprop	Mississippi Valley State
Sorone Batiste	Prairie View A&M
Brian Alvarado	Texas Southern
Brandon Coombs	Alabama State

2013 All-SWAC Men's Cross Country - Second Team
Name	Team
Jose Serrano	Mississippi Valley State
Trevor Gayten	Grambling State
John Watkins	Prairie View A&M
Samuel Rhodes	Jackson State
Deonte Pope	Grambling State

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Frosh Bell got starting QB nod after veteran Reid's injury

DURHAM, North Carolina — The shakeup under center that generated a weekend win for N.C. Central had less to do with Jordan Reid’s production as the starting signal caller and was more about his fitness to physically handle the job, NCCU interim coach Dwayne Foster said Monday afternoon.

“The decision actually came down to Jordan’s health,” Foster said. “Jordan’s been fighting through some injuries over the past couple of weeks, and we thought that a healthier quarterback in Malcolm Bell would give us the best chance to win.”

NCCU beat Savannah State 24-10 on Saturday, and Bell, a redshirt freshman who was making his first college start, passed for 174 yards and threw for a touchdown to go along with a rushing touchdown.


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Reid, a redshirt senior, had been the starter all season for NCCU (4-4, 2-2 MEAC).

Foster said Reid got hurt again during Thursday’s practice and was checked out by a doctor on Friday morning, keeping him from riding to Georgia with the team.

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The day after JSU’s 51-38 win over Prairie View

JACKSON, Mississippi  -- Jackson State is two wins away from an undefeated conference season. But it needs only one to clinch the Eastern Division and punch a ticket to Houston for the SWAC Championship game.

JSU outlasted Prairie View Saturday for the 51-38 victory, and moved 7-2, 7-0 SWAC. Its offense posted a season-high 555 yards, its defense held PVAM scoreless in the fourth and redshirt freshman Canard Brown looks like a promising punt returner for JSU.

As Rick Comegy said after the game, the win was a team effort, and that’s what Jackson State needs to be seeing at this point in the season.

The Tigers get another rest and return to action on Nov. 9 against Alabama A&M.

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At Grambling, a Proud Football Program at Risk

GRAMBLING, Louisiana — All week, the football team and the athletic department at Grambling tried to return to normal, even if normal as they knew it was chaotic and underfunded and conflicted.

On Wednesday, workers painted hash marks on the field at Eddie G. Robinson Stadium. Officials ran out of room for reporters in the press box. Police officers stood sentry at the football complex entrance, their squad cars parked inside the metal fence. Talk centered on lawsuits and fines for the forfeit; on mold and dilapidated weight-room floors; on what happens now, after Grambling announced to the world it was broke.
      

Players returned to practice, and this was significant because late last week, they did not practice, and last Saturday, they did not play. As a proud university rich in tradition sorted through the disarray of the past 10 days — the boycott, a campus rally, the suspension and reinstatement of two student journalists, the removal of a second football coach this season — two issues emerged as primary causes: the brutal financial strains confronting the nation’s historically black colleges and universities and the region’s public universities; and the common discord on college campuses between powerful football coaches and administrators who want to exert control.

 

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ASU Lady Hornets Three-Peat as SWAC Champs; Men Finish 2nd

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CLINTON, Mississippi — The Alabama State women's cross country team won its third straight SWAC Championship, while the men finished second Monday at the league meet held at Mississippi College.

The Alabama State women's team easily outdistanced second-place Mississippi Valley State, which finished with 99 points.

The Lady Hornets were led by Paige Rankin, who finished second overall with a time of 18:20. ASU had five other top-10 finishes to include taking spots 3-5. Artrailia Lesane (18:27.05) placed third (18:27.05), Tatiana Etienne (19:06.55) placed fourth, Kim Wedderburn (19:06:98) placed fifth, Shantia Wilson's (19:37.91) seventh and Soyong Smith (19:56.87) ninth for Alabama State.

Jerrica Mahone (20:32.28), Santina Williams (20:33.45), and Markia Bartely (22:26.91) help wrap up the victory for the Lady Hornets.

The Lady Hornets ran a combined time of 1:34:38.67, averaging 18:55.74 per runner.

"Anytime you can win three championships in a row, it's special," said head coach Ritchie Beene, who again won SWAC Women's Head Coach of the Year honors. "As the saying goes, the third time is the charm, and the charm came because we had six runners finish in the top 10, which in my career has never happened before. We're going to enjoy this moment and then prepare to move on to the next phase of the season.


Rankin, LeSane, Etienne, and Wedderburn all received First-Team All-SWAC honors and Smith was named to the Second-Team. With the win, the Lady Hornets have now qualified for the NCAA South Region.  The regional championship will be held in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Nov.15^th.

Behind Alabama State and Mississippi Valley, were Jackson State (135 pts.), Grambling (141 pts.), Texas Southern (145 pts.), Southern (145 pts.), Prairie View (150 pts.), Alcorn State (154 pts.), Alabama A&M (181 pts.) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (205 pts.).

The men came into the championship looking to improve on their fifth-place finish from last season.  They were able to do that and more with a strong second-place finish.

The Hornets were led by Brandon Coombs who finished 5th, crossing the finish line in 27:27.28. Andrew Coicou (27:58.56) finished 16^th, Bryont Brown (28:01.29) finished 17^th and Tyree Newton (28:14.28) finished 19^th.

Coombs received First-Team All-SWAC honors for his top five finish.   Other finishers for the men were Dyrez Ribeiro (28:54.52), Teven Avant (29:33.06), Christian Jones (30:04.03), Carlos Flores (30:31.95) and and Waynemond Bruce (30:57.73).

Like the women, several of the men set personal records today in the event that helped lead ASU to their improvement from last season. The Hornets ran a combined time of 2:20:35.93 averaging 28:07.19 per runner.

"It was exciting to watch the men finish second overall," Beene said. "We knew coming into the

Alabama State which finished second overall needed only 15 points to catch overall winner Mississippi Valley which won the men's event with 66 points to ASU's 81.Prairie View (83 pts.) was third and Grambling (90 pts.) was fourth. Fifth-place finish was Jackson State (97 pts.), Texas Southern (119 pts.), Southern (155 pts.), Alcorn State (210 pts.) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (212 pts.)
championship we had the talent to finish in the top three and a shot at winning it. We will go back to the drawing board with this men's team, get back to recruiting, and fill in the gaps that we missed out on today."

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Ram Ramblings: WSSU didn't resemble championship-type team

SALISBURY, North Carolina – I’ve seen all but about two or three of the 47 games Connell Maynor has coached in his four seasons at Winston-Salem State and I was surprised at what happened earlier today in a 40-0 win over Livingstone.

For those who didn’t go to the game when they see the score they’ll probably think that it was just another ho-hum victory for the Rams.

It was not.

What I saw in the first half when the Rams lost a fumble on a punt return (Sidney Lawson) and two other fumbles on offense (wide receiver Chase Powell and quarterback Rudy Johnson) was a far cry from a team that hopes to win the national championship. In fact, what I saw in the first half was a team that wouldn’t even come close to winning a division title in the CIAA.

I knew that the Rams would probably...

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Benedict Tigers Edge Morehouse On Late Field Goal, 29-26



Benedict College Eduardo Hernandez kicks the game-winning field goal.

ATLANTA, Georgia – Eduardo Hernandez kicked a 22-yard field goal with 31 seconds left to lift the Benedict Tigers to a 29-26 victory over the Morehouse Maroon Tigers on Saturday, spoiling Morehouse's Homecoming.

The Tigers won for the second week in a row and improved to 4-4 overall and 2-1 in the SIAC East. Morehouse fell to 6 overall and 0-3 in the SIAC East.

The winning field goal was a redemption of sorts for Hernandez. The sophomore kicker missed an extra point on Benedict's first touchdown, a quick-strike 72-yard pass from Brandon Thompson to Maurice Griffin on the Tigers' first offensive possession of the game. That point proved pivotal later when Morehouse's Hector Solis missed an extra point in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 19-19.

"When he missed that extra point, I was really disappointed in him," Benedict head coach James Woody said. "One thing he said was, 'OK, coach, I've got you.' I said, 'Eddie, this thing may come down to you, so be ready.' He came through in the clutch and I'm real, real proud of him."

The Tigers' defense held Morehouse to 68 yards rushing and 249 yards of total offense. Benedict registered four sacks and 10 tackles for loss in the game.

"Our defense, they bend but they don't break. They came up with some great opportunities on third-down situations," Woody said. "They got some big sacks in the second half. We kind of put a little pressure on them and I think that was the difference once we got some pressure on them."

For Benedict, Tavion Wright rushed for 126 yards, the first Benedict player to rush for more than 100 yards since Michael Adams had 115 yards against Miles in the final game of the 2010 season.

"He ran the ball very well. He had something to prove. He's been banged up a little bit this year. But that kid was runner-up for Mr. Football back in Ohio when he came out of high school. He really gave us a push in the running game and I'm happy he had a good game today."

Brandon Thompson, in his second game starting at quarterback, completed 16-of-26 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns, but also had two interceptions.

Morehouse opened the game by taking the opening kickoff and driving to the Benedict 2-yard line, thanks to a 22-yard pickup on fourth-and-19 from the Benedict 32. But the Benedict defense held the Maroon Tigers out of the end on three rushing attempts, and Morehouse settled for a 21-yard field goal by Solis for a 3-0 lead.

On Benedict's first play from scrimmage, Thompson was supposed to pitch the ball to Harlon Samuels on a halfback pass, but kept the ball himself and sailed a bomb to a wide open Maurice Griffin running down the far sideline for a 72-yard scoring strike. Hernandez missed the extra point for a 6-3 Benedict lead.

Morehouse added a touchdown after a long drive to take a 10-6 lead. Benedict tacked on a 25-yard field goal by Hernandez early in the second quarter after the Tigers failed to score a touchdown on a first-and-goal from the 7, and the score remained 10-9 at the half.

A 35-yard pass helped move the Maroon Tigers to the Benedict 12-yard line on their opening drive of the second half. But the Benedict defense held them to a 32-yard field goal by Solis and Morehouse led 13-9 with 10:36 on the clock.

Benedict regained the lead on the next series. The Tigers drove 67 yards behind the running of Wright and a 32-yard pass from Thompson to Griffin. Then Thompson completed a 12-yard pass to Marcus Graham for the touchdown. Hernandez made the extra point to give the Tigers a 16-13 lead with 7:33 remaining in the third quarter.

Morehouse intercepted a Thompson pass at their own 4-yard line. The Maroon Tigers were pinned deep in their own territory, and Benedict's pressure nearly resulted in a safety. But Morehouse was able to punt the ball back to the Tigers, who took over in good field position. Benedict only moved the ball 15 yards, but that was enough for Hernandez to kick a 39-yard field goal and give Benedict a 19-13 lead with 2:05 left in the third.

The Maroon Tigers got a 50-yard punt return by Thomas Williams on their first possession of the fourth quarter, and capitalized on the good field position and Williams scored on a 3-yard run. Solis missed the extra point when it hit the right post. But a penalty on Benedict allowed Solis another attempt. This time, his extra point attempt missed to the left.

A fumble on the ensuing kickoff gave Morehouse the ball back. A 12-yard pass on third-and-7 gave the Maroon Tigers a first down at the Benedict 10. Two plays later, Williams ran it in from 9-yards out. Solis hit the extra point for a 26-19 Morehouse lead with 8:35 left in the game.

Benedict came right back. Rodney Hall returned the ensuing kickoff to near midfield, and Thompson connected with Samuels for a 32-yard pass. Wright scored on a 14-yard run and Hernandez's PAT tied the game at 26-26 with 6:55 on the clock.

Morehouse faced a fourth-and-six at midfield on the ensuing possession, but a fake punt resulted in just a four-yard rush by their punter, giving the ball back to the Tigers with 4:46 left to play.

"They had some great stops at the end. I'm very happy for the defense," Woody said.

Wright busted through the line for a 17-yard pickup, and then Thompson and Samuels connected again on third down for a 19-yard pass play to the Morehouse 15. From there, the Tigers kept the ball on the ground and worked the clock, setting Hernandez up with a short attempt and the winning points.

Samuels had seven catches for 104 yards. Griffin had four catches for 109 yards and a touchdown.

Tyri Harvey and Charles Powell led the Benedict defense with eight tackles each. Brandon Beech had six tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery.

Benedict is back on the road next week to face Albany State.

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