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Parkland JV Moves from 4- A to 3- A Conference
Parkland JV Coach Tony Barnes gives instructions to Luke Lanning.
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By DEBY JO FERGUSON
Chronicle Sports Writer
Parkland High School's
junior varsity football team will
sec some changes this season,
switching over from a 4-A to a 3
A conference. According to head
JV coach Tony Barnes: "There's
no previous knowledge of know
ing what to expect out of our new
conference, so it would be impos
sible to determine who our
biggest threat will be."
Barnes will begin his second
year as JV head coach at Park
land, with a 7-3 record last sea
son.
Barnes said he predicts
Cetaro Searcy and Jabir High will
be the team's top players.
"Our best advantage as a
team is our strong skills positions,
although we do need to work on
our maturity jhrough ^Km-corrf^ ^
ence games and knowledge of the
game," Bames said.
This year Qf) pprrgnt nf thp TV Mm.
tangs team will be made up of freshman,
after losing 16 players this year. Ten
sophomore and four freshman moved up to
varsity, and two players are not returning
this season.
Returning starters are Jabir High,
Cetaro Searcy, Monte Minor and Raenard
Dobson.
However, although this may seem like
a beginning for the JV Mustanps. it is only
a building pFocess fofwhat might turn out
to be the most possible threat in the confer
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The Parkland junior varsity Mustangs go over strategies during practice.
ence.
The roster fnr the JV Mustangs
includes: Kentrell Gibbs, quarterback;
Jabir High, halfback; Cetro Fearcy, split
end; Jevond Myers, quarterback and line
backer; Mike Montgomery, quarterback;
Jeff Hennighan. quarterback and line
backerj Romaro Jackson, full-back-and
linebacker; Renard Dobson, tight-end and
outside linebacker; Monte Minor, corner
back and wingback; Shermane< McGriff,
_splitend and corne rbac k; Antwon Rucker,
?wingback; Tim tobb7~splitend; Greg Kite,
defensive end; Jamal Norris, splitend;
Caprise Mikey. halfback; Cory Banner,
cornerhack: Jerry Davis, linebacker; Gary
Johnson, linebacker; Chester Hemphill,
cornerback;Josh Thompson, linebacker;
Monte Conner, defensive end; Brandon
Mack, offensive and defensive tackle^Matt ?
Imesrcenter and defensive tackle; Robert
Cheeks, offensive guard; James Matters,
offensive guard; Robert Hairston, defen
sive tackle; Derri<^t Hughes, offensive
guard; Jeremy Kindy, offensive tackle;
Kerry Ellis, offensive guard; Van Collins,
offensive tackle; Luke Lanning, defensive
end; and Mike Liner, defensive end.
Triple Gold Medal is One Step Away
The women's. sprint relays is
the last hurdle Gail Devers has to
clear to become the only triple gold
medalist at the World Champi
onships. Devers already knows
something about final hurdles.
Devers said she still feels fresh
despite running seven races in six
days, including winning efforts in
the 100 meters and the 100 meters
hurdles.
The U.S. tearfrTs*~a huge
favorite in Sunday's relay finals.
With Devers blasting past Jamaica's
Juliet Campbell on the anchor leg,
the Americans won their semifinal
heat Saturday in 42.34 seconds, the
fastest time of the year.
But Devers should be forgiven
for taking nothing for granted.
"No matter how far you get in
life, there is always that last hur
dle," she said. .
Devers missed a sprint-hurdles
double at last year's Olympic
Games when she stumbled over the
last hurdle while leading in the
final. It made for one of the most
dramatic moments in Barcelona.
In Stuttgart, the dramatic
moments have been positive, like
her near-perfect season up to now.
If the United States wins the relay,
Devers would become the first
woman ever to win three gold"
medals in the World Champi
onships.
She edged Jamaican Merlene
Ottey in the 100 by a razor-thin
margin, and dominated the hurdles.
But relays can be unpre
dictable.
A\ the last World Champi
onships in Tokyo two years ago, the
team dropped the baton in the semi
finals.
Devers is not building up any
hopes though, and has been remark
ably unemotional after her two gold
medals.
%%l don't sho.w emotion like
most people," she said after win
ning the hurdles race. "I'm not
going to turn backflips or something,
like that."
"This means a lot to me
because of what happened last year.
I wanted to come here and conquer
that 10th hurdle. This was a long
time coming."
She downplays her own record
breaking performances. In the hur
Gail Devers raises her arms in victory.
dies, she set a new U.S. record of
12.46 seconds, the fastest time this
year.
""There is room for improve
ment. I can still improve my time,"
she said.
Clinching the double has long
been her aim, but matching Fanny
Blankers-Koen is beyond her reach.
The Dutchwoman also had a sprint
hurdles double at the 1948 London
Olympics but added the 200 and the
sprint relays as well.
"Absolutely not," she said
when asked whether she could
equal such a feat. She does not
enjoy running the 200. Her coach
Bob Kersee also said competition
programs did not allow for a hur
dles-200 double.
What she has already accom
plished is amazing for somebody
who only three years ago was hob
bled by Graves' Disease, a life
threatening thyroid condition.
Her weight would shoot up. her
eyes bulged, her head would feel as
if someone with spikes was running
on her brain. At one stage, doctors
considered amputating her feet.
Devers recalled how Wilma
Rudolph overcame polio before
becoming an Olympic sprint cham
pion.
v" All I wanted was for someone
to take a chance with me," she said.
Her first training consisted of
just walking around the track.
One year later, she won a silver
medal at the Tokyo World Champi
onships.
"It comes down to who wants
it," she said.
Opening season practice leaves this player a little pooped-out.
WSSU Rams to Play
The Rams are anxious and
motivated to begin the upcoming
.football season as they head off
dressed in their uniforms of scarlet
and white for the first game of the
season, against Elizabeth City State
University this Saturday at 1:30
p.m.
This will be the beginning of a
new era. After being under the
direction of Coach "Bighouse"
Gaines for many years, the Rams
will now be under the direction of
new coach Kermit Blount, who,
although he is new as the Rams'
head coach, is not new to WSSU
football.
Blount is very familiar with the
team, as he represented the Rams
during the 1975-79 seasons.
The Rams lost five key players
this season including (LB) Tim
Pittman, first team A11-C1AA; (DB)
Terrence Graves, first team All
CIAA; (LB) Donald Carter; (CB)
Torrence Shankle; and (LB) Reggie
Richardson, with a total of 15 letter
man and seven starters lost.
On the other hand, the Rams
had 35 returning letterman and 12
returning starters, with the key
returnees Antinio Stevenson (OLB);
Kelly Goodman (OL); Rovell
McMillian (QB): Richard Huntley
(RB); Oronde Gadsden (WR); and
Kevin Surratt (DB).
The Rams also added 15 new
signees to the team, including two
from Winston-Salem: Jason Vanhog
(K) and Otto Gaither (TE) both
graduates of Carver High School.
Other new signees include:
Juvvawn Tune (QB/DB), Richmond.
Va.: Kareem Holmes (LB), Darling
ton, SC.; Frank Goodman (LB/RB,)
Charlotte; Carlos Massey (DL).
Greenville, S.C.; Frankie Littlejohn
(OLh Greenville, S.C.; Brian Milam
(DL), Greenville. S.C.; Ron Johnson
(OL,) Maryland; Randall Carter
(DB/WR), Virginia; Shawn Colvin
(DB), Greensboro; John Downing
(OL), Faycttcville; Mardie Roberts
(P/DB), Eden; Anthony Jones (DE).
Cleveland Heights. Ohio; and Kevin
Bailey (LB). Cleveland Heights,
Ohio.
We (the coaching staff) feel
very good about our chances for the
1993 season." said Blount.
"On offense, I felt very well the
way they got after it during spring.
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The offensive line had to make
more adjustments because of our
change in offense, but they handled
it well." Blount said.
The Rams schedule is as fol
lows: 9/4, Elizabeth City State Uni
versity, away, 1:30 p.m.; 9/11 N.C.
A&T (Ram-Aggie Classic), home,
7 p.m.; 9/1 S. Howard University,
away, 1:30 p.m.: 9/25, Livingston
College, away. 1:30 p.m.; 10/2
Fayetteville State University, away,
1:30 p.m.; 10/9. Norfolk State Uni
versity (Homecoming), home, 1:30
p.m.; 10/16, N.C. Central Universi
ty. home, 7 p.m.; 10/23, Bowie
State University, away, 1 p.m.;
10/30, Johnson C. Smith (Red &
White Day), home, 7 p.m.; 11/6,
Virginia Union University, away,
1:30. p.m.; and 1 1/13, Virginia State
University, (Youth & Fan Apprecia
tion Day), home. 1:30 p.m.