Blount, Rarps"should take '96 season as learning experience
fntni HI
tance each time he touches the
hall the Rams will continue to
struggle to score points.
It Blount is sincere 111
assessing the Rams' offensive
attack the one thing that he
should concern himself with lor
next season is coming up w ith a
burner on the offense, either at
tailback or wideout. The Rams
can't afford to continue to expect
mediocre offensive talent to pro
vide "blue-chip" plays. Blount is
only fooling himsell if he contin
ues to think that average players
can rise to the occasion against
top-quality competition.
The WSSU offensive coach
es. and players for that matter,
must realize that the program is
at a crossroad. It is not what it
used to be b\ any stretch of the
imagination. Sure they are capa
ble of rising up on any given
weekend and giving the oppos
ing team a battle, but they don't
have the guns to lock down with
the conference heavyweights
game in and game out.
Defensively, the Rams have
made strides. There have been
few players on the WSSU cam
pus who could dominate on the
defensive end like Tori Workman
and Donell McDonald. Those
two players are throw backs to
former WSSU players u ho
moved on to the next level. As a
unit this year s defensive squad
has some talent. However, they,
like any other above average
defense, can't play the majority
of the game and expect to shut
the opposition dovv n
The 'c)(> season will thus go
down in history as one of the
least productive in the past 20
years at WSSU. Hopcl'iUly the
Rams' hraintrust can learn from
it and riot allow it to happen
again, livery one is due one had
season, so 1 guess Blount
deserves his. However, the Rams
need to finish the year out on a
strong note and start critiquing
themselves for their next go
round in the CIA A.
Blount and his staff don't
have to worry about any post
season possibilities so they can
go ahead and start hitting the
recruiting trails.
Bill Hayes was able to
attract some blue chippers to the
Ram program and then mix them
in with hard-working athletes.
Pete Richardson was able to get
a few blue-chip players also. But
Eric Hendly (shown here in action early this season against N.C. A&T) came up with his best performance of tlie'season last week, Hendlcy rushed "
for IH9yards on 42 carries to pace the M'SSI' offense.
Richardson's forte was getting
the maximum effort out of every
player on the team.
II Kermit Blount Gan learn
something from his two prede
cessors. something positive
could come out of this abysmal
96 football season. The talent
level coming into the program
has to improve. Arid once the}
arrive on campus. Blount has to
maximize their effort.
Spartans close in on CPC title with 18-6 win over West Forsyth
from B1
Forsyth turnover to increase its
lead to 10-0. The fumble was
one of five first-half turnovers
committed by the Titans.
Coach Jonathan Hayes of
West Forsyth said that his
team's miseues were too much
to overcome.
" We kept giving the ball
up," Hayes said. "You can't do
that and win football games. We
had too many turnovers to
expect to do well against a team
like Mount Tabor "
But Hayes said he was
pleased with his team's defen
sive play.
"Our defense plaved a real
strong game," Hayes said.
"They gave us a very good
effort against a good offensive
team "
Mount Tabor, one of the
area's most explosive offensive
teams, didn't get on the score
hoard again until the fourth
period, when it put together its
first sustained drive of the game
and scored on Wa\lie Griffin's
short touchdow 11 run.
"I ha\ e to gi\ e eredi t to
West l:??rs\ th I'm the was they
played." Pulley said. " They
played a good defensive game. I
think they really played a better
game delensixely than we did
offensively. Luckily we pre
\ ailed."'
The only offensive high
light for West I orsyih came on
the final play of the game w hen
Bubba Rosenbaum connected
with Kevin Stout on a 76-yard
touchdown pass.
"We really didn't do very
much on offense in the game,"
Hayes said. "We had some
injuries on the line that really
hurt us. We had to move three
people around because of
injuries to two of our starters.
That's,.not an excuse, hut it is*
something tha we had to deal
with 1 think it was also one big
reason lor our turnovers. We
had to use ajiew center and the
quartorhack-center exchange
ver> important. We weren't get
ting it right. We had to use a lot
m people who were inexperi
enced"
Another key loss for the
Titans was at tailback. Oscar
Ledbctter. who has* rushed for
more than 500 yards this sea
son. was injured early in the
game and was unable to return
to the lineup. Without him, the
Titans couldn't put together any
cohesivcness on offense.
The victory allowed Mount
Tabor to improve its record to
6-0-1 overall and 3-0 in the
Central Piedmont 4-A Confer
ence. The Spartans will travel to
South Rowan for an important
conference game today (Oct.
24). A victory would keep the
Spartans moving toward one of
its goals this year - an undefeat
ed season.
"We have travel down there
(China Grove) and we know
that's a tough place to play."
Pulley said. "But 1 think it we
do the kind of things that we're
capable of on both sides of the
hall we'll be okay. We handled
them last year, but 1 don't know
how we'll react this season
Last year we had tremendous
speed and that enabled iw to get
going early in the game. This
year we don't have the same
kind of speed, but we have
some people who can make
things happen."
West Forsyth fell to 2-(>
overall and, 1-3 i.njhe CPC. The
Titans have afTopen date this
week and Ha\ex said it couldn't
come at a better time lor his
\oung team.
"It real I\ is a g<mk! time lot
an open date." he ?aid. Will")
(Kcai being hurt and with the
kind ft iniune> we ha* e on the
o 11 e n s i \ e I < n e w e ^ .1 n u * e a
break to gel smnc people
healthy li will also izi\e us time
in work i>n some things otten
si\eh and deten>i\el\ to make
11- a better team
1+-* ' s; , "* Photo by Reginald Campbell
-
Forsyth's defensive unit shut do* n \tnnnt 1 ah^>r\ potent offense for most of the i'nine , hut came away with a loss
"East Forsyth JVs defeat Smith, 41-0
from Bl
cially after sophomore Courtney
Weaks was called up to the varsi
ty after the first game. Bray hoy
passed for a touchdown and also
ran for one in the Eagles victory
over Smith.
"Brayboy is really coming
along for us," Ellender said. "He
will he a good quarterback for us
down the road. He's very coach
able and he does all the things
you want your quarterback to
do"
Despite their youth, HI lender
said his team has done a good
job of adapting to the Wing-T
offense.
"Their progress has been
great," he said. "It takes a while
to learn the Wing-T hut they've
done a good job of learning it.
We've been ahle to develop some
players w ho are going to help us
in the future."
Bllender said he is also
pleased with the way the defen
sive unit is developing. The unit,
paced by noseguard Corey Jones
put together its best effort of the
season in the w in over Smith.
Corey Jones is a defensive
threat for us" he said. "He's had
one w hale of a season. He's been
dominating up front. He played
some lor us last year, but he
wasn't a starter. This season he's
come out and played well since
the first day of practice. He's not
a big kid. hut he gives you every
thing he's got on every play. He
has a super attitude - hut most of
the kids on this team do. They
are a pleasure to work with'every
day."
The Eagles play host to
(ireensboro Page today (Oct. 24)
and that game could have an
impact upon the final conference
standings, East has an open week
next Thursday before finally fin
ishing the season on the road
against Eden Morehead in two
weeks. Ellender said he won t
put any. added preasure on his
team to win. but a victory would
put the Eagles in the chase for a
jayvee confernece championship
"It takes a while to learn the Wing-T but
they've done a good job of learning it."
?Joe Bill Ellender
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