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hatter
mm.iii
The Southwestern 4A Conference is still alive, but for the
time being, we will refer to it as BR and AR, that is, before
realignment and after realignment.
. The Southwestern AR is not like we used to know it when
only Charlotte schools composed it.
Gone is the close unity and rivalry that developed, but
the opportunities for more Charlotte schools to make the
playoffs makes up for this.
It will be a tough football conference this year, j
EAST MECKLENBURG EAGLES
Don’t let the grimace on Rudy Abrams’ face fool you.
The Eagles have Maurice Flowers, wide receiver Steve
Ford, split end Marty Karriker, running back Tony
Hamer, and Brandon Gill among the returnees.
And there is Edward “Big House” House, all 5-9 and 260
pounds to anchor the line.
Ford is a 5-9,140 pound Speedster.
Against West. Charlotte, he caught passes of 88 and 45
> yards to lead East to a 2M4 triumph. ,
He caught a 40-yarder in the 25-12 win over Myers Park,
a 26- and 20-yarders in the 23-0 win over West and a
60-yarder in the 26-7 loss to the Garinger Wildcats.
Karriker, 6-0, and 180, had a 31-yard run against West
Charlotte as his only touchdown.
Thompson, 5-11, 165, had a 35-yard run against Myers
Park, a three-yard run for a touchdown against North, a
one-yard run in against Harding and a 93-yard kickoff
return against South in the last game.
Hamer had a 65-yard pass reception touchdown against
North. Field goal kicker Brad Causey is back. He booted a
40-yarder in the North same.
Give the Eagles a preseason grade of A-.
' GARINGER WILDCATS_
‘ The Cats lost a coach and almost all their good players.
; Returning are cornerback Ronald Robinson, quarterback
: Chris Hopkins, running back Ralph McKissick, linebacker
; William Thompson, and center Dennis Bean.
} Of the players returning only Ralph McKissick was a big
; gun last year, running for six touchdowns, including a
76-yarder against West Mecklenburg.
L Give the Wildcats a returning grade of C-.
INDEPENDENCE PATRIOTS
The Pats return noseguard Tony Gragiala, all 6-2 and 240
pounds of him, 5-10, 225 pound Jeff Krider at nose
guard, 6-1,170 split end Greg Clifton, 6-3,269 outside tackle
John Anthony, 6-1.165 pound defensive end Harry Fuller,
5-6,140 pound halfback Ddnald Donald, and 64), 155 pound.
quarterback Jeff Robbins to name a few.
Fullback Tony Simpson also returns.
Donald Donald ran 25 yards for the only touchdown as
the Pate beat North, 7-2, last year and be had a five
yard run in in the 2641 win over West Mecklenburg.
Tony Simpson ran for a seven-yarder against Central
, ; Cabarrus and a 17- and 86-yarder against West Meck
lenburg. "W%
The Pats have a lot of beef returning.
Give them a preseason grade of A-.
; MYERS PARK MUSTANGS
Returning for the Mustangs are junior quarterback Tony
Hunter, running back Alvin Blakeney, wide receiver
Reggie Chisholm, fullback James Glover, fullback Tony
Burris, and fullback Chris Outlaw.
The team doesn’t return much size with most of the
heavies of the line graduating.
, Blakeney makes them a threat. Last year he had four
touchdowns, including a 99-yard run against West Char
lotte.
Bums naa an 87-yard pass reception for a touchdown
• agaist Olympic.
Wide receiver. Derrick Crowder caught a 40-yard
interception against North in a 12-0 Mustang win.
Don’t look for too much from the Mustanges.
Give the Mustanges a preseason grade of C-.
SOUTH MECKLENBURG SABRES
This team is loaded. i - v
Quarterback Greg Wilcox returns. He had six touch
downs last year, including three in the 21-14 upset in early
. season of a hot Garinger team.
Darryl Bona part, Stanley Washington, Robert McClain
all return in the backfield along with D. Brosnahan.
; All had a good year in the South backfield with
; ^Washington having two touchdowns in the 23-21 win over
Myers Park. y .
■V Junior Darry Redfem showed that be is capable back
there with two touchdowns in the big win over East that
sent the Sabres to the playoffs.
4 That’s not all. ;
’ Mr. Football, Roman Phifer, is back as the outside
{ linebacker, wide receiver, punter, and place kicker. He
'does it all.
The SabreS are loaded.
Give them a preseason grade of A+.
PRESEASON RANKING SOUTHWESTERN 4A
. 1. South Mecklenburg, 2. Gastonia Hunter Hubs, 3. East
Mecklenburg, 4 Independence, 5. Gastonia Ashbrook, 6.
\ Myers Park, 7. Garinger. 1 , 1
The state has adopted a new playoff format that could
Include as many as two Charlotte teams in the Tri
; County or Southwestern 4A and one each as an at-large
team. In some years, we could have six teams going to the
playoffs in football and basketball.
--
BE8T BETS FOR THE FOUR PLAYOFF SPOTS
FROM OUR AREA
Tri-County Conference:
1. West Charlotte- The Lions are always there come
playoff time. They manage to find a way.
2. Harding- The Rams have a lot of good things going for
them in Antonio Walker and Anthony Houston, both
experienced in the backfield.
Southwestern Conference:
1. South Mecklenburg- The Sabres are loaded. It’s going
to take a Mack truck to keep them out of the playoffs.
2. East Mecklenburg- The Eagles will find a way. They
usually do *
; k ^ _ _. ■;'* . _ f -: ♦
Golden State Eric Boyd
Greensboro - Eric Boyd, tho only
player in the history of North
Carolina A4T to play on four
straight MEAC championship
teams, has been selected by the
Golden State Worriers in the Na
tional Basketball Association draft.
Boyd becomes the second player
in as many years from A4T to be
selected in the draft. Last year Job
Binion was tabbed by the San An
tonio Spurs.
In his final year of eligibility, Boyd
capped a brilliant career as be was
named MEAC “Player of the Year”
for the 1964-85 season. In four years
as the Aggies' floor leader, Boyd
was named All-MEAC and tourna
ment MVP three times.
‘“Eric is truly an outstanding
player and his selection in the NBA
draft comes as no surprise,” ve
teran A4T head coach Don Corbett
said. “I have been fortunate to be
associated with a lot of good ath
letes but none came better than
Eric.
“He played the game with tre
mendous poise and confidence. He
was our team leader for four years
and I don't recall a night when he
didn’t come to play. He never failed
to take charge when we needed a big
basket or a clutch play. I wish him
all the luck in his battle to Join the
ranks of the professional.”
At 6’4” with excellent ball
handling skills, Boyd also has an
Eric Boyd
.Outstanding player
uncanny shooting touch and it is
generally assumed that he will get a
good look to (day in the Warriors’
backcourt, a troublesome area for
the team last season. 7
Boyd was the focal point of conver
sations following A&T’s first round
appearance in the NCAA Playoffs
last March against Oklahoma. Ob
served Sooner coach Billy Tubbs:
“Eric certainly isn’t afraid to put it
up and the distance from where he
shoots is unbelievable.”
Boyd, who matriculated at A&T
after an equally outstanding high
school career at Charlotte
From Football Schedule
South Carolina State Drops
Arch Rival Johnson C. Smith
special iv inf roll
•. Orangeburg, S.C. - South Carolina
State College will play an ll-game
1985 football schedule which in
cludes six road games and two new
opponents.
The Bulldogs open the season
August SI at Murray, Ky., against
Murray State, one of two opponents
State will face for the first time this
fall.
Hie Murray State contest will be
followed by three straight hom*
games, all with 7 p.m. starting
times. The Bulldogs will entertain
Furman September 7 in their home
opener, then host Mid-Eastern Ath
letic Conference opponents Dela
ware State, September M and
North Carolina A&T, September 21.
State will travel to Washington,
D.C., September 28 to face Howard
In the first of three consecutive road
games. The Howard game will be
followed by trips to Lorman, Mi..
October 5, to face Alcorn-one of two
Southwestern Athletic Conference
powers the Bulldogs will play-«nd
Baltimore to meet MEAC foe Mor
gan State, October 12. '
The Bulldogs return home Oc
tober 19 for a homecoming .
matchup against Bethune-Cookman,
the defending MEAC champion,
then take a two-week layoff before
resuming their schedule November
9 at Richmond, Va„ against Vir
ginia Union.
State closes out its six-game road
schedule at SWAC power GrambUng
November 16, and hosts Georgia
Southern, the second new opponent,
at Orangeburg in the season’s finale
November 2S.
8.C. STATE
1MS-M FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
..August 31, Murray St. At Murray,
KY; September 7, Furman (Youth
Day); September 14, Delaware
State (Parents’ Day); September 21,
North Carolina AArT; September 28,
Howard at Washington, D.C.; Oc
tober 9, Alcorn State at Lorman,
MS; October 12, Morgan State at
Baltimore, MD; October 19, Be
th urte-Cookman (Homecoming); Oc
tober 28, open; November 2, open;
November 9, Virginia Union at
Richmond, VA; November 10,
GrAmbUng State at Gram Ming, LA;
Football Camp
Hfckery - The Lenoir-Rhyne Col
lege Bears football camp will be held
Sunday, July 14, through Friday,
Jutar 19, on the L-R campus.
Head coach John Perry will serve
as camp director and Lenoir-Rhyne
assistants Jimmy Kiser, ■ Bruce
Ollis. Eddie Huff and Charles Fisher
along with selected area high school
coaches will help staff the camp.
The camp is open for players age
eight through rising seniors in high
school. High school graduates are
not eligible to attend.
Coat for the day camp is 190, which
includes lunch. Cost for resident
campers is 9136, which includes
housing and all meals A 839 non
refundable deposit must accompany
the application
The Bears football camp is part of
the college's Champions of Tomor
row Summer Sports Camps pro
gram. Also scheduled for the re
mainder of the summer are a team
basketball camp, boys’ basketball
camp and day camps for volley
ball and soccer
For more information, contact Pat
Holden at 704-330-7119.
YOURS. ' V
MINE.
OURS
The Charlotte Pott
BUI Davis
....Veteran Bulldog coach
and Nowrtnber 23,
them.
-M_
Independence, was the Aggies’ se
cond leading scorer with IS J points
per game last season.
Boyd ended his A*T career
averaging 13.7 points, but his worth
to the Aggies’success in the last four
years is hardly measured in num
bers.
“Simply put, he’s an exceptional
player,” Corbett said.
Boyd hopes to follow is the foot
steps of another AAT graduate who
played for the Warriors. A1 Attlee
was a backcourt star for the War
riors before being named head
coach and leading them to the NBA
title in 1976. Attlee is currently the
genera] manager for the Warriors.
McDowell Park Set For Nature Center
The grand opening for the new
Nature Center at Mecklenburg
County’s 850-acre McDowell Park
and Southwest Nature Preserve is
scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, July
27. McDowell Park is on the shores
of Lake Wylie off Hwy 49, near the
North Carolina-South Carolina
border.
The 3,400 square foot center,
roads, and landscaping were paid
for with $357,531 in 1978 park bond
funds. Jeff Huberman, of Gantt
Huberman Associates, designed the
facility. Moretti Construction acted
as general contractor.
Kid’s Corner in tbs new Nature
Center is not for kicfc only. It is Just
one of the areas in the Nature Center
where the public is invited to par
ticipate in the hands-on displays.
Other displays include two ant
farms and a honeybee hive.
“We also have a display planned
about bird nests,” soys Gail Kerr,
.... " .
naturalist at McDowell Park. “We
will have the material for kids to try
to build a nest with. Well show them
how hard it is to do with hands, and
birds have only beaks to do it with.
. “Outside we will have a sensory
awareness area - this is an idea
developed by Eagle Scout Fred
Russell,’’ she adds. “His idea was to
have braille signage and touch and
fell displays for the blind, but we
expanded it to include the other
senses, and it’s not Just for the
blind."
The Nature Center has a fully
stocked sales area where wild
flower seeds, Petersen’s Field
-Guides, birdfeeders, and a wide
assortment of other nature-related
merchandise will be available.
Four miles of the planned 10 miles
of trails through the park have been
completed.
f!
W.B. THOMPSON
Concrete CO^^uction
_ i ' 'sL'
• 7m
WE DO ANYTHlfi$
IN CONCRETE
• Metal buildings
• Foundations for buUduurs
• Churches - Additions to Churches
• Curbs, Gutters, Sidewalks,
•Drivewaysy Parkmg lots, Fatsos, etc.
F
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