Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Nov. 20, 1997, edition 1 / Page 17
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http://www.thepost.mindspring.com Cljarlotte 1B SPORTS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1997 Not quite yet ready Forget Kerry Collins’ boast that the Carolina Panthers were a dynasty in the making. San Francisco still rules. Page 4B. PHOTO/OALVIN FERGUSON Country Day running backs Fred Staton and Ward Gibson iead the Bugs into the N.C. indepen dent schools championship. Working wage is Two Bucs By Karl Petraroja FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST Call it an embarrassment of riches. Charlotte Country Day has not one, but two, of Mecklenburg’s best running back tandems in senior Ward Gibson and sopho more Fred Staton. And the Buccaneers make sure each gets his hands on the ball. Two great running backs on one team is a rarity but Bucs head coach Bob Witman isn’t about to complain. “We’re a little different,” he said. “We're fortunate to have two out standing backs. Ward is a shifty, quick runner, he can make them miss and he’s pretty stout and strong. “Fred is a fast, straight-ahead type rurmer. He’s also a danger ous receiver. We’ll throw to him out of the backfield a few times a game.” Gibson and Staton have helped the Bucs to a perfect 11-0 record, including last Friday’s 49-6 victo ry over Asheville School,, in the independent schools state semifi nals. The Bucs captured their third straight CISAA champi onship two weeks ago with a 28-7 victory over Charlotte Latin. The Hawks heat Providence Day 35- 14 last week and will square off with the Bucs tomorrow night for the second straight year for the state championship. The game leaves Charlotte Latin with the unenviable task of trying to stop the Bucs dynamic backfield duo. “If you focus on me. Ward will kill you and if you focus on Ward, I will kill you,” Staton said. Staton, who won two sprint gold medals at the AAU Junior Olympics this summer, has bat tled ankle problems all year but still put up impressive numbers, 807 yards rushing and 16 touch downs, including 119 yards and three touchdowns in the win over Latin. “It’s hard for teams to key on either one of us because whenever they see one of us, they’re seeing both of us,” Gibson said. Gibson’s numbers have been even better - 16 touchdowns and 1,123 yards rushing. “We’re so different yet we can be so effective. It’s really tough for people to pick who they want to focus on because either ohe of us can do damage.” It’s a kind of pick your own poi son situation for opposing teams. Who do they want the Bucs to beat them -with? It’s a question opposing teams almost didn't have to worry about, since Gibson and Staton weren’t exactly running backs at first sight. The 5-5,170-pound Gibson, who calls himself “a lifer” at Country Day, has been going to the school since kindergarten. He didn’t pick up football imtil the ninth grade. “I was actually afraid, being small I didn’t want an3d;hing to do with it,” Gibson said. “I’d go to the See BUCS on page 4B CAROLINAS FOOTBALL CLASSIC Big men on campus PHOTOAVADE NASH Troy Pelshak sees a lot of action as opponents run at the N.C. A&T defensive end. But he takes that as a challenge to be a bookend to line mate Chris McNeil. Pelshak’s a line stalker for Aggies N.C. A&T defensive end is tough on opposing blockers By Wade Nash FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST PHOTOAWADE NASH S.C. state guard Jerrell Moore is a force on the offensive line and the classroom. The senior English major has a 3.4 grade point average and has won several academic honors. Moore balances books, blocking By Herbert L. White THE CHARLOTTE POST JerreU Moore isn’t the stereo typical student-athlete. That’s because he really is a student first and an athlete second. ‘T always felt I’m a student trying to be a football player,” said the S.C. State guard. Moore is a dominant blocker on arguably the best offensive line in black college football. Jirst as impressive, though, are his academic credentials; the English major has a 3.4 grade point average, was a Presidential Scholar, MEAC all-academic selection and Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar. “That’s the main reason why Tm here,” he said. “Tm using football to fulfill a dream while chasing the goal - get a college degree.” Moore, who is 6-2, 330 pounds, is the latest in a long line of Bulldog Hnemen with the potential to play in the NFL. But he’s concen trating on life beyond football, an eventuality that has swallowed up the dreams of more gifted athletes. ‘T know athletics won’t last a lifetime,” Moore said. See MOORE on page 3B Moore GREENSBORO - Running away from N.C. A&T all-star defensive end Chris McNeil doesn’t work very well for Aggies opponents. That’s because they’re running at his partner, Troy Pelshak. The bookends are part of the reason A&T has one of the nation’s leading pass defenses and serious candidates for the NFL Draft next spring. “Troy and Chris really compUment each other,” Aggies coach Bill Hayes said. “They’re both strong, quick, aggressive and despite their sack totals, they create excellent opportunities for their teammates. We’re really blessed to have the two.” Pelshak’s nine sacks and 49 tackles is all the more amazing when you consider how the Charlotte native wound up at A&T. No one at Garinger High didn’t think Pelshak would amoimt to much as a student or athlete, and told him so. “I don’t know why, but my high school coacji told me I couldn’t make it in college,” the junior business major said. “He said I couldn’t do the work in the classroom and I wouldn’t be able to compete on the field. I’d be better off taking a job flipping ham burgers at a fast food restaurant.” Three years later, Pelshak is on schedule to graduate. Instead of listening to the dire predictions, he turned into a solid student and one of black college football’s most feared defenders. ‘T used my (Garinger) coach’s negative comments to motivate me and my mother’s positive influence to get me where I am today,” he said. “My mother told me to be patient, take things as they come and be prepared when opportunity knocks.” Pelshak, 6-4, 245, makes the most of his chances to destroy opponents. Because offenses run away from McNeil’s side of the field, they have little choice but to take Pelshak on. Their approach is singular, though: both are intent on punishing any one who wanders into their area. “Chris and I relish the opportunity to contribute,” Pelshak said. ‘T spent a lot of time in the offseason lifting weight s and trying to increase my speed.” See PELSHAK on page 3B Aggies Hawaii-bound By Wade Nash FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST PHOTOAVADE NASH N.C. A&T linebacker Chris McNeil is the nation’s leader in quarterback sacks with 21.5. The Charlotte native also leads the Aggies in intensity, accord ing to coach Bill Hayes. GREENSBORO - Chris McNeil and James Clybum are going to Hawaii after the college football season. Not for vacation, mind you. TheyTl be audi tioning for pro football scouts. The N.C. A&T players have landed berths in the Hula Bowl, a postseason aU-star game that usually attracts some of the top Division I-A seniors. But before jetting to Honolulu, there’s the matter of S.C. State in the Carolinas Football Classic. “Of course Fm going to the Hula Bowl, but my bowl game is against S.C. State in Ericsson,” McNeil, a linebacker from Charlotte, said. “My father, my little girl and all my fnends will be able to see me play for the first time and I want to win for myself and them.” “Being selected to the Hula Bowl is a great honor, but I want to end my career with a win over S.C. State,” said Clybum, a 6-4, 320- pound defensive tackle. “We can match last season’s record of 8-3 and we can eliminate some of the pain of earlier losses.” McNeil, an N.C. State transfer, led the nation with 21.5 sacks and had 42 tackles going into last week’s game at GrambUng State, while Clybum had 27. The Aggies wfll need that production against a S.C. State team that averaged more than 400 yards rushing in the last four meetings with A&T. Last season the Aggies went into the Carolinas Classic a heavy favorite but left a 35-0 loser after S.C. State tailback Kermy Bynum ran for a school-record 307 yards. “We’ve put their last two tailbacks, Michael Hicks and Kenny Bynum, in the pros,” Clybum said. “The last two years, we’ve played slants and other defenses that their backs did a great job of reading blocks with See AGGIES on page 3B PHOTO/WADE NASH Defensive tackle James Clybum, known as “House” to his teammates, is an immov able force in the center of A&Ts defensive line. He’s been invit ed to the Hula Bowl.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Nov. 20, 1997, edition 1
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