Nov. 12, 2007
The News Argus
5
Sports & Health
STUNG!
Homecoming
heartbreak
Steven J. Gaither
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Living on the edge finally
caught with Winston-Salem
State. After wining their pre
vious three games in the final
minutes by a combined mar
gin of nine points, the Rams
lost to MEAC-leading
Delaware State 23-20 in the
annual homecoming game on
Nov. 3.
The Rams took a 20-12 lead
into the fourth quarter, only
to see that lead evaporate in
the last six minutes as the
Hornets reeled off 11 consecu
tive points and Peter
Gaertner's 37-yard field goal
gave them the lead as time
expired.
The Rams had no answer
for Delaware State's passing
game as quarterback Vashon
Winton completed 21 of 29
passes for 238 yards and a
touchdown. Chris Strother
led the Hornets wdth 91 yards
rushing and 1 touchdown.
Rodrick FlueUen led the
Rams with 16 carries for 101
yards. Monte Purvis went 6 of
14 passing for 66 yards and
also rushed for 53 yards.
The Rams were able to
hang with the Hornets,
despite the fact that they com
mitted 4 turnovers.
"They (Delaware State) are
gonna vwn based on your
turnovers," said Rams head
coach Kermit Blount.
Early on, it looked as
though the Rams had picked
up right where they left off
against Hampton, running
the ball effectively and scor
ing on a 4 yard run by Purvis.
However, kicker Matt
Mitchell seemed to pick up
right where he left off, miss
ing the extra point.
For much of the first half,
DSU's offense was able to to
take advantage of WSSU's
loose coverage by utilizing
the short-passing game to
score 12 consecutive points
and head into half-time up
Photo by Garrett Garms
WSSU lost 23-20 to DSU.
12-6.
In the third quarter, the
Rams defense took over.
Leading the charge was
defensive end WiUiam Hayes
who had two sacks and two
forced fumbles that led to two
scores. Hayes recovered the
first fumble on the Hornets 44
yard-line and a few plays
later Jed Bines sprinted into
the endzone from 3 yards out.
On the very next drive,
Hayes again sacked Winton,
and ran in to the the endzone
from 6 yards out to give the
Rams an eight-point lead.
In the fourth quarter, DSU
drove dovm the field and
with less than six minutes to
go and Chris Strother scored
from 1 yard out. The two-
point conversion tied up the
game and WSSU's three-and-
out set the stage for the game
winning score.
Aiter the game Hayes, who
had 12 tackles as well as two
sacks and forced fumbles said
that the loss was tough,
homecoming or not.
"It's not about the home
coming," said Hayes. "Any
loss hurts."
Infections are indiscriminate
Youth Movement
Steven J. Gaither
Editor-in-chief
As Winston-Salem State's women's basketball team heads
into its second year in Division I competition, the team wiU
look alot different than it did last season.
A serious youth-movement is on the way for the Rams this
season as the only returning player from last year's team will
be senior guard Keoshia Worthy.
Rams' second-year head coach Dee Stokes hit the recruiting
frail hard in the off-season, signing eight new players and
recreating the team in her own image.
"I think shooting the ball is gonna be a sfrength (for the
Rams)/' said Stokes. "We've tried to recruit kids that can shoot.
It's hard to teach kids how to shoot. It's easier to teach them
how to play defense. You try to recruit players with offensive
skills, and I think we've done that for the most part.
Perhaps Stokes' toughest task this season will be replacing
Shalonda Carter's play inside. Carter finished her career at
WSSU with over 1,400 points and 1,000 rebounds. The former
CIAA Rookie of the Year led the Rams to a 8-21 record last
year, averaging 13.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.
One of the players Stokes will be counting on to help fill
Carter's shoes will be freshman Nora Campbell. The 6-foot-2
center from St. Anthony's high school in Long Island, New
York came to the Rams late in the recruiting season.
"Nora has good size,"Stokes said. "We were very fortunate
late in the (recruiting) process to get her and I think she 11 be a
contributor right away."
Stokes admitted that although her team has gotten bigger at
the guard positions, they are a little lean upfront.
"We're a little sUm in the post, we actually lost a kid that we
were supposed to have had, but we'll address that in the next
recruiting class," Stokes said.
Although WSSU is not an official member of the MEAC this
season, the Rams will play a full conference schedule this year.
Last season the Rams defeated three MEAC teams, Norfolk
State, Bethune-Cookman and Morgan State. The Rams defeat
ed NSU and Bethune-Cookman twice last season.
Stokes said that she was pleased about how her team played
against their future conference opponents last year.
"I thought that was a good measuring stick for this season,"
said Stokes. "But even the teams that we beat last year wiU be
better. I think it wiU be a great experience.
MyStudentlHealthZone.com
MCT WIRE SERVICE
You've probably heard about
recent "super bug," or MRSA, skin
infections affecting young people.
So what is MRSA and how can you
protect yourself?
MRSA stands for methicillin-
resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
Staphylococcus aureus is a type of
bacteria with lots of different
strains.
Many strains of staph bacteria are
quite common. Most people have
staph bacteria living on their skin or
in their noses without causing any
problems. If staph bacteria get into
a person's body through a cut,
scrape or rash, they can cause minor
skin infections. Most of these heal
on their own if a person keeps the
wound clean and bandaged.
Sometimes doctors prescribe antibi
otics to treat more stubborn staph
infections.
What makes the MRSA different
from other staph infections is that it
has built up an immunity to the
antibiotics doctors usually use to
treat staph infections. (Methicillin is
a type of antibiotic, which is why
the strain is called "methicillin-
resistant.")
MRSA is making headlines, but
it's not a new infection. The first
case was reported in 1968. In the
past, MRSA usually affected people
with weakened immune systems,
such as those Hving in long-term
care facilities like nursing homes.
But now some otherwise healthy
people who are not considered at
risk for MRSA are getting the infec
tion. Doctors call this type of infec
tion community-associated MRSA
(CA-MRSA) because it affects peo
ple who spend time together in
groups, such as schools, college
dorms or military barracks.
When lots of people come togeth
er and are likely to touch the same
surfaces, have skin-to-skin contact,
or share equipment that has not
been cleaned, an infection can
spread faster than it would other
wise. That's why recent MRSA
infections involved athletes in gyms
and locker rooms. If the MRSA bac
teria get onto a kneepad, for exam
ple, and someone with a skinned
knee wears the pad without clean
ing it, that person's risk of infection
is higher.
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF
MRSA may sound scary because it
is resistant to some antibiotics. But
it's actually easy to prevent MRSA
from spreading by practicing simple
cleanliness.
Protect yourself by taking these
steps;
# Wash your hands often using
plain soap and water for at least 15
seconds each time. You might also
want to carry alcohol-based instant
hand sanitizers or wipes in your
bag for times when you can't wash
your hands.
# If you have a cut or broken
skin, keep it clean and covered with
a bandage.
• Don't share razors, towels, uni
forms, or other items that come into
contact with bare skin.
• Clean shared sports equipment
with antiseptic solution before each
use or use a barrier (clothing or a
towel) between your skin and the
equipment.
Even in the rare event that some
one on campus becomes infected
with MRSA, you can protect your
self by washing your hands, wiping
any surfaces before they come into
contact with your skin, and keeping
any cuts covered.
HOW IS MRSA TREATED?
MRSA infections can require dif
ferent medications and approaches
to treatment than other staph infec
tions. For example, if a person has a
skin abscess caused by MRSA, the
doctor is more likely to have to
drain the pus from the abscess in
order to clear the infection.
In addition to draining the area,
doctors may prescribe antibiotics
for some people with MRSA
Photo by Garrett Garms
A Winston-Salem State mantainence worker disinfects a surface on cam
pus. Cleanliness Is one ley to preventing infections.
infections. In a few cases, MRSA can
spread throughout the body and
cause problems like blood and joint
infections — although complica
tions like these are very rare in
healthy people.
People with infections can also
help prevent future bacteria from
becoming resistant to antibiotics by
taking the antibiotics that have been
prescribed for them in the full
amount until the prescription is fin
ished (unless a doctor tells them it's
OK to stop early). Germs that are
allowed to hang around after
incomplete treatment of an infection
are more likely to become resistant
to antibiotics.
WHEN TO SEE A DOCTOR
Call the doctor or go to your stu
dent health center if:
• You have an area of skin that is
red, painful, swollen and/or filled
with pus.
• You have an area of swollen,
painful skin and also feel feverish
or sick.
• Skin infections seem to be pass
ing among your family members (or
among your roommates, fellow
dorm dwellers, or students in your
classes) or if two or more of them
have skin infections at the same
time.
Serious cases of MRSA are still
rare. By taking these easy preven
tion steps, you can help keep it that
way!
For more answers and advice from
the health experts of Nemours, visit
MyStudentHealthZone.com.
MRSA sources
Most patients with serious
antibiotic-resistant staph (MRSA)
infections become exposed to
the bacteria in health-care
facilities, according to a Journal
of the American Medical
Association report.
Classification of infection
For 8,987 cases of invasive MRSA
Recent exposure
to risk factors
including hospitals, _
nursing tiomes and
dialysis
NOTE: Study
conducted from
July 2004 through
December 2005
for nine U.S. sites
Contracted MRSA
in hospitals
Contracted MRSA
in communities
Could not
be classified 1.3%
58.4%
13.7%
© 2007 MCT
Source; U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
Graphic: Chicago Tribune
Graphics courtesy of MCT Wire
Staphylococcus aureus
Antibiotic-resistant staph infections are more
common and much deadlier than previously
believed, causing about 94,000 life-threatening
infections and 19,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2005.
Methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
• Resistant to penicillin-related
antibiotics; can be treated with
other drugs, but health officials
fear resistance to those, too
• Bacteria lives on skin or
in nose; can be carried
by healthy people
Prevention and treatment
• Keep wounds covered, dry
and clean
• Avoid sharing personal items
• Consult doctor at first sign
of infection
Source: Journal of the American Medical
Association, U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention
Graphic: Melina Yingling
MRSA bacteria,
under microscope
in infection
r4
Red, swollen Pus or other
and painful discharge
• Bacteria enters skin through
cut or small break
• Spread by skin-to-skin contact
• More severe if bacteria enters
bloodstream ©2007 mot