I f Smok# Signals, Wednesday, August 25, 1980 — Page 3 National Tournament Eyed For Lady Brave Hoops ters S- *# “»■ Fullback Tommy Jones blocks out pass-rusher as Xavier Love looks for receiver in Chow/an's 24-13 win over Hudson Valley lost fall. Garrison Optimistic for '80 Despite Loss of Sophomores By HARRY PICKETT It’s gonna’ be mighty interesting to see how Coach Jim Garrison’s foot ballers do this fall. Shucks, the veteran coach of 23 years lost a first- team all-American, an honorable men tion all-American selection and six all conference performers, along with eight Region 10 choices. Is the man of 115 victories overly concerned with the loss of the talent from that second place 7-4 team of a year ago, which at one time was rank ed as high as sixth in the land? Sure. But he realizes he’s got some good horses to replace ’em, and so the par ty goes on. The Braves open the season here with East Carolina’s junior varsity under the lights, September 4, and when they run out on the field, attired in that tradi tional Chowan powder blue, the void spaces will be filled with the best that Garrison has to offer. In May, right after the annual spr ing scrimmage. Garrison said his tribe will be “young and inexperienc ed,” obvious obstacles considering more than three quarters of last year’s starters were sophomores. But, he does see strengths. “Defensively one strength will be, with our linebackers,” Garrison revealed. “We’ve got a covey of linebackers coming back with great experience. Another strength would be our offensive line.” Taking a glance, first, at Garrison’s covey, the odds-on favorites to anchor the three linebacker slots are the “three with the best abilities.” Rayfield Ziegler should fill an inside position. Ziegler, a Palmyra, N.J. pro duct, is described by Garrison as hav ing “great” upper body strength. At 5- foot-11 and 210 pounds, this muscular defensiveman had a few starting assignments before being saddled with an injured ankle against Ferrum Col lege. Another man in that flock is Amos Twitty of Kershaw, S.C. Garrison feels this 6-foot-l, 205-pound brute is major college material. Gifted with blinding 4.7 speed in the 40-yard sprint, Twitty has “great ability” to know where the ball is at all times. “He reads offenses real well,” Garrison declared. Mike Grant is a good one. Hailing from Charleston, S.C., this “hitman” carries his 200 pounds well on a muscular 6-foot-frame. A man with considerable playing time last season, Grant plays his role as an outside linebacker with “intelligence” and “consistancy.” Garrison said Grant always plays steadily and never hurts the team. “He’ll be at the right place at the right time.” Others who impressed the ever- popular mentor last spring include Herb Sanderson (6-1, 205) of Harrells, Reginald McLendon (5-11,195) of High Point, and Jerry Mills (6-0, 190), a Raleigh product. All have great speed and good hitting technique. That offensive line should be strong as Garrison reflected, but the center position in spring was in quite a “lim bo.” The coach has three candidates fighting over who will snap the ball come September. Prospects include Greg McDaniels (5-11, 220) or Charleston, Ricky Thorton (6-4, 220) of New Bern and Rory Gibson (6-0, 210) out of Cedartown, Ga. The tackle positions won’t be in lim bo, however. Two big horses for Gar rison’s eleven at that position are “definitely” major college prospects. Danny Mayo (Aurora) and David Dean (Roanoke Rapids) saw con siderable action last season as freshmen and started the last three games for the tribe. Mayo (6-3, 240) has been contacted by a number of Atlantic Coast Con ference schools, area schools as well as some football powers out west. The schools are impressed with his grades, size and speed. “He’s definitely a ma jor college prospect,” Garrison boasted. “We’ve timed him at 4.9 and he has great strength.” “Dean (6-3, 250) has good techni que,” he continued. “If he has a weakness it is because he doesn’t have the speed. But he has the other tools.” Jeff Speight (5-11, 215) wiU nail down one guard spot. Speight is from Wilson. He is not^ for his quickness coming off the ball. His sidekick will be Dennis Skeeter, also a returner. At 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, this Suffolk, Virgi nian has good speed, sprinting home a good 4.9. Two others looked on this season to spell the starters are Rick Peters (6-1, 215) from our nation’s capital, Washington, and Jim Guffey (6-2, 220) of Wingate, N.C. Both sophomores are guards with “good technique.” Looking at the rest of the offense, it seems as though the receiving corps will have to come through this season in order to have an explosive offensive attack. Beginning with the tight end position. Garrison has three battling for the job. Gary Wells (6-2, 215) may have the nod at this position. This man from Turkey, N.C. caught the ball well during the spring and his blocking im proved tremendously. Garrison noted. Gaffney Jackson (6-1, 205) from Charleston, S.C. and (iarl Turner (6-0, 2l0i,£rproXl}g^pe9kfi. Ys- .are close behind Wells . Garrison stumbled on some fairly good receivers to play the flanker and split end positions, “we feel we’ve picked up quite a few good receivers.” Frank Groom heads the list. All the way from Springfield, Pa., this 5-11, 175-pounder brings with him 4.5 speed and a good pair of hands. Mike Tighe (5-9, 170) of Erie, Pa. comes south equipped with a good pair of hands and better than average blocking ability. James Springs (5-9, 160), a Charlotte native, was impressive last spring, also. Elizabeth City’s Eric McDaniels (6-0, 170) may have the slight ad vantage at quarterback. The sophomore, after five games last season, led the Coastal Conference in total offense before sustaining an in jured knee against conference arch rival Ferrum College. “Eric can throw the football,” Gar rison said. “He throws it very, very well. It would have been well for him to have the benefit of spring practice, though. But, I’m still worried about his knee.” Leroy Zimmerman (5-9, 165) of Richmond and James TilUs (6-1, 175) of Milbourne, N.J. are ready to move in and call the shots. Zimmerman is best running the op tion, which Garrison would love hav ing him do. However, the coach is worried about his poise. There is a good possibility that Zimmerman may play split end or flanker if he doesn’t play quarterback, last season he saw time at both spots. In the offensive backfield, the Braves lose the services of two-year starters Percy Godette (tailback) and Tommy Jones (fullback). Running out of Garrison’s I-formation this fall will be a duo of inexperienced backs, but two with talent written all over. Jerry Hedric (6-0, 180) looks to be the favorite to reside at Godette’s old tailback spot. The Gibsonville product was converted from a defensive abck to the offensive spot last fall and look ed impressive. However, Hedrick sus tained a separated shoulder early in the season, and did not see further ac tion. “He is going to be outstanding,” Garrison said of the fleet runner. “He has size, speed, a durable body and can run over or around you. He may end up being a better back than Percy (Godette).” Another in the stable is Amos Jordon (5-8, 155) of Jacksonville, an electrify ing runner who received a good amount of time last season, in fact, against Newport News Apprentice he gained a season-high 250-plus yards. “He’s not as durable and doesn’t have size, but he’s another great back who could be a factor.” Neither of the fullbacks played a down last fall. Delbert Melvin (6-0, 215) of Mount Olive, is a good blocker, but does not have great speed, ac cording to Garrison. William Dalton (5-10, 190) of Eden, seems to be the favorite to fiU Jones’ shoes. This grid- der has good speed and is an excellent blocker. “He’s the strongest man on the football team,” says the coach. “He benches 445 poun^ and brings better speed than we’ve had.” Garrison’s four-man defensive front line has some major voids. All four players have gone on to four-year schools, and heading the list of the vacated are the Coastal Conference’s “Co-Defensive-Players of the Year,” all-American Hal Henderson and unanimous all-conference pick Robert Brown, who are attending the Univer sity of South Carolina and Virginia Tech, respectively, on scholarships. “When you lose two players who are actually the ends of your defensive wall, there is no team in any college classification that’s going to be the same team,” Garrison explained. “I thought as a team they might be the best pair in the nation in any classification. Getting them was once in a million.” Heading the list to fill one of the defensive end spots left by Henderson and Brown is J^y Schultz (6-3, 215) of Chester, Md., a hard-hitting sophomore who has already attracted some major four-year schools. Gar rison says Schultz has “great poten tial.” “He’s going to be another in a great tradition of defensive ends at Chowan. He had a great spring, and showed great hands and speed. ” Comparing him to all-American Henderson, Garrison said this end has about the same speed and size and has the same hitting and tackling ability. “He will come on you Uke a duck on a junebug.” Others to watch for at defensive end are Nathanial Hawkins (6-5, 220) of Warrenton and Jeff Gordon (6-1, 205) of Matthews. Kemp Page (6-4 , 245) of Mullins, S.C. and Mike Gardner (6-3, 215) of Roanoke Rapids were the two top tackle prospects during the spring months. Mike Arrington (6-0, 205) of Madison, Va., Joey Edwards (6-2, 230) or Walstonburg and Thaddeus Farrar (5-9, 220) of Raleigh are also names to watch. The defensive back situation this fall is one in which the coach sees as one of the “greenest” its been in several years, so it won’t be unusual to see a few incoming freshmen get shots at a few of the positions this fall. “We lost six great defensive backs, and you don’t lose six like those and expect to be strong at that position.” A year ago the six sophomores who led the Coastal Conference in intercep tions, averaged almost 6-2 inches in height. This season an average height of 5-11 is straining it a bit. “We’re so short, that’s the thing that worries me. We had good height last season.” Counted on at the strong safety posi tions are a couple of rugged former linebackers. Craig Lovitt (5-11, 175), hailing from Columbia, S.C. and Ken ny Phillips (6-0,190), a Greenville pro duct, will tussle for the slot. A couple of gutsy, hard-hitting free safetymen looked good during spring play. Sam Hill (5-10, 170), a Windsor resident, got a few minutes under his belt last season, and coupled with his 4.3 speed, should enable him to keep those speedy receivers in check. Ar thur Washington (5-11, 185) from Atlanta, Ga., is considered by Gar rison as “probably the best defensive back we have.” On the corners will be Jose Matos of Puerto Rico, a transformed flanker who at 5-11, 180 can hit with the best of them; and Henderson Ware (5-10, 165) of Augusta, Ga., who Garrison says “will wear you out hitting.” That’s a personnel look at the 1980 Chowan Braves football team follow ing its spring football drills in May. With over 200 freshmen prospects here over the summer, there could be some changes come ^ptember when the home team tackles the Little Pirates. By HARRY PICKETT Is this the year the women’s basket ball team pack its luggage and head for Kansas for the national tournament? Could be. Coach Roy Winslow thinks that this could be the best team ever assembled on this campus. “This season we will have an abun dance of talent, leadership, but most importantly, experience.” Last season the experience wasn’t there, but the talent and leadership ex hibited by a freshman-loaded team enabled the Lady Braves to post the school’s best record, 17-9. The year before the little “darlings” came in, Winslow’s five could only muster five wins in 17 tries. During last season six cagers shared starting duties and five were freshmen, with the most talented being 6-1 freshman forward Donnie Stephens of Jeaup, Ga. Donnie was named most valuable, was an All-Region 10 selec tion and was a member of the Eastern All-Region 10 Tournament team, leading the C^iowan team in scoring, re bounding and field goaLpKcentage. She popped the cords at a *7.¥dip. brought home 11 rebounds and firfed in a blister ing 53.9 percent from the floor. Sandra Dixon, 5-6, a teammate of Stephens’ at Wayne County High School, was Chowan’s female athlete of the year, as she doubled as a Braves softball player. She averaged 12 points an outing for the Squaws last winter, many coming from her deadly outside jumper. She is a good leaper and comes off with many unexpected rebounds. Winslow labels her “exciting.” Other probable starters include Judy Douglas, 6-2, of Sanford who should nail down the pivot spot. Douglas averaged 11 numbers each contest and hauled in eight boards to follow Stephens. Judy had a slow start but finished the season with a flurry. Nancy Fleming, 6-0, of Littleton should anchor one forward spot alongside Stephens. She is a rugged, aggressive-type player who plays with a lot of intensity. Tina Midiri, 5-5, should round out the starting-five. Midiri, who hails from Wilmington, Del., will be the point guard. She is a flashy passer and a good ballhandler. Midiri led the team in assists last season. Expected, also, to see much playing time is Teiry Tyler, 5-10, of Raeford and Jacqueline Gore, 6-2, of Shallotte. Names of Winslow’s new recruits By BELINDA ELMORE First Floor Parker won two in tramural titles in the men’s competi tion and First Floor Jenkins two in the women’s play during the 1979-80 school year. Single wins were recorded by Second Floor East, Eighth Floor Parker, Third Floor Belk and First Floor Belk. Listing of champions and runners-up in the varimis sports follows: Men’s Basketball: First — Seventh Floor Parker, second — Basement Parker. Women’s Basketball: First — First Floor Jenkins, second -- First Floor Belk. Men’s Football; First — Second Floor East, second — First Floor Parker. Women’s Football; First — First were not available at presstime, but it is expected that Winslow should get another flock of talented women hoopsters coming in. Pack your bags, girls, it looks like national tournament time! Floor Jenkins, second — Third Floor Belk. Men’s Volleyball; First — Seventh Floor Parker, second — First North West. Women’s Volleyball; First — Third Floor Belk, second-Columns. Men’s Softball: First — Eighth Floor Parker, second — Fifth Floor Parker. Women’s Softball; First — First Floor Belk, second — Third Floor Belk. Football Skills (Men); Walt Willis, Third East, Dale Horn, Fourth Parker. Football Skills (Women); Kim Mello, Third Belk, Martha Break, Third Belk. Tennis (Men): Costin Craven, Mixon — Lynn Watson, First Jenkins. Cross Country: First — Doug Sanders, Third South West, second — Tori Cambell, Fifth Parker. Chowan's 1980 Football Schedule September 4 East Caroliha JV's Home 8:00 p.m. 13 Newport News Apprentice Away 1:30 p.m. 20 Potomac State College Home 1 ;30 p.m. 27 Open. October 4 Ferrum (Homecoming) Home 1 ;30 p.m. 11 Lees-McRae Away 1:30 p.m. 18 Hudson Valley Away 1:30 p.m. 25 Wesley Away 1:30 p.m. 31 North Carolina State JV's Home 2:00 p.m. November 8 Nassau Home 1:30 p.m. KC Welcome to Chowan! The Campus Student Store is ready to serve you with all your needs v/hile you make Chowan your home away from home in the months ahead. At our store you'll find. . Complete line of Toiletries AAonogrammed T-Shirts - Jackets Knit Shirts - Shorts Monogrammed Stemware Sun Visors - Hats Sleepwear - Shirts - Sweaters Complete line of School Supplies Composition Books - Notebooks Ruled Pads - Pens - Pencils a Complete Line of Photographic Films - Papers - Supplies and Much, Much More . . The place for all your needs Chowan Student Store First Parker, First Jenkins Lead in 1979-80 Intrannurals

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