September 22, 2006
North Ciirohna Wesleyan College Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27804
SPORTS
3
NBRTH CAHDLIMA
‘Traveler’ Taal Calls NC Wesleyan Home
Bishops Football Team
Mature, Confident
gyTijBVor Seibert
Decree Sports Editor
2006 Battling Bishops
football team is being led not by its
captains, but by its captain’s panel.
Tlie^ptain’s panel, consisting of 25
Bishops football players, has been
chosen to help lead this year’s team
to stress, and so far, they seem to be
doing their job.
#he Bishops are 1-1, but lost in
a liail-biter to a solid Newport News
Apppntice squad by the score of 21-
20. In the second game of the season
the Bishops routed the University of
Southern Virginia, 42-7.
frhis year’s squad is being led by
Junior Quarterback Cedric Townsend
who^as looked nothing short of
tcular in the first two games.
;end leads the team with 452
yar^ passing, with four touchdowns
and only one interception. He is also
the Jcond leading rusher on the team,
amassing 113 yards on 15 carries.
Wth the loss of Javon Williams,
sof^more Biyan Haywood has taken
over as the Bishops running back and
he has rushed the ball 23 times for 125
^ards and two touchdowns.
But the success of the Bishops
seems to lie in the hands of what
can be a dominant defense. Led by
former Defensive Rookies of the Yeai'
Qidnden a Spellman and Andrew
Quigley, the Bishops have only given
up tee oftensive touchdowns in
the first two games of the season
(the other touchdown coming on a
punt block return by Newport News
Ajjjrentice).
'' The first game of the season'
looked like it was going to be a
dominant performance by the host
Bishops. On the first drive of the
day, Townsend led the team 75 yards
and capped off the drive with a 5
yard touchdown pass to sophomore
wide receiver Shelton Leverette. The
Bishops held the lead the entire game
and then with a 1:19 remaining, the
Builders of Apprentice blocked a punt
and returned it for a touchdown. The
Bishops got the ball back, but were
unable to mount an oftensive threat
and lost 21-20, leaving many fans
wondering if this would be another
year of heartbreaks for the Bishops.
Those questions were answered
ratlier quickly when the Bishops trav
eled to Southern Virginia University
and demolished the Knights, 42-7.
Townsend completed 12 of 16 passes
for 241 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Freshman Orlando Webb caught 3
passes for 108 yards and a touchdown
which earned him Rookie of the
Week honors. The Bishops led 35-7 at
halftime and did the classy thing and
played many backups en route to the
victory.
The win showed that the
Bishops are now a team that cannot
only win games, but dominate them.
In the past, NCWC has often led late
in games, but has been unable to put
away teams. Sometimes this had led
to come-from-behind wins by Bishop
opponents.
The Bishops will start conference
play at home on September 23 against
rival Methodist College. This should
show the true colors of the Bishops
squad and could be one of the best
games on the East Coast in Division
III football.
By Shannon Williams
Decree Contributor
(Editor’s Note: This is the
third article in a series on interna
tional students and staff at NCWC)
“I am a traveler,” said Frankie
Taal. “I enjoy going to new places
and learning new things.” Seeing
as though he’s been to six different
countries, including England,
Canada, Belgium, Senegal, The
Ivor>' Coast and the United States,
has visited thirty U.S. states and
over a hundred American cities,
speaks English, Wolloff and Aku
fluently and understands French
and Mandinka, “a traveler” may
not be an adequate term.
Bom and raised in Gambia, a
country in West Africa, Taal now
resides in Rocky Mount. He moved
here in August 2004 after accepting
the position as Assistant Men’s
Soccer Coach for the NCWC
athletic department. Taal is also a
Resident Director.
Taal has lived in the United
States for 18 years. He originally
came in 1988 to pursue a college
education, and attended Bethany
College in West Virginia. After
receiving his degree, he accepted
a position at his alma mater and
worked for six years as Assistant
Men’s Soccer Coach and tw'o years
as Women’s Head Soccer Coach.
He served as a residence life
coordinator there as w'ell.
Taal wasn’t too surprised
by what he experienced once he
arrived in the United States. “My
impressions of the United States
weren’t any different from what
I saw once I got here,” he said.
“One thing I didn’t realize was
that not every city w'as like New
York City and Los Angeles. I never
pictured suburbia America.” The
diversity of the country is w'hat he
likes most. “It’s the biggest melt
ing pot in the universe,” he said.
He did, however, have to
adjust to the chmate. “The weather
was ver\' different [from home],
being that 1 arrived in New York in
January,” he said. In Gambia, there
are only two seasons-a hot and rainy
season and a cooler, dry season.
He noted a few of the cultural
differences that he didn’t necessar
ily agree with. “Younger people
have more respect for their elders
back home,” he said. He also
commented on U.S. foreign policy.
“I don’t agree with US foreign
policy,” he explained. “America
is the sole super pow'er and the
world’s police, but its foreign
policy is very inconsistent. The
U.S. administration’s policy is
solely based on national interest
and not for the sake of humanity.”
Taal comes from a larger
family. Explaining that there are no
terms in his country for half brother
or half sister, Taal related that
he has nine brothers and sisters,
but that he’s the only child of'
his mother. In the U.S., Taal has
several cousins, aunts, uncles,
nephews, and nieces that reside
in cities along the East Coast,
including Atlanta, New York, D.C.,
Raleigh, and Philadelphia.
His family and friends are
what Taal misses the most about
home. He usually visits at least
once ever>' two years and calls at
least twice a month. “Families are
very tight and look out for each
other,” he said about family life
in Gambia. “It goes beyond the
extended family,” he said, pointing
out that neighbors are considered
part of your extended family. “You
can literally knock on anyone’s
door and be fed,” he said.
Taal enjoys eating a variety of
foods. At home, his favorite dish
is Dumoda, a type of peanut butter
stew. “It’s the best!” he said. As for
American dishes, “That’s a tough
SYM: The Final Word on 2006 NFL Contenders
By Trevor Seibert and Anthony DeGregorio
Decree Sports Columnists
(AD: Welcome to the second year
of Ipeak Your Mind. This first issue
w’ll go in depth on the NFL.
'|TS:Yes, sir, it is very good to
hjck at school this year. Even
Uwh tny friend has departed to go to
U^SS-Aniherst, we’ll continue to
1)1^ you the BEST sports analysis of
thwear. This season the NFL is going
to^'better than ever. With storylines
foijver\' team, how do you see the
going this year?
iAD: I think the East once again
will be the strongest division in the
NPC with two teams getting into the
pi Jofls. The Cowboys look great on
it’s just a matter of how well the
Big Tuna” Bill Parcells and TO can
^exist and mn a productive offense,
rne Giants and Philly will battle it out
toifhe wild card spot, but I don’t think
banning can lead his team as well
(IcNabb will lead the Eagles who
e so many weapons on offense with
Smith, Westbrook and Brown. The
tif'n of Stallworth definitely added
h needed depth at the WR position.
TS: Most definitely, but I think
you have overlooked the fact that Ter-
® Owens has already started his crap
Cowboys and that will ruin
‘"s^eam. J see them finishing 8-8 and
“ot making the playoffs this year. With
> the Giants look solid this year
and Eli Manning Just keeps getting
better. The Giants will win the division
easily with the Eagles grabbing a wild
card spot. From the strongest to the
weakest; the NFC North is the laughing
stock of the NFl. this season. I see the
Vikings taking this division with an
8-8 record and being the only team to
represent the North in the playoffs.
AD; And the weak keep getting
weaker. How about the Lions cutting
Charles Rogers the #2 pick in the 2003
draft? I guess they see something in a
player who only has a little over 3,000
yards in his 9 years in the NFL. I think
Chicago can take the only playoff spot.
Their defense should keep them in a lot
of games and get them 10 wins.
TS; The Lions are a joke. Matt
Millen being the team president is a
joke, and this is coming from a Penn
State fan. He just needs to tlu'ow away
his pride and walk away because he s
embarrassing himself The South-
should give us some interesting games
this season. The Saints fell into one of
the greatest running backs in college
football history and he has shown that
he can play in the NFL during the
preseason. The Panthers should take
this conference again with the Hues
taking a wild card spot.
AD; I wonder how the Texans
feel now about not drafting Bush now
that Dominick Davis has been put
on IR and will be out for the season.
Now they’ll be stuck with rookie Wali
Lundy and will most likely sign the
1999 Heisman trophy winner Ron
Dayne. I agree that the division will
go to the Panthers who have looked
sensational in the preseason but I think
the other two playoff teams will be
Arizona and Seattle from the West.
TS; I’m looking at Arizona
winning that division this season and
Seattle not going. I know that sounds
crazy, but I have two reasons for this.
One is the Madden jinx. I won’t pick
up Shaun Alexander on any of my fan
tasy teams because everyone knows he
is going to get hurt, and he’s the team.
Arizona will take advantage of this and
make the playoffs. The second reason
is that the losers of the last four Super
Bowls have not made the playoffs the
next season. With that said, the chips
are stacked against the Sealiawks.
AD; I know about the Madden
curse but I still think that Alexander
can stay healthy and the Seahawks will
be a playoff team. They have one of
the best linebacking crews in the NFL
and an experienced QB in my Boston
College boy Matt Hasselbeck who
seems to be getting better with age. I
would have to say that, out of all of my
playoff picks, Carolina will make it to
the Super Bowl, and Steve Smith will
have another career year.
TS; Carolina will be good, but
one,” he said. “Well, I don’t eat
meat, so [my favorite] would have
to be a tuna steak or a red snapper
dish with tice and veggies.”
Although Tad enjoys being
here, he misses home, and often
speaks highly of his country.
“The people in Gambia are very
caring and hospitable,” he said. “I
consider myself very fortunate to
be who I am, and I’m very proud of
my nation, my culture, and being
an African.” He also commented,
“Gambia is a ver>' friendly nation
and loves to welcome people from
other cultures and countries.”
That’s coinforting news for any
future travelers, especially coming
from a pro.
they won’t make it past the NFC
Championship game this year. The
NFC champs will be the New York
Giants. They’ll beat the Eagles in
an overtime thriller in the divisional
round, and make it to the Super Bowl.
Onto the AFC; The strongest division
has to be the North this year and I just
don’t think the Steelers will come out
with diis one. The Bengals will repeat
this year because of a solid Carson
Palmer who has looked nothing short
of spectacular in the preseason.
AD; That’s interesting, consider
ing 1 don’t have the Steelers making
the playoffs this year. The Steelers
lucked out to have Big Ben come out
of his motorcycle accident in one piece,
but after an emergency appendectomy,
he’ll definitely miss the season opener
against Miami and who knows when
he’ll be healthy enough to come back
so the Bengals are also my pick in the
North. All the questions about Palmer
recovering from knee surgery were
answered when he came out and didn’t
play like someone coming out of rehab.
TS; He definitely shut up anyone
who thought he was going to be useless
this year, The Steelers will be a wild
card this year. The West has a lot of
question marks with a couple of teams,
'fhe Chargers are starting quarterback
Phillip Rivers and who knows what
he’s going to do. My pick is going to
Freshman Brittany Insley has paced
volleyball team in the early going.
Bishops Volleyball
Improves After
Early Struggles
By Trevor Seibert
Decree Sports Editor
The 2006 Battling Bishops
Volleyball team started this
season with five straight losses
and then turned up the heat over
the September 9-10 weekend to
w'in three straight at the Roanoke
College Tournament before losing
in the championship game to the
host tejun.
Despite the early losses, the
Bishops have looked impressive
in the early going. Led by middle
killer Brittany Insley, who has
stacked up 101 kills in the first
nine matches, the Bishops look to
improve steadily throughout the
season. Insley also leads the team
in digs and service points, showing
that this young team will have
some strong talent in the next few
years.
With Insley, w'ho received
All-Conference Rookie of the
Week honors, the Bishops feel
confident about their upcoming
conference schedule. The Bishops
were picked fifth in the pre-season
poll and should be able to compete
with the likes of conference rival
Methodist (finished to pick fourth
by only two points.) Conference
play begins September 15 and the
Conference tournament will be
played on October 31-November 1
at a site to be named.