AC Phoenix, September 1989, Page 1-A
Fall means start of CIAA-MEAC and A&T-WSSU annual clash
By Malcolm Pharr
The air is cooling and
soon the green leaves
will be turning into yel
low, reds and burning
orange. In time they will
descend upon the earth
and summer will be
come autumn. There is
nothing more beautiful
in death than the way
Mother Nature trans
forms herself from the
greenery of spring and
summer to the beautiful
colors of the fall. And for
most in the triad area
there is no sweeter
sound than young foot
ball prospects gmnting,
grimacing and
grotesquely carving
their bodies into shape
in order to compete
during yet another foot
ball season.
The 1989
CIAA/MEAC Football
Preview gives football
fans from Tallahassee,
Florida to Dover,
Delaware the opportu
nity to see what's in
store for them regarding
black college football.
The season is presently
one-week old and al
ready fans are ecstatic
and optimistic about the
1989 campaign.
This season the CIAA
will once again chase
coach Pete Richardson
and his Winston-Salem
State University team.
The defending CIAA
champs have some
gaps to fill, but as in their
first outing and victory,
the Rams have ample
talent to plug any leaks
that may be in the Rams'
squad.
Coach Bill Hayes and
the A & T State Univer
sity Aggies have "the
look", that may lead the
Aggies back into promi
nence in the MEAC.
Hayes and former
W.S.S.U. quarterback.
Cornell "Sweetness"
Maynor, showed
glimpses of explosive
offense and stirigy de-*
tense as they ate the
N.C.C.U. Eagles for
lunch in the first week of
the season 24-6.
Victories by both the
Aggies and Rams set
the stage for fheir clash
on September 9,1989.
Two years ago. Bill Hayes held the reins to the
WSSU Rams. Now In his second season at A&T,
he will have a firmer grip on the Aggies.
.Two weeks ago odds
makers would have
called the game "no
contest", with the Rams
easily the favorite. To
day, the two schools,
which are separated by
only a twenty-six mile
stretch, are dead even.
The rest of the CIAA
will be chasing the
Rams, but some teams
are somewhat closer
than others. Former
Philadelphia Eagle,
Sanders Shiver, takes
over the reigns of the
high-powered Bowie
State Bulldogs. The
Bulldogs outlasted the
J.C. Smith Golden Bulls
in one of the highest
scoring contests in
league history. The
Bulldogs' rushing and
passing attack
outscored the Bulls
aerial show, featuring
Mo Flowers, 58-41.
(And they say defense
materializes before of
fense.)
The NCCU Eagles
and "Hammerin" Hank
Lattimore look to be the
most overrated team in
the CIAA. It will be very
difficult for quarterback
Ed Witcher to live up to
this position in "Eagle
Land." The shoes of
Gerald Fraylon and Earl
"Air” Hanrey could be a
bit to large for Witcher.
It's not even fair to com
pare the three.
The Hampton Pirates
of the CIAA North are
projected to finish first
on the churning legs of
Tim Dudley. Dudley
gained 1004 yards a
year ago and has a bone
to pick with W.S.S.U.'s
Broderick Graves, who
won the CIAA rushing
title with 1005 yards.
The Howard Bisons
and first-year coach
Steve Wilson (former
Denver Bronco) will bat
tle Delaware State for
honors in the MEAC.
The South Carolina
State Bulldogs are op
timistic about the return
of Willie Jeffries. Jeffries
left the Bisons amid ru
mors and allegations of
problems in the football
program.
Hayes gets second shot at boosting Aggies
By Malcolm Pharr
If second-year Coach
Bill Hayes has a case of
“Sophomore Jinx,” the
Aggie Alumni will have
him for lunch. The sec
ond time around will be
better for the Aggie's
mentor. After finishing
2-9 last season, one
could almost hear the
sigh of relief traveling
east to west on Highway
Bill Haves
40. A years experience
for coaches and grasp
ing by players of Hayes'
system should help
bring smiles to Aggie
followers.
Aggie's foes will hate
f^- to know that All-America
linebacker Demetrius
Harrison, the MEAC's
Defense Player of the
Year. Nose guard Kirk
Graham is the Mainstay
of several returning
linemen. Dee Moye will
anchor the Aggies sec
ondary.
Last season the Ag
gies offense was the
weakest in the MEAC.
They scored only 13
touchdowns in 11 out
ings a year ago. This
season the Aggies will
pain the services of for
mer W.S.S.U. quarter
back Cornell Maynor.
Maynor, a native of
Fayetteville, N.C., led
the Rams to the 1987
CIAA Championship,
but opted to leave the
Rams program when
Coach Hayes departed.
Maynor wasted no
time in seizing the field
general's job during
spring drills. Maynor's
ability to make the big
play under fire in some
thing fhe Aggie's of
fense lacked a year ago.
The Aggie's backtieio
appears to be solidifying
with Jerome Crawford,
Doraine Harris and An
thony Carrington pre
pared to dazzle de
fenses. Hilton Win
stead, the Aggie's for
mer quarterback, will get
a chance to snow his
athleticism as a wing-
back in the Aggie's of
fense.
The rivalry: more than between schools
By Diana Wllllams-Cotton
We have for years
awaited the "Big Game",
"The Clash of the Triad",
"the meeting of the Ag
gies and the Rams",
September 9, 1989 is
the date and Winston-
Salem is the place. For
years there has been a
rivalry between the two
Black colleges that are
located just a few miles
apart. Once they were
both in the CIAA, A&T
Statu University moved
to the MEAC. That
didn't change a thing,
that was until two years
ago; that's when A&T
stole Winston-Salem
State's winning football
coach, along with him
went their quarterback.
Now we have what
some may view as new
rivalry between Coach
Bill Hayes and his former
assistant now WSSU
Coach Pete Richard
son.
We are sure they
would deny there is any
such thing going on,
but how would you like
to go down in defeat to
your former assistant?
We will all be on hand to
witness whether or not
Pete can make it two in a
row. Or will Bill make a
comeback. Join us at
Bowman Gray Stadium
Saturday Night.