"TP f' Continued From Page 10
the Northern Division cellar and now
they want to make amends. It's not
that Bowie, 3-6 overall, was that bad.
Three of those losses could very eas
ily have been wins had it not been for
fourth quarter miscues.
But this is another season, which
brings^on renewed enthusiasm to
recapture the glory years of '88 and
'89 when BSU made the Division II
playoffs and won the CIAA title.
On offense, tneempnasis is on
the ground game with linemen Scott
Messick and Andre Crawley opening
holes tor running back Butch Wilson
(721 yards, 5TDs).
The quarterback situation isn't
settled and probably won t be until
the season opener on Sept. 7.
Richard Thomas is the leading candi
date going into training camp. Even
SO, the Dogs are a threat to score
anytime they reach the opponent's
Bowie has one of the nation's best
field goal kickers. In three seasons,
Fitzpatrick has nailed 71 of 76 PATs
and made good on 15 of 19 field
goals from 40 yards out and beyond.
Jason Herold, the CIAA punt
leader last year (40.3 yards per kick
average) should allow the Dogs to
gain favorable field position when
there's a change of possession.
Defensively, linebacker Ed Gre
gory is the man. In nine games last
season, Gregory was in on 104 tack
les. Cornerback Steve Smith and
safety Gary Beckford are proven per
formers in the secondary.
Bowie's fate will be determined
by how well the new batch of talented
recruits mesh with the returning cast
members. The quicker they are able
to gel, the better off Bowie will be.
Hampton University
Coach Fred Freeman could be in
for a long year if no suitable replace
ments are found for DeRocke Croom,
Tim Dudley, and Pete Hollway, all of
whom finished their college careers
last November.
QB Croom and running backs
of the offensive load for the Pirates
last season. That threesome
accounted for 2,859 total yards and
28 TDs in *90.
Shannon Wallace, a back-up for
the^past two seasons, is Croom's
likely replacement.
Things will only get better for the
Pirates If they do come up with a
solid QB who can get the ball to a trio
of speedy receivers. Johnnie Barnes,
an All-American track performer, is
the leading pass catching returnee
(26 receptions, 621 yards, 23.9 ypc).
Terrence Warren (two-time NCAA
OW \ *90 meter sprint champ)
Photo courtesy of Norfolk State University
Norfolk State's Chris Booker, an outside linebacker, Is one of the reasons
why the Spartans are favored to win the dlvlson this year.
mans the other slot and prevents
defenses from constantly doubling
Barnes. Shaun Parker is also a very
retiabte target.
Because it will take some time for
the offense to become a cohesive
unit, the defense will be asked to do
more than hold its own. And the good
news is that they are more than capa
ble of doing so. Last season, the
Pirates were the league's No. 2 unit
in rushing defense (yielding 115.3
ypg) and No. 3 in scoring defense
(allowing 18.7 ppg).
Steve Brannon, Donald Holland
and Norman Brown are seasoned
performers on the defensive line. The
linebacker positions are in good
hands with Douglas Wynn and. Oar
reth Bonds (94 tackles, 5 sacks).
The Pirates secondary looks to
be in excellent shape with Johann
Fuller, Darien Parker. Craig Raingy,
and Troy FuHwood returning. All four
started last year.
Virginia State
Louis Anderson, the newly
installed VSU gridmaster hopes to
take the Trojans to a higher level than
their .500 finish of a year ago.
Eight offensive starters return
with giant tackle James Brown (6-8,
310) leading the charge. Brown was
a prime reason why the Trojans
amassed 327.3 total yards a game
last season ? third-best in the CIAA.
Brown and friends should make
life comfortable for quarterback Ore
gory Clark, who emerged as a top
notch leader as a sophomore. Clark
finished the year as the conference's
No. 2 passer ? 1,805 yards, 11 TDs.
David Patterson is a productive run
ning back who has refined the art of
finding the end zone. He scored 10
touchdowns in *90.
The defense could have a few
problems since all of its linemen are
gone. Tim Williams is being counted
on take up the slack at nose guard
and Edward Lotties is an up and
coming performer at defensive end.
Andre Brickhouse is a crafty veteran
at linebacker and Raymond Massen
burg is a fixture at cornerback.
If the defense solidifies early, look
for the Trojans to make some noise in
the division race for the title.
Elizabeth City State
The Vikings will rely on defense
and ball control to keep them in con
tention for the league crown.
Alvin Kelly takes over as head
coach for Johnnie Walton who is now
an assistant coach in the World
League of American Football. Kelly,
who built Liz City's defense, a unit
that was the league's No. i overall
(256.5 ypg) and against the rush
(111.1 ypg). The Vikes were also sec
ond in pass defense (allowing 145.4
ypg)
Just about everybody from last
year's defense is back, which makes
Kelly's job a bit easier. Everett Mclv
er, a two-time, all-league pick, is the
prime-time guy at defensive end. Lee
Macon and Brian Scott are mainstays
at linebacker and the secondary is
solid with the return of cornerbacks
Manuel Smith and Tracy Green;
On the other side of the ball, the
picture gets a little fuzzy. The issue of
who will be the starting quarterback
hasn't been settled. Juan Langford
and Tim Johnson will battle for the
starting call during pre-season camp.
Look for Andre Nelson to become
one the league's top rushers after
enjoying a satisfying rookie season.
Phillip Sevier will also get his share
SOUTHERN DIVISION
Winston-Salem State
The defending CIAA champs are
ready to rumble and capture their
fourth title in five years. And given the
new format for determining a confer
ence champ, it seems that the only
thing that can stop the Rams is the
Rams.
Coach Pete Richardson is an
advocate of power football. And real
istically, who can argue? Thanks to a
Please see Page 14
* $
jjjj