? Yellow Jackets work North Forsyth for 33 walks in 25-24 win
By JEROME RICHARD
Chronic U Spora Editor
Carver High School took a long time, lit
erally, to pick up its first junior varsity soft
ball victory of the season.
? The Yellow Jackets walked past North
Forsyth 25-24 April 20, working three
Viking pitchers for 33 walks, including three
in the bottom of the seventh to force in the
winning run, as they broke into the win col
umn for the first time after six consecutive
losses. ;
~ Carver coach Mike Ferguson decided on
the make-them-pitch-to-you strategy early in
the game when he saw North was having
problems getting the ball over for strikes. His
strategy paid off in the Yellow Jackets* first
win of the year in a three-hour walk-a-thon
that began in bright sunshine and ended in
the dim light of dusk.
"I was sending our batters up to take the
walk. I told them to take two strikes before
even thinking about hitting/* Ferguson said
as the first hints of darkness began to engulf
the diamond. Ferguson joked that he hit upon
the strategy on the "spur of the moment**, but
turning serious noted that "when their pitcher
started pitching badly I was in the weak part
of my lineup and told them to take two
strikes before swinging. It paid off and we
just stayed with it** ,
North Forsyth *s pitching went south in
the first inning when it issued eight walks
leading to six Carver runs. The Yellow Jack
ets didn't have a hit in the frame and the
Vikings committed one error.
North surrendered two walks in each of
second and third innings to hold Carver
scoreless while getting back in the game
with a six-run third, highlighted by Shannon
Watson's leadoff triple and an RBI single
from Jenny Booth that tied the contest at 6-6.
The game didn't stay knotted long as the
Vikings exploded for 1 1 runs in the fourth,
the key hits an RBI single by Kristy
Hollingsworth and a two-run single by Wat
son as the Vikings had five hits and capital
see CARVER page 19
New Cats On The Gridiron Prowl
A South Fork Panthers begin play this fall as Pop Warner's newest team
By JEROME RICHARD
Chronicle Sports Editor
The Carolina Panthers won't
be the only new cats prowling
the football field come autumn.
The NFL's newest team
(along with Jacksonville) begins
its first season this fall, the same
time its namesake South Fork
Panthers open their season as the
newest member of the Northwest
Midget Football League, better
known as Pop Warner Football.
: "Since we are new and the
Carolina Panthers are new. Why
noc grow together?/* South Fork
spokeswoman Jo Ellen Crooks
h.*
? said. "We contacted the Carolina
Panthers about using their logo,
but it's the property of the NFL.
We'll have the Panthers* colors,
though. We'll have black pants
afld white jerseys with electric
blue letters and numbers/9
The South Fork team fills a
hole in the Ardmore area that
hasn't had a Pop Warner team in
many years, says Crooks.
"There was a team years ago
in this area and some of the peo
ple that played on it or were
involved in other ways felt the
area needed a team," Crooks
said. "Many of the organizers
played years ago and want their
kids to play.
"We'll field a full slate of
teams and we'll be on probation
until we do. We've filled some
of the age groups, but need play
ers for others. I don't think we'll
have any trouble filling the
teams based on the enthusiasm
I've seen. We had kids waiting at
8:30 a.m. the first day of regis
tration, and registration didn't
start until 10."
There was some concern
among existing teams that a new
organization would take players
and dilute the talent pool, but
Crooks says the Panthers will
see NEW page 17
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L ? '? - ??? ?? 1
IH, |)tri i ft !?? J
rnoto Oy LJiiri MBUfw
An East Forsyth runner is tagged out during a 24-15 win over Mount
Tabor in junior varsity softbaU April 21. More JV coverage on page if.
Black College Trio
Chosen in NFL's
Opening Round
By JEROME RICHARD
Chronicle Sports Editor
Three players from historical
black colleges* led by Robinson
Trophy winner and record-set
ting quarterback Steve McNair,
were selected in the first round
of th %T-tional Football League
drr - day April 22.
M' .air, a 6-2, 225 -pounder
from Alcorn State University,
was the third player selected,
going to Houston after the
Cincinnati Bengals chose Penn
State running back Ki-Jana
Carter with the first pick
obtained via a trade with the
Carolina Panthers. Tony Boselli
of Southern California was the
second player selected, tapped
by the expansion Jacksonville
Jaguars.
Two other players from his
torical black colleges were cho
sen in the first round. Linebacker
Hugh Douglas of Central State
(Ohio) was taken by the New
York Jets with "the 16th pick and
Tyrone Poole, a defensive back
from Fort Valley State in Geor
gia, went to the trade-happy Pan
thers with the 22nd pick. Caroli
na traded up to get Poole, giving
the Green Bay Packers three
picks ? the 32nd (last in first
round), 65th (third round), and
183rd (sixth round).
McNair was rated the top
quarterback in the draft by ana
lyst Mel Kiper Jr., but questions
were constantly raised about the
level of competition McNair
faced at Alcorn State, a Division
I-AA school.
The questions were posed
despite McNair's third-place fin
ish in voting for the Heisman
Trophy and his selection as the
inaugural RobinioxiTrophy .
winner as the outstanding foot
ball player from a historical '
black college.
McNair was
also named
the top player
in Division I
AA and was
named the
SWAC offen
sive player of
the year an
unprecedented
four times.
As a senior, he passed for
4,863 yards and 44 touchdowns .
and rushed for 936/yards and
nine TDs. He set the I-AA sin
gle-game total offense record
with 649 yards against Southern
University as a senior. ?
. McNair set the I-AA career
mark for passing with 14,496,
surpassing the record of Neil
Lomax of Portland State, who
later played for the St. Loins and
Phoenix Cardinals of the NFL.
McNair also shattered the total
offense record for all NCAA
divisions with 16,823 yards*
eclipsing the mark set by
Brigham Young's Ty Dettmer.
Carolina got a double threat
in Poole, not only obtaining a
quick and speedy defender, but a
punt returner who averaged 133
yards per return at Fort Valley.
set BLACK page 17
Sieve McSmir
Winston-Salem State University football players unload food at the Good Samaritan
was collected at the Rams ' annual Red and White spring football game .
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