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November 15, 2012
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aat Him by Photo by Kcrbl L. Dorsey
Mike Mayhew runs tome of hit 141 yaiHt on
Saturday.
First winning
season for Aggies in
nearly a decade
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
When North Carolina A&T defeated S.C. State 17
7 Saturday afternoon at Aggie Stadium, it did not
deliver A&T a MEAC football championship. But for
the many fans at the stadium and following the game
online, it sure felt pretty close.
A&T's win guaranteed the Aggies (6-4, 4-3
MEAC) their first winning season since 2003. That
happens to be the last time the Aggies won the MEAC
title. After winning the '03 title, the A&T program
went through numerous humbling and difficult situa
tions. Whether it was the 27-game losing streak or the
tragic death of offensive lineman Chad Wiley, to para
phrase Langston Hughes, life
ain't been no crystal stair.
But the program seems to be
coming out of its funk as evi
denced by its victory over S.C.
State, a team it defeated for the
first time in 12 years. It made for
a glorious senior day for the 18
Aggies playing their final foot
ball game at Aggie Stadium.
"It is so gratifying to see our
guys leave this way," said A&T
Coach Rod Broadway about his
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seniors. 1 minx we ve omy iosi
two home games in two years since we've been here.
That's change. That's a positive change around
here. They've earned everything they've gotten. No
one has given us anything."
Indeed, it was an inspiring effort by the Aggies. On
the offensive end, the Aggies rushed for 250 yards led
by senior Mike Mayhew's 141 yards. Ricky Lewis
added 82 yards and a touchdown on the ground. S.C.
State will endure its first losing season under 11-year
head coach Buddy Pough, who also lost to the Aggies
for the first time in 11 games.
Junior D'Vonte Graham, who blocked two first
half Bulldog field goal attempts, made the winning
play. Receiver Caleb Davis fumbled the ball, but did
not go after it because he thought it was an incomplete
pass. Graham, the Aggies cornerback, saw it different
ly. He picked up the ball and ran 10 yards into the end
zone. The play was ruled a backwards lateral, and thus
the fumble recovery gave the Aggies a 10-point cush
ion with 7:38 remaining in the game.
"It's just instinct, really," said Graham about the
play that sealed the win for A&T. "Whenever you see
a bubble screen or any type of play behind the line of
scrimmage, we practice if the ball hits the ground,
pick it up. I mean what does it hurt us if the play is
blown dead? I just scooped it up. Why not try to
score?"
The Aggies will close out the 2012 season against
archrival N.C. Central in Durham on Nov. 17 at 2 p.m.
A win will go even further in helping the Aggies put
the past nine years behind them.
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Photo
Guilford
College'!
Robert Smith iu
action.
Guilford has star in Smith
BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
As a speedy, sledge-hammer of a
linebacker, Robert Smith is just
beginning to scratch die surface. This
fall, the Guilford College sophomore
solidified his reputation as a defen
sive terror in the Old Dominion
Athletic Conference.
In the process, the Winston-Salem
native compiled some noteworthy
numbers. He finished the season with
108 tackles (fourth in the conference)
and was the ODAC co-leader in sacks
with 6V4.
At 6-feet-2, 230 pounds, Smith
has the size to routinely deliver bone
crushing hits. And he's also fast
enough to go one-on-one against tight
ends, slot receivers and running backs
in pass coverage.
"Robert does everything we need
for him to do in our defensive sets,"
said Coach Chris Rusiewkz. "When
he first came here, he was raw, but we
could see that he had all the tools. We
believed that by moving him to line
backer, he could be very successful at
roaming the field and making plays.
He's very intelligent and knows our
system. But just as important is the
fact that he's becoming more of a
team leader."
Smith, who played high school
football at Reynolds, initially played
safety as a
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after missing
two weeks of
pre-season
practice
because of a
knee sprain,
Rusiewicz pre
sented Smith
with another
option. He
could either
suxy iii uic see
ondary, where he was not a starter, or
he could give it a go at linebacker.
The Quakers needed more speed at
the position and Rusiewicz figured
that Smith would be a good fit.
"At first, I was hesitant to make
the change," said Smith. "But in look
ing back on it, I can see why they
made the suggestion. They knew it
(switching to linebacker) would give
me the best chance to be successful."
Smith accepted the challenge and
performed admirably. He finished up
as the Quakers second-leading tackier
(64) and was voted second-team All
Conference.
Guilford didn't challenge for the
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this season, its best showing since
2007. Smith is confident that what he
and his teammates accomplished this
year will serve as a springboard for
better things to come.
"None of us are surprised that we
won as many games as we did," said
Smith, who was named die ODAC
Defensive Player of the Week for Oct.
7. "We knew we had it in us. It was
simply a matter of us putting every
thing together.
"I like playing hard and showing
what I can do. But it's not about me
making 10 or more tackles every
game. It's all about winning, that's
die ultimate goal. I'm proud to be part
of a group that's changing die culture
here. As we win more games, people
will start to look at Guilford College
football a lot differently than they
have in the past."
i I
Smith
City lands track championships
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
Winston-Salem has won the bid
to host the 2014 NCAA Division II
Indoor Track A Field
Championships from March 12-IS,
2014.
It will be the fifst time Winston
Salem has hosted the event, which
is expected to bring more than 500
athletes, 1,700 total attendees to
the city and generate more than
$600,000 for the local economy.
"With the recent opening of the
JDL Fast Track and the strong sup
port of Winston-Salem State
University, being awarded this
prestigious tournament is a signifi
cant win for Winston-Salem as it
squarely places us as a viable con
tender to host national collegiate
sports events and tournaments,"
said Richard Geiger, president of
Visit Winston-Salem.
Winston-Salem joins an
impressive list of other U.S. cities
that have hosted this event, includ
ing Houston, Texas, Albuquerque,
N.M. and Boston, Mass.
The JDL Fast Track is an indoor
track and field facility located at
2305 Empire Drive that opened
earlier this year. It includes a 200
meter Mondo track; two pole vault
runways, two long/triple jump run
ways; a throws circle and high
jump area.
"JDL Fast Track is extremely
excited to showcase our facility on
a national stage and are confident
that our facility will exceed the
expectations of the coaches, ath
letes and spectators attending this
event," said Craig Longhurst, gen
eral manager of the JDL Past
Track. "Hosting this event is an
honor and testament to the hard
work of all the people involved in
(the) construction and operation of
this state-of-the-art facility."
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A view of the the JDL Fast Track.
Volleyball honor for WSSU's Smith
WSSU Photo ty OonMt
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SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Winston-Salem State Lady
Rams senior middle blocker De
Ann Smith was named the
Central Intercollegiate Athletic
Association (CIAA) Volleyball
Player of the Week on
Wednesday, Nov. 7.
The honor marked the first of
the season for Smith, who
stepped up her efforts for her
team.
Smith had a strong week for
the team with 24 kills and- 11
blocks (four solo) in four matches
for the Lady Rams. She began the
week on a high note, leading the
team to a three-set win over the
Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls.
The win solidified the team's
place as the third-place team in
the CIAA Southern Division and
put them within reach of tying for
second place in the division.
The Lady Rams will next take
the court at the 2012 CIAA
Volleyball Championship
Tournament at the Boo Williams
Sportsplex in Hampton, Va. The
tournament will be held from
Nov. 16-18.
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WFU's boys of summer do well
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Former Wake Forest pitcher Brian Holmes has been named an
Organization All-Star for the Houston Astros, while Jack Fischer,
Matt Pirro, Connor Kaden and Conor Keniry - all four of whom
are also Deacs - all were recognized for their summer perform
ances by Perfect Game, a top baseball scouting company.
Holmes was named to die NYPL All- _________
Star Team and posted a 7-4 record with a
2.S7 ERA. He also held opponents to just a
.165 batting average after being selected in
the 13th Round of June's draft.
Fischer, who pitched for the Wisconsin
Woodchucks of the Northwoods League,
was named a Second Team Summer Ail
American by Perfect Game. Pirro and
Kaden were picked as the 14th and 24th
best prospects, respectively, in the Perfect
Game Collegiate Baseball League after
spending their summer playing for the
Amsterdam Monawxs.
Pirro went 4-1 on the mound in six starts and seven appear
ances, while posting a 2.88 ERA in 25.0 innings. He finished the
summer with 34 strikeouts and IS walks and held opponents to a
.177 average.
Keniry played for the Newport Gulls of the New Bngland
Collegiate League. The Gulls were named the No. 1 summer team
in the nation by Perfect Game.
"I would absolutely love the opportunity to play for a summer
league championship against the best teams across the nation,"
Keniry said. "If the Gulls were to play in something like that this
year, there is no doubt in my mind that we would battle with the
best of them, and I think we would have a great shot at winning
it." fr
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