Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / July 28, 2016, edition 1 / Page 11
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SportsWeek t C Also More Stories, Religion and Classifieds July 28, 2016 CIAA holds media day for football season ? i HIT- " Photo by Timothy Ramsey WSSV Head Coach Kienus Boulware, left, is joined on stage by defensive back Kailan Chavis, middle, and pre-season All-Conference lineman Jac'que Polite. BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY THE CHRONICLE The college football season is set to kick off in a little over month. Last Thursday the CIAA held its media day for the upcoming season. Every team took the stage with coach and players to field ques tions and state their expectations for the year. As defending CIAA conference cham pions, the WSSU Rams look to repeat and improve upon their 6-5 record from last year. They open up on September 3 against UNC Pembroke before traveling to play Catawba on September 10. The Rams have won the Southern Division of the conference for five years in a row and are hungry for another crown. Head Coach Kienus Boulware stated his staff has gone out this off season and brought in some of the top talent in the country and feels the team that has the most fun will win. He said his offensive line will be improved from last year with pre-season All-Conference selections Jac'que Polite and Tim Samuels among others returning. 'To improve upon last season, we just have to stay consistent and do the little things well," said Boulware. "Last year we were all over the place trying to feel our way around. The year before we lost a lot of guys on defense, so last season we were trying to get the guys up to par on our philosophy and identity and it was some what of a challenge. Joining coach Boulware at media day was Polite and standout defensive back Kailan Chavis. Polite stated that the offensive line has been working together all summer long to build cohesiveness. The entire offensive line will be returning bom last season. He stated the chemistry they have built will See Media Day on B2 Reynolds Wm High grad trains Olympians Speas BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY THE CHRONICLE ? Being able to showcase your talents in the Olympics is the pinnacle of many athletes' careers. For some, being able to train those athletes and assist them in getting to that ' level is even more of an accomplishment. Derrick Speas, a Reynolds High graduate, has been coaching athletes in the area of speed for over a decade. Speas is now the High Performance coach for the Chinese Olympic speed skating team. As a youth, Speas excelled at r- i i r i * t_ ________________ tracK ana iieia ana iooioau, wnicn enabled him to obtain a scholarship to a* junior college in Garden City, Kansas. After staying there for two years, he transferred to Kansas State University for a short time. After finding out he was to become a par ent, he came back to Win$ton-Salem State University to finish out his degree. He said he didn't have a plan when he returned, so he had to figure something out. "I stuck to my roots and what I was good at and that was speed," said Speas. "It was something that came nat ural to me and it was something that I've always had. So me coaching young athletes: I just needed an opportunity to be seen." ? According to Speas, Richard Watts, principal of Winston-Salem Prep, gave him his first chance to show case his talents. He started as a second-grade teaching assistant. Speas stated he always had ambition to continue climbing the ladder, so when Stan Elrod, principal of Reynolds High, offered him the opportunity to coach at the high school level, he couldn't say no. "Him giving me that opportunity to display my talents was the start of having young athletes believe in me," said Speas. "From a coaching perspective, I wanted to do more than just coach athletes. I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to push these athletes so they have a different out look on life." Speas stated that his athletes bought in immediately to See Grad on B2 ' Submitted Photo ipeas stated he is at the top of his game as a coach but always looks to get better every day. ^???? Pop Warner coaches attend clinic to prepare for season Key ti BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY THE CHRONICLE Are you ready for some football? Although it's not fall outside, foot ball season is creeping closer each day. In preparation for its upcoming sea son, the Northwest Pop Warner Football League held its annual football clinic Saturday, June 15. With new rule changes being implemented each year to help gotect the i safety of the players and to introduce the new coaches to what is to be expected from them, these clinics are vital for the suc cess of the league. The Northwest League is com prised of teams throughout the Triad. There are currently eight associations affil iated with the league. Each associa-. on is comprised of different age groups: Tiny Mite (ages 5,6 and 7), Mighty Mite (73 and 9), Junior Pee Wee<<(8,9 and 10), Pee Wee (9,10,11 and 12), Junior Varsity and Varsity (middle school age children). The league has weight requirements to determine which division each child will participate in to ensure fair play. According to league commissioner Carletta Rice, up until four years ago the league had 19 asso ciations affiliated with the league, but some chose to leave for American Youth Football (AYF), while oth ers chose to stay with Pop Warner. Her son played Pop Warner as a youth and as he grew in the program. Sec Coaches on B? Photo by Timothy Ramsey League Commissioner Carietta Rice (L) ami league President Brandon Negron gladly volunteer their time for the league because they love mak ing a positive impact in the children's lives.
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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