B>SportsWeek |
Also More Stories^ Religion and Classifieds January 17, 2019
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Sports
Columnist
Timothy
Ramsey
Clemson
takes another
step toward
the top
BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY
THE CHRONICLE
The Clemson Tigers
have won their second
national championship in
the past three years. Their
44-16 rout of the Alabama
Crimson Tide was a sur
prise to all.
Alabama has been the
gold standard in college
football for nearly the past
decade. Since Crimson
Tide head coach Nick
Saban took over the pro
gram in 2007, he has turned
the team into national con
tenders almost every year.
For Clemson to totally
dominate the game the way
they did was not the
expected outcome. I, along
with most others, thought
this game would be a close
one all the way through. In
reality, after the first quar
ter, Clemson dominated the
game on both sides of the
ball.
I have never seen a
Nick Saban-led Alabama
team get manhandled that
way. Offensively, they
were totally held in check
by the Clemson defense.
On defense, they could do
nothing to stop what the
Tigers threw at them.
With five champi
onships since 2009, I’m not
saying Alabama isn’t the
cream of the crop in college
football, but Clemson has
put themselves on an equal
level with the win on
January 7. I never thought
the Tigers would be able to
pull even with the Crimson
Tide in such a short time.
If you look at the
national championship
game, the Crimson Tide
were soundly out coached
by the Clemson staff. Also,
there was a clear advantage
for Clemson at the skill
positions as far at pure ath
leticism was concerned. If
there was a 50/50 play to be
made, the Tigers seemed to
always come up with it.
Honestly, that was a
surprise to me. Saban has
always recruited the top
athletes from around the
country and routinely
brings in a top three class
every year, but they
seemed outmatched by
what Clemson had on the
field.
Clemson is just getting
started. Most of their skill
position guys on offense
are freshmen and sopho
mores, so the country has
another year or two to deal
with the talent the Tigers
have on the field. Trevor
Lawrence, Clemson true
freshman quarterback, was
ready for this moment. He
thoroughly outplayed
Heisman finalist Tua
Tagovailoa, which I’m sure
no one saw that coming to
this degree.
To be honest, I never
thought that Clemson
would get to this level so
quickly under Dabo
Swinney. He took over the
Clemson program midway
through the 2008 year for
Tommy Bowden. He
immediately established
himself as a great recruiter
by making Clemson one of
only 10 schools to be
ranked in the top 20 of
See Ramsey on B2
JV Defensive Player of the Year sits down with
The Chronicle
BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY
THE CHRONICLE
Collin Smith is the 2018 JV
Defensive Player of the Year for
The Chronicle. The 5-foot 8-inch
defensive back was a key contribu
tor for the Spartans on the JV level,
before moving up to Varsity to help
the team during their playoff run.
The Louisiana product was in
his first year with Mt. Tabor and
made an immediate impact on the
field. JV head coach Mike
Lovelace says Smith is one of the
most talented, yet humble kids he
has ever been around.
Smith recently spoke with The
Chronicle about his incredible year
on the field and what to expect
from him going forward.
Question: When you heard the
news you had been selected as the
defensive player of the year, what
were your first thoughts?
Answer: I felt blessed, because
I worked hard for it. My coaches
around me helped and supported
me the entire year. I also had a
good group of guys that welcomed
me as I transferred schools from
New Orleans, so I was blessed to
be in a good position and have a
good coaching staff around me.
This was a great opportunity for
me.
Q: What type of expectations
did you have for yourself coming
into the year considering it was an
entirely new environment and
team?
A: Basically, I just wanted to
prove to everyone that I could play
at a very fast level and that I could
submitted photo
Smith made an immediate impact for his Mt. Tabor team, trans
ferring from the state of Louisiana.
live up to what my coaches were could be a good piece to Mt. Tabor
hyping me up to be. I just felt I football.
www.wschronicle .com
Q: What do you feel are your
best attributes on the field, because
you seem to be able to do it all,
defending the run and pass?
A: I feel as though I have a
very high football IQ, I recognize
things really fast, and I feel like I
am a good leader on the field.
Honestly, I just like to make plays.
Q: How do you get yourself
amped up for every game?
A: Well, I know that Mt. Tabor
is on the top of the map in
Winston, so it’s always someone
trying to be better than you or get
where you are at. I just focus on
trying to stay top dog and that
keeps me going.
Q: After a stellar sophomore
campaign, what do you expect
from yourself once you are on the
varsity level full time?
A: I definitely want to keep the
momentum I have going. I want to
improve what I am doing on the
field by getting faster and stronger,
so I can be more explosive next
year and maybe help out on
offense as well next year.
Q: Your head coach had noth
ing but high praise for you. How
good does it make you feel to hear
those things coming from him?
A: I feel like I am just an over
all good person. I care for others
and I am respectful to authority,
because that’s how I was raised.
Q: What are your favorite sub
jects in the classroom?
A: English, I would say.
Q: What is your dream school?
A: LSU (Louisiana State
University), because they are the
hometown team.
Photos by Alphonso Abbott Jr.
BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY
THE CHRONICLE
On Tuesday, January 8, the Duke Blue Devils made their way to
Winston-Salem to take on the Demon Deacons. Zion Williamson and the
crew put on a great show for the fans in Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial
Coliseum.
The Deacs kept the game within striking distance at the half, only
trailing by the score of 42-34. But, behind Williamson’s 30 points and
fellow freshman sensation RJ Barret’s 21 points, the Blue Devils turned
it on after intermission leading to the 87-65 victory.