Livingstone picked for fifth in CIAA football

BY RONNIE GALLAGHER
SALISBURY POST

So said the ballot of the CIAAFootball Coaches Association during the CIAAFootball Roundup last week in Petersburg, Va.

The Blue Bears were 2-5 in the league and 4-7 overall in Greg Richardson’s first season as head coach.

There was no surprise who was picked to finish first. Winston-Salem State (7-0, 8-3) was on top, followed by Virginia Union (6-1, 8-2), Virginia State (5-2, 6-4) and North Carolina Central (4-3, 5-5).

Bowie State, Elizabeth City State, J.C. Smith and Fayetteville State rounded out the vote-getters.

This could be a special year for the CIAA. The league is going back to a championship game for the first time since 1993.

North CarolinaCentral will host the event, Nov. 11 at 1 p.m. in O’Kelley-Riddick Stadium.

“North Carolina Central offers the best place to play the game,” said CIAA commissioner Leon Kerry. “We have three schools in the area and NCCUhas the largest alumni base in the conference. When you consider that and that within a 90-mile radius, we have 20,000 alumni, this is the best venue for the game to be a stellar event.”

One of the main reasons the game is in the Triangle is probably because of the success the league had with its basketball tournament last year. That event drew record numbers.

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NEEDTICKETS: Tickets for the CIAA championship game are $15 and can be purchased by calling the CIAA office at 757-865-0071.

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SPLIT:This season, the league has been split into Eastern and Western divisions. Livingstone is in the Western Division, along with Fayetteville State, J.C. Smith, NCCU, St. Augustine’s and Winston-Salem State.

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ALL-CIAA: The Blue Bears placed two on the all-league, preseason team,

Senior lineman Osney Etinnie, a 6-1, 280-pounder from Miami, made the team, along with defensive back Devie King, a 5-foot-8 speedster from Charlotte.

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THEBEST:Virginia State has the top preseason player in receiver Damon Thompson. Last season, he caught 90 passes for 1,517 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. He had a single-game record of 261 yards receiving and was first-team receiver and punt returner. He is a two-time player of the year.

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TROUBLES:Former Livingstone coach Rudy Abrams is not as optimistic as he thought he would be at North Carolina Central.

Three All-CIAA performers failed to meet academic standards. Four other starters are expected to miss the season for similar reasons.

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RAMMINGIT:Winston-Salem State, under Kermit Blount, is the favorite for obvious reasons. The Rams not only won the league crown but defeated Tuskeegee 23-7 in the Pioneer Bowl.

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THEBACKSAREBACK:Winston-Salem State return two preseason picks in the backfield in quarterback Tory Woodbury and running back Terrie Newkirk.

But Livingstone returns a pretty potent backfield too. D’Andre Hopper is back at quarterback. Carl Jones and Ray Chambers were underclassmen last season. And Shannon Gainey is a dangerous runner, receiver and kick returner.

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FAMILIARFACES:Antonio Etheridge, who starred at North Rowan but sat out last season, will be playing for Richardson this season.

An assistant is Mike White, who coached at North in 1999 but goes across the county and will take over the offensive line duties.

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HOMEANDHOME: Livingstone plays its first two games in Salisbury.

The ironic thing is, the Bears will be the visitors in one (at Catawba Sept. 2) and in the other, they’ll be the home team (against Tusculum Sept. 9).