For the Week of July 31 - Aug. 6, 2018 NC A&T picked to repeat in MEAC football Lut Williams BCSP Editor ™ Norfolk, VA - North Carolina A&T State was picked to defend its MEAC Football Championship as the Aggies topped the league's annu- al preseason poll unveiled at Friday's MEAC Football Media Day here. Voting for the poll was conducted by the MEAC's 10 head coaches and football sports information directors. Washington Eastman Simmons Jones Milstead MEDIA DAYS The Aggies received 19 first-place votes and were a unanimous choice PRESEASON ALL-MEAC TEAMS to defend their MEAC Championship and represent the league in the an- FIRST TEAM OFFENSE nual Celebration Bowl on Dec. 15 in Atlanta, Ga. The Aggies will be the QB Lamar Raynard Sr. North Carolina A&T High Point, N.C. OVER; RB Marquell Cartwright Sr. North Carolina A&T High Point, N.C. first MEAC team to take the field when they face Jacksonville State on RB Isaiah Totten So. N.C. Central Apex, N.C. PRELIMS FINISHED: Saturday, August 25 in the FCS in Montgomery, Alabama. WR Elijah Bell Jr. North Carolina A&T Wheeling, W. Va. KICKOFF WR Jequez Ezzard Jr. Howard Union City, Ga. MEAC holds Media Day. The Aggies, led by new head coach Sam Washington, have not won TE Leroy Hill Sr. North Carolina A&T Smithfield, N.C. MONTH North Carolina A&T consecutive MEAC Championships since the 1991 and 1992 campaigns. C James Holmon Sr. Howard Augusta, Ga. among those to kick off OL Marcus Pettiford Jr. North Carolina A&T Durham, N.C. Washington is one of five new coaches in the league this includ- OL Dwayne Brown Sr. Bethune-Cookman Indianapolis, Ind. AWAY season on August 25. OL Nick Leverett Sr. N.C. Central Concord, N.C. ing Granville Eastman at North Carolina Central, Willie Simmons at OL Tyrone Ramsey Jr. Howard Detroit, Mich. FIRST TEAM DEFENSE MEAC UNVEILS PRESEASON FOOTBALL PICKS; Florida A&M, Ernest Jones at Morgan State and Rod Milstead at Del- DL Darryl Johnson, Jr. Jr. North Carolina A&T Kingsdale, Ga. aware State. DL Kawuan Cox Jr. N.C. Central Summerville, S.C. NEW HOOPS COACH AT DELSTATE, AD AT ECSU DL Malachi Washington Sr. Morgan State Waldorf, Md. Howard was predicted to place second in head coach Mike London's DL Stefen Banks Sr. Savannah State Columbus, Ohio second season followed by N.C. Central in third place and Bethune-Cook- LB Nigel Chavis Jr. Norfolk State Richmond, Va. LB Brian Cavicante Jr. Delaware State Portsmouth, Va. man in fourth. LB Rico Kennedy Jr. Morgan State Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. DB Davanta Reynolds Sr. N.C. Central Tucker, Ga. DB Timadre Abram Sr. North Carolina A&T Lakeland, Fla. UNDER THE BANNER PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH DB Frank McCain So. North Carolina A&T Greensboro, N.C. DB Keyjuan Selby Sr. Delaware State Bear, Del. WHAT'S GOING ON IN AND AROUND BLACK COLLEGE SPORTS FIRST TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS 1. North Carolina A&T (19) 6. Norfolk State PK Uriel Hernandez Sr. Bethune-Cookman Homestead, Fla. 2. Howard 7. S.C. State P Fidel Romo-Martinez Jr. Delaware State Banning, Calif. NEW DELSTATE MEN'S HOOPS COACH: 3. N.C. Central 8. Savannah State RS Marcus Taylor Sr. Norfolk State Highland Spr., Va. 4. Bethune-Cookman 9. Morgan State Dover, Del. --- A Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference SECOND TEAM OFFENSE 5. Florida A&M (1) 10. Delaware State QB Caylin Newton Sr. Howard Atlanta, Ga. alum is the new head coach at RB Devin Bowers Sr. Florida A&M St. Petersburg, Fla. RB Brycen Alleyne Sr. Delaware State Wilmington, Del. Delaware State University. WR Kyle Anthony Jr. Howard Miami, Fla. WR Marcus Taylor Sr. Norfolk State Highland Spr., Va. DSU Director of Athletics North Carolina A&T State quarterback Lamar Raynard was se- TE Josh McCoy Sr. N.C. Central Sharon, S.C. Scott Gines has announced that Eric lected as the MEAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while N.C. C Wes Jones Sr. Norfolk State Wilmington, Del. OL Kenneth Kirby Jr. Norfolk State Newport News, Va. Skeeters, most recently an assis- Central defensive back Davanta Reynolds was selected as the Presea- OL Andrew Dale Jr. N.C. Central Morehead City, N.C. son Defensive Player of the Year. OL Loubens Polinice Sr. Florida A&M Palm Coast, Fla. tant at Maryland-Baltimore County OL Kendrick Hair Sr. S.Carolina State Orlando, Fla. (UMBC), has been appointed as the Raynard passed for a MEAC-best 2,932 yards SECOND TEAM DEFENSE and 27 touchdowns en route to an undefeated (12-0) DL Julian McKnight Sr. North Carolina A&T Conyers, Ga. 13th head coach of the Hornets' men's DL Todney Evans Sr. Bethune-Cookman Delray Beach, Fla. Skeeters 2017 season which included a postseason win in the DL Randy Anyanwu Sr. N.C. Central Clayton County, Ga. program. This is his first DL Antonio Miller Sr. Florida A&M Lakeland, Fla. Celebration Bowl. LB Jibreel Hazly Sr. Florida A&M Akron, Ohio head coach position. LB Damu Ford Sr. S.C. State Dillon, S.C. The redshirt senior from High Point, N.C. has LB Marcellus Allison Sr. Howard Durham, N.C. Prior to joining the Hornets, Skeeters served two compiled a 27-0 record as a starter and led the MEAC DB Bryan Cook So. Howard Cincinnati, Ohio DB J.T. Wahee Jr. Norfolk State Norfolk, Va. seasons as an assistant under head coach Ryan Odom at in six (6) statistical categories while shattering the DB Orlando McKinley Sr. Florida A&M Atlanta, Ga. UMBC from 2016-to-2018. Aggie record books as he broke the North Carolina DB Terry Jefferson Jr. Florida A&M Miami, Fla. SECOND TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS Last March, the Retrievers shocked the college bas- A&T single-season school records for touchdowns PK Giovanni Lugo Jr. Savannah State Belle Glade, Fla. Raynard P Chris Faddoul So. Florida A&M Wesley Chapel, Fla. ketball world and ruined millions of brackets with an his- responsible, passing, total offense, touchdown passes RS Jequez Ezzard Jr. Howard Union City, Ga. and completions in a season. toric 74-54 win over top-ranked Virginia, the first-ever THIRD TEAM OFFENSE win by a No. 16 seed against a No. 1 seed in 136 all-time He ranked in the top ten in three national FCS passing categories. QB Ryan Stanley Jr. Florida A&M Pembroke Pines, Fla. Reynolds ranked second nationally in interceptions per game (.06) RB Tupac Isme Jr. Bethune-Cookman Naples, Fla. NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament match-ups. RB Aaron Savage Jr. Norfolk State Baltimore, Md. while finishing the 2017 campaign ranked fifth WR Manasseh Bailey Jr. Morgan State Capital Heights, Md. UMBC's 2017-18 season was also highlighted by the WR Xavier McKoy Jr. N.C. Central Charlotte, N.C. amongst FCS defenders with six interceptions. TE Paris Baker Sr. Savannah State Savannah, Ga. second America East Tournament championship in team The Tucker, Ga. native broke up a pass, returned C Matthew Thompson Sr. Morgan State Perry Hall, Md. OL Obinna Nwanko Jr. Florida A&M Miramar, Fla. history and a school-record 25 wins (25-11). an interception for a touchdown, recovered a fumble, OL Joshua Miles Sr. Morgan State Baltimore, Md. OL Robbie Stephenson Sr. South Carolina State Fairburn, Ga. "Eric Skeeters stood out among an outstanding group defended seven passes and forced a fumble which OL Khalil Harris Jr. Florida A&M Gulfport, Miss. of candidates for head coach of the Delaware State men’s led to an 85-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. THIRD TEAM DEFENSE DL Brandon Carswell Sr. Savannah State Mt. Vernon, Ga. basketball team," said Gines. "He's a 21-year Division I In addition to his success in the secondary, the FCS DL Kevin Thompson Sr. Bethune-Cookman Baltimore, Md. DL Deshaywn Middleton Sr. Norfolk State W-Salem, N.C. assistant who has contributed to successful programs in All-American also finished fourth on the team in DL Aaron Motley So. Howard Highland Spr., Va. tackles with 54 stops and 2.5 tackles for loss. LB Ian McBorrough Jr. Morgan State Essex, Md. highly competitive conferences, including the MEAC. Reynolds DB Carl Garnes Sr. Morgan State Columbus, N.J. During his career, Skeeters has played a key role in help- North Carolina A&T State led the way on the DB De'Mario Evans Sr. N.C. Central Columbia, S.C. 2018 preseason team with a total of eight first team members and nine DB Kendrick Gathers Sr. S.C. State Columbia, S.C. ing to rebuild programs, while serving on staffs that en- DB Alex Brown Sr. S.C. State Holly Hill, S.C. players overall. A total of 11 players from Howard were represented on THIRD TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS gineered two of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament all three teams while N.C. Central had nine student-athletes selected. PK Dakota Lebofsky Gr. Howard Overland Park, Kan. history.” P Clifford Benjamin, Jr. Jr. S.C. State Holly Hill, S.C. "Eric will resonate with our current players, commu- nity, and alumni. They will love his energy, drive, and de- votion. He is well positioned to lead our men’s basketball Ten MEAC games to air on ESPN networks in 2018 team," said the new Delaware State AD. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced its on Nov. 17. The Florida Classic will air live at 2 p.m. on ESPN Classic. From 2013 to 2016, Skeeters was an assistant coach at ESPN television package for the 2018 season which features 10 regular Two wildcard contests have been secured by the MEAC in Novem- George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., and the previous season match-ups on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Classic, ESPN3 and ber featuring teams in contention for the conference title. The first wild- four years he was a member of the University of South one postseason appearance on ABC. The nationally televised games are a card contest will take place on Nov. 3 followed by the final weekend of Florida coaching staff. While at South Florida, he helped part of the MEAC’s on-going partnership with ESPN. the regular season on Nov. 17. Both games will air live on ESPN3 and lead the Bulls to their first NCAA Tournament bid in 20 The 2018 Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff featuring defending broadcast that evening on ESPNU. years. USF made the most of its 2012 Big Dance appear- MEAC Champion North Carolina A&T State and Jacksonville State, The fourth annual Celebration Bowl wraps up the season as the ance, defeating California and Temple before falling to four-time champion of the will air live on ESPN MEAC Champion will square off against the SWAC Champion on Satur- Ohio in the round of 32. on Saturday, Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. from the in Montgomery, day, Dec. 15 in Atlanta, Ga. inside Mercedes Benz Stadium. The contest He is a graduate of Coppin State University and was Ala. will air live on ABC at noon. The 14th annual MEAC/SWAC Football Challenge kicks off the first an assistant coach on the staff of the 15-seed 1997 team full week of the 2018 season featuring North Carolina Central versus 2018 MEAC TV SCHEDULE that upset No. 2 South Carolina in the NCAA Tournament. Prairie View A&M of the SWAC live on ESPN2 at 12 p.m. on Sunday, – Saturday, Aug. 25 @ 7 p.m. – – Saturday, Nov. 3 @ TBA – Sept. 2. N.C. Central will play in the classic for the first time in university Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff MEAC Wildcard #1

BRIGHT IN AS AD AT ELIZ. CITY STATE: history while PVAMU makes its second appearance. The contest moves NC A&T vs. Jacksonville State Live on ESPN3 / rebroadcast on ESPNU ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Elizabeth City State to a neutral site for the first time since 2015 as it will be played in Atlanta, Live on ESPN University named its 12th Director Ga. at “Pete Petit Field” at Georgia State University. – Thursday, Nov. 8 @ 7 p.m. – – Sunday, Sept. 2 @ 12 p.m. – NC Central at Bethune-Cookman of Athletics on Tuesday afternoon. The ESPN3/ESPNU Saturday slate kicks off on Sept. 15 as N.C. Cen- MEAC/SWAC Challenge Live on ESPNU George L. Bright will lead the tral makes its second ESPN appearance of the season two weeks later as it NC Central vs. Prairie View A&M Viking athletic department starting travels to Orangeburg, S.C. to face South Carolina State at 6 p.m. Live on ESPN2 – Saturday, Nov. 17 @ 2 p.m. – One week later, the annual Circle City Classic will feature an all-ME- Florida Classic July 31. – Saturday, Sept. 15 @ 6 p.m. – Bethune-Cookman vs. Florida A&M AC affair as Howard and Bethune-Cookman will square off in Indianap- "I look forward to the future of NC Central at South Carolina State Live on ESPN Classic olis, Ind. at 4:30 p.m. Both games will air live on ESPN3 and broadcast Live on ESPN3 / rebroadcast on ESPNU our athletic program with George at that evening on ESPNU. – Saturday, Nov. 17 @ TBA – Bright the helm. He is a proven leader who The first Thursday night contest of the year will air on Sept. 27 as – Saturday, Sept. 22 @ 4:30 p.m. – MEAC Wildcard #2 is forward thinking and brings with Circle City Classic Live on ESPN3 / rebroadcast on ESPNU South Carolina State travels to North Carolina A&T State for an anticipat- Howard vs. Bethune-Cookman him the right tools to fortify our program," said ECSU’s ed showdown which will air live on ESPNU at 7:30 p.m. Live on ESPN3 / rebroadcast on ESPNU – Saturday, Dec. 15, 12 p.m.– Interim Chancellor Dr. Karrie Dixon. The MEAC returns to the airwaves in the month of November with Celebration Bowl Bright was most recently Director of Athletics and four contests headlined by North Carolina Central at Bethune-Cookman – Thursday, Sept. 27 @ 7 p.m. – MEAC Champ vs. SWAC Champ SC State at North Carolina A&T Live on ABC Recreation at Moravian College, in Bethlehem, Pennsyl- on Thursday, Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. live on ESPNU and the annual Florida Live on ESPNU vania from 2015 to 2017. As director he developed, im- Classic featuring Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M in Orlando, Fla. plemented, and supervised the administration of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) compliance, stra- Alcorn State's Gibbs, others in Champions tegic planning, fundraising, and all aspects of the athletic It turns out that former Livingstone quar- Bismarck Bucks, Gibbs program. Dexter Manley WR ECSU terback Drew Powell is not the only HBCU threw for 213 yards (16 Prior to his role at Moravian College, Bright worked Jestin Kelly FB Grambling State quarterback making waves in indoor football. of 30) and 7 TDs with- Sherman Carter OL Tennessee State as the Associate Director of Athletics from 2001 to 2015, Powell, a left-hander, was named the MVP out a pick and ran for one CITY PHANTOMS and Assistant Director of Athletics from 1993 to 2001, for Donovan Jackson DB Morgan State of the Indoor Football League and led the score. Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. Barnstormers to the championship of that Gibbs was one of 24 John Gibbs QB Alcorn State Bright is a member of the National Association of league in June. HBCU products in the Paul Dodson DB Lincoln Alcorn CIF. The Sioux City Ban- Raymond "Juvi" Berry DB Miss. Valley State Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the Collegiate Athletics At around the same time, former Reggie Patrick OL MIles State quarterback John Gibbs Jr. was mak- dits won the title with a Business Management Association, and Minority Oppor- Gibbs Walter Walker DL Florida A&M tunity and Interests Committee for the NCAA. He has ing his mark in the Champions Indoor Football 31-27 win over the Duke (CIF) league playing for the Omaha Beef. City Gladiators on June 30. Donovan Rasberry WR Winston Salem State served on the board of directors for a number of commu- Julian Staford WR Miss. Valley State Gibbs, a former SWAC offensive player of nity organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club and the HBCU PLAYERS IN Kelvin McCoy OL Chowan the year while playing for the Braves, started Easton Area School District. CHAMPIONS INDOOR FOOTBALL (CIF) LEAGUE five of the eight games that he played in for the Anttonio Brown DB Va. Univ. of Lynchburg Daryl Virgies RB Va. Univ. of Lynchburg Bright holds a Bachelor of Arts from Claflin Uni- Beef who finished at 4-8 on the season. Gibbs Avery Wright DL Elizabeth City State versity; a Master of Arts from South Carolina State Darrius Moore OL Tuskegee was 2-3 as a starter and completed 89 of 169 Richard Mitchell DL NC Central Maurice Young WR Tennesse State University; and is currently working on his doctorate in passes (52.7%) on the season for 886 yards with Steven Fluker OL/DL Lane QC STEAMWHEELERS BISMARCK BUCKS Educational Leadership and Administration from East 16 TDs and just 7 interceptions. He also ran for Darius Hicks WR Lincoln Jamar Mitchell DB Southern 213 yards (59 carries) and 12 TDs. Dominique McDuffie DB Albany State Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania. Marquis Smith DE Savannah State In his best game, a 79-78 win over the Jordan Stargell DB Grambling © AZEEZ Communications, Inc. Vol. XXIV, No. 53