tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44476553101865640032024-03-05T03:30:46.144-05:00The Wilson Times Sports BlogWilson Timeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960534937060306376noreply@blogger.comBlogger381125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-1030859236088967612013-11-18T12:16:00.001-05:002013-11-18T12:16:13.975-05:00Not at the game? Then don't complainDuring Friday night football games, in addition to keeping stats and sometimes shooting photographs, our reporters have now been asked to tweet live scoring updates. Usually the person on the desk, i.e., the one who remains in the office, coordinates these tweets, along with ones from other sources, and posts them to The Wilson Times Twitter and Facebook accounts.<br />
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I noticed that several people following the Hunt-Fayetteville Terry Sanford game last Friday night complained the score wasn't being posted quickly enough. Certainly, we will try to do a better job in getting these scoring updates to our audience, whom we hope will then read the entire game story in the Times or on wilsontimes.com the following day.<br />
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But here's a piece of advice for the fans who were a little impatient: Go to the game. There were less than 800 people at Hunt's home playoff game Friday and Beddingfield had less than 300 there. Did I miss something or did Wilson suddenly start having a lot of things to do on Friday night? You know, if you care enough to want constant scoring updates, then why don't you care enough to go to the game? I think it's a sad state affairs when Wilson has two home football playoff games and only a thousand people show up.<br />
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Most of the folks at the Beddingfield game where I was seemed to be parents. If the students aren't interested in watching their team play, then folks from the community probably aren't going to be either.<br />
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I hear over and over and over that there's nothing to do in Wilson. That was even more true when I was in high school some 30 years ago but the football stadium were regularly packed Friday nights, especially for playoff games. Maybe it's because today the playoffs have become so bloated in this everyone-gets-a-trophy era that they don't mean as much.<br />
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I understand if people have other plans but it seems a lot of people made other plans Friday night. The Warriors are back home this Friday against West Brunswick in the second round and, win or lose, it could be Hunt's final home game of the year. We'll be doing our best to provide scoring updates on that game, as well as Fike-Fayetteville Byrd, Beddingfield-Northeastern and Southern Nash-Eastern Wayne, but if you really want to know what's happening when it happens, here's my advice. Buy a ticket, support the team with your presence and your financial contribution and enjoy one of the best forms of entertainment Wilson has to offer by watching a high school football game.Paul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-38057421808903605372013-10-06T00:57:00.001-04:002013-10-06T00:57:16.963-04:00EPC football could have much drama ... or notAs conference skirmishes in the 2-A Eastern Plains Conference football season begin Friday, the only surprise thus far has to be Farmville Central with a 5-0 mark. The Jaguars, with just four wins the past three seasons, were picked to finish fifth by EPC coaches in their preseason poll. And Farmville Central might still just do that.<br />
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As for the other five EPC teams, they are about where the consensus held they should be after seven weeks. Beddingfield is 3-3 because, despite playing extremely well at times, has shot itself in the foot at other times. SouthWest Edgecombe, also 3-3, is in the same boat. Both the Bruins and Cougars have lost to some pretty good teams. The teams that have beaten Beddingfield (Southern Nash, Fike, Southern Pines Pinecrest) are a combined 18-0 and the Bruins have lost those three games by a combined 28 points.<br />
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SouthWest has lost to Southern Nash, Rocky Mount and Tarboro, which are a combined 15-3, by a total of 29 points.<br />
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It's interesting to note that Beddingfield and SouthWest tied for third in the preseason coaches poll behind favorite North Pitt and Washington. The Panthers (5-1) and Pam Pack (4-2) have shown themselves to be the top two teams in the EPC. SouthWest will have first crack at changing that dynamic Friday when the Cougars visit North Pitt.<br />
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For Beddingfield, it's about continuing the momentum from its 15-13 win at home against Hunt, the Bruins' first victory over the Warriors since a 14-13 verdict at Beddingfield in 2009. It was the second straight win for Beddingfield, which opens at winless North Johnston on Friday.<br />
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The Bruins made the fewest errors and got the win over Hunt. That's what they need to keep doing, as well as stay healthy, because Beddingfield has the most dangerous offensive weapons in the EPC with junior QB Kavajae Ellis, receivers Javius Nixon and Ajay Williams and running backs Kelvin King and Chavius Collins. King and Collins, both starting defenders, were injured and didn't finish the game against Hunt.<br />
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Beddingfield can give any team it faces fits but the Bruins also can give their head coach, Tyrone Johnson, fits. If they don't suffer any crushing injuries (and it's not known when or if King or Collins will return), they can continue to be a handful for their opponents.<br />
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SouthWest has also dealt with injuries, namely to junior halfback Devontrell Hyman, who has accumulated 511 yards on just 55 carries (9.3 average). Hyman returned to rush for 60 yards in the Cougars' 49-7 pasting of host East Carteret on Friday and if he resumes his early season form, SouthWest's offense will have its feature back. With junior Barry Smith and sophomore Marcus Williams complementing Hyman's bruising, straight-ahead style, the Cougars can keep doing what they did Friday when they piled up 450 yards on 44 rushes. SWE threw just one pass, an incompletion, because it didn't need to pass.<br />
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First-year head coach Jonathan Cobb, who has introduced some wrinkles to the wishbone attack favored by his predecessor, his father, Raymond Cobb, reverted to straight wishbone Friday. I realize East Carteret probably was ill-equipped to handle that ground-based onslaught but it might be worth taking a look at keeping the offense as streamlined as possible. The EPC is a power-rushing conference, even with teams like Beddingfield, Washington and North Johnston favoring the pass. If you have the ability to pound out yards, do it, SouthWest.<br />
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North Johnston is a pretty good 0-6 team, for whatever that's worth, but that plaudit won't make head coach Scott Meserve sleep better. The Panthers probably aren't going to win a game this season because they don't stack up well against their EPC foes in their first year in the conference. But North Johnston has some playmakers in senior wideout Trey Daniels and senior QB Montie Walker, along with RB Quamel Kenion. The Panthers also have size on their lines and, if they play better on special teams, limit their turnovers (an area-worst minus-10 in ratio) and curtail debilitating penalties, maybe they'll surprise someone.<br />
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I'm going out on a limb and sticking with the coaches in their preseason poll. North Pitt should win and Washington will finish second. The most interesting game of the season is probably the week 12 battle between Beddingfield and SouthWest in Pinetops that should decide third place. Of course, if the Bruins or Cougars can surprise either North Pitt or Washington, they could get at least a share of the title.<br />
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And of course, nobody better sleep on Farmville Central.Paul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-54239186376529246362013-10-05T23:53:00.001-04:002013-10-05T23:53:10.208-04:00Big East as hard to call now as in preseasonIt's hard to believe that we are seven weeks into the high school football season, especially with the temperature hovering near 90 degrees in the first week in October, but now we have just five very important weeks to go.<br />
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As the three Wilson County teams prepare for their conference openers Friday — Fike and Hunt in the 3-A Big East and Beddingfield in the 2-A Eastern Plains — it's time to look back and ahead.<br />
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Starting with the Big East, which has the only two area teams with perfect records in Fike and Southern Nash. And wouldn't you know, the Golden Demons and Firebirds are on a collision course this week in Fike's Buddy Bedgood Stadium on Tyson Jennette Field. A perfect way to start the conference run!<br />
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First off, Fike is the big "surprise" of the year with a 6-0 mark after winning just two games last year and six the last two years combined. But the Demons are no mirage as their potent offense is averaging nearly 400 yards per game. Most of that production has come from speedy, elusive junior Anthony Evans (905 yards, 9 TDs) and bruising, powerful sophomore A.J. Hines (512 yards, 10 TDs). Of course, Fike has had solid blocking and sophomore QB D.J. Daniels (37 for 55, 570 yards, 8 TDs, 1 INT) has been steady.<br />
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Defensively, the Demons done the job as well, posting two shutouts. But Fike is allowing 159 yards per game through the air, compared to just 100 on the ground. That's one indicator that pass defense is where Fike has struggled — at times. Witness the numbers put up by spread foes Kinston, Beddingfield and South Johnston, albeit all during late comeback attempts. That also shows that Fike has been most vulnerable defensively through the air.<br />
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The good news for the Demons is that none of their Big East opponents rely mostly on the pass. Certainly not the Firebirds, who have dealt with what should be crippling injuries to their offensive backfield this season.<br />
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Southern Nash has lost the services of five halfbacks who could be the featured ball carriers for many offenses. Yet, the Firebirds continue to motor along, doing just enough each week to get the win. And that comes with a minus-7 turnover ratio that would keep most teams below .500.<br />
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However, bad habits and bad luck will catch up with a team in time and Southern Nash will have to get healthy in the backfield. The good news from Friday's 24-23 win at Tarboro, probably its most impressive victory this season, is that junior Zimonia Knight played for the first time all season. Knight, who suffered a calf injury in the preseason jamboree, had just 2 yards on two carries and is not 100 percent but at this point, Firebirds head coach Brian Foster will take what he can get. Grant Jones (ACL) and promising sophomore Jaquay Mitchell (knee) are done for the season while junior Clinton Whitaker and senior Taylor Finch are battling injuries.<br />
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It's a good thing Southern Nash has Richard Hall, one of the top candidates for Big East player of the year, to pick up the slack. Hall, primarily a slotback on offense and the top defensive back, has 450 yards in spot duty at halfback.<br />
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Hunt, the Big East coaches' preseason pick to win its fifth conference title, has been the hardest team to get a bead on. The Warriors, under first-year head coach Stevie Hinnant, have at times dazzled and other times sputtered. There have been underlying reasons for the latter, such as injuries and a tough schedule, but the simple fact is that the Warriors haven't been 3-3 since 2009. But Hunt ended up 9-4 and went 5-0 in the Big East, winning the first of four straight conference championships.<br />
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So, what will the Warriors do this time? That answer might come in the form of who will lead them on offense. Sophomore Jacob Williamson started at quarterback for the first six games but in the Warriors' 15-13 loss at Beddingfield in their last game, he was replaced by junior Justin Jefferson, who had never played the position in two-plus varsity seasons. Jefferson, a starting cornerback and receiver, was somewhat effective in moving the offense so he might be part of the plan going forward.<br />
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But what Hunt does have, like Fike with Evans and Hines, is a pair of game-breakers in senior Dexter Wright (655 yards) and sophomore Darius Barnes (573 yards). Wright is also the leader of the Hunt defense, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound free safety with sub-4.4 speed who has verbally committed to N.C. State.<br />
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Right now, Hunt needs to find some consistency on offense, work towards getting Barnes and Wright the ball as much as possible and pull together and realize the season is far from over. The frustration of three losses in six games is evident for players who suffered just two losses over the past two seasons, both coming to eventual state 3-AA champion Northern Guilford in the Eastern championship game.<br />
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The Warriors will begin Big East play in the most anticipated matchup perhaps in program history Friday night when they venture to Northern Nash's "Death Valley." The Knights have won three straight after an 0-3 start but that's not why this game is so big. It's the first time Randy Raper will be standing on the other side of the field for Hunt. Raper, of course, left Hunt after 22 seasons and 203 wins last December for a new challenge at Northern. He'll have it Friday night.<br />
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With Rocky Mount looming as a potential Big East champion and Nash Central, despite being winless, possessing the capability of beating anyone on any given night, what do I think will happen in the Big East? I think nobody will go unbeaten and there's a good chance five teams will make the playoffs. How's that?<br />
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<br />Paul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-83542134326456631662013-08-17T15:07:00.002-04:002013-08-17T15:11:30.637-04:00Neither Warriors nor others overwhelming at Cleveland scrimmageHigh school football scrimmages can be useful in evaluating teams and players but you have to take them with a grain of salt. It's difficult to know how players will react in live game situations and to momentum, either positive or negative.<br />
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That having been said, I came away from Friday morning's three-team scrimmage at Cleveland with Hunt and Fayetteville Terry Sanford without a sense of being overwhelmed by anyone. Well, I was slightly impressed with the size of several of the Terry Sanford players. As far as Hunt and Cleveland, neither the Warriors nor the Rams resembled the squads that took to the field for the third round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3-AA playoffs last November. Granted, I was there mainly to take photos and didn't keep any stats or notes other than the mental ones I was making, but here are my observations:<br />
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• Hunt needs to work on snapping and handing off the ball. Numerous fumbles on exchanges were easily the biggest problem the Warriors had. But those usually get fixed in short order.<br />
• There are some young ball carriers for Hunt that could be big-time players by November. However, I don't think any of them will make Warriors fans forget Josh Joyner any time soon. Senior Dexter Wright showed some runner's instincts as well. At 6-foot-3, Dexter reminds me of Kelvin Bryant as he slashes his way through the secondary.<br />
• Hunt sophomore QB Jacob Williamson proved tough to sack but he always showed a tendency to run into trouble rather than away from it at times. Still, it will be fun watching him develop.<br />
• While Wright's presence is a constant in the Hunt secondary, the Warriors will need some other defenders to step up and assert themselves, especially on the line. I liked the hustle of Aaron Smith and certainly Ervin Speight is going to be around the ball and Malik Williams is a big-time corner but Hunt's brand is built on D and those kids are going to have to live up to that. The unit played well overall but gave up too many big plays and hung its head at times.<br />
• While I wasn't blown away by Hunt (and I wasn't expecting to be at a 9 a.m. scrimmage), I also thought Cleveland was a ways from where the Rams were last year. Isaac Martin (I'm guessing that No. 3 at QB) is still a big threat but the Rams struggled with execution, not surprising in that spread offense. I guess when it's working well, it's hard to stop but in mid-August, the power running game is going to be more impressive.<br />
• Yes, those Terry Sanford kids were big but that's not surprising given the Bulldogs are moving down from the 4-A Mid-South Conference to the 3-A Cape Fear Valley Conference and — hello! — it's Fayetteville. They're always big down there.<br />
• Having seen a glimpse of Hunt, I think the Warriors can be very good again but probably not where they were the past three years. If they can beat Southern Nash, they can be Big East champions again. Wilmington New Hanover in week 3 will be a tough opponent and a long stretch of road games will be hard on the players. If I had to guess, I'll say Hunt will go 9-2.<br />
• I really like morning football. I just wish they had coffee for sale at Cleveland.Paul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-7209475029243515562013-07-12T00:25:00.000-04:002013-07-12T00:25:02.979-04:00County varsity football schedules unveiledBelow are the 2013 varsity football schedules for Beddingfield, Fike and Hunt. The county trio will have significant road trips but none more so than Hunt, which on weeks 3 and 4 will total more than 400 miles on trips to Elizabeth City Northeastern and Currituck County. That will be part of a stretch of five consecutive away games for the (road) Warriors. In fact, with an open date Oct. 4, Warrior Stadium will be dark for six straight Fridays.<br />
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The good news for Hunt is that in 2014, the schedule will flip-flop and the Warriors will be at home for five games in a row.<br />
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Of course, the most anticipated game of the year for Hunt will be Oct. 11 at Northern Nash where former Warriors head coach Randy Raper is now in charge of the Knights.<br />
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Fike has away non-conference outings at Bunn, Roanoke Rapids, Smithfield-Selma and South Johnston (Four Oaks) while Beddingfield will venture to Washington, new to the 2-A Eastern Plains Conference, on Oct. 25.<br />
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<b>BEDDINGFIELD</b><br />
Aug. 23 Greene Central<br />
Aug. 29 @ Southern Nash<br />
Sept. 6 Southern Pines Pinecrest<br />
Sept. 13 @ Fike<br />
Sept. 20 @ Nash Central<br />
Sept. 27 Hunt<br />
Oct. 4 OPEN<br />
Oct. 11 @ North Johnston*<br />
Oct. 18 North Pitt*<br />
Oct. 25 @ Washington*<br />
Nov. 1 Farmville Central*<br />
Nov. 6 @ SouthWest Edgecombe*<br />
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* 2-A Eastern Plains Conference game<br />
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<b>FIKE</b><br />
Aug. 23 @ Bunn<br />
Aug. 29 @ Roanoke Rapids<br />
Sept. 6 Kinston<br />
Sept. 13 Beddingfield<br />
Sept. 20 @ Smithfield-Selma<br />
Sept. 27 @ South Johnston<br />
Oct. 4 OPEN<br />
Oct. 11 Southern Nash*<br />
Oct. 18 @ Nash Central*<br />
Oct. 25 Rocky Mount*<br />
Nov. 1 @ Northern Nash*<br />
Nov. 8 Hunt*<br />
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* 3-A Big East Conference game<br />
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<b>HUNT</b><br />
Aug. 23 South Central<br />
Aug. 29 Hertford County<br />
Sept. 6 Wilmington New Hanover<br />
Sept. 13 @ Elizabeth City Northeastern<br />
Sept. 20 @ Currituck County<br />
Sept. 27 @ Beddingfield<br />
Oct. 4 OPEN<br />
Oct. 11 @ Northern Nash*<br />
Oct. 18 @ Rocky Mount*<br />
Oct. 25 Southern Nash*<br />
Nov. 1 Nash Central*<br />
Nov. 8 @ Fike*<br />
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* 3-A Big East Conference gamePaul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-35546876024387131302013-07-12T00:01:00.000-04:002013-07-12T00:01:01.980-04:00High school football scrimmage dates announcedOK, people, it's the middle of July and it's time to start thinking about — what else? Football!<div>
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Here are the preseason scrimmage dates for the eight high schools in The Wilson Times readership area. The starting times are subject to change and, if they do, I'll try to update that info.</div>
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The 2013 season will begin officially on Aug. 23.</div>
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<b>Beddingfield:</b> @ East Duplin, Saturday, Aug. 10, 6 p.m.</div>
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<b>Fike:</b> Fike jamboree (with, to date, <b>Charles B. Aycock</b>, Jacksonville Northside, Louisburg and James Kenan), Friday, Aug. 16, 7 p.m.</div>
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<b>Hunt:</b> @ Cleveland, Friday, Aug. 16, 6 p.m.</div>
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<b>Greene Central:</b> @ Edenton, Saturday, Aug. 10, TBA; @ Southern Wayne, Friday, Aug. 16, 6 p.m.</div>
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<b>North Johnston:</b> @ Ayden-Grifton, Saturday, Aug. 10, 6 p.m.; @ Corinth Holders, Friday, Aug. 16, 7 p.m.</div>
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<b>Southern Nash:</b> @ Nash Central (Nash County jamboree), Thursday, Aug. 15, 6 p.m.</div>
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<b>SouthWest Edgecombe</b>: @ Tarboro jamboree, Friday, Aug. 16, 6 p.m.</div>
Paul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-15596674834071418922013-04-04T23:33:00.001-04:002013-04-04T23:35:45.562-04:00Wolfpack's amazing championship still inspires 30 years laterThirty years ago tonight, nearly to the minute, I — and thousands of others — experienced a moment as sports fans that we will never forget.<br />
Whether you were a fan of the N.C. State men's basketball team, you will always remember the way the Wolfpack defeated top-ranked and heavily-favored Houston 54-52 to win the NCAA championship. When Dereck Whittenburg's shot went up from 30-plus feet with 5 seconds to go, who really thought that<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puQvU4PBzhI" target="_blank"> Lorenzo Charles was waiting under the rainbow to dunk the ball</a> and with it, Phi Slamma Jamma's dream of a national title.<br />
Through ESPN's 30 for 30 presentation on the '83 Wolfpack, "Survive and Advance," I've been able to relive so many moments of State's magical run that culminated April 4, 1983, in Albuquerque, N.M.<br />
I was a junior in high school, an unabashed State fan and can clearly remember so many of those games, how unbelievable the outcomes were but also, how I slowly began to think that winning the NCAA championship was the Wolfpack's destiny.<br />
After all, State had a pretty good team at the beginning of the year but lost Whittenburg to a broken foot against Atlantic Coast Conference favorite Virginia and the mighty Ralph Sampson in January. When Whittenburg returned near the end of the regular season, the rest of the Wolfpack had learned to play without him.<br />
The first instance State was going to be a factor was when it scored 130 points on senior day against Wake Forest in Reynolds Coliseum in the final regular-season game. Then the 'Pack needed Charles to hit 1 of 2 free throws in the final seconds to escape the Demon Deacons 71-70 in the first round of the ACC tournament.<br />
After State toppled defending NCAA champion North Carolina, led by Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins, in the ACC semifinals, the 'Pack still had to beat Sampson and UVA in the championship game — and they did.<br />
Perhaps the only time in State's run that I didn't think it was going to win came in its NCAA opener against Pepperdine in Corvallis, Ore. I stayed up late, on a Friday night I think, to watch. Somehow the Wolfpack turned around a late six-point deficit, went to overtime, then another overtime before winning.<br />
In the final against Houston, which had just defeated Louisville in the most breathtaking college basketball game ever played in the national semifinals, I remember thinking that State was going to win. I didn't know how, because Houston had Akeem Abdul Olajuwon (as he was then called) and Clyde Drexler, but I knew they were going to win.<br />
Several of us gathered at the home of one of our Hunt baseball teammates to watch the championship game. We were on spring break but those of us who played baseball had to stay in town for the Breakfast Optimist Easter Tournament in Fleming Stadium before we could head to Atlantic Beach for the rest of break.<br />
Most of us were State fans but a couple were Carolina fans —who were rooting for the 'Pack just as hard as anyone — as we watched the tense game unfold.<br />
As Whittenburg's shot was calmly collected and dunked by Charles, who seemed to be the only guy on the court who realized the buzzer hadn't sounded, there was a split second as everyone in the room processed what had happened. Then we converged in a joyous group hug that miraculously didn't break anything in my friend's living room (although his father was right in the middle of the jubilant scrum).<br />
I didn't even see State coach Jim Valvano's famous dash around the court looking for somebody to hug because we were all hugging each other.<br />
In my 40 or so years of watching sports, as a fan and a writer, I've yet to experience anything to top State's amazing run. Of course, Barton's march to the NCAA Division II title in 2007, along with the finish of the Bulldogs' championship game win over Winona State, was just as enthralling but I can't say it was better than State's run.<br />
So much importance is placed on sports in our society. It's hard to consider a game more viable than real life and I've long tried to maintain that perspective. But sometimes things happen in the sporting world that provides a glimpse of something greater than the game or even day-to-day life.<br />
As I look back on that unforgettable, incredible run, it seems even more unbelievable now. But it happened. It really did happen.<br />
As Valvano said during a speech in Reynolds Coliseum celebrating the 10th anniversary of that title run shortly before his death in 1993, the most important thing he learned from that team was how much those guys loved each other.<br />
Maybe that's the reason behind their miraculous run, I don't know. But I do know that miracles like the '83 Wolfpack and the '07 Bulldogs can happen and they will probably happen again.<br />
And when they do, they'll enrich everyone who pays attention, just like the Wolfpack did 30 years ago tonight.Paul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com55tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-24799816391712247252013-03-15T01:55:00.001-04:002013-03-15T01:55:29.072-04:00My first March madness memories
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As I sit on the couch and bite into one
frozen <a href="http://www.littlebrowniebakers.com/media/images/cookies/thinmint_siderail.jpg.220x210_q100.jpg" target="_blank">Thin Mint</a> after another and watch replay after replay of all
the conference tournament action, I'm reminded of how exciting this
time of year has always been. Spring is forcing its way onstage,
often pushing winter off, and daffodils and Bradford pears are the
visual elements that change is taking place. Baseball season,
gloriously, tunes up backstage as the main act in March — college
basketball — rides to its thrilling denouement.</div>
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I remember standing in the kitchen of
my parents' house when I was about 14, biting into a Thin Mint while
the NCAA tournament was on television after I had come back from an
impromptu batting practice with some future Coon Middle School
baseball teammates and thinking: “Man, this is my favorite time of
year.”</div>
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There's something special about college
basketball in March that just isn't found in any other sport. Maybe
it's the short-lived nature of the careers that creates the emotional
tie. Four years, at most, and then it's done. I used to get sad
watching seniors from teams I didn't really care about like Clemson
or Maryland walk off the court when their team had lost in the ACC
tournament because I knew that was likely the last time I'd see them.
It was much worse when the seniors on my team finished their careers.
I began life as an N.C. State fan because the Wolfpack's 1974 NCAA
championship is my first real sports memory. I was 8 and didn't care
much about sports. Didn't play them for a recreation team (because
then you had to be in third grade and I was in second grade) or
really in the yard. Especially didn't like watching them on TV,
although more often than not on a Saturday afternoon, ACC basketball
was the only option my dad allowed on the tube.</div>
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Despite my reluctance as a sports fan,
I was caught up in the 1974 Wolfpack and their great star, David
Thompson. My father loved State and so did I and I especially loved
DT, who seemed so shy and unassuming but was Superman, Michael Jackson and The Beatles, all rolled into one skinny, 6-foot-4 kid in low-top sneakers. </div>
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I don't remember actually watching any games, even though I
know I did, but I do recall the apprehension that pulsed through the
state when Thompson crashed to the floor of Reynolds Coliseum during
the first round of the NCAA tournament (which is amazing enough that
State played at home in the NCAA tournament) and <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1088373/index.htm" target="_blank">landed on his head.</a>
He ended up being taken to the hospital and then returning, to
deafening cheers, to watch the rest of the Wolfpack's win over
Providence.</div>
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I don't think I watched State's epic
dethroning of<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whIPLxAXGc4" target="_blank"> UCLA and Bill Walton</a>, but I did read The News and
Observer's coverage on it over and over. I was confused that State
still had to play one more game to win the championship and didn't
see a second of that game, since my bedtime was at 8 p.m., an hour
before tipoff.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I became a more involved fan the next
season as I hoped Thompson, Monte Towe and the 'Pack would win it all
again — this time with me watching. But it was not to be as the
Wolfpack was stopped in the <a href="http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/01/26/2633744/tudor-75-acc-title-game-was-unc.html" target="_blank">ACC tournament championship game</a> by
upstart North Carolina and its fabulous freshman point guard Phil
Ford.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And that was the end of State's season
and Thompson's career as the Wolfpack turned down a bid to the NIT. I
still remember watching The Norm Sloan Show and crying as they ran a
video montage in tribute to the seniors to the song, “He Ain't
Heavy, He's My Brother.”
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Although I hated Phil Ford that night,
I had no problem rooting for the Tar Heels in the NCAA tournament,
where they lost to Syracuse in the second round. That's just the way
it was then, at least for me.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
From the time I first got a taste of
March madness 39 years ago, it's still my favorite time of the year.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Do you have a memory of when March
madness began for you? I'd love to hear it.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Now where are those Thin Mints? </div>
Paul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-29830720264124459402013-03-06T02:04:00.003-05:002013-03-06T02:08:51.056-05:00College career looks to be done for UNC Asheville's AtkinsonJeremy Atkinson's college basketball career appears to be over as his UNC Asheville Bulldogs were spilled <a href="http://www.uncabulldogs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=206614362&DB_OEM_ID=19200" target="_blank">87-72 by lowly Longwood</a> (as in 8-24 lowly) in the first round of the Big South Conference tournament Tuesday.<br />
<br />
UNC Asheville, once 15-10 and on top in the Big South, lost six of its last seven to finish 16-16. Not sure if the Bulldogs will get a chance to play again in CollegeInsider.com or College Basketball Invitational postseason tournaments but their opportunity for a third straight NCAA appearance is null and void.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.uncabulldogs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=92366&SPID=11176&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=19200&ATCLID=205180251&Q_SEASON=2012" target="_blank">Atkinson</a>, Fike High School's all-time career scoring leader with 2,001 points, led the Bulldogs with 19 points and 11 rebounds in what looks like his final college game. He did, however, get named to the <a href="http://www.uncabulldogs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=92367&SPID=11176&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=206587799&DB_OEM_ID=19200" target="_blank">All-Big South first team</a> earlier in the week.<br />
<br />
I hope to get a chance to chat with Jeremy tomorrow to talk about his two seasons with the Bulldogs after transferring from Louisburg as a JUCO All-American and his plans for the future.Paul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-30765533269490776292013-02-21T16:38:00.001-05:002013-02-21T16:38:26.087-05:00Hesmer officially retires from pro soccerIt's official. Former Hunt High and Wake Forest star William Hesmer is retiring from professional soccer.<br />
Hesmer texted me the news Wednesday, two days after <a href="http://www.ussoccerplayers.com/2013/02/hesmer-makes-his-exit.html">Clemente Lisi reported it on USSoccerPlayers.com</a>. Hesmer started for the Columbus Crew for the past nine seasons but spent most of last year out with a hip injury. He was chosen by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the re-entry draft after Columbus did not renew his option.<br />
Hesmer helped the Crew win the Supporters Shield (for best regular-season record) and the MLS Cup in 2008.<br />
He began his career with the then Kansas City Wizards.<br />
What's next for the 31-year-old?<br />
Tune in next week as I hope to chat with him about his career and his future plans, which include wedding bells!Paul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-62670768691453641242013-01-18T20:13:00.001-05:002013-01-18T20:13:12.278-05:00A few more things about Raymond Cobb you might not knowFormer SouthWest Edgecombe High head football coach Raymond Cobb was kind enough to sit down with me this week to reminisce about his 33-year teaching and coaching career, which will come to an end Jan. 31 when he retires. Of course, I don't expect him to be a total stranger since he plans on functioning as an advisor/assistant to his son, Jonathan, who will take over the Cougars varsity edition in the fall.<br />
<br />
The elder Cobb spent nearly two hours telling story after story about his illustrious career, which included N.C. High School Athletic Association 1-A championships in 1994 and 1997 at North Edgecombe. My story on him in Thursday's edition of The Wilson Times covered a lot of ground but there were a few things I didn't include.<br />
<br />
So here they are:<br />
<br />
• Cobb was the head coach at North Edgecombe from 1988 to 2003 and served as J.V. head coach from 1981 to 1983 and varsity assistant from 1981 to 1987. He succeeded Tom Collins as Warriors head coach. Collins, who was head coach for one season, would go on to become athletic director at Campbell University and Brevard College.<br />
<br />
• At North Edgecombe, Cobb's teams never lost a state playoff game at home.<br />
<br />
• His 1996 North Edgecombe team ran for 5,980 yards, which is still an NCHSAA record.<br />
<br />
• Milton Shaw, Cobb's star running back from 1989 to 1991, was named The Associated Press Player of the Year in 1991. The only Warrior to achieve that distinction. Shaw also holds the state record for consecutive games of rushing for 100 or more yards with 24.<br />
<br />
• In 1992 and 1994, North Edgecombe tied a state record shared by many by not allowing a single first down in a game, both times against Jamesville.<br />
<br />
• Cobb's famous wishbone offense was developed from University of Colorado's I-bone attack in the early 1990s. Cobb wrote to then Buffaloes head coach Bill McCartney, who sent him a playbook. The Warriors didn't make the switch to the wishbone until 1994, the year of their first state championship.<br />
<br />
• Cobb's quarterback at North Edgecombe in 1993, Tyrice Pittman, threw for 2,332 yards, which is probably more than his half of teams nine teams at SouthWest combined threw for.<br />
<br />
• Only Jimmy Tillman, SouthWest's second football coach who was there for 11 seasons, led the Cougars longer than Cobb.Paul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-20136614740527961622013-01-14T01:00:00.004-05:002013-01-14T01:00:48.316-05:00Will the Thrill indeedWill Privette has gained instant fame for being toppled from his wheelchair during the N.C. State students' mad dash onto the court in PNC Arena following the No. 20-ranked Wolfpack's toppling of No. 1 Duke on Saturday.<br />
<br />
Hey, he even got <a href="http://www.wilsontimes.com/Sports/Story/17085240---Privette-OK-after-being-swept-up-in-postgame-rush">a story in The Wilson Times!</a> But that's only right since Will has been a contributor to the Times since he was barely a teenager, writing features and columns on the Carolina Mudcats. His family owned the land on which Five County Stadium is built and Will has been a fixture there since he was born.<br />
<br />
When I interviewed him for the story, I reminded him that he won't be able to storm the court once he's a journalist (and he will make an outstanding one should he choose that career path). Will might think about publishing a tutorial on the proper way to storm a court and avoid a scary moment like that one. Good thing Wolfpack star C.J. Leslie was able to scoop him up before he got trampled!<br />
<br />
Here's the footage Will took of his thrilling ride just before it the wave of pandemonium crashed into him (actually it was Pack freshman Rodney Purvis but you get the point).<br />
<br />
<br />
<object height="360" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9afQLjXhSjc&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3"></param>
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param>
<param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param>
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9afQLjXhSjc&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="360"></embed></object>Paul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-47204893698071257192013-01-04T00:14:00.000-05:002013-01-04T00:14:15.383-05:00Hinnant an easy choice for Hunt jobThe announcement Thursday by Hunt High Principal Jerry Simmons that Stevie Hinnant would be the school's next — and fifth — varsity football head coach really comes as no surprise. That is, at least since Randy Raper's shocking announcement two weeks ago that he was leaving Hunt after 22 seasons and head coach to take the job at Northern Nash.<br />
<br />
Hinnant, the school's athletic director, was the assistant head coach and had been the offensive coordinator since 2002 and basically has been at Hunt, well, forever. He and I walked through the doors as freshmen in the waning days of summer in 1980 and, except for two years while he was a student at Atlantic Christian (now Barton) College, Stevie has been a Warrior. Heck, he was a Warrior the day, probably in sixth grade, he found out Rock Ridge High was turning into an elementary school and he would go to Hunt. As a ninth-grade football teammate at Hunt, I seem to recall there being some jests made that he would probably end up being the football coach there one day. Well, 33 years later, here we are.<br />
<br />
I still remember him shoving a wad of Skoal in his mouth before football practice and thinking he was plumb crazy. Remember, this was well before tobacco prohibition on school campuses or during athletic events. It was one thing to stick in a chaw for baseball but another to have tobacco in one's mouth (and Skoal no less!) while playing football.<br />
<br />
But Stevie was a little bit crazy back then and he had to be. He was an undersized linebacker at maybe 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds soaking wet, but daggone if he wouldn't do just about anything to drag somebody to the ground. And that team, with Stevie right in the middle of the defense, our senior year (I was just a spectator by then) in 1983 went 12-2, winning the Big East Conference title and making it to the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4-A Eastern final before losing to a Fayetteville Byrd team with future NFL players Donnell Woolford and Brad Edwards, among others.<br />
<br />
As a head coach Hinnant's got a deep legacy to meet in Raper, who had one losing season out of 22 and won 203 games. But Hinnant has been there nearly every step of the way. In fact, he got to Hunt as a ninth-grader a year before Raper started working there. So perhaps a bit of the credit for all those winning seasons should go to Hinnant.<br />
<br />
For a 35-year-old program to only have four head coaches is remarkable, especially considering two of the coaches were one-and-dones. Give Bill Williamson credit for building the foundation and Raper credit for putting up the sides and the roof. Now maybe Hinnant will be the one to put the finishing touches on it and get the one thing the program still doesn't have — a state championship.<br />
<br />
He'll have plenty of time because Stevie Hinnant will more than likely be at Hunt for the duration, either his or the school's!Paul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-70277996770683972492012-12-28T01:28:00.000-05:002012-12-28T01:28:28.720-05:00HighSchoolOT.com Holiday Invitational notebook<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
After Thursday night’s 69-50
loss to New Hampton (N.H.) Prep in the first round of the HighSchoolOT.com
Holiday Invitational on Thursday, Greenfield coach Rob Salter brought freshman
guard Jalen Harris to the interview room.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
Harris’ line wasn’t the most
impressive – five points, two assists and two rebounds – but his play was vital
to the Knights in the second half as they outscored the Huskies 33-31, and even
were on the cusp of an amazing comeback.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
The coach looked at the only
freshman on the roster and smiled, even with the pain of the team’s first
blowout loss of the season still fresh.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwBdsMOPnk54_bOCMFrlpC72mml6tP-oDKGeE7GKDsV-cqjWGg5cV_bBZJ7g3bb_fH3Qbsy6_z3UMcM0NLV76-8W8WIKZ03g9apdUa5Y9fbUEHT5LwHeuHbwYAl5ZRS-j2d9NVoDYNHl4/s1600/Harris.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwBdsMOPnk54_bOCMFrlpC72mml6tP-oDKGeE7GKDsV-cqjWGg5cV_bBZJ7g3bb_fH3Qbsy6_z3UMcM0NLV76-8W8WIKZ03g9apdUa5Y9fbUEHT5LwHeuHbwYAl5ZRS-j2d9NVoDYNHl4/s320/Harris.JPG" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Greenfield freshman Jalen Harris looks to drive<br />during the Knights' 69-50 loss to New<br />Hampton (N.H.) Prep on Thursday night at the<br />HighSchoolOT.com Holiday Invitational in<br />Raleigh. (Sheldon Vick | Special to the Times)</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
“Jalen came in and got us going
offensively,” Salter said.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
Salter was referring to the
second half when Harris had an old-fashioned three-point play and both of his
assists as the Knights cut as much as a 24-point lead down to 14 in the fourth
quarter.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
He also had a steal and helped
the Greenfield defense put on a full-court press that had the Huskies’
flustered for a couple of tense minutes. Eventually, New Hampton coach Pete
Hutchins called a timeout to give his team some words of wisdom.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
“To their credit,” Hutchins
said. “In the second half, they changed some things up and made us work.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
If not for a couple of missed layups soon after the timeout, the comeback may have continued.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
Harris also stopped a brutal
opening to the game that saw Greenfield trail 15-2 with a layup with 1:06 left
in the first quarter.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
The freshman said it was a
change in mindset that helped the Knights get back and compete in the second
half.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
“We just started playing
defense,” he said. “We didn’t do it well (in the first half).”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
<br /></div>
<h3>
Big men neutralized</h3>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
Coming in to Thursday night’s
game, all eyes were on the inside game of the highly-regarded New Hampton
squad.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
The Huskies’ main man was
6-foot-9 power forward Noah Vonleh, who has signed to play at Indiana. He chose
the Hoosiers over North Carolina and Ohio State, and came in averaging a
double-double.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
He looked dominant at times,
including a couple of nice moves to get easy dunks, but was not the
overwhelming presence many may have expected, finishing with 13 points, nine
rebounds and two blocks.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
But the other inside players –
6-foot-10 sophomore Jeremy Miller, 6-8 junior Tory Miller, and 6-7 junior Mike
Auger – were mostly neutralized.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
Jeremy Miller had six points and
five rebounds, while Tory Miller fouled out in the fourth quarter with six
points and only two boards. Auger had the best night with seven points and
seven boards.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
“They did a great job with our
bigs,” Hutchins said. “And our post defense wasn’t as good as it should be. …
Their smaller lineup was difficult for our kids to adjust to.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
Only problem was the guard play
of Travis Jorgenson and Mike LeBlanc more than made up for it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
Senior point guard Jorgenson had
10 points, seven assists and five steals; while shooting guard LeBlanc made 4
of 7 from beyond the 3-point line.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
<br /></div>
<h3>
Atmosphere</h3>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
Knights’ guard Xavier Mills
admitted his team was taken aback a little by the “atmosphere” in the
large Holliday Gym on the campus of
Broughton High School.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
“I don’t want to blame anything
on it,” he said afterwards, “but I think we played much better once we got used
to it. A lot of people on our team hadn’t played in an atmosphere like this
before.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
The shooting woes of the Knights
showed this may have been true.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
Greenfield made just 17 of 49
shots from the field, a dismal 34.7 percent. It was worse in the first half, as
the Knights hit only 1 of 10 from 3-point range and only 7 of 27 (25.9 percent)
total.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
<br /></div>
<h3>
Rematch in losers’ bracket</h3>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
The nightcap on Thursday night
between Cuthbertson and Hampton (Va.) set up a rematch.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
The Crabbers pulled out a 61-59
win in overtime, sending the Cavaliers into the losers’ bracket of the Summit
Hospitality Bracket where they will meet up with Kinston, a 57-50 loser to
DeSoto (Texas), which was ranked as high as No. 9 nationally.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
The game between the Vikings and
Cavaliers will be a rematch of last year’s 2-A N.C. High School Athletic
Association state championship, won by Kinston.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
<br /></div>
<h3>
ACC recruits shine</h3>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
Atlantic Coast Conference fans
got a small glimpse of the future during Thursday’s play.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
The Crabbers’ Anthony “Cat”
Barber, an N.C. State recruit, scored 26 points – including six in overtime –
in the 61-59 OT win.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
Duke recruit Matt Jones had 17
points for DeSoto (Texas) in its win over Kinston.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .2in;">
The two will meet Friday night
at 7:20 p.m.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917680935668470927noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-37948389209714950662012-12-13T02:21:00.002-05:002012-12-13T02:21:50.921-05:00Still a lot of high school football leftWhile the high school football season in North Carolina ended Dec. 1, there's still a lot to talk about and we'll have it here over the coming days, weeks and months.<br />
<br />
For starters, the Shrine Bowl is Saturday and Hunt High's Lewis Neal is playing, the first Warrior to be selected for that elite honor since 1999. I hope to have a story in Monday's edition of The Wilson Times on Neal's experience in the game in Spartanburg, S.C.<br />
<br />
Monday could also be the day Neal lands on The Associated Press all-state team. The LSU commit and 3-A Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year appears to be a strong bet to be one of the four defensive line selections.<br />
<br />
Looking ahead, The Wilson Times will unveil its 2012 all-area football team in the Christmas Day edition. We will honor the top 36 players from our eight coverage teams: Beddingfield, Fike, Hunt, Southern Nash, C.B. Aycock, Greene Central, SouthWest Edgecombe and Southern Nash. There will be 12 members each on the Offense, Defense and Ironman squads. We will also recognize the top offensive and defensive players and the Ironman of the year. So please be sure to save 50¢ for a copy if you are not a subscriber.<br />
<br />
Looking way ahead, Feb. 6, 2013, is National Signing Day and there should be a banner crop of football and soccer players ready to ink their National Letters of Intent. We will be there and I hope to have some information on who's going where prior to the big day.<br />
<br />
Finally, there's a lot of football head coaching vacancies around the state, including a few in our area. Namely, Greene Central has an opening, as does Northern Nash, which is out of our coverage range but in the Big East Conference. I'm told some of these openings may be filled in the near future and we will have those stories as they happen.<br />
<br />
So stay tuned, football fans!Paul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-6366303336982964732012-12-07T17:36:00.004-05:002012-12-07T17:36:52.962-05:00Holiday streak nearing an end for Lady Rams?We're still 16 days away from the latest rendition of the Farris & Farris Holiday Basketball Tournament, but a losing streak that has reached 10 games for the Greene Central girls may very well be in jeopardy.<br />
<br />
The Lady Rams, winless last season, are out to a 4-2 start under the direction of first-year head coach Meredith Franklin entering tonight's game at Fike.<br />
<br />
Triggering the resurgence has been the freshman backcourt duo of Malaysia Lancaster and Dasheka Mason, who have each allowed Franklin's frenetic pace to thrive.<br />
<br />
And while Lancaster may be a point guard on the floor, her role doesn't begin and end with distributing the basketball. The 5-foot-5 presence scored 23 points in wins over Jones Senior and North Lenoir and pulled down 14 rebounds in a 49-47 victory over Ayden-Grifton.<br />
<br />
Greene Central hasn't won a game in the event formerly known as the Eastern Carolina Classic since 2006, when the Lady Rams took a 52-46 consolation win over Hunt.<br />
<br />
As is tradition with the holiday tournament, Greene Central is matched up against the host school in the semifinal game, which will be 2-A Eastern Plains Conference rival Beddingfield the day after Christmas.<br />
<br />
The Lady Bruins, albeit a speedy bunch, are 0-4 as they prepare to take on county rival Hunt in less than an hour. Turnovers have plagued Beddingfield in the early going, including 39 giveaways in a loss to Southern Nash.<br />
<br />
While the two teams will get an earlier look at each other with an EPC clash set for Dec. 18 on Beddingfield's floor, Greene Central can no longer be classified as an easy out in holiday play.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220252084367061549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-63854032384822290322012-12-07T16:49:00.001-05:002012-12-08T03:20:48.651-05:00Hunt's Neal named to NCPreps.com all-state teamCongratulations to Hunt senior Lewis Neal, who was named to the NCPreps.com all-state football team. Postseason honors continue to pile up for Neal, who will play in the Shrine Bowl on Dec. 15 in Spartanburg, S.C., then head to Texas for the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl and International Bowl later this month.<br />
<br />
He and Josh Joyner were nominated for The Associated Press all-state team, which will be announced in a week or so.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ncpreps.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1445620">http://ncpreps.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1445620</a>Paul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-11632719300196326862012-12-04T17:16:00.002-05:002012-12-08T01:06:18.650-05:00Barton men's basketball notebook<br />
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The disappointment of Monday night's 91-86 loss to Shaw University by the Barton's men's basketball team will linger a bit longer than a usual defeat.</div>
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The No. 10-ranked Bulldogs won't play another game until a Jan. 3 tussle at Wilson Gym against Conference Carolinas foe King College. The King Tornado are unbeaten at 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the league, and will be a nice focus point for Barton's players over the Christmas break.</div>
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"As of right now, we are disappointed," senior forward Jon Hart said right after the game. But we don't dwell too long on it. We'll work hard and be ready for conference play."</div>
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Coach Ron Lievense minced few words when picking out one thing his team will need to improve on if it wants to live up to the lofty ranking it already has achieved in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Top 25.</div>
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"We need to get tough," he said.</div>
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Senior guard Gerald Boston, who scored 20 points in the loss, said the team expected to complete the season sweep of the Bears.</div>
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"We aren't happy going into the break like this," he said. "We're going to have to sit with it for a while, then get back to work."</div>
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The Bulldogs out-rebounded the Bears on their home court in the first 20 minutes by a 19-15 margin, and had a 6-1 edge on the offensive glass.</div>
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That reversed in the second half, as Shaw's size took over for a 20-12 rebounding lead.</div>
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Making it more remarkable was that the Bears shot 17-of-27 in the second half, leaving few chances for them on the offensive side.</div>
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"We weren't as tough on the rebounds as we needed to be," Lievense said. "There were times when they ripped it right our of our hands."</div>
<h3>
Moving up</h3>
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Barton moved up to No. 10 (from 11) in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches' Top 25 poll on Tuesday.</div>
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The votes were taken before Monday night's loss, so it did not factor in to the voting.</div>
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Here is a look at the poll:</div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">NABC/Division II Men's Basketball Poll</span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012 -- Regular Season Poll #3)</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The weekly poll is being conducted by 16 members of the NABC, two representing each of the eight NCAA Division II regions.<br />All records are through games of Sunday, Dec. 2. The next poll will be released Tuesday, Dec. 11.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Team</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Record</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Points</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">1.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">West Liberty (W.Va.)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">6-0</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">393</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">(12 first place votes)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">2.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Washburn (Kan.)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">6-0</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">377</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">(1 first place vote)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">3.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Metropolitan State (Colo.)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">5-0</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">361</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">(1 first place vote)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">4.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Alabama-Huntsville</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">7-1</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">338</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">(1 first place vote)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">5.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Bellarmine (Ky.)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">5-0</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">336</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">(1 first place vote)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">6.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Western Washington</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">6-0</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">326</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">7.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Southern Indiana</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">4-0</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">295</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">8.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Seattle Pacific (Wash.)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">7-1</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">266</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">9.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Cal Poly Pomona</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">6-0</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">264</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">10.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Barton (N.C.)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">7-0</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">255</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">11.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">6-0</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">232</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">12.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Northwest Missouri State</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">6-0</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">205</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">13.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Findlay (Ohio)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">4-1</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">157</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">14.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">St. Cloud State (Minn.)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">4-0</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">154</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">15.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Franklin Pierce (N.H.)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">5-1</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">150</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">16.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Kentucky Wesleyan</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">4-0</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">148</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">17.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Indianapolis (Ind.)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">6-0</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">131</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">18.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Winona State (Minn.)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">6-2</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">125</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">19.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Christian Brothers (Tenn.)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">4-1</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">116</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">20.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Minnesota State</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">5-0</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">85</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">21.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Augusta State (Ga.)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">4-0</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">72</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">22.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Indiana (Pa.)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">5-1</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">60</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">23.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">North Alabama</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">7-0</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">41</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">24.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Assumption (Mass.)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">7-0</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">40</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 14.25pt;"><td style="height: 14.25pt; padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;">25.</span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td><td style="height: 14.25pt; padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">West Texas A&M</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="height: 14.25pt; padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">7-1</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="height: 14.25pt; padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">36</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td><td style="height: 14.25pt; padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 14.25pt;"><td style="height: 14.25pt; padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td><td style="height: 14.25pt; padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td><td style="height: 14.25pt; padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td><td style="height: 14.25pt; padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td><td style="height: 14.25pt; padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;"></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="5" style="padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 0.75pt;" valign="top"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dropped out:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> Saint Leo (20), Montevallo (21), Stonehill (23), Alaska-Anchorage (25)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Others receiving votes:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> Drury (Mo.) 30, Tarleton State (Texas) 25, Alaska-Anchorage 24, Winston-Salem State (N.C.) 24, Fort Lewis (Colo.) 14, Harding (Ark.) 13, Post (Conn.) 12, Tampa (Fla.) 11, Benedict (S.C.) 10, Newman (Kan.) 9, Wayne State (Mich.) 9, Chico State (Calif.) 7, Cal State-San Bernardino (Calif.) 5, Colorado Mesa 5, Missouri-St. Louis 5, Florida Southern 4, King (Tenn.) 4, Edinboro (Pa.) 3, Massachusetts-Lowell 3, Henderson State (Ark.) 2.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 19px; font-weight: bold;">Tough venue</span></div>
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Shaw's Spaulding Gym is small, hot and loud.</div>
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It's why the Bears love playing there.</div>
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It's also why opponents fear to come.</div>
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The Bears, who advanced to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16 last season, didn't lose a game at their Raleigh home last season. This was the first home game for them in 2012-13.</div>
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"Coach (Lievense) did us a favor and gave us a home and home," Shaw coach Cleo Hill Jr. said. "Not a lot of folks will do that. Not a lot like playing us here.</div>
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"Especially as good as we were last year. It made scheduling difficult. But Coach (Lievense) he likes a good challenge, and we are thankful for him and Barton."</div>
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In all, Shaw has won 16 straight at Spaulding. The last Bears loss at home was a 48-46 defeat at the hands of Elizabeth City State on Jan. 17, 2011.</div>
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The Bears went 10-0 at home last year and 8-1 the year before.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 19px; font-weight: bold;">Big man on campus</span></div>
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"He's a GROWN MAN."</div>
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It was a phrase uttered by many before, during and after Monday night's Shaw University win over Barton.</div>
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And everyone was referring to senior center Karron Johnson.</div>
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The Richmond, Va., native transferred from Midland Community College to Shaw and hasn't disappointed.</div>
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The 6-foot-8 big man dominated when he was on the court Monday night, scoring 27 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and showing a deft passing touch with five assists.</div>
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He had 26 points, 10 boards and and one assist in the first meeting.</div>
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Lievense called him a "grown man." So did Barton sports information director John Hackney. So did two members of the Shaw sports information staff.</div>
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Fans could be heard saying it over and over after any one of his four power dunks. He had his way most of the time, hitting all 11 shots he took, as well as making 5-of-9 from the free-throw line.</div>
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He may have had a little bit of a chip on his shoulder as play went on.</div>
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After Barton beat the Bears 77-67 to open the season, Shaw tumbled out of the rankings and hasn't returned. The team's two losses are to the Bulldogs and No. 17 Kentucky Wesleyan. Both on the road.</div>
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"It's a huge win for us," he said. "Not only is Barton No. 11 in the nation, but we felt kind of disrespected by our not being ranked.</div>
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"Plus, we don't lose here. That's a tradition we want to hold on to."</div>
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And 6-foot-4 Barton forward Jon Hart said it too. He should know, as he matched up much of the night against him.</div>
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"One of the best I've gone up against," Hart said.</div>
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"We won't see another big man like him for a while," Lievense said in an almost relieved tone.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917680935668470927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-75723192028197713542012-12-02T12:58:00.001-05:002012-12-02T12:58:25.654-05:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For those wondering about Northern Guilford senior running back T.J. Logan, yes, he is that good. If you haven't heard by now, Logan kicked his legend into the stratosphere by running for 510 yards (that's right, 510) and eight touchdowns in the Nighthawks' 64-26 obliteration of Charlotte Catholic in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3-AA championship game Saturday night in Winston-Salem.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Not only are both of those numbers records for an NCHSAA championship game, they are also both state records. The previous single-game rushing record was 490 yards by Lejeune's Akile Jones against Holly Ridge Dixon in 2011. Logan tied the state record for TDs in a game, also held by Hope Mills' Donnie Davis (1960), Julius Pickett of Swansboro (1999) and Harnett Central's Mike Hill (2003). The previous record for TDs in a championship game was seven, set by Albemarle's T.A. McLendon against Wallace-Rose Hill in the 2001 1-AA final.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Logan scored on runs of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">46, 27, 80, 85, 19, 14, 82, and 73 yards and the last, which came on a fake punt, has caused considerable grumbling on various Internet message boards. I wasn't at the game and I didn't speak with Logan or Nighthawks head coach Johnny Roscoe, who purportedly caused some ire by claiming the fake punt was done to avoid injury. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">Here's the deal, there's no such thing as running up the score. You play every second of the game to score or keep the other team from scoring, with the exception of taking a knee to run out the clock in the final seconds. But if you want to keep playing then, go right ahead. There are any number of arguments to make about the lack of class (and I hate that word) and sportsmanship, not to mention Roscoe's lack of prudence in keeping Logan injury-free for UNC head coach Larry Fedora. And those arguments are valid but as far as I'm concerned, Catholic could have prevented any this and Logan's TDs if they had just tackled him. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">That's how the game works. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">Of course, it won't matter in the court of public opinion but this is mine.</span></span>Paul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-73156099616425994722012-11-18T11:48:00.000-05:002012-11-18T11:48:30.160-05:00We've got a big notebook planned in Monday's Between Fridays section in The Wilson Times as well as coverage in the paper, online, on the blog and on Twitter all week on the Hunt High football team's big win over Cleveland in round 3 and "three-match" with Northern Guilford in Greensboro on Friday.Paul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-39327978495443725872012-11-18T11:43:00.001-05:002012-11-18T11:43:34.700-05:00Sunday morning and still feeling the tingliness from watching an epic high school football playoff game Friday night.<br />
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When Hunt cornerback Malik Williams, in front of Cleveland wide receiver Alex Raines, knocked down the pass from another Rams receiver, Donqua Williams (who had taken a lateral from quarterback Aaron Farmer), in the end zone with no time left, the Warriors had amazingly survived a game they alternately looked like they would dominate or have no chance of winning.<br />
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Cleveland, after a long opening kickoff runback, needed two plays to score a touchdown. But Hunt, behind its great senior tailback Josh Joyner, surged to a 21-7 lead that could have been more if they'd converted a turnover, not to mention a failed fourth-down pass on a faked punt that had six points written all over it at first.<br />
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But the Rams offense not only came back in the third quarter, their defense did something no other team had done all season — shut down Joyner. I have to admit on one of those three-and-out possessions with Joyner in the wildcat and barely making to to the line of scrimmage, I wondered if that would be the end of Hunt's season.<br />
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But the Warriors went to the air to regain the lead and then their defense just did what it had done all year — keep the other team out of the end zone. The Rams got to Hunt's 17 but Lewis Neal and Javis Neal Hill batted down Farmer's passes before Williams knocked away Cleveland's last-gasp heave.<br />
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<br />Now Hunt will be the guest of two-time state 3-AA champion Northern Guilford in next week's N.C. High School Athletic Association 3-AA Eastern Final after losing to the Nighthawks in that game in Wilson the past two seasons. The Warriors have put together a three-year run that is the best in Wilson County since those legendary Fike teams won three straight 4-A championships in the late 1960s. The Cyclones, as they were known then, would take half of Wilson to away games, the line of buses a quarter-mile long.<br />
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It would be nice if Wilson got back on the bus, so to speak, and hit the highway to support the Warriors in Greensboro next week. Because if you love high school football, this one promises to be an epic showdown.Paul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-30125434833626862642012-11-15T11:25:00.001-05:002012-11-15T11:40:31.153-05:00The Hunt High football team has kept its focus limited to the job at hand — as head coach Randy Raper would say, "One week, one game, one practice at a time," — all season. While the tendency may be there for the Warriors to peek toward a possible third meeting with two-time state 3-AA champion Northern Guilford, they most assuredly are giving Cleveland all their attention this week.
And that would be a wise decision.<br />
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The Rams exploded onto the N.C. High School Athletic Association football season in 2011, their first year at the varsity level. After a quirky 28-27 loss to North Johnston in an opener that took four days to complete, the Rams lost just three more times, including a 64-7 thrashing administered by Havelock in the 3-A Eastern final, a week before Jim Bob Bryant's Rams won the state 3-A title.<br />
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For half the season, Cleveland, more than Hunt, seemed to be the true heavyweight in the 3-AA East. But then Triton clipped Cleveland 43-40 in Erwin and the Hawks took all the acclaim in the Eastern Carolina Conference. But Triton, shockingly, went down 33-0 to D.H. Conley in the first round and, the following week, Cleveland, after surviving 40-33 at West Brunswick, returned the favor to Conley in round 2 by a convincing 47-25 margin.
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Now comes the matchup everyone's wanted to see since the Rams and Warriors met in Cleveland's jamboree in early August. The rumored outcome of that scrimmmage was Cleveland scoring five times to four by Hunt. Of course that means nothing now, other than the fact Hunt's vaunted defense knows what it's up against.
The Warriors haven't been as dominant in the second half of the season as they were in the first five weeks. They were fortunate to escape Cardinal Gibbons last Friday night after having a chance to put away the Crusaders midway through the fourth quarter.<br />
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But this time of year, it's not about winning big, it's just about winning. And while all the talk before and after that game kept vacillating back to Gibbons missing starting quarterback Shawn Stankavage with a knee injury, what I took away from it was Hunt winning a big playoff game on the road.
The Warriors haven't played in the postseason anywhere but Warrior Stadium since 2008 when most of the current team was in middle school. Then to get a big W over an unbeaten team with revenge on its mind (Hunt eliminated Gibbons in the 2011 third round in Wilson) just spoke volumes about the Warriors.<br />
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Of course, that win will mean zilch when the ball is kicked off Friday night. But it's the main reason I ended up taking the Warriors to beat Cleveland after initially considering the Rams.<br />
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Maybe Hunt is destined to get one more shot at Northern Guilford and its star running back T.J. Logan. If so, the Warriors will have to do it in Greensboro, which might not be a bad thing.<br />
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Hunt 31, Cleveland 29Paul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-36554360517618120752011-12-01T22:33:00.003-05:002011-12-01T22:57:43.201-05:00First draft at realignment could impact Eastern Plains ConferenceThe N.C. High School Athletic Association has unveiled its <a href="https://www.nchsaa.org/intranet/downloadManagerControl.php?mode=getFile&elementID=9326&type=5&atomID=11572">first attempt at conference realignment</a> for the four-year period beginning in the fall of 2013.<br /><br />Before I comment further on this scenario, let me say that the process usually involves several steps and won't be finalized until May, 2012. Let's hope that changes are made because the first draft means big changes for the 2-A Eastern Plains Conference. The EPC currently has Beddingfield, Greene Central, Farmville Central, Kinston, North Pitt, SouthWest Edgecombe and Tarboro as members. But Tarboro is destined for the 1-A ranks so the Vikings will likely join what is now the 1-A Tar-Roanoke Conference and be North Edgecombe's main rival.<br /><br />The biggest change, however, involves sending Greene Central and Kinston to a new conference with Ayden-Grifton, Goldsboro, Midway, North Lenoir and South Lenoir. The four remaining EPC schools — Beddingfield, North Pitt, Farmville Central and SW Edgecombe — would be joined by Cleveland, North Johnston and Washington. However, now it appears that Cleveland will remain a 3-A school, per an announcement by the NCHSAA on Friday, so that would probably mean North Johnston wouldn't be shunted off to the EPC without a nearby rival.<br /><br />If that happens, I don't see Greene Central leaving the EPC. My guess is that there will be a lot of lobbying from Snow Hill to keep the Rams in the conference they've belonged since anyone can remember.<br /><br />The 3-A Big East Conference will not be broken up but will likely add Corinth Holders. Given that Corinth Holders is about 17 miles from Southern Nash, that seems like it will stick. I've been told by sources close to Corinth Holders that would be preferable to joining the 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference, which will look mostly the same with Charles B. Aycock, Eastern Wayne, Southern Wayne, South Johnston and Triton being joined by Smithfield-Selma. Cleveland would be likely to go either back to the ECC or the Big East. <br /><br />The NCHSAA is trying to do away with split conferences and, as far as eastern North Carolina goes, the classification changes of some schools will help. Bertie and Hertford County will be legitimate 2-A schools and the Northeastern Coastal Conference will no longer be a 2-A/3-A league and just a 2-A one. In Pitt County, South Central and D.H. Conley will move up to the 4-A ranks and join Rose and New Bern. However, the first draft shows Clayton and West Johnston in that league which would mean a lot of travel, especially the grueling Clayton-to-New Bern trek.<br /><br />There's sure to be lots more discussion on realignment as the game of musical chairs begins. Please add your perspective below because there's no end to the possibilities.Paul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-67860260703384990662011-11-24T08:42:00.004-05:002011-11-24T09:06:50.132-05:00Friday's battle will come down to basicsHappy Thanksgiving! <br /><br />I got to bed around 2 a.m. (about my normal time) after making four pumpkin pies and putting the turkey in a bag of brine solution for an overnight bath. The pumpkin pies were made from one of the pumpkins my son got on his preschool, pre-Halloween field trip to a local farm. It's the first time I've ever made pumpkin from a real pumpkin but I figured it was time to get back to basics.<br /><br />Keeping that mind, that's what I think Friday's N.C. High School Athletic Association 3-AA Eastern football championship will come down to. Defending state champion Northern Guilford conveys an image of flash and dash with speed as a major component of its spread offense. But the truth is, the Nighthawks will, if not pound you to death, certainly slash and slice you up behind the capable of legs of junior running back TJ Logan and senior quarterback Daniel Downing.<br /><br />When Northern Guilford beat Hunt 28-20 in the 2010 3-AA Eastern final, the Nighthawks passing game was as much of a reason as their ground attack. But this season the Nighthawks have run for an average of 264 yards per game and passed for just 70.6 yards per outing. Contrast that to Hunt's 233.4 per-game rushing average and 70.4 passing average and you see two teams who are very much alike.<br /><br />In speaking with my contacts in Greensboro, I've learned the perception of the 2011 Nighthawks is they might not be as good as last year. That translates into Northern Guilford has less talent; understandable since half its 2010 starting quarterback duo, Rocco Scarfone, is at East Carolina while Shrine Bowl receiver Maurice Harris plays for California. <br /><br />That assertion could be made about Hunt, which lost Tyrell Vinson, Caleb Driver, Spencer Miller and a host of other members of the class of 2011. But here's the thing: The Warriors lost a considerable amount of talent but, in my opinion, they are a better team this year. They've showed that with 13 straight wins that included a few downright Houdini-like escapes. That's a sign of a mature team who understands there are endless possibilities when figuring out a way to win.<br /><br />So if Hunt can lose talent but end up better, who's to say Northern Guilford isn't in the same boat? After all, the Nighthawks have had an impressive 12-game winning streak including last week's 35-6 destruction of previously unbeaten and host Fayetteville Byrd.<br /><br />If these two teams are as closely matched as I think (and they were pretty close last year), then this is what's going to happen. Friday's outcome is going to come down to the basics: taking care of the football, limiting penalties and mental blunders and making tackles. Not tackles 10-15 yards beyond the line of scrimmage but hit-'em-at-the-line-and-wrap-'em-up tackles.<br /><br />Hunt's been good enough to overcome its mistakes in recent games but the Warriors better hope that if they do make mistakes, and I mostly mean turnovers and penalties, they make them when they least hurt. Ditto that for Northern Guilford.<br /><br />I realize just about everything I've just typed here has a major "Duh!" factor. Those components I listed are the keys to just about any game for any football team. But more than anything else, I believe Friday's game won't come down to speed, experience, who wants it more, destiny or any of countless other reasons one can find. It's this simple: Don't screw up and make tackles.<br /><br />Can't get any more basic than that. Now, does anyone know how to make turkey gravy?Paul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447655310186564003.post-40055695678615305592011-11-19T03:33:00.003-05:002011-11-19T03:51:09.074-05:00Seems like old times in the 3-AA final fourThe N.C. High School Athletic Association 3-AA final four is set and it's 2010 all over again. Northern Guilford will travel east to face Hunt in the Eastern final while Shelby Crest heads over to Charlotte Catholic in the Western final.<br /><br />Last season the lower seeds — Northern Guilford and Crest — prevailed and played a memorable state final under the lights in Raleigh's Carter-Finley Stadium. The Nighthawks won 21-20 after Crest's Shine Bowl kicker Trever Austin missed a potential game-tying extra point with seconds to play — the only one Austin missed all season.<br /><br />In the 2010 semifinals, Mideast fifth-seeded Northern Guilford built a 28-7 halftime lead at East top-seeded Hunt then held on for a 28-20 win while Crest, the West No. 3, blasted Midwest No. 2 Charlotte Catholic 31-10.<br /><br />Right now it's hard to say how Friday (which will be Black Friday for two teams) is going to turn out but I have to think Catholic and Northern Guilford are the early favorites. The winners will meet in the 3-AA championship game Friday (that's right, Friday), Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in UNC's Kenan Stadium.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">VIKING QUEST</span><br />On a side note, the 2-A Eastern Plains Conference still has its top two teams alive as Kinston slipped past Bunn 47-46 in overtime in the 2-AA East final Friday night while two-time defending 2-A champion Tarboro eked by Edenton Holmes 28-26 in the 2-A East final. The EPC champion Vikings of Kinston host perennial power Reidsville on Friday while the Vikings of Tarboro visit South Columbus.Paul Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362285224307838802noreply@blogger.com3