by Shawn Warren, CIAA
Communications
(HAMPTON, VA) With wins yesterday, the Elizabeth City State
Vikings and the Winston-Salem State Rams both clinched division
titles and each claimed their second consecutive berth in the CIAA
Championship game on November 10 in Durham.
The undefeated and second-ranked Rams (9-0, 6-0 CIAA) earned the
Southern Division title and a chance to defend their 2011 CIAA
Championship with a convincing 62-31 win over Shaw (4-5, 3-3 CIAA)
yesterday at Durham County Stadium. Quarterback Kameron Smith
continued on an unprecedented hot streak for WSSU. A week
after throwing for a school-record seven touchdowns against
Livingstone, Smith passed for a career-high 393 yards and tossed
six touchdowns as the Rams pulled away from the Bears in the second
quarter and cruised to the win. Smith also led the Rams with
36 yards rushing and a score. Jahuann Butler had eight
receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns and Jameze Massey
caught three balls for 114 yards, and one score as WSSU finished
with 484 yards of total offense.
The Rams led 13-7 after one quarter, but quickly broke the game
open with a huge second quarter. Smith threw touchdown passes
of 67, 5, 6, and 19 yards in a decisive 28-2 run in the second
period. When it was over, Winston-Salem State led 41-9 and
the rout was on.
The Rams added three more touchdowns in the second half and
eclipsed the 55-point barrier for the fourth straight game.
Winston-Salem State has outscored their last four opponents 239-75
en route to their second Southern Division title in as many
years. Shaw, who outgained the Rams 494-484, was led by
quarterback James Stallons, who passed for 412 yards and three
touchdowns. Ta’Juan Brown had 10 catches for 162 yards
and one touchdown and Antonio Dunn rushed for 95 yards and a score
for the Bears. Winston-Salem State looks to complete their
second straight undefeated regular season with a visit to
Fayetteville State on Saturday.
Over in the Northern Division, Elizabeth City State (6-3, 5-1
CIAA) needed a win over Virginia Union and a Virginia State loss to
Chowan to sew up the division title. They got both.
Nigel Rios’ 94-yard interception return for a touchdown in
the third quarter helped the Vikings hold on for a 27-21 win over a
determined VUU squad on Saturday at ECSU’s Roebuck Stadium.
Tailback Daronte McNeill rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns as
the Vikings survived the Panthers’ furious fourth quarter
rally and earned their second straight Northern Division title.
McNeill scored on runs of four and five yards as the Vikings
jumped out to 14-0 first quarter lead. The Panthers got on
the scoreboard when tailback Jerrell Washington capped a 7-play,
75-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown run to cut ECSU’s lead
to 14-7 after one quarter. The Panthers tied the game at
14-14 on quarterback Kenneth Graham’s 1-yard run in the
second quarter. The Vikings closed out the second quarter
scoring with a 27-yard field goal from Brett Symonds and led 17-14
at the half.
Rios’ big interception accounted for the only points of the
third quarter. Following a fumble by Viking reserve tailback
Petey Boone, the Panthers recovered the ball in prime scoring
position at the ECSU 22-yard line. Two plays later, Rios
picked off a pass attempt by Graham and raced 94-yards for the
score, giving the Vikings a 24-14 lead with 7:50 left in the
quarter.
Symonds’ second field goal of the day, another 27-yarder,
stretched the Vikings’ lead to 27-14 early in the fourth
quarter. Things got interesting when Virginia Union drove the
ball 98-yards in eight plays for a touchdown.
Washington’s two-yard TD run and Stephen Velasquez’s
PAT trimmed the lead to 27-21 with 4:16 left in the game. The
Panthers then recovered an onside kick at the ECSU 37-yard line,
trailing by six with 4:09 remaining. A 16-yard run by Graham
on 3rd and 3 moved the ball down to the Vikings’ 14-yard
line. After a sack by the Vikings’ Brad Davis dropped
Graham for an eight-yard loss and an incompletion on third down,
the Panthers were faced with a fourth and 18 at the ECSU 22-yard
line. On fourth down, Graham was again flushed out of pocket
by Davis, but was able to fire a pass to Denzel Duchene who had
gotten open in the end zone. But Duchene was unable to secure
the pass and it fell to the turf incomplete with 39 seconds
remaining and the Vikings had secured a rematch with Winston-Salem
State in the CIAA title game.
In addition to McNeill’s big day running the ball,
quarterback Namon Jones threw for 192 yards and Keith Strickland
caught six passes for 109 yards as the Vikings outgained the
Panthers 331-273. Davis led ECSU’s defense with nine
tackles, a sack, and six quarterback hurries. Rios added
seven tackles to go along with his big interception. The
Panthers were led by Washington, who rushed for 72 yards and two
scores. Jacques Bostick had a game-high 16 tackles, a sack,
and a forced fumble for Virginia Union (4-5, 2-4 CIAA).
ECSU will look to go into the championship game on a winning
note when they close out the regular season at Bowie State on
Saturday. The Vikings and Rams will square off for the CIAA
title on November 10 at Durham County Stadium.
CIAA SCOREBOARD
| Bowie State | 45 | Lincoln | 9 |
| Chowan Hawks | 33 | Virginia State | 21 |
| Elizabeth City State | 27 | Virginia Union | 21 |
| Fayetteville State | 47 | Livingstone | 29 |
| Johnson C. Smith | 27 | Saint Augustine’s | 21 |
| Winston-Salem St. | 62 | Shaw | 31 |