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by Hal Lamar An INSIDE doubleheader: Morehouse wins, Fort Valley loses to ‘SkegeeYour INSIDE Columnist, with trusty photog Patsy Collier, journeyed to Alabama this past weekend for two games. Our first stop was Death Valley, on the campus of Tuskegee University for a much anticipated SIAC showdown battle between the Golden Tigers and the visiting Fort Valley State Wildcats. Cleve Abbott Stadium, nicknamed the aforementioned, lived up to the monicker by knocking off Deondri Clark’s Cats 34-3. This time, the writer will refrain from calling FVSU “pussycats” because they did manage to score three points. But I can’t give them any further applause they once again shot themselves in the tail by blowing five chances to score in the Tuskegee red zone. That point was not lost on Clark who assembled his dejected charges under a blue and white tent on the north side of Abbott field to “talk” to them. “You blew five , count ‘em , five chances in the red zone,” said Clark, holding up five fingers. “You want to blame everybody else for the way you played. Truth is, you didn’t play Fort Valley football.” Other than the Jake Grubbs 31 yard field goal at the 9:17 mark of the second period, the Wildcats couldn’t buy any points. It wasn’t as if they didn’t have the chance. Check it out. Near the end of the first half, they work the oval to the ‘Skegee 31 then fumble it away. Beginning the third period, second and 8 at the Tuskegee 21: fumble… Third quarter, first and goal at the 8…interception. Midway the fourth quarter, fourth and goal at the 5: fumble.
And as Fort Valley flubbed, Tuskegee flexed, scoring in the opening moments of the game ( a 57 yard pass from quarterback Jacary Atkinson to wide-out Lorenzo Crawford), a second quarter run for score by John Pasclay (set up partially through a 15 yard penalty unsportsmanlike conduct call against Valley), another score at the end of the first half on a pass from Atkinson to tight end Stanley Reid and two fourth quarter sixers courtesy two more Valley “boo-boos (an interception returned 85 yards by defensive back Gene Williams and a third strike in the end zone by Atkinson to wide receiver Sean Bailey,also set up through interception.) The win keeps Tuskegee undefeated at 3-0 and that sets well with Atkinson, a junior from Valley, Alabama. “ In the beginning, we said we were going undefeated,” he said after the game. Atkinson was 11 of 23 for 156 yards and threw three touchdowns. “We got some good players on this team.” said second year head coach Willie Slater. He is also elated over having won his home opener in year two. Last year, he lost the home opener to Miles but won it after all when the Bears had to forfeit its victories because of an ineligible player. Meanwhile, down the road about 70 miles or so, Morehouse College was winning its fourth game in five tries against Concordia College of Selma Alabama under crying skies.. Although the Hornets, who trailed 28-9 through the third quarter attempted to make a game of it by scoring in the third to narrow the Morehouse lead to 12, the Tigers opened up, scoring twice in the fourth period on a 67 yard fumble recovery by linebacker DeJuan Payne and some brilliant open field running by Myeric Thompson (68 yards rushing) to ice it for Head Coach Rich Freeman. “ I have to give a lot of credit to my (coaching) staff for getting the team ready week after week,” he said. “ Some of these guys have other duties on campus but they work overtime. Our practices are fast and up-tempo. We don’t have many bad practice days.” Freeman, who’s only loss was a puzzler 16-15 to Fort Valley at home, has two weeks to prepare for what will likely be the SIAC game of the year against Tuskegee in the 72nd Columbus (Ga) Classic. Last year, Morehouse lost 55-29. “ It will be a challenge,” said Freeman. “Tuskegee has a tough team. But we’ll prepare for them like anybody else. That goes for whomever we play.” Concordia will have to face Tuskegee this weekend in Tuskegee. -0- POSTSCRIPTS: Morehouse’s 4-1 start is the school’s best ever, at least since 1950, according to the college’s 2006 media guide…. FAMU and TSU tangle this weekend in the 18th Atlanta Football Classic. Could the fans who attend get a second dose of 2006 when the game was decided in overtime?....... CAU, off last year, will attempt to turn around a disappointing 0-4 start when they take on Miles College at home…….. Tuskegee University has everything a Division II school can ask for: seven Pioneer Bowl appearances( they only lost two), seven national black college championships and 589 total wins, the most of any HBCU football team. But they do lack one thing. I cannot understand why in all these years, they’ve never erected lights at Abbott Field? Hal’s Picks this week Got an item or comment?
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