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Postseason berths on line in CIAA title game
Bonitta Best The cheer began as a voice of one. Then gradually it grew, till the chant could be heard around the stadium. "We want Winston! We want Winston!," Virginia Union players cried after escaping with a 14-7 win over Fayetteville State Saturday that clinched the CIAA East Division title. It'll be the second straight meeting between the two teams in the title game won by WSSU last year, 31-28. Adding spice to the rivalry is a last-minute 24-22 win VUU pulled out over WSSU earlier this year in Richmond. In that game, the Panthers' special teams accounted for 18 points. It was the first win for the Panthers over the Rams in 11 years. "It's one we felt we gave away," said WSSU head coach Kermit Blount. "Eliminate those 18 points, and we actually win the game 22-6 as opposed to losing 24-22. "It's going to be a very exciting ball game and very intense. There is
a lot at stake." Saturday's game will go a long way towards deciding if the CIAA will put a team in the NCAA Div. II playoffs for the first time since Hampton represented the conference in 1993. That is what CIAA Commissioner Leon Kerry and conference officials had in mind when they brought back the championship game last year after an eight-year hiatus. The Rams are in the best situation to end the playoff drought but the Panthers are not out of the running. WSSU is currently ranked fifth in the South Atlantic Region while VUU is seventh. Between them at sixth is Fort Valley State (7-2) and ahead of them ranked second is Tuskegee. Both Tuskegee and FVSU are members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Only the top four finishers in the region receive invitations to the playoffs. Tuskegee is ineligible for postseason play meaning WSSU is actually fourth and VUU sixth. While a WSSU win should guarantee the Rams a playoff spot, a win by the Panthers could bring them up in the poll, maybe even leap-frogging Fort Valley State to the fourth spot. Fort Valley State plays Albany State Saturday in Columbus, Ga. "The players are thrilled to be in this situation, but at the same time, we know we have to win the game on Saturday in order to be considered for that," said Blount of the playoff possibilities. "We're just looking forward to the opportunity to play right here in Winston." Virginia Union has its own goals, too. The Panthers have not won a championship since head coach Willard Bailey returned to the school in 1995. Bailey won five championships at VUU from 1971-83 before taking over at Norfolk State where he won a CIAA title in 1984. Bailey has taken teams to the Div. II playoffs on six occasions. A win would give the Panthers the title and a berth in the Pioneer Bowl (Dec. 22 in Atlanta) if they do not make the 16-team Div. II playoff field. If WSSU wins and makes the playoffs, the Panthers would still represent the conference in Atlanta. The two teams are very evenly matched finishing the year first or second in just about every offensive and defensive category. "The team that makes the fewest penalties or mistakes will win the game," said Bailey, the winningest coach in CIAA history. "We kept ourselves in a very negative position against Fayetteville. We can't do that against Winston." "We are going to give everything we have, and we expect them to give everything they have," said VUU senior quarterback Jason Thompson, who will lead the Panthers into battle. © 2001 Azeez Communications, Inc.
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The
7-2 Panthers will get their wish Saturday when they take on West Division champ
and two-time defending conference champion, Winston-Salem State (8-2) in
the 2nd annual CIAA Championship Game in Winston-Salem (1 p.m.).
