Virginia Union Knocks Off D-I Norfolk State in Annual Gold Bowl

By Taleasha A. Reavis

Virginia Union (3-1, 5-2) battled against Division I opponent Norfolk State University and won, 21-9. The Panthers gained 337 yards of total offense and held the lead during the entire game. Andre Braxton and Mackise London combined for 186 yards to lead the Panther rushing attack. Braxton rushed 21 times for 94 yards and a touchdown while London added 92 yards on 19 carries and two (2) touchdowns. Quarterback Jasun Thompson completed 7 passes for 46 yards and carried the ball 7 times for 80 yards to aid in the win. Dwayne Roberson tallied 8 tackles followed by Farrell Payton with 7 tackles.

In the 1^st Annual Winston-Salem City Football Classic, Winston-Salem State (5-0, 5-2) knocked off Virginia State (3-1, 4-3), 17-14, in the final 31 seconds of play with a 40-yard field goal from Shawn Thomas. Terrie Newkirk played a vital role in the contest scoring both of the teams touchdowns and walking away with152 yards on 31 carries. Quarterback Tory Woodbury completed 6 of 17 passes for 128 yards to help in the offensive effort. Rashad Cook rushed for 62 yards on 18 carried and scored a touchdown and Antonio Hawkins completed 14 of 36 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown to lead the Trojan offensive charge. Receiver Damon Thompson caught a 66 yard bomb from Hawkins in the third quarter to give the Trojans the lead only to be thwarted by the Rams. Edward Handsome led the defensive effort with 12 tackles (9 solo, 3 assisted).

Johnson C. Smith (1-3, 2-6) crushed Fayetteville State’s (1-4, 1-7) hopes of winning their homecoming game by coming from behind and beating them, 31-20. The Golden Bulls held the Broncos to only 84 total offensive yards during the game. Jimmy Bell led the rushing corps with 184 yards on 27 carries and three (3) touchdowns. The receiving corps was led by Craig Brown with 2 receptions for 62 yards and two (2) touchdowns. His longest reception was 45 yards and was received from quarterback Spencer Mayo who finished the game with two (2) completions for 79 yards. Ariel Hernandez’s two successful goals helped to put the Broncos on the board in the first half of the game. Runningback Roderick Wooten stepped up in the third quarter to score the first touchdown for his team and put them ahead. This was followed by a 10-yard interception return by Michael King. Unfortunately, their efforts were not enough to stop the Golden Bulls attack.

Elizabeth City State (1-4, 1-7) recorded its first victory of the season, defeating Livingstone (1-4, 3-5), 34-33. Rayshawn Askew caught a 9 yard pass from Michael Forbes with 42 seconds left in the 4^th quarter to secure the win for the Vikings. Askew led the rushing game with 65 yards on 10 carries and was second in receptions with 3 for 16 yards and a TD. ECSU quarterback Michael Forbes completed 6 of 16 passes for 54 yards and two (2) touchdowns. Alvin Wilson stopped 16 (8 solo, 8 assisted) defenders during the game. Livingstone quarterback Diron Hopper carried 18 times for 152 yards and a touchdown and completed 7 of 13 tosses for 69 yards and two (2)touchdowns to lead the offensive attack.

Ray Hawkins and T-Wuan Prather combined for 107 of rhe 126 rushing yards to lead Bowie State (3-2, 4-3) to a 26-25 defeat of N.C. Central (2-3, 3-5). Hawkins rushed 14 times for 56 yards and Prather added 51 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Jimmy Whitehead completed 17 of 38 passes for 251 yards and a touchdown for the Bulldogs. All eyes were on Junior Bulla as he awed the crowd amassing 211 yards on 33 carries and four (4) touchdowns for the Eagle squad. Defensively, Hassan Smith, D.J. Edmonds and Rod Bruce had 12, 11 and 10 tackles, respectively.