Shaw picked second in CIAA football

PETERSBURG, Va. -- The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association's football coaches walked away from Thursday's news conference with the typical optimism that precedes the start of a new season, no matter where their teams were predicted to finish.

Fayetteville State coach Kenny Phillips beamed with confidence. His team, the defending conference champion, was chosen by the league's coaches to finish first again this coming season.

Shaw and St. Augustine's coaches were smiling, also.

The Bears, winners of CIAA championships in 2007 and 2008, were selected to finish second overall, while the Falcons were picked seventh in the 13-member conference.

Training camps for CIAA teams open next week, with league games kicking off Aug. 28.

"If we can start off fine, we'll finish strong," St. Aug's coach Michael Costa said.

League coaches said they were confident that the predicted order of finish would mean little at the end of this season, one many predict will rank among the most competitive in years.

A coin toss decided the winner of a three-way tie atop the Eastern Division last season, with Bowie State advancing to the conference championship game. Fayetteville State won the title with a 21-10 win at Durham County Memorial Stadium.

Division battles should be just as tight this season as teams set their sights on playing in the renovated stadium in this year's championship game, set for Nov. 13.

Bowie State, Elizabeth City State and Virginia Union were ranked behind Shaw in the predicted order of finish.

"You can't take a game off in the conference," ESPN analyst Stan Lewter said. "Not if you expect to win the championship."

The CIAA will feature two new teams - Lincoln and Winston-Salem State - which rejoin the conference after extended stints away. To accommodate the new teams, the conference realigned divisions, changing them from Eastern and Western to Northern and Southern.

Shaw and St. Aug's were placed in the Southern Division with Fayetteville State, Johnson C. Smith, Livingstone and Winston-Salem State, while Lincoln, which is located in Pennsylvania's Chester County, was placed in the Northern Division.

It's the largest number of football teams the league has housed since 1997.

St. Aug's opens its season on Sept. 4 at Catawba. The Falcons hope construction on their new George Williams Athletic Complex will be complete by November.

St. Aug's athletic director George Williams, the facility's namesake, said the project is currently on schedule. He said the stadium, which will feature a synthetic FieldTurf playing surface, has energized the program and community.

"It's so exciting, it's scary," he said.

The Falcons, 4-6 last season (4-3 CIAA), want an improved team to walk onto their new field and hope Costa can motivate his 17 returning starters, including eight on a strong defense.

Offensively, the coach hired new offensive coordinator Jermaine Gales to build an offense around sophomore quarterback Joaquin Green, the CIAA Rookie of the Year.

Falcons senior linebacker Steven Stanback was named to the preseason All-CIAA team.

"When you look at things overall, I think we have been competitive," Costa said. "A break here, a break there, last season would have been better than what it was."

Shaw (8-2, 5-2 last year) opens its season on Sept. 4 against Virginia Union and will play its home games at Southeast Raleigh High School. The Bears host Winston-Salem State on Oct. 30 at Durham County Memorial Stadium and close the season against the rival Falcons.

Bears coach Darrell Asberry has 14 returning starters and will open camp with 37 junior college recruits.

Asberry has also enlisted the services of former Southern High School standout Kerry Atkins, a left-handed quarterback who graduated from Alabama A&M with one season of eligibility remaining. "We brought him in to win football games for us," he said.

In the backfield, the Bears will count on Raymond Williams, who will run behind Markus McElveen - one of five offensive linemen returning.

Four Bears were named to the preseason All-CIAA team: McElveen, Williams, defensive lineman DeMarcus Roberson and linebacker Fred Sparkman.

Asberry said it may take some time to build chemistry. If they do, he said, expect the Bears to compile wins.