WS Chronicle

Photo by BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY 

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY 

THE CHRONICLE

The college football season is set to kick off in a little over month.  Last Thursday the CIAA held its media day for the upcoming season.  Every team took the stage with coach and players to field questions and state their expectations for the year.

As defending CIAA conference champions, the WSSU Rams look to repeat and improve upon their 6-5 record from last year. They open up on September 3 against UNC Pembroke before traveling to play Catawba on September 10.  The Rams have won the Southern Division of the conference for five years in a row and are hungry for another crown.

Head Coach Kienus Boulware stated his staff has gone out this off season and brought in some of the top talent in the country and feels the team that has the most fun will win.  He said his offensive line will be improved from last year with pre-season All-Conference selections Jac’que Polite and Tim Samuels among others returning.

“To improve upon last season, we just have to stay consistent and do the little things well,” said Boulware.  “Last year we were all over the place trying to feel our way around.  The year before we lost a lot of guys on defense, so last season we were trying to get the guys up to par on our philosophy and identity and it was somewhat of a challenge.

Joining coach Boulware at media day was Polite and standout defensive back Kailan Chavis.

Polite stated that the offensive line has been working together all summer long to build cohesiveness. The entire offensive line will be returning from last season.  He stated the chemistry they have built will serve them well next season. “We do everything together.  We work out together, we eat together, so our offensive line should be the most dominant group on the field.  The offensive line is like the heart of the team.”

As one of the leaders on the defense, Chavis brings experience and physicality to the team’s secondary. His ability to cover and play the run makes him a player to watch in the defensive backfield.  He stated he worked on his speed and flexibility this off season to improve his tackling and man-to-man coverage in the slot.  He feels his defense will be better than with the experience they gained last year.

Many teams in the CIAA look to improve upon last season and possibly take the championship home.  With WSSU predicted to win the southern division once again, they have a few teams nipping at their heels.  Fayetteville State, now coached by for-mer WSSU assistant Richard Hayes, is picked to finish second in the southern division. Coach Hayes stated he is looking forward to the match-up against WSSU on November 5, but doesn’t want his team to overlook anyone on their schedule. He said, “I have no more red in my closet; I wear Bronco Blue now.”

WSSU has a bullseye on them from most teams in the CIAA.  Livingstone College head coach Daryl Williams stated he wants to “claim the championship on Winston-Salem State University’s football field” next season.

With five new head coaches in the conference and teams coveting the championship, WSSU has a tough road ahead of them.

Coach Boulware bolstered his coaching staff this off season as well by bringing in former Shaw University head coach Robert Massey to coach defensive backs and former Wake Forest quarterback Ryan McManus to coach quarterbacks. Boulware said they will add another element to his staff but will not change his philosophy in game planning.

If the Rams can survive the tough early schedule and pull out much needed victories during conference play, they have a chance to capture another title and return to the Division II playoffs for the first time since 2013.