Local standouts performing glowingly
Running back Dedrick Anderson of Winston-Salem put on a memorable display in his final college football game. The former West Forsyth star dashed and darted for a career-high 200 yards on 19 carries in Johnson C. Smith’s 57-6 win over Livingstone in the Commemorative Classic.
Anderson, a 5-foot-4, 150 pounds senior, scored three touchdowns in that game and was named the Classic’s MVP. It was a fitting way to end a career for Anderson, who rushed 1,063 yards this season. He’s the first at J.C. Smith to run for over 1,000 yards in a season since 1991. Anderson is now No. 3 in the school record books for single-season rushing yardage.
This turned out to be a breakthrough season for Anderson and his team. Anderson was named second-team All-CIAA as the Golden Bulls (6-4) posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1972-73.
In conference play, JCS went 5-2 to finish second in the CIAA’s Southern Division behind Winston-Salem State. The Golden Bulls closed out their season with four straight victories – the longest win streak at the school since 1996.
Anderson scored 10 touchdowns as a senior and led his team in rushing, scoring (60 points), and all-purpose yardage (1,699).
Gabby Oglesby of Guilford College was recently named to the D3hoops.com Preseason All-America team. The 6-foot junior forward from Winston-Salem is a second-team pick.
A year ago, Oglesby, who played at Mount Tabor, led Guilford to its first Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship in 10 years. In the process, she was voted ODAC’s Player of the Year and she was also the ODAC Tournament MVP.
Oglesby led the Quakers in scoring (14.7 ppg.), rebounding (7.9 rpg.), field-goal percentage (.514) and blocked shots (2.3 bpg.) last year. She entered this season with a school-record 127 blocked shots.
The Quakers, who finished last season with a 22-7 record, were ranked 11th in the Women’s D-III News Preseason Top 25 Poll. At press time, Guilford, the preseason pick to win the ODAC, was 2-1 with double-digit victories over Greensboro and N.C. Wesleyan. The Quakers suffered a 55-51 loss to nationally-ranked York (Pa.) in the Daly Seven Hotels Classic on last Sunday.
Sophomore SamQuan Evans enjoyed a productive season in his first year as a full-time starter for Tennessee State. The 6-0, 280 pound sophomore delivered solid performances for a vastly improved defensive unit.
Evans, a 2010 graduate of Carver, finished the season with 33 tackles (including five for loses) and three quarterback sacks.
Tennessee State posted an 8-3 record and was ranked as high as 23rd in the national polls for the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-AA).
The Tigers led the Ohio Valley Conference in total defense (361.6 yards per game), pass defense (208.5 yards per game), pass defense efficiency and they were second in points allowed (22.8 points per game). That’s a significant improvement from 2011, when TSU ranked at or near the bottom of the conference in most defensive statistical categories.