North Carolina Football Association (NCFA)

Tom Smythe is having a long season at Raleigh so far
only able to beat Rocky Mount this year they sit 2-4
at the halfway point. Marcus Musson is putting up
good numbers, but the offense is not scoring. Again
this week Musson put up good numbers against an always
tough Burlington defense going 20 of 34 for 182yds.
But Smythe's offense depends on big plays not ball
control and that's been missing. A solid game from HB
Jerry Willis who had 17yds rushing and 62yds
receiving. A huge game on defense from Freddie Friar
who had 15 tackles. The defense managed to slow down
the Burlington running game keeping both Greg Caufield
and Dino Snider under 100yds, and it kept Raleigh in
the game down 13-0 deep into the 3rd quarter. But
with the offense unable to move the ball the defense
finally gave way and Burlington steadily turned the
game into a blowout. Raleigh hosts Asheville next
week in what is a must win game if they expect to win
the division or grab the wildcard slot.

Burlington started the game hot and ended hot, but in
between their offense struggled to produce. But a
solid performance from the defense lead by LB Arnold
Campbell with 3 tackles and 4 sacks kept Raleigh from
every really being in the game. Veteran WR Mike
Bender was the big player on offense with 9 receptions
for 90yds. Thaddeus Schlotter had a very solid game
going 17 of 29 for 166yds with 3TDs. He did just what
he was asked to do not turning the ball over and
scoring touchdowns. The running game on the other
hand struggled a bit to give Burlington to grinding
control they normally enjoy. HB Greg Caufield had
99yds on 18 carries with 1TD and Dino Snider had 56yds
on 18 carries. For any other combination of backs in
the league these would be huge numbers, but for this
Bees combination this is a mediocre day. One area
where Burlington is struggling this season is
turnovers. Normally they lead the league in turnover
ratio, but this season has been an exception. The
offense is not turning the ball over, but the defense
is not forcing turnovers and that has kept some scores
lower this season than they would have been in the
past. Sitting at 6-0 alongside Salisbury everyone is
anxiously awaiting the week 10 matchup, but first
Burlington has to play some division games hosting 1-5
Winston-Salem next week.

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The Leafs now fall to 0-4 in the Coastal Division and
have probably lost their chance to win it. They sit
2-4 at the halfway mark wondering how they can be
doing so poorly with stats that look so good. They
came into week 6 with the top rated passing game in
the league and the 3rd best run defense. They have
outscored their opponents on average and have one of
the top rated QBs in the league. But they have the
second worst turnover ratio in the league and their
only two wins came at home so they have not performed
well on the road. Their week 6 game against Wilson
was no better than their other road games. Stephen
Caufield put up good number 14/23 for 169yds with 1TD,
but fumbled the ball away once to setup a Tobs TD.
Bernie Hall also put up pretty good number 53yds on
14carries, but he too had a fumble which setup a
Wilson TD. It may be a long 2nd half of the season
for Rocky Mount as they try to fight their way back
into the wild card race. But the turnovers will have
to stop if they expect to succeed.

Derrick Smith has struggled with the new offense never
really having gotten much of a chance to perform. And
although he didn't put up large numbers today he was
the added component on offense that really made the
difference going 17/27 for 147yds and 2TDs. Ken
Haslip continued to be the workhorse of the offense
with 93yds on 25 carries and 4 receptions for 9yds and
a TD. But the big star of todays game was George
Toner who had 1 tackle 3 sacks and forced two fumbles,
one of which he recovered to setup a TD. Toner has
had a very quiet season and for a player who usually
starts hot and ends cold things haven't been looking
too good, but if this game is any indication maybe
this season he'll end hot.

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Marion Sorenson completely shredded Durham's defense
with big pass plays getting 303yds and 2TDs on only 18
completions. He also got solid help from HB Eric
Debow who put up 88yds on 25 carries. And a big play
game from WR Tripp Roberts who had 4 receptions for
138yds. Both teams struggled on defense but it was
the outstanding play of Sorenson that made this game.
He did make one mistake an interception returned for a
touchdown, but other than that he was excellent.

Panic is starting to set in in Durham who lost their
3rd game in a row this week. Another solid
performance from Mark Oates who was 20 of 36 for
275yds with 2TDs. His favorite target is quickly
becoming Rory Rocker who had 134yds on 8 receptions.
But a sluggish running game behind HB Leonard Kern
hurt Durham's ability to control the game and keep
Sorenson and the Durham defense off the field. The
defense is in desperate need to figure out what is
happening as they have struggled over the past 3 weeks
giving up at least 20 points a game. Don't be
surprised to see some personnel changes on defense
next week as Durham goes on the road to Greensboro in
a big divisional matchup.

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Erik Waters had a huge game today for Asheville going
20 of 28 for 321yds and throwing 1TD. This along with
another big performance from HB Brett Stinson set the
scene for a pretty easy win over the Twins. Marshall
Moss continues to struggle on the ground gaining only
27yds on 19 carries, but he knows how to score getting
his 4th TD of the season. Locke Van Horne, however,
has become a different player the past few weeks he
had 115yds and 1TD on 7 receptions. The defense also
played well lead by LB Tony Newberry who had 9 tackles
and 1 sack. This puts Asheville at 3-3 at the halfway
mark in a wide open race for the wild card slot.

James Martin did not have the same success as last
week, but he didn't do awful either with 106yds going
10 for 20 passing. He was helped by Frank Klusmire
who continues to look promising with 45yds on 10
carries. But the offense could never produce on
important downs as Martin was under a lot of pressure
and missing a lot of opportunities. Not good since
Asheville has one of the worst pass defenses in the
league. The Twins defense also struggled getting
really no good play for anyone and so they seem
destined to fight it out with Wilson for the top draft
pick to start next season.

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Royce Scott and the Charlotte Clippers came into the
week 6 game with one of their main offensive weapons
injured HB Kelvin Ingram. He twisted his knee in week
5 and so the pressure was going to be on Scott and HB
Tony Sessions to take up the slack. They each had
solid games, Scott was 22/31 for 218yds and 1Int,
Sessions had 12 carries for 42yds with 1TD, but
something was definitely missing. The little bit that
they tried to play Ingram he was not himself getting
5yds on 6 carries and fumbling once. Charlotte came
into this week with the 3rd best rushing attack and
the 10th best passing attack. The Greensboro defense
may be 11th best in the league, but they did what they
needed to do to keep Charlotte from scoring more than
9 points. Two missed FGs sealed Charlotte's fate as
Greensboro dropped Charlotte to a 3-3 record. On
defense Charlotte continued to be tough lead by S
Derrick Jackson and LB Charles Szott.

Greensboro came into this week 6 game with the 11th
best offense and the 11th best defense. Hard to
believe then they sit 3-3 at the halfway point in the
season. With a stubborn defense and an offense that
had done just enough Greensboro has proven despite
their stats they are a tough team. One thing that is
hurting the Patriots this season is their passing game
which is unable to produce any big plays. Something
that was a key to their success last season. Bradford
Kokotan did improve this game not making any really
bad passes and hitting on very important downs. He
was 16 of 27 for 148yds and 1TD. But Sheridan Clarke
was the key for Greensboro putting up 72yds on 19
carries. He had some big plays when needed. Boot
Tyndall had a big game for the Pats defense with 3
tackles and 2 sacks. Bob Hard also stepped up in this
game with 2 tackles 2 knockdowns and an interception.

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Perhaps the key to this game was the injury to Durham
starting center Benito Perlot. The dismal play of the
Durham offensive line in this game, they gave up 10
sacks, would lead one to believe that Perlot, the
veteran leader of the line, was sorely missed.
Despite the poor play of the line Mark Oates had a
respectable game going 15 of 33 for 141yds. He was
constantly under pressure and never had an opportunity
to go downfield with the ball. They also got good
play out of their new starting running bak Leonard
Kern who had 49yds on 10 carries. But between the
poorly playing offensive line and some key turnovers
Durham really never had much of a shot in this game.
Durham will need to bounce back hosting Kinston next
week.

Charlotte is having a very up and down season. Their
play has not been consistent in any way, but they now
sit 3-2 and tied for the wild card slot with Durham
and Gastonia. They host Greensboro next week in what
will be an important game since Greensboro is another
potential for the wild card slot. Royce Scott had a
very solid game against Durham going 16 of 23 for
222yds and 1TD. His main targets were WR Troy Goode
who had 5 receptions for 113yds and 1TD and TE Cash
Johnson who had 8 receptions for 73yds. Kelvin Ingram
and Tony Sessions continue to put up good numbers out
of the backfield combining for 96yds and 1TD. But it
was the Charlotte defense that really won this game
putting up 10 sacks, 3 from DT Mark Lowdermilk. LB
Charles Szott was a big boost to the defense this week
with 5 tackles 1 sack and 2 knockdowns. He seemed to
be all over the field and showed Charlotte fans that
he still has some legs left in him. Charlotte
acquired the 11th year vet from Burlington a few weeks
ago. Charlotte still has to play two games this
season against Salisbury so they know they need to get
as many wins as they can now.

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It's a big win for Greensboro and a big loss at home
for Kinston. A win would have put Kinston at 3-1,
still in the sole lead in their division. Now if
Raleigh beats Rocky Mount they will both be sitting at
2-2 and both be 2-0 in the division. Kinston has
struggled over the years to close the deal late in the
season, but it is these early season mess ups that
lead to having to win later in the season. In a game
that many thought would be an easy win, Kinston
struggled on offense and made too many penalties on
defense. Marion Sorenson put up decent numbers going
15/26 for 163yds, but really failed to make a
difference in the game. Dean Jonas was the only real
standout racking up 86yds and 1TD on 22 carries. But
it was Jonas's fumble deep in his own territory that
gave Greensboro their sole touchdown of the game.
Kinston fans are in for what looks like another rough
season, but their fans have always come out in strong
support of this team. It will be interesting to see
how they and the team handle this setback, but for now
they are all happy to see Wilson at 0-4.

There was nothing sparkling about the Greensboro
offense in this game. Bradford Kokotan was 16/32 for
134yds with 1Int. Sheridan Clarke carried the ball 10
times for 39yds. Nathaniel Wolf had a great game with
9 receptions for 77yds, but no big game breaking
plays. It was really the defense that won this game
lead by S Shaun Legette with 11 tackles and 1
knockdown. The rest of the defense pitched in with 6
sacks, 2 from LB Frank Hall. CB Willie Mobley scored
the only Greensbobo touchdown of the game on a Dean
Jonas fumble and though at times it looked like Kinson
was putting together a solid drive, the defense always
managed to squelch it. This win puts Greensboro at
2-2 and in good position for the rest of the season.
Through their first 4 games they played Burlington,
Salisbury, Wilson, and Kinston and sit 2-2 that is
much better than many expected.

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Asheville has bounced back from an 0-2 start to sit
tied with Gastonia and Charlotte at 2-2 after beating
Wilson today 13-3. They got a good solid performance
out of QB Erik Waters who went 14/19 for 135yds.
Luckily he was helped by his defense since his running
game continues to struggle. HB Marshall Moss could
only manage 58yds on 30 carries, but he did come up
with some big runs late in the game to use clock and
scored their 1TD of the game. S Chris Carlson,
however, was the star for Asheville in this game with
8 tackles and an interception. It seemed that all his
plays came at key moments in the game. He chased down
Ken Haslip on what looked like a TD. Stopped Wesley
Taylor short of a first down on a 3rd down situation,
always seemed to be there for the big play. The 9th
year pro has spent his career supporting great Mel
Jaeger, but in this game he was the standout player on
the field.

Wilson continues to struggle on offense. Having good
opportunities today to score and letting them all slip
away settling for only 3 points. Derrick Smith had a
slow start on the day finishing the game going 14/29
for only 108yds and 1Int. Part of his problem today
was his inability to find favorite receiver Deion
Scroggins who only had 1 reception for 9yds. Ken
Haslip is shouldering the load in this new Wilson
offense and he seems to be improving each week. Today
he had 66yds on 15 carries and 44yds on 5 receptions.
But in order for Wilson to turn things around on this
0-4 start they have to figure out a way to get Wortham
Wainright, Deion Scroggins, and Troy Aaron into the
game.

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Over the past two weeks Gastonia has looked like one
of the top 3 teams in the league. They destroyed
Charlotte 31-3 and now this week shut out Greensboro.
There has always been a lot of talk around Gastonia
and Olav Flores (5 receptions for 53yds and a TD) and
Darrell Sparks (31 of 46 for 281yds 1TD), but what of
this defense that has held their opponents to 3 points
over the past two weeks. They are lead physically by
LB Ian Carter and DT Woody Brenner. Mentally they are
lead by DE Joel Candy and LB Chris Moxie. It's a good
mix of young and old that seems to be working well for
the Pirates. Sitting at 3-2 they go to Salisbury next
week where they hope to keep up their winning ways.

Greensboro's offense has looked hopeless in a few
games this season, this game being one of them.
Bradford Kokotan could only manage 8 receptions on 25
attempts for 77yds. Sheridan Clarke had 10yds rushing
on 7 carries and 1 fumble. It was a game in which
Greensboro was never a part. Linebacker play
continued to be solid for Greensboro with Frank Hall,
Phil Haynes, and Don Lee pitching in for 25 tackles
and 2 knockdowns. But with their offense unable to
move the ball at all the Patriots defenders were
completely worn down giving up 16 points in the last
24 minutes of play. Their schedule doesn't get any
easier next week as Greensboro has to go to Charlotte,
but they must turn things around on offense if they
expect to be going anywhere post season.

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This was a game that saw Marcus Musson settling into
Tom Smythe's offense and the defense stepping up their
play to destroy Stephen Caufield's wonderful QB
rating. It puts Raleigh on an equal standing with
Kinston in the division and gives Marcus Musson and
Tom Smythe the feeling that the playoffs may be a real
prospect. Marcus Musson was the key on offense going
22 of 37 for 284yds and a TD. His three main
receivers had good games today Sid Pagel had 6
receptions for 82yds and a TD, Donald Tilbury had 6
receptions for 79yds and Gunther Watters had 7
receptions for 90yds. Smythe had indicated that
getting three threats at receiver was going to be
crucial to the success of the offense. It palyed a
huge part in his success in Wilson and will also play
a major role here. The running game was non existent
today, but that didn't seem to bother Smythe in the
locker room following the game. "Getting the passing
game going is the key to this offense." The defense
was the major help for the passing game today with 3
interceptions, the first Stephen Caufield has given up
this season. It was a well balanced attack on defense
that took advantage of the opportunities presented it.
Raleigh goes to Winston-Salem next week where they
hope to get a win against the struggling Twins while
Kinston has to go play at Burlington. That would put
Raleigh in the lead in the Coastal division a place
that Tom Smythe feels very comfortable being.

Rocky Mount sits now 0-3 in their division and have a
very different look at the season now than they did
the day before. Next week becomes a must win game to
keep them from slipping to 1-4 and they will be
playing a surging Asheville. Stephen Caufield
couldn't keep up his hot play today going 18/37 for
238yds with 3 Ints. Sam Achor was also quieted today
with only 36yds on 17 carries. Many had thought
Bernie Hall would get the starting job at half back
after the trade this week that brought him over from
Burlington, but coach Chad Rutledge felt like it was
smart to stick with Achor who had shown something this
season. It's a rough start for Rocky Mount who hoped
that they would be turning things around this season
after going 6-6, 5-7, and 6-6 the past three seasons.
All the teams in the Coastal understand that with
Wilson struggling it's a wide open affair, but to win
the division you have to win division games and so far
the Leafs haven't been able to do it

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The Coastal Division may be the weakest in the league,
but it may also be the most hotly contested because no
team is seen as a lock. Therefore any inner division
games are seen as important and Kinston with their
21-3 win over Rocky Mount is now sitting 2-0 in the
division.

Kinston has had trouble over the years finishing off a
good season. More than once it has seemed as though
they would win the wild card slot only to slip away in
the second half of the season. With Marcus Musson at
QB they were never able to find any real consistency,
but now they feel they have with Marion Sorenson at
the helm. He is one of two quarterbacks in league
history who managed to beat Burlington, and he did it
when he was very young. Now he shows the level of
poise that impressed the league that day at every
level of his game. The other area where Kinston has
struggled in the past was at running back with
Courtney Darby. Darby, the number 4 all time leading
rusher, was never a guy that could be depended on from
one game to the next. In fact it always seemed his
best games were in games where it didn't really
matter. Eric Debow emerged last season as a guy who
was willing to go out every game and give it all that
he had. Kinston fans immediately fell in love with
him and together with Sorenson they create a
combination that has excited the fan base to believe
the playoffs are within their grasp. They are looking
now for one of their receivers to step up their play
and Kinston may have the formula it needs to win the
division. Sorenson and Debow both lived up to
expectations in this week 3 game against Rocky Mount.
Sorenson was 19/30 for 251yds and 3TDs. Debow carried
the ball 31 times for 106yds and had another 39yds
receiving. With this kind of play the offense seems
to be on their way. We will have to talk another time
about Pat Mlot and Wilbur Mann and the scary defense
that Kinston has, but let's just say that if the
offense can find itself, then the defense will not
hold it back.

Rocky Mount is such a different story than Kinston.
Their fans love quarterback staple Stephen Caufield,
they love running back staple Dean Jonas and have
since the 2000 season. They are a team that still
remembers what it was like to be 6-0 in 2004, what it
was like to win the division, but also a team that
knows at some point you have to win again. This may
be Caufield's last hurrah at QB, it may be Jonas's
last season in the league, he's no longer a starter.
These guys would like to see their team turn things
around. This week 3 game was a big one for Rocky
Mount, who has no real standout stars, to establish
themselves as a real threat to win the division. Sad
to say it was the stars at Kinston that dominated the
day, and the Average Joes that make up Rocky Mount
were left wondering what if anything they could have
done differently. Kinston was faster, stronger,
smarter and it left many with a feeling that there was
a real difference between these two teams. It will be
hard for Caufield to rally the troops after such a
tough game, but he will have plenty of help from other
veterans such as LB Wildon Clark and FB Perry Reed.
Rocky Mount is not a team of stars, but they are
potentially a threat to anyone and so everyone will
have to play them seriously when they meet. Who knows
with just the right amount of luck Caufield and Jonas
could go out with a real bang.

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QB Thaddeus Schlotter came off of a poor performance
last week to a very solid performance this week going
20/29 for 289yds with 1TD. Burlington's focus this
season is on the run, but they still need
Schlotter to continue to produce numbers like he did
last season. Coach Rob McCracken knows from
experience that when they face off with Salisbury
often it is their passing game that wins it for them,
and the week 10 matchup with the Popes may be a huge
game. Perhaps the big story in Burlington is the lack
of big numbers from star running back Dino Snider.
He's never struggled to put up numbers with over
10,000 yds rushing at an average of 5.5 yds per carry
and over 70 TDs, Snider is nothing but the best
running back in league history bar none. But this
season his numbers have dropped off. He had his first
100+ yd game of the season this week, but it took 30
carries to pull it off. Meanwhile HB Greg Caufield
continues to show that he is the new star for
Burlington 11 carries for 114yds with 2TDs. It's
possibly the end of an era in Burlington with Snider
obviously not the running back he's been. Last season
Schlotter proved that the Bees could win without Van
Egger. This season Caufield seems to be proving they
can win without Snider.

Winston-Salem fans knew it would be a long season, but
I'm not sure they knew it would be this long. They
sit 0-3 and have been blown out the past two weeks.
But the Twins are going through rebuilding and
everyone knows that. Especially QB Bennie Berwick.
He's been around the league form the beginning, taken
two teams to the playoffs and is more than likely on
his way out. James Martin impressed team coaches
playing in the NCFA2 and Berwick knows it is really
just a matter of time now until he's replaced. He had
hoped that he would be able to produce some wins for
Winston-Salem so that he could have one last hurrah,
but it doesn't seem to be going in that direction for
Berwick. Twins fans and coaches are now starting to
think about the future and looking for Martin to show
what he can do in the NCFA. Don't be surprised if HB
Sammy Salerno isn't having similar thoughts running
through his head.

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John Walton would love this Charlotte team. Walton
was the beloved coach of that took Charlotte to 4
straight playoffs from 2000-2003. He did it with
simple passes and hard nosed running and defense. The
new Charlotte under coach David Gibson has the same
philosophy and has put together a team that can
produce. He has two of the top running backs in the
league based on talent in Kelvin Ingram and Tony
Sessions and he knows how to use them. With a solid
offensive line in front and a good running game QB
Royce Scott no longer has the pressure of trying to
win with his arm, he just has to win with his brain
something he feels better suited to. "The past couple
of seasons," Scott said in a recent interview, "I felt
as though all the pressure was on me. We won or lost
all because of me. Now I don't feel that at all. I
feel a real sense now of a team effort." Gibson would
say that's because he has balanced his team with a mix
of young and old. Joseph Miller and Steve Van Houten
mixed with Kyle Waters, Luke Strader, and Bryan Kopper
are a good example of that. It's a very solid
offensive line, and one with the experience of Miller
and Van Houten that knows what it takes to win games.
"This is a young team," Miller said after this weeks
win over Raleigh. "I feel that my role on this team
is really to be the leader when we're out the on the
field. Gibby told me during the off-season that he
wanted to see me play more of a role of field general
and so far this season I think it is working for us."
That an offensive lineman would be leading the offense
may seem strange but backup veteran quarterback Kurt
Nelson says it's what the team needs. "Royce is a
good player, a smart kid. But he was really
struggling to keep the team together and get the job
done. Joe is a guy that is not only one of the best
players in the leauge, but can teach guys how to win.
It may be odd, but for now it's working." At 2-1 it's
certainly not time to clebrate yet, but Clippers fans
are excited to see something that looks like their old
team back on the field. Scott in the week three game
against Raleigh did exactly what his coach wanted
going 12/20 for 110yds and throwing 2TDs. Ingram,
however, is the real star on this team with 34 carries
and 176 yards. A hard nosed defense is another fan
favorite in Charlotte, and they like what they see so
far this season. They even slowed down the Burlington
offensive attack in their week 2 loss. They pitched
in this week with 7 sacks, three coming from DT Ronnie
Stephen.

LB Oliver Jones is the number 5 tackler of all time in
the NCFA with 412. He has been with Raleigh his
entire career and put together a solid game against
Charlotte in week three with 7 tackles. In his 7
years of the NCFA, Jones has seen a lot of bad teams
in Raleigh and was not holding back in expressing his
anger during the game this week. "What the %&#$ are
you guys doing out there! Missed tackles and sloppy
play, that's all I'm seeing is missed tackles and
sloppy play!" I heard Jones yelling at his fellow
linebackers as I stood on the sidelines covering the
game, and found myself surprised by his emotion. I've
covered Raleigh off and on for the past 3 seasons and
never had the chance to see Jones up close like that
during a game, only afterwards in the locker room. In
the locker room he's always funny, quiet and seems to
be ready to get home to his family and forget about
the beating his team just took or gave. He's never
been a star in the league, but never not played. Now
watching him on the sidelines I wondered to myself if
he was like this always or if something was different
this season. Raleigh has never been a team with much
expectation. They have finished last in the Coastal
Division every year since 2000, but things are
different now and it all started last season. Van
Egger left Burlington where he had completely
dominated the league and wound up in Raleigh.
Players, coaches, fans alike all hailed his arrival as
the beginning of a new era in Capitol football. But
last season never happened. Egger was constantly
under pressure on the field and off. Constantly at
odds with coaches and players and the entire
expereience led to a quick breakup and the signing of
QB Marcus Musson. Then coach Tom Smythe came over
from Wilson and the hope that had existed before last
season began was sparked once more. Watching Jones
yell at his fellow players I was left to wonder if he
had been affected by the same spark. I asked him
about it after the game, as he sat quietly in front of
his locker looking exhausted. "In all the years I've
been at Raleigh we've never really had any hope of
winning. We had some real talent on defense, like
Lenny Linville and Anthony Mitkiff, but never anyone
on offense that we felt could make us into a good
team. Definitely last season with Egger things
changed. We all felt it. The players wanted to win,
the coaching staff new they needed to win, we all felt
the pressure, especially Van. He came in here and was
just expected to change everything overnight. By week
8 he had already told the management that he wanted
out, and they agreed. For many of us veterans we felt
that our one shot was gone, but now with Marcus and
Tom here we feel that we can be winners." And so I
asked him was that why he seemed so angry down on the
field. "I think I'm always like that during the game.
I could be spending that time at home with my family,
but instead I'm here playing football, and trying
hard. I expect the other guys to try as well.
Otherwise what's the point. I feel that now since I'm
the old guy I have to be a little more vocal than I
use to be, but I would say I've always voiced my
feelings during the game." Where Jones has always
been a tower of consistency Musson has been the
opposite. Raleigh is his 4th team. All have been
attracted to his obvious talent, all have ended up
giving up on his lack of winning. Jones and the
others are very aware of this, but Jones says there's
not much he can do so why focus on it. "I can't make
Marcus do any better than Marcus can do. The guy has
talent, he's got an arm, and he wants to win. That's
something we've only had twice in a quarterback. Last
year with Van, this year with Marcus. I've wanted
that my entire career here in Raleigh and I'm not
going to say it's anything to do with him. If we
can't win with him, then we wouldn't be winning with
anyone else either. That's the part that was so hard
to except with Van losing here. It wasn't him that
was losing it was the rest of us." It may be a long
season for Jones and the other Capitols, but it is
hard to say. The Coastal Division is not the
strongest in the league and Tom Smythe has proven that
he is a winning coach, so maybe Jones will get to be a
winner before his career is over.

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Greensboro looked at their 2007 schedule and saw that
they opened with games against Burlington, Wilson, and
Salisbury. Head coach Robert Walker had expressed
openly that if they could get through those three
games with 1 win he would be more than happy. They
did just that taking the 2nd game against Wilson. So
they sit 1-2 now after losing to Salisbury, but happy
about the start to their season.
QB Bradford Kokotan struggled against Salisbury going
15/37 for 150yds with 2 picks. He's the player on the
team that Walker is looking to to help get them the
wild card spot they came so close to getting last
season. "If Brad can show the consistency I know he
has in him, then we will be winners," Walker said
after the loss to Salisbury. "If he doesn't then we
will see a lot of games like this one I'm afraid."
Greensboro did have one standout performance in this
game. That of S Shaun Legette who had 9 tackles, 1
sack, 2 knockdowns, and 1 interception.

Salisbury may be playing their best football in 3
years. They have started this season with very solid
wins and solid play especially when needed. QB Van
Egger seems to be settling in and playing better each
week. This week he put up good numbers 22/39 for
243yds 2TDs 1Int and was the key to Salisbury's
success on offense. But Salisbury has always been a
team about running and defense and those two
components seem to be there for Salisbury this year as
well. They got a great game out of veteran S Pierre
Gormand who had 4 tackles 1 sack and 2 knockdowns, and
seem to be stepping up their play in the defensive
backfield. With Al Smith still ruling the field at LB
and an old but solid defensive line Salisury may be
looking at an undefeated season. But Salisbury has
done that before and still not been able to beat
Burlington when it counted. Popes management believes
the key to that problem lies in the passing game.
When the championship games have been tight it always
came down to the Burlington passing game making the
difference. Salisbury who lives and dies by the
running game have always failed to win with it in
those tight situations. Van Egger they hope will be
the difference. And if his numbers keep improving
each week as he settles into the offense look out
Burlington.

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Coming into week 3 Asheville was sitting a surprising
0-2. They have been the wild card team the past two
seasons and were thought to have another good shot
this year with the return of Erik Waters (3rd highest
QB rating all time), Locke Van Horne (No 1 all time
receiving yds), and Marshall Moss (No 3 all time all
purpose yds, the only player with over 2,000 receiving
and rushing yds) on offense. But in the first two
games Moss and Van Horne were not very effective and
some were starting to think their time has past. Not
sure those thoughts have changed after week 3 since
their play was still subpar, but no matter Asheville
pulled it together to beat 1-1 Gastonia. They had big
games from HB Brett Stinson (4car/84yds) and WR
Richmond Dumas (4rec/90yds 1TD). Their defense also
stepped up play keeping Gastonia to just 9 points lead
by CB Chuck Alton who had 6 tackles 1 knockdown and 1
Int. Asheville will need for Marshall Moss and Locke
Van Horne to find their legs if they want to repeat as
the wild card team, but at least they now have a win.

Gastonia 1-1 has consistently been one of the worst
teams in the league. But many feel they are on the
verge of breaking out of their losing ways if, and
this is a big if, they could get consistent play out
of their quarterback. Darrell Sparks came over from a
winning team, Salisbury, a few years back and most
Gastonia fans felt as though they were on their way to
success. But Sparks has proved if anything to be very
inconsistent. One series of downs he looks like the
best quarterback in the league the next he looks like
the worst. This has been compounded by the poor
performers at running back who have been no help at
taking up the slack. Sparks sat the bench for some of
last season, but the time on the bench doesn't seemed
to have helped that much as he showed in this game
against Asheville where he was 27/45 217yds with 2
Ints. One interception was in the Asheville endzone
another killed a good solid drive. Many Gastonia fans
are calling for the benching of Sparks in favor of
Harold Brooks, but unlike Sparks Brooks never has
really shown any spark of brilliance. Fans are
pleased with the play this week of HB Konrad Wahler
(11car/57yds) and hope this can be a sign of things to
come.

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