Boxscore
RALEIGH, N.C. - The crosstown showdown between arch rivals Saint Augustine's College and Shaw University turned into a defensive battle, but the Bears generated enough offense for a 10-6 victory Saturday at Broughton High School which gave them the CIAA Southern Division title and a spot in the CIAA Championship Game next weekend.
Despite the loss, the Falcons (8-2, 6-1 CIAA) finished one of their best regular seasons in school history, matching a modern school season record for wins. They entered the game ranked nationally in two Division II polls and were seventh in Super Regional One while the Bears (8-2, 7-0 CIAA) were ranked eighth in the region.
Raymond Williams of the Bears scored what would be the game-deciding touchdown on a 35-yard run with 3:20 left in the game. The touchdown and extra point came three plays after the Bears recovered a fumble on fourth down which stopped a Falcon drive inside the Bears' 30-yard line.
On the next series, the Bears intercepted a pass to stop another potential Falcon scoring drive. The Falcons got one more shot after forcing a punt, but a last-gasp pass at midfield fell incomplete.
With much at stake, the atmosphere was electric among the 4,528 fans equally-divided between the Falcons and Bears. Though both the Bears and Falcons feature high-scoring offenses, defense ruled the day. Shaw entered the game ranked No. 2 in the league in scoring (34.9 ppg) and the Falcons ranked third (31.7).
The Bears have the CIAA's No. 1 passing attack, but the Falcons held them to 49 passing yards. Overall, the Bears gained 175 yards while the Falcons gained 219 yards. Both teams scored a season-low in points.
Chaz Robinson (Fr./Hampton, Va.) of the Falcons was the defensive star of the game, amassing a game-high 17 tackles which is a career-high for him. Steven Stanback (Sr./Temple Hills, Md.) and Anthony Coleman (Soph./Decatur, Ga.) both added seven tackles for the Falcons.
Fred Sparkman was the defensive stopper for the Bears with a team-leading 12 tackles. Charles Deas and Michael Carter both tallied nine tackles.
The star running backs for both teams did manage to break 100 yards rushing. Walter Sanders (Sr./Baltimore, Md.), who led the CIAA in rushing entering the game, picked up 107 yards on 36 carries, giving him eight 100-yard games this season which is a modern school record. The Bears' Williams rushed for 137 yards on 28 carries including his late touchdown.
The Falcons were undone by five turnovers – three lost fumbles and two interceptions. The key fumble was in the fourth quarter which led to the game-winning touchdown. The Bears were also careless with the football as they committed three turnovers – two interceptions and one lost fumble.
The only score in the first half was a 26-yard field goal by Caleb Reid for a 3-0 Bears' lead at halftime. The Falcons roared back in the fourth quarter, taking their only lead at 6-3 on a one-yard quarterback sneak by Joaquin Green (Redshirt Soph./Pittsboro, N.C.). The Falcons were driving for another score late but the fumble allowed the Bears to take the lead for good.
It was the last regular-season game for ten Falcon players on Senior Day. They were Charles McKenzie (Sr./Warner Robins, Ga.), Mark Hall (Sr./Suitland, Md.), Jone' Harris (Sr./Fairfield, Calif.), Justin Wells (Sr./Baltimore, Md.) Nicolas Lilley (Jr./High Point, N.C.), Chris Tucker (Sr./Hampton, Va.), Jamel Moore (Sr./Fayetteville, N.C.) and Koi Slaughter (Jr./Orlando, Fla.) in addition to Stanback and Sanders.
