Following the success of last season, the Winston-Salem State football team is ready to repeat as CIAA champions.
The Rams are coming off a season where they set the school record for wins at 13-1.
Despite losing running back Nicholas Cooper, who rushed for more than 3,430 yards in his career at WSSU, the Rams still had seven players on the 2012 preseason All-CIAA team.
They were also picked by the CIAA Football Coaches Association to, again, win the CIAA Championship.
“I think our football team has a lot of confidence,” said WSSU Head Football Coach Connell Maynor.
“We’ve been waiting anxiously to get back out on the field.”
Maynor’s confidence comes from having a veteran team led by quarterback Kameron Smith. Smith, who made the All-CIAA first team in 2011, understands that his team must focus on the present and not the success of the past.
“We can’t live off last year,” said Smith, the senior from Garner, N.C.
“I’m looking to do better this season,” he said.
“Our goal is to win a national championship, but we’ll take it one game at a time.”
Compared to last season, Smith says this team has a chance to be better because of its experience.
“We have a lot of returning starters and the defense is also good.”
Tight end Jerry Chandler is another returning offensive player.
He predicts that it will not be easy for defenses to stop his team.
“Our offense is the big red scoring machine,” Chandler said.
“So that’s what we’re ready to do: Score some points,” he said.
In spite of being favored again by many to dominate the CIAA, Chandler, a senior from High Point, believes his team is up to meeting expectations.
“I don’t think we’ll have a problem responding to the pressure,” Chandler said.
“Once you win there’s always a target on your back.”
That attitude and belief is something that Chandler explained comes from his coach.
“He tries to keep us up and never lets us get down on ourselves.”
Maynor, who’s in his third-year as the Rams coach, recognizes the effect he has in being able to inspire his players.
Coming into this season, he’s only had three losses in his career as WSSU’s head coach.
“We’re very competitive in practice everyday and in every drill that we do on both sides of the football,” Maynor said.
“So it just rubs off from practice and continues on into the game.”
Following their historic season last year, Maynor said like many Rams fans, he is ready to see how far this team can go.
“We have to see what this team’s made of.”
Maynor’s record in his first two seasons is 21-3.