Virginia Union falls to Saint Paul’s

SOUTH HILL -- Saint Paul's started 6-5, 370-pound Ronnie Dixon at fullback. Think the Tigers emphasized power football yesterday vs. Virginia Union?

"Running is the strong part of our game," said Saint Paul's sophomore quarterback Alwan Lee.

But it was Lee's passing that made the difference in the Tigers' 13-9 CIAA win before 2,753 at Park View High School.

Saint Paul's (1-2, 2-3) trailed 3-0 at halftime. On the Tigers' two scoring drives, in the third quarter and early in the fourth, Lee completed 5 of 6 passes for 60 yards. Three of those completions resulted in first downs.

"We were actually forced to go to the air," said Saint Paul's coach Willard Bailey. "I like to run the ball as much as I can. But in that situation, [the Panthers] were coming up, and that allowed us to get a few passes in, passes that we've been working on real hard."

Though struggling on offense, VUU (2-1, 3-3) seemed in control defensively until midway through the third quarter. Saint Paul's faced fourth and 8 at Union's 31. Lee scrambled from the rush and hit Emory Addison for an 11-yard gain. Lee and Addison hooked up for a 9-yard gain on the next snap, and soon after Albert Tinsley (93 rushing yards) scored on a 1-yard run.

"We just learned from the first half, and we started recognizing some coverages [the Panthers] were running," said Lee, who's from Miami.

Twice on Saint Paul's next drive, Lee converted third-and-5 situations with completions. Tinsley again scored on a short run to give the Tigers a 13-3 lead with 13:39 left. Lee finished 14 of 21 (two interceptions) for 152 yards.

"Looking at [the Tigers] on film, they hadn't been very efficient throwing the ball," said VUU coach Michael Bailey. "Today, they were very efficient. So that kind of threw us for a loop."

Union cut the Tigers' lead to 13-9 with 8:57 remaining on a 25-yard TD pass from Cheston Hickman to Joseph Jean-Pierre. But Saint Paul's then focused on running, with Jermaine Williams (59 rushing yards). Union had possession in the last minute but turned it over on downs near midfield.

"We had some breakdowns in the line, and [QB Hickman] has a little bit of a hand injury, but I had to put him back in there and see what he could do," Michael Bailey said. "There's nothing we can't go back to the table and clean up."

VUU plays Saturday at Lincoln University. Saint Paul's visits Virginia State in a 6 p.m. CIAA game.

Note: The president of Saint Paul's, Dr. Robert L. Satcher, said the game was played at Park View High because the Tigers' Russell Field is undergoing renovations.

Contact John O'Connor

Virginia Union ------------------------- 3 0 0 6 -- 9
Saint Paul's ------------------------- 0 0 7 6 -- 13

VUU -- FG Washington 27

SPC -- Tinsley 1 run (Shelton kick)

SPC -- Tinsley 3 run (kick failed)

VUU -- Jean-Pierre 25 pass from Hickman (kick failed)

RUSHING

VUU -- Smith 10 carries, 47 yards, Washington 8-17, Hickman 8-8, Alexander 1-5; SPC -- Tinsley 27-93, Williams 12-59, Shelton 4-5, Lee 4-1.

PASSING

VUU -- Hickman 8 completions, 21 attempts, 107 yards, 1 interception, Alexander, 1-4-4-0; SPC -- Lee 14-21-152-2.

RECEIVING

VUU -- Jean-Pierre 4 catches, 82 yards, Hampton 3-26, White, 1-4, Smith 1 (-1); SPC -- Addison 5-40, Davis 3-64, Holloman 3-36, Louther 1-9, Duhart 1-2, Tinsley 1-1.