THE MATCHUP
Lincoln enters Saturday's season-ending game with Elizabeth City State off an 18-2 loss last Saturday in the 12th Annual Western Virginia Education Classic in Roanoke, Va., against Virginia University of Lynchburg.
The Lions (2-7 overall, 2-4 CIAA) had their lowest totals of the season as the Dragons held Lincoln to just 110 total yards of offense, with 102 of them coming in the air.
Freshman quarterback
Doug Cook (Dania Beach, FL/University School of Nova SE University) threw three interceptions as the Lions offense never seemed to get on track. Meanwhile,
Tim Green (Fanwood, N.J./Scotch Plains-Fanwood HS) continued his dominating ways by finishing with eight tackles, including a pair of sacks.
Green, who leads the CIAA and NCAA Division II in sacks, was named the classic's Defensive Most Valuable Player. His sack in the third quarter gave Lincoln its only points of the game - a safety.
After a scoreless first quarter, Virginia University of Lynchburg got a touchdown in the second quarter and never looked back in the 18-2 victory.
Elizabeth City State (7-2, 5-1), which will be playing in the CIAA Championship game against Winston-Salem State, is coming off a 26-9 victory last Saturday against Chowan.
The Vikings jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter as Kevin Swain and Daronte McNeill scored on 24 and 7 yard runs, respectively.
After a Chowan field goal cut the deficit to 13-3 in the second quarter, ECSU scored 13 unanswered points to put the game way.
McNeill, who is just 12 yards shy of becoming the Vikings' all-time leading rusher, finished with 93 yards on 32 carries, while Dominic Strang was 11-of-21 passing for 150 yards. Jermaine Lindsay caught four balls for 79 yards.
Defensively, Brandon Smith and Dewitt Dixon paced the Vikings with eight and six tackles.
THE SERIES
Elizabeth City State leads the series, 3-0, after defeating Lincoln, 36-6, last season at Avon Grove High School in West Grove, Pa.
The Vikings raced out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and used a 15-point second quarter to take a 36-0 advantage into the break.
Lincoln got a 1-yard touchdown run by
Laquan Williams (Philadelphia, Pa./John Bartram HS) in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough.
