Albany State holds media day for fall sports

ALBANY — The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference fall sports season is less than three weeks away and Saturday served as a preview for four Albany State sports teams.

Coaches and selected players from the Rams football team, men’s and women’s cross country teams, and Lady Rams volleyball team participated in a media previewing each team’s respective seasons.

All four teams enter the year with high expectations after putting together successful campaigns last season.

The football team is hoping to bounce back after falling in the SIAC Championship Game to Miles College.

The loss was the Rams second straight in the conference championship game. ASU has been trying to replicate the SIAC title they produced in 2013 without success.

“We didn’t finish last year,” ASU coach Dan Land said. “One of the things we will be working on this year is finishing. You don’t need to get to the big game and then lose it. that is what happened to us last year.”

The Rams enter the 2016 season with numerous key players coming back. Quarterback Caleb Edmonds is back for his senior season and is joined by last year’s top wide receiver junior Quadrey Simmons.

Edmonds passed for 1,761 yards last season and had nine total touchdowns while Simmons had 373 receiving yards last year.

The biggest weapon for the offense will once again be Jarvis Small. The running back was named the 2016 SIAC Preseason Offensive Player of the year and is coming off a season in which he racked up 1,037 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.

“It would mean everything to end my career here on a good note,” Small said. “I want another ring. I’ve only got one and I want another one.”

On defense, the Rams return multiple starters including Grover Stewart and Nick Scott. Both were selected to the SIAC Preseason First Team.

ASU opens the season on Sept. 3 with an away game against Valdosta State. Land said the game would serve as a good measuring stick for his team.

“You have to look at the program Valdosta has built,” Land said. “They have been to the playoffs the last eight years. It is good for us to play them right out of the gates simply because where they have been and what they have done.”

The Lady Rams volleyball team will also be looking to bounce back from a loss in the SIAC title game. ASU went 19-15 last year and made a run in the SIAC tournament before falling to Kentucky State in the title game.

Heading into the 2016 season, the Lady Rams were picked to finish second in the SIAC East.

“We definitely have a sour taste in our mouth,” ASU’s Kiara Thompson said. “Coming in second isn’t fun. We should have been in first. We have been working extra hard.”

Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams will try to bounce back from third place finishes at the SIAC Championships.

The men have added local talent including Robert Grooms from Lee County and Martin Jones from Westover.

The women are very young with four freshman, one sophomore and one junior on the team.

Cross country coach Kenneth Taylor said he expects both teams to finish higher than third this season.

“This year I do see us making an improvement in our finishes,” Taylor said. “I expect us to finish either in the first or second position on both the men’s and women’s sides.”