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Freshmen could make immediate impact at N.C. A&T

Football practice officially began Tuesday morning at N.C. A&T (story: http://www.news-record.com/content/2009/08/05/article/nc_at_opens_footba... ), and new head coach Alonzo Lee spoke about the senior leadership he's seen so far.

But Lee also said his new recruits could make an immediate difference in the Aggies' efforts to stem the tide of six losing seasons in the last seven years.

So far, leading the way among the freshmen are wide receiver Larry Raper from Shelby and two defensive linemen from Greensboro.

"We found out Mr. Raper can definitely fly," Lee said after the freshmen went through running tests starting at 6 a.m. Tuesday. "He can run. He's doing some great things. Matter of fact, he's worked his way into that starting huddle when we go to four wideouts."

The running tests are no picnic. To pass, a player must run 110 yards in 16 seconds. If that sounds easy, there's a catch: The player has to run the 110 sprint 16 times.

"You've got to be humpin' to make that happen," Lee said. "You can gut out about five or six of them, but come eight, nine, 10 and beyond, everything has to kick in right there. That's when being in shape comes into play."

Lee said more than 80 percent of the players passed the running tests, including most of the freshmen.

"Chris Neal and those guys from right here at Dudley, oh, they look great with the running tests," Lee said. "We're looking for some real good things from those guys."

Neal, a 6-foot-1, 230-pound defensive end, has a chance to get on the field right away. So, too, does Darius Hall, a 6-2, 260-pound freshman from Dudley who is working at both defensive tackle and defensive end.

Ricky Lewis, the quarterback who led Dudley to back-to-back state championships, will redshirt his freshman season. Senior Carlton Fears has a strong hold on the quarterback position. Lewis -- who is more of a runner than a passer -- is listed as an "athlete" by A&T, and could be moved to running back after this redshirt season. Either way, A&T wants him on the field for four full seasons.

Linebacker Tevin Williams, the fourth freshman from Dudley, might be redshirted, but it hasn't happened yet. The Aggies have some depth at linebacker, and whether Williams wears a redshirt or not will depend on how much playing time coaches believe he'll get as a true freshman.

Other local freshmen on the Aggies active roster are: running back Chris Kennedy, who rushed for back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at Northeast Guilford; Cameron Cates, a 6-1, 280-pound offensive lineman from Andrews; Doug Davis, a 5-11, 175-pound defensive back from High Point Central; and Bryan Keller, a 6-1, 249-pound fullback who redshirted last season.

-- JEFF MILLS, Staff Writer