Nov. 27, 2006

Wallace records 10 tackles in East Coast Bowl
"Taz" will be only Division III player to play in Magnolia Classic

Petersburg, Va.– Adrian College's Tavarski "Taz" Wallace registered 10 tackles in the 6th annual East Coast Bowl, helping the North squad to a 26-24 win on Saturday in Petersburg, Virginia.

Wallace competed in the game along with 70 of the top prospects from NCAA Division I-AA, II, and III as well as NAIA. While his performace is no surprise to AC fans, his double-digit tackles and tackle-for-loss surely caught the eye of professional scouts.

The East Coast Bowl is the first of Wallace's two All-Star games this holiday season.

In late December, Wallace will be the only NCAA Division III player to suit up for the Magnolia Gridiron Classic. The Classic will pit Division I all-stars against Division I-AA all-stars with a few Division II and NAIA players included.

The goal of the Magnolia Classic is to give Division I players another chance to impress NFL scouts. Wallace's athleticism and consistent play at the Division III level, has created a buzz amoung professional scouts, and earned him a spot in the game.

Twenty-five participants from last winter's Magnolia Classic signed NFL contracts or were selected in April's draft.

The Magnolia Gridiron Classic will kick-off at noon central time in Veteran's Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Mississippi on December 23.

East Coast Bowl Game Story:
After a week of rainy weather and indoor practices, the sun shined bright on the 2006 East Coast Bowl All-stars. North QB, Justin Rummell (Earlham), hit RB, Wendell Johnson (Fairmont St) out of the backfield and he walked into the end zone with no time remaining, giving the North a 26-24 victory.

Both teams came out of the gate cold and exchanged a couple of possessions. The North caught a break on their second possession when Jasper Johnson (Central Arkansas) tried to field a punt and fumbled it mid-field. QB Anthony Doria (St Francis) found his Saint Francis teammate WR Michael Caputo over the middle for a 25-yard gain. Defensive Back Willie Byrd (Miles) came up big for the South defense with an interception just at the goal line. In his first action of the day, QB Josh Brehm (Alma) was able to move the ball and hit TE Steven Kennedy (Lindenwood) four times on his first drive but came up short on a crucial fourth and six. The South defense held once again and this time Brehm wasted no time, finding WR Lance Johnson (Catawba) on the first play for 65 yards. Johnson had a monster day and led al receivers with 8 catches for 189 yards. With a second and 1 from the 6-yard line, Brehm hit WR Renard Stevens on the slant for a 6-yard touchdown. Just before the half, defensive back Rashod Moulton (Ft Valley St) intercepted Rummell and returned it 21 yards to the North 24. Brehm found Lance Johnson once again but he was tackled on the 2-yard line with no time in the first half. Brehm was good on his first 10 passes and accounted for the only first half scoring.

The lack of first half offense was certainly made up for in the third quarter, with the teams combining for 31 points.. South QB Brehm came out of the locker room cold and they had to punt on their first possession. A big second down run by Lorenzo Perry (Bryant) for a first down set up a pass over the middle to Caputo for 18 yards. Doria looked to Caputo once again as he found him in the end zone for an 18-yard strike and the first North TD of the day. On the South’s next drive, Brehm found Kennedy and Stevens for 16 yards a piece and on a first and 10 from the 13 yard line with pressure being applied, Brehm scampered into the corner of the end zone to put his team back up and a Travis Frazier (Guilford) extra point would make the score 14-7. The next drive for the North stalled but Coach Jim Barker (Calgary Stampeders) decided to let Kyle Hooper (Indiana St) try and 49-yard field goal and he was successful to pull the score to 14-10. The South started their next drive on their own 34 and a Nathaniel Queen (Bowie St) 22-yard run pushed the ball past mid-field. Brehm found his favorite target Johnson to get the ball down to the 11 and Brehm looked to Renard Stevens once again on the slant and he caught his second TD of the day. On the very first play after the kickoff, North QB, Doria, found the speedy Norfolk State WR, Derrick Baker who got behind the secondary and scored on a 54-yard bomb. Both North and South defensive lines tuned it up a notch on their next chances out with Edwin Piner (Howard) and Andre Coleman (Albany) combining to sack South QB Brehm and stall their last drive before the 4th quarter. On the North’s first possession of the 4th quarter, Phil Jordan (Charleston Southern) and Aaron Knight (Virginia State) sacked North QB Justin Rummell on successive plays. South QB Collin Drafts (Charleston Southern) drove the South down to the 6 but the had to settle for a Frazier field goal.

On the North’s next drive, between Rummell’s legs and arm, he was able to move the North to the 19 before they had to settle for a 36-yard Hooper field goal (24-20). This last field goal by the North would set up what may be the most exciting drive in East Coast Bowl history. Another Edwin Piner sack would force the South to punt and the North began their last drive at their own 39. Rummell found Baker on the first play, good for 14 yards. A Rummell run and pass to Chris Turner (Wagner) would move the ball inside the South’s 40-yard line. A 9-yard pass to Caputo would move the chains again with less than :45. An incompletion on first down stopped the clock with :38. Rummell found Wendell Johnson out of the backfield for a 4-yard gain and an incompletion on third and 6 would stop the clock with twenty seconds. On what was easily the most exciting play of the game, on fourth and 4, Rummell found WR Chris Turner over the middle of the field, he caught the ball in stride and was streaking toward the end zone. He dove at the 4-yard line and was hit by Terrence Stafford (Bowie St) and Jasper Johnson. As he was flipping in the air the ball was knocked out by Johnson and was recovered by Caputo at the four. On the very next play, Rummell found Wendell Johnson out of the backfield and he waltzed in untouched to secure victory for the North 26-24.

The game featured 70 of the best Division I-AA, II, III and NAIA players from 33 different states. All revenue generated from this event is used to award a high school student, who will attend a Division I-AA, II, III or NAIA college, financial assistance. For more information on the East Coast Bowl please visit our website at www.petersburgsports.com/eastcoastbowl or call the office at (804) 722-0141.