With their magical ride over, the Winston-Salem State Rams will need time to heal from the sting of just missing a chance to play for the NCAA Division II football championship.
Coach Connell Maynor, on the other hand, couldn't help but look ahead. "We don't rebuild," he said, "we reload."
The Rams fell short of Maynor's summer prediction of a national championship with Saturday's 21-14 semifinal loss to Wayne State at Bowman Gray Stadium.
But their 13-1 record is the best in program history, and the 13 victories are the most in a season by a historically black college. Also, the Rams are CIAA champions, and their No. 3 ranking in the AFCA poll is a program best.
"We have about 12 to 14 seniors, and I think last year we had 11 or 12 seniors," Maynor said. "We replaced those guys, and we'll do the same thing for next year. The players that we lose, we'll replace those players, and we'll come back next year, and we'll finish it off."
The Rams will lose nine of 22 starters, and the status of running back Nic Cooper (1,808 yards, 24 touchdowns) is undetermined. Cooper has one more semester of eligibility that he could use next fall, but he also has drawn the interest of NFL scouts.
The starters who expended their eligibility are: wide receiver Dominique Fitzgerald, fullback Ced Hickman, tight end Michael Byrd, offensive lineman Darrell Billiott, defensive linemen Barry Tripp and Akeem Ward (also an NFL prospect), rover Alton Keaton, walk-on cornerback Jonathan Setzer and linebacker Antonio Gates, who broke an ankle in the playoff game against California (Pa.).
Linebacker Carlos Fields, who became a leader as the season progressed, made sure to thank the seniors who laid the foundation for success.
"We've accomplished a lot," Fields said Saturday as he fought back tears. "We just have to rebuild. … I love you seniors, so we've got to come back and play stronger next year."
Maynor and his staff had plenty of depth, and that should help next season. Running back Maurice Lewis saw valuable time behind Cooper, and a large group of wide receivers will be back for quarterback Kameron Smith.
Smith, who ranks No. 3 in school history with 4,288 passing yards, will be a senior next season, but he could be pushed by Anthony Carrothers, a transfer from Grambling State who redshirted this season.
Keaton was among those who stayed after the coaching change two years ago and was a core player. He also was a high-energy guy who beat cancer earlier in his career and had an attitude that rubbed off on teammates.
"This is the greatest four years of my life," Keaton said. "I wouldn't trade it in for anything. It feels good to go 13-1 and set national records, and I just wish it would have ended better."
Keaton predicted great things for the Rams after this season's breakthrough on the national level and the two playoff victories.
"The sky is the limit," he said. "It's just two years in their system, and imagine the third year. With (Maynor's) offensive wizardry and his mind for the game, the sky is the limit. It's going to be a special program."
Because the locker room at Bowman Gray's field house is too small for Maynor to address the whole team at once, he makes his postgame comments on the field. Saturday, he let his players know how he felt.
"I just told them it's been a great run and was a great season," he said. "They have no reason to hold their head down. They are 13-1, and no other HBCU has ever won 13 games in a season. They made history, and for those guys, they are CIAA champs, black-college champs, so keep your head high."
Fitzgerald said he was glad to be part of such a special season.
"It was a pretty special run, and I hate to end it like this," he said. "We had a great year, and we accomplished a lot of things. We set the school record for wins and set the black-college record for wins. It was a great run."
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