WVWC GAMEDAY - Football Preview: UNC Pembroke

September 10, 2022

Mountaineer News

WVWC News Release

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The Basics

The West Virginia Wesleyan football team opens its Mountain East Conference slate at the University of North Carolina Pembroke on Saturday (Sept. 10). The game is set to start at noon from Grace P. Johnson Stadium in Pembroke, N.C.

Quick Hits

• Dwayne Martin begins his second year in charge of WVWC football. Martin is a West Virginia Wesleyan football alum and has been on the football coaching staff for seven years.

• Mike Maloney (Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line), Marcus Spearman (Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Director of Operations), Dominic Bornman (Quarterbacks/Recruiting Coordinator) and Ethen Jefferson (Linebackers) all return to the WVWC Football coaching staff.

• John Allen (Wide Receivers) and David Gonzalez (Tight Ends/Running Backs/Video Coordinator) were added to the WVWC Football coaching staff.

• The Bobcats return Deontre Logan and Trey Milam to the gridiron. Logan and Milam were named All-Mountain East Conference Honorable Mention after the 2021 season. Logan, a senior from Chesterfield, Va., led the Bobcat defense with 60.0 tackles, 7.5 TFL, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. Logan made seven total tackles versus Saginaw Valley State. An offensive lineman from Summersville, W.Va., Milam started nine games and was the anchor of the offensive line.

• Quarterbacks Nathan Payne and Jamir Boyd headline the offense. Payne completed 69 passes for 703 yards and three touchdowns as a true freshman. Boyd logged 461 passing yards and five touchdown passes in five games played.

• Javian Tomlinson begins his sophomore campaign at tailback for WVWC. Tomlinson rushed for 332 yards and found the end zone three times in 2021.

• Wide receiver Dariuse Cooper hauled in 26 receptions for 251 yards, which was the second-highest mark for all WVWC pass catchers in 2021.

• Ely Ghameshlougy led the Bobcats with 12 total tackles versus the Cardinals. Ghameshlougy is a freshman from Woodbridge, Va.

• Junior running back Khalil Smith returns to the field for the Bobcats after 24 chemo treatments. Smith, a Penn Hills, Pa., native, is a colon cancer survivor.

Scouting UNC Pembroke

The Braves were picked to finish fourth in the MEC Preseason Coaches Poll. After finishing the 2021 season with an overall record of 6-5, the Braves began their 2022 campaign with a 15-13 loss to Fayetteville State.

In their season debut last Saturday, Senior quarterback Josh Jones threw for 222 yards on 17 of 30 passing and registered a rushing touchdown in the first half. Juniors Trey Dixon and Rodney Smith led the team on the receiving front with five catches each. Dixon recorded 81 receiving yards and Smith had 61.

The defense had a total of seven tackles for loss for a loss and a trio of sacks. Junior Branden Spencer logged three tackles for loss for a loss of 24 total yards including a nine-yard sack.

Coach Shane Richardson is entering his eighth season as Head Coach for the Braves. Richardson has been a member of the Braves coaching staff since 2007.

Up Next

West Virginia Wesleyan will host Concord on Sept. 17 for its home opener. The game will begin at 2 p.m.