College bowl on Friday

The Hornet football team is into its final week of spring practice.

This Friday Sac State will showcase its talents for the College Bowl at Hornet Stadium, an event the athletic department would like to see become a tradition.

Head coach John Volek will lead his team into the Green-Gold Scrimmage with hopes of building some excitement for the upcoming season along with some help from ASI and Green Thunder.

“Solomon Fulp, the Greek Council and ASI came to me and came up with the idea for the event,” Volek said. “It gives us a chance to give back to the students that support us and to the kids in the community.”

After a 5-6 record last season, the Hornets have shown great improvement after a strong off-season.

“We have been using the weight room full time and now the results are showing,” Volek said. “We are bigger, better and quicker. This year green and gold is going to be the new Sacramento colors.”

Volek said the new talent, along with the returning players, will make for an impressive mix of players for the upcoming season.

“This year we will show everyone that we can throw the ball as well as run the ball,” he said. “Junior Anthony Daisley will be a great linebacker for us and our secondary is still intact.”

The offense will have a new piece added to already-potent attack with the arrival of junior college All-American quarterback Ricky Ray. He recently completed 12 of 17 passes for 167 yards during the inter-squad scrimmage on Saturday. Ray has been responsible for all five of the Hornets’ scoring drives in two scrimmage games.

“We want to bring enthusiasm to this school because they have supported us in the Big Sky and allow us to compete,” Volek said. “We were close last year and now we want to prove that we are a championship team and now this team is hungry to win. Our secondary is still together and will be one of our strong points.”

The Hornets will also feature rusher Charles Roberts, who set an NCAA I-AA record for yards in a season with 2,260. Roberts rushed for 94 yards on nine carries with a touchdown in the scrimmage on Saturday.

“You will see a better Charles Roberts this season,” Volek said. “And we are going to prove to everyone that we can throw the ball.”

The College Bowl will not be run like a typical game format but will be scored by a set scoring system.

Along with the 60 plays, the offense will start from the 25-yard line and try to score on the defense in the same format as college tiebreakers.

The College Bowl/Green-Gold Scrimmage will be held Friday at Hornet Stadium. The gates open at 6 p.m. and there is a $5 cover charge for the game and a concert immediately following it.

Volek said the College Bowl would be a great tradition for spring football.

“This gives us a chance to get the students involved in activities and to bring the community onto the campus,” he said.