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Nov. 7, 2008

PHOTO GALLERY

A Journey Out West (Written By Chris Hooks, Play-By-Play Announcer, NCCU Sports Network)

Greetings from the Left Coast Eagle Fans!! It's early Friday Morning here in Pismo Beach, CA and your Eagles are sound asleep after what was a very long day in the air, after having traveled approximately 2,677 miles for their 9th contest of the season, their first in California since the Division 2 playoffs in 1988. In this segment, I'm gonna lay out the previous day's events. Also be sure to check out the photo gallery of the day.

First and foremost, hats off to the Coaching staff. It's very easy in a situation like this not to be organized, but Coach Rison and his staff have been anything but. Every part of this journey has been covered thoroughly and the kids have been taken care of. These guys are a first-class bunch and with these guys in charge of the football program, the future is bright for the Maroon and Gray.

Thursday Morning- The buses arrive in front of the LT Walker Complex and we're off to the airport for a flight from RDU to Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport. The excitement of the trip was definitely there, but considering the time it was a little subdued.

We land in Atlanta no problems, grab a bite to eat, and get set to board our plane from Atlanta to Los Angeles. Many of the players were a little nervous from the get-go having either never flown or not being the biggest fans of flying, but everyone made it safe and sound, and the mood was very upbeat. Coach Rison and his staff are loaded with great kids who all presented themselves in first-class fashion. Something that every Alum and member of the Eagle Family should be proud of.

Plane departs from Atlanta airport, although our original departure time was changed due to a police car parking right behind the plane and leaving. I thought that was rather odd, but once again we got off the ground and were ready for the 5 plus hour flight.

We land in Los Angeles, and I found this quite interesting, while we were walking through the airport, I noticed people staring at the kids as we walked towards baggage claim. Many folks stopped and asked them who they were and where they were from. Basically, spreading the word of NCCU that we traveled all this way to compete on the gridiron. We finally get all of our bags, in which no casualties were reported. Great news on that front.

The Drive from LA to Pismo Beach- Traveling in 3 buses so we could all stretch our legs out, some of the players who had never been to California looked out the window with wide eyes at how absolutely gorgeous it is out here. If you've never had the opportunity to make the trip out west, it's something to see. As we drove north to our final destination, the scenery was something out of a painting. On the left side of the bus in some parts, the beautiful Pacific Ocean, and directly to your right, big mountains. I've been fortunate enough in my life to come to the Golden State twice, and that's always been something that I've marveled at.

We arrive in Pismo Beach, CA at the Mission Inn, a very gorgeous hotel that overlooks the Pacific Ocean, which is absolutely gorgeous, please check out the photo gallery just to see how breathtaking the view is especially when the sun sets. Amazing. It's one of those moments every person should experience once.

Thursday Evening- San Luis Obispo High School- The folks at the local High School allowed us to practice there on Thursday night, we'll practice at Alex Spanos Stadium home of the #3 Cal Poly Mustangs on Friday for the final walk through. Although many of the kids looked tired from the long day, practice looked very crisp, and the players really seemed to wake up and get focused for Saturday. I was really impressed how hard the Eagles got after it, considering some of the players were operating on little to no sleep, but when you are as determined as this team is to make a statement to the FCS Nation, sleep is an afterthought. As Coach Rison was talking to the team at the end of practice you could hear the kids getting revved up. Shouts of "Let's shock the world" rang out from the players.

10:00 pm PST- Finally ate a nice hot meal, got back to the hotel, and went to bed, absolutely spent, but very excited at whats coming on Saturday afternoon at 4:00.

Once again, you should all be proud of the way the players carried themselves in representing the NCCU family. Win, Lose or Draw, NCCU is blessed with kids of great character and in the end that's what truly matters. I'm just lucky to be here watching these kids grow each and every week. I have to say that I can't say enough about how bright the future is at NCCU. I'm proud to be a part of it. Day 2 coming tomorrow, stay tuned!!

From the West Coast,

Chris Hooks

Questions or comments? E-mail me at williamchooks@hotmail.com