By Dennis Davidson
dennis.davidson@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Livingstone head football coach Daryl Williams has always been an optimistic, see the glass half-full kind of guy.

He still is, after what he saw last Thursday, as the Blue Bears wrapped up spring practice with its annual Black and White scrimmage — the offense against the defense.

“It went well,” Williams said, of the scrimmage, which was moved up to Thursday due to the weekend weather forecast. “The student body really came out for us and the guys played really well — very few missed assignments.”

Coming off a 3-6 season in 2018, after a winless campaign the previous year, Williams liked what he saw in the scrimmage, as the Blue Bears look to continue their building process.

“The game was pretty even,” said Williams. “The offense scored three touchdowns, but the defense stopped them a few times, too. And the kickers did what they needed to do as well.”

Williams reported that rising senior Anthony Faraimo, a wide out, scored one of the touchdowns, while a red-shirt freshman receiver, Jordan McKinney, found the end zone twice.

Quarterbacks Miles Hayes and Xavier Longerbeam both saw action and played well, according to Williams. Hayes started as a true freshman last season before an injury slowed him down. Longerbeam, another rising senior, has seen action in each of the last three years, starting at times.

“It was pretty competitive out there,” Williams added. “I liked everything that I saw. Our coaching staff has stressed, ‘how do we play winning football?’ and I feel like that message was understood by the players.”

Williams said that the defensive line stood out, led by Deandre Moore, Devante Adams and Anthony Mullis. Moore and Adams will be seniors this fall while Mullis, son of Livingstone Hall of Famer Ben Coates, will be a sophomore. Mullis played as a freshman in 2018, after transferring from Elon.

Livingstone opens on the road at Clark-Atlanta on Sept. 7. The Blue Bears then open at home on Sept. 14, against Elizabeth City State in the West End Classic. The team also has home games against Allen, Virginia Union, Winston-Salem State, Fayetteville State and Johnson C. Smith.

“We’re really looking forward to the season,” said Williams. “We have six home games this year and that’s a positive that I believe can work in our favor.”