horoscopes

ARIES All you have to do is ask for help and a dozen people will rush to your side. This is a measure of the virtuousness of your friends, but it's also a measure of your popularity. You are a rock star. But just as your plans for world peace seem to take root, all the variables change. The problem that presents itself midweek isn't the end of the world, but it will take at least a few days to get around. In the meantime, socialize. Lucky Numbers: 5, 9, 33

TAURUS Don't think of Monday's power struggle as a power struggle. Think of it as a friendly game of tugof-war. You and you-know-who simply see things differently; such is the nature of the world. It's beautiful, really, how different we all are. Confide your frustrations to friends in the middle of the week, but don't let talking about them get you even more worked up. You have so much going for you right now, and so many friends, and, really, all the time in the world. Lucky Numbers: 16, 50, 53

GEMINI Someone else's worldview really throws a wrench into one of your broader life theories at the start of the week. Suddenly you recognize the value of sharing ideas. You're very susceptible to the influence of others right now, so be sure you're around the right people. Wednesday and Thursday see you dreaming about a career change, perhaps you're ready to do something more creative than what you've been doing. Lucky Numbers: 4, 11, 37

CANCER You're on one planet, your friends are on another. That's how the beginning of the week feels. You'd like to spell out your emotions on a giant electronic marquee for everyone to read. But emotional appeals are not the way to go right now. An intellectual approach will get you a lot further. Lucky Numbers: 17, 23, 39

LEO Whatever you have your arms wrapped around at the beginning of the week may be choking to death (figuratively speaking, of course). Loosen your grip and see how the thing does on its own. See if the idea flies. See if the plant grows. And if someone wants to get you thinking about money on Wednesday or Thursday, turn them down. Lucky Numbers: 7, 11, 32

VIRGO For a while there you were obsessed with being right. Now the very idea of rightness is completely boring to you. Monday and Tuesday find you experimenting in all kinds of ways. On Wednesday, just as you're opening your mouth to criticize someone or something, you'll have a sudden change of heart and say something else entirely. Lucky Numbers: 6, 8, 35

LIBRA You wake up on Monday in the middle of a flower. You're happy as a bee. You're delirious. This is what romance does to you. Tuesday is full of beauty and honey too. But reality sets in on Wednesday, and you have to get back to work. As much as you'd like to sit at your desk and doodle, or spend your time dreaming up new plans for new projects, your current projects are more pressing. Lucky Numbers: 20, 23, 54

SCORPIO Don't buy new paint for the living room until you've consulted the people you live with. A conflict at home can be avoided with a bit of foresight. Besides, are you really sure you want to repaint the living room, or is this just a proxy for another, bigger change you'd like to make in your life? The way things are versus the way you think they should be in your life is a theme on Wednesday and Thursday. Lucky Numbers: 1, 23, 52

SAGITTARIUS The beginning of the week is a great time to get to know a perfect stranger. You are particularly receptive to new input right now. An exciting discovery awaits you on Tuesday. As a matter of fact, discoveries abound all week. Wednesday isn't jam-packed with physical excitement, but your mind is in overdrive. On Thursday, someone proposes a metaphor that applies to your life in a truly useful way. Lucky Numbers: 6, 29, 55

CAPRICORN As much as you're interested in making money, you're more interested in not losing it right now, which is why a get-rich-quick scheme should hold no appeal for you on Monday, and Tuesday will find you feeling conservative as well. Artistic inspiration will strike you Wednesday and you'll spend hours in creative contemplation, a perfectly blissful way to pass an afternoon. Lucky Numbers: 21, 31, 50

AQUARIUS Someone switches on your bulb at the beginning of the week and your glow lights up the room. People are deeply affected by you these days. With great power, as they say, comes great responsibility. Act as a force for good in the lives of your friends. Be generous with your love, but don't think about being generous with your pocketbook, because money is probably scarce right now. Lucky Numbers: 3, 6, 11

PISCES You are a paragon of selflessness at the start of the week. If someone needs to borrow your car for the afternoon, you offer to let them borrow it all week. This is good and virtuous of you, but don't you have errands to run too? In your haste to help others, don't forget to help yourself. On Wednesday or Thursday, treat yourself. At the very least, do something restorative and relaxing. Lucky Numbers: 5, 8, 27

Bowie State, Howard University Have High Expectations

By Ed Hill WI Contributing Writer

The major news in the DMV was the sale of the Washington Commanders becoming official. It set the tone for the upcoming football season as locals Bowie State University and Howard University kicked off their respective annual pre-season roundups this week.

Bowie State was picked second overall and first in the Northern Division of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) by the coaches and media while Howard was picked to finish second in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) behind the reigning Black National Champion, North Carolina Central.

Bowie Bulldogs Gear Up For New Season

The Bulldogs, who won the CIAA Title and advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs the previous two seasons before this year, took a bit of a "slide" last season, finishing 6-4 overall and 5-3 in conference play.

Bowie State returns18 starters from last year's squad.

"It was certainly a year of transition for us," admitted Kyle Jackson, following his first year after succeeding former Head Coach Damien Wilson, who took over the reins at Morgan State University. "There were some areas that we need to get back to the tradition that we have maintained here at Bowie State."

Bowie State was a juggernaut on the offensive side of the ball where it averaged over 456 yards and 29 points per game. It was a defensive side of the ball where the Bulldogs were not as ef- fective and allowed almost 300 yards of offense per game.

"We recognize that is an area where we have to improve," said red-shirt sophomore cornerback Jadon Carter (Lackey HS), an all-CIAA pick who recorded 31 tackles and a team-high three interceptions. “We had a good off-season and you will see an improvement in that area. We are all working hard to get back to where we were on that side of the ball.”

An all-conference pick, red-shirt junior wide receiver Keshane Hinckley (Laurel, Maryland) was one of the most dangerous receivers in the league with 56 catches for 686 yards and five TDs.

"I like the way we operate on offense," noted Hinckley. "We have some weapons and that allows me to be more effective."

The Bulldogs will be looking to regain the CIAA title and make another appearance in the NCAA playoffs.

Bowie State opens the season against HBCU and MEAC opponent Delaware State in Dover, Delaware on Sept. 2.

Howard Bison Work To Keep Up Momentum From Historic Last Season

After a 1-5 start, the Bison turned things around, winning four of their last five games to finish 5-6 and 4-1 in the MEAC. They were crowned co-champions, the first time that they have had a share of the crown since 1993.

Their hopes are further buoyed by the return of a number of key starters, including leaders Kenny Gallop, Jr. and Jarett Hunter.

A 6-1, 214-pound senior from Portsmouth, Virginia , Gallop is regarded as one of the top safeties in the Football Champion Subdivision (FCS). He is a first team All-MEAC selection in 2022 and has been named to several pre-season honors, including the conference team. He led the team in tackles for the second straight year with 93.

"We faced a lot of adversity early in the season," noted Gallop, a pro prospect, who majors in kinesiology. "But as the season progressed down the stretch, we were able to come together. One of the keys for us going into the season is to focus on the little things that may go unnoticed but often determines wins and losses."

A 5-10, 205-pound senior running back from Mineral, Virginia, Hunter is one of the top all-around backs in the MEAC. He led the team with 627 yards rushing and five TDs while also catching 24 passes for 240 yards and two TDs out of the backfield.

"This has been a gradual process over the past three years that I have been here," said Hunter. "Each year, under Coach Scott, we have improved and gotten better. You could see last year when we cut down on mistakes and executed the game plan. It gave us a chance to win. Coming that close, we realized that it is the little things that the coaches have been preaching that make a difference. That is what we are looking forward to. It's like Kenny said, ‘we have to cut out the little things like jumping offsides or missing an important assignment.’”

When Head Coach Larry Scott took over as head coach of the Bison in 2019, there were a number of challenges, including a COVID-19shortened season and bringing in the type of players that fit his style and vision.

"We are not just a football team here at Howard; we have a football program. We are doing it the right way so that we can sustain what we are building,” said Scott. “Here at Howard, we want to make it a good experience here in football, in the classroom and in their career pursuits."

He continued, "After last year, we are trying to elevate the program. We have gotten bigger, stronger and more experienced."

The Howard football team has transformed from one that was often manhandled on both sides of the ball due to being vastly undersized. There has been considerable size difference due to recruitment and an emphasis on weight and strength conditioning. The offensive line is now considerably better with the return of the likes of graduate offensive tackle Anim Dankwah and junior guard Darius Fox (DeMatha), both all-conference selections. Dankwah is a pro prospect and a selection to the East-West game.

On the skill side, Howard has balance, both running and passing the ball. They have the advantage of graduate quarterback Quinton Williams (Upper Marlboro, Maryland), in his fourth year as starter.

Defensively, there has been significant improvement with the likes of graduate defensive linemen Darrian Brokenburr (Manassas, Virginia) and Jevin Jackson, junior linebacker Terrence Hollon and a talented and deep secondary, led by Gallop.

"The last two years, we have been growing as a program," added Gallop. "We were one of the youngest teams in the FCS. We have now matured and ready to take the next step."

The next step for the Bison is to win the MEAC outright and advance to the Celebration Bowl, played in December in Atlanta, Georgia against the Southwestern Atlantic Conference (SWAC) champion for the Black National Championship.

Howard opens the season at Eastern Michigan on Sept. 1. WI