In 1988, South Carolina State University head football coach Chennis Berry moved from Cleveland to Stone Mountain to attend Redan High School, where he excelled as a football and basketball player. He knew championships would ultimately be his future.
Now, he’s returning more than three decades later to lead his team from Orangeburg, South Carolina, against Jackson State University in the ninth Cricket Celebration Bowl.
The national championship game for historically Black college football teams, which broadcasts on ABC, will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday.
Berry told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he considers the sporting event to be a homecoming and reunion. “It’s special, because my friends, family and loved ones get to come out, support and see if we can bring home the victory,” he said.
The Cricket Celebration Bowl is the only major sporting event that recognizes the top Division 1 HBCU football teams in the Southwestern Atlantic Conference (SWAC) and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
SC State from MEAC is making its second appearance in the championship game, and Jackson State of SWAC is returning for its third attempt at the trophy.
This weekend’s game isn’t the first time SC State and Jackson State have played against each other in a big game. They competed in the Cricket Celebration Bowl in 2021 and again in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kick-off two years later.
Berry, who just completed his first year as SC State’s head coach, said he encourages student athletes to develop good sportsmanship and treat the bowl game like a regular season match.
“This is a culmination of HBCU football at its best, but we don’t look at any moment as too big,” Berry said.
“It’s about surrendering the outcome but falling in love with the process to become great. It’s just the next game on our schedule, but we want to try and finish the season by going one and zero,” he said.
The Cricket Celebration Bowl has been held in Atlanta since the first game was played between North Carolina A&T State University and Alcorn State University in 2015. Every year, the stands are filled with HBCU alumni, marching bands and members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, usually wearing their school and organization’s colors, reconnecting with classmates and cheering for their teams.
John Grant, executive director of Cricket Celebration Bowl, calls the game “our Super Bowl.”
“We want to create a world class, second-to-none experience for the student athletes, the fans who come and the people who watch so that they know this is a championship game with the same production level as an NFL game,” he said.
Credit: Jawaniecika “JoJo” Bryant
Credit: Jawaniecika “JoJo” Bryant
Grant said Atlanta has been the hosting city every year because of tourism and the city’s proximity to both athletic conferences.
“Atlanta sits right in the middle of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Southwestern Athletic Conference. This is a place where people want to be, so it’s the perfect destination,” Grant said.
As the student athletes from SC State prepare for competition, they’re comparing notes from past games and following Berry’s game strategies in hopes to clinch the title.
John Hannibal Jr., a senior defensive tackle, said a combination of the team’s rigorous practice schedule and the crowd’s reaction are his motivation to play a good game.
“It’s just going to be more people out there. We practice hard every day with our peers and play against each other so we can understand what to foresee in the game,” Hannibal said.
Both teams were welcomed at the Gathering Spot on Wednesday with a reception, dinner and fireside chats led by Grant, Gathering Spot owners Ryan Wilson and TK Petersen and ESPN analyst Elle Duncan.
There are several affiliated events scheduled for tonight, including a MEAC awards dinner honoring women in sports, a SWAC Hall of Fame induction ceremony and an ESPN marching band competition.
Ahead of kickoff on Saturday is an HBCU swim meet at Morehouse College, a pop-up shop, fan stations outside of the stadium, high school and college marching band jamborees.
Cricket Celebration Bowl. Noon. Saturday, Dec. 14. Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 1 AMB Drive NW, Atlanta. 470-341-5000. thecelebrationbowl.com
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