THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 27, 1994 TAG: 9410260225
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 20 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JEFF ZEIGLER, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: AHOSKIE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines
The game had been hyped all week from Raleigh to Greenville. Two of the best teams in the state were going to duke it out for bragging rights in perhaps the best high school football conference in the state.
The so-called ``game of the year'' lived up to its billing. Wilson Hunt quarterback Teyon Pender hit tight end Joey Lopez in the end zone with a two-yard pass with seven seconds to play to lift undefeated Wilson Hunt over Hertford County, 21-15, in a Big Eight Conference battle last week. Hunt was the second ranked 3A school in the state by the Associated Press and Hertford County was ranked third.
Both teams entered the game unbeaten atop the Big Eight Conference.
The fourth quarter was like a scene out of the NFL playoffs. With fans from both schools standing for the entire final quarter, Hertford County took the lead with 3:38 to play when quarterback Stephen Leary dove over the top of the Hunt line for a one-yard touchdown run. Kicker Lee Cherry missed the extra point and the Bears lead held at 15-13.
Down, but certainly not out, Hunt took over after the kickoff at its own 27. Over the next three-and-a-half minutes, Pender master-minded a brilliant, time-saving drive which included sideline passes and scrambles out of bounds. Two big plays by Pender included a 19-yard run down to the Bears 41 and later an 11-yard run down to the 9.
Later, on third and goal at the 2, Pender took the snap and rolled right. He threw to Lopez who was wide open in the end zone.
``We were coming out with the power game, but we were out of timeouts,'' Raper said. ``If we would have tried a run and didn't make it, the game would have been over. I felt like we had time to try the pass and then if it didn't work we could go for the field goal.''
Pender also connected with Lopez for a 27-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring with 2:34 left in the first quarter. David Herring's extra point put Hunt up 7-0.
Hertford County then turned a Hunt turnover into a score. Willie Beverly intercepted Pender at the Wilson 48 with 6:33 left in the half. Later Preston Hall ran for an apparent 14-yard touchdown, but the play was called back on an illegal motion penalty. The Bears settled for a 34-yard Cherry field goal.
The Bears took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched 45 yards for a score when Hall snuck in from four yards out. Cedric Taylor set up the Hertford County score with a 38-yard kickoff return.
Wilson scored on its next drive, but not after some controversy. On a third and seven play from the Hertford County 42, Pender was intercepted by the Bears Collin Snead, but instead Snead was called for pass interference, giving Hunt the ball at the 27. Eight plays later, Wilson took a 13-9 lead when Tyabron scored with 27 seconds to play in the third quarter. Hertford County head coach Carl Brock said the key to the game was his team's inability to contain Pender.
``We didn't contain the quarterback and we knew we had to do this coming into the game, that was our number one worry,'' Brock said. by CNB