THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 3, 1995 TAG: 9512030225
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBIN BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
Indian River borrowed a page from the movie ``Speed'' Saturday with quarterback James ``Big Game'' Boyd playing the part of the runaway bus.
Boyd raced 73 yards for a touchdown on the third play from scrimmage and went on to pile up 221 yards of total offense as the Braves blasted Lake Braddock 31-10 in a state Division 6 semifinal at Oscar Smith.
Indian River (11-2) will play Hylton (10-3) for the state championship Saturday at 1:30 at Gar-Field High in Woodbridge. Hylton dispatched Varina 21-14 in the other semifinal.
Indian River scored on its first two drives to take a 14-0 lead, but Lake Braddock capitalized on a blown assignment in the secondary and an onside kick to pull within 14-10 at halftime.
The Bruins (11-2) took the second half kickoff and quickly moved to midfield with the aid of a roughing-the-passer penalty. But on the next play, linebacker Mike Toliver stripped the ball from Eric Pilson and Boyd recovered at the Braves 46.
``I felt my team needed a big play because they had moved the ball on us some and our lead wasn't big enough,'' Toliver said. ``Somebody made (Pilson) cut up and I overshot a little. I just reached back and knocked the ball loose.''
Boyd took over from there. On third-and-14 he hit David Selby on a deep out for 25 yards and a first down at the Lake Braddock 33.
On the next play he faked left and ran a bootleg around right end. He broke a tackle at the 31 and danced down the sideline for his second touchdown and a 21-10 lead.
``The safety had the angle and tried to cut me off, but I saw him out of the corner of my eye and cut it back,'' Boyd said.
Boyd carried 10 times for 152 yards and completed 5 of 10 passes for 69 yards.
``We were just faster,'' Boyd said. ``A lot faster.''
Said Lake Braddock coach Francis Dall, ``Obviously their speed had an effect.''
More than 20 minutes remained after Boyd's second touchdown, but Indian River coach Bob Parker had seen enough.
``I felt if we stopped their opening drive of the second half and then scored it would be over,'' he said.
Down by 11 points Lake Braddock went to the air on its next possession and Indian River's Sam Hardy made a leaping interception - the Braves' sixth of the playoffs. The drive stalled at the Bruins' 26 and Kasper Peterson came on to kick a 42-yard field goal.
That made it 24-10 with 3:49 left in the third quarter.
Lake Braddock ground out two first downs on its next possession, then went for it on fourth and 1 at midfield in a desperate bid to get back in the game.
Indian River's Edward Seward led a defensive charge that stacked up Greg Hinton well short of the marker.
The Braves couldn't capitalize: Peterson missed a 29-yard field goal. But only 7:21 remained when Lake Braddock got the ball back. Again the Indian River defense dominated, sacking Bruins quarterback D'Arcy Wills twice and forcing a fumble that Lake Braddock recovered.
Braves bounce Lake Braddock behind Boyd, will face Hylton in state final next Saturday ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
L. TODD SPENCER
Indian River's James Boyd leaps over Lake Braddock linebacker Jan
Northrop for a first-half first down. Boyd piled up 221 yards of
total offense in Saturday's Division 6 state semifinal at Oscar
Smith High School.
Photo
L. TODD SPENCER
Lance Bishop of Indian River High celebrates his team's semifinal
win over Lake Braddock.
by CNB