Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 11, 1993 TAG: 9309110195
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE ASHLEY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: SHAWSVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Auburn (1-1 overall, 1-0 in the district) controlled the action early and late while the Shawnees had their moments in between. The result was a solid 28-6 win for the Eagles, only one week removed from their 47-6 crash-landing against Rural Retreat.
"We closed practice each day this week shouting `Shawsville,' " said Auburn junior tail back Bobby Bonds, who accounted for three touchdowns. "This is one of the biggest wins ever."
Auburn reclaimed the Golden Helmet Award from the Shawnees - well, maybe not reclaimed - they actually won it last year, too, but the trophy was nowhere to be found then. When the Eagles finally got their hands on it at midfield, they set off a celebration worthy of a bowl-game victory.
"We hadn't seen [the trophy] in a few years," Auburn quarterback Danny Dickerson said. "Last year we won it, and they never gave it to us."
The misplaced plaque resurfaced this year, and Auburn was not to be denied.
After forcing Shawsville (0-1, 0-1) to punt on the opening possession, the Eagles drove 53 yards in six plays for a 7-0 lead on Bonds' 4-yard touchdown run with 7:34 left in the first quarter.
The Shawnees, plagued by penalties and miscues all night, came back in the second quarter on a dazzling play by quarterback Darrell Bibb and tailback Ben Basham. Hemmed in by two tacklers, Bibb pitched the ball to Basham as he fell forward. Basham, who would finish with a game-high 83 yards on 10 carries, slipped around right end, cut to the middle, ran back to the right and cruised in for a 49-yard touchdown run with 7:54 remaining before halftime.
Bibb's ensuing conversion-pass attempt failed, and that loomed large as the Shawsville slip-ups began to mount.
A face-mask penalty helped fuel an Auburn drive, and Bonds bulldozed in from 6 yards with 2:40 to play in the third quarter for a 14-6 lead.
The Shawnees moved the ball into Auburn territory on their next possession, but a motion penalty on a fourth-and-one play stalled the drive.
A Leon East punt pinned the Eagles at their own 11, but another face mask penalty let them out of the hole. Auburn moved 64 yards before East recovered a Bonds fumble at the Shawnees' 25 to stop the march.
"I felt pretty good when it was 14-6," Shawville coach Jerry Cannaday said. "We've got a chance to drive and score and get two and then anything can happen. There's no excuse for all the mistakes.
"We've got a couple of freshmen who just wore themselves out they were so excited. I thought we got all that out of our system in the scrimmages, but I guess you don't ever get it out until the first game."
The Shawnees were penalized nine times for a total of 69 yards, and several more penalties were declined and offset.
Auburn pulled farther ahead when Bonds scored from 1 yard with 2:49 to play, ending a 4-minute, 47-yard drive. The Eagles incurred three penalties on the drive, but Dickerson's 39-yard pass to V.J. Lumina, which took the ball to the 1, helped overcome those mistakes.
Lumina intercepted a pass on the next play from scrimmage and ran 44 yards to set up the last touchdown, David Hughes' 3-yard plunge with 1:45 to play.
Bibb took the Shawnees down the field quickly as time dwindled. His 15-yard pass to Corey Dow took the ball to 1-yard line as the clock expired.
\ see microfilm for box score
by CNB