Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 18, 1993 TAG: 9309180258
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY
DATELINE: LEXINGTON LENGTH: Medium
The question was: Would it slip through his hands?
For the first half, the Salem wide receiver and defensive back had butter fingers. During the second half, however, Prater regained his touch.
And as Prater got a feel for his role, the Spartans gained control, downing the surprising Wildcats 20-14 in a Blue Ridge District game.
Salem (2-0) was boosted by stellar performances from tailback Jomo Nelson (174 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries) and quarterback Kevin Feazell (six completions for 153 yards and one touchdown), yet Prater was involved in most of the game's pivotal plays.
Prater fumbled twice, recovered a teammate's bobble, allowed Wildcat receiver Collin Bissell to score a touchdown, picked off a Rockbridge pass and gained 58 yards on the game's longest play.
The score was tied at 14 early in the fourth quarter and Salem faced a third-and-11 on its 29 when Feazell hit Prater for a 58-yard pass. On the following play, Nelson scored on a 13-yard run, and Salem had its first and only lead of the night.
"Our first half was all mental," Prater said. "Coach [Willis] White reminded us [at halftime] that we weren't here to play Rockbridge; we're here to play ourselves."
Salem's execution improved markedly after White's talk.
"I thought our offense took control in the second half," said White, whose team beat Rockbridge 52-0 last season.
The Spartans' Nathan Routt also contributed significantly to the victory, scoring a touchdown on a 28-yard pass from Feazell and tackling quarterback Scott Rogers twice for big losses.
Salem's total yardage more than tripled that of Rockbridge (379-119), but the Wildcats remained in the game until Rogers was sacked as time ran out.
Rockbridge coach Jamie Talbott was disappointed but not distressed with his team's failure to pull off the upset.
"I'm extremely proud of our team's effort," he said.
The Wildcats (1-2) jumped into the lead on the fourth offensive play of the game, when Rogers threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to Bissell.
The receiver outleaped defensive back Prater in a jump-ball situation at the 20, then waltzed into the end zone.
In one of the game's most bizarre twists, the officials lost track of the downs at the end of the first quarter.
Feazell was dropped for a 6-yard loss on the final play of the period, giving Salem a third-and-23 when the second quarter started. The officials insisted it was fourth down, however, and Salem was forced to punt. \
see microfilm for box score
NOTE: a slightly different version ran in the State edition.
Memo: ***CORRECTION***