Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 25, 1993 TAG: 9309250225
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JIMMY ROBERTSON SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
\ The William Byrd Terriers must have thought Ed McMahon was in the crowd Friday night taking auditions for "Star Search."
His choices would have been limitless as the Terriers thumped James River 39-6 in a non-district game at William Byrd.
Among the many Terrier stars was quarterback Matt Bryant, who completed seven of 10 passes for 123 yards and three touchdowns, and receiver Chris Carr, who played in only his second varsity game and finished with 97 yards receiving and three touchdowns.
And, then, of course there is the William Byrd defense that had three interceptions, recovered a fumble, and held the Knights to 65 yards rushing and five first downs.
On James River's first possession, quarterback Shahan Burrell's pass was picked off by Jason Boothe, who returned it to the Knights' 17-yard line. Two plays later, Bryant hit Carr in the flat for a 17-yard touchdown pass to give the Terriers a quick 6-0 lead.
"I just connected with Chris throughout the whole game," Bryant said. "The offensive line did a great job of protecting me, and Chris made some terrific catches."
After the defense held James River on its next possession, the Terriers struck again. Michael Poindexter's 4-yard touchdown run capped a five-play, 27-yard drive. Jason Criss ran in the conversion to give the Terriers a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
"Our defense has done a great job all year long," William Byrd coach Jeff Highfill said. "We feel that our defense is the strongest part of our team, and now our offense is improving each game as well."
The Bryant-to-Carr connection continued to work in the second quarter. After another James River punt, the Terriers marched 43 yards on six plays, with Bryant hitting Carr for a 17-yard touchdown pass. The run after the touchdown failed, but the Terriers increased the lead to 20-0.
"Chris does not have the experience yet, but he is a great athlete, and he gives us a big target at 6-3," Highfill said. "We want to complement the run with the pass, and we can do that as long as both Chris and Matt continue to improve."
The real knockout punch for the Knights came late in the second quarter. With Byrd facing a fourth-and-10 at the Knights' 30-yard line, Bryant hit Carr for a 29-yard completion to the James River 1-yard line. Bryant then hit Carr again for a 1-yard touchdown pass with only three seconds left in the half. The kick failed, but the Knights could not overcome a 26-0 Terrier lead.
"Coach Highfill told me to loft it up," Bryant said of the 29-yard completion. "I threw it high and to the outside to let Chris adjust to the ball."
James River's only score in the game came late in the fourth quarter on a Todd Washington's 19-yard touchdown run. \
see microfilm for box score
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB