Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 2, 1993 TAG: 9310020255
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Raiders' football team held up its end of the deal, waxing rival Roanoke Catholic 40-22 in a Virginia Independent Conference game to remain undefeated.
"I thought our line was overpowering at all times," said coach Jim Muscaro, whose North Cross team is tied with Huguenot Academy for the top spot in the VIC Division I poll. "That was the difference in the ballgame on both offense and defense."
The Raiders' offensive line opened plenty of holes for running backs Marcus Cardwell and Skip Johnson, who scored two touchdowns each.
Johnson, who finished with 113 yards on 12 carries, opened the scoring on the first possession for the Raiders (4-0 overall, 2-0 VIC) with a 6-yard run up the middle that capped a seven-play drive.
Not to be outdone, Cardwell returned a Celtics punt 63 yards for a touchdown with 5 minutes, 12 seconds to play in the first quarter.
The senior captain finished with 53 yards on nine carries and 202 all-purpose yards. He tacked on his other touchdown in the second quarter and spent most of the rest of the afternoon playing decoy for his backup, Tripp Bell. The sophomore rushed for 33 of his 41 yards in the second half.
"I always think I can do better, but I was pretty satisfied with my play today," said Cardwell, who is averaging 94 yards rushing per game. "The defense is doing a good job. The offense is still just doing basic plays, nothing too complex."
The Celtics (2-4, 1-2), hurt by the loss of injured linebacker Chris Roberts, found the Raiders' offense perplexing enough. They gave up 233 yards rushing and watched as junior quarterback Hal Johnson completed eight of 16 passes for 68 yards, including a 14-yard scoring throw to Monty Smith. Usually the starting fullback, Smith saw limited playing time because of an ankle injury.
Roanoke Catholic, No. 7 in the VIC Division I poll, scored on its last possession of the first half. Senior quarterback Michael Kolnok found receiver Ben Spichek deep in North Cross territory for a 55-yard touchdown.
Kolnok, who completed five of 14 passes for 116 yards, also connected with Spichek in the second half on a 41-yard pass.
"We saw the corners were playing up and we're not a deep team," Kolnok said. "But I just put it up there and 80 [Spichek] has the speed to run under it."
Freshman P.J. Moyer led the Celtics in rushing with 100 yards on 12 carries. He scored on a 57-yard run in the third quarter that made it 40-14.
Moyer also caught up to and stopped Skip Johnson, who was headed to the end zone later in the period.
Moyer limped off the field at the start of the fourth quarter after getting wrapped up on a sweep play. Roanoke Catholic coach John Cooke said the injury was not serious, but Moyer did not return to the game.
Junior Kendall Selfe took over the running duties and closed the game with a 13-yard touchdown run with eight seconds left.
"What I'm happy about is the kids came back and we went back to our basic offense and defense in the second half," Cooke said. "We're trying to turn a program around here and it's taking time. But if these kids keep going out and playing football, I'll keep giving 110 percent." \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB