Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 2, 1993 TAG: 9310020274
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"Should be Colonels, 7-3," the Fleming running back said, noting a first-half threat that yielded nothing for his team.
Should be and was were two different things. Nothing went right for the Colonels, and George Washington-Danville, the state's No. 2-ranked Group AAA team, came away with a 10-0 non-district victory at Victory Stadium.
Jones, one of the state's best backs, could do nothing. He was hobbled with strained tendons in his right leg on the first play of the third quarter after ripping off his longest run of the night, a 22-yarder that created one of many empty threats by Fleming.
With Jones gone for the game, that left only quarterback Al Holland Jr. and a fleet of tremendous receivers who terrorized E.C. Glass on Sept. 24.
Nothing was going right for Holland, either. He was burned in the first quarter when Mike Souma failed to handle a pass. It bounced off Souma to GW defensive back Tetrick Graves, who scooted 77 yards for the game's only touchdown.
Fleming's defense, which was young and vulnerable, stood up well. The Colonels bent on the first series, but yielded only a 23-yard field goal by the Eagles' Jacob Scism after GW (5-0) had driven to the Fleming 7-yard line.
After that, GW never got closer than Fleming's 35 while the Colonels' offense missed many opportunities. Fleming (3-2) had first downs on the Eagles' 12- and 6-yard lines, but came up empty.
"We played a decent game," said Sherley Stuart, the Eagles' coach. "But we dropped a few passes that were catchable.
"We got no breaks. But you have to make your own breaks when you play a good team like GW. You can't give them anything."
This was billed as an offensive show between the Eagles' high-powered Wishbone attack and the Colonels' wide-open offense. It never lived up to that as GW coach Ed Martin decided to play it conservatively.
"We closed down our formation," Martin said. "We have a sophomore quarterback [Nathan Poole], and I didn't feel we could run the triple option like we did earlier."
So GW ran for 208 yards, but the offense had no pizzaz.
"I don't know whether we stopped them or not. They still ran the ball better than I thought they would. They just went up the middle, inside our kidneys," Stuart said.
Fleming's last chance came in the fourth quarter. Poole went to the air. On the first pass, the Colonels' Ernest Harrington dropped a potential interception in the flat for what might have been a touchdown similar to the one scored by Graves.
"That was supposed to be a running play all the way. See what a sophomore will do," Martin said.
It didn't count because GW had an ineligible receiver.
So Poole actually threw his first pass on the next play, a completion of 9 yards to Theomone Brooks. However, Brooks fumbled and Harrington scooped up the ball at the Fleming 26 and set sail for what appeared to be a touchdown. This play, according to Martin, was the one called.
Poole caught Harrington at the 12, grabbing at anything and getting a face mask. The Colonels had a first down at the GW 6 with 3 minutes, 16 seconds left, but they didn't score.
Off the field went Jones and his teammates , wondering how they lost. At least his injury isn't believed to be serious, and he is listed as questionable at worst for the Oct. 8 game at Albemarle. \
see microfilm for box score
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB