Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 2, 1993 TAG: 9310020276
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But in the big-play department, it was William Byrd in a landslide.
The Terriers used a kickoff return for a touchdown, two goal-line stands in the second half and a referee's whistle to defeat Carroll County 21-14 on Friday night in Vinton. It was homecoming for William Byrd, and a large crowd filled the stands.
The victory was the Terriers' third in a row and interrupted Carroll County's three-game winning streak. Both squads begin play in their respective districts Oct. 8.
The score was tied at 7 when the Cavaliers (3-3) kicked off to start the second half. The ball went out of bounds, and Carroll County was assessed a 5-yard penalty. On their second try, the Cavaliers were offside. That produced another 5-yard penalty and a winded coverage team.
Shannon Gray was ready on take three. The Byrd senior snared the kick on his 35-yard line, split the defensive seam and easily scored his second touchdown of the game.
Carroll County rebounded on its next series, moving the ball 56 yards on 14 plays (including a nifty fake punt). But the drive stalled on Byrd's 11-yard line, when quarterback Jason Kilbourne was stopped on fourth-and-two.
Byrd (3-1) could not escape from its own territory, however, and punter Jason Criss was unable to cleanly handle a high snap. When Criss was tackled trying to run, Carroll County got the ball back on Byrd's 22. Again the Terriers' defense held, with Kilbourne gang-tackled short of the stripe on fourth and goal.
From there, Byrd mounted a 96-yard drive for its final score. Michael Poindexter fumbled on the Cavaliers' 1-yard line and the ball bounced out of the end zone, but the officials ruled Poindexter was down before the ball came loose. Matt Bryant scored on the next play, and the point-after put Byrd 14 points ahead with 4 minutes, 33 seconds remaining.
"I was awfully proud of our team in the second half," said Jeff Highfill, the Terriers' coach. "That kickoff return was a very big play. We started shooting ourselves in the foot after that, twice giving them the ball near the goal line. But we kept them out."
Byrd's three running backs - Criss, Poindexter and Gray - combined for 196 yards on 26 carries. Byrd did not attempt a pass or a punt in the second half.
Chris Carr had three first-half receptions for 51 yards for the Terriers. He also converted all three of his extra-point attempts.
\ see microfilm for box score
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB