Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 9, 1993 TAG: 9310090226
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BEDFORD LENGTH: Medium
\ Unbounded joy reigned in the streets of the county seat Friday night.
Liberty High 17, defending Group AA Division 3 state champion Jefferson Forest 14.
Who's afraid of the No. 1 team in the state? Not the plucky Minutemen. Who's ever had as much fun in the shadow of the Peaks of Otter?
Who knows?
All that Liberty knows is that it is the one that kept its wits and a firm handle on the football in front of a howling standing-room-only audience on the Minutemen's field.
The last nail didn't get chomped on until Liberty (5-1 overall, 5-1 in the Seminole District) stopped a fourth-down desperation run for the end zone by Billy Smith at their own 29 with no time left.
"We had to make some breaks and not have any turnovers," Liberty coach Mike Scharnus said. "Jefferson Forest is a championship ballclub. To beat them was a total team effort."
For sure, Liberty outplayed the Cavaliers (4-1, 4-1). Whereas the Minutemen had only one turnover, an interception that didn't hurt too bad, Jefferson Forest fumbled five times and lost four. The Cavs did themselves further harm by committing 50 yards worth of penalties. Liberty was docked but 10.
"It was unbelievable," Jefferson Forest coach Bob Christmas said. "I've never been in a game where we stopped ourselves so many times. I expected to make mistakes because we had lost 19 of 22 starters from last year, but we had been playing so well . . ."
And the Cavs continued to play well on offense, if you discount the fumbles. The Cavaliers' wishbone stomped out 229 rushing yards and gained 18 first downs to Liberty's 10. Leading the way was Smith, sensational with 171 yards on 24 carries.
Jefferson Forest made a brisk comeback from a 3-0 halftime deficit (Liberty's Scott Stanley had kicked a 27-yard first-quarter field goal) by scoring seven plays into the third quarter on a 28-yard Steve Mistretta run.
Mistretta, a sophomore, finished with 91 yards on 11 carries and caught two passes for 52 yards.
Back-to-back fumbles put Liberty right back in control. A bad snap on a punt delivered the football to the Minutemen at the Cavs' 14, and on second down, quarterback Mike Padgett connected with Gregg Reynolds for a 14-yard touchdown pass and Greg Short ran for a two-point conversion.
"Padgett is a junior who's starting for the first time," Scharnus said. "He's been our biggest surprise and also the reason that we are where we are."
But how about Reynolds, a sophomore? He and Padgett provided most of the offense for Liberty, Reynolds catching six balls for 103 yards.
"Reynolds is a sophomore who has a senior's mind for football," Scharnus said. "He's the same way in basketball and baseball, too."
The Cavaliers' Jamie Forrest fumbled away the ensuing kickoff at his 17 and Liberty required four snaps to punch it over with Greg Richie hauling the football in from the 7 with 39 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Cavs retaliated in short order with quarterback Anthony Poindexter (nine carries, 79 yards) turning a busted play into a 16-yard touchdown, but Liberty held on from there.
Earlier in the third, Poindexter had escaped for what appeared to be a 86-yard touchdown run, but that was called back because of a motion penalty. That drive fizzled shortly thereafter.
"We knew we had to stop the big play," Scharnus said. "We could give up some first downs, but we had to not give up the big play."
Liberty, which hadn't defeated county rival Jefferson Forest since 1988 and is off to its best start in years, turned a few big plays of its own. One of the larger ones was one made by cornerback Reynolds early in the second quarter. Jefferson Forest had driven to the Liberty 8, and on fourth-and-6, he broke up a Poindexter pass into the end zone.
"He's been making those kinds of plays all year," Scharnus said. \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB