Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 13, 1993 TAG: 9311130189
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Timesland's most productive quarterback, Taylor ran for two touchdowns in the third quarter to put PH in the lead. He then made several defensive plays to put down Fleming as the Patriots won a Roanoke Valley District football game 32-24 at Victory Stadium.
The victory put PH into the playoffs; Fleming (5-5 overall, 2-2 district) had needed to win to advance to postseason play. PH opens the Group AAA Division 5 Northwestern Region playoffs against Stonewall Jackson-Manassas, tentatively scheduled for Nov. 19 at Victory Stadium.
"The playoffs were irrelevant. This is Fleming," said Ed Scott, the Patriots' coach.
Taylor agreed, noting that a Fleming victory probably would have paired these teams next week in the playoffs for their third meeting of the year.
"We just tried to beat these guys and get them out of the way," Taylor said.
He did so with power instead of passes. He threw eight times, 10 fewer than his average. Although he completed five for 135 yards and two first-half touchdowns, his legs got the call when PH (7-3, 3-1) needed a kick.
"They were getting bodies on me," Taylor said. "I decided no one was going to tackle me one-on-one tonight."
While the Patriots were cheering their quarterback, the Colonels were consoling theirs. Senior Al Holland Jr. missed the second half with a dislocated right shoulder, injured when PH's Ike Williams grabbed Holland's face mask as Holland was trying to run in a two-point conversion with two seconds left in the first half.
Fleming didn't complete a pass in the second half and had 202 of its 338 total yards in the first half.
"We moved the football pretty good, but we didn't have the passing game we'd like to have," said Sherley Stuart, Fleming's coach. "It's a big difference."
Despite four consecutive penalties against PH (the face mask and three offsides calls), Fleming didn't get the two-point conversion and led 18-14 at halftime. The Colonels, partly because of a 31-yard run by Sam Mason, extended the lead to 24-14 on a 1-yard run by Eddie Jones with 5:47 left in the third quarter.
A 41-yard kickoff return by Adrian Moore put PH at the Fleming 49. After Taylor threw 22 yards to Moore and Williams gained 7 yards on a run, Taylor shredded tacklers up the middle for a 20-yard touchdown run. When Taylor fumbled the snap on the extra-point attempt, Fleming led 24-20 with 4:21 left.
On the Colonels' next possession, reserve quarterback Raytoine Gray and Jones missed connections on the handoff and PH's Chris Combs recovered at the Fleming 34.
Five plays later, Taylor scored from 7 yards and PH led 26-24 with 32 seconds left.
Fleming's next drive ended with a 5-yard loss on fourth-and-three from the PH 38. Taylor was in the backfield so quickly he crashed into Mason before Mason had the ball.
Williams scored from 1 yard for PH to make it 32-24 with 4:08 left in the game. Fleming then drove from its 32 to the PH 2 - getting 49 yards from Jones. But on third-and-goal with 28 seconds left, Jones got nothing.
And on fourth-and-goal with eight seconds left, Gray ran right and was swarmed at the 5.
by CNB