Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 28, 1993 TAG: 9311270201
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FOREST LENGTH: Medium
The Cavaliers continued to make the plays in the second half. And they used those big plays to defeat upset-minded Laurel Park 48-26 in the Group AA Region III Division 3 high school football championship game.
The victory propelled 1992 state champion Jefferson Forest (10-2) into a state semifinal Dec. 4 at the winner of today's Graham-Gate City Region IV championship game. It also gave the Cavaliers their third consecutive regional crown.
Laurel Park (8-4) saw its first trip to the postseason since 1986 end with the loss.
The first couple of big plays of the second half gave Jefferson Forest a big lead and momentum while dooming the Lancers.
Billy Smith burst up the middle for a 37-yard touchdown run as Jefferson Forest took a 34-20 lead with a little more than eight minutes left in the third quarter.
"I don't know," said Smith, who finished with 221 yards rushing. "I saw the linebacker suck in, so I cut it out. I wanted to get into the end zone. I did what I needed to [do to score]."
One play earlier, Cavaliers quarterback Anthony Poindexter had picked up 13 yards on a keeper to convert a fourth-and-one from midfield.
"We just found a weakness in their defense running off-tackle," said Poindexter, who picked up 165 yards on the ground. "We just ran it there. I have to give credit to the coaches for knowing what play to run."
The Cavaliers tacked on a couple of touchdowns, but the outcome was decided after Smith's touchdown run.
"They just kept scoring with their running game," said John Kovack, Laurel Park's coach. "We knew they had a good running game. We stopped them in the first half - a little. But they kept getting the big play."
Until late in the first half, the big plays were about even. And Laurel Park held a 14-13 edge.
But several big plays were made in the last 1 1/2 minutes of the first half. And the Cavaliers made the most of them.
Poindexter had the first of Jefferson Forest's big plays late in the half. His 13-yard scoring scramble, breaking tackles and dishing out punishment along the way, gave Jefferson Forest a lead it would never relinquish at 19-14 with 1 minute, 17 seconds to go before halftime.
Poindexter also had runs of 5 and 16 yards on the 80-yard drive - the first coming on a scamble when he was hit 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage but escaped.
A two-point conversion run by Smith extended the lead to 21-14.
The Lancers quickly struck with a big play of their own. Quarterback Darrell Wilson handed the ball to Soloman Paddyfote. But before he hit the line, Paddyfote stopped and pitched the ball back to Wilson.
The flea-flicker was on, Mike Hairston was sprinting down the right sideline and Wilson hit him with a perfect pass that Hairston turned into a 68-yard touchdown.
However, a missed extra-point kick kept the score at 21-20 with 54 seconds remaining before intermission.
A squib kick gave the Cavaliers possession at their 49. Jefferson Forest's first pass fell incomplete, so the Cavaliers turned back to the run.
And Smith made it a run to remember. He burst around the left side, cut to the middle and went 51 yards for a touchdown that extended the lead to 27-20 with 23 seconds left. A missed extra point kept the spread at seven points at halftime.
by CNB