Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, December 5, 1993 TAG: 9312050149
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RUSTBURG LENGTH: Medium
The Indians lost their grip on Morgan and the ball on several occasions in losing 20-8 to Rustburg in Saturday's Group AA Division 4 football semifinal.
Region III champion Rustburg (12-1) advanced to the state championship game next week at Nansemond River, a 14-10 winner over Park View-Sterling in the other semifinal.
In a game played in a day-long downpour, Morgan scored all three of the Red Devils' touchdowns and rushed for a career-high 179 yards on 12 carries.
Morgan's wasn't the only shining performance on an otherwise gloomy day. Blacksburg's Greg Shockley had one of his finest days as a quarterback in completing 17 of 31 passes for 227 yards.
Had Shockley gotten one more passing yard, Blacksburg (7-6), the Region IV champion, may have had a chance to win the game.
Trailing 20-8, Blacksburg had the ball on Rustburg's 29-yard line with less than 5 minutes to play when Shockley hit Tim Brown across the middle. Brown, who led Blacksburg with 64 receiving yards on four catches, had only a couple of defenders chasing him toward the end zone.
Those players - Telly Anthony and Sean Lynch - grabbed Brown at the goal-line and stripped away the ball. Lynch fell on it at the 1-yard line.
"I guess it was the safety [Anthony who stripped the ball away,]" Brown said. "I was trying to get upfield, just trying to make something happen, that's all. Almost . . . "
He needed to say no more.
"Who knows, [had Brown scored] maybe things would have been different," Blacksburg coach Dave Crist said. "That's football, though."
Blacksburg got the ball back twice in the final 2 minutes, 40 seconds, but only had time for desperation passes, one of which was intercepted.
Shockley connected with seven receivers. His favorite targets were Brown and Tod Perdue, who had four catches for 61 yards.
"With their passing game, you're never safe," said Rustburg coach Paul Wheeler, who won a state title in 1990 in his first season as the Red Devils' coach.
Blacksburg never quite got the hang of Rustburg's criss-cross, the inside reverse handoff that resulted in two of Morgan's touchdowns and several other long gains.
It was the criss-cross that resulted in the game-breaking play - an 83-yard touchdown run by Morgan in the third quarter.
"That play hasn't worked as well this year," said Morgan. "But today, the line blocked really well. It was a bread-and-butter play."
Rustburg, which also got 60 yards from fullback Shannon Cardwell, rolled up 303 yards out of the Wing T on the muddy turf, none through the air.
The Red Devils' defense held Blacksburg to 64 rushing yards.
"When we saw the field conditions, we thought we would use more of a running game," said Shockley. "It didn't work out that way."
One reason Blacksburg had to throw was an early two-touchdown deficit. The Indians may very well have let the game slip away in the first half by fumbling on their first two possessions - both inside Rustburg territory - and having a punt blocked on their third. Rustburg turned the miscues into 14 points.
After the first fumble, Morgan capped a 52-yard drive with a 14-yard touchdown run on the criss-cross.
After Kevin Tune blocked a punt on Blacksburg's third possession, Morgan scored on a 15-yard run. Anthony's point-after kick made it 14-0.
Shockley did everything but swim the butterfly in leading Blacksburg on an 80-yard touchdown drive. He completed five passes for 74 yards on the march, which ended with Tony Wheeler's 1-yard run and two-point conversion.
Wheeler, who strained his troublesome right shoulder late in the game, is one of several juniors on Blacksburg's team this year. The Indians can take solace knowing they'll be a favorite to reach this point again next year.
"We should be pretty tough next year," said Shockley. \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB