Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 1, 1994 TAG: 9409030012
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Last year, coach Jim Muscaro's Raiders could do both proficiently with running backs Marcus Cardwell and Montrice Smith and quarterback Hal Johnson.
Cardwell has graduated, and Smith has transferred to Patrick Henry. But Johnson, one of the state's top quarterback prospects, is back. So is it safe to assume North Cross will become Air Muscaro this fall?
``Oh, no. We'll [also] grind it out,'' says the Raiders' longtime coach, whose team won the Division I state private school title a year ago. ``We've got Skip Johnson, and he gained around 400 yards or so. Philip Noland also gained some yardage last year.''
Muscaro is realistic enough to know this season will be more difficult for North Cross than last year, when the Raiders dominated everybody they played. It would have been tough even if Smith had returned.
``[Hal] Johnson gives us something to build on,'' Muscaro says. ``He's a great leader. He can throw the ball and he can think. He's gotten the most attention from the colleges of any player I've ever had here.''
Across town, Roanoke Catholic already has started quickly as coach John Cooke's Celtics make a bid for a berth in the state private school playoffs. Catholic waxed Kenston Forest 32-12 on Friday in the opening game for Timesland football.
Cooke's problem is the Celtics have only 20 players and, while most of them played on last year's 4-6 team, they've already lost fullback-linebacker Chris Roberts for the season with an injury to his left ankle.
Still, Cooke feels his team might have learned how to win.
``We scrimmaged Fuqua a year ago and they beat us on a two-point play to end the scrimmage,'' the coach says. ``This year, we were leading 13-6 and they were driving. One of the kids said, `Coach, they're not going to score this time.' And they didn't.''
One reason for Cooke's optimism is sophomore running back P.J. Moyer. In two years, Moyer has rushed for 1,428 yards. Part of the reason for his success has been a line led by center Philip Buchy, a second-team All-Timesland pick a year ago.
by CNB