Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 17, 1994 TAG: 9409270071
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Namely, Northside is trying to win a Blue Ridge District football title. The Vikings took a giant step toward that goal Friday thanks to the quick feet of Karim Thompson as they thumped Rockbridge County 25-7 in a game between the teams that were ranked 1-2 in preseason polls.
Northside (2-1 overall, 1-0 in the Blue Ridge) dropped down from the Group AAA Roanoke Valley to the Group AA Blue Ridge District in 1988. Since then, the Vikings have finished as high as second, but they have yet to win the title.
Thompson might have given them the shove they needed. He scored three touchdowns and rushed for 158 yards on 10 carries. In the second half, he sauntered 145 yards on six attempts and collected the final two Northside touchdowns on runs of 68 and 58 yards to put away the Wildcats (1-2, 0-1).
If Thompson's offense was great, his defense was better in the first half. The Vikings, nursing a 7-0 lead, stopped Rockbridge County drives on the Northside 13 and 8. On the first series, Thompson made his biggest hit as he sacked Wildcats quarterback Greg Stubblefield for a 2-yard loss on fourth-and-one.
For good measure, Thompson also threw a key block that sprang teammate Darius Henderson on a 34-yard gallop for the only touchdown of the first half.
``Remember he played cornerback as a sophomore and some last year. We decided to use Karim only as a running back because we didn't want to get him hurt,'' Hickam said. ``But we had to put him back on defense because he's so fast and can make things happen.''
Thompson is definite about his goals. As a junior, he became the first back to run for 1,000 yards in a season during Hickam's tenure. He returned this season as one of Timesland's top offensive threats. ``I'd rather play offense,'' Thompson said.
So how did he get open so much in the second half after gaining only 13 yards on four carries before the break?
``We weren't picking up their stunts in the first half. At the half, [volunteer] assistant coach Mark Osborne got with the offensive line and talked about what they needed to do. Their nose guard had lived in our backfield the first half, but they really picked him up in the second half,'' Hickam said.
``The offensive line just opened the holes and I could blow through them,'' Thompson said.
It was very simple after that, except the Vikings also gave up 309 yards of offense to the Wildcats - including 182 through the air.
``I was worried,'' Hickam said. ``But that was the area we knew we'd have to try to get better. We've moved people around five times after tonight's [lineup] to try and come up with the proper mix.''
All the yards were not much consolation for Rockbridge County coach Jamie Talbott.
``I felt we should have scored twice in the first half and been up 14-7,'' Talbott said. ``Then we got down and started missing tackles in the second half.''
Northside takes next week off and won't find out about the Blue Ridge District race until catching Alleghany and Salem - the league's other top challengers - at home the final two weeks of the season.
by CNB