Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 23, 1994 TAG: 9409230117
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-11 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Ray Cox
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
This was serious, frightening, inspiring, and a whole lot of fun all at once.
And the nightmares persisted into the week.
There was Narrows middle linebacker Scott Vaught, veiled in a eerie dreamland glow, all sickly chartreuse and dull gold, pursuing his terrified quarry without cease.
Believe me, it was a scary sight. Especially when it dawned on me that there was no escape. Fortunately, I awoke out in the hall before being moved to leap to a horrible fate two stories below.
Then there was Milton kid from Giles, Raypheal by name, pelting his helpless victim (me) with footballs hurled like projectiles. Next thing I knew, I was sitting up in bed checking my chest for holes where I was certain these deadly missiles had struck.
Then there was the 245-pound fullback for Giles, Brandon Steele, pressed into service because of Maurice Milton's sprained ankle. A virtual one-man stampede was big Brandon. In my horrible nighttime reveries, I could almost feel the cleats imbedding into my back as he thundered over me.
At length, calm was restored because, it must be confessed, reality is more jarring than fantasy.
``It was,'' Narrows coach Don Lowe said, ``the most physical football game I have been associated with in a long, long time.''
Added Steve Ragsdale, his counterpart: ``On any given play, there were 22 guys out there getting after it.''
Lessons learned here will carry far beyond that warm night in Narrows, for both teams.
Narrows is very good, as it found out that night. The Green Wave possibly - no probably - won't lose again this regular season. The defense, particularly the front anchored by linemen Brian Ballard, Jason Buckland, and Vaught in the middle, is ultra stout. The offense is coming and is going to get better as first-year starter Bryan Pruett improves at quarterback, as surely he will. Pruett has a good arm and a cool head and he'll do fine.
As much as anything else, Narrows knows it could have won the game with Giles. When you have a chance to beat the defending state champs, you have to like what you see when you gaze in the mirror of a morning.
The game was defining one for Giles, too, because it stared down the unnerving stuff and didn't flinch.
Giles has had all kinds of problems this year, what with rebuilding its lines on both sides of the ball and enduring injury after injury.
The Spartans may be in as good a physical shape as they've been in all year and still they're banged up. Good news arrived this week on split end Anthony Myers, the go-to guy in the aerial game who made some great snags then bruised a knee against Narrows.
He'll be back this week or next, which looked to be almost impossible on first examination a week ago. Maurice Milton could be back today against Auburn. Steele is gutting out some fingers that have ligament damage after being pulled and bent in unnatural positions.
Yet Giles has found a way to win, which is the defining trait of any great club. Recall that the Spartans went 14-0 and won the state when Raypheal Milton was a one or two play a game guy because of injuries.
Sure, somebody like the graduated Peter Janney stepped in and more than took up the offensive slack. Some would say that shows the type of depth Giles has.
Perhaps they should be talking about the heart.
Ray Cox is a Roanoke Times & World-News sportswriter.
by CNB