Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 24, 1994 TAG: 9409280037
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By MIKE ASHLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PEARISBURG LENGTH: Medium
The bad news was Milton, Timesland's leading rusher with a 189 yards-per-game average, did that meager damage in the first 18 minutes of play and helped spark the undefeated Spartans to a 49-13 Three Rivers District win over the Eagles.
With Matt Whitehead rushing for 66 yards and three touchdowns, Milton could afford to take it easy. Milton's completions (in two attempts) were good for 79 yards and sparked the Spartans (2-0 district, 4-0 overall) to the rout.
His 27-yard pass to Mart Farrier on Giles' first drive set up his own 1-yard run to begin the scoring with nine minutes, 56 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Less than four minutes later, Whitehead added the first of his scores and a two-point conversion attempt to give the Spartans a 16-0 lead. Giles' place-kicker, Maurice Milton, the brother of Raypheal, did not kick due to an injury.
Later in the first quarter, Milton connected with Chris Ratcliffe for a 52-yard completion that pushed Milton's career passing yardage to the 2,001-yard mark, a remarkable feat for a passer in the run-dominated single wing.
``Throwing for 2,000 yards means a lot, but it's not something I thought about at all,'' said Milton. ''I was just glad we got the youngers guy in and got them a chance to play. All I think about is helping the team win.''
``We're capable of throwing the ball 20 or 30 times a game if we wanted to, '' said Giles coach Steve Ragsdale. ``When you've got a passer like Raypheal and receivers who can catch like we have, you've got a lot of capabilities.''
Auburn (0-1, 0-3) didn't have the same capabilities against the battle-tested Spartans - at least not until the second half. Leading 36-0 at the intermission, Giles played substitutes the final 30 minutes and allowed the Eagle offense to become airborne.
Quarterback Jeremy Akers, who was sacked hard twice in the first half and completed only one pass - a deflection to center Devan Howard - found more time in the later going, connecting on 10 of 14 second-half attempts for 172 yards and two touchdowns.
The Eagles, who gained only 15 total yards in the first 24 minutes, scored two third-quarter touchdowns. Akers hit tight end Terry Millirons for 52 yards on the final play of the third quarter to make the score 42-13.
``I'm proud of our kids and what they did in the second half,'' said Auburn coach Steve Wright. ``We were as prepared as we could be in the first half, but we just didn't execute. The kind of team we played tonight is the kind of team we aspire to be.''
The Spartans added one more score on the first play of the fourth quarter as Ratcliffe rumbled 65 yards for a touchdown. Ratcliffe, who led all rushers with 97 yards, also had a 14-yard scoring burst in the second quarter.
Giles rolled up 335 yards on the ground, including 78 by Shawn Vincent, who peeled off a 65-yard run in the fourth quarter. Kenny Wojciechowski led Auburn with 12 carries for 65 yards, including a 30-yard run in the third period to set up Auburn's first score.
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB