Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 24, 1994 TAG: 9411040015
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JIMMY ROBERTSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Instead of running east and west, East spent most of the second half running north, south, around, through and over the top of the Floyd County defense en route to 189 yards and two touchdowns as Glenvar came from behind to defeat visiting Floyd County 15-7 in a non-district game.
While the Highlanders (2-1) looked ragged in the first half, they stormed back in the second, thanks mainly to East, who rushed for 155 of his yards after halftime.
``I needed to prove something to myself and my teammates,'' East said. ``I fumbled twice last week [against William Byrd] and that's what lost the game for us. I'm just glad my teammates did not lose confidence in my, especially my offensive line."
Trailing 7-0 at halftime, the Highlanders' defense held Floyd on the Buffaloes' first possession of the second half and the offense took over at the Glenvar 46. Three plays later, East took the pitch and bolted 49 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown. The Highlanders missed the extra point and Glenvar trailed 7-6.
The Highlander defense stiffened again on the Buffaloes next offensive possession forcing a Floyd punt and giving the offense the ball at the Glenvar 29. The Highlanders drove to the Floyd 43 before being faced with a fourth down and 3. Glenvar head coach Brian Hooker wasted no time in going for the first down, calling an option play - something Floyd had not seen all night - and East rambled down the left sideline 43 yards for his second touchdown.
``Our mind-set going into the second half was to do whatever it took to win,'' Hooker said of the decision. ``That was a play we ran last year against them and it really was not too successful, but we decided to go back to it and surprise them.''
The Glenvar defense also gets credit for the win. Floyd ran nine plays for a total of 21 yards in the third quarter and forced the Buffaloes to punt three times. The third one gave Glenvar the ball at its own 44 and a six-play, 42-yard drive culminated in a 28-yard field goal by sophomore Brian Eads to give the Highlanders a 15-7 lead.
The Buffaloes (2-2) actually controlled the first half. They held the ball for 15 minutes behind the running of Jamie Warren, who finished with 109 yards on 21 carries, but could only muster seven points. Floyd County scored on a 61-yard touchdown pass from Dwayne Hale to Jason Pratt with 44 seconds left in the half.
``We were really upset at the mental mistakes that we made in the first half,'' Hooker said. ``We missed a block on fourth and one in their territory and that cost us. Then, we let that guy [Pratt] get behind us with time running out. I'm proud, though, of the way that we came back.''
Floyd had one chance to close the gap and that was on its last drive. The Buffaloes drove to the Glenvar 39, and on the eighth play of the drive, Warren took the pitch from Pratt and threw to a wide-open receiver. Glenvar's Troy Henderson, however, managed to get a hand on the pass and bat it away at the last second. On fourth down, Pratt was sacked and Glenvar escaped with a win to improve its chances of a wild-card playoff berth
``I know it's a cliche, but we can only take one game at a time,'' Hooker said. ``Our goal is to win the Pioneer District and clinch a spot that way. This win will definitely help, though, down the road if we need that wild-card spot.''
see microfilm for box score
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB