Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 1, 1994 TAG: 9410220036
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JIMMY ROBERTSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Spartans, winless this season and losers of their last five in 1993, put an end to their skid in convincing fashion with a 42-0 whipping of the Alleghany Mountaineers in a Blue Ridge District game at Salem Stadium.
The win was also a milestone for Salem coach Willis White, who won the 150th game of his career.
"That's what they tell me," White said of the accomplishment. "I didn't even think about it, to be honest. I just wanted to win one."
And Salem (1-3, 1-0) wasted no time. After holding Alleghany to three downs and out on the Mountaineers' first possession, the Spartans sent the ever-dangerous Mike Murphy back to receive the punt. Murphy took the kick and raced 79 yards untouched down the left sideline for the touchdown. Lee Updike made the extra point and the Spartans led 7-0.
"I was trying to catch it [the punt] on the fly, but I saw it was going to bounce and I was afraid it would take a bad hop," Murphy said. "When I looked up, there was a wall set up to my left and it was wide open."
Murphy, who rushed for 107 yards on 18 carries, struck again in the second quarter. He scored on a 2-yard run with less than eight minutes to go, finishing off a seven-play, 47-yard drive. But the big play was a 25-yard run during which Alleghany had him stopped, but Murphy reversed his field, picked up a block, and ran to the 2-yard line.
"One guy actually had my ankle, but I spun out of it and went back to the right," Murphy said. "I picked up a great block on the corner from Matt Hyatt and that sprung me."
On Alleghany's next possession, Oliver Jordan fumbled a reverse from quarterback Chris Morris to give Salem possession at the Alleghany 33. Salem quarterback Seth Moore hit Aaron Coffey with a pass on the next play for a 33-yard touchdown and a commanding 20-0 lead. Coffey finished 5-of-8 passing for 73 yards and, more importantly, no interceptions.
"I'm starting to get into a groove now," Moore said. "I feel more comfortable with my reads than I did earlier in the year. We know we're a good team and that we've got the talent. We just need to execute."
Jordan's fumble was one of many Mountaineer mistakes. Alleghany (2-3, 0-1) lost three fumbles, threw an interception that was returned 48 yards for a touchdown, had two punts blocked, and saw three drives into Salem territory in the first half stall, including one that ended at the Salem 19 after Morris fumbled. For the game, Alleghany finished with 93 yards of offense.
"Our defense and special teams played great," White said. "I told our guys that our season began tonight because the state playoffs are really based more on district play. We just haven't had the same lineup two weeks in a row all season, but hopefully we can get it going."
Salem star linebacker Charlie Hammersley went down in the second quarter with a knee injury and did not return.
In spite of Hammersley's loss, the Salem defense did not miss a beat in the second half. They stopped Alleghany on a fake punt on the Mountaineers' first possession of the half - they never got past the 50 in the second half - and Salem took over at the Alleghany 35. Two plays later, Murphy bolted 18 yards down the left side for the touchdown. The conversion pass gave Salem a 28-0 lead and Alleghany never challenged.
see microfilm for box score
by CNB