Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, October 7, 1994                   TAG: 9410100021
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-12   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PEARISBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

BRANDON STEELE ON AUTO-PILOT DID WHAT WAS NEEDED FOR GILES

Not that the Giles High junior doesn't have a good one (just ask his teachers), but there was some stuff over which he had no control.

One was the idea that he didn't have it in him to play an entire football game, both offense and defense.

In a way, you can understand. All he did all summer was ride a bike as he recovered from June knee surgery. The first week of football practice, when the team dressed in shorts, he missed. The second week of football practice, when the pads went on, he missed.

What little practice he had, they still put him in the game the first time the Spartans took the field.

All he could manage was some defense (in Steele's case, that amounts to a whole lot) and maybe a play or two on offense. Same the next game.

``I'd get to halftime and wonder how I was ever going to make it through the second half,'' he said. ``It was mainly mental.''

The excuses ran out last week.

``That's when I was informed that I`d be playing the whole game on offense and defense,'' he said. ``Something clicked. If I was going to go the whole game, then I was going to go all out.''

All out he went as Giles whacked Christiansburg 38-22. Steele's contributions: 14 tackles including eight solos as a linebacker and a pile of blocks as an offensive tackle in the Spartans' single-wing offense. Thirteen of the blocks knocked defenders off their feet.

The defense helped hold high-powered Blue Demons running back Andra Beasley to 45 yards rushing. He came in averaging over 10 yards per carry.

``That's something,'' Giles coach Steve Ragsdale said. ``Beasley is scary.''

As for Steele's blocking, that helped spring tailback Raypheal Milton for 383 yards total offense (289 rushing) and four touchdowns.

``I felt better in that game than I have all season,'' Steele said.

In sharp contrast to the way he felt the previous week in a rout of Auburn.

``I played awful in that game,'' he said. ``I think I was still in the rebelling stage that I had to play on the offensive line.''

Don't misunderstand that he's opposed to blocking.

``I just prefer to block from the backfield,'' he said.

Steele played in the backfield against Narrows and he was a fearsome sight at fullback, all 235 pounds of him.

``Coach Ragsdale has told me that my destiny is not on the line and I'm going to hold him to that,'' Steele said.

Many more nights for Steele at tackle like last week, and Ragsdale might be forced to go back on his word.

Other performances of note:

Pulaski County's Derrick Hunter had 102 yards rushing in a 20-3 victory over Heritage.

Floyd County's Jamie Warren rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-10 victory over Shawsville.

Narrows' Brandon Hollie rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-22 victory over Grayson County.