Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 8, 1994 TAG: 9410150021
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HILLSVILLE LENGTH: Medium
The Blue Demons piled up 346 yards on the ground against Carroll County and limited the Cavaliers to four first downs.
The combination resulted in a 38-0 victory for Christiansburg in the New River District opener for both teams.
The Blue Demons (3-3 overall, 1-0 district) ran for touchdowns on three of their first four first-half possessions. They marched 99 yards, 71 yards and 60 yards, primarily on the ground.
Each time, Andra Beasley capped the long drive with a short run.
``We had great holes,'' said Beasley, who finished with 216 yards. ``The line did great tonight. They [the defense] were keying on me. But the linemen knew what they had to do and they went out and did it.''
In the second half, it was more of the same for the Christiansburg running attack. Fullback Carl Lawson scored from 4 yards out to finish off a 75-yard drive.
After a fumble recovery by Darren Slusser gave Christiansburg the ball at the Cavaliers' 30, Beasley burst through the middle for his longest run of the night. The touchdown allowed Beasley to pass the 1,000-yard mark for the season.
``They [the linemen] all guaranteed I was going over 1,000 tonight,'' said Beasley, who entered the game with 803 yards rushing. ``I had faith in them and they had faith in me.''
Reserve Jamie Harris closed out the scoring with a 5-yard run in the final minute.
Meanwhile, Carroll County (1-5, 0-1) marched no where. Its deepest penetration - the Christiansburg 32 - came on the last play of the game. Its 11 possessions ended in seven punts, three fumbles - recovered by the Demons' Slusser, Sam Lucas and David Epperly - and with time expiring at the end of the game.
``I think in the first half our defense played well but we just couldn't get anything going offensively,'' Carroll County coach Dave Haynie said. ``Our defense was on the field for the whole half. And it was about the same in the second half.''
Carroll County ran just 31 offensive plays, compared to 65 for the Blue Demons.
Linebacker Slusser believed Christiansburg's preparation played a key role in stopping the Cavaliers.
``We practiced against their offense all week and we practiced really hard at stopping them,'' Slusser said. ``That's about all it was.''
Christiansburg coach Mike Cole concurred.
``We had a good week of practice,'' Cole said. ``Then something happened Wednesday. I don't know what it was. But we got ready to play a little better than we have been defensively.''
Carroll County managed just 11 yards rushing. Barry Stockner, the team's leading rusher with 347 yards, injured his right knee in the first quarter and did not return, contributing to the lack of a running game.
by CNB