Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 9, 1994 TAG: 9411040038
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D-12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: DYKE LENGTH: Medium
P.J. Moyer turned what could have been a devastating turnover into a game-breaking touchdown with an improvisational broken-field run, and the Celtics rolled past Blue Ridge 35-8 in a non-conference football game.
With the victory, Catholic (6-0), the top-ranked team in the Virginia Independent Schools Division I poll, locked up its first winning season since 1968.
The Celtics led throughout, but victory was far from assured until Moyer's sensational run. Catholic took a 21-point lead into the locker room at halftime, then fumbled on its first two possessions of the third quarter. The second fumble led to the only touchdown for Blue Ridge, the state's second-ranked team in Division II.
On its next possession, Catholic had the ball at its 21-yard line when Moyer fumbled a pitch from quarterback Tony Joyce. The ball was kicked backward toward the Celtics' goal line, where Moyer chased it down and picked it up at his 5.
With defenders in pursuit, Moyer reversed his field from left to right, ran a couple of yards into his end zone, then proceeded to head down the right sideline, breaking a couple of tackles on the way to the Blue Ridge end zone with 2 minutes, 44 seconds left in the third quarter.
Officially, it was credited as a 79-yard touchdown run. In reality, Moyer covered approximately 170 yards of the field in his chase for the football, his cross-field run and his jaunt toward the goal line.
The Celtics added a touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 6-yard run by Cameron Blount.
Catholic took a 6-0 lead on Kendall Selfe's 28-yard run in the first quarter. Moyer, who finished with 184 yards rushing, scored on a 5-yard run in the second quarter. Joyce's conversion pass to P.L. Bratton made it 14-0.
Joyce's only other completion was a 37-yard touchdown pass to Demond Clark with 31 seconds left in the second quarter. Amarury Medeiros kicked the extra point to make it 21-0.
Troy Morton led Blue Ridge (3-1) with 112 yards rushing. His 6-yard touchdown run in the third quarter put the Barons on the board.
by CNB