Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 5, 1994 TAG: 9411080027
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: DALEVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Wesley Cox still is a young man, just a high school sophomore, but the Lord Botetourt running back already is a diplomat.
After scoring four touchdowns and three two-point conversions in the Cavaliers' 32-18 homecoming victory over Craig County on Friday night, Cox was handing out game balls - figuratively speaking - to several of his teammates.
``Our line did great,'' Cox said. ``They really opened some holes. And Jeremy Conner opened up the running game with the passes he caught.''
The line did perform remarkably well, and Conner did catch Lord Botetourt's only two pass completions of the game. But Cox clearly was the straw that stirred the drink.
Cox rushed for 243 yards on 29 carries for the Cavaliers (3-6). Cox was involved in nearly 60 percent of Lord Botetourt's 50 offensive plays, and he accumulated nearly 80 percent of the Cavaliers' total offensive yardage (313).
Lord Botetourt led 16-12 at the start of the third quarter, then Cox took control. Cox carried seven consecutive times as Botetourt moved the ball 60 yards for a score. For good measure, Cox added the two-point conversion, and the Cavaliers suddenly had doubled their opponents' score, 24-12.
``Cox is a good find,'' said Andy Ward, Lord Botetourt's coach. ``He's a darter, a slasher. And when he finds a seam, he usually gets 5 or 6 yards, and sometimes a long gain.''
Cox is one of the top rushers in Timesland with more than 1,250 yards.
Craig County, led by quarterback Robbie Huffman's three touchdowns and 134 yards on the ground, hung tough for two quarters. With the loss, the Rockets (4-5) saw their faint playoff hopes evaporate.
In addition to his offensive firepower, Huffman also was a defensive standout for the Rockets. He intercepted a pass, recovered a fumble and made several tackles as a defensive back.
``This was a big win for us,'' Ward said. ``We were coming off two disappointing losses, especially last week's [25-24] loss to [William] Byrd.
``We didn't play as well in the first half tonight as we did in the second. We made a couple of defensive adjustments at halftime.''
Aside from Cox and Huffman, who were involved in every touchdown, the only player from either team to amass significant yardage was Jason Blankenship. The Craig County wingback picked up 81 yards rushing on 14 carries.
In a statistical oddity, neither team punted.
by CNB