Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 12, 1994 TAG: 9411170038
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DWIGHT FOXX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Patriots scored 28 consecutive points in the second and third quarters and clinched a spot in next week's Group AAA Division 6 playoffs with a 35-7 victory over Stuart's Colonels in a Roanoke Valley District matchup at Victory Stadium.
Patrick Henry will visit Gar-Field or Woodbridge when postseason play begins Nov.18.
The Patriots (7-3 overall, 3-1 in the district) snapped a 7-7 tie in the second quarter, thanks to the running of fullbacks Dan Ankoma and Kevin Washington. Ankoma capped a nine-play, 80-yard drive with a 7-yard run off left guard 53 seconds into the period to give his team a 13-7 lead. The extra-point attempt failed.
Patrick Henry defensive ends Chris Combs and Marty Brown gave the ball back to the Patriots when they applied tremendous pressure from the outside and forced Colonels quarterback Shannon Wilson to throw before he was ready. Corncribs Enoch Williams intercepted the ball at the William Fleming 22-yard line.
Five plays later, Washington turned the turnover into points when he went 4 yards around left end to stretch PH's lead to 19-7 at the 6-minute, 16-second mark. Williams caught a two-point conversion pass from quarterback Donnie Smith to make it 21-7.
Jamie Price, the Patriots' dazzling return specialist, ended any hopes of a comeback by William Fleming (1-9, 0-4) on the second-half kickoff. PH's Jason Green fielded the kick from Garrett Lancaster at his 12-yard line and returned it to the 21 before fumbling the ball.
Enter the explosive Price. The 5-foot-7 sprinter was trailing the play when he caught the ball on a bounce at the 18 and used his 10.2 speed in the 100 meters to race down the left sideline and score. Smith hit Williams for the two-point conversion as PH took a 29-7 lead 17 seconds into the second half.
Price finished with 100 yards on two kickoff returns.
"I told him to pitch the ball back to me," said Price, who accumulated 189 all-purpose yards. "I thought he was still going to pitch it back when he started running with it. I wasn't going to fall on it; I said [to myself], `This is my senior year, my last year.' Once I got it and started going down the sideline, it was over. "
The game was over, as well. Combs and Brown led a Patriots defense that limited Fleming to 86 yards in the final three quarters and sacked Wilson four times, including 21/2 times by Combs and once by Brown.
"We had trouble with the draw a little [in the first quarter]," said Ed Scott, PH's coach. "Once we started handling that, I felt more comfortable."
Fleming's Stuart admitted he had been thinking about the final game of his nine-year tenure as the Colonels' head coach throughout the week.
"Yeah, this will be my last game," he said. "I'm the athletic director, too, and I don't have time to do both of them. I made up my mind two years ago that this was going to be my last one.
``It [the final game] goes through your mind quite a bit, but you go through things and keep going and working hard. I've enjoyed it [coaching] tremendously; I've been around a few years. I'm just glad I had a chance to work with the fine young men that I had."
see microfilm for box score
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB