Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 19, 1994 TAG: 9411220042
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MIKE ASHLEY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
It seems the Indians have completely erased a 4-6 regular season from their memories and have started anew with Friday night's 41-6 shellacking of Grundy in the first round of the Group AA Division 4 Region IV playoffs.
``We wanted to start all over tonight like we were 0-0,'' said Blacksburg center Tim Schnecker. ``We've been working three times as hard in practice as we have all year and we're coming together.''
And who could argue after Schnecker and friends ground down Grundy (5-6) with 225 yards rushing? The Indians added 117 yards by air and the Blacksburg defense limited the Golden Wave to 139 total yards.
The Indians set the tempo on Grundy's opening series, stopping 1,000-yard rusher Jason Lester cold, stuffing him at the line on first down and throwing him for losses on the next two plays. For the night, Lester would rush 10 times for 8 yards.
Meanwhile, Blacksburg rolled up the yardage, time of possession, first downs and points behind the irresistible LaForce. Junior tailback Tucker LaForce carried 24 times for 180 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown run on the final play of the first quarter to make the score 10-0. That score was set up by Patrick Martin's recovery of a Lester fumble at the Grundy 30-yard line.
LaForce broke open the game midway through the second quarter, busting through the line, shaking three would-be tacklers and dashing 58 yards for a touchdown as Blacksburg went up 17-0 with 5 minutes, 3 seconds to play in the period.
``We're 1-0 now,'' said LaForce, echoing a familiar sideline sentiment in Blacksburg. ``If we'd played like this all year we could be about 9-1 now. A lot of people say we don't deserve to be here [in the playoffs], but I think we've shown we belong.''
Grundy showed flashes of what got the Southwest District team into the playoffs. Thanks to the pass-snatching skills of Jonathan Keen, the Golden Wave roared 63 yards in seven plays to cut the Indians' lead to 17-6 with 2:17 left in the first half. Keen tucked away two 23-yard completions from quarterback Tommy Crigger during the drive, the last, a 5-yard out that Keen turned into a 23-yard scoring play.
Any momentum Grundy might have been building, though, broke when Indian quarterback Greg Shockley smartly drove Blacksburg 67 yards in 2:02 to set up Steve Cherry's 25-yard field goal with seven seconds left before halftime. Grundy never recovered from the 14-point halftime deficit, running only 12 plays in a disastrous third quarter.
see microfilm for box score
by CNB