Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 14, 1995 TAG: 9510150014
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
It was sufficiently scary for Pulaski County football coach Joel Hicks to see his team play Salem on Friday the 13th.
Then Hicks had to coach the game with his sister Carolyn Heltzel from back home in Richwood, W.Va., in the grandstand.
"She doesn't come to see us but about once a year and we usually have terrible luck when she comes,'' Hicks said. "Then she calls on Friday the 13th and says she's coming.''
Whatever spell she brought with her from West Virginia was broken in a misty rain as the Cougars prevailed 16-13 in the continuation of a rivalry that seems to improve every year.
Salem quarterback Seth Moore capped a busy evening by scoring a 6-yard touchdown to bring the Spartans, the No.4 team in the Group AA poll, to within three points with 6 minutes, 16 seconds left. But Dan Baker missed the conversion kick and the Spartans (5-1) never saw the ball again.
Boosted by a face mask infraction on third down, Pulaski County (4-2) kept its last march alive and was inside the Salem 10 before Branch turned and kneeled on the last two plays.
``We had them stopped, too,'' Salem coach Willis White said. "But then we had that face mask penalty.''
Moore kept things interesting by going 10-for-28 for 155 yards and a touchdown, but Salem couldn't stop the Cougars when it had to. The entire Pulaski County attack amounted to 277 yards on the ground, 161 of that from quarterback Ron Branch.
"He's quick, isn't he?'' White said. "We worked all week on holding on to him and I can't believe we turned him loose the very first play.''
And that play turned into a 55-yard scoring scoot.
The Cougars got flagged for an unsportsmanlike penalty that tacked 15 yards onto the conversion kick and Graham pulled it wide left.
That was just the start of a riveting first half played amid intermittent showers. Salem came out throwing.
"We knew we'd have to,'' White said. "Pulaski County is good up front.''
Moore heaved it 20 times in the first 24 minutes, completing seven of them including a pretty 15-yarder to Ricky Eubanks for a go-ahead touchdown with 8:42 left in the half.
Down 6-0, Moore had put Timesland's top-ranked team in business when he intercepted a Branch pass on a crossing pattern and returned it down the left sideline to the Cougars' 18. A play later, Moore lasered a delivery to Eubanks, who evaded the defender by sidestepping to his inside and covering the last 7 yards into the end zone untouched.
Pulaski County, unranked in the AAA poll but fifth in Timesland, returned the favor when Ryan Brockmeyer swiped a Moore pass and returned it 27 yards to the Salem 29. Three running plays didn't gain a first down, but Shayne Graham put his muscular right leg into a 37-yard field goal as the Cougars regained the lead with 4:19 left, 9-7.
Branch ended with 105 yards on seven carries in the first half, but he also had two turnovers in the form of a fumble and interception.
"That made me mad,'' he said.
Another Pulaski County interception by Derrick Hunter late in the second quarter was returned for a long touchdown, but that was nullified by a pass interference infraction.
Pulaski County opened the second half by driving 55 yards for a 1-yard Jawan Clark touchdown, but the Cougars could never shake loose. Salem stayed in the game long enough to mount the last drive to draw within three.
``Salem had a good plan and they never gave up,'' Hicks said.
Wideout Brent Humphrey led the Spartans with five catches for 58 yards. Eubanks added four for 63 and tight end Jeff Akers tacked on 34 yards on three snags.
"We dropped a lot, too,'' White said.
One of them, by Akers, appeared to be a sure TD on the Spartans' second drive. That advance stalled on the Pulaski 10 after cornerback J.R. Brown broke up a pass for Eubanks in the end zone on fourth down.
"Another good, hard-hitting, clean game with them,'' White said. "We had our chances.''
see microfilm for box score
by CNB