Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 28, 1995 TAG: 9510300094
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
On a soggy Friday night at Cave Spring Junior High, the Knights beat a Group AAA team for the third time this year, hanging on to beat William Fleming 10-7 in a Roanoke Valley District game.
``We come down to the wire a lot,'' Cave Spring coach Steve Spangler said. ``The kids deserve to be in the win column. They just play their hearts out and give 100 percent.''
As happy as Spangler was, Fleming coach George Miller was heartbroken.
``For the most part, we weren't opportunists,'' Miller said. ``I have to commend Cave Spring for their effort. They play you from beginning to end.''
The scoring was over long before halftime. The drama was saved until the final minute.
Cave Spring (7-1 overall, 2-1 district) took a 3-0 lead on Jud Poulter's 36-yard field goal less than four minutes into the game. It followed a 37-yard run by Robert Hale, who broke a tackle behind the line and was hauled down by Fleming's Richard Wilson at the Colonel 23.
Fleming (3-5, 0-2) came right back, marching 74 yards. Sophomore running back Lee Suggs went untouched for a 35-yard touchdown to put the Colonels ahead 7-3.
Suggs rushed for 135 yards on 25 carries. Good as it was, he was 34 yards under his average. His touchdown run also was the last time he escaped the Knights' clutches.
``The coaches told us all week, to wrap up, grab cloth,'' Cave Spring defensive lineman Mike Mitchem said of Suggs. ``If we couldn't bring him down, hold on until someone else gets there.''
Less than a minute into the second quarter, the Knights had the winning points. Quarterback Jeff Lang hit wide receiver Nathan Manning on a 35-yard touchdown pass two plays after a bad snap put Cave Spring on the Colonels' 39.
While Suggs was contained, Fleming got chances thanks to its defense. First, the Colonels' Derrick Ruben picked off a Lang pass on the Fleming 20 and had a clear path to the end zone.
Unfortunately, Ruben, a 215-pound nose guard , lost a foot race to 170-pound running back Jason Fox, who hauled him down at the Knight 9.
``I figured if I kept hustling, I could catch up to him him,'' Fox said. ``I turned around and saw him juggling the football [on the interception], so I got a good jump.''
Lang thought the play would go for a Cave Spring touchdown.
``I had my tight end wide open,'' Lang said. ``But their guy wasn't blocked. I tried to loft it over him. He tipped it and came down with it somehow.''
A 16-yard penalty and three plays for 12 yards left the Colonels with a field-goal attempt. But the Knights' Jon Guilliams blocked Garrett Lancaster's 30-yard attempt.
``Many teams would have just folded [in this situation],'' Spangler said. ``This team will never fold. It will never quit. They'll keep coming at you.''
Fleming had another great chance in the closing seconds. Taking over on the Knights' 40 after a Cave Spring punt from deep in its territory, Fleming picked up a first down on the 12 with 1:06 and no timeouts left.
The Colonels tried a halfback pass from Suggs, who had Eric Jackson open in the end zone. But Lang knocked the ball away for what could have been a winning touchdown for the Colonels.
``At first, I started coming up,'' Lang said. ``Then I saw [Suggs] square up and realized he was going to throw. I knew I'd get my hands on it.''
After Fleming's Jackson slipped on a screen pass that might have scored, the Colonels attempted a field goal. Lancaster's effort from the 20 was far short.
NOTE: Please see micorfilm for score.
by CNB