Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 18, 1995 TAG: 9511200114
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TODD BEHRENDT SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
DATELINE: WOODBRIDGE LENGTH: Medium
But when Friday night's Group AAA Division 6 playoff game between the Knights and the host C.D. Hylton Bulldogs was through, it was Hylton quarterback Andy Brown - not Jeff Lang - who had used a variety of weapons to lead his team to a 21-0 victory.
Hylton (8-3) advances to play Woodbridge for the Division 6 Northwest Region title at 7:30 p.m. next Friday.
Brown threw for one touchdown - a 19-yard strike that Marcus Farley hauled down in the back of the end zone - and set up a pair of scores with long scrambles that prolonged drives.
``It really kept them off guard,'' Brown said of his rushing ability. ``Anytime something like that happens, you get them confused. They were on their heels. They didn't know what to expect from me.''
``I'm really pleased as his coach,'' Hylton coach Bill Brown said. ``And I'm super proud as his dad.''
Brown completed all four of his passes for 44 yards, and added another 46 yards on the ground.
Lang, meanwhile, struggled to get on track, completing just two of 11 passes for 41 yards. The senior quarterback also had three turnovers, fumbling twice and throwing an interception.
Two of Lang's miscue's translated into Hylton touchdowns. In the first quarter, he coughed up the ball after being sacked from the blind side by defensive end Andy Owen.
``I didn't see anyone,'' a slightly dazed Lang said. ``I just got nailed. They gave a good pass rush all night. We didn't pick it up.''
Owen recovered the loose ball, and seven plays later Byron White beat the Cave Spring defense to the left corner of the end zone for an 8-yard scoring run that gave Hylton a 6-0 lead.
Then, with the Knights trailing 14-0 in the fourth quarter and running out of time, Lang tried to get Cave Spring (7-4) back in the game in a hurry, throwing deep on third-and-four from his 30-yard line. His pass was picked off by Farley, who returned the interception 42 yards to the Cave Spring 18, setting up another touchdown for White.
``We just couldn't keep our momentum going,'' Lang said. ``Every time we got a good play, we'd come right back with a bad play, a fumble or a penalty.''
That certainly seemed to be the case. Lang appeared to be getting on track early in the second half, hitting Billy Frantz for a 37-yard gain that put Cave Spring in Hylton territory for only the second time all evening. But the Knights were called for a clipping penalty on a reverse to Corey Paxton that left them facing second-and-43 from their 24-yard line. They couldn't convert and had to punt.
The Cave Spring defense came up big on the following possession, however, forcing the Bulldogs to go three-and-out. But Frantz mishandled the ensuing punt and Farley recovered the fumble for Hylton.
Hylton's defense also created problems for Cave Spring, holding the Knights to 89 yards of total offense. The Bulldogs were especially stingy during the first half, allowing Cave Spring just 9 yards before halftime.
``They did what we thought they were going to do defensively,'' Lang said. ``We just couldn't close it down.''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
by CNB