ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, September 15, 1996 TAG: 9609170033
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
THE SPARTANS score 17 unanswered points in the second half in an impressive victory over Pulaski County.
Just like the fairy tale in which the princess kisses a frog who becomes Prince Charming, Salem's football team once again became the scourge of Timesland on Saturday.
After one of the Spartans' most painful losses last week, Salem turned on bitter rival Pulaski County to win a non-district game 27-14 before a full house at Salem Stadium.
The score is misleading as the Spartans dominated. An offense that was shut out in the season opener against Brookville gnawed at the Cougars' defense for 418 yards.
Quarterback R.J. Beckwith went from a nervous rookie signal-caller to a veteran in a week's time and threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns.
``After the first game and the week of practice, it turned me all around so that I started to relax,'' Beckwith said. ``I couldn't have done anything without the line, and the receivers ran great routes.''
Defensive back-return specialist Ricky Eubanks, who was Salem's lone star against Brookville, was even better against the Cougars. He made a spectacular touchdown reception, intercepted two passes and set up Salem's last touchdown with a 72-yard punt return to the Cougars 9.
``All it takes is a little inspiration from perspiration,'' said Spartans coach Willis White. ``We went back to the basics and worked really hard to play with emotion. That's what we were lacking last week.
``A young team has to know how it feels. It has to have success to see how great it [emotion] is.''
Pulaski County coach Joel Hicks credited Salem with ruining his team's fast start, which included an upset over Amherst County on Monday.
``I think before the season, they would have been favored,'' Hicks said. ``Then we got a big win and they lost, so we were a favorite. It would have been great to have beaten them, but they've got the better team. We couldn't block them consistently.''
Salem dominated from the start. The Spartans (1-1) didn't score on their first possession, but put Pulaski County (2-1) in a hole when Paul Jackson downed a punt at the 1. On the next play, Craig Hodge fumbled the ball to Salem, setting up a 2-yard touchdown by Matt Anderson.
Hodge atoned quickly, hauling the kickoff back 83 yards for a 7-7 tie. Salem failed to sustain a drive and again punted the Cougars in a hole at their 2. On the third play, though, Hodge broke through the left side on a 97-yard run to give Pulaski County a 14-7 lead.
That might have been enough action for a game, much less a quarter. On the first play of the second quarter, though, Salem tied the score when Beckwith hit Eubanks on a 33-yard pass that will go down as one of the oddest in Timesland this year.
The ball went off the hands of Salem receiver Jeff Akers. As Pulaski County defensive back Ron Branch was ready to intercept, Akers fell into him and Eubanks raced to catch the ball and go untouched to the end zone.
``I just saw the ball pop straight up. So I broke off my route, caught it in the air and ran with it,'' said Eubanks.
The Spartans put away the game in the third quarter. Beckwith connected with John Hancock over the middle for 47 yards to push Salem ahead 21-14.
Near the end of the period, Eubanks returned a punt to the Cougars' 9 with a great block from Bryant Parker. Ryan Brockmeyer made a touchdown-saving tackle for Pulaski County.
After a holding penalty, Beckwith connected with Parker for 13 yards, setting up a 3-yard touchdown run by Chris Stuart with 15 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Spartans' defense took over in the final quarter, though the Cougars got a break when Jamie Rupe blocked a punt and returned it to the Salem 12 with 3:22 left. The Cougars couldn't move, though, and when Hodge was stopped at the 6 on fourth down, Salem had its victory.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 75 linesby CNB