ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, October 12, 1996 TAG: 9610150031
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: WADE KENDRICK STAFF WRITER
NORTHSIDE SITS ATOP the Blue Ridge District standings after another dramatic victory.
Most people know them as the Vikings, but to the Northside fans they are becoming the ``Heartbreak Kids.''
John Doss' 7-yard touchdown run in overtime gave the Vikings a 6-0 victory over Rockbridge County on Friday night in a football game the Vikings were very fortunate to win.
For Northside, it was a third consecutive victory against a Blue Ridge District opponent in a game that wasn't decided until the final play. Coupled with Salem's loss to William Byrd, it also moved the Vikings (4-2 overall, 3-0 district) into sole possession of first place and set up a showdown Oct.18 at Salem Stadium.
``This is the third week in a row it's gone right down to the wire,'' said Jim Hickam, Northside's coach. ``This was probably our ugliest effort to date, except for the game at Liberty. We kept shooting ourselves in the foot. We were moving the ball up and down the field, but penalties and fumbles kept hurting us. We weren't firing on eight cylinders.''
Penalties may have hurt the Vikings, but they devastated Rockbridge County.
For the first 47 minutes of the game, the Wildcats (3-3, 2-1) were not penalized. However, in the final minute of regulation, Rockbridge County committed two penalties.
The Wildcats' John McCoy intercepted a pass by Northside quarterback Xavier Lee at the Vikings' 30 and returned it 29 yards to the 1 with less than a minute to play. But a clipping penalty at the 8-yard line moved the ball back to the Northside 23.
From there, Rockbridge County quarterback Travis Clark, Timesland's leading passer, tossed a screen to Clay Hobson for 13 yards to the 10. The Wildcats called time out with three seconds remaining to set up a 27-yard field-goal attempt by Kevin Kleinchester.
Before the timeout was granted, however, Rockbridge County coach Jamie Talbott was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct for being too far onto the field. The flag moved the ball back to the 25 and out of Kleinchester's range. Clark's pass on the final play of regulation was batted down by Lee at the goal line.
``I take responsibility for losing the football game,'' Talbott said. ``I was on the field too far. It was a good call.''
Rockbridge County got the first possession in overtime and quickly found itself in a hole when Clark was sacked for an 8-yard loss on first down by Shannon Ragland and ``Loopie'' Lewis.
Clark then threw two incompletions before Kleinchester's 35-yard field-goal attempt fell short.
see microfilm for box score
LENGTH: Medium: 58 linesby CNB