ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, October 26, 1996 TAG: 9610280136
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
TYPE: ROUNDUP
SOURCE: FROM STAFF REPORTS
Staunton River virtually locked up the first VHSL playoff berth in school history with a resounding 43-14 victory over visiting Rustburg in a Seminole District game Friday night.
Jarrett Ferguson and Kevin Martin spearheaded a massive ground offensive that propelled the Golden Eagles in Moneta. Ferguson gained 202 yards on 10 carries and Martin had 161 on 14 rushes, with each scoring three touchdowns.
Staunton River (8-1 overall, 4-1 district), which has one game remaining at Appomattox on Nov.8, rolled up 449 yards of total offense - 419 on the ground.
Rustburg (2-6, 0-4) fumbled five times. Staunton River recovered three and turned them into two touchdowns.
The Golden Eagles led 34-7 at halftime. That was enough time for Martin to score on runs of 49, 19 and 1 yards and for Ferguson to score 19- and 71-yard runs.
Martin and Ferguson accounted for all of the Golden Eagles' points until defensive end Adam Ayers tackled Rustburg quarterback Matt Sales in the end zone for a safety.
In other games Friday night:
Grayson County 29, Fort Chiswell 26: Mark Jankowske kicked a 29-yard field goal with no time remaining to cap a come-from-behind victory that wrapped up the Mountain Empire District championship for the Blue Devils.
Grayson County (5-2, 5-0) scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter to take a 26-20 lead, but Fort Chiswell (2-6, 1-2) scored with 48 seconds left on Nathan Houchins' 7-yard run. The Pioneers missed the conversion, however, and the Blue Devils cashed in a final chance to win.
After Grayson County moved down inside the Fort Chiswell 30, a pass-interference penalty with no time remaining was called on the Pioneers. Grayson set up at the 12 and Jankowske's kick from the 19 was good.
The victory spoiled a great individual night for Fort Chiswell's Phillip Russell, who scored on an 84-yard run, returned an interception 60 yards for a score and ran back a fumble 62 yards for a touchdown as the Pioneers took a 20-7 halftime lead.
Grayson County's Robbie Phelps ran for one touchdown and threw for another.
Giles 42, James Monroe (W.Va.) 19: Running back Shaun Vaught went into uncharted territory to keep Giles (9-0) in familiar territory atop the Associated Press' Group A poll.
Vaught, a junior, carried 20 times for 219 yards - his first 200-yard performance - and had five touchdowns as the Spartans beat the Mavericks (7-2) in Pearisburg.
Magna Vista 31, Patrick County 6: Junior Travis Preston rushed for 187 yards on 17 carries as the Warriors, ranked No.1 in the Associated Press' Group AA poll, won a Piedmont District matchup with the Cougars in Ridgeway.
Preston scored on runs of 4, 5 and 3 yards. He also rushed for two two-point conversions. Ronticus Hairston scored the only other Warriors touchdown, on a 1-yard run in the third quarter. Ceron Penn rushed for 80 yards on eight carries.
Magna Vista (8-0, 3-0) owned a 16-6 halftime advantage and shut out the Cougars (1-7, 1-3) in the second half.
Junior Penn scored Patrick County's touchdown, on a 35-yard run in the second quarter. He rushed 21 times for 151 yards.
Bassett 53, Laurel Park 0: The Bengals amassed 523 rushing yards in a Piedmont District whitewashing of the Lancers in Bassett.
Carl Watkins ran for 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns, Chauncey Norman picked up 82 yards and two touchdowns and Corie Manns had 93 yards and a touchdown for Bassett (6-3, 3-1), which had 618 total yards.
The Bengals also got a strong defensive effort, allowing Laurel Park (1-7, 0-3) to penetrate only as far as the 35-yard line, and then only once, in the game.
Chilhowie 34, Galax 0: The Warriors rolled to 327 yards of total offense in the non-district victory over the Maroon Tide in Galax.
Chilhowie (7-1) was led by Charlie Goble's 151 yards on 17 carries. Galax (1-7) was paced by Chris Lineberry's 116 yards on 22 rushes.
Bland County 36, Auburn 8: The Bears took an early lead and breezed to a non-district victory in Riner.
Bland County (6-3) amassed 322 yards of total offense, led by Keith Bourne's 93 yards on 10 carries. Auburn (5-4) managed only 180 yards, paced by William Shelton's 71 yards on 16 carries.
Brookville 42, Liberty 21: For the first time this season, the Bees were outdone on special teams, but it wasn't enough for the Minutemen, who fell in a Seminole District battle in Lynchburg.
Joey Tice blocked a punt at the Brookville 4 to set up Liberty's first touchdown, and the Minutemen's Gerry Staples returned the second-half kickoff 96 yards to the 4 to set up a touchdown.
Otherwise, the Bees (7-1, 3-1) controlled the game. Staples led Liberty (4-5, 2-3) with 53 yards on 18 carries.
Parry McCluer 14, Covington 7: Daniel Clark scored with 2:46 to go as the Fighting Blues downed the Cougars to stay on top in the Pioneer District.
Covington (1-7, 1-2) opened the scoring with a 3-yard run by William Stewart in the first quarter, but Parry McCluer tied it on Robert Snider's 4-yard run with 57 seconds left in the half. The Cougars fumbled twice on key drives, the first late in the first quarter and another late in the fourth, before Clark's 4-yard scamper sealed the victory for the Fighting Blues.
Snider finished with 133 yards on 19 carries for Parry McCluer (6-2, 2-0).
Brett May rushed for 116 yards on 22 carries for Covington.
Salem 51, Alleghany 0: Chris Stuart led the way as the Spartans (6-2, 4-2) crushed the visiting Mountaineers (1-7, 0-5) for a homecoming victory in the Blue Ridge District.
Stuart rushed for 74 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries for the Spartans. He scored on runs of 30, 15 and 10 yards. Brandon Poff, Dennis Haley, R.J. Beckwith and Gussie Vaughn each rushed for a touchdown.
Buffalo Gap 36, Bath County 29: Sophomore quarterback Rob Shirley passed for 292 yards and four touchdowns as the Bison won a non-district game in Swope.
Shirley hooked up with his favorite target, tight end Daniel Moore, for all four touchdown passes - covering 71, 26, 37 and 32 yards - as Buffalo Gap (4-4) exploited the Bath County secondary. Shirley also completed a pair of two-point conversion passes.
The Chargers (5-3) relied on their running game to stay close. Brandon Woodard carried 29 times for 212 yards and two touchdowns for the Chargers.
Floyd County 47, Craig County 0: The Buffaloes rolled up 461 yards of total offense and held the Rockets to 38 in a non-district rout in New Castle.
Nick Wohn rushed for three touchdowns and 177 yards on 11 carries for Floyd County (6-2). Quarterback Tony Erchull completed seven of eight passes for 94 yards, ran for one touchdown and passed for one.
Glenvar 20, Radford 14: The Highlanders capitalized on numerous Bobcats turnovers in a Three Rivers District victory in Radford.
The Bobcats failed to connect on a fourth-down pass with 39 seconds left in the game to seal their fate.
Glenvar (3-5, 2-3) was led by Lynward Twine's 122 yards on 23 carries. Marlon Wesley paced Radford (4-4, 1-2) with 105 yards on 20 rushes.
James River 53, Shawsville 7: The Knights (4-4) ground down the Shawnees (3-5) in a non-district matchup in Shawsville.
James River had 389 yards rushing on 48 carries. The Shawnees, meanwhile, had 21 yards on 18 carries.
Brian LeFlore led the Knights with 124 yards and two touchdowns.
Quarterback Chris Graham accounted for most of Shawsville's offense, completing 16 of 26 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown.
Rural Retreat 35, Northwood 6: The Indians dominated both sides of the ball in a Hogoheegee District victory over the Panthers in Rural Retreat.
Rural Retreat (6-2, 4-1) was led by Gene Fields, who ran for 153 yards on 22 carries. The Indians' offense rolled up 395 yards to Northwood's 98.
William Byrd 14, Christiansburg 7: Quarterback Frank English rushed for 141 yards and scored both touchdowns as the Terriers won their third in a row, beating the Blue Demons in a Blue Ridge District game in Vinton.
Byrd (5-3, 3-2) had to withstand a furious fourth-quarter Christiansburg rally. Sophomore quarterback Lance Reynolds, making his first start for the Demons, completed 15 of 25 passes for 183 yards and a 4-yard touchdown to John Hindle with 3:10 left in the game. Matt Wright's kick made it 14-7.
Christiansburg (3-5, 1-4) got the ball back and had a chance to score, which the Demons appeared to do on a 44-yard completion from Reynolds to Hindle, but the play was called back because of an offsides penalty. The Terriers then held.
English scored on a 78-yard run in second quarter and added a 39-yard touchdown run in the fourth.
Martinsville 21, Fieldale-Collinsville 13: Manti Venable rushed for three touchdowns, all in the first half, as the Bulldogs built a 21-point lead and held off the Cavaliers in a Piedmont District game in Martinsville.
Venable, who carried 24 times for 162 yards, scored in the first quarter on runs of 24 yards and 1 yard and added a 33-yard scoring run in the second as Martinsville (7-1, 2-1) built a 21-0 halftime lead.
Dante Martin scored on a 6-yard run in the third for Fieldale-Collinsville (4-4, 1-2) and David Franklin scored on a 3-yard run on the last play of the game.
George Wythe 25, John Battle 22: The Maroons won for the second consecutive week, downing Hogoheegee District rival John Battle in Wytheville.
Quarterback Bubba Collins rushed 11 times for 228 yards and had a touchdown pass to Robbie Branson for Wythe (2-7, 2-3).
The Maroons then held off the Trojans (2-6, 1-3), who scored 15 consecutive points in the second half.
Brad Loudy got John Battle back into the game with touchdown passes of 70 and 32 yards. He completed seven of 18 passes for 177 yards. The Trojans, however, managed only one first down in the last 8:54 of the game.
see microfilm for box score
LENGTH: Long : 187 lines KEYWORDS: FOOTBALLby CNB