THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 15, 1994 TAG: 9407150733
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HAMPTON LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
Nothing more than pride is on the line when East meets West in the annual Virginia High School Coaches Association all-star game.
But pride swung the game in the closing seconds of the West's 6-0 victory at Darling Stadium Thursday night.
With the East driving for what could have been a game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter, West defensive tackle Eugene Davis and East tight end Ronnie Barnes exchanged trash talk and both were ejected. The sequence of their ejections proved fatal to the East's drive.
Davis went first and the 15-yard personal foul penalty that went with the ejection gave the East first-and-10 from the West 13. But when Barnes was tossed moments later, the East was stuck with first-and-25 from the West 28.
Plus, the East was without one of its primary receivers.
``I was counting on Ronnie,'' said East quarterback Aaron Brooks, who had led a 43-yard drive until the ejections.
Four downs later, Brooks was sacked for a 9-yard loss and the West had survived the threat
It was a game dominated by defensive plays; neither team's offense scored.
The only points came when U.Va.-bound linebacker Anthony Poindexter picked off a Craig Akins pass and zig-zagged 41 yards for a West score midway through the second quarter.
It was the second time in a year that Poindexter had gotten the best of Akins. Poindexter's Jefferson Forest team beat Akins' Matoaca team, 21-14, in the Division 4 state final this past season.
Poindexter probably wouldn't have scored on the return if East defensive end David Turner had been on the field. Turner, who played for Division 5 state champion Norcom High, was a menacing presence throughout the evening. Bound for Butler Junior College in the fall, Turner gave himself a royal sendoff, with four sacks and two other stops for no gains.
``I kind of figured I could beat their jump to the outside,'' said Turner, who lined up in Lawrence Taylor fashion most of the evening and took off into the West backfield.
Poindexter and Turner garnered the respective most valuable player awards for each squad.
There were no real standouts on either side offensively, although East running back Ken Oxendine, who is going to Virginia Tech in the fall, had some quality carries and finished as the game's leading rusher with 54 yards on 12 attempts.
For the West, Stuart Greene had two nice catches of 42 and 41 yards.
It didn't surprise Poindexter that there were some heated words near the end.
``We stayed in the same place (Hampton University dormitories) and have been talking all week,'' he said. ``It was nothing personal.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
D. KEVIN ELLIOTT/Staff
David Turner, who menaced offensive players last season for Norcom,
gets a lift from Tony Morrison after a third-down tackle.
by CNB