THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 9, 1994 TAG: 9409090779
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
Booker T. Washington capitalized on some early Oscar Smith miscues to race to a 28-0 second-quarter lead, then used the rest of the game to fine-tune its offense.
In doing so, the Bookers, ranked No. 10 in South Hampton Roads, discovered there are still a few screws to turn and belts to tighten.
Booker T. looked unbeatable for 18 minutes.
Then matters became a little ragged, even though a 35-6 final cushion over the winless Tigers might not indicate as much.
``I got the feeling we were looking past Oscar Smith,'' said Bookers coach Larry Stepney, referring to their Eastern District opener next Friday against No. 3 Lake Taylor at Harbor Park. ``If we hadn't had success early, we might have been in a dogfight.''
The Bookers were on the scoreboard before their offense even took the field.
Defensive back Michael Beverly picked up a fumble and returned it 14 yards for a touchdown and Michael Basnight converted the extra point for a 7-0 lead just 2:20 into the game.
Beverly and Basnight then returned to their more natural positions - quarterback and tailback - and led the Bookers on their march to a four-touchdown lead midway through the second quarter.
Basnight, who finished with 141 yards on 19 carries, ran for touchdowns of 5 and 11 yards and Beverly hit Toureh Hines on a 9-yard crossing pattern for another touchdown.
Basnight would later add a 26-yard touchdown romp in the third quarter.
Oscar Smith's lone touchdown came at the end of the first half on a 3-yard run by William Fuller. It capped an 82-yard, nine-play drive that was keyed by a 40-yard run by Shawn Sanderson.
The second half was dominated by the Bookers' attempts to sharpen their passing game. But Beverly had few opportunities to set and throw. He finished with eight straight incompletions, capping the string with an interception.
``He was rushing it,'' Stepney said. ``When he gets comfortable in the pocket and can set himself, he'll tear you up. We'll work on our pass blocking this week.''
As for the run blocking, Basnight had no complaints.
``I've got great confidence in my line,'' he said. ``Nobody's perfect, but they're doing real well.'' ILLUSTRATION: JIM WALKER/Staff
Booker T. Washington's Michael Basnight, left, ran for 141 yards and
three touchdowns on 19 carries Thursday night.
by CNB