THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 24, 1994 TAG: 9411220247
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 29 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Sports
SOURCE: Denise Michaux
LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
When they met earlier in the season, the York Falcons did something you just don't ever want to do against Nansemond River.
They got behind.
The Warriors put them in a 14-0 hole quickly and York wasresigned to playing catch-up the rest of the way.
The result was a 35-14 victory for Nansemond River.
When the Falcons travel to Arrowhead Stadium for the Group AA, Region I, Division 4 finals Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m., they have but one goal.
``Do everything better than we did the last time,'' York head coach Bob Pearce said.
``They are a big play team and they have a lot of threats to score anywhere on the field,'' Pearce added.
The Falcons (8-3) were able to put together two 10- and 12-play drives against the Warriors (10-1) and Nansemond River coach Jerry Varacallo said that can't happen again.
``We can't let them put 10-, 12- and 14-play drives,'' Varacallo said. ``They have the best quarterback in the league (Bay Rivers offensive player of the year Brian Ginn), one of the top receivers (Je'cisken Ramsey) and one of the leading rushers (Joe Johnson) and then you have to turn around and worry about their defense.''
But York's defense may be the least of Varacallo's worries. It has been a season-long problem that has been magnified of late.
Mental mistakes.
The problem became most apparent against Lakeland in the final game of the regular season. Twice the Warriors used big plays to get inside the Lakeland 10 and they managed just one field goal.
In last Saturday's game, they had two long runs and one TD nullified because of penalties.
``If we continue to do that we probably aren't going to be around for very long,'' Varacallo said. ``I can't even tell you how many times we have failed to score or had scores called back.
``You have got to be mentally into the game. I don't know if the guys are getting overly excited or what.''
Nansemond River has been able to escape with victories despite the mistakes, but getting the Warriors to take a team they pounded just four weeks ago seriously can be a tall order.
` ``We can talk to them until we are blue in the face, but we can't crawl inside their heads, and there is no telling what a 16- and 17-year-old kid is going to do when he gets on the field,'' Varacallo said. ``You just hope that they will respond.'' by CNB