THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 7, 1995 TAG: 9508070130
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
After months of hard work, the Hampton Roads Sharks finally got down to the business of playing football Sunday before a crowd estimated at 2,700 at the Center for Effective Learning stadium.
The 35-0 victory over the Culpeper Minutemen did not count in the Mason-Dixon League standings, but it effectively eliminated any doubt about this year's squad.
``(Culpeper) wasn't really a great barometer, but it was definitely good to get the first game over with,'' quarterback Kevin Johnson said. ``We hadn't played against anybody but our own offense and defense, so it was good to get on the field against somebody else.''
The Sharks made it look easy in the early going, scoring on the opening drive with Kevin Vines dashing in on a 7-yard sweep around left end.
But Vines fumbled on each of the Sharks' next two possessions, and the Minutemen recovered both times.
Culpeper returned the favor after Hampton Roads' second turnover, with Gerard Smith intercepting a Mike Woodward pass at the Sharks' 15 and returning it 29 yards.
But on the sixth play of the drive, Vines fumbled again. Luckily, Michael Harvey was there to pounce on the loose ball in the end zone to put Hampton Roads up, 14-0.
``I think we played down to their talent (level) a little in the first half,'' said running back James Rogers, who led all rushers with 75 yards on 11 carries. ``And we made too many mistakes. We could have executed better.''
In the second half, the Sharks did just that, adding three touchdowns to win going away.
Harvey, who caught two passes for 105 yards, made it 21-0 when he slanted up the middle, pulled in Johnson's pass, sutter-stepped and raced 39 yards for a touchdown.
In the fourth quarter, Vines scored on a 2-yard run and Dean Devlin added a 1-yard touchdown run with nine seconds remaining.
``I felt kind of good about the first half,'' Minutemen coach Steve Jenkins said. ``But in the second, their experience and our inexperience showed.''
In the first half, the Sharks stopped Culpeper twice on first-and-goal situations inside the 10.
The first came after two unnecessary-roughness and one unsportsmanlike-conduct calls against the Sharks put the Minutemen at the Hampton Roads 4. Culpeper was forced to settle for a 29-yard field-goal attempt, which Rodney Baylor blocked.
Culpeper's second opportunity came after Savoye Cherry punted on the run from the Sharks' end zone. Culpeper (0-1) took over on the Sharks' 8, but failed to score on four tries.
``The defense really came through when they had to,'' Sharks coach Red Stickney said. ``We made some mistakes and we played everybody because of the heat and never really got any consistency.
``But it was a pretty good opening game.''
The Sharks host the Baltimore Renegades in another non-league game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Center for Effective Learning Stadium. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo on page C1]
PAUL AIKEN
Staff
Even though Hampton Roads receiver Charles Mott couldn't control
this Kevin Johnson pass, it was the Sharks who had the Minutemen out
of sync. The Sharks' defense stonewalled Culpeper twice on
first-and-goal situations and their offense capitalized on several
Minuteman mistakes to win Sunday's exhibition easily.
PAUL AIKEN
Staff
Sharks linebacker Dwayne King crunches Minutemen quarterback Mike
Woodward in Hampton Roads' 35-0 victory Sunday.
by CNB