THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 8, 1995 TAG: 9509080650
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: FROM STAFF REPORTS
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
Green Run lived up to preseason expectations in its season opener Thursday night at Chittum Field.
Quarterback Ed Cuffee threw three touchdown passes and All-American wide receiver Plaxico Burress scored two touchdowns as the third-ranked Stallions rolled past Maury, 39-6.
Maury helped Green Run score 26 points by virtue of two of its eight fumbles, a blocked field goal and a botched punt. Maury lost three of its seven first-half fumbles.
``I thought we looked really good at times,'' Green Run head coach Elisha ``Cadillac'' Harris said. ``Maury played well at times, too. Maury's turnovers were a major factor. We caused some of them with some big hits, and some of them were unforced errors.''
Ironically, the team's biggest hitter on this night was the 6-foot-6, 215-pound Burress. He recorded six tackles, forced a fumble and blocked a 53-yard field-goal attempt by Commodores kicker Mike Glover with 1:15 remaining in the first half.
Offensively, he only touched the ball twice, but he scored both times. In the first half, he caught the second of Cuffee's three touchdown passes on a fade route. On the first play of the second half, he ran 69 yards on a reverse to put Green Run comfortably in front, 32-0.
``Plaxico, without question, is an All-American,'' Harris said. ``When he wants to do, when he puts his mind to it, there is no one in the country better than he is.''
Both Harris and Burress were pleased with the play of Cuffee, who completed six of 10 passes for 102 yards. Last year, Cuffee started two games in place of Glenwood Ferebee and won both starts.
``He's got some big shoes to fill,'' said Burress of Cuffee. ``But I thought he handled the pressure really well.''
- DWIGHT FOXX Injured early on, Elliott returns, rallies Lake Taylor
PORTSMOUTH - Lake Taylor quarterback Mario Elliott, sidelined with a hamstring injury most of the first half, returned to rally the No. 6 Titans from a 14-point deficit to a 21-20 victory over Wilson at Churchland.
Lake Taylor (2-0) trailed, 20-6, before Ronyell Whitaker's 22-yard, third-quarter scoring run and his two-point conversion pulled the Titans to within six.
Elliott capped Lake Taylor's comeback by hitting Joseph Carter with a 10-yard touchdown pass on fourth down with 6:09 remaining to tie the game at 20. It was Elliott's only completion of the game.
Following a five-yard delay-of-game penalty, Carter made the extra-point attempt to provide the winning margin.
Whitaker finished with 131 yards on 22 carries.
Wilson fell to 0-2 despite Terrence Winston's three touchdown passes.
- DENNIS HUGHES Western Branch's Stith commits to Virginia Tech
Running back Shyrone Stith will join Western Branch teammate Lorenzo Ferguson at Virginia Tech.
The Hokies were watching tape of Ferguson and another Western Branch prospect, Malik Cook, when they discovered the previously unheralded Stith and decided they had to have him.
Stith is the seventh player to commit orally to Virginia Tech as the Hokies keep pace with some of its Big East rivals. Pittsburgh and Boston College each have at least seven commitments
Virginia, which had 20 commitments before Christmas last year, is without a pledge so far this year. MEMO: Game summaries/C6
by CNB