THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 9, 1995 TAG: 9509090424
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: FROM STAFF REPORTS
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
During preseason workouts, Lakeland football players said they were tired of Nansemond River getting all the spotlight.
Dating back to 1991, the Warriors had beaten the Cavaliers seven straight times and outscored them, 152-12.
The Cavaliers finally got revenge Friday, scoring a 21-14 win in a non-district season opener at Nansemond River's Arrowhead Stadium.
Phoenix Long picked up a blocked field goal attempt and ran 51 yards for the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Nansemond River had come back from a 13-point deficit to lead by a point before Drey Asbell's 51-yard field goal try was blocked by Antoine Riddick with 11 minutes left.
``I know everybody's going to question trying a 51-yard field goal, but that's my job,'' Warrior coach Jerry Varacallo said. ``We had trouble with our last punt and (Asbell) had been making them from that distance all week.''
``I just saw the ball come up off the ground and I jumped on it,'' Long said. ``Once I got it, all I saw was daylight.''
Nansemond River drove 54 yards on the ensuing kickoff before failing on a fourth-and-eight from the 23-yard line with two minutes remaining. Quarterback Johnta Knight failed to give the ball cleanly to Clarence Skinner on a Statue of Liberty play.
Reginald Wiggins then gained 15 yards on two plays to give the Cavaliers a first down before they ran out the clock.
``It feels so great to get everybody off our back,'' said Lakeland linebacker Kelvin Bell, who intercepted two passes in the first half. ``People kept putting us down, but we didn't loose our composure.''
The Cavaliers jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the second quarter.
Reginald Wiggins ran 36 yards for a touchdown to start the scoring.
After Bell's first interception at the Nansemond River 31, Lindell Hunter found Anthony Dildy for a 26-yard score.
``Early mistakes hurt us,'' Varacallo said. ``And we made those mistakes where we're young, at quarterback and defensive back.''
The Warriors answered late in the second quarter after recovering a Lakeland fumble. Dejuan Gambrell ran for a 58-yard score on Nansemond River's first play after the turnover to make it 13-7 at halftime.
After forcing a Lakeland punt on the first drive of the third quarter, Nansemond River drove 81 yards for a touchdown, capped by Skinner's 21-yard run.
Following an 18-yard Cavalier punt the Warriors took over at the Lakeland 33. Nansemond River failed to move the ball on three plays and elected to go for the field goal.
``It was a tremendous game of big plays,'' Lakeland coach Ed Smither said. ``We just made fewer mistakes than they did.
``This is great, but we still have nine more to go.''
Skinner finished with 155 yards on 23 carries, while Wiggins ran 22 times for 101 yards.
- JAMI FRANKENBERRY
Southampton 55 Brunswick 0
Rico Ivey ran for 183 yards and three touchdowns as the Indians pounded the Bulldogs in the season opener for both schools.
William Brown and Arthur Porter each scored a pair of rushing touchdowns for Southampton, which scored on five of its first-half possessions in building a 35-0 lead after two quarters. Southampton finished with 427 yards of total offense, 377 on the ground.
Brunswick managed just 60 yards of total offense and crossed midfield only once.
- Reported by Dan Cooley ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MICHAEL KESTNER, Staff
Nansemond River running back Leroy Skinner works to get around
Lakeland defender Anthony Dildy, who caught a 26-yard touchdown pass
on offense in the Cavaliers' win Friday.
by CNB