THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 23, 1995 TAG: 9509230430
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By BILL LEFFLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Short : 49 lines
Deon Dyer rambled and slushed his way for a career-high 215 yards rushing Friday night as Deep Creek turned back a determined Granby team 17-6 at Deep Creek.
The unbeaten Hornets (1-0, 3-0) built a 17-0 advantage and then battled the rest of the way to stave off a Granby squad that seemed to play better as the weather got worse. The second half was played in a driving rainstorm.
Dyer, who scored Deep Creek's first touchdown standing up on a 1-yard run, carried 21 times. He set up the Hornets' second touchdown with a 42-yard run. Teray Frost skirted the end from 15 yards out for the score.
The Hornets' other points came from the toe of Joe Verdi, who kicked a 27-yard field goal and two extra points.
Afterward, Dyer directed the credit away from himself.
``Our defense won this game,'' he said. ``We really didn't play well offensively. We've got to work harder in practice next week and, hopefully, we can learn from this.''
Granby (0-0, 2-2), held to 48 yards in the first half, monopolized the football in the second half and missed out on a scoring opportunity when quarterback Anthony King, scrambling for extra yardage, fumbled at the Deep Creek 3. Tim Griffin made the recovery for the Hornets.
Earlier, the Comets were hurt by a bad snap on a punt from their 24. It might have gone for a safety, but punter Joe Bryant fell on the ball at the Granby 1. On the next play Dyer scored, which provided the No. 1-ranked Hornets with a 10-0 halftime edge.
``We simply didn't have a good second half,'' said Deep Creek coach Jerry Carter. ``Granby played well and really made us work. They have a pretty good football team.''
He singled out quarterback King as ``a real thorn'' for us. King rushed for 58 yards in 15 carries, which included a 16-yard loss on a sack, and passed for 136 yards.
Listening to Dyer praising the defense after the finest offensive performance of his career, Carter said, ``I have been coaching football for 27 years and I can tell you I have never seen anybody who is more a team player than Deon Dyer.''
Granby's lone score came on a 57-yard pass play from King to Bryant. by CNB