THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 14, 1995 TAG: 9510140424
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Tom Robinson
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
All citizens of Deep Creek, or so it seemed, wedged cars onto Route 17 early Friday evening, negotiated a halting journey to the Middle School and streamed like ants into the football stadium behind it.
``Ladies and gentlemen,'' urged a voice over the public address system about an hour before unbeaten Deep Creek would do battle with unbeaten Indian River, ``we've sold 3,200 tickets in the last three days. Everybody's going to have to take a deep breath and squeeze in to fit all the Hornet fans in tonight.''
The guy, a Mr. Swamp Jank I believe, wasn't lying.
This was more than just a game between longtime talented rivals, a contest that would have packed the place even if it wasn't homecoming, which it was.
This was a major event, bathed in warm autumn air and Deep Creek's garish purple. It was the very image of what everybody wishes high school football consistently could be around here - full house, great teams, teenagers in formal wear, kids and adults in vocal meltdown, bands and balloons and cheerleaders with teddy bears.
In short, Friday night's battle was the biggest thing Deep Creek principal Nat Hardee has seen in 25 years of his school's football games.
``We've got the Brinks truck parked out back,'' Hardee joked as every seat filled around him, and people staked out elbow room behind the cyclone fence in each end zone - an estimated 7,500 fans in all, give or take the few hundred that won't be added or subtracted until every ticket stub is accounted for.
The electricity fed Indian River early. As Deep Creek's players filed into a locker room below the stands for their final instructions, the Braves gathered in a humble corner off the field, back by the buses and a pair of porta-johns.
When the national anthem played, the visitors, in white, shouted the last line in unison - ``And the home of the Braves!'' - helmets jutting into the air, then rumbled out beneath the goalposts, screaming and bouncing off each other.
They raced to a 12-0 lead, the remarkable James Boyd carrying the load. The junior punctuated the first score, his 33-yard touchdown run, by high-stepping the final few yards, then coolly needled the Deep Creek fans by giving them the tomahawk chop . . . once, twice.
It was the second quarter before the purple people got to respond. Indian River roughed kicker Joe Verdi on a 51-yard field goal attempt, a blunder that sparked a momentum shift that led to 27 consecutive Deep Creek points.
The roll was at full speed just before halftime when hulking Deon Dyer turned an off-tackle plunge from the danger zone into a 99-yard touchdown, maybe the fourth or fifth 99-yard run from scrimmage I've seen in 20 years.
Thanks, big fella.
Unbowed, Indian River passed its way back to within seven and appeared poised to score again when a bad snap from the shotgun formation was recovered by the Hornets, who proceeded to pack away a 34-20 triumph.
It was a hands-down victory, too, for the high school ``game.'' Indian River's guys probably take little solace in that, but it took two to create a true athletic spectacle.
The Hornets and Braves whipped up drama that would have been eclipsed only if the contest had come on the last date of the regular season, with the Southeastern District title on the line.
By Friday's end, more than 7,000 spent fans knew this one was closer than 14 points. And that a memorable year for Eastern Region football had gotten a little bit better. by CNB