THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 10, 1995 TAG: 9511100650
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
Green Run completed the first unbeaten regular season in school history with a 28-14 victory over Kempsville Thursday night, but needed big plays to do so.
Green Run (10-0 overall, 9-0 Beach District) will host a Division 6 Eastern Region semifinal Nov. 17 at Kellam against either Kempsville or Indian River. If Indian River beats Oscar Smith tonight, the Chiefs (7-3, 6-3) will play Tallwood at Princess Anne on Nov. 17.
Green Run's victory avenged a 21-20 loss to Kempsville in last year's district title battle of unbeatens.
``We recognize the fact that Kempsville is a ball-control team, but we also realize the fact that we are an explosive team,'' Stallions coach Elisha ``Cadillac'' Harris said. ``All it takes is one, two or three plays and we can be in the end zone.''
Green Run scored on two long passes and had a length-of-the-field kickoff return to account for three of its four scores.
Ben Root caught a 78-yard touchdown strike from Edward Cuffee early in the game and Plaxico Burress caught a 55-yarder, but Green Run could only build a 12-7 halftime lead. Kempsville had opened the game with a 74-yard drive that took up all but 39 seconds of the first quarter but had netted no points.
Kempsville did score in the second quarter on its own big play - a 54-yard pass from Fred Sanders to Trey Simkins.
But Cedric Warren opened the second half by taking the kickoff 98 yards and Cuffee passed to Burress for a 20-7 lead.
``I knew it was a big momentum changer,'' Warren said of his return.
Even then, Kempsville closed the gap to 20-14 on Zeb Clark's 34-yard run, but Green Run put the game away late in the fourth quarter on Larry Jordan's 22-yard touchdown run. by CNB