THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 25, 1995 TAG: 9511250374
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL LEFFLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Short : 49 lines
Deep Creek's Deon Dyer became the first player to gain over 300 yards in an Eastern Region playoff game.
``And it didn't mean anything,'' said the 240-pound fullback as he trudged off the field at Oscar Smith Stadium on Friday night after the previously undefeated Hornets lost the region title game to Hampton 24-19.
Dyer gained 301 yards in 34 carries and scored one touchdown.
``But the yards just don't matter,'' Dyer said. ``We gave it all we had but we didn't win. That's what really counts.''
Across the field Hampton quarterback Ronald Curry, who turned in an equally glittering performance, said he understood Dyer's feelings.
``We felt that way when they won this game last year,'' said Curry, who passed for 227 yards and rushed for 120. ``Everybody felt a little like we got ripped off last year so this makes up for it a little.''
Last year Deep Creek won 48-42 in the final three seconds on a pass that Crabbers rooters contended was incomplete.
The two game stars had high praise for one another.
``Curry is some player,'' Dyer said. ``He's smooth and I love to just watch him.''
Curry, who also plays linebacker for the Crabbers, said he had faced no better runner than Dyer. ``He's almost impossible to bring down,'' he said.
``Curry was the difference,'' said Deep Creek coach Jerry Carter. ``Take him out and we win. But if we had won they would be saying the same thing about Deon.''
Carter said the Hornets might have pulled off a victory for the second year in a row in the waning minute ``if we had just had a few more ticks on the clock.
``We had no timeouts left and we had to throw in that final drive. Maybe we could have pushed it in with just a little more time.''
Deep Creek recovered an onside kick after cutting the deficit to five points with 1:30 left to play.
With 29.7 seconds left, Hampton's Darnell Hollier intercepted an Arnie Powell pass at the Crabbers' 7-yard line.
``We had our shot,'' said Carter.
``If we just hadn't been fighting the clock, too. . . . ''
Hampton moves into the state semifinal next Saturday in Northern Virginia against McLean, a 23-7 winner over West Potomac. by CNB