THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 31, 1996 TAG: 9608310709
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBIN BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: 57 lines
New eras demand new heroes and so it was Friday night for Deep Creek.
In the Hornets' first game A.D., after Deon Dyer, James Green rushed for 104 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-6 rout of Booker T. Washington before 3,500 at Deep Creek Middle School.
Green, a 5-11, 185-pound junior, didn't start the game on offense. But he got the call on the second possession when Deep Creek went to its ``muscle'' formation.
Green, who was academically ineligible last season when Dyer won the Abe Goldblatt Award, ripped off five yards on his first carry and capped the 12-play, 84-yard drive with a 19-yard burst off left tackle.
Henry Martin sealed off the end and Green ran through the tackle of linebacker Kevin Fuller.
``He's pretty good, isn't he?'' Deep Creek coach Jerry Carter said, unable to suppress a grin.
Green, who starts at inside linebacker, didn't expect to carry the ball much.
``Coach (Carter) told me you won't be another Deon, just do your best,'' Green said. ``This isn't a one-man offense. My line deserves most of the credit.''
The Hornets played without one member of that veteran line, Nick Cuffee, who is out two weeks with a fractured bone in his left forearm.
He was sorely missed on the first series when the Bookers came out in a gambling defense and twice dropped the Hornets for losses with blitzes.
Carter adjusted quickly by going to the quick-hitting ``muscle'' with three running backs lined up within four yards of the line of scrimmage.
``We went toe-to-toe and kind of neutralized what they were doing,'' Carter said.
Deep Creek ripped off two scoring drives of 75 yards each and capitalized on Booker T. turnovers for their other two scores.
The Hornets' defense came up with three turnovers in all, the biggest being a fumble recovery at their own 13 on the Bookers' first play from scrimmage. LeShawn Etheridge returned the opening kickoff 56 yards to the Deep Creek 19.
Domimic Perry then hit Fuller with a pass at the 10, but Teray Frost knocked the ball loose with his helmet and the Hornets' recovered the fumble. Frost also set up a touchdown with a long interception return.
Booker T.'s only touchdown came on a perfectly thrown 56-yard pass from Perry to Dion Davis. That made it 7-6, but the conversion was no good.
Deep Creek quarterback Arnie Powell was benched at the start for a violation of unspecified team rules, but entered the game with 5:23 left in the first quarter. He passed for 76 yards and one TD, a 20-yarder to George Miller, and rushed four times for 51 yards.
Deep Creek has won 21 consecutive regular-season games. ILLUSTRATION: MIKE HEFFNER
The Virginian-Pilot
Deep Creek quarterback Arnie Powell, left, rolls out past Kip
Washington Friday night. Powell passed for 76 yards and one TD, and
rushed four times for 51 yards. by CNB