THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 4, 1996 TAG: 9610020231
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 17 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY REA FARMER, CLIPPER SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: 78 lines
NASTY. INTIMIDATING. RELENTLESS.
Facing the Deep Creek offensive line is like trying to shake off a pit bull. You may slip free a time or two, but in the end he's going to take a huge bite out of you.
The Hornets' offensive line has run over, through and around opponents all season, opening holes for quarterback Arnie Powell and backs James Green and Teray Frost. Tight end Terrell Ricks, center Doug Norris, guards Nick Cuffee and Bryan Wingate and tackles Erik Nichols and Brian Davis have impressed opponents all season. So-called seventh-man Carlton Rambo is champing at the bit on the sidelines, stepping in when an injured Cuffee missed games.
``He can step in for any position and play and pick up any slack,'' Wingate said of Rambo. ``He's ready to go at any position.''
The line's formula for success is simple. Do whatever the coach says.
``Coach motivates us,'' Nichols said.
``Coach'' is offensive coordinator Jeff Beard, who has honed the Hornets into a formidable unit. The key six have played together for two years; some have been together for four. Beard has taken this close-knit group and developed it into a veritable blocking machine.
``He gets our minds set right,'' Ricks said. ``Friday night, we just give him what he deserves.''
What he has deserved is an undefeated season. The Hornets (4-0, 1-0) are ranked No. 1 in South Hampton Roads and No. 3 in the state. They spent the early part of the season running over Eastern District foes. Tonight, they battle Hickory in the second game of Southeastern District competition.
The line is not particularly daunting on paper. Ricks, a sophomore, is 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds. Nichols, a junior, stands 6-3 and 260 and senior Davis is 6-0 and 220. Seniors Norris and Cuffee are 5-11, 180 and 5-11, 240, respectively, and Wingate is 5-9, 245.
These are the guys creating holes for 6-5, 210-pound Arnie Powell. Norris is the one pushing those quarterback sneaks to six and seven yards per carry. None of them is sitting around taking credit for the Hornets' success.
``We don't have any superstars,'' Nichols said. ``Everybody just plays real hard.''
Real hard. Fighting for yardage in the pits is tough duty for the group. Duty they relish. How would they describe themselves?
``Nasty and intimidating,'' Nichols said.
Nasty is the motto the group has adopted. From practice until game time, the group memorizes plays, running them over and over until they could sleepwalk through them. Waiting for Beard to turn them loose.
``He just lets you out of the gate in the game,'' Wingate said. ``It's kind of like being shot with gunpowder. You just go off. You know who you've got to block, so you don't go half speed at them. You know it's the right guy, so you go full speed at them.''
``Before the game, he always gives an inspirational speech,'' Davis said, then shied away from revealing confidential details of the inner world of Deep Creek football.
``The bottom line is we owe it to him,'' Wingate said. ``He just got us nasty.''
After years of fine-tuning, the six have emerged as a unified group. Six physical extensions of the same mind. All with the intensity to battle for four quarters. And all with the piece of mind to know they're covered if they miss an assignment.
``We all know what each other is going to do in a game, how they're going to react,'' Wingate said. ``We pretty much know what we can do. We're comfortable with everybody.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by L. TODD SPENCER
The Deep Creek Hornets' offensive line has run over, through and
around opponents all season, opening holes for quarterback Arnie
Powell and backs James Green and Teray Frost.
Photos
Carlton Rambo
Brian Davis
Bryan Wingate
Terrell Ricks
Erik Nichols
Doug Norris
KEYWORDS: HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL by CNB