DATE: Sunday, November 2, 1997              TAG: 9711020317

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C10  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   41 lines

NEPTUNES ONE WIN FROM LEAGUE TITLE

The Bay Neptunes wanted to control their destiny in the Mason-Dixon Football League's postseason. They did just that in a 27-0 semifinal victory over the Arbutus (Md.) Big Red on Saturday at the Center for Effective Learning.

The Neptunes will face the Virginia Ravens, 28-0 winners over the Delmarva Destroyers, next Saturday in Richmond for the league championship. The teams split two games during the regular season. Saturday's winner will face the Carolina League champion in an American Football Association playoff.

Against Arbutus, the Neptunes (9-2 and ranked 14th by the AFA) controlled the action after holding the Big Red on fourth-and-goal from the 3 on the opening drive.

The Neptunes then ran off a 97-yard, 14-play drive that took nearly 10 minutes, with James Rogers skirting in past right tackle from 4 yards out. Jeff Merklinger kicked the point-after for a 7-0 lead with just over 12 minutes left in the half.

``We established a strong running game from the start,'' quarterback Johnnie Ealey said. ``And we executed on offense for the most part.''

Late in the second quarter, Ealey hit Reggie Crosby on a beautiful post pattern for a 47-yard TD. Ealey finished with 94 yards passing.

The domination continued in the second half, with the Neptunes holding the opposition to 25 yards rushing. The Neptunes, meanwhile, were racking up 211 yards on 41 rushing attempts.

Lorenzo Riddick took over the scoring duties in the second half, scoring early in the third quarter on a 1-yard plunge and again with just over eight minutes left in the contest on a 35-yard dash around the left end. He finished with 63 yards on nine carries. Rogers led all rushers with 106 yards on 15 carries.

Melvin Scott led Arbutus with 39 yards on nine carries, while Big Red quarterback Dave Astin completed 6 of 17 passes for 99 yards.

``We're ready for Richmond again,'' Ealey said. ``The first two were two hard-fought games, and this one will be too. But we want to win the championship.''

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