Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 6, 1993 TAG: 9311060182
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Friday, Pulaski County paid back Taylor by shutting down host PH's offense and notching a surprisingly easy 45-6 victory to lock up at least a tie for the Roanoke Valley District title.
The Cougars (9-0 overall, 3-0 in the Roanoke Valley District) need beat only winless Cave Spring on Nov. 12 to claim the crown outright.
No matter what happens in that game, Pulaski County has a big enough edge in the Virginia High School League ratings to clinch the RVD's playoff spot. It's likely the Cougars, ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Group AAA poll, have enough points to serve as host team for any Northwestern Region game it plays.
Using a stunt, hard rush and tough defensive backs, Pulaski County held Taylor to 95 yards passing. He completed only six of 27 throws.
"We practiced all week long on pass patterns," said Cougars linebacker Jammon Payne. "We've talked all year long [about Taylor's passing last season]. Very seldom does someone come in and get 400 yards. Especially on Pulaski County.
"It was a matter of pride. Coach [Joel] Hicks said Taylor can pass on anyone, so we keyed on him and played with intensity."
Said Hicks, "The secondary did an outstanding job. Tim Davis took their No. 7 [Jamie Price] man-to-man. Then we had a good rush and always did some sort of a stunt. So when Taylor looked up, his receivers were covered and he'd start to scramble."
This game, billed as the biggest of the year in Timesland, was over in a matter of minutes. On the second play, Carl Lewis went 55 yards for a touchdown.
After a short PH punt, the Cougars took six plays to get a second touchdown. Eric Webb went 14 yards and then 9 on a criss-cross play that has become a trademark of the Wing-T offense that Pulaski used to devastate other teams.
Pulaski County, ranked 15th in the country by USA Today, ran for 525 yards, setting a school rushing record for the second consecutive week and for the third time in the past four games.
PH (6-3, 2-1) had won six in a row before Friday and had given up only three touchdowns, but Pulaski County scored three times in the first 13 minutes, 39 seconds of this game. Lewis scored from the 6 with 10:21 left in the half as the Cougars made it 21-0.
"They beat the devil out of us. We didn't execute at all. We were in a panic. All this big-game hoopla and we couldn't even line up [right] in the first quarter. We lined up wrong four times in the first two series," said Ed Scott, the PH coach.
The Patriots, who will close with William Fleming on Nov. 12 in a game in which the winner could make the Group AAA Division 5 playoffs, had one chance to make this a game.
Adrian Moore mishandled the kickoff after the Cougars' third touchdown and was smashed down on the Patriots' 3-yard line. Two plays later, Ike Williams broke loose for 81 yards to get PH out of trouble and out the Patriots on the Pulaski County 16.
Taylor's pass, tipped by teammate Rod Akers, wound up in the hands of Eugene Cook for a first down at the Cougars' 5. Then the Patriots went backward. Under a heavy rush, Taylor threw away the ball and was called for intentional grounding, which resulted in a 15-yard penalty from where the point where he released the pass.
Taylor finished with three incompletions, giving the ball back to the Cougars. This time, PH's defense dug in to stop Pulaski County at the Patriots' 17, but sophomore Shayne Graham's 33-yard field goal made it 24-0.
With 1:30 left, C.A. Burkes sprinted 35 yards for a touchdown to make it 31-0 at halftime. \
see microfilm for box score
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB