Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 21, 1993 TAG: 9311210177
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D-9 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By M.J. DOUGHERTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLUEFIELD, W.VA. LENGTH: Medium
Then, Graham struck. Twice.
The G-Men scored two late touchdowns to beat the Bobcats 19-7 in the Group AA Region IV Division 3 playoffs.
The victory propelled Graham (9-2) into the regional final Nov. 27 at Gate City (9-2). The Blue Devils eliminated Tazewell 14-8 on Friday night.
It also continued Graham's mastery of the Bobcats (4-7). The G-Men beat Radford last week in the regular-season finale and have won eight of the past nine meetings between the schools.
The game also marked the last time the two teams will meet for at least two years, with Radford dropping to Group A next season.
Quarterback Jay Gray put the G-Men in position to continue their winning ways against Radford. He kept the ball on the option, moved around the left side and cut upfield. The play went for 17 yards and a touchdown as Graham went up 12-7.
"We'd been running that play to the short side; I finally broke one," Gray said. "We'd been getting 5, 6, yards on it. We finally got one that went all the way."
Graham tacked on another touchdown with 59 seconds to go as Brandon Banks scored on a 4-yard plunge. The play was set up by a fake punt, with blocking back Jacob Dews rambling for 29 yards.
"We only had one chance, and that was to block the kick," said coach Norm Lineburg, whose Radford team rushed all 11 players. "We weren't concerned about any trick plays."
With the two touchdowns, Graham made the score reflect its dominance in the second half. The G-Men rushed for 179 yards after gaining 75 on the ground in the first two periods.
"In the second half, they started using more traps," said Radford linebacker Dion Powell.
Radford had forced two turnovers inside its 20-yard line - a fumble recovery by Bryan Robertson and an interception by C.C. Chapman - to preserve a 7-6 lead.
Graham had taken a 6-0 lead when Mike Gregory scored on a 19-yard sweep early in the second quarter.
Radford drove for its only score after the ensuing kickoff. Cornell Wesley took a pitch around right end 6 yards for the touchdown. And Casey Underwood - whose earlier field-goal attempt was blocked - tacked on the extra point to give the Bobcats a 7-6 lead with 7 minutes, 51 seconds left before halftime.
by CNB