Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 25, 1994 TAG: 9409270048
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FERRUM LENGTH: Medium
The Panthers, trailing Thomas More by two, had cruised downfield and appeared headed into at least field-goal range when a 2-yard loss, holding and offensive pass interference penalties and a third-down incompletion cut off the drive.
Thomas More, which nearly blew a 17-point halftime lead, won 24-22 at dripping Adams Stadium.
"We had a couple penalties, one on me,'' said receiver John Poindexter. "Time just got away from us a little bit.''
The newly-christened Saints (their nickname was the Blue Rebels before this season) improved to 4-0 with their third straight road victory. Ferrum fell to 1-3 (0-2 at home).
"We were real nervous,'' said Thomas More running back Carlton Carter, who had 140 yards rushing in the first half but just 16 in the second. "The defense really stepped up. I love they way they played. They saved us.''
Ferrum coach Dave Davis watched his team drown in the first half for the second straight week. Ferrum fell behind 14-0 with 5:44 left in the first quarter, committed two first-quarter turnovers and gained 68 yards in the first half to Thomas More's 267 (186 rushing through Ferrum's non-tackling defense).
"If you play the way we played in the first half, you would think you're going to control the football game,'' Saints coach Vic Clark said. "They just would not let us do it.''
Great, says Davis, but ...
"We got a lesson in football in the first half,'' he said. "We came out and turned it around. I've got no clue how to get them to do it for four quarters. We're very young, and some of the mistakes were by the young kids.''
Davis' quarterback-switching offense became a tag-team show late in the third quarter. With starter Millard Vining tending to a turned ankle on the sidelines, Josh Whitley was hurt while diving out of bounds on a 9-yard gain.
On came previously unused Brith Osinkosky for a handoff and a 5-yard gain. Back came Vining, who pitched on the option to running back David Anthony for no gain.
Enter Whitley again. On second-and-10 from the 21, he tossed to Poindexter down the left sideline. Thomas More's Mitch Long batted the ball in the air at the 48, but Poindexter never broke stride, caught the ball and ran unaccompanied for the score.
"It was sort of lucky, actually,'' Poindexter said. "It probably would never happen again.''
Vining's roll-out and dash into the end zone made it 24-15 Saints with 56 seconds left in the third quarter.
"They were giving us one look early in the game that we didn't want with Millard in there,'' Davis said. "We tried to use what the kids could do.''
Ferrum's defense suddenly got serious, and the Panthers got the ball on their 39 with 12:54 left in the game. Vining got 2 yards on a fourth-and-one from the Saints 30, followed by Anthony's 5-yard run. Then Whitley entered and threw to Mike Souma, who bounced free from a couple defenders at the 15 and scored as he was hit by linebacker Steve Harris.
"I held the ball out over the pylon and hit the pylon with the ball,'' said Souma, a freshman from Roanoke's William Fleming High School who set a Ferrum single-game record with nine receptions.
One drive later, Ferrum had fourth-and-one at the Thomas More 49 when Vining faked a handoff, dropped back, darted past Jonathan Geilear and John Goebel and picked up 5 yards.
"To be honest, I thought they had me, too,'' Vining said. "It was just reaction.''
Two plays later, Whitley passed for 11 yards to Souma, who had fumbled the opening kickoff to set up Carter's 7-yard TD run for the Saints' first score.
Souma's catch put Ferrum at the Thomas More 33 with just under four minutes left. But Anthony was hit for a 2-yard loss and hurt (a hyperextended knee that should heal by next week), and two penalties later, Ferrum had third-and-37 at its own 40.
Whitley threw incomplete, and the Saints ran out the clock.
"I certainly would've liked to have tried a field goal there at the end,'' Davis said forlornly.
\ see microfilm for box score
by CNB