Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 2, 1995 TAG: 9509060036
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRIS KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
If there were any questions about Shayne Graham's ability to kick a football, they were answered Friday night.
Graham split the uprights from 55 yards, then nailed a 24-yarder with seven seconds remaining to give Pulaski County a 21-20 victory over Anacostia of Washington, D.C., at Kenneth Dobson Stadium.
``It is the best feeling you could experience in the world - success,'' Graham said. ``I was just praying the team would get down there to score. Fortunately, they got it close so the kick was a little easier.''
Joel Hicks, Graham's coach, was confident. ``I never had any doubt that he would make the kick,'' Hicks said.
But there was doubt as to whether Pulaski County would give Graham the chance to boot it. With less than three minutes remaining in the game, Anacostia held a 20-18 lead and moved the ball inside the Cougars' 20-yard line. But the Pulaski County defense stopped the Indians, who apparently didn't have a field-goal kicker, on downs.
With 2:30 remaining in the game, Pulaski took over on its 12. On the first play of the drive, quarterback Ronald Branch completed a 20-yard pass to Jawan Clark. Three incomplete passes later Pulaski faced fourth-and-10.
Branch completed a 50-yard pass to Jabbar Patterson that gave Pulaski the ball on the Anacostia 18. Pulaski used three running plays and a 5-yard penalty on the Indians to set up Graham's game-winner.
``We just kept on coming and never gave up,'' Hicks said. ``We played a tough team, and a big team [the Indians had three 300-pound linemen].''
Pulaski benefited from four Anacostia turnovers that stopped potential scoring drives. The Indians' Wilbert Langley gained 237 yards on 38 carries, but fumbled twice.
The victory was the Cougars 11th in a row over Anacostia, but the game's opening 12 minutes were dominated by the Indians.
Anacostia marched down the field on its first possession only to be stopped by a Langley fumble. The Indians recovered a fumble by Pulaski County's Derrick Hunter on their 16, setting up a 16-yard touchdown pass from Dwayne Payne to Eric James. The run for the conversion was stopped short.
After the Cougars failed on fourth down, Anacostia took over on its 19 and promptly marched 81 yards in 11 plays. The drive was highlighted by a 17-yard scramble by Payne. Langley concluded the drive with a 9-yard run, but once again the conversion attempt failed.
David Conner scored Pulaski's first touchdown on a plunge from 1 yard with 9:52 to go in the first half. Graham's extra-point narrowed the score to 12-7.
Anacostia turned over the ball on its next two possessions. The second mistake, an interception, gave the Cougars the ball on the Indians' 35-yard line. Eight plays later Hunter took the ball in from the 1-foot line to give Pulaski its first lead of the night.
by CNB