Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 26, 1995 TAG: 9511280017
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-12 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HOT SPRINGS LENGTH: Medium
The signs leading into this hidden hollow revealed the Bath County football team's mind-set.
``Bear season, Nov.25.''
Many Bath players had spent their mornings in the woods looking for deer. But at 1:30 Saturday afternoon, they switched ammunition, loading up for the Bears from Bland County.
When it was over, the Chargers had had a good hunt, skinning the Bears 52-7 and claiming the Group A Division 1 Region C championship.
Bath will entertain Appalachia next Saturday in a state semifinal matchup. Chargers officials speculated the game could be moved to Alleghany High School. Virginia High School League officials visited Bath's facility last week and were unsure whether it could support a state semifinal matchup.
Appalachia defeated the Chargers in the 1989 semifinals, the last time Bath got this deep in the playoffs.
Former Washington Redskins running back and two-time Super Bowl winner Joe Washington gave Bath County a pep talk before the 1989 semifinals, but it didn't lead to a Chargers victory. He was at the Homestead Resort on Friday and stopped by the high school again to offer his encouragement.
Although the Bears (9-3) had seen formations similar to the ones run by the Bath offense, they probably hadn't seen the single wing run so well.
Bland County seemed to identify what the Chargers (10-2) were doing, but the Chargers broke free for 247 yards rushing.
``We were pretty conventional,'' said Bath coach Steve Isaacs. ``Actually kind of boring.''
Bath had 14 points by the end of the first quarter, while Bland hadn't even made a first down. Jamie Carroll added a 10-yard touchdown run for a 21-0 lead with 6:41 to go before halftime.
Not wanting to let up, the Chargers made it tougher on the Bears five seconds before intermission when Steward Alexander connected with K.C. Jones on a 44-yard pass play, making it 28-0 at the break.
Bath did all that while holding Bland County to a mere 33 yards. The Chargers limited the Bears to 169 total yards on the day, while cranking out 367 of their own.
The Bears, second in the Mountain Empire District, wound up as Region C runners-up for the second year in a row.
``They read us like a book,'' said Bland County co-head coach Fred Selfe. ``Every time we made a move, they countered it perfectly.''
Bath's offense didn't squat on its good fortune, either. The Chargers got their first touchdown of the second half after starting on Bland County's 47-yard line. Their next drive and score required only 13 yards, and their final touchdown drive began on their 47.
``The defense was giving the offense great field position all game,'' Isaacs said.
Some might have wondered why Bath County insisted on trying two-point conversions throughout the second half, but it really had no other choice. The team's only kicker, Travis Gwin, suffered a knee injury late in the first half and did not return.
While the Chargers lured the Bears into stacking up near the line of scrimmage, it allowed Bath County to pass with ease. The Chargers completed six of six passes for 124 yards.
``We threw the ball exceptionally well,'' Isaacs said. ``That opened everything up for us.''
Ivan Franklin led the Chargers with 82 yards rushing on 16 carries and Carroll had 75 yards on eight carries.
Todd Morehead led Bland County with 51 yards on 12 carries.
Now the state's third-smallest football-playing school is in the semifinals for the second time in its history.
``If Pulaski [County] has 33 kids out for football, they've got 33 good players,'' Isaacs said. ``We're just tickled to have 33 kids out.''
Rolling around in all that Bear fur probably tickles too.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.