ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, November 9, 1996 TAG: 9611110117
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
Thanks to the foresight of an industrious ground crew and a waterproof tarp, the field at Salem Stadium was in excellent shape before Friday night's Salem-Rockbridge County football game.
It was during the game that the turf took a beating, as the Spartans marched up and down the field at will. Salem rushed for nine touchdowns and 364 yards as it steamrolled the Wildcats 62-6 in the regular season finale for both schools. With the victory, Salem clinched a tie for the Blue Ridge District championship.
Salem (8-2 overall, 5-1 district) will share the crown with the winner of this afternoon's Northside-Lord Botetourt game which was postponed from Friday night because of a wet field.
Pacing the Spartans rushing attack were sophomore Matt Anderson, who ran for 137 yards and three touchdowns; freshman Dennis Haley, whose seven carries resulted in 41 yards and two touchdowns; and junior Terry McNeil, who scored twice in the fourth quarter and gained 47 yards.
Even 247-pound tackle Pierce Weikle joined in the scoring spree, lining up in the backfield and bulling in for a 9-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to put Salem up 41-6.
``It was Power-I right 34,'' Weikle said. ``They called `Power Mule' and the hole was there. That doesn't happen very often.''
Rockbridge (3-7, 2-5) was unable to move the ball against the Spartans. Except for a nifty 75-yard, second-quarter touchdown pass from Adam Sorrells to Scott Sorrells, Rockbridge's offense was virtually non-existent. The Wildcats netted 91 yards of total offense and three first downs.
``It wasn't pretty, was it?'' said Salem coach Willis White. ``Our kids played well for 48 minutes, and we got to play a lot of young people tonight. [Rockbridge] was just beat up from earlier games this season.''
Salem's scoring drives were extremely efficient, and the defense was relentless. The Spartans intercepted Rockbridge twice, sacked the punter, blocked another punt, and recovered a fumble.
``This was probably one of my best games,'' said Salem's Anderson. ``The line was really pumped because it was the last game for the seniors.''
When was the last time a White-coached Salem team scored 62 points in a game?
``Never,'' White said. ``I don't know I don't keep track of that stuff, as long as you score one more point than the other guys.''
Rockbridge's longest possession of the night came on the opening drive of the game, when the Wildcats moved from their own 25-yard line to Salem's 39 on nine plays. The drive was aided by a pass interference penalty on Anderson, and two plays later, a 19-yard completion from Adam Sorrells to Brian Pariroo.
Salem, assured of a playoff berth, is in remarkably good physical shape 10 games into the season. ``We're pretty healthy,'' White said.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 58 linesby CNB