ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, November 16, 1996 TAG: 9611180122
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: RIDGEWAY
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY STAFF WRITER
MEMO: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.
Piedmont District power Martinsville had its chances early Friday night, but failed to capitalize. Piedmont District power Magna Vista got its opportunities later, and made the most of them.
The end result saw the Warriors shut out the Bulldogs 22-0 in a Division 3 Region IV football playoff game. The Warriors will advance to play Gate City next Friday. Magna Vista also defeated Martinsville when the teams met in the regular season.
The Warriors were led by running back Travis Preston, who rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns, and who also recovered a Martinsville fumble in the second quarter on the Magna Vista 10-yard line.
Both Magna Vista and Martinsville entered their playoff game with 9-1 records and similar rankings. Magna Vista was ranked fifth in Timesland and seventh in the Group AA poll, while Martinsville checked in sixth in Timesland and eighth in the Group AA poll.
For the first half Friday night, the teams played evenly. Martinsville held the statistical edge (195 total yards to 81), but trailed by a touchdown and a two-point conversion.
But Magna Vista, the top-ranked AA team in Virginia until last week's upset loss to Bassett, dominated the second half.
``We don't have the linemen to match up with them,'' said Martinsville coach Taylor Edwards. ``We don't have the size.''
``I think the keys were the way our defense played, the way [the] offensive line opened holes, and the way our backs hit the holes,'' said Magna Vista coach Don Bateman. ``People thought we'd be down after last week, but we came back.''
In addition to Preston's dominant performance, the Warriors were paced by fullback Ceron Penn (14 carries, 74 yards, one touchdown), and quarterback Chad Blackstock (11 rushes, 68 yards). Blackstock also intercepted Bulldogs quarterback Jess Wade in the second quarter, stopping a Martinsville drive near the goal line.
``My line did their job,'' Preston said. ``It was really them scoring the points.''
Martinsville generated four sustained drives in the first half, never punted, but still came up empty.
The Bulldogs ran 11 plays on the game's opening series before Wade's 32-yard field-goal attempt was blocked.
After Magna Vista scored on its first drive to go ahead 8-0, the Bulldogs again moved the ball, but Wade fumbled at the 10, on the 10th play of the drive.
Magna Vista did not move the ball on three consecutive running plays, and then punted, but the Bulldogs were stopped on a fourth-and-six at Magna Vista's 23 by Blackstock's interception. The Warriors punted again, but the first half ended on a 35-yard pass play from Wade to Rasheem Penn, who was tackled on the 13.
``We moved the ball; we just couldn't get in the end zone,'' Edwards said. ``In the second half, they controlled the line of scrimmage. We couldn't block them effectively.''
Martinsville was limited to one first down in the second half, after picking up nine in the first two quarters.
see microfilm for box score
LENGTH: Medium: 67 linesby CNB