ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, November 23, 1996 TAG: 9611260032
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: DUBLIN
SOURCE: ANGIE WATTS STAFF WRITER
In sports, turnovers spell disaster. There are no two ways about it. The likelihood is when one team commits more turnovers than the other, they will lose. When one team commits six and its opponent only two - loss is imminent.
Such was the story for Pulaski County on Friday. The Cougars lost five fumbles and one interception in a 42-14 drubbing by the Brooke Point Black-Hawks in the Group AAA Northwest Region final.
"Brooke Point did a great job on us tonight," Pulaski County coach Joel Hicks said. "We just flat got beat."
The problems started early for Pulaski. On what appeared to be a commanding drive, the Cougars took the opening kickoff and marched 65 yards downfield with ease. But on first-and-goal from the 4-yard line, quarterback Ronald Branch fumbled the handoff from center. That was the beginning of a disastrous night for the senior. Branch finished the game with 17 carries for 87 yards and completed four of nine passes for 59 yards, but he also coughed up the ball four times and threw one interception.
Brooke Point wasted no time capitalizing on the mistakes. Sophomore sensation Daniel Davis raced 86 yards around right end on the Black-Hawks first play from scrimmage, setting up a first-and-goal from the 7. Three plays later he walking into the end zone for a 7-0 Brooke Point lead.
"I didn't expect so much so quick," Brooke Point coach Ken Brown said. "He's an excellent back, and he's just getting his start."
In fact, he was just warming up. Davis accumulated 260 yards on 11 carries by halftime. He finished with 300 yards rushing on 20 carries, ran for four touchdowns and caught another.
With 2:18 to play in the first quarter, Davis burst 42 yards through the middle for his second score of the night. Standing 6 feet tall and a muscular 198 pounds, Davis manhandled the Cougars all night, running around - and often through - the Pulaski County defense.
"Davis is a great back," Hicks said. "We faced a pretty good back last week in Raymond Gee [of Stonewall Jackson], and we'd been told all week that Davis was the best back in their area .. . He certainly showed it tonight."
A 59-yard punt return by tailback Craig Hodge pulled the Cougars within 14-7 and seemed to switch the momentum to the home team. But a fumble by Branch less than four minutes later at the Brooke Point 6-yard line ended all hopes of a tie. The Black-Hawks needed just 49 seconds to make the Cougars pay for their mistake.
On second-and-7 from their own 12-yard line, Davis took a sweep around the right end and racked 89 yards for his third touchdown of the night. He added a spectacular 33-yard touchdown reception as time expired in the second quarter.
"I jumped off the ball and when I saw the pass was short I came back and just tipped it to myself," Davis said. "I don't know what I'm feeling right now. I'm just overwhelmed."
So was Hicks.
"The turnovers definitely cost us early," he said. "We lost the ball twice inside their 5-yard-line. We adjusted well in the second half, but we were just too far behind. Had we scored on those two early drives it might have been a different game."
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines KEYWORDS: FOOTBALLby CNB