THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 14, 1995 TAG: 9510140445
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Short : 49 lines
Ten minutes was all Western Branch's Malik Cook needed Friday night to put Great Bridge out of contention.
The Bruins' senior running back, filling in for an injured Shyrone Stith, ran 40 and 6 yards for touchdowns and returned a fumble 60 yards for another score, all in the first quarter, as Western Branch pounded the Wildcats 43-14.
The Bruins scored on six of their first seven possessions for their biggest point total of the season. The victory keeps fourth-ranked Western Branch (4-0, 6-0) atop the Southeastern District.
``We set the goal this afternoon for a complete victory, and we came about as close to putting it all together - offense, defense, and kicking game - as we could,'' Bruins coach Lew Johnston said. ``Now that we're into the second half of the season we wanted to go up another notch, knowing what we've got ahead of us.''
Cook blistered the porous Wildcats' defense from the opening series, taking a handoff from quarterback Daryl Walton and barreling 21 yards to the Great Bridge 40 on the game's first play.
Walton called Cook's number on the next play and Cook burst through the line, leaping over a defender and outrunning Rob Ziegenfuss down the left sideline for the game's first score.
Cook capped a six-play, 64-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown run at 6:44. On the Wildcats' ensuing possession, Cook stifled the drive by picking up Adrian Hughes' fumble and rumbling 60 yards to give Western Branch a 21-0 lead.
``The whole team has to step it up when someone like Shyrone is out. I was just doing my part,'' said Cook, who scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter and finished with 98 yards on six carries. ``The line was doing the job - they were getting the good blocks and giving me holes.''
Daryl Walton completed 9 of 15 passes for 141 yards and two touchdown passes, both to Lorenzo Ferguson. Darren Walton led all receivers with 90 yards on five catches.
Great Bridge (1-3, 1-6) got 1-yard touchdown runs from Michael Cuddyer and Meredith Corprew. by CNB