THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 22, 1995 TAG: 9510190208
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 30 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JEFF ZEIGLER, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
The Northeastern High School football team found the hard way that when you play a game in the Big East Conference, you don't come out flat.
The Eagles were stomped 31-0 by Rocky Mount last Friday night, and head coach Eric McDaniels cited a lack of intensity on Northeastern's part.
``They (Rocky Mount) came and played with emotion. They were much better prepared than we were,'' McDaniels said. ``I knew 15 minutes before the game started that we were flat.
``Tonight wasn't very much fun. When you talk about total domination, that's what it was.''
Roman Kelley and Brandon Toomer connected on three touchdown passes and the Rocky Mount defense held Northeastern to just 43 yards of offense in the first half as the Gryphons pounded the Eagles 31-0 in Big East Conference action Friday night.
Rocky Mount (5-2, 1-1) opened the scoring on its third possession of the game. Kelley hit Toomer with an 11-yard touchdown strike with 3:03 to play in the first quarter.
The score ended an eight-play, 56-yard drive which was set up by a 19-yard gain by Toomer on an end-around. Barrett Bodifer's extra point kick made it 7-0.
Kelley and Toomer were responsible for almost all of the yardage on Rocky Mount's next scoring drive. A 34-yard over-the-shoulder catch by Toomer put the Gryphons on the Northeastern 14. After an offsides penalty, Kelly hurled a pass across the right side of the field which Toomer caught in the end zone with 52 seconds left in the first quarter. Bodifer booted the extra point for the 14-0 lead.
A fumble recovery by Dedrick Whitaker on a run by Northeastern's Kentron King set up Rocky Mount on the Eagles' nine. On the next play, Angelo Morallis ran left nine yards for the score with 3:09 left in the first half. King's fumble was particularly crushing to the Eagles because just two plays earlier, Shamon Green had recovered a fumble for the Eagles to stop a Rocky Mount drive.
The Gryphons put the nail in the coffin by scoring on their first two possessions of the second half. After holding Northeastern to ``three and out'' on its first possession of the second half, Rocky Mount countered with a two-play scoring drive. A 24-yard run by Brian Edge set up the third touchdown connection between Kelley and Toomer, this one for 21 yards.
On the second possession, Bodifer booted a 37-yard field goal with 4:57 to play in the third quarter to up the Rocky Mount lead to 31-0.
Kelley was 6-for-14 for 113 yards through the air.
Rocky Mount head coach Ray Durham said the Kelly to Toomer pass combination has worked well for the Gryphons this year.
``When we've had success throwing the ball, it's been those two,'' he said.
The Northeastern offense could go nowhere all night. King, the team's leading rusher, managed just eight yards on 14 carries. Quarterback Tim Mitchell was 6-for-30 for 57 yards.
``Every facet of tonight's game was discouraging,'' McDaniels said. ``We were a team that was young and prospering. It's back to square one. But that's a one-night thing. What happened was unexpected. It's hard to explain.'' by CNB