THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 2, 1996 TAG: 9611020629
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 44 lines
So just who were those guys who played Booker T. Washington on Sept. 8?
Couldn't have been the same Norview team that's out there now. Because on Friday night, the Pilots bore virtually no resemblance to the gang who stumbled through a 9-8 loss to the Bookers two months ago as they rolled up a convincing 36-6 victory over Booker T. Washington at Norview.
``Last time we played Booker T., we were rusty, had first-game jitters,'' Norview quarterback James Whitley said. ``This is more like the way we know how to play.''
Whitley turned in a virtuoso performance in the first half alone, a 24-minute span during which he threw two touchdown passes, ran for another, got off a 44-yard punt and stood up Bookers running back Detrell Wood with a punishing hit.
The victory set Norview up to claim a share of the Eastern District title with a victory over Norcom next Friday. The win also kept alive Norview's hopes for a Division 6 playoff berth.
The Pilots, winners of six of their last seven games, matched their opening-game point total on the game's first play when quarterback Whitley dashed 75 yards for a touchdown and Larry Austin ran in the two-point conversion. Norview went on to amass 359 yards total offense in what the Pilots called their best performance of the season.
``The O-line played their butts off,'' Norview's David Martin said. ``When they play well, we play well.''
Whitley (8 of 10 passing for 132 yards) figured in four of Norview's five touchdowns, as he added an eight-ran scoring run in the third quarter to his first-quarter touchdown run and hit Martin with two scoring passes.
Both came on fade patterns, where the 6-foot-5 Martin reached over smaller Booker defenders to make the two receptions.
For Martin, the touchdown catches were sweet redemption after several dropped passes in the opener against the Bookers.
``I figured I kind of owed it to them after what happened that first game,'' Martin said.
Eric Hines scored Norview's other touchdown on a fourth-quarter 19-yard run.
Kelvin Fuller caught a 12-yard scoring pass from Dominic Perry in the fourth quarter for the Bookers. by CNB