
DATE: Saturday, August 30, 1997             TAG: 9708300598

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY ROBIN BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   57 lines

BOOKER T. DOWNS DEEP CREEK COACH LARRY STEPNEY HAILS WIN AS BOOKERS' FIRST STEP TOWARD WINNING CHAMPIONSHIP

Booker T. Washington took a major step toward joining the area's elite football programs Friday night by shutting down Deep Creek 15-6 before a home crowd of 2,500.

The Bookers have been consistent winners the past three years, but they had never won an opening game or beaten a non-district opponent the stature of the Hornets since Larry Stepney took over in 1992.

Deep Creek, a traditional Southeastern District power, has been to the playoffs each of the last three seasons.

``This is the first step to playing championship football,'' Stepney said.

Dominique Perry threw two touchdown passes to tight end Robert Jordan and the defense held Deep Creek without a first down for five consecutive series in the middle of the game as the Bookers rallied from a 6-0 deficit.

The Hornets, playing their first game under new coach David Cox, gained only 146 total yards and 90 of those came on three plays. The Hornets averaged in only 1.47 yards on their other 38 plays.

``We knew our defense was more physical than their offense,'' Stepney said.

Physical and quick. Ronald Marcus, a 198-pound senior who played noseguard in the Bookers' 5-man front and tackle when they switched to a 4-4, bedeviled the Hornets all night.

When Marcus wasn't penetrating and pulling down runners from behind, linebacker Kelvin Fuller was wreaking havoc on the blitz.

The biggest play of the game came with less than a minute left in the first half, after the Hornets had forced a fumble on fourth down and took over at their own 16. Deep Creek went to its conservative ``muscle'' formation, only to have fullback James Green (119 yards on 20 carries) fumble the ball right back to Booker T. when he was hit by Fuller.

Three plays later Jordan (6-5, 225) reached over a defensive back in the end zone to put the Bookers in front 9-6 with 21 seconds left in the half.

Deep Creek mounted only one minor threat in the second half, driving to a first down at the Booker T. 31. But two runs went nowhere and two passes fell incomplete.

Perry then applied the finishing touch by hitting Jordan with a 9-yard TD pass with 1:48 left. Perry threw off his back foot while stiff-arming the linebacker Green, who was on a blitz. ILLUSTRATION: L. TODD SPENCER

Hornets off balance in opener

Deep Creek quarterback Chris Crocker tries to elude Booker T.'s

Kevin Fuller Friday in the Bookers' 15-6 victory.

Color photo

L. TODD SPENCER

Deep Creek's James Green manages to keep his balance on this

touchdown run as he eludes Booker T.'s George Cutler, top, and

Cameron White. But it was the only TD on a long night for the

Hornets, who fell to the Bookers 15-6.