DATE: Saturday, September 13, 1997          TAG: 9709130673

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY BRIAN J. FRENCH, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   44 lines

NORFOLK ACADEMY SINKS ATLANTIC SHORES BULLDOGS SCORE FINAL 41 POINTS TO WIN BIG IN SHOWDOWN GAME

Only minutes after Norfolk Academy's 55-14 dismantling of Atlantic Shores Friday afternoon, the Bulldogs took turns ringing the bell in front of their school's main building.

This after their running game rung the Seahawks' bells all afternoon.

Norfolk Academy turned what was billed as one of the biggest private school football showdowns of the '90s into a seminar on how to master the ground attack, racking up 347 rushing yards and scoring the game's last 41 points.

The first quarter actually exceeded expectations. The Seahawks (2-1) and Bulldogs engaged in an offensive shootout, amassing a combined 327 yards in the first 12 minutes en route to a 14-all tie.

But Norfolk Academy (2-0) broke the Seahawks' backs in the last 1:09 of the second quarter. With the Bulldogs up 21-14, Bo Wilkinson scored his third touchdown of the day on a 6-yard run up the middle, and Academy got the ball back after forcing Atlantic Shores quarterback Janson Greene to fumble deep in Seahawks territory.

Wilkinson then scored again on the half's last play, and Norfolk Academy's run of not losing to an area private school since 1990 was safe.

``This is about as good as any offense can play,'' Norfolk Academy coach Tom York said. ``I was very impressed with my team's endurance. They were able to stay fresh the entire game.''

Wilkinson finished with 170 yards on the ground before leaving the game in the third quarter when York started taking starters out. Claude Diggs ran for 103 yards as 11 different Bulldogs backs carried the ball. Norfolk Academy had 20 first downs.

Atlantic Shores' Donte Crowder ran for 116 yards, 85 of them coming on a spectacular first quarter touchdown run in which he broke two tackles to turn a draw play into the play of the day. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

HUY NGUYEN/The Virginian-Pilot

Josh Milam and the Atlantic Shores offense never quite got a grip

after the first quarter Friday as the Seahawks fell to Norfolk

Academy 55-14 in what has been billed as a private school football

showdown. Academy has not lost to a local private school since 1990.

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