1988 Christiansburg 23 - Blacksburg 9 WDBJ-7 Highlights Regional playoffs

11/11/1988

Christiansburg ousts Blacksburg
By BOB TEITLEBAUM SPORTSWRITER
After Friday night's fright, what more could happen to Timesland's best football teams in the playoffs? Christiansburg answered that with the biggest shocker of the weekend Saturday when the Blue Demons dominated from start 1 to end in dismantling Blacksburg, Timesland's No. 1 team, 23-9. Christiansburg (6-5) plods on to the second step in Group AA Division 4 at Grundy next weekend. "These two communities are close and all Blacksburg had talked about was how only Tabb stood in their way. This one is for our parents who had to listen to this all week," Christiansburg end Gary Lawrence said.

"This wasn't revenge. It was avenge. They tried to run up the score on us at our place [in a 27-7 regular season loss]. We've been waiting for the next shot." The Blue Demons were as feisty at the beginning as Lawrence was at the end. They let the Indians know right away how things stood with an opening drive to Blacksburg's 44.

The Indians held, but that was the last good thing to happen to them until the clock mercifully ended the game about 44 minutes later. "We didn't play very well on either side of the ball. Defensively we couldn't stop them and offensively we stopped ourselves," Blacksburg coach Dave Crist said. How true. Christiansburg's vaunted passing attack took a back seat in the second half to the running game as the Blue Demons put together a 64-yard march entirely on the ground in the third quarter.

"We thought we could run on them," Christiansburg coach Mike Cole said. "We changed some things we were doing up front. I wasn't sure we could run on them until I saw the things that we changed help us.' Meanwhile, Blacksburg's Jerome Trussell had the kind of day that every athlete dreads. He lost two fumbles inside Christiansburg's 10 to squander scoring opportunities. Christiansburg's Mashirn Tanaka made the day's first big play as he hauled back a punt to the Indians' 15.

Blacksburg's defense held, but Lawrence hit a twisting 24-yard field goal to make it 3-0. Blacksburg, hardly blinked at this as the Indians started a drive from their 29. The march reached the Demons' 14 when Trussell burst through the line and seemed to be headed for the goal. But Lawrence stripped the ball and Tanaka fell on it at the 3. "I saw Randy strip the ball away.

It came my way and I grabbed it. It felt great," Tanaka said. Despite poor field position, the Blue Demons attacked. They drove 96 yards in 19 plays that took a leisurely seven minutes off the clock. The first big play came when quarterback Charles Graham hit Lawrence for 19 yards to the Indians' 9 on fourth down.

Then Graham connected on a touchdown pass, but the play was called back for an ineligible receiver. On fourth down, Graham hooked up with Lawrence for a touchdown that made it 10-0 at halftime. Blacksburg's only score came early in the second half. Trussell nearly escaped for a touchdown that might have changed the momentum, but he was pulled down by William Ferrell after a 40-yard gain. That big play, the second of three for Ferrell, was important as the drive stalled and Blacksburg's Lloyd Zelazny kicked a 34-yard field goal to make it 10-3.

Then came the drive without a pass behind the running of Jeff Stanley and Jerome Wesley. It went 64 yards in 10 plays with Stanley barging over from the 1. "We've done it this year. I don't remember, but we have a tremendous running game," said Graham, second in Timesland passing. "We build our confidence with the pass and when the passing game is going, our linemen are clicking," Lawrence said.

"We'll pass, pass, pass - then boom comes the running play." Blacksburg followed by muffing a pair of opportunities to tie. First, the Indians drove to the Demons' 2, but a penalty pushed them back.

It remained for Christiansburg's Ferrell to make one last big play. He scored on an 8-yard reverse to make it 23-3. "I saw Randy lying on the ground. When I jumped over him, there was [Blacksburg's] Lester Thompson coming. I just went outside and saw the end zone," Ferrell said.

Blacksburg finally got a touchdown when the Bill Ferrell hit Bill Linkenhoker on a 7-yard strike. But Christiansburg recovered the onside kick making the win official.

Cburg-FG Lawrence 24 Cburg -Lawrence 3 pass from Graham (Martin kick) Bicks-FG Zelazny 34 Cburg-Stanley 1 run (Martin kick) Chrst-Ferrell 8 (kick failed) run Bicks-Linkenhoker 7 pass from Ferrell (pass failed) Chrsbra Biks INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Rushing -Christiansburg, Stanley 24-83, J. Wesley 11-59, Ferrell 1-8, Tanaka 1-6, Graham 4-(-8). Blacksburg, Trussell 17-92, Appleby 11-77, Armstrong 3-7, Ferrell 3-(minus 7).

Passing-Christiansburg, Graham 11-18-0-108; Blacksburg, Ferrell 7-16-0-108. Receiving Lawrence 5-61, Tanaka 3-21, Graybeal 2-16, Ferrell 1-10. Blacksburg, Hale 4-53, Thompson 2-48; Linkenhoker 1-7..