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robert.anderson@roanoke.com 981-3123

Salem and William Fleming found themselves playing a football game Saturday night at William Byrd High School.

Then the unbeaten Spartans found themselves in unfamiliar territory.

Trailing in the second half for the first time all season, Salem scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to rally for a 21-10 nondistrict victory over William Fleming.

Timesland's top-ranked team barely escaped the Colonels and its players knew it. While Salem's Matt Shawver hit Tony Spradlin with two touchdown passes, Fleming quarterback Dere Hicks gave the Spartans fits with 192 yards through the air.

"They've got some heck-of-a players, some great players," first-year Salem coach Stephen Magenbauer said. "Their quarterback, I mean he's like trying to catch a fly in a phone booth. You can't ever relax against those guys."

No one in a maroon and white uniform was at ease after Fleming's Troy Dempsey booted a 31-yard field goal to put the Colonels up 10-7 with 32 seconds left in the third quarter. It was just the second time Salem (5-0) had stared at a deficit all year.

"I don't think our kids thought about that though," Magenbauer said. "We just knew we had to get the ball and try to do something with it again. We moved the ball in certain situations that we came out of with no points."

Salem went 76 yards on its go-ahead drive after Dempsey's field goal. Completions from Shawver to Bryan Webb of 26 yards and to Dustin Pickle of 18 yards set up a 23-yard TD pass to Spradlin for a 14-10 lead.

Spradlin speared a square-in from Shawver, then had a clear path to paydirt as Hicks slipped to the turf on the coverage and Iziah Logan skidded off his feet on the pursuit.

"The dude slipped and I just tried to see the end zone," Spradlin said.

The 5-foot-9, 158-pound Spradlin opened the scoring with a 24-yard reception from Shawver with 1:09 left in the first half.

"All week we worked on the hitch-and-go because they play man coverage," Spradlin said. "We figured that would be good to us tonight because they turn their back and run. 'Shawv' made two perfect passes. The first one, he laid right in there where it was supposed to be and I got my one foot down."

Spradlin caught six passes for 99 yards, but those numbers paled in comparison to Fleming's Mijuan Curtis, who had 10 receptions for 147 yards.

Curtis ignited a Fleming offense that produced just 29 total yards in the first 23 minutes of the opening half when he caught a short pass from Hicks and streaked 55 yards to make it 7-7.

Curtis was one of many exhausted Fleming players who made the glum postgame walk to the locker room. Hicks was shaky after suffering a possible concussion, while ferocious-hitting safety Dwayne Priest was nursing a rib injury.

Fleming's schedule which has included the likes of Magna Vista, Pulaski County and Patrick Henry, is taking its toll. Next week the Colonels visit Franklin County.

"We play anybody," Fleming coach Keith Smith said. "We've just got to lick our wounds. Our kids will bounce back."

Smith was hurting from an intentional grounding call against Hicks that doomed the Colonels' next drive following the second TD catch by Spradlin. Fleming had a first down at Salem's 26, but the flag cost the Colonels a down and set them back to the 41.

Fleming turned the ball over on downs, and two plays later Salem tailback D'Juan Smith broke loose for a 58-yard TD sprint that iced the game.

Smith, subbing for injured Andre Hairston, finished with 95 yards rushing on 17 attempts.

"I had some daylight," Smith said. "I just wasn't keeping my knees high enough. They came up and hand-tackled me by my ankles."

Magenbauer is counting on Hairston's return for Salem's next game against Christiansburg on Oct.15. The Spartans have next week off before starting their River Ridge District schedule.

"The open date fell at a great time," Magenbauer said. "In our district we've got a bunch of teams undefeated so it's going to be like the playoffs starting early."

Salem 0 7 0 14 - 21

William Fleming 0 7 3 0 - 10

Sal - Spradlin 24 pass from Shawver (Hall kick)

WF - M.Curtis 55 pass from Hicks (Dempsey kick)

WF - FG Dempsey 31

Sal - Spradlin 23 pass from Shawver (Hall kick)

Sal - Smith 58 run (Hall kick)

Sal WF

First downs 18 14

Rushes-yards 33-171 22-69

Passes C-A-I 10-23-0 18-35-1

Yards passing 160 223

Penalties-yards 10-81 6-54

Fumbles-lost 2-1 0-0

Punts-average 4-35 6-38

Individual statistics

RUSHING - Salem, Smith 17-95, Daniels 11-67, Shawver 5-9. William Fleming, Hicks 11-39, Priest 10-30, Webb 1-0.

PASSING -- Salem, Shawver, 10-23-0-160. William Fleming, Hicks 17-32-0-192, P.Curtis 1-3-1-31.

RECEIVING - Salem, Spradlin 6-99, Webb 2-38, Pickle 1-18, Daniels 1-5. William Fleming, M.Curtis 10-147, Priest 3-21, Hairston 2-10, Alexander 1-31, Robertson 1-14, Fleming 1-0.