varsity.roanoke.com

MARCUS YAM

Roanoke Times Salem players celebrate after their 41-0 win against Bassett in the first round of the Division 4 playoffs in Salem on Friday. Salem advances to face Pulaski County.

Salem's Kirk Coles scores one of his three rushing touchdowns.

Salem's football team scored 28 points or more three times during the 2008 regular season.

But in the first round of the Group AA Region IV Division 4 playoffs, the Spartans put 28 points on the board in less than 13 ½ minutes.

Playing almost flawlessly on its home field, Salem (9-2) crushed Bassett 41-0 Friday night, advancing to play unbeaten Pulaski next week for the regional championship. A week ago, the Cougars downed Salem 34-24 in the regular-season finale.

Salem junior quarterback Hunter Sturgill, making his third start after stepping in for injured senior Derrick Hickman, completed 8 of 10 passes against Bassett for 202 yards and two touchdowns. He did not turn the ball over, but was not especially happy with his throws.

"I thought my passes kind of floated tonight," Sturgill said, but praised his receivers who outjumped Bassett defenders on a regular basis. Donte Harvey caught four passes for 114 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown.

"We really executed well tonight," Spartans coach Stephen Magenbauer said. "Our skill guys made some big plays in the first half; we did a good job blocking up front, and our defense played great. We're excited to go back to Pulaski. It's no secret what we have to do [to beat them] ... play more physical."

The Spartans scored quickly almost every time they got the ball. In the first half, they put together scoring drives of three, three, six and six plays. The next time they turned the ball over on downs at the Bassett 20 and forced Bassett into a three-and-out followed by a 5-yard punt.

On the very next play, Sturgill found a leaping Stephen Barnette in the end zone with a 31-yard touchdown pass. That one-play drive took eight seconds and it was 34-0 at intermission.

"It's never easy to end anything that you put so much of your heart and soul into," Bassett coach Jay Gilbert said, "but we were beaten by a better program. That doesn't soften the blow any, but it makes it a little bit more understandable. They wanted the ball more and they went up and got it -- on both sides of the ball."

"The [Salem] coaches were talking all week about playing mistake-free football," said Salem running back Kirk Coles, who had scored three rushing touchdowns after touching the ball just five times. "We came together and played tonight."

"It was fun," said middle linebacker Lang Hawkins, who led the defense to its third shutout of the season. Hawkins acknowledged that Bengals quarterback Boo Woods, Timesland's offensive player of the year in 2007, "is a great athlete." Woods accounted for all but 23 yards of Bassett's offense, rushing for 67 and passing for 106. Woods was intercepted twice, however, including once in the end zone.

Todd Draper caught seven passes for 72 yards for the Bengals (7-4).

Bassett 0 0 0 0 -- 0

Salem 21 13 7 0 -- 41

S -- Harvey 59 pass from Sturgill (Powell kick)

S -- Coles 30 run (Powell kick)

S -- Coles 11 run (Powell kick)

S -- Coles 2 run (Shelton kick)

S -- S. Barnette 31 pass from Sturgill (kick failed)

S -- Houchins 14 run (Shelton kick)

B S

First downs 12 17

Yards rushing 30-90 34-158

Passes C-A-I 10-25-2 8-10-0

Yards passing 106 202

Penalties-yards 4-30 5-25

Fumbles-lost 4-1 2-1

Punts-average 5-26.2 1-35

Individual statistics

RUSHING -- Bassett, Woods 17-67, Norman 4-11, Valentine 3-7, Rains 1-3, Ragan 3-1, Alson 2-1. Salem, Medley 13-71, Coles 14-65, Houchins 4-19, Collie 1-2, Fisher 2-1.

PASSING -- Bassett, Woods 10-25-2-106. Salem, Sturgill 8-10-0-202.

RECEIVING -- Bassett, Draper 7-72, Martin 1-16, Norman 1-20, Valentine 1-(-2). Salem, Harvey 4-114, S. Barnette 2-63, R. Barnette 1-18, Houchins 1-7.