varsity.roanoke.com

MATT GENTRY The Roanoke Times

Salem's Zach Houchin (center) and Jacob Semones (right) tackle Ryan Fisher at the 1-yard line on the final play of the game.

Photos by MATT GENTRY The Roanoke Times

Zach Houchin (44) celebrates after the Spartans fended off Christiansburg in three overtimes. Houchin caught a 2-point pass in the third OT that was the difference in the game.

Ryan Fisher of Christiansburg crosses the goal line on a 10-yard TD run in the third overtime that cut the lead to 45-43.

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CHRISTIANSBURG -- When time comes to debate the football plays of the year for Salem High School, Bud Tolliver most certainly will be among the leading nominees.

The 5-foot-9, 140-pound senior made one play with his quicksilver feet and another with his brain and his right arm. One play began a ton of Spartans scoring and the other one ended it.

A stop of a 2-point conversion attempt by Christiansburg in the shadow of the goal ended a sensational 45-43 three-overtime Spartans victory in an instant River Ridge District classic.

Christiansburg, which had enjoyed a 27-14 lead in the third quarter, had to have that last deuce because Tolliver, the holder for the PAT on Salem's final touchdown, showed some quick thinking on a busted extra-point kick in the third extra period. After a scramble, the play ended in a 2-point connection with Zach Houchin to give Salem, the top-ranked team in Timesland, a 45-37 lead.

"We've been working on that situation all week in practice," Tolliver said. "After the bad snap, I was looking for Zach."

No. 8 Christiansburg (6-2, 1-2) responded right out of the box with a 10-yard scoring sprint by Ryan Fisher on the first play in the bottom of the third OT. With the 2-pointer a must at that point, the run was stopped short by the exhausted Spartans defenders, who nonetheless found the energy to run off the field with their arms aloft and hollering like their hair was on fire.

"We were talking on the phone, I've never been in one like that," Salem coach Stephen Magenbauer said. " I've been in a two-overtime game, but that was the longest game I've ever been involved with. It was a great effort by both teams."

Christiansburg coach Tim Cromer had similar praise for the effort.

"Hats off to Salem, but hats off to our kids too because I thought they played incredible," Cromer said.

Aside from the last three plays of the third overtime, the highlights of the extra session were provided by the opposing place-kickers.

In the first OT, Salem's Chris Shelton booted a 27-yard field goal. That was the second one he had to kick in as many snaps. There had been a penalty on his first kick, which also was successful. That boot was answered three plays later by Christiansburg's Patrick Rasnake, who crunched a 38-yarder.

Christiansburg dominated the first half, rushing for 149 of its 172 yards on the ground before the break. Fullback Greg Lee had 103 yards at halftime but only 17 after that. The Demons led 20-13 at the break.

After the Blue Demons scored first in this extravaganza, it was Tolliver who gave struggling Salem (8-0, 3-0) a jolt. He did it with a 100-yard kickoff return that made a NASA launch look slow.

"We've practiced that, too," Tolliver said. "It opened right up for me and I took off."

"He's an athlete and it's nice to have an athlete on your side," Magenbauer said. "He's a playmaker."

Salem scored 13 fourth-quarter points. After scoring a third-quarter TD, Christiansburg was shut out for the rest of regulation.

"They ran a trap pretty well and guys were blocking back on us then came through with it," said Houchin, also a linebacker. "We adjusted going to the five-man front."

Fullback Daniel Dyer and quarterback Adam McGarrell both had big second halves for Salem. Dyer had 56 of his 68 rushing yards in the second half. McGarrell finished with 73 yards passing, going 7-for-15 after not completing a pass in the first half. He cut the lead to 27-20 on a 5-yard scoring run on the first snap of the fourth quarter.

Tolliver made the plays nobody will forget.

"We didn't come out the way we wanted to [at first]," Magenbauer said. "And that return sort of kept us in it in the first half because they were giving it right back to us."

Salem 7 7 0 13 3 7 8--45

Christiansburg 13 7 7 0 3 7 6--43

C--Harrison 11 from Motley (Rasnake kick)

S--Tolliver 100 kickoff return (Shelton kick)

C--Lee 4 run (kick failed)

S--Dyer 11 run (Shelton kick)

C--Wills 1 run (Rasnake kick)

C--Harrison 15 from Wills (Rasnake kick)

S-- McGarrell 5 run (kick failed)

S--Collie 10 run (Shelton kick)

S--Shelton 27 field goal

C--Rasnake 38 field goal

C--Motley 5 run (Rasnake kick)

S--Dyer 1 run (Shelton kick)

S--Collie 1 run (Houchin pass from Tolliver)

C--Fisher 10 run (run failed)

SA CH

First downs 10 15

Yards rushing 124 172

Passes C-A-I 7-15--0 6-9-0

Yards passing 73 56

Penalties-yards 6-29 4-30

Fumbles-lost 3-2 1-1

Punts-average 2-38 4-37.7

Individual statistics

RUSHING -- Salem, Dyer 8-68, Coles 7-31, Collie 8-24, Daniels 9-11; Christiansburg, Lee 30-120, Snell10-34, Motley 2-11, Fisher 9-20, Wills 4-(-12), Graves 1-(-1)

PASSING -- Salem, McGarrell 7-15-0 -- 73; Christiansburg, Wills 5-7-0 -- 47, Motley 1-2-0 -- 15

RECEIVING -- Salem, S. Barnette 3-37, Dyer 2-19, Tolliver 1-9, R. Barnette 1-8; Christiansburg, Harrison 2-20, Fisher 1-10, Snell 1-10, Broome 1-8, Winkle 1-8