Saturday, November 14, 2009
Blue Demons rely on ground game in victory
Christiansburg has no trouble with Bassett and faces a matchup with Hidden Valley next.

Photos by Justin Cook | The Roanoke Times
Christiansburg tailback Greg Lee (32) tumbles over a Basset defender for a first down during Friday's Region IV Division 4 playoff game, won 48-6 by the Blue Demons.

Christiansburg's Forrest Rush reels in a 68-yard pass for a touchdown as Basset's sideline looks on during Friday's Region IV Division 4 playoff game.

A Basset defender fails to bring down Christiansburg tailback Greg Lee in the first half.
CHRISTIANSBURG -- Earlier this season Bassett traveled to Christiansburg to take on the Blue Demons. In that contest, Bassett fell 49-0.
On Friday night they matched up again, this time in the playoffs, and the result wasn't much different.
Ryan Fisher ran for 181 yards on just five carries and had three long scores as Christiansburg routed Bassett 48-6 and advanced in the Region IV Division 4 tournament.
Fisher averaged 36 yards per carry and scored on runs of 24 yards, 57 yards and 70 yards.
"He ran hard tonight," Christiansburg coach Tim Cromer said. "He is running like a beast. He was tough tonight."
Christiansburg (8-3) got on the board five minutes in when starting running back Greg Lee went right, behind a lead block, and scored from 3 yards out.
After Lee's score, Fisher added all of his touchdowns before halftime as the Blue Demons went into the break up comfortably, 34-0.
"We were really focused," Fisher said. "We talked about how it's hard to beat the same team twice. We came out with our heads high."
Fisher's most stellar run came on his 70-yard burst where he started right and cut all the way across the field, leaving everyone behind for the score.
Fisher praised his offensive line for something else in addition to opening up holes.
"Lamonte Harrison and Kevin Merideth, they kept everyone together and made sure everyone was respectful and composed," Fisher said.
As the offensive line kept the team's head on straight, the backs ran wild all night and outgained Bassett by some staggering numbers.
Christiansburg ran for 378 yards in the game compared to 49 by Bassett.
"I'm just proud of how we played," Cromer said. "I was really excited that we played a really good overall game."
Bassett (3-8) averaged a dismal 1.4 yards per play on the night and wasn't able to win the battles in the trenches.
Bassett coach Jay Gilbert realized that his team was overmatched.
Video: Blessed Sacrament Knights defeat North Cross Raiders, 17-15
Video by Jordan Fifer | The Roanoke Times
VarsityCast
"I think we showed tonight that we are just not there yet," Gilbert said. "We showed tonight why we were 3-7 and they were 7-3."
Not many negatives were to be found with Christiansburg's performance, but one thing the Blue Demons will look at are three lost fumbles.
The Blue Demons put the ball on the ground three times and Bassett recovered all three, including one that served as its only score, as Deron Martin scooped up the ball on the last fumble in the fourth quarter and ran it back 51 yards for the TD.
"That's a definite negative," Cromer said of the fumbles. "We just don't need to do that. Those are the three things we have to look at."
Bassett fumbled seven times of its own, losing only two.
Next up for Christiansburg is a matchup at Hidden Valley next Saturday.
Bassett 0 0 0 6--6
Christiansburg 13 2 10 14--48
C -- Lee 3 run (Rasnake kick)
C -- Fisher 24 run (kick failed)
C -- Fisher 57 run (Rasnake kick)
C -- Rush 68 pass from Motley (Rasnake kick)
C -- Fisher 70 run (Rasnake kick)
C -- Miller 2 run (Rasnake kick)
C -- Bond 6 run (Rasnake kick)
B -- Martin 51 fumble return (kick failed)
BS CH
First downs 5 16
Yards rushing 35 378
Passes C-A-I 4-8-0 3-5-0
Yards passing 29 86
Penalties-yards 10-75 7-8
Fumbles-lost 7-2 3-3
Punts-average 10-34 1-35
Individual statistics
RUSHING -- Bassett, Finney 9-37, Maples 10-8, Blankenship 4-minus-3, Valentine 12-minus-7; Christiansburg, Fisher 5-181, Lee 11-99, Thompson 5-42, Snell 6-34, Buchanan 2-15, Bond 1-6, Johnson 1-4, Motley 1-2, Miller 1-2, Tienvieri 1-2, Looney 1-minus-1, Kelly 1-minus-4, Graves 4-minus-5.
PASSING -- Bassett, Valentine 4-7-0 29, Maples 0-1-0 0; Christiansburg, Motley 3-4-86, Wills 0-1-0.
RECEIVING -- Bassett, Finney 2-5, Watkins 1-15, Maples 1-9; Christiansburg, Graves 1-12, Fisher 1-8, Rush 1-68.




