Sunday, November 15, 2009
Sloppy Bobcats outlast Giles
Radford commits five turnovers, but defeats the Spartans for the second straight week.
Shaozhuo Cui | Special to The Roanoke Times
Radford running back D.J Palmer scores the second touchdown for the Bobcats during Saturday's game. Palmer ran for 58 yards on three carries in the playoff win.
Shaozhuo Cui | Special to The Roanoke Times
Giles' Andrew Eppling scores a touchdown on a 3-yard run during Saturday's game.
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RADFORD -- When Radford High and Giles play a dull and uninspiring football game, it will be the first time.
Continuing a long series of bruising but entertaining contests, neither the Spartans nor the Bobcats played their best ball game Saturday night. But that didn't stop them from delivering a riveting spectacle in a VHSL Group A Region C Division 2 playoff game that was postponed Friday because of soggy grounds.
Radford offset five turnovers by forcing four from Giles and got a rousing effort from its defense and do-everything big play guy D.J. Palmer to stop the Spartans for the second time in as many weeks, this time 14-6.
The loss ended the season for Giles (7-4) and sent the Bobcats (8-3) to the next round. They'll visit old rival George Wythe 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The score was 23-19 a week ago when the Bobcats won to claim the Three Rivers District title. The reward was a rematch one week later.
"I would definitely not like to play them another week in a row," Radford tackle Josh Oliver said.
Giles would probably just as soon have some time away from Palmer, not to mention Oliver. Palmer had two of the Bobcats' three interceptions, recovered a fumble, and then put the game away with a 47-yard scoring sprint on a pitch sweep with 2:45 left in the game.
"Brian Thompson had an excellent block on the corner to get me going," said Palmer, who added five catches for 49 yards. "On defense, we played excellently. We forced them into throwing and I read the coverage and got the picks."
As for Oliver, he piled up the line of scrimmage all night long. In the first half, he also blocked a punt. Radford failed to capitalize on the favorable field position that resulted, not the last time that would happen.
"Offensively, we have to be better," Radford coach Matthew Saunders said. "Our turnovers killed us and our defense bailed us out every time."
Oliver impressed Giles coach Jeff Williams.
"You've got to give the man No. 75 credit," Williams said. "You don't block him you ain't going forward. He played a really good ballgame in there. He played a good game last week, this week too."
Radford quarterback Dontae Carter went 7-for-10 for 94 yards and had a 40-yard scoring pass to Thompson. Coupled with the first of Michael Goodman's two TD conversion kicks, it gave Radford an early 7-0 lead. Goodman subsequently had a 43-yard field-goal attempt hit the crossbar.
Carter had 187 yards total offense but he also three two interceptions.
"We were struggling with our blocks and I was making bad decisions; I couldn't see that good," Carter said. "I couldn't see the coverages and break them down like I could last week. I guess they had a better game plan."
The last of Radford's three lost fumbles was by Grant Mitchell, who had the football knocked out of his hand by a teammate just before he crossed the Giles goal line for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Giles was down to two regulars in the backfield when the game ended. Fullback Justin Gautier, who hurt Radford for 128 rushing yards last week, didn't play because of turf toe. He also was missing at linebacker. Tailback Travis Robertson had seven carries for 28 yards before leaving for good with a shoulder injury. He also starts in the secondary. Tailback Andrew Eppling paced the Spartans' 208-yard rushing attack with 70 yards and scored on a 3-yard run with a little more than two minutes left in the third quarter. The subsequent PAT attempt to tie the score failed when the holder couldn't control the snap on the wet turf.
Eppling also threw for 39 yards, but had three interceptions.
Williams tipped his hat to his defensive unit.
"They played great in the second half. I'm tickled to death with the way they played and the effort they gave," Williams said. "You gotta understand, you know Radford, they have the athletes. Sooner or later they're going to bust one."
Giles 0 0 6 0--6
Radford 7 0 0 7--14
R--Thompson 40 pass from Carter (Goodman kick)
G--Eppling 3 run (kick failed)
R--Palmer 47 run (Goodman kick)
G R
First downs 12 5
Yards rushing 208 181
Passes C-A-I 4-16-3 7-10-2
Yards passing 36 94
Penalties-yards 2-20 7-65
Fumbles-lost 2-1 3-3
Punts-average 2-35.5 0-0
Individual statistics
RUSHING -- Giles, Baker 15-70, Eppling 11-37, Bane 6-32, Ratcliff 1-32, Robertson 7-28, McCoy 11-5, Kessinger 3-9. Radford, Carter 15-93, Palmer 3-58, Adkins 7-14, Mitchell 3-16.
PASSING -- Giles, Eppling 3-14-3-39, Kessinger 1-2-0-(-3). Radford, Carter 7-10-2-94.
RECEIVING -- Giles, Bane 1-32, McCoy 1-4, Thorne 2-0. Radford, Palmer 5-49, Thompson 1-42, Mitchell 1-3.
