varsity.roanoke.com

Photos by ERIC BRADY The Roanoke Times

Quentin Dill (center) finds another hole to run through against Graham on Friday night. Dill caught touchdown passes of 82- and 30-yards for Cave Spring.

Michael Cole of Cave Spring (right) takes down Graham running back Aderrius Jackson in the Knights' 42-0 win over Graham.

For a team that hadn't been in the playoffs since 2005, Cave Spring sure didn't look rusty.

Quentin Dill had a career-high 201 receiving yards -- including an 82-yard touchdown catch on his team's first play from scrimmage -- as the Knights cruised to a 42-0 victory over Graham in the Region IV Division 3 semifinals at Dwight Bogle Stadium on Friday.

"We've been waiting two weeks to play," said Dill, whose team got a bye in the first round. "We were ready to jump."

Maybe too ready. The Knights (9-2) were flagged for two offsides penalties on the opening kick, spotting the visitors 10 yards before the clock even started. But an interception by Michael Cole set up the Cave Spring offense at its own 18, and quarterback Josh Woodrum found Dill on a short route over the middle. Dill broke several tackles before getting in the clear, then sprinted away for the first of his two receiving scores.

"The kid did a great job," Cave Spring coach Tim Fulton said. "Holy cow -- made catches, made runs. He did a phenomenal job."

So did the rest of the Knights, who were wary of a Graham team that looked little like the one they had beaten 55-12 early in the season. The G-Men (5-7) had reeled off five straight victories after an 0-6 start.

"We'd watched them and they'd gotten better," Fulton said. "They were executing much better. We wanted to make sure we didn't overlook them in any way, shape or form. That became our focus for the week."

The G-Men tallied 151 yards in the first half but couldn't dent the scoreboard. Meanwhile, Woodrum and running back Sam Wright (12 carries, 104 yards) each scored rushing touchdowns to bump the lead to 21-0.

"Their speed puts us in a bind," Graham coach Doug Marrs said. "We've got what we've got, we are what we are, and we don't have speed."

The Knights had blown a 21-0 lead against Hidden Valley in their most recent game, so Fulton's halftime message was pretty simple: Let's not have a repeat.

They didn't. Wright and Dill each scored again, Erik Jacobsen hauled in a 12-yard TD pass and the Cave Spring defense forced two fumbles to put the game away with 21 unanswered points in the third quarter.

Still, not everyone was satisfied.

"One of our goals is to actually score on defense," Cave Spring senior center J.D. Griffith said. "We have not hit that goal yet this season.

"So there's more to do. We have many goals to do."

The most immediate one? Try to keep things rolling against perennial power Richlands, which will visit Bogle next week in the regional final.

"They've got history on their side," said Alex Berry, a two-way lineman for Cave Spring. "We're making it. So it's the battle of the new kid on the block vs. the guy who's been there pretty much every year. It's going to be a tough fight."

Quarterback David Marrs led Graham with 103 rushing yards on nine carries. Woodrum finished 9-of-14 passing for 232 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for the Knights, who now have three postseason wins in program history.

"These are kids who have worked hard for the last three and four years," Fulton said. "I'm just happy to see, because of their work and their dedication, that they're able to reap this success."

Graham 0 0 0 0--0

Cave Spring 7 14 21 0--42

CS-Dill 82 pass from Woodrum (Hafey kick)

CS-Wright 7 run (Hafey kick)

CS-Woodrum 4 un (Hafey kick)

CS-Wright 1 run (Hafey kick)

CS-Jacobsen 12 pass from Woodrum (Hafey kick)

CS-Dill 30 pass from Woodrum (Hafey kick)

GR CS

First downs 12 19

Yards rushing 219 163

Passes C-A-I 4-10-2 9-14-0

Yards passing 63 232

Penalties-yards 5-45 7-45

Fumbles-lost 4-2 1-0

Punts-average 3-34 4-34

Individual statistics

RUSHING -- Graham, Marrs 9-103, Howell 14-69, Jackson 9-40, Michel 3-5, Edwards 1-4, David 2-(-2); Cave Spring, Wright 12-104, Woodrum 7-40, Cole 2-21, Baker 2-4, Newsome 4-(-6).

PASSING -- Graham, Marrs 4-9-2-63, Byrd 0-1-0-0; Cave Spring, Woodrum 9-14-0-232.

RECEIVING -- Graham, Byrd 3-55, Edwards 1-8; Cave Spring, Dill 6-201, Jacobsen 1-12, Wright 1-11, Micklem 1-8.