Monday, December 07, 2009
Radford's Bobcats punch ticket to football finals
Radford quarterback Dontae Carter has a hand in three touchdowns in the win.
DAVID CRIGGER | Bristol Herald Courier
Radford's Kevin Adkins is hit by Lebanon's Bob Jones just as he catches a pass in the Group A, Division 2 semifinal Sunday at Lebanon.
DAVID CRIGGER | Bristol Herald Courier
Radford's Grant Mitchell (23) avoids the diving tackle attempt by Lebanon's Dylan Smith (11).
varsity.roanoke.com
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LEBANON -- Dontae Carter normally spends Sundays at home, watching his Atlanta Falcons. The Radford quarterback didn't get to watch the NFL this Sunday, but he didn't mind.
Throwing for 177 yards and accounting for three scores, Carter led the Bobcats to a 28-21 win over Lebanon in a wild Group A, Division 2 semifinal at Stuart Field. With their fourth playoff win, the Bobcats (11-3) move into Saturday's 4:15 p.m. title game at Salem Stadium against unbeaten Essex.
"Wow, it's exciting," Carter said. "I look forward to playing in a game like that." He might have looked forward to it too much at the beginning, when he tossed an interception and lost a fumble on consecutive plays to put Radford's defense in a problem.
But the Bobcats got out of it cheaply, permitting just one touchdown -- Andrew Jessee's 1-yard quarterback sneak -- to keep the Pioneers (8-5) from taking early control. Carter rattled off nine straight completions to close the first half, including a 30-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter's last minute to a diving Brian Thompson.
He also hit 37- and 25-yard throws to Thompson and D.J. Palmer just before halftime, setting up Kevin Adkins' 3-yard TD run with 30.3 seconds left in the half for a 21-14 margin.
"The biggest thing was we just kept giving him the ball," Radford coach Matthew Saunders said. "Dontae's a big-game player and he'll make enough big plays for you."
"The coaches just talked to me and said that there was a lot of time left in the game," Carter said. "They just said to put it behind me and just keep playing my game."
Defensively, Radford had problems with Lebanon's balance, allowing 280 yards and 19 first downs. But the Bobcats compensated by forcing four turnovers and generating consistent pressure on Jessee with Julian Minter and Adam Ward leading the charge.
While Jessee threw for 150 yards and accounted for all three of his team's TDs, he also coughed up a critical interception at his 5-yard line to freshman William Minter, setting up Carter's second scoring run for a 28-14 edge late in the third quarter.
"It was a stupid pass," Jessee said. "We just killed ourselves with the turnovers. They were the better team today."
With Radford now a game away from its first state championship in 37 years, Saunders recalled a promise he made to his team after a September loss at a Gretna team coached by his brother, Kevin Saunders.
"We got on the bus after the game and I told them, 'We won't lose again,' " he said. "I just thought we had the group that could play for a state title."
Radford 7 14 7 0--28
Lebanon 7 7 0 7--21
L--Jessee 1 run (T. Adams kick)
R--Thompson 30 pass from Carter (Goodman kick)
R--Carter 1 run (Goodman kick)
L--Jones 6 pass from Jessee (T. Adams kick)
R--Adkins 3 run (Goodman kick)
R--Carter 1 run (Goodman kick)
L--Jessee 2 run (T. Adams kick)
R L
First downs 10 19
Yards rushing 30-62 41-130
Passes C-A-I 13-21-1 14-24-1
Yards passing 177 150
Penalties-yards 9-79 4-34
Fumbles-lost 1-1 4-3
Punts-average 3-42.3 2-31.5
Individual statistics
RUSHING -- Radford, Mitchell 7-55, Carter 11-14, Adkins 6-4, Palmer 6-(-11). Lebanon, D. Smith 18-79, Jessee 12-33, J. Adams 6-19, N. Smith 2-3, Bush 1-0, Jones 1-0, TEAM 1-(-4).
PASSING -- Radford, Carter 13-21-1-177. Lebanon, Jessee 14-24-1-150.
RECEIVING -- Radford, Thompson 5-81, Mitchell 4-58, Palmer 3-34, Adkins 1-2. Lebanon, Jones 7-57, Cobb 5-71, Williams 2-18.
