By BY STEVE FRANKLIN, Sports Writer
ROBERSONVILLE — Tyreek Cooper tossed three touchdown passes and returned a punt for a score to lead Roanoke past a feisty Southside squad, 32-7 on Friday night.
The win snaps a four-game losing streak for the Redskins, while the Seahawks fell for the 20th consecutive contest.
Despite the lopsided final score, the Redskins didn’t roll over the Seahawks until late in the contest.
Southside kept it tight for nearly three quarters.
Roanoke opened up a 14-0 lead as Cooper threw two touchdown passes in the first 15 minutes, the first a 15-yarder to Markel Daniels and the second an 11-yard strike to Tavin Sheppard.
But the Seahawks wouldn’t fold.
After Southside defensive end Curtis Myers came up with a blocked punt midway through the second quarter, the ‘Hawks strung together a three-play 36-yard drive, that was highlighted by Lonnie Williams’ 18-yard run down to the two-yard line.
One play later, the Seahawks got on the board as Williams plunged into the end zone to make it 14-7 at the half.
After the Redskins’ defense stopped the Seahawks on three straight plays, Southside was forced to punt from deep inside its own end zone. Punter Geoffrey Wesson did a great job of getting the ball off, but Cooper fielded the short kick at the 29-yard line and wiggled through the Seahawks’ punt coverage unit to give Roanoke a 20-7 lead.
The Redskins added to their lead in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter as Cooper threw his third touchdown pass of the evening, this time connecting with tight end Aaron Baker on a three-yard connection, giving Roanoke a 26-7 lead with 11:13 left.
Southside appeared to cut into the lead midway through the fourth quarter as Marcus O’Neil intercepted Cooper and returned the ball 53 yards into the end zone. But during the return, a Seahawks defender was called for an illegal block in the back, nullifying the score.
The Redskins capped the scoring with 1:35 left as Amos Perkins darted down the left sideline for a 58-yard score. Roanoke finished with 256 yards on the ground, led by 98 from Dwane Morning and 78 from Cooper. Cooper also added 82 yards through the air to compliment his three touchdown tosses.
Southside was led by Williams, who had 14 carries for 62 yards, while quarterback Kevin Sparks threw for 96 yards on 6-of-16 passing.
Southside (0-9, 0-5) will look to pick up its first win next Friday when it hosts Williamston. Roanoke (2-7, 2-3) will play host to Northside.
Southside Roanoke
11 First Downs 16
29-81 Rushes-Yards 38-256
96 Passing Yards 82
6-17-1 Pass-Comp-Int 5-9-2
4-31.3 Punting 1-33
4-2 Fumbles-Lost 1-0
5-35 Penalties 7-55
Southside 0 7 0 0 — 7
Roanoke 8 6 6 12 — 32
Scoring Summary
R — Markel Daniels 15 pass from Tyreek Cooper (Cooper run), 4:47, 1st.
R — Tavin Sheppard 11 pass from Cooper (Run failed), 9:26, 2nd.
S — Lonnie Williams 2 run (Mike LoRe kick), 4:12, 2nd
R — Cooper 29 interception return (Run failed), 4:40, 3rd
R — Aaron Baker 3 pass from Cooper (Run failed), 11:13, 4th
R — Amos Perkins 58 run (Run failed), 1:35, 4th