By Staff
By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
ROBERSONVILLE — A thrilling overtime win last week vaulted the Roanoke Redskins into the third round of the NCHSAA Class 1-A state playoffs for the first time since 2003.
The No. 7 seed Redskins (9-4), who lost in the second round of the playoffs in each of the last three years, will look to do something no other Roanoke football team has done this decade — get into the East Regional championship game.
Standing in way of Roanoke, led by fourth-year coach Brian Paschal, is the No. 11 seed Perquimans Pirates (7-6). The Redskins host the Pirates tonight at Nolan Respess Stadium.
The Redskins have a few things in their favor heading into tonight’s game — they are playing at home; they already have one win over Perquimans this season and they haven’t lost to the Pirates since 2001.
A 2-yard touchdown run by Lakendrick Baker, his third of the game, and a 9-yard scoring toss from Alonza Higgs to Kenneth Hyman in the fourth quarter helped the Redskins rally past the Pirates, 36-28, on Sept. 21.
It was the sixth straight win for Roanoke over Perquimans. The previous five contests — 64-36 in 2006; 37-14 in 2005; 28-14 in 2004; 38-7 in 2003 and 58-22 in 2002, weren’t close.
Perquimans earned its last win over Roanoke in 2001 with a 57-28 victory.
The Redskins, who finished second in the Atlantic Conference, took a 26-20 overtime victory against the Atlantic Conference champion and No. 2 seed Williamston Tigers on the road to advance to tonight’s third-round game.
It was the second six-point playoff victory for Roanoke, which held off Northside 52-46 in the first round.
The Redskins enter the game averaging 28.3 points and allowing 20.5 per game.
The team’s nine wins this season are the most under Paschal, and the most since the Redskins went 11-3 in 2002.
The Redskins have found success under Paschal, who is 29-23 at Roanoke.
Paschal was head coach of the Washington Pam Pack from 1996 to 2002, compiling a 40-44 mark in that time. His team did go 9-2 overall in 2001, but had to forfeit those wins because of the use of an ineligible player. He guided the Pam Pack team to an 11-2 mark in 1999.
Paschal, who is 69-67 in 11 years as head coach at Roanoke and Washington, was the offensive coordinator during Williamston’s 1995 state championship run.
The Pirates, which finished fourth in the Albemarle Conference, are coming off a 19-6 victory over No. 14 seed Northampton-West. Perquimans coach T.J. Worrell watched Jamel Warren run for 156 yards on 36 carries, while Forest Monty (nine carries for 70 yards) scored on runs of 16 yards in the first quarter and 1 yard in the fourth. John Hunter, who ran for 22 yards on four totes, added a 3-yard score in the third quarter.
Perquimans, which is averaging 26.7 points and allowing 19.8 per game, got interceptions from Michael Frierson and Lamar Whidbee last week.
The Pirates beat Creswell 59-12 in the first round.
Tonight’s winner will play at the survivor between No. 1 seed Plymouth (13-0) and No. 4 seed Jones Senior (9-4) in next week’s East Regional championship game. Roanoke fell 44-14 to Plymouth during the regular season.
Roanoke is looking to make it to its first state championship game since 1990, when it fell 40-14 to Swain County.
The Redskins won the state championship in 1975 with a 12-9 nod over West Montgomery.
This year’s 1-A state championship game will be held Saturday, Dec. 8, at 11 a.m. at Raleigh’s Carter-Finley Stadium.