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Raider defensive lineman Brad Parsons wraps up Sissonville running back Nathan Brill as teammate Steven Martin (51) closes in.
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Sports Editor - Call them the cardiac kids.
For the third straight week, Roane County and their home fans had to withstand a furious final-minute rally by the opposing team before escaping with a win.
“Coach (Wayne) Jarvis told somebody he wants to make sure everybody gets their money’s worth,” Raider coach Tom Hardman said of his defensive coordinator.
The latest heart-stopping example came Friday at County Stadium when the Raiders held off Sissonville 12-6 to earn their third consecutive victory after an 0-3 start.
As with previous wins over Webster County and Braxton County, the Raiders stymied a late threat. Trailing by a touchdown, the Indians marched 74 yards with 1:54 on the clock only to see a fourth-down pass fall incomplete with 2.9 ticks remaining.
“It will go down as a win and we’re pretty happy about it,” Hardman said.
The defensive struggle saw its first points on a defensive TD. Jonsen Edens of the Indians scooped up a fumble by Raider quarterback Josh Drake and raced 83 yards down the home sideline for a score midway through the first quarter.
“Josh was trying to make a play there,” Hardman said. “I’m ticked to death he’s taking that on, but he probably tried to do too much on that one.”
Roane bounced back early in the second quarter with a 75-yard drive capped by Drake’s one-yard run.
“We played really good defense, got the ball back and put a nice exclamation point on that,” Hardman said of the TD march.
The teams traded punts in the third quarter before the Raiders were able to get the go-ahead score. Safety David Miller set the table when he picked off Indian quarterback William Black and returned the ball to the Sissonville 12. Drake got the TD on a 10-yard run up the middle, part of his 143 rushing stripes on the night.
“What a timely interception,” Hardman said. “That was a giant swing for us and we were able to capitalize.”
Next came the final dramatic drive by the Indians, which included Black completions of 36 yards to Blake Cunningham and 18 yards to Nathan Brill. Brill’s catch went to the Raider 10, but Brad Parsons sacked Black for a seven-yard loss to set up Sissonville’s futile last-ditch effort from the 17.
Roane’s latest win has put the team in a position to match last year’s feat of finishing 6-0 and securing a playoff berth after a 1-3 start.
“After the third game, we weren’t too big to go back to trying to get the fundamental right that had been costing us ball games,” Hardman said. “Our boys have responded.”
Now if their fans’ hearts can only hold out.
See complete stats in Oct. 4 print edition.
