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ROANOKE- Kelvin Ford would pace a strong first half hauling in a pair of second

quarter touchdown passes and his star teammate Dwayne Priest would get

going in the second half with a pair of touchdowns to cap off a 129 yard game on

20 carries as the Colonels opened up in style defeating Roanoke city rival

Patrick Henry 31-14 Friday night at Victory stadium in Roanoke. The game was the

season opener for both clubs. Deandre Mumford came in for injured starting

quarterback Artez Foster and threw both touchdown strikes to Ford and completed

five passes for 133 yards while adding 17 on the ground.

"Both (Dwayne) Priest and (Kelvin) Ford are two of the best players in the

state in my opinion, and we expect them to perform like that," William Fleming

head coach Keith Smith said after the game. "Our offensive line is experienced

with Gordon Harris, Thomas Boddie, and James Anderson who started as sophomores

in the state championship game, and that's where we hoped to win ball games.

On defense, Aaron Webb made some big plays for us tonight, he's been in the

program four years, two as a starter. Offensively, Deandre Mumford stepped in

and did a super job," Smith added of his key players.

"Turnovers did us in, they're (William Fleming) a good team, you can't lay

the ball down against a team like that, especially early, and expect to win,"

Patrick Henry head coach Bob Gray said after the loss. "With that senior

offensive line, they are a good team when they run the football, that line has

started for three years. They're well coached. I'm proud of our kids, they

played hard, but we made just too many mistakes. We'll work hard and get back

at it on Monday," Gray added.

The first PH mistake would be made on an opening carry fumble that was recovered

by the Colonels Kwamain Hall and returned to the PH 32. Starting quaretback

Artez Foster would then scamper for 25 yards on a fist and goal on the seven.

The drive would stall there however as kicker John Nguyen would come in and kick

a 25 yard field goal with 9:30 left in the first quarter to give William Fleming

a 7-0 lead.

The next three series would result in three and out punts before Fleming would

take over on it's own 14 with 4:13 left in quarter one. Mumford, who was now

quarterbacking for the injured Foster, took a keeper 16 yards to the 33 for a

first down. PH would hold and get the ball back and then they would go three and

out and after a punt, the Colonels would have the ball on the PH 48 to start the

second quarter with a 3-0 lead.

Fleming would strike on the first play when Mumford found Ford for a 48 yard

post to the left for a touchdown and after a Nguyen PAT, the Colonel lead was

10-0 eight seconds into the second quarter.

The Colonels would hold again and force the Patriots to punt, and after a

holding call put W-F back at it's own 14, Priest would bust one out to the

right side gaining 27 yards to their 41. Marcus Bratton would then get 15 more

to get into PH territory, and then Mumford would then find Webb for a screen

pass over the middle for 22 yards to the PH 22.

The Patriots would then get their first big break of the ball game when a fumble

at the line of scrimmage was returned by Gesnel Saintmelus and returned 78 yards

to the house for a TD, and after a Ben Deck PAT, the Patriots now trailed 10-7

with 9:02 remaining in the half.

The Colonels would get the ball back and after a pair of run losses and a

penalty made it third and 20, Mumford would find Ford again on a deep right post

for 35 yards going into PH territory at the 35. Two plays later, Mumford would

convert another third down pass, this one to Webb on a screen left that netted

14 yards to the PH 21. The Patriot defnse would stiffen though and a fourth down

pass on a fumbled snap fell incomplete as PH took over on downs.

PH would make another crucial mistake deep in their territory on a fumble that

gave the ball back to W-F on the PH 25. A holding call after a Priest run would

give the Colonels a first and goal on the ten, and then after a couple of

penalties made it third and goal at the 14, Mumford would then find Ford again

in the end zone for his second TD of the night, and Nguyen's PAT with 1:50

left in the half gave the Colonels a 17-7 lead.

P-H would turn the ball over one more time in the half, this one on a fumble

after a completed pass for a first down recovered by Priest, who would then get

a five yard rush to run out the first half clock and a ten point advantage.

Fleming would get the ball to start the second half, and Mumford and Ford would

just miss on another TD when a pass was overthrown to a wide open Ford over the

middle. The Patriots would take over as Allen Molina would rip 15 yards off up

the middle to their 42 and a first down. Fleming would then hold and force a

punt taking over at their own 31.

That's when Priest would take over and administer a blessing, taking a sweep

left 28 yards into PH territory at the 41. Three incompletions would stall the

drive, and a punt into the end zone for a TD would give the ball back to the

Patriots.

After once again holding P-H to three and out, Fleming would take over at their

49, and then Priest would take over personally after an incomplete pass, getting

consecutive runs of 20, 6, 8, and a 17 yard TD rush on a bounce to the right and

after a Nguyen PAT at the 3:53 mark, W-F held a commanding 24-7 lead in the

third quarter.

P-H would counter and stay in the game however with a 10 play 66 yard drive to

cut the lead back to ten. Molina would get a pair of five yard rushes, and the

second one would be advanced 21 yards on a fumble recovery by Kevin Harper to

get to the W-F 25. Dwayne Hodnett would then convert a fourth and 13 on a

counter left for 18 yards and a first and goal to the W-F 10. Three plays later,

fullback Marcus Day would hit on an option pass to Jordan Watson for a nine yard

TD strike, and after a Deck PAT, the lead was 24-14 after three quarters.

Fleming would go three and out to start the final quarter, but a 37 yard punt

would pin P-H at their own 6 yard line. Two plays later, the Colonels Darrell

Stone would recover a fumble at the P-H 8 for a first and goal. Priest would

then bounce right for an eight yard TD run and after a Nguyen PAT, the lead was

31-14 with 9:59 remaining.

PH would convert a couple of first down on a pair of Day runs, but a big

interception by Webb at their own 25 would be returned 54 yards to the PH 21

with 4:44 remaining to end any hopes of a P-H upset. The Colonels would then get

a first and goal on a 13 yard run by Amondre Johnson, but would turn the ball

over on downs just running the clock down with 41 seconds left.

The Patriots would 40 yards in rushing in W-F's prevent defense to end the

game, with Molina netting 32 yards in two carries and Hodnett eight as the game

ended 31-14 William Fleming.

Given Mumford's performance, Smith assured Foster would start next week if

he's OK. "He injured the knee and will have the doctor look at it. If he's

OK, he'll (Foster) play next week," Smith said when asked if Mumford's

play would make him a starter.

William Fleming hosts Piedmont district perennial power Magna Vista next Friday

at Victory stadium, while Patrick Henry travels to Dublin to take on River Ridge

powerhouse Pulaski County next Friday.

William Fleming 3 14 7 7 31

Patrick Henry 0 7 7 0 14

SCORING:

FIRST QUARTER:

WF: Nguyen 25 FG 3-0 9:30

SECOND QUARTER:

WF: Ford 48 pass from Mumford, Nguyen PAT 10-0 11:52

PH: Saintmelus 78 yd fumble return, Deck PAT 10-7 9:02

WF: Ford 14 pass from Mumford, Nguyen PAT 17-7 1:50

THIRD QUARTER:

WF: Priest 17 run, Nguyen PAT 24-7 3:53

PH: Watson 9 pass from Day, Deck PAT 24-14 :19

FOURTH QUARTER:

WF: Priest 8 run Nguyen PAT 31-14 9:51

RUSHING: WILLIAM FLEMING: Priest 20-129, Foster 3-26, A. Johnson 7-20, Mumford

7-15, Bratton 1-15, Fleming 3-7, Jumper 1-minus 5. PATRICK HENRY: Molina 17-89,

Hodnett 8-24, Day 5-18, Mesadieu 1-6, Vance 1-6, Bond 1-4, Thomas 2-minus 1,

Payne 4-minus 9.

PASSING: WILLIAM FLEMING Mumford 5-13-133-0. PATRICK HENRY: Payne 1-3-12-0,

Thomas 3-4-22-1, Day 1-2-9-0.

RECEIVING: WILLIAM FLEMING: Ford 3-97, Webb 2-36. PATRICK HENRY: Watson 3-24,

Hodnett 2-19.

TURNOVERS: WILLIAM FLEMING-1, PATRICK HENRY-5.