Roberts turns it on in Packers#8217; win

Published 12:00 am Saturday, November 3, 2007

SMITHFIELD—The goal was simple. Get 2,000 yards for star running back Dyrell Roberts, while at the same time, come away with a victory.

Before a senior night crowd on a windy night, Roberts ran for 367 yards and scored four touchdowns in Smithfield’s 42-13 rout over the York Falcons at Packer Field.

Roberts needed 132 yards to eclipse 2,000 for the season, and he passed that mark with a 13-yard run with 1:33 remaining in the second quarter. He became the third Bay Rivers running back in the last four years, to surpass 2,000 yards.

“We came out a little rusty,” Roberts said. “It was sad knowing this was going to be our last game, and we were focused on that. Luckily, I got (2,000 yards) before halftime. We came out and played a lot harder in the second half.”

Smithfield took an early lead with the help of the heavy winds swirling around Packer Field. Roberts scored the first touchdown after the Packers Warren Jones recovered a fumble at the York three yard line. Roberts smashed through for the touchdown, and a 7-0 lead.

Field position was again a factor on Smithfield’s next possession after a six yard punt gave Smithfield the ball at the York 30. Roberts needed only three plays to push it across the goal line with 1:52 remaining in the first for the 14-0 advantage.

Midway thru the second quarter, the Packers were on the move again after starting a drive from their own four yard line. They drove 62-yards before a fumble gave York the ball with 1:43 to go before halftime.

York quarterback Aaron Edwards found his brother Ben Edwards open in the middle of the field, and after a nice run, York had a first down at the Smithfield 29 yard line. Edwards then threw to the sideline connecting with Evan Yeo who snatched the ball out of the air and fell in to the end zone for the touchdown. The two-play drive cut the margin to seven at halftime.

The Packers broke the game open in the third quarter with touchdowns on all three times they had the ball.

Roberts’s fourth touchdown, from 24 yards out at the end of the third quarter, put the Packers ahead 35-7.

Roberts continued his assault on the record book gaining 191 yards in the second half. In the last two games, Roberts has run for nearly 700 yards. “He’s everything they said he was,” said York head coach Doug Pereira about Roberts. “When he’s going North to South, he’s just devastating.”

The Packers had 24 seniors who were playing in their last game. Smithfield finished the season with a 7-3 record, marking their third straight year with a winning record.

“I knew when these guys were freshmen, they were going to be good,” Smithfield head coach Chris Fraser said. “They gave us a great foundation to build off of. They have been a great group.”