AHOSKIE – For some reason, Danny Dembry’s eyes grow as big as silver dollars each time he competes against Wilson Fike.

Maybe Dembry sees Fike’s trademark gold helmets and thinks he’s squaring off against Notre Dame.

Whatever the reason, Dembry always comes up big against the Golden Demons, as he did last night (Friday) where the senior quarterback ran for a game-high 186 yards and one touchdown while adding 90 yards and one score through the air to pace Hertford County High School to a 41-28 win over their non-conference guests.

But of all the big plays Dembry accounted for in helping the Bears get their 2006 campaign off to a 2-0 start, it was one snap that truly defined his outstanding performance.

With the Bears clinging to a slim 35-28 lead late in the fourth quarter and facing 3rd down and 13 from their own 47 yardline, Dembry called his own number on an option, tucked the ball away and scrambled for 16 yards and a critical 1st down. On the next snap, Rashawn Mercer took the hand-off straight up the middle and darted 37 yards to paydirt with 1:46 remaining to seal the win.

While Dembry came-up big, he wasn’t the only HCHS player to experience a &uot;Bear&uot; of a game. Mercer ran for 137 yards and three scores while Travis Greene made it a threesome of HCHS backs to crack the century mark as he rushed for 113 yards and one touchdown.

But it was Dembry’s cool head in the heat of battle that provided the spark. He did the same thing last year at Wilson Fike, running for 147 yards and three TD’s during a 62-18 rout.

This time around, it wasn’t as easy against a fired-up Fike squad. Twice in the first half, &uot;Cool-hand Dan&uot; rallied his troops from deficits as the two clubs battled to a 14-14 stalemate at intermission.

The Bears took the lead for-keeps when Dembry electrified the home crowd by streaking down the sideline 91 yards to paydirt. Michael Burton tacked on the PAT for a 21-14 lead at the 8:07 mark of the third quarter.

HCHS cushioned its lead to 28-14 on the first play of the fourth quarter. There, Dembry hit Greene in full stride and the senior halfback did the rest, completing a 53-yard touchdown grab. Burton added the PAT.

However, Fike refused to fold as the Golden Demons scored on Rashad Parker’s six-yard run to cap a short 55-yard drive in six plays. That sliced the HCHS lead to 28-21 with 8:42 remaining.

Back came the Bears as they reeled off a 76-yard, 10-play drive capped by Mercer’s 22-yard dash to the endzone. Burton’s kick made it 35-21 with 4:29 showing on the fourth quarter clock.

After a short kick-off and a 15-yard penalty on the Bears, Fike answered quickly, scoring in just two plays as Corey Jackson found the endzone from 32 yards out to make it a 35-28 game with 3:37 left.

Fike built a 14-6 lead by the 10:03 mark of the second quarter thanks to TD’s from Jackson (26 yards) and Gabriel Amply (7 yards).

The HCHS scores in the first half came from Greene (70-yard run) and Mercer (1-yard run).

Hertford County travels to Washington next Friday (Sept. 1) for a 7:30 p.m. non-conference outing.

Score by Quarters

Fike

7-7-0-14 – 28

HCHS

6-8-7-20 – 41

Scoring Summary

Fike: Corey Jackson, 26-yard run (Corey Autry kick); 1:38, 1st

HCHS: Travis Greene, 70-yard run (kick failed); 0:34, 1st

Fike: Gabriel Amply, 7-yard run (Autry kick); 10:03, 2nd

HCHS: Rashawn Mercer, 1-yard run (Danny Dembry run); 0:56; 2nd

HCHS: Dembry, 91-yard run (Michael Burton kick); 8:07, 3rd

HCHS: Greene, 53-yard pass from Dembry (Burton kick); 11:50, 4th

Fike: Rashad Parker, 6-yard run (Autry kick); 8:42, 4th

HCHS: Mercer, 22-yard run (Burton kick); 4:29, 4th

Fike: Jackson, 32-yard run (Autry kick); 3:37, 4th

HCHS: Mercer, 37-yard run (kick failed); 1:46, 4th

Rushing

HCHS: Dembry 11-186; Mercer 15-137; Greene 10-113

Fike: Jackson 20-162

Receiving

HCHS: Greene 1-53, LaMarcus Jenkins 1-22

Passing

HCHS: Dembry 4-6-0, 90 yards

Fike: R.J. Branch 2-3-0, 21 yards