It is tempting to say that tight end Weslye Saunders and quarterback James Lunsford have led Durham Riverside into Saturday night's N.C. High School Athletic Association 4-AA championship game against Charlotte Independence.

Saunders, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound senior, has provided highlight-film material every week since the playoffs began.

In the Eastern Regional semifinals, he scored three rushing touchdowns, including a 71-yard gallop that showed his strength, power and speed.

Last week, in a 15-13 victory at Garner, Saunders rushed for one touchdown and set up his 13-yard winning touchdown reception with a 49-yard catch.

Moments earlier, he delivered one of the biggest plays in a game of big plays when he batted an almost certain interception out of a Garner defender's hands.

With about 95 yards of open field in front of Darwin Williams, it is conceivable the Trojans defensive back would have scored if Saunders hadn't come over the top to knock the ball away.

But as outstanding as Saunders was -- and he was nothing short of dominating -- Lunsford was Riverside's most valuable player on Saturday.

Garner's defense, which was led by Ronald Hood and Colby Holloway, pressured Lunsford all night. The Trojans blitzed linebackers and defensive backs, and Lunsford took some terrific hits.

But he got up each time.

On the winning drive, Lunsford converted the long pass to Saunders on a second-and-22 at the Riverside 25.

The passing part was easy. Eluding the rush made the play special.

Most high school quarterbacks would have been sacked, but Lunsford remained calm and hit Saunders to keep the drive alive.

Minutes later, Lunsford did take off on a 22-yard run on a third-and-18 at the Garner 32.

But the most telling play was the pass to Saunders for the touchdown. Lunsford moved left to avoid the rush, started to run, slid back to the right and jumped in the air to throw back to his right.

Saunders was standing at the 3-yard line, looking, as Lunsford said, as big as the goal posts.

Lunsford and Saunders rightfully get a lot of credit for Riverside's late-season surge, but don't overlook the Pirates' defense.

"They just stopped us," Garner coach Nelson Smith said. "They stopped us the last time we played, too."

But the real hero of the Riverside team is coach Tommy Blalock, who stepped up to coach the Pirates when long-time friend and Riverside coach Linny Wrenn died in June 2003.

Blalock and Wrenn attended Carrington Middle School together. They played together at Northern Durham High, and both went to Appalachian State.

Both moved into junior high football positions with Blalock coaching at Durham's Chewning Middle School from 1973 through 1987. Blalock coached with his friend and was his athletics director.

From that tragic, emotional start, Blalock has built an impressive program that has put a Durham school in the state football finals for the first time since Northern won the title in 1993.

Blalock said there was no way to put into words what this season has meant to the school, the community and the team. He said it was all, 100 percent, due to the players.

But that is not quite true. Blalock took a stumbling team that played well below its potential through half of the season and helped those young men achieve a dream.

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