Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 28, 1995                   TAG: 9504280046
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

DECKER GETTING HIS KICKS

Engineering student stereotypes:

Precise. Disciplined. Coldly calculating. Wedded to a computer keyboard.

Mark Decker of Blacksburg High School isn't an engineering student yet, but he soon will be. We don't know if he's going to develop all the aforementioned personality traits. But he has one of them already.

He's cold. Or at least his blood is.

We found that out two years ago, when he was a sophomore playing for Blacksburg's soccer team. The Indians were undefeated heading into an overtime shootout in the Group AA championship game against Park View-Sterling.

Under coach Shelley Blumenthal's instruction, the Indians are well-drilled in such situations. Usually, that doesn't make much difference when the dicey part of a real game comes up. That state championship game was as dicey as two dozen Las Vegas craps tables, but Blacksburg was ready for the shootout.

``Who wants to shoot first?'' Blumenthal had asked during practice.

No hesitation. No nothing.

``I will,'' said Decker, then a 10th-grader.

And he did, scoring the first of Blacksburg's shootout goals in what would be recorded as a 2-1 victory.

``A lot of people say, `No way am I taking that shot,``` Blumenthal said. ``Not Mark. That shows you that he's a cool customer.''

Nothing much has changed. Blacksburg was undefeated going into today's game with North Cross, Blumenthal still is the coach and Decker is ready for the first shot.

There is one difference between now and then, though. Decker is a better player than he was.

``As fine a player as I've seen around here,'' said Blumenthal, who has seen a few.

Decker is an attacking midfielder and the team's playmaker. His resume includes nine assists and eight goals this year, giving him 21 assists and 14 goals in less than two seasons.

``My game is distributing the ball, and it is nice to have strikers like Kurt Williams with 10 goals and Steve Cherry with nine to distribute to,'' he said.

Decker is a college prospect in the sport, but the game was a secondary consideration when he was accepted early to study engineering at Virginia Tech. As providence would have it, Decker will be invited to join the Hokies' soccer team as a walk-on. Even if a better soccer offer materializes somewhere else, it isn't going to matter.

``I'd still go to Tech,'' he said. ``That's where I've always wanted to go for academic reasons.''

Decker's academic credentials may be better than his athletic ones. He is carrying a 3.25 grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) in the most stringent calculus and science-based curriculum.

``I've always been pretty good at balancing academics and athletics,'' he said.