ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, October 3, 1996 TAG: 9610030082
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: N-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
There's something different about Glenvar football player Lynward Twine.
First, he's a fullback who is fast enough to play tailback. Yet on defense, he's a linebacker converted to defensive end.
If one looks at his playing positions, it seems Twine is a muscular, weighty player as well as a runner with quick, darting moves.
Wait. This is more incredible. In track, Twine throws the discus and runs the hurdles, a rare combination.
``He's a good lifter, a strong kid who has been one of our leading tacklers the last few years,'' said Glenvar football coach Brian Hooker.
Twine also plays in a Glenvar basketball program that has been to the Group A state tournament the last two years, making the championship game in 1995 and the semifinals this year.
For all this versatility, neither football, basketball nor track is Twine's favorite sport. He favors karate and has a blue belt in that sport, though it's been on hold since seventh grade, when Twine started playing the other three sports.
``Until then, I was a little fat kid. Then in the eighth grade, I started lifting weights,'' said Twine.
Last year, as a fullback, Twine ran power plays designed to pick up short yardage. Now he's being asked to make moves as a tailback, trying to get through the line with quickness rather than with power. He's also being used as a pass receiver.
"We lost [tailback] Eric East and [quarterback] Corey Willis in the backfield. We lost our speed,'' said Twine, explaining his shift on offense.
``Now I'm seeing the field better and reading the blocks. Before [as a fullback], I was just trying to run [straight ahead], just get a first down.''
As a pass receiver, Twine is also getting more action.
"Last year, they threw to me three times - all in the last two games. They've already thrown 10 passes to me [in the first four games],'' said Twine.
Twine prefers defensive end to being a linebacker. ``I get to rush more. As a linebacker, I had to wait until the play started,'' he said.
Despite having to use his speed more, Twine hasn't given up his strength. In basketball, he'll probably move in as a starter this year because of heavy senior losses. Yet he doesn't feel as if he'll be too muscle-bound for that game.
``Once football season is over, I'll still hit the weight room. I'll go out for basketball, but I'll lift every day after practice,'' said Twine. ``Coach [Art] Lawrence doesn't mind because we do a lot of stretching. He figures that since I play center or forward, I need my strength.''
As for track, Twine doesn't feel it's that odd to be a hurdler and weight man. ``I use my speed on the hurdles, and my strength doesn't seem to slow me down.''
Twine is one of the leaders on this year's football team. The Highlanders have gotten off to only a 2-3 start, but two of the losses were to Group AA teams. Now Glenvar prepares to play host to perennial power Giles (ranked third in Group A) in a Three Rivers District showdown Friday on the Highlanders' field.
Last year, though, Twine got off to a rocky start when he and another player missed practice on Labor Day just before the Highlanders opened against Lord Botetourt. As a disciplinary measure, Hooker didn't use Twine and the other player in the first half of the game.
``Attitude wise, Lynward is great,'' said Hooker. ``We were disappointed. They called me that night and were very apologetic. I didn't know if it was a situation where the time got away from them or what.''
Twine said he forgot what time practice was scheduled for that day. ``We had been at the lake. When I drove up [to practice], there was no one there. I called coach and I think I played for a minute and a half against Lord Botetourt.''
When Twine suited up for this year's game against the Cavaliers, it was something special. ``I hadn't gotten to play against them when I was a sophomore because I had been injured,'' he said.
He also has vowed, since missing practice, not to let that happen again. ``Especially this year because now I'm one of the leaders.''
Twine hopes to eventually play college football at the Division III level. That fits his physical dimensions.
More important, he hopes to devote more time to karate once his high school sports career is finished. His father [Lynward Sr.] got him started when he was 3 years old.
``My whole family's in it, and my father has a black belt,'' said Twine. ``I gave it up when I went from the junior varsity to varsity [in high school sports]. My dad still gets me to work on it some at home.''
``I like karate because it stresses discipline. You have to be both flexible and quick. It's an individual sport. If you make a mistake, you can't blame anyone else.''
LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: NHAT MEYER/Staff. Lynward Twine, a senior, uses hisby CNBathletic versatility to enhance the Highlanders' offensive and
defensive teams.