THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 27, 1995 TAG: 9510270691
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBIN BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
Ken Myers is a living time capsule of Tallwood football.
He was promoted to the varsity early in 1992, Tallwood's first season, and has been smack in the middle as a noseguard and offensive guard of the Lions' four-year rise to glory.
``Going from the bottom to becoming one of the top teams in the area has been exciting,'' he said.
How exciting?
Three years ago, when Myers was an unsure freshman and the Lions lurched to an 0-10 record, strangers made faces behind his back and friends refused to return phone calls.
OK, so it wasn't that bad. But certainly girls never befriended Myers' sister just to get close to a football hero.
That happens all the time now, said Olivia Myers, a sophomore at Tallwood.
``All of my friends like him,'' she said. ``They think he's cute.''
Wait until they see the squirrel skin hanging on his bedroom wall.
One gets the impression Myers would rather spend all day in a tree with a shotgun than escort some wide-eyed 14-year-old girl to the mall.
Myers gained an appreciation for the outdoors from his father, Ken Sr.
``When I go hunting I don't care if I kill anything,'' he said. ``I just enjoy nature. It relaxes me.''
Football would seem to have the opposite effect, but not so, Myers said. After all, what's more relaxing than pummeling a ballcarrier or flattening a linebacker on a trap?
Myers, who is 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds, has enjoyed a lot of both this season.
Tallwood, which plays at Bayside tonight at 5:30, is 6-1 and ranked fourth in South Hampton Roads.
The Lions rank first in scoring defense and second in scoring among 23 Group AAA teams in South Hampton Roads.
Myers, a senior tri-captain, is the classic ``leader by example.''
``He never comes off the field, not even when he's hurt,'' Tallwood coach Ken Barto bragged.
Myers is president of the Tallwood chapter of Distributive Education Clubs of America and twice has won area-wide leadership contests for his job interview and marketing skills.
He is currently heading a Halloween project to sell ``Ghouligrams,'' orange carnations with a message attached.
Tallwood and Myers sent a message to the community last week with a 16-0 victory over archrival Kempsville. It was the Lions' first victory in five tries against the Chiefs and pulled the teams even in the Beach District standings.
``When I went to church Sunday even the Kempsville people congratulated me,'' he said. ``I think we've finally earned their respect.''
Respect hasn't come easy. Tallwood lost its first 14 games before a breakthrough triumph against Kellam in 1993.
If there was a defining moment for Myers in that first season it came against Granby in his only start.
``I got trapped real good, and I think I was unconscious for a couple of seconds,'' he said. ``That was my introduction to varsity football.''
The memory he'll cherish from 1993 was the the 20-14 victory over Kellam.
``It was so overwhelming,'' he said, ``I wanted to cry. It almost felt like winning a championship.''
That's the only experience that has eluded Myers and the Lions. They won their first six games last season and made the playoffs.
This year they are 5-1 in the district, one game behind Green Run. The Lions and Stallions meet next week.
``We have the talent to win the title,'' Myers said. ``We won't settle for second place.''
Spoken like a true leader. ILLUSTRATION: L. TODD SPENCER
Two-way starter Ken Myers, a nose guard and an offensive guard, has
played varsity since 1992 - the Lions' first season.
by CNB