DATE: Friday, September 26, 1997            TAG: 9709261025

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C10  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: ROBIN BRINKLEY

LENGTH: 28 lines

CHANGES ON DEFENSE SPARK THE GREYHOUNDS

PORTSMOUTH - Norcom coach Joe Langston tinkered with his defense last week and was pleased with the results. That's not a good sign for the opposition, beginning tonight with Maury.

``We're improving,'' Langston said after the third-ranked Greyhounds held Deep Creek to one touchdown and 99 yards rushing in a 21-7 win.

Langston blamed the Greyhounds' earlier lapses on a lack of concentration by the players and an attempt by the coaches to do too many things.

Among the changes Langston made were moving TaRon Anderson from safety to inside linebacker and moving Charles Lowe from inside to outside linebacker.

Those moves will be tested by a Maury offense that ranks third in total yardage. Quarterback Donovan Waefler already has passed for more yards (284) than his two predecessors did all of last season.

``He's got a pretty good arm,'' Maury coach Gene Boley said. ``He wants to throw it, and I'm willing to take a chance.''

Boley is not willing to bend his rules. He plans to withhold two starters for part of the first quarter after they were late for practice last Friday.

Pick: Norcom 21, Maury 14. There will be few easy nights, even for the best teams, in the Eastern District.

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