Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 23, 1991 TAG: 9103220614
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Now that baseball season is almost upon us, time to get everybody stirred up by picking the district winners. So in case you're interested:
In the New River, I like Carroll County, followed by Christiansburg, Blacksburg and Radford.
The Cavaliers have too much pitching, and that's what's going to make the difference. Christiansburg will be good, although not as good as it has been the past three or four years. Blacksburg probably won't have as much pitching as it needs, although the bats will be formidable. Radford doesn't have enough Chad Phillipses and Brodie Smiths.
Roanoke Valley is a tough call, but I take Cave Spring, Pulaski County, Patrick Henry, Franklin County, and William Fleming.
Cave Spring may be a little understocked on the mound, but the Knights, as usual, will score runs by the bushel.
Pulaski County appears as though it's going to return to the contending form that it once enjoyed almost every year.
Patrick Henry has one of the two best players in the district in left-handed, iron-man pitcher Kevin Gabbert (the other is Cave Spring shortstop Dee Dalton, a Virginia Tech recruit), but he can't pitch every day.
Franklin County is rebuilding.
Outside of center-fielder Tommy Page, forget William Fleming.
The Mountain Empire District is murder, so picking the winners is bound to make anybody look bad. But here goes, in order: Grayson County, Giles, Shawsville, Fort Chiswell, Narrows, Floyd County, Galax, Auburn, Rocky Gap and Bland.
All that I'll say about the MED is this: It's going to be wild.
So when's the parade to honor the Pulaski County girls' basketball state Group AAA runners-up?
It ought to be a big one. Those girls may have given the school its finest athletic hour. Ever.
What a performance.
Blacksburg High won its fourth-straight Lifting Pounds for Cancer weight-lifting competition this week at Radford High School.
Competing in the bench press, the Indians had seven out of the Top-10 lifters including champion David Kellogg (111 pounds over body weight), second-place Anil Asrani (98 over), third-place Jeff Dodson (96 over), fifth-place J.J. Brown (87), sixth-place John Thacker (84 over), seventh-place Chad Long (83 over), ninth-place Terry Simpson (75 over).
Thacker and Long are sophomores, and Simpson is a freshman. Blacksburg had two other freshmen in the Top 21 - Nick Burroughs and Jason Price.
Blacksburg's five-man team lifted an aggregate 476 pounds over body weight.
Also competing in the varsity event were lifters from Floyd County, Auburn, and Radford.
Dublin Middle School won the eighth-grade competition, which also involved Floyd County, Radford, and Blacksburg.
Tim Nininger, Christiansburg High 103-pound state champion, has been invited to compete in the National High School Wrestling Championships April 13-14 at the Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.
He qualified by virtue of being a state champion and by being a senior. The top-eight finishers in each class are declared All-American.
Money is being raised to send Nininger to the tournament. Those interested in contributing may send to the Tim Nininger National Fund, in care of Christiansburg High School, Independence Boulevard, Christiansburg, 24073.
Who's talking?
Carroll County baseball coach Bill Worrell on his pitcher Daniel Easter: "He's the kind of kid that you either pull your hair out or shoot him."
James Madison girls' basketball coach on Pulaski County, which the Warhawks beat 65-47 for the state championship: "They are superbly coached." Radford's Norman Lineburg on the hitting prowess of son Wayne, one of the Bobcats' pitchers: "He's all right, I guess, but not like his father."
by CNB