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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 13, 1993                   TAG: 9310130034
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WYTHEVILLE                                LENGTH: Medium

IT'S OFFICIAL: BLACKSBURG, CHRISTIANSBURG NO LONGER ON RADFORD FOOTBALL

Radford High School officially began the process of moving to Group A by reaching agreements to play eight Mountain Empire District schools in football next year, leaving two unfilled dates on the Bobcats' schedule.

Operating under orders from the Radford School Board to schedule only Group A schools next year, Radford principal Buddy Martin and athletic director Norman Lineburg lined up games against every football-playing school in the MED except Narrows during Tuesday's scheduling workshop.

"Everyone here has been very cooperative," said Martin. "We came here to get all the games we could get, and we're happy with what we got."

Radford will not fill its two remaining dates until hearing from the school board, which may decide to hold a special meeting to discuss its stipulation that Radford play only Group A schools in football.

That directive, made last month when the board voted to drop Radford from the Group AA ranks, eliminates traditional rivals Blacksburg and Christiansburg from the football schedule.

Martin, who was asked by the board last week to report the results of Tuesday's meeting immediately, met with superintendent Michael Wright on Tuesday afternoon. Wright said he would transmit the information to the school board.

"After I distribute the information, we'll go from there," Wright said.

Tuesday's meeting was also the first official MED function since the league was given approval from Region C to split itself into separate leagues. Most of the old MED schools will continue to play each other in girls' and boys' basketball and in baseball, it was agreed Tuesday.

Radford, Giles, Floyd County, Auburn and Shawsville will play in one still-unnamed league. The other half of the split - Grayson County, Galax, Fort Chiswell, Bland, Rocky Gap and Narrows - will retain the Mountain Empire name. For the past two years, Bland and Rocky Gap have combined to field one football team.

by CNB