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

DATE: THURSDAY, October 21, 1993                   TAG: 9310220245
SECTION: HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS                    PAGE: S-11   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

VIDEO AGE STINGS VIKINGS

Until this year, Northside was the last high school team in Timesland to film instead of videotape its football games.

Vikings coach Jim Hickam was well known for holding out against progress because he felt he saw more on film than on videotape when looking at the previous week's games.

Finally, filming games became too expensive and the school switched to videotape this year, Northside principal Donna Henderson said.

That move led an unsuspecting Northside assistant coach to violate a little-known national federation rule that says teams cannot review videotapes during a game.

"At the end of the game, I was notified that one of my coaches had looked at the tape during the game," said Henderson, whose Northside team edged Byrd 22-16 in a Blue Ridge District game last week. "I investigated as much as I could on Friday night and then again on Monday."

It seems the Northside assistant, whom Henderson would not identify, at halftime went to the top of the press box, where the game was being taped. He asked to see a portion of the first half when the Vikings had been penalized for having 12 players on the field.

"He did it in front of the Byrd [assistant] coaches, who turned him in," Henderson said. "But he didn't do it to gain an advantage and had no idea it was against the rules."

Northside coaches might not have been familiar with the rule because the Vikings, by using films in past years, could not have seen a replay of the film until it was developed on Saturday.

"It was embarrassing, and the assistant coach was upset that he had violated the rule or anything like that. He's not that type of person," Henderson said.

The Byrd coaches weren't that familiar with the rule either, for had they reported this to the officials at halftime, Northside would have been assessed a 15-yard penalty.

If a Vikings coach should be caught taking a sneak preview of the tapes again this season, then the school will be cited for a sportsmanship violation.

William Byrd principal Bob Patterson said he agreed with the conclusion that it was an innocent mistake with no sinister overtones.

by CNB