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

DATE: SATURDAY, November 6, 1993                   TAG: 9311090305
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: WENDI GIBSON RICHERT STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

YOU CAN'T KEEP NO. 82 OFF THE FIELD

That leaves the Glenvar High School senior little time for rest when he finally gets home, between homework and "Married With Children" reruns, that is.

Still, his dedication to both sports and music has rewarded Ashwell with an opportunity not many high-schoolers have - the chance to do both.

And that opportunity has made something of a star out of Ashwell, the only Glenvar football player who passes on the halftime breaks in order to play the baritone and march in the band.

"It's worth it, because in football you don't really get noticed," Ashwell says. "I like to be in the spotlight in the band."

There, between the yardlines and beneath the bright lights with 40 other marchers, Ashwell is, indeed, noticed. He is, after all, the only one in a football uniform - sans helmet, and shoulder pads if he has time - on the field. And it's made him quite a standout in Glenvar circles.

Last football season, WSLS-Channel 10 spotted him during a game, taped his football-baritone act, and sent the tape to sports channel ESPN.

ESPN, in turn, featured Ashwell on its Scholastic Sports Kids segment and aired it nationwide last year. The football footage, Ashwell was disappointed to see, showed the receiver diving for the football and missing the pass. And the bit of marching footage featured a sweaty Ashwell with his hair sticking up.

So much for stardom. Still, Ashwell has since earned the nicknames "Mr. ESPN" and "Scholastic" from a few in school.

The second title is hard-won: Not only has Ashwell managed a complicated schedule that included mixing summer band and football practices, but he also maintains a 3.7 grade-point average, ranking him in the top 10 percent of his class.

"I'm not trying to brag or anything, but it just comes for me. I try to do my homework, and the grades just come," he says. "That's one reason I can do both."

Doing both, it turns out, is a natural high for Ashwell. A home football game finds him eating supper in the school cafeteria after school and warming up with the team while the band plays "The Star-Spangled Banner." Ashwell rides with the football team to away games so he has time to warm up.

As for his teammates, "They're pretty nice to me," Ashwell says. Though they jokingly try to coax him into quitting the band, Ashwell often hears them shout "Good job, 82" when he stays on the field at halftime.

With the football season drawing to a close, Ashwell is anticipating a rest from all the scheduling he's shuffled since summer. But he won't rest long before the wrestling season starts, and he returns to the mat for the second year. And then it won't be long before he fills out college applications - Virginia Tech is his first choice.

"I may try to be in the band there," Ashwell says. "Football, no, because I'm not really that great at it."

Will he miss the pace that will likely make his high school senior year tougher than even his college freshman one?

"Yup, I'll get over it, but I will miss it."