Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 18, 1994 TAG: 9403180215
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-11 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
For a moment.
Then give yourself a good whack on the ear with a racquet.
It's too bad that Blacksburg ace Marek Pfeil won't be able to play his senior year because he's out of eligibility. He certainly deserved the chance to defend the Group AA singles championship he won a year ago.
It's also too bad that he won't be able to play this year because he's missing out on the chance to play for an outstanding team.
Even without Pfeil, the Indians will be a favorite to win the state title that eluded them a year ago when they lost in the finals to a Salem team they had beaten in the regular season.
Pfeil would have been the best player on this team, but he was denied a request to get back a year of eligibility he lost when he attended school in Germany a few years back.
In short, Blacksburg is loaded from top to bottom. Robert Gibb, who teamed with Pfeil to win the Group AA doubles championship last year, will move into No. 1 and Pfeil's younger brother, Mike will probably play at No. 2, followed by Justin Turner, Jason Hardy, Aaron Marshall and Jeff Varner.
Even the young guys, like freshman Rodriquo De La Serna, who may see some limited playing time this year, could crack most teams' top three.
If things go right, the Indians should run away with the New River District and Region IV championships on the way to a possible state title, although head coach Lou Belt, who replaced Carter Turner after Turner took a job at Salem, is realistic.
"If we work hard, I don't see why we can't win all of our matches in the district and region," said Belt, the Indians' third coach in the past three seasons. "We've got a chance to go all the way."
That realistic enough for you?
RADFORD has four players back from last year. Radford should battle Christiansburg for the NRD's second spot behind Blacksburg. Senior Adam Neal will move up a notch to No. 1 for the Bobcats and he will be followed by veterans Rajiv Tayal, Steven Amonette and Adam Funk. Head coach Larry Mannon's squad should get help from underclassmen like junior Chris Saunders and sophomores Brien Hawley and Rob Speirs.
Likewise, CHRISTIANSBURG will have to settle for another second place behind Blacksburg. The Blue Demons have some experience returning from last year's group in seniors Greg Habeeb, David Powers and Scott Akers. Christiansburg's best player, however, could be sophomore Jesse McHose, who will battle for the top seed. Underclassmen Mike Elander and Richie Poff are the leading contenders for the final two spots in coach Jack Williams' top six.
PULASKI COUNTY may struggle at times this year, but the program appears to be on the upswing for the next couple of years, especially since head coach John Freeman is reviving the youth summer tennis program.
The Cougars are a fairly young team, with Douglas Freeman, John's 10th-grade son, expected to play at No. 1. Juniors Mitch Gilmore and Jared Cox are back from last year, and junior Matt Gardner is slated to play at No. 2. Two more underclassmen, Jeremy Montgomery and Brook Eley, should round out the top six.
FLOYD COUNTY, which will be one of several challengers for the Mountain Empire District championship, has a talented squad led by senior Frankie Turpin, who won the MED singles title and teamed with Evan Arno to take the district doubles championship a year ago. Turpin will be favored to make it to the Region C playoffs again, which would probably feature another encounter with Glenvar's Nick Varney. Turpin lost a classic three-set match to Varney in last year's regional final.
The top tandem of Turpin and John Boyd could be an even better doubles combination than Turpin-Arno. Boyd and Mark Alderman, who both played a year ago, will be at second and third singles, respectively. Spots 4 through 6 will be filled by Andrew Weeks, Dustin Yates and Nathan Anderson.
Coach Jack Neff's team will be in the hunt for the MED crown along with Giles and 1993 champ Galax. Auburn and Narrows expect to be in the upper division, as well.
It will be open season on all spots at GILES, which features three "fairly strong" seniors, according to first-year coach Scott Humphries, in Jason Borillo, Rick Jennings and Chad Williams. Russell Bowling, a talented freshman, will probably crack the top six, as could first-year senior Jeremy Barnett.
NARROWS finished 2-9 a year ago but will be better this year with five of the top six players coming back for coach Steve Beinstock, including No. 1 seed Jay Webb, a junior. Sophomore Jason Spangler could make a push for the top spot but will probably play at No. 2, just ahead of seniors Tyler Kidd and Jason Montgomery.
AUBURN brings in a new coach in Fred Clark and brings back its top player in Mike Dingus. For the Eagles to soar high in the MED, guys like Chris Norman, Jon Reed and Jason Gill - any of whom could play at the No. 2 spot - will have to play consistently well.
by CNB