Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 3, 1994 TAG: 9404030205
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Bob Teitlebaum
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
This follows two years in which the Cougars won the Division 6 state title (1992) and finished second (1993).
VHSL schools have until Tuesday to verify their enrollment figures and report any discrepancies, so nothing is final. Appeals will be handled by the VHSL's executive committee on April 11, when the divisions will be made final.
Based on the preliminary figures, Pulaski County is not even the largest Division 5 school in the Northwestern Region.
Based on those same figures, Patrick Henry and Cave Spring would move from Division 5 to Division 6.
The Knights' shift is more tenuous than the moves by PH and Pulaski County. Cave Spring, with an enrollment of 1,180, has only three more students than Albemarle, which is in Division 5. An appeal here or adjustment of figures there might leave Cave Spring in Division 5.
Pulaski County's performance in the football playoffs the past couple of years becomes more impressive in light of the unofficial enrollment figures of schools the Cougars beat.
For instance, Pulaski County waded through Hylton and Gar-Field to make this year's Group AAA state semifinals. Each of those schools has at least 600 more students than Pulaski County. In football, that's a huge difference.
The Cougars stunned Woodbridge in 1991. While the figures have changed since then, the Northern Virginia school has an unofficial enrollment of 2,208. That makes Woodbridge the largest school in the state. It's also a gain of nearly 200 students from 1992 figures.
Pulaski County's enrollment is down by fewer than 100 students, but that shows you how little difference there can be between the divisions.
By the way, Salem of Virginia Beach, which had more than 2,600 students to rank as the largest school in the state two years ago, now has 1,691. Schools in the Tidewater area have sought to equalize their enrollments.
What does all this mean? Well, Pulaski County and GW-Danville won't have to worry about meeting in the regional football playoffs if these numbers become official. However, they have met only once recently in the playoffs, when the Cougars beat the Eagles 25-6 in 1992.
Everyone figured GW-Danville was Pulaski County's chief obstacle to a second consecutive Northwestern Region title in 1993. However, E.C. Glass upset the Eagles to win the Western District title, and GW-Danville didn't qualify for the playoffs as a wild-card team.
In Group AA, Martinsville moves back from Division 3 to Division 4, trading places with Rustburg, which won the Division 4 state championship. Pending verification of numbers, Rockbridge County remains the smallest school in Division 4 for Region III, and Jefferson Forest, the Division 3 state champion, is the largest school in its division. So give or take a few students, those schools may swap spots.
In Region IV, Blacksburg becomes the smallest school in Division 4, with 21 more students than Abingdon of Division 3. If the Indians drop, it will be their first time in Division 3.
In Group A, Radford almost certainly will be in Region C's Division 2. John Battle, which joined the Bobcats in moving from Group AA to Group A, now is Region C's largest school by eight students over Grayson County.
These divisions, of course, affect only football. One can see, though, that John Battle has the numbers (490 students) to be a Group A powerhouse in other sports and as a member of the Hogoheegee District.
\ MUSCARO OK: The news on North Cross football and basketball coach Jim Muscaro is good after surgery for a tumor that had been causing hearing loss. He has returned to Roanoke and is convalescing at home with positive reports from the surgery that was performed last week in Charlottesville.
Muscaro was helped greatly by a call from Salem assistant coach Steve Oliver before he went to Charlottesville. Oliver underwent the same surgery several years ago and came through in grand style.
\ MOVE TO RICHLANDS: There is a possibility that John Chmara, the football coach at Group AAA Fauquier County in Northern Virginia, will return to Richlands as an assistant to new coach George Brown.
Why would Chmara make that move? Well, he's from Bluefield and, believe it or not, when he moved to Fauquier a number of years ago, he continued to keep a residence in Southwestern Virginia.
Chmara commuted on weekends and went home for the summer. Now he is nearing retirement age and wants to return to the Bluefield area.
Richlands would be getting a great helping hand for Brown, who is doing double duty as principal and coach. If it happens, those two will be in charge of the program, even if and when former head coach Dennis Vaught applies for an assistant's job after serving a year's suspension.
\ WEIGHT-LIFTING CONTEST: Pulaski County is sponsoring a weight-lifting competition at 10 a.m. Saturday in 10 classes for men and women. The entry fee is a minimum of $25 for the public and the same for sponsored Pulaski County High School students. There is a $3 admission charge, and trophies will be awarded to the top woman, open, masters and teen lifters.
\ SAME SALEM TOURNAMENT: Charlie Morgan, the Salem boys' basketball coach, says all seven teams that joined the Spartans in the inaugural Advance Auto Parts Holiday Classic tournament have agreed to return next year, including A.C. Flora of South Carolina.
If so, the tournament will be even better than this year's event. Franklin County, Northside, William Byrd, Salem, Laurel Park, Fieldale-Collinsville and Cave Spring all have a good nucleus of returning players.
by CNB