Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 19, 1994 TAG: 9406190117
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Principals from Region IV were there to meet with heads of schools from the Piedmont District, except for Gretna, and the Blue Ridge District in an effort to do a balancing act of teams that appeared to be as exciting as walking a high wire in the circus.
In fact, some of what went on was like a circus. First, Region IV met. Then all the principals convened in one session. Then the Piedmont District principals left when it became apparent that the new Region IV would take in the Blue Ridge District.
As it stands now, starting in 1996-97 Region IV will have three districts. Salem, Northside, Lord Botetourt, Alleghany, Rockbridge County and William Byrd - the Blue Ridge members - will form one district. Three New River schools - Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Carroll County - will join Southwest District members Richlands, Tazewell, Grundy and Graham in another. The Highlands District - Abingdon, Gate City, Marion, Virginia High and Lee - will be the third league.
That said, here are some observations:
To merge or not
The supposed super district merging Blacksburg and Christiansburg into the Blue Ridge District as part of Region IV may be dead. The question is who killed it?
The principals nixed the super Blue Ridge and decided on a 6-7-5 split for the new Region IV. Of course, schools in the five-team district will have a much easier time advancing to region tournament play than those in the seven-team loop.
Blacksburg and Christiansburg, which say they want to play Blue Ridge District schools that are closer, didn't like this decision. Besides being tough, the resulting eight-team district would have been numerically the biggest in the region.
So who killed the idea? Maybe the current Blue Ridge District schools, which didn't realize what they were getting into until it was detailed last week how strong this district would be. They were strangely silent when Blacksburg and Christiansburg were shuffled off to join the Southwest.
Then there's Christiansburg. George Porterfield, the Blue Demons' principal, said all the right things and voted for sending his school and Blacksburg to the Blue Ridge District. However, Christiansburg has been dropping non-district games against the Blue Ridge District in football and basketball for the next two years, so one must ask how much that school wants to play a full schedule of Blue Ridge teams.
Porterfield said he welcomed a stronger league like the Blue Ridge because of fan interest and good competition. He maintained his school has dropped some Blue Ridge District teams because of scheduling conflicts and other reasons that have nothing to do with their strength.
The heroes
No matter, Porterfield dominated this meeting as its leader. He was a masterful manipulator. I always thought straw votes were taken when you sold popcorn at movie theaters before presidential elections and patrons chose boxes according to their preference of candidates.
Porterfield used straw votes in all three meetings that were more like official votes. The Christiansburg principal kept saying, "This is only a straw vote." Every straw vote, though, led to rejection or acceptance of policy.
He used a straw vote to decide that the Region IV schools didn't want to take in teams from the Piedmont District area and then used a straw vote to come up with the 6-7-5 split of Region IV.
In the first meeting last Monday, when Region IV officials wanted to let the unbalanced regions stand and dare the Virginia High School League to take action, Porterfield kept telling them that the VHSL would make a move and that they might as well make their own decisions on regional balance.
Whenever it appeared as if there would be a donnybrook that would lead to no action, Porterfield skillfully guided the principals around the snag and on to the next order of business.
The second hero had to be Magna Vista principal Joe DeVault. In the past few months, DeVault seemed to be the leader of the four Henry County schools, Martinsville and Patrick County volunteering to move from Region III to Region IV when it appeared the Blue Ridge District wasn't going to move.
DeVault never said his schools wanted to do this but that someone had to move and it might as well be these six teams. He was in a win-win situation. Those schools probably prefered to stay in Region III, yet they realized it wasn't as competitive in Region IV if they left the Region III Blue Ridge and Seminole districts. Their teams would have an easier time advancing to state tournament competition.
It's not likely Region IV ever would have taken in the Henry County schools, Martinsville and Patrick County. When three Pittsylvania schools opted several weeks ago to join the original six, it was almost assured the Piedmont District was out.
After Region IV schools chose the Blue Ridge District, there was no bitterness on the part of the nine Piedmont District schools present. They had made their bid and weren't losing by staying in Region III.
To a lesser extent, Carroll County principal Harold Golding and Lee principal Gary Perdue also were heroes because they were willing to agree to almost anything short of having to take their teams more than 200 miles or so for a volleyball game or cross country meet in the new Region IV alignment.
Outrageous
Let's call it the "half-million-dollar proposal." Richlands principal George Brown thought it was Region III's task to do a balancing act and suggested that any schools coming to Region IV ante up a cool half million dollars.
After gathering my composure, checking the room for possible snickers and looking to see if anyone needed reviving, I started looking for an NBA, NFL or major-league baseball representative. When was the last - no, make that the first - time you heard someone use the words "million" and "dollars" together when talking about high school athletics?
Representatives then resumed normal high school talk in terms of bus mileage between schools and other financial terms that usually take on three- or four-figure forms rather than six zeroes to the left of the decimal and to the right of one number.
Later, one official said Region IV might be broke in a couple of years after the balancing act. Wrong. The Blue Ridge District will help fill Region IV's coffers beyond belief.
When Salem and Northside dropped to Group AA from the Group AAA Roanoke Valley District, those two schools proved to be such hot ticket sellers that Region III went from a deficit to a huge surplus. Granted, Salem's best football years provided most of that and the Spartans might not match that windfall again soon, but Region IV schools will hit the big time in basketball profits if they plan their tournaments correctly at neutral sites.
The final solution
Remembering that nothing is final, what will happen in two years or even this fall when the new Region IV, including the Blue Ridge District, convenes thanks to a straw vote that wasn't official?
First, Blacksburg will try to get into the Blue Ridge District. If there is no help from the Blue Ridge schools and Christiansburg, forget that.
Second, Carroll County might try to go to the Piedmont District if Region III schools split up their current leagues.
Third, there might be a new Group AA school or two in Region IV or there might be one or two fewer. Dickenson County is rumored to be combining schools into one big Group AA member, but Graham, Gate City and several other current Region IV members are small enough to go Group A if they don't like the new alignment in Region IV.
Stay tuned and enjoy your popcorn - for a movie theater might soon be asking you to buy boxes according to your favorite district.
Bob Teitlebaum has been covering high school sports for this paper for 24 years. He has been the high school sports coordinator for the past seven years.
by CNB