Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 13, 1994 TAG: 9408050022
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HAMPTON LENGTH: Medium
Northside's John Huffman, William Fleming's Eddie Jones and Martinsville's Chris Frith had serious injuries that curtailed their high school careers in other sports.
Huffman needed surgery on his right elbow and scrapped trying to place in the shot put for the third consecutive year in Group AA.
Jones suffered a ruptured disk in his neck that kept him from going after the 189-pound title in Group AAA wrestling - and also took him out of contention for the Timesland boys' athlete of the year award.
Frith broke his left kneecap in a key Piedmont District football game with Magna Vista and missed the entire basketball season, likely costing the Bulldogs another berth in the Group AA tournament.
All three are here, as are Magna Vista's Rodney Redd and Salem's Marcus Parker, who also had serious injuries but returned to action during the football season.
``I'm not apprehensive about it [the elbow]. The doctor says it's good as new,'' said Huffman, who will play football at Appalachian State this year and will be a nose guard for the West on Thursday night. ``It was more or less that I had thrown the shot for so many years. They needed to work on my padding in the elbow, plus remove some bone chips and cartilage.
``I probably could have waited until after track season, but I was thinking about football. I wanted to come down here and play. These guys are the greatest and this is the greatest thing to happen.''
Jones has been moved from running back to fullback, a position he didn't play at Fleming when he was named Timesland's offensive player of the year. But he's not concerned about his neck.
``I've taken licks on it. I wasn't worried. I've worked real hard and the doctor said it was OK,'' said Jones, who will play football at Hampton University.
Jones' injury didn't occur in football.
``If he did it, we didn't know about it,'' said Fleming's coach, Sherley Stuart, as he watched West practice Tuesday. ``It could have been there a long time. He found out about it at Christmas time. He's ready. We put him through full-equipment [drills] before he came over here.''
Frith, who is headed to Virginia Tech, said his injured knee has improved markedly since basketball season.
``It's getting stronger,'' said Frith, who will play linebacker for the West. ``I was worried about how it would hold up, but it's held up. I haven't had a problem and I've taken a beating.''Parker returned from surgery to repair a damaged anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the summer of 1993 and played in Salem's final five games as a running back. He'll be a linebacker here, but he doesn't mind. ``I'll probably play defense at Virginia Tech,'' Parker said.
Redd, a cornerback, sprained an ankleDON'T KNOW WHICH ONE badly and wasn't at full speed early in the basketball season for Magna Vista. He's 100 percent recovered and goes from here to North Carolina State.
by CNB