Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, October 27, 1994 TAG: 9411070010
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Long
The Christiansburg High School boys' cross country team is on the romp again and its hoped-for destination is a familiar one. Just as in 1989, '90, and '91, when it won the state Group AA championship, and in 1992 and '93, when it was runner-up, the goal is a lofty one.
And why not? The Blue Demons are loaded with boys who have that unusual combination of fleetness of foot and plain, old-fashioned stubbornness that make the sport what it is.
Christiansburg is good, all right, and now, for the first time, has the national recognition to prove it. In the last USA Today rankings of programs around the country, the Demons came in at No.18.
Pretty heady stuff for a school that, as recently as 10 years ago, recruited its cross country runners from those who missed the cut to manage the football team.
Then a leather-tough Vietnam veteran named Tom Morris showed up to coach and the Demons have pretty much been tearing up obscure pieces of real estate since.
Morris left to take over the program at Radford University and was succeeded by a Christiansburg alumnus named Jeff Custer. The Demons never missed a step, even after Custer checked out of town to coach the powerful program at Woodbridge.
For the past two-plus seasons, it's been up to another local guy, Steve Shelton (Auburn High School, Radford University). Shelton hasn't made a bad coaching move yet.
It's hard to argue with a national ranking.
``We're tickled,'' Shelton said.
But it's like any regular-season ranking in any sport. It doesn't amount to much until something is settled on the field of battle.
Christiansburg has rebounded from an opening-of-the-season loss (by eight points) to archrival Blacksburg at the Radford University Invitational. The team since has produced wins at big meets such as the Virginia Tech Invitational and the Marion Invitational.
At Tech, the Demons took their revenge on Blacksburg (by a 32-point spread) and at Marion, they earned their national recognition by knocking off ranked Dobyns-Bennett of Kingsport, Tenn., and AAA Woodbridge, among others.
It was the first time Custer had seen his old charges this year. He was impressed.
``He told me we were the best team in the state, AA or AAA, that he'd seen this year,'' Shelton said.
Best part about it, in Shelton's view, is that his guys don't have to worry about the big boys except for the purposes of self-measurement.
``We don't have to beat AAA teams,'' he said. ``Our goal is to be the best AA team in the state.''
With the cast the Demons have, they'll have a shot:
Shelton, the coach, was a three-time All Group A runner at Auburn and later reached his majority on Morris' Radford squad. He still runs with the Demons on their average 40-45 miles of weekly roadwork.
As a coach, this pretty much sums it up:
``Anything we need to know, he knows,'' No. 6 runner Todd Jennings said.
Kevin Nolan, the No. 1 runner, finished sixth in the state last year and set a course record this year of 16 minutes, 9 seconds, over the three-mile route at the Blue Demon Invitational.
He hopes to attend Virginia Tech, where he wants to study biochemistry. Nolan played soccer as a freshman, but got a bigger kick out of working in the Tech lab the past two years.
The No. 2 guy is Matt Nolan, Kevin's little brother, a hard-charging freshman.
``He's got to be the best freshman in the state,'' Shelton said.
Running at No. 3 is Justin Mosby, who finished 14th in the state for Auburn High last year, then transferred.
``His parents felt it was in his best academic interests to transfer,'' Shelton said. ``It didn't hurt us [on the cross country team] that that happened.''
Mosby was not with the team when Blacksburg beat it to open the season.
Junior Robby Rakes checks in at the fourth spot. Last year, he was 20th in the state and, provided he recovers from a mysterious ailment, ought to do better this time around.
Rakes used to play football until that game became too tame for him. Now he rides a motorcycle.
``I thought skateboards were bad until this,'' Shelton said.
Lanky Michael Lee was the 19th-place finisher at last year's state meet and is No. 5 on the depth chart this year.
He, too, is a reformed soccer player.
``I enjoyed cross country more than I did soccer,'' he said.
The sixth man is Jennings, a politico.
Among the listings on his rsum are Student Council president and vice president of the senior class. He also is a partisan football supporter of the Blue Demons.
``I'm an everything supporter,'' he said.
As with the rest of his associates, Jennings supports the concept of being a state contender.
So does Shelton.
``They work hard; they run hard,'' he said. ``I know. I run with them.''
by CNB