Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 3, 1994 TAG: 9412230080
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MONETA LENGTH: Long
In other words, the fittest teams survive.
After an 0-10 record last year, Staunton River's program was in jeopardy of not succeeding. A year later under a new coach, Bob Gray, the Golden Eagles have a new attitude fueled by new players from the sophomore ranks that makes the future look very good. The record is only 2-6, but the team has been in most games, with the exception of a blowout by unbeaten Amherst County, which has been crunching even the best of teams.
Gray is a veteran coach who was forced back into the game after cutbacks at Tultex in Henry County cost him his job. He has proven to be what Staunton River needed to avoid playing double jeopardy and losing in football.
``Overall, this is the youngest team I've coached,'' said Gray, who was a head football and wrestling coach at Fieldale-Collinsville before leaving education for a job in another sector. He kept his hand in coaching, though, as a part-time assistant with the Cavaliers.
``I've started a 14-year-old kid at quarterback, but I've had seniors to go with him. Now we start only one senior on offense and have only four on defense,'' said Gray.
There's more. In a Group AA school, many players usually go both ways. Not at Staunton River. Gray is dedicated to playing pure two-platoon football, though he'll fudge a little in crunch time and use his best players on both sides of the ball.
``We're playing 22 different kids. We have 31 players on varsity and 22 start. I think that's the only way to get our numbers back up,'' said Gray, who had to get the school over a lagging interest in a losing program.
Now it's a matter of everyone plays, everyone stays into the program.
``Everyone knows kids have too many things to do. To keep them interested, they have to play. From my experience, we've had kids of equal ability, so we play them all. Plus, as coaches, we can concentrate on certain aspects of the game. We can assign someone to [coach] the defense with 11 kids and he can concentrate on that all week long.''
This is a good theory. One has to have players with ability and Staunton River had a good junior varsity last year. The best graduate of the JV program is running back Kevin Martin, who has been among Timesland's rushing leaders all year long and is a candidate to be a Sizzlin' Sophomore selection. Martin is averaging 108 yards rushing per game and leads the Seminole District in scoring with 96 points.
``He was the first kid they introduced me to as an outstanding athlete last spring,'' said Gray. ``He wanted to play quarterback, but in my offense, quarterback isn't the featured player. We let him start out there, but after the second scrimmage, he realized he needed to make a move [to running back].''
``I knew we had a lot of good running backs and I wanted to try a new position and help the team out,'' said Martin, who was a quarterback a year ago for the junior varsity. ``But I only hurt the team [playing there].''
Another sophomore running back is Jarrett Ferguson, who is more of a blocking back than he is a runner - Martin gets most of the carries.
``I need to get the ball in his hands more,'' admitted Gray.
The thing is that Ferguson, who lived at Virginia Beach until he was in the seventh grade, isn't unhappy. The versatile player can be a running back, fullback or wingback.
``I haven't minded blocking for Kevin,'' says Ferguson. ``I like to run the ball, but if I can't do that, I'll do whatever they tell me to do.''
He and Martin are friends and Ferguson has found a new life away from Group AAA Kellam High, where he would have gone to school had he not moved to Bedford County.
``I like it here better. It's a lot quieter and there's not as much trouble,'' he explained.
Then there is Coy Kirby at tackle and Jeremy Wright at tight end. They lead the line that opens up the holes for Martin, who is quick to credit his teammates for his running success.
``Take Kirby, he's a 230-pounder,'' said Gray. ``Our sophomore class is going to have some big kids for us to coach. The players in the 11th grade are normal [size] kids who are 160-pound class. By the time Kirby gets out of here, he'll be 250, and Ferguson and Martin will be 185-190-pound tailbacks.''
Kirby bulked up this past summer. ``I lifted weights,'' said Kirby, who is also a catcher in baseball and should be pretty imposing if he ever has to block the plate.
``I figured I would play junior varsity this year. They moved me from guard to tackle because they needed better play outside instead of inside.''
``I figured last year we'd have a better team [this fall]. The junior varsity was 6-2 and almost all the people from that team came out this year.''
Wright is a tight end who knows that his primary function is to block, because Gray's offense doesn't use a lot of passing.
``It's been a lot of fun this year,'' said Wright, who plays end or linebacker when he's called on to play defense. Those two positions would get a lot more notice than his offensive position.
``I would rather play offense. I think blocking is more fun,'' he said.
Isn't that the formula Gray wanted - for everyone to have a good time?
by CNB