Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 10, 1994 TAG: 9411170060
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: JIMMY ROBERTSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Long
OK, so maybe Patrick was not exactly talking about Christiansburg running back Andra Beasley, but the description certainly fits.
For most of the year, some of the best defenses in the state have neither stopped nor contained the senior, who has rushed for over 1500 yards, averaged 10 yards per carry and scored 22 touchdowns.
With Christiansburg fighting for its playoff life, the high school career of Beasley may come to an end Friday night against William Byrd. But it was almost a career that never came about.
Beasley seemed destined for stardom when he arrived at Christiansburg, but he broke his ankle during the third preseason scrimmage of his freshman season. Beasley missed the rest of the season.
The injury healed, but the thoughts of getting hurt again and missing track season - another sport in which Beasley excels - did not appeal to him and he nearly quit football.
"I felt that football was a risk for track season, but a lot of the seniors talked me into coming out the next year," Beasley said. "Damon Buchanan [a former 300-pound offensive lineman] promised me that he'd block for me, so I came out and started at wingback my sophomore year."
"I wasn't counting on him [Beasley] coming out that year,"Christiansburg head coach Mike Cole admitted. "I kept asking him that spring and he never gave me a straight answer, and he didn't lift weights all summer. On the night of equipment issue, though, he came and got his stuff and I was pleasantly surprised."
Beasley spent his sophomore campaign on the varsity team at wingback while getting primed to take over the tailback position in Christiansburg's I-formation offense. He never got the opportunity, however, as Cole decided to change from the I-formation to the Wing-T last season after the Blue Demons went 3-7 the previous season.
Beasley rushed for more than 900 yards last year, but he never reached his or anyone else's great expectations.
"I think that we had a lot of attitude problems last year and that brought the team down and brought me down," he said. "I just didn't have the confidence last year and I really can't explain why."
"I believe that changing our offense last year really affected him," Cole said. "We had to change because we were getting too predictable and we just weren't big enough to blow people off the ball. The linemen in any offense are the last ones to come along and that probably hurt him more than anyone else."
This season, though, everything has come together. Beasley has put up some phenomenal numbers, including a 330-yard rushing performance in a 32-28 victory over Graham. Exploits like these have earned him the admiration of his teammates, including running back Mischa Alexander, who jokingly is called the "other" back.
"I was called that [the other back] in a newspaper article," Alexander explained. "It's fine with me. Anybody with him [Beasley] back there in the backfield would be referred to as the other back. I know he can break it at any time. How can I complain when he's putting up those kinds of numbers?"
Those numbers have spurred college coaches to call and ask for game film.
Virginia Military Institute and James Madison University want him. University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, North Carolina State and others have expressed interest.
Beasley, who will make a decision after the season, already has qualified academically with a solid "B" grade-point average and he has expressed an interest in majoring in electrical engineering.
"My mom pushes me a lot," Beasley said. "If I get a `C,' I hear a long lecture about the importance of academics. I've learned to appreciate it now, but I didn't understand when I was young."
As evidenced by his success in the classroom, Beasley does not let football control his life. He is involved in the Monogram Club and Black Awareness along with working on the weekends at Southern Classic Car Wash - a job which prevents him from watching a lot of football on television.
"It's not the greatest job in the winter, but it pays," Beasley said of his job. "I don't mind being so busy. I can always find some time to have fun."
Yet he admits that he probably has his most fun on Friday nights, running against the opposition.
Despite his numbers, college coaches have expressed some doubts. Is he big enough? Fast enough? Tough enough? Like all the great athletes, Beasley takes exception to those who question his toughness.
"I've put up good numbers against the best defenses in the state," Beasley said of a list that includes Richlands, Graham, Tazewell, and Blacksburg. "I should have proven my toughness by now. I would invite anyone to one of our games and watch me if they question my toughness."
Some coaches also wonder if he can play defense in college - something he has done little of this year mainly because of a shoulder injury suffered early in the season.
"A lot of them [college coaches] ask me if he can play defense and I explain to them the situation," Cole said. "Most of them understand. I think that he can play Division I football. He's the best thing to come out of this area since Tommy Edwards [former Radford High School and current Virginia Tech tailback]."
Cole has coached a team to the state semifinals [1988] and graduated many great players, such as Darren Graham, the quarterback at Newport News Apprentice; and Randy Lawrence, the 1989 Timesland athlete of the year and current Christiansburg assistant coach. And where does Beasley rank on that list?
"He's the best all-around athlete I've ever coached," Cole said. "He's got great work habits and he has faith in himself. He's a lot tougher on himself than I'll ever be and that's what makes people successful. I guarantee you that he could start on our basketball team or baseball team, and he'd probably be all-region or all-state as a wrestler if he played those sports."
But what makes Beasley such a great athlete and person is his soft-spoken demeanor and his humility. He is quick to praise his teammates, and he kneels on one knee and says a prayer every time he reaches the end zone.
"I do it just to thank God for getting me there safely," he explained. And then he added with a sheepish grin: "And I then ask him for another one."
by CNB