Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 17, 1994 TAG: 9501060006
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: HHS-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Vikings lost 27-6 to Salem in last week's regular season finale. With the loss went Northside's hopes of winning the school's first Blue Ridge District football title.
Northside, though, was already in the playoffs and enjoying one of the best years in the school's history with an 8-1 record. Instead of opening the playoffs at home, the Vikings face long odds - they must travel to Amherst County, the No.1-ranked Group AA team in the state.
Askew and Henderson, though, know what long odds are. What's a game against the state's best team compared with what these two have overcome?
Askew, a guard on offense and a linebacker on defense, was Blue Ridge defensive back of the year last season. ``He's the classic case of the overachiever,'' said Viking coach Jim Hickam. ``At 5-foot-9, 220, he's not blessed with a lot of the basic skills players have. He's overcome that with tenacity and willingness to work, plus aggressiveness.''
Henderson, a running back, was injured during a trap play against Christiansburg last year.
``A teammate [Brian Powell] hit my knee [accidentally]. I got up and started running on the sideline. I bent my [left] knee in to see how it felt and it popped out,'' Henderson recalled.
Though he didn't play any more football, Henderson made his way through the basketball season as one of the Vikings' top reserves on a team that made the Group AA semifinals in the state tournament.
So these two are used to tough times; and for the Vikings, recovering in one week from the Salem debacle might be tough.
Askew also overcame an injury. He messed up an ankle in the final game last year against Salem when the Vikings pounded the Spartans 42-6. It didn't keep him from striving to improve this year.
``I wore a cast for two weeks. But I was lifting weights, upper body stuff, right away,'' Askew said. ``I felt I could have another good year. After getting the recognition [as back of the year on defense], I felt I could play at a higher level.''
Northside suffered its first loss of the year, a 15-14 shocker at Cave Spring when the Knights rallied in the final minute with a touchdown and two-point conversion.
``That made us realize we weren't going to be as good as people said in the preseason,'' Askew said. ``We weren't perfect. There were some things we were going to have to work on hard.''
Askew says Northside's success so far comes from support outside of the school that has carried over to more parent involvement. He's been overjoyed at having his parents, Jack and Patti Askew, come down to the field each home game and line up with other fans to welcome the team.
Henderson wasn't a main offensive force early in the year. The Vikings relied more on star running back Karim Thompson, who has rushed for more than 1,000 yards two straight seasons.
Lately, Henderson has been getting more carries and more yards. He's moved up in Timesland statistics and is helping take some of the offensive burden off Thompson.
``All of us think that he's sort of played himself into condition with that leg,'' Hickam said. ``There was a lot of atrophy. It was difficult for him to overcome, with the pain aspect of it. He finally decided that he'd have to play with pain.''
``My knee didn't bother me during basketball,'' Henderson said, ''but the doctor had told me that I'd have to have surgery on it sometime in the next five years.''
He had surgery March 31 and wears a brace, though just for football. ``I was afraid of reinjuring it when I took a hit,'' Henderson said. ``I've gotten used to it, and now I'm at about 100 percent.''
Though Salem's defense kept Henderson and Thompson in check much of the night, the duo could be tough for Amherst County if the Northside wishbone is successful.
``I believe our offense is a lot more of a threat,'' Henderson said. ``I'm just not as well-known as Karim, but now teams have to watch out for both of us.''
Oddly, both players say they enjoy playing defense more than offense, where the job they do might decide the Vikings' contest against Amherst. Their mental toughness will also be a factor, but this duo has plenty of that to use against the Lancers.
by CNB