Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 2, 1995 TAG: 9504040026
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
First, the Cosmo, regarded as Roanoke's premier high school track and field event, will be more competitive.
Christiansburg, a Group AA boys' and girls' power, will participate in the Cosmo for the first time when the meet is held April 29 at Salem High School.
``We've wanted to be in the Cosmo for quite a few years,'' said Randy Bailey, the Christiansburg boys' coach. ``We think it's the primary meet in Southwest Virginia.
``We weren't sure how to go about getting invited. If you ask enough dumb questions, someone will give you an answer.''
Christiansburg has one of Timesland's most exciting athletes - Andra Beasley. The senior football standout will be matched against one of the state's best Group AAA sprinters, Patrick Henry's Jamie Price, in the 100- and 200-meter events.
Christiansburg has won the Region IV boys' title the past six years and will be favored again this spring. The Blue Demons also feed off the state's premier Group AA cross country program, with three of the top four runners from the 1994 state championship squad - Kevin Nolan, Justin Mosby and Michael Lee - ready to score points in the distance events. Nolan was the Timesland boys' cross country runner of the year in the fall.
Will the Blue Demons topple favored Patrick Henry or dark-horse Northside in the Cosmo?
``To be honest, I'm not that familiar with the scoring in the Cosmo and [a lack of points in] the pole vault will be hard to overcome,'' Bailey said. Region IV does not permit its teams to participate in the pole vault, while Patrick Henry and Northside have some strong competitors.
As for winning a state title, Bailey's Christiansburg team was second in the unofficial Group AA indoor meet this year. Charlottesville, the 1994 outdoor champion, has a lot of athletes back, so the Blue Demons' chances will depend, in large part, on just how well Beasley can do. He placed last year in the long and triple jumps.
``Past [Christiansburg] teams have had a little more depth,'' Bailey said, ``but not as many front-line people.''
PH won't be the only challenger. Northside gave Christiansburg a fit in a dual meet this season and also has a pair of sprinters - Dee Shovely and Karim Thompson - to run with Beasley and Price. If those names sound familiar, it may be because three of the four were All-Timesland in football, and the fourth, Shovely, played defensive back for the Vikings.
On the girls' side, Christiansburg won the Region IV title last year and might be better this season. The Blue Demons, coached by Norma Cox, are led by distance-runner Bethany Eigel and three girls - Maureen Jackson, Tamia McNeil and Jessica Felton - who could dominate the Cosmo in the weights.
The big change in the All-American Relays, which also will feature Christiansburg as a favorite, is a move from April 22 to Saturday. The date was changed because of a late Easter and spring vacation for many Timesland schools. The meet will move back to the later date in 1996.
There is an even bigger change in the meet at Radford High School. This year, the All-American will have competition divided between Group A and Group AA schools, awarding titles in each class. If a Group A school wishes to compete in Group AA, it has the option, but a Group AA school cannot drop in classification.
The All-American has invited every Group AA team in Region IV and every Group A school in Region C. However, any other Group AA or Group A schools wishing to participate in what is the largest high school track meet in the in terms of participants in this part of the state are welcome.
RETIREMENTS: Two longtime wrestling coaches are stepping down.
The most surprising is the resignation of Barry Trent at William Byrd. Trent, out of town and unavailable for comment, announced his resignation at the team banquet, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.
Trent's final William Byrd squad won Region III and Blue Ridge District titles. He has been a coach for the Terriers since the 1970s and wrestled at Byrd as a student.
Trent's 1982 Byrd team was the last Blue Ridge District and Timesland state champion, when the Terriers won the Group AA title. Trent leaves behind a team with enough experience to win Region III again next year.
While Fred Wagner, a two-time Timesland coach of the year, is an assistant football coach at Byrd, he won't apply for the job because it would interfere with his work toward a graduate degree in the winter. Wagner left Northside last year to pursue his No.1 love, coaching football, but said that wasn't a factor in his decision not to pursue the job.
Brookville coach Paul Anthony, whose teams have been among the strongest in Region III, will apply. However, the job likely will go to Trent's assistant, Jan Sessor, if he wants the position.
The other retiree is Cave Spring's Steve Spangler, who like Trent is giving up wrestling to spend more time with his family. Spangler's main coaching interest, however, is football, and he will continue to build a Knights program that missed the Northwestern Region playoffs by a few ratings points in the fall.
RECOUNT: A couple of weeks ago, it was noted that William Fleming boys' basketball coach Burrall Paye might retire as the William Fleming boys' basketball coach after the 1995-96 season and hoped to get his 500th victory before doing so. At the time, it was thought Paye needed 31 victories to reach that milestone.
A review of the figures by Marshall Johnson, the state statistical guru, indicated Paye needs only 21 or 22 victories to reach 500. Still under review is whether Paye's 1976-77 team at Powell Valley went 17-8 or 18-7.
Nevertheless, getting either 21 or 22 victories won't be easy - even for Paye. As good a coach as he is, Paye has had only three Fleming teams that have won 21 or more games. His 1980-81 team was 24-3, his best record with the Colonels. His other top squads at the Roanoke school were in 1984-85 (23-3) and 1992-93 (22-6).
At Powell Valley, Paye had four teams in eight seasons that won 21 or more games. The longtime coach would have been a lock for 500 victories next season if he hadn't dismissed some of the top players from his third William Fleming squad, in 1978-79. A 4-17 record that season was the only losing mark in a 26-year coaching career that has been one of Timesland's most consistent.
by CNB