Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 28, 1995 TAG: 9505310023
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
According to Bruce Mahan, the Cave Spring boys' coach, no RVD boys' team has won a Northwest Region game. The RVD girls also are winless.
Often, the scores have been embarrassing, such as the 11-1 loss the Patrick Henry girls' team absorbed this year at C.D. Hylton in Woodbridge
In Group AA, however, Timesland soccer teams are competitive on the state level. Blacksburg has won a boys' title and William Byrd's boys lost 3-1 in the championship game at Park View-Sterling in 1991. That Park View team is from the same Northern Virginia area that produces the Commonwealth and Cardinal district squads that dominate the RVD schools.
So why don't RVD teams do well in Northwest Region play?
``Woodbridge has almost 3,000 students; Hylton has 2,200 students,'' says Sharon McCulley, the PH girls' coach. ``They have a number of select teams feeding into the schools, not just one like we have that feeds seven [Roanoke-area] schools.
``When we went to Woodbridge several years ago, their coach said they had 40 teams feeding their schools, so they could pick the best of the 40 select teams for their squad. There are so many more girls in that area playing on a select team and against good competition. They have the cream of the crop.''
Peter Lustig, in his second year as the girls' coach at Cave Spring, played high school soccer in Fairfax.
``When I was trying out for the Jefferson [High School] team, we'd have 100 to 200 players on the first day,'' Lustig says. ``The coach had no idea, initially, who the best players were, except for the ones from the previous years.
``He'd run us 10 to 12 miles, and we did sprints until at least half the people had dropped out. Then, he'd weed it down from there. But the first criteria was to run as hard as we could, because we'd have to play a 90-minute soccer game while sprinting without stopping.''
There aren't nearly as many players trying out for teams in the Roanoke Valley, but the numbers game is only the first of three reasons Lustig sees for the RVD's poor showing.
``Second, because of the number of teams in Northern Virginia and the high quality of players, you're consistently used to a competitive match,'' he says. ``What we face once a year in the region is a typical game for them. When you play good competition, you're improving and they're improving because of all the tough games.''
In the Cave Spring girls' 5-2 loss to Gar-Field, Lustig says several tactics were used to penetrate the Knights' defense.
``We had never experienced those plays,'' he says. ``One Gar-Field player went right through our defense. But if we played teams like Gar-Field all the time, we'd be used to those kind of plays.''
Lustig says the third reason for the RVD teams' abysmal record in regional play is a lack of motivation.
``The intensity is much higher'' in Northern Virginia, he says. ``You know the caliber of players you compete against is very good. Also, they play soccer the year round. There is no other sport.
``[Up there] kids will be juggling or kicking a ball around everywhere they go. We did that on our own every single day of the summer and winter. Here at Cave Spring, the girls realize they have the strongest players [in the district] and don't have to work every day unless I push them. So, they're not working as hard to improve.''
Mahan offers two other reasons for the disparity.
``Northern Virginia has to be one of the top two or three regions in the country for producing great soccer players,'' says the former Roanoke College player. ``Look at the University of Virginia, which has won four straight national championships. Most of their [in-state] players come from Northern Virginia.
``Also, North Cross [a private school located less than two miles from Cave Spring] takes some of our players. We have three or four players on that team who would be outstanding, and so does Patrick Henry.''
McCulley, Lustig and Mahan believe there is hope for improved RVD play in the region.
The Cave Spring boys lost 2-1 to Albemarle this year, but the Patriots are from the Western District, away from the Northern Virginia area.
``This year, we had our best chance to win playing against the Western District,'' Mahan says. ``Albemarle had been beaten by Patrick Henry [during a regular-season tournament], but they were a quality team that had won seven or eight games in a row.''
All three coaches understand that a big key to success is to build consistency in their programs.
McCulley is not a full-time teacher, but that won't hurt because she coaches select teams and is heavily involved in youth soccer. Both Cave Spring coaches are on staff at the school, a goal of athletic director Otis Dowdy and principal Martha Cobble, who in the past have had to scramble for coaches in non-revenue sports by hiring part-time personnel.
``I can see that it's positive to have the boys' coach in school,'' Mahan says. ``All day long, I'm attending to soccer business that someone who is not at school would be hard-pressed to do.''
Still, the question remains, when will a Roanoke Valley District team find success in the Northwest Region tournament?
``We didn't include any regional goals in our team goals this year,'' Mahan says. ``Next year, we need to think about that by scheduling some regional teams during the season. We might sacrifice some victories during the regular season, but we'll be better-prepared for postseason play.''
PAYE-OFF NEAR: It's official. Burrall Paye, the William Fleming boys' basketball coach, needs 22 victories to reach 500.
There had been some discrepancies in Paye's record at Powell Valley, where he coached in 1977. Pat Paye, the coach's son, said his records showed the Vikings going 18-7. Marshall Johnson of Richmond, who keeps state high school records, said it was 17-8.
Johnson, the guru of prep records, seems to be correct. Brownie Polly, who played for Paye at Powell Valley and lives in Roanoke, called to verify the 1977 record was 17-8. ``I wish it had been 18-7, then we would have made the state tournament,'' said Polly, who contacted other team members to make sure he was correct.
Polly also says the family coaching tree of Burrall Paye should include Lee head coach Jerry Myers, a player at Powell Valley. When Pat Paye got the William Campbell on Thursday, he became fifth man who was an assistant or player under Burrall Paye to become a head coach at the varsity level.
FEARSOME FOURSOME: Salem takes on York and Virginia-Bristol meets James Monroe in Group AA boys' tennis semifinals Wednesday at Radford University.
Salem will be seeking its third consecutive title, but it won't be easy. The four teams are a combined 53-1, with James Monroe having the only loss.
by CNB