Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 8, 1995 TAG: 9509080070
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Laurel Park's proposal to petition the Virginia High School League for a new Group A district apparently will not be approved.
Charles Preston, Laurel Park's principal, said last week his school, Fieldale-Collinsville, Chatham, Dan River, William Campbell and Altavista would explore the formation of a South Central District in Region C.
The VHSL realignment plan, announced late in August, has these six schools playing in Group AA districts even though all the schools are Group A in enrollment. Altavista, William Campbell, Chatham and Dan River will join Tunstall and Gretna in forming a new Group AA district in Region IV, and Fieldale-Collinsville and Laurel Park will be members of the Piedmont District, which will move to Region IV.
Altavista's principal, Bob Hedrick, said his school, William Campbell, and the two Pittsylvania County schools - Dan River and Chatham - no longer are interested in appealing to form the South Central District and will accept the VHSL proposal.
``There's no perfect solution. We are a single-A size school,'' Hedrick said. ``The coaches in the school have expressed an interest in Group A and I think we should be playing in Group A if we didn't have to travel the distances we'd have to in playing other Group A schools.
``I think we can be competitive in the Group AA district [under the VHSL proposal]. Our kids aren't professional athletes. When you weigh the [travel] options, we have to go with the Pittsylvania and Campbell county schools.''
Preston said he had filed the amendment for the new South Central District before Wednesday, the deadline set by the VHSL for appeals to its plan. He was aware Dan River no longer was interested, but hadn't heard that three other schools had decided against moving to Group A.
The VHSL will hear amendments to its new plan this month. Apparently the only amendment that is likely to affect a Timesland school will be one by Carroll County, a Group AA school, which wants to play in the Southwest District instead of the Piedmont District. This is likely to be approved.
by CNB