Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 2, 1995 TAG: 9511020033
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEAUM
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Will Radford play traditional rivals Blacksburg and Christiansburg in 1996?
Which Group AAA power has been added to Cave Spring's itinerary?
Is Pulaski County playing musical chairs with Bluefield, W.Va.?
You want answers? You've come to the place.
First, Radford is playing Christiansburg, but not Blacksburg, as predicted here a few weeks ago. This was predicted here a couple of weeks ago as a preview to next year's mouth-watering Timesland football goodies.
Christiansburg also will take on Fieldale-Collinsville and Graham in non-district matchups as the Blue Demons join the Blue Ridge District.
Blacksburg continues its series with Giles, Graham and Cave Spring. The Indians have dropped Richlands and Tazewell to add Blue Ridge District foes William Byrd and Rockbridge County. The Indians already played their other four new district rivals.
Cave Spring has added E.C. Glass to its 1996 schedule. The Knights also could have played GW-Danville, but opted not to play both schools that have buried most Roanoke Valley District teams for the past decade. The Knights also will add Group AAA Halifax County, but still have Group AA Blacksburg, Salem, Rockbridge County and Northside on the schedule.
The on-again-off-again series between Pulaski County and Bluefield is nearly back on as the Cougars hope to sign for another series with their West Virginia rivals. Pulaski County is also adding Amherst County but might lose arch rival E.C. Glass because of conflicting dates.
The Cougars have moved the Salem clash up to the third week of the season, before the teams have to start thinking about district opponents.
Other 1996 schedule highlights include:
Willliam Byrd will play Staunton River now that the Golden Eagles are free of the Seminole District's 10-game round-robin schedule. This matchup of close geographic rivals should be a good draw.
Salem coach Willis White will match wits with a Lineburg, but it won't be longtime Radford coach Norm. It will be Mark, son of the Bobcats' coach, as the Spartans meet Brookville.
The Patrick Henry-Salem series is over after two games. That's too bad, because these teams should play, but the Spartans' additional dates in an expanded Blue Ridge made it tough. The Patriots have added Group AA Jefferson Forest of the Seminole District, as well as Amherst County and Albemarle. Amherst County is stepping up into the Group AAA Western District.
Northside and Liberty are starting a series that should prove to be interesting. It's another Blue Ridge-Seminole matchup, something that hasn't been seen since the Seminole grew to 11 teams.
The Vikings also will play Heritage. Spotswood and Carroll County are off the Northside schedule.
Most Group A teams won't alter their schedules as drastically as those in Group AA because the small-school leagues aren't changing that much. However, Giles has dropped Christiansburg to add Three Rivers District opponent Glenvar and is exchanging Grayson County for Fort Chiswell.
Franklin County takes on Group AA Lord Botetourt and adds Amherst County, now in Group AAA.
FOR THE DEFENSE: In its first eight games, Giles' defense had two shutouts and had given up 10 touchdowns. The Spartans' defense had been excellent, yet linebacker Brandon Steele was the only player who qualified in The Roanoke Times' weekly tackling leaders, which require six stops - either assisted or unassisted - per game. Five or more players qualify on some teams.
Steve Ragsdale, Giles' coach, says there are reasons for the lack of defensive statistical leaders on his team.
``Number one, our starters have played only one full game'' and that was against Blacksburg, said the veteran coach. ``Also, we've run the ball a lot and there are fewer plays in the game and fewer [defensive] attempts on either side. Add a defense that doesn't play a full game and the fact that our definition of a tackle is strict, and that's a reason for this.''
MUDDYING THE ISSUE: It seems as if rain has zeroed in on football Fridays this fall.
One coach who rarely postponements a game is Salem's White. The Spartans have called off one game during his tenure, when flooding forced the Salem Civic Center to take in people who had to abandon their homes. School officials didn't feel it would look good to open an emergency shelter and play a football game on the same night at adjacent sites.
White says his players actually enjoy playing in the rain.
``That's the little boy in you that makes you want to dive in a mud hole and not have Momma spank you,'' he said.
White says he gets the urge to dive in a mud hole himself every so often. ``It's not dignified for a man my age. [If my mother was alive] she'd say, `Look at that fool in the mud,''' he said.
BOUNCING BACK: When the Salem girls were 7-3 and appeared to be playing an inferior brand of basketball to last year, when they won the Blue Ridge District regular-season and tournament titles, some wondered what was going on.
Injuries and personal tragedies were the main reasons a team with all of its starters back wasn't playing good basketball every night.
It seems the Spartans righted themselves after the first 10 games. In reeling off seven consecutive victories and taking control of the district's regular-season title drive going into this week, Salem had scored more than 60 points in each game.
The Spartans played improving Rockbridge County on Tuesday and travel to Lord Botetourt for tonight's key Blue Ridge regular-season finale between two of the top three teams in the league.
IT TAKES TWO: After 19 games, it should be no secret that to beat the Lord Botetourt girls' basketball team, you have to stop the Cavaliers' Sara Moore and Sarah Hicks - or outscore them.
The two Botetourt juniors had scored 741 points between them through the weekend, with Moore getting 421. The rest of the Cavaliers had scored 516 points, meaning Hicks and Moore had accounted for more than 59 percent of Botetourt's offense.
by CNB