Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 16, 1995 TAG: 9511170002
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A team that breaks bread together, plays well together.
For the past two years, the Knights have spent Thursday nights together for dinner. The varsity gathers at a particular players' house and parents whip up the food, usually an Italian dish.
``It gets pretty crowded,'' said senior captain Nathan Manning. ``There are guys all over the house.''
The Knights try to make their rounds so the same parents don't face the onslaught every week. But no one really minds when they look at what Cave Spring has done.
The Knights are 7-3 and have clinched a Northwest Region Division 6 playoff berth. They will face C.D. Hylton (7-3) this weekend. Many of Cave Spring's are the same kids that went 0-10 as sophomores. But back then, there weren't any team meals.
``A couple of years ago, they got together and decided what direction they wanted to go,'' said coach Steve Spangler. ``They made a commitment. [The meal] is part of it right there.''
Spangler said he and the coaches never had anything to do with the dinners. And although they've been invited, none have ever attended one of the gatherings. ``That's for the kids,'' he said.
It's doubtful anyone enjoys the meals more than Manning. Manning loves food so much, he gets to the school cafeteria early so he can have time to make two trips through the lunch line.
The two-way performer counts steak, ribs, and weightlifting as three of his favorite things.
Manning has taken a liking to three positions as well. He began as a cornerback. Now he's a terror at linebacker. And because of his speed and blocking, he also is a fixture at flanker.
Manning leads the Knights in receiving yards with 290. He has 18 catches for an average of 16.1 yards per reception.
Manning actually only comes off the field for extra points after touchdowns. If the Knights scored any more than they have this season, Manning might even try to get out there for those, too. Spangler never would rule that out.
``We move him where we need to strengthen our defense,'' Spangler said.
Last Friday at Pulaski, Manning was switched from weak side linebacker, where Cave Spring relies on his great open-field tackling ability, to the strong side. The Knights saw a tendency in the Cougars that they thought Manning could neutralize in a different position.
Manning didn't complain. The strong side usually makes more hits.
``I like to get more action, but it doesn't bother me,'' he said. ``As long as I get to play.''
That's no problem for the Knights. They want the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder to get as much action as possible. When he does, good things happen.
``He's one of the ones that has to be out there on the field,'' Spangler said. ``He doesn't roll big stats up, but you know he's out there.''
Sometimes the coaches know it even when Manning doesn't.
When Cave Spring hosted Heritage on Sept.22, Manning made one of the biggest hits of his life. The Heritage player went down, but so did Manning's nervous system. The hit gave him a concussion.
Suspecting something might be wrong, the coaches called him over to the sideline. According to Manning, when they asked him what team the Knights were playing, he answered, ``Orange.'' He also said he had no idea what day it was. ``I still didn't want to go out,'' Manning said.
``He definitely got goofy,'' Spangler said. ``He was halfway batty when he got that fumble.''
Oh yeah, the fumble, almost forgot. Manning sure did. Before he was pulled out, he had recovered a fumble and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. He still doesn't remember it.
But Manning doesn't mind missing out on one personal moment. He prefers to be able to talk about the Knights' success as a team.
``I remember going to a playoff game with my dad when I was real small,'' Manning said. ``I thought it would be exciting. And I knew we had the ability to get where we are now.''
``They set goals as to what they wanted to do before they graduated,'' Spangler said. ``Anything can happen with this group.''
by CNB