ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, June 28, 1996 TAG: 9606280035
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: HIGH SCHOOLS
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM
Despite not winning a single team championship on the state level, William Byrd easily won the Central Fidelity Cup for overall athletic excellence among Group AA schools.
The Terriers joined Frank Cox of Virginia Beach and George Mason of Falls Church, which won in the Group AAA and Group A classifications, respectively.
In Group A, Glenvar finished third, nearly giving Timesland a double winner.
Byrd had runner-up teams in girls' basketball and soccer, a third-place finish in wrestling and semifinalists in baseball, volleyball and boys' tennis. The Terriers also scored points for the sportsmanship award in girls' basketball.
Byrd, for the second consecutive year, won four Region III titles: wrestling, boys' soccer, baseball and tennis. The Terriers took a big step toward winning the cup with 77.50 points for winter sports, the most by any Group AA school. Byrd was fourth in the fall with 70 points and tied for third with 120 in the spring.
Byrd finished 37.50 points ahead of York. Blacksburg (fourth) was the next highest Timesland entry in Group AA. Christiansburg (10th) was the only other area school in the top 10.
``I think it was a combination of things,'' Byrd principal Bob Patterson said about his school's athletic success. ``A lot of these youngsters started out in recreation and little league sports. They got some good coaching down there.
``Our coaches [at the high school] do an outstanding job with the athletes here. But give credit to the athletes. When you have outstanding athletes like Michael Berry and Cathy Smith, they stand out. Then our athletic director, Jane Layman, has done an outstanding job putting all this together.''
Patterson also said booster clubs had a lot to do with his school's success. At Byrd, each sport has a separate booster club.
``The booster club provided good facilities and equipment for all the sports. The clubs provide good transportation when the team has to go on long trips.''
In Group A, Glenvar was five points behind George Mason and 2.50 behind Central of Woodstock. Glenvar was the Group A runner-up in softball, but had the Highlanders won the title, it would have left them tied with George Mason for the Central Fidelity Cup.
No Roanoke Valley District entry finished among the top 10 Group AAA schools. Patrick Henry (12th) recorded the best performance by an RVD school.
HALL MONITORS: Parry McCluer's Bob Williams and Radford's Norm Lineburg, two of Timesland's all-time winningest football coaches, have been tapped to become members of the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame.
Williams and Lineburg will be among the seventh class of inductees when ceremonies are held in the fall in Charlottesville. Williams retired as coach at Parry McCluer before the 1995 season, while Lineburg continues as Radford's football coach and athletic director.
Williams joins his mentor, Lexington's Pete Brewbaker, Bassett native Paul Hatcher of R.E. Lee-Staunton (basketball), Martinsville's Husky Hall (basketball) and Covington's Francis ``Boodie'' Albert (football) as Timesland coaches in the Hall.
Williams coached five state championship teams in 21 years at Parry McCluer. He finished with a 198-54-4 record and coached in several Virginia High School Coaches' Association all-star games. He also was principal of Parry McCluer Middle School during his final few years as a coach.
Lineburg's 228 career victories and rank fourth in the state. His teams have won two Group AA football championships and in 1991 he was named the state's athletic director of the year. Besides football, Lineburg was head track coach and his teams won 135 dual meets. He ranks fifth among the winningest state track coaches.
Other coaches who will be inducted are Montevideo's Donald Glick (baseball, basketball, football and track), New Kent's Joan Hudson (girls' track) and Thomas Walker's Ron Skeen (boys' and girls' basketball, and baseball).
The only athlete named to the Hall is three-sport standout Jacob Adams of Highland Springs, an All-Southern and All-America selection in football who also played basketball and competed in the decathlon.
Nancy Day Haga of Longwood, who is a forensic and debate teacher-coach, and Jimmy Omps of Handley, a former outstanding athletic director and coach who is active with National Federation of State High School Associations and VHSL executive committee, were named as contributors.
FLEEING: Jason Capel of Indian River High School in Chesapeake, named Mr. Basketball in Virginia by The Roanoke Times, will transfer to St.John's-Prospect Hall in Frederick, Md.
It was similar to the departure of former Patrick Henry stars Curtis Staples and Tim Basham to Prospect Hall. Indian River coach Freddie Spellman said he heard about Capel's impending move from tournament directors and not from the Capel family or Prospect Hall coach Stu Vetter.
Capel, a 6-foot-8 forward who was Group AAA player of the year for The Associated Press, is the son of Old Dominion men's basketball coach Jeff Capel and the brother of Duke guard Jeff Capel. The younger Capel averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds as a sophomore as Indian River lost in a Group AAA semifinal to eventual state champion George Washington-Danville.
LENGTH: Medium: 94 linesby CNB