ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, September 5, 1996 TAG: 9609050114
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: N-16 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
One couldn't have asked for a better start from Clay Kasey and John Doss than the pair had last Friday.
The two Northside football players dominated both sides of the ball as the Vikings opened the season by beating Cave Spring 27-14. It came as no surprise, because the pair has all kinds of things going for them as they come into their senior season.
``Clay's been starting both ways for three years and John Doss was [honorable mention] all-Blue Ridge District as a freshman,'' said Northside coach Jim Hickam.
Kasey is an offensive and defensive lineman. Doss plays running back and defensive back.
The Vikings went into the game with very little experience. Kasey and Doss more than made up for the lack of familiar faces. Doss rushed for 121 yards and intercepted a pass. Kasey led the blocking as Northside chewed up 315 yards total offense and also got one of three Viking sacks of Cave Spring quarterback Corey Paxton.
There are more credentials; Kasey is a state power lifting champion at 275 pounds in the teen-age division. Doss is a former Timesland Sizzlin' Sophomore of the Year on defense.
``John's been one of the leaders in team tackles, interceptions and knockdowns. He's our most experienced running back and he's been all district three years,'' said Hickam. ``Clay was all district both ways last year. We've taken him to the national power lifting tournament two years and he's done right well.''
Kasey also has football in his blood. His father, Sherwood, who teaches and coaches at William Ruffner Middle School in Roanoke, was a member of the football staff under Merrill Gainer at Patrick Henry High School. If the name Gainer doesn't strike a note, it should. He was the last football coach of a Roanoke metropolitan public school to win a state championship, taking the Patriots to the 1973 Group AAA crown.
After Gainer left, Sherwood Kasey worked for Willis White, who left Patrick Henry for Salem High School after the 1982 season.
``He always tells me about [the 1973 team and Gainer], but I was born in 1979 and I don't remember anything about [him coaching] at Patrick Henry,'' said Clay Kasey.
Having a former coach as a father isn't easy. ``He helped me start football and talks to me [after games] about how I played. He critiques me sometimes. He tells me I need to work harder,'' Clay Kasey said.
``Sometimes it's tough having a father who is an experienced coach. He expects me to play well all the time.''
It's doubtful Sherwood Kasey talks to his son about power lifting. That is Hickam's specialty. He is one of the best in Virginia and his teams at Northside have regularly competed on a state level in the sport, which is not sanctioned by the Virginia High School League.
``Coach Hickam got me involved in power lifting in ninth grade,'' said Kasey. ``I started lifting to stay in shape. I didn't realize there was any competition.''
Although winning a state title in weight lifting, team or individually, doesn't cause a big stir, it gets Kasey excited. ``Our team won and it's like any other state championship. It's a great accomplishment.''
Doss and Kasey came up in the football world together. They got their start on the same rec team. Unlike Kasey, his father wasn't a coach.
``He wrestled some, but my parents still pushed me to play sports,'' said Doss.
So far, Doss has more notoriety. After his Sizzlin' Sophomore award, he made All-Blue Ridge District as a junior. He didn't make All-Timesland first or second team, but is looking to make up for lost time after Friday's start.
``I didn't dream I'd be player of the year,'' Doss said of his sophomore honor. ``My goal was just to make the Sizzlin' Sophomore team. I think I let up a little last year and figured it would come easy again. I found out that's just not true, so I'm twice as prepared to play better this season.''
As the Vikings' most experienced running back, Doss said the pressure comes on offense. He responded with 121 yards rushing on 14 carries in the first game. More important, he ran 38 yards in the fourth quarter to set up his game-clinching touchdown.
Doss volunteered to carry the ball on the key drive, and told his teammates he'd get them a touchdown to shut down a Cave Spring rally.
Doss, who also plays a solid outfield in baseball, said he realizes that as a running back and baseball player, he gets more publicity than Kasey, who like most football lineman, often plays in anonymity.
``I feel badly because Clay [and other linemen] are the ones who make it happen for me. Without them, I couldn't do what I do,'' Doss said.
Both players have hopes of making it in college. Hickam says the pair will play somewhere, but it's still a matter of whether they have the size and speed to draw NCAA Division I offers.
Meanwhile, these two Vikings seniors are content trying to lead Northside to the Blue Ridge District title and a spot in the playoffs.
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ROGER HART\Staff. Opposing ball carriers will be seeingby CNBa lot of Northside's Clay Kasey (left) and John Doss and trying to
figure out a way to get around them this season. The two helped lead
the Vikings over Cave Spring last week. color.