ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, September 12, 1996 TAG: 9609130053
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
TYPE: HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
In a normal high school golf season, Blacksburg's Wes Martin would have come in with a figurative bull's-eye on the back of his loose fitting shirt and the Indians would be aiming at a banner season.
The Indians may still set their sights high with regard to team goals, as well they should with all four of their top golfers back this year. As for Martin, he won't have to worry about the stresses of defending his Group AA Region IV crown. Somebody else will be the champion of Region IV this year and Martin won't have a thing to say about it.
He may contend in Region III, though. Now that he and his fellow Indians have made the jump from the defunct New River District to the Blue Ridge District, they aren't likely to find the golfing life as simple as it was in Region IV.
``The Blue Ridge is probably the toughest district in the state in golf, no doubt about it,'' Indians coach Mike Delpercio said. ``By far.''
Good for the Indians that they'll have some golfers who are up for a challenge. The starting quartet of senior Andy Robinson, Allen Reneau, and Martin and junior Kevin Brown has already proven they're capable.
Especially Martin, who fired a 76 to win Region IV last year. he went on to finish 24th at the state tournament, fashioning identical rounds of 81.
Elsewhere is high school golf:
Christiansburg has had some adjusting to do to the new district as well, the most recent example coming last week.
The Blue Demons were on their way to play a league match with William Byrd at Blue Hills in Roanoke when the bus driver became lost. The bus had to stop at a gun shop for directions and was an hour late.
New coach Jim Sullivan is responsible for helping to keep the Demons' golf shots on target. He's retired from public education in Ohio, where he had the opportunity to play a fair amount of amateur tournament golf.
Sullivan will be counting on junior Travis Colley and sophomore Dee Alvis to carry the top of the lineup. Rounding out the rest of the group who may be among the top four from time to time are senior Nelson Simpkins, sophomore Jason Hale, and junior Jason Hurd. Sophomore Jason Lafon has been knocking on the door, too.
``We have a nucleus of young fellows who are capable of playing of this game pretty well,'' Sullivan said.
Pulaski County looked a little greener around the gills after sophomore Michael Chandler developed a sore throat recently.
The prognosis for the young man who was the second leading scorer in the Group AAA Roanoke Valley District a year ago was to have his tonsils removed. The recovery time for that sort of surgery is likely to have him miss some matches down the stretch, veteran Cougars coach Jesse White said.
Meanwhile, Pulaski County is going to have to have solid leadership and play from senior Chuck Shomo. Sophomore Matt Mansell and freshman Webb Donald will also figure in a lot of action. Stephen Thompson, Justin Haynes, and Ray Kirby have been knocking on the door of the starting group all year.
At Giles, new coach W.R. Johnston takes over as sound a program as there is in Timesland thanks to the long-standing stewardship and expertise of Bob Wilburn, a golf guru who quietly orchestrated over 400 Spartans victories over a distinguished career.
At first glance, Giles looks vulnerable because of its youth. Two of the top four players are a freshman and sophomore. However, top seed Russ Johnston, the son of the coach, is no ordinary ninth grader, at least by golfing standards.
The younger Johnston played in his first tournament at age 6 and was in state competition by age 7. At any time, he's capable of of firing a round scored in the 70s and has already done so in the Three Rivers District new format regular season tournaments. District members convene week to week on each other's home courses. The winner of the weekly tournament series qualifies for the Region C tournament as does the postseason district tournament winner.
Casey Clark is the 10th grader and he's holding down the No. 4 spot in the rotation when he can wrench it away from freshmen Reid Nicholson and Seth McCracken. Jason Jennelle, the only senior, has been on the team four years. He'll usually play in the third slot, behind junior Clay Davis.
The Spartans have the look of a team that can make one of their frequent returns to the regional tournament.
The main obstacle to those goals may be new Three Rivers member Glenvar , a state Group A champion as recently as two seasons ago. Behind Glenvar, two other teams will battle for third and one could possibly slip into the postseason.
One of them is Shawsville, where coach Billy Wells may have his best team yet in the five-year life of the program.
If seniors Chance Hall, Tony Cerva, Arlis Conner, and junior Barnett Carr sound familiar, then you may remember them playing baseball last spring for Wells, also the coach of that sport at Shawsville.
The one covered in leather and red laces isn't the only little white ball Hall and Cerva can whack. Both of them were All Three Rivers golfers in 1995. Conner joined the latter pair at regionals last year. Carr qualified for regionals two years ago.
The surprise of the season for Wells has been 10th grader Patrick Angle. He's risen all the way from seventh to second on the depth chart since his freshman year.
Floyd County has been erratic so far, and veteran coach Skip Bishop reckons that could be a product of not enough time on the course outside regular team practices and matches.
Adam Harris, the top seed, is capable and usually may be depended on for a score in the 80s. Chad King at No. 2 is trying to bounce back from a missed 1995, the result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident.
Lonnie Lewis, who may usually be found penciled into the lineup at No 3, is a refugee from the football program, of which he was a member a year ago. The rest of the rotation could contain, on a given day, juniors Eric Reinhard or Travis Pratt. Reinhard has been inconsistent and Pratt not up to the standards he set last year when he qualified for regionals.
If either of those falter, senior Kamal Chantal could break into the starting quartet. Chantal stunned Bishop by coming out for the team after never having played the game in any sort of formal sense then flabbergasted him by scoring in one of the Buffaloes' district matches.
Radford has struggled so far and has yet to find a replacement for the graduated Eric Merkt, who represented the Bobcats at state last year.
The two steadiest golfers to date have been juniors Jason Porter and Will Major, who have occupied the first and second slots in the order respectively.
Other than that, you don't really know what to expect from Radford match to match. Guys to look out for include sophomore Todd Harkrader and freshman David Hall.
LENGTH: Long : 123 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Ray Cox. Wes Martin won't have to worry about theby CNBstresses of defending his Group AA Region IV crown this year, as
Blacksburg will now compete in Region III. color.