ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, September 19, 1996 TAG: 9609190026
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV5 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: High School Sports
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM
MEMO: slightly different version ran in Neighbors
As good as Liberty High was in boys' basketball last year, this year's team might be just as strong.
The 1995-96 Minutemen went 25-0, claimed the Group AA championship, and were a joy to watch with their hustling fullcourt style.
The most notable players lost to that team were All-Timesland guard J.J. Coles and his fellow frontcourt player, Gregg Reynolds.
Returning is Raymond ``Peanut'' Arrington (14.9 points per game), the leading scorer and Timesland's Sizzlin' Sophomore of the Year, along with Robert Carson (10.0 ppg), who will move to guard, and reserve Cheyney Preston (7.6 ppg.).
With a strong junior varsity, Liberty would have been good just with that cast.
Now the Minutemen are getting help as Rodney Morris, a 6-3 sophomore from William Fleming, has transferred to the Bedford school.
Morris' 1995-96 statistics won't catch your eye because he scored only 57 points over the last half of the season. However, he scored 42 points coming off the bench in seven tournament games (6.0 ppg. average) as the Colonels made the Group AAA state semifinals.
His best game was a 12-point effort in a 60-58 victory over Potomac in the Group AAA Northwest Region semifinals. That victory put Fleming in the state. He had six points in the 100-87 overtime shootout against J.E.B. Stuart in a first-round state tournament game.
``I saw him and he's a natural 3-man [forward], but he'll probably play post for us,'' said Liberty coach Mark Hanks.
No, Hanks didn't see Morris trying to entice him to switch schools. The Liberty coach is a high school basketball junkie who takes his wife, Pam and attends many games in Roanoke just to watch basketball. He never dreamed that Morris would switch.
Morris must still get a change in guardianship approved, according to sources, in order to be eligible. The matter is in court right now. Once that happens, he's ready to play for Liberty.
CHAMPIONSHIP SITES: This was to be the year that the Virginia High School League, in an effort to promote its state football playoffs, moved the championship games to neutral sites such as excellent high school facilities or even into college stadiums such as Virginia Tech, Virginia or others around the state.
However, if the sites listed from Regions III, IV and C are an indication of better sites for title games, someone didn't inform the VHSL. For instance, the list of sites Region III schools put up for holding championship games they might host are William Byrd, Salem, Appomattox County, Heritage (City Stadium in Lynchburg), William Campbell and Altavista.
Those last two sites formerly weren't good enough for Region playoff games much less state sites unless they have upgraded their facilities. William Byrd's stadium isn't big enough for a championship game and the Salem field is unavailable.
Region IV put up Martinsville, Bassett, Richlands, Graham's Mitchell Stadium in Bluefield, Lee and Virginia High. None of those fields will give anyone a special feeling for a state championship game. In the case of Graham and Richlands, past title games in December at those sites have been mired in mud and bad weather.
Region C listed Carroll County, Christiansburg, Virginia Tech, Abingdon, VMI and Rockbridge County. VMI would be suitable for a special feeling, but any Region C game at Virginia Tech might be more like a scrimmage as two Group A teams might not draw very many people in a stadium that seats 52,000 spectators.
Region D hasn't sent in its list, but one can only hold his breath knowing the choices of stadiums in far Southwest Virginia.
An official from the VHSL says plans to move the games to neutral sites such as college campuses are on hold because of a lack of corporate sponsorship. In this case, it's more of the same in the VHSL not willing to promote its state championship events in the right way and wondering why the regional playoff games get bigger crowds.
TOUGH BLUE RIDGE: Girls' basketball teams in the Blue Ridge District played their first round of league games Tuesday night.
After three weeks of non-district competition, the Blue Ridge District is as tough as predicted. While Lord Botetourt and Alleghany were the only unbeaten teams heading into district action, William Byrd's lone loss was against fellow district member Northside in a tournament.
The Vikings, meanwhile, are once beaten, having lost to Floyd County, which is Timesland's best Group A program. Northside later avenged that loss on its home court.
Salem and Christiansburg are two other teams with but one loss. The only teams with losing records were Blacksburg (3-4) and Rockbridge County (0-5). Three of the Indians' losses came against Floyd County, but Blacksburg may struggle in the district for those defeats were by a combined 67 points.
Overall, Blue Ridge District teams posted a gaudy 33-12 record and both Lord Botetourt and William Byrd had beaten up on Seminole District favorite Jefferson Forest.
No one doubts that the two teams which survive the Blue Ridge District race and make the Region III tournament will be heavy favorites to move on to the Group AA state tournament just as Lord Botetourt and William Byrd did a year ago. They eventually squared off for the championship.
HE'S BACK: It seems as if Richlands' football coach Dennis Vaught just can't avoid trouble. When the Blue Tornado beat Carroll County 21-6, the former head coach at Lexington and Patrick Henry showed again why he is one of the state's most controversial high school coaches.
According to several sources, with seconds left and his team leading 15-6, game officials informed Richlands players that they didn't need to snap the ball and time would expire because the Cavaliers were out of timeouts.
However, Vaught hurried a play into the game and Richlands ran one more time, scoring a touchdown with 1.2 seconds left.
According to the Carroll County official who confirmed this story, ``Several of their parents apologized. It certainly wasn't the fault of the school. If we played Richlands [again], we'd kick their tails.''
People in Richlands aren't happy with this latest incident that is like so many others that seem to follow Vaught.
LENGTH: Long : 111 linesby CNB