ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, October 10, 1996 TAG: 9610100044
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: RINER
TYPE: HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
Jason Phipps' interest is engineering, a field he'd like to explore in greater detail once he graduates from Auburn High and moves on to higher education next year.
Unexpectedly, his fascination with the way things are built has taken a new turn to a project close to home and very dear to him. As it turns out, Phipps has been a central figure in the refurbishment of Auburn's football program.
Right now, one of the smallest football-playing schools in the state has as healthy a program as it has had in a long time, if ever. Sixty-eight of the 183 boys in grades 8-12 are playing football for one of the high school's teams. For those who don't want to bother with the math, that amounts to 37.1 percent of the boys in the school.
That is exceptional participation by any standard.
A three-year starter, the last two as the quarterback and safety, Phipps has been a part of and in many ways a leader in the program's growth.
``That makes me feel pretty good,'' he said.
Phipps is one of only a few three-year starters on the varsity team. He was at the controls when the Eagles came within one victory of qualifying for the Group A Division 1 playoffs last year. For tiny Auburn, that would have been an incredible and inspiring feat.
The residual impact has carried over, Eagles coach Steve Wright said.
``The success we've had has helped out some,'' he said. ``The percentage of participation has been just tremendous. The biggest factor, though, has been the kids who are playing. They're the biggest sellers of the program.''
That works in a couple of ways. The most obvious means of selling football at Auburn or anywhere, for that matter, is a player persuading one of his friends to give the sport a try. It doesn't have to be that obvious, though. It can also be as simple as the sport taking on an identity and image that attracts other students.
Certainly, Phipps has been a positive factor in both regards.
True, his numbers this year aren't spectacular - 30 for 75 for 370 passing yards and three touchdowns - but they're more than adequate.
``And I don't mind telling you that the numbers could be a lot better if some of the passes that he'd put right in the hands of the receivers had been caught,'' Wright said.
Statistics are not the sole measurement of a quarterback's worth to his team. Whatever it is that enables a player to have an impact, Phipps has it both on and off the field. In class academic standing, he is in the top five.
``There's no question, he's been the strength of our team,'' Wright said.
Phipps didn't start out as a quarterback when he first took up the game in the Montgomery County sandlots. His first active duty was at center.
``I came out for the team, they showed me how to snap the ball, I could do it, and they made me a center,'' Phipps said.
That didn't last long. He became so adept at the art of football delivery that they moved him to quarterback, which is where he stayed every season until he was a sophomore on the Eagles varsity. A senior, Jeremy Akers, was the incumbent at quarterback, so Phipps was deployed at wide receiver.
``Playing wide receiver wasn't bad, although I'd rather have played quarterback,'' he said. ``But with the seniors we had, I didn't plan on playing a lot of quarterback anyway.''
Phipps got into some games for mop-up duties at quarterback, but he didn't really move into the position until last year.
``A lot of the seniors helped me out,'' he said. ``Especially my center, Mike McNeil. With him there, I didn't have to worry about anything.''
It's been different this year because there are a lot of younger players and relatively few seniors. Auburn and Phipps have done all right, though. Last week, they put together a 21-6 victory over Fort Chiswell, a huge win for the Eagles because it was one of the few times in school history they've beaten the Pioneers in football.
This week is homecoming and Auburn will be entertaining its biggest rival, Shawsville, which is coming off an impressive victory of its own over Narrows. It should be an interesting game for no other reason than the quarterback matchup of Phipps and the Shawnees' Chris Graham, an excellent signal caller himself.
For Phipps, the stakes in this game and the rest on the schedule are higher than they ever have been.
``Before this year, it hurt to lose,'' he said. ``Now, it just kills me. I didn't know it was going to be like this. But when I started thinking about it, I realized that because I was a senior, I'll never get another chance to play these teams.''
It is a lesson that should serve him well later should he take up a career in his chosen field. Engineers, like quarterbacks, usually only have one opportunity to do things right.
LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: RAY COX. Auburn High School's Jason Phipps: ``Beforeby CNBthis year, it hurt to lose,'' he says. ``Now, it just kills me. I
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