ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, October 17, 1996 TAG: 9610170012
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
TYPE: HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
The late afternoon sun delivered its rays in an almost horizontal slant across the golf course at Great Oaks Country Club in Floyd one day last week as Giles High's golfers straggled off the course following their tour of the facility during the Three Rivers District tournament.
Oddly, each golfer seemed to be wearing shades of the same facial expression, that of a man who had submitted to a gulp of curdled milk on a hot day.
The spectacle was an odd one because there had been so few chances for the Spartans to frown recently.
Frown they did, though, and with good reason.
After golfing splendidly all year, the Spartans came apart at the district tournament like a cheap pair of loafers.
After being the dominant team in the district through the regular season, the Spartans never got anything going at the district tournament and fell to Glenvar.
Events at the district had all been so out of character for Giles, a contender in Group A Region C ever since dropping in classification from Group AA several years ago.
During the regular season, the Spartans had won four of the five regular season tournaments on the Three Rivers tour, dropping one to Glenvar by four strokes. The cumulative victory margin for Giles was 34 shots.
``This team has improved throughout the year and the golfers have worked hard,'' first-year Giles coach W.R. Johnston said. ``That's all you can ask.''
The proof was in the scorecards. Three of Giles' golfers had the low three stroke averages for district competition. The leader was freshman Russ Johnston, the coach's son, with a 75.25 average, followed by junior Clay Davis (77.75) and senior Jason Jennelle (80.00).
They differ in personality and game.
Davis is the quiet, cerebral one, as befits a student who gives over part of his day to travel with other highly-motivated educational challenge seekers to study science, technology, and mathematics at Governor's School in Pulaski County.
Davis, tall and slender, is a quiet type who has a taste for studying physics.
Jennelle is the team veteran. He has enjoyed playing for the elder Johnston because of the attitude he imparts.
``He's taught us to think positive,'' Jennelle said. ``You couldn't find a bit of negative anywhere in our game now.''
Then there is the younger Johnston, who was the only Giles survivor of the Region C tournament earlier this week. He finished fourth with a 76 and will advance to the state next Monday at Lonesome Pine Country Club in Big Stone Gap.
Johnston prepped for the step up to varsity by serving as the team manager as an eighth-grader. Managers don't serve much of an essential function, but they do have a low-pressure apprenticeship, playing with others their age in preliminary rounds.
``It gave me a chance to see the courses before this year when I really started to compete for the varsity,'' Russ Johnston said.
Johnston, who has been playing competitively since he was a toddler, is tall and lanky and occasionally makes his playing partners fidgety by his custom of taking his time sizing up a shot. He plays tournaments frequently - he was fourth in his age group in the big annual Scott Robertson tournament this summer in Roanoke - and says that has helped him plenty in getting ready for the high school season..
``He's got a lot of talent,'' his father said. ``It's all a matter of how hard he wants to work and so far, he's worked hard.''
``Don't say that,'' the younger Johnston said.
``Oh? What would you prefer?'' the coach wanted to know.
``Say something like, `He's good looking and his phone number is 921 ''' the younger Johnston said.
Apparently, this is something of a sore subject, one fueled by lengthy hikes in hot sunshine across sundry golf courses.
``Maybe if we were football players we'd be getting the girls,'' Jennelle said.
Somebody ought to tell these guys to cheer up. Things are tough all over, even for Giles' undefeated and state-ranked football team.
The golfers can remember this, too: When football players take a swipe at something, it's liable to hit back.
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Giles High golfers posted three of the four low averageby CNBscores for the five Three Rivers District regular season tournaments
this year. The golfers are (left to right): Clay Davis, Russ
Johnston and Jason Jennelle. color.