ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, December 7, 1996 TAG: 9612090095
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: PEARISBURG
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
Chris Ratcliffe of Giles High is rightfully recognized for his all-around skill on a football field.
Those who know him will testify that there is little if anything the 6-foot-1, 170-pound senior is unable to do between the white lines.
But now, the day that Ratcliffe will help lead the Spartans into the state Group A, Division 2 championship game against Powhatan, the truth must be revealed:
Ratcliffe's can-do reputation is overblown. The simple fact is, there is something Ratcliffe is unable to do on a football field. He is absolutely, positively, without a shadow of a doubt, incapable of choosing a favorite between offense and defense.
``I can't pick,'' said the Spartans' tailback and safety. ``I love playing both.''
Ratcliffe won't have to worry about it. He being a senior, this will be his last high school football game. Unless they carry him off the field in a sack, he'll be playing both ways until the last whistle sounds.
He's the kind of guy whom Giles coach Steve Ragsdale and his aides have concluded they cannot do without. Giles has the luxury of being able to platoon most of its players on offense or defense. Ratcliffe is one of only four players who are deemed to be too indispensable to sit.
That is to say, too indispensable to sit as long as the outcome is still in question. The fact is, the 13-0 Spartans have pummeled so many of their opponents so severely that the services of Ratcliffe and the rest of the starters have not been required much beyond halftime.
That was, until last week's mudbath of a semifinal with two-time defending state champion Powell Valley. Not only was Ratcliffe rarely off the field, but he doubled his normal output of carries at tailback to 38, topping 100 yards rushing before giving some of it back at the end as the Spartans were killing the last seconds of a 14-7 victory.
Given the opponent and the appalling conditions and the gravity of the moment, it was surely a tiring experience. Ratcliffe said that other than getting used to slipping and sliding his way through the line of scrimmage carrying the ball - ``It was like running in place,'' he said - he came through just fine, a ding here and a bruise there notwithstanding
Was he surprised that one of his first start-to-finish stints in the lineup didn't leave him an exhausted wreck?
``Not really,'' he said. ``As hard as we practice, I figured I'd be able to go all the way.''
Ratcliffe had himself quite a game, rushing for the Spartans' first touchdown and throwing for its second as well as the subsequent two-point conversion. That he was able to complete five of 11 passes for 58 yards and the touchdown was a testament to his resourcefulness on the sloppy field.
Ratcliffe has been resourceful his entire career. He started as both a sophomore and junior at wingback before moving into the leadership position of tailback this year. He was installed as a tri-captain along with lineman Roger Simpkins and Matt Whitehead prior to the season.
Ratcliffe has displayed a quiet but effective brand of leadership.
``I usually don't say a whole lot,'' he said. ``I think you should let your shoulder pads do the talking out on the field.''
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: GENE DALTON Staff. Giles' Chris Ratcliff tries to diveby CNBover the Powell Valley defense during last week's mud-filled playoff
game. The Spartans will meet Powhatan in Saturday's championship
game. color. Graphic: Chart by Andrew Svec. KEYWORDS: MGR