ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, January 18, 1997 TAG: 9701200101
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: HIGH SCHOOLS
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM
When the Roanoke City school board endorsed a plan to allow varsity football in its system's middle schools, was that the start to placing Patrick Henry and William Fleming on more equal footing with their Western District counterparts?
It depends on who you talk to as to whether this is the move that will allow the two Roanoke City high schools to gain ground on teams such as George Washington-Danville and E.C. Glass. In the past few years, those two Western District schools have worn out Roanoke Valley District teams in football.
The two Roanoke City schools also have had trouble competing with Pulaski County, though both of them have at least shared a Roanoke Valley District title with the Cougars in the 1990s.
Starting next year, there will be two middle school teams, one for Fleming and one for PH, taking in football players from all the middle schools. It will be run out of the Roanoke City Parks and Recreation Department in conjunction with Fleming and PH. However, football will be the only sport where inter-school competition returns for middle schools in Roanoke City.
When Willis White left Patrick Henry to take the job as Salem High's football coach before the 1983 season, one of the reasons he gave for changing was a lack of football at the middle school level.
When Ed Scott resigned from PH after this season, he said the lack of middle school football was not a factor in his decision.
``Middle school football wasn't here when I came so I don't have a strong opinion. I think in theory, it's a good thing to have it,'' said Scott.
He's not convinced that having middle school football will allow PH and Fleming to bridge the gap with Western District schools. ``It might be part of the equation, but I think there were other things involved,'' he said.
George Miller, who coaches football at Fleming, believes the change will help. ``I think we can develop some continuity. Apparently it [no middle school football] was a factor because we beat those teams [Glass and George Washington] when we had middle school programs,'' said Miller.
Miller added that the addition of middle school football will help with the normal growth patterns of kids. ``Many guys who are running backs [in sandlot or at middle school age] continue to grow and become linemen. Now if we keep up with their growth pattern, we'll know their best position by the time they reach high school.''
The athletic directors of the two schools have conflicting views. Fleming's Sherley Stuart says the school board didn't go far enough. ``To me, we would have to revamp the entire middle school program. We're not helping the situation if we don't correct it in the other sports. We need to do something about the whole thing instead of going through a season so fast. [Middle school intramural] basketball is over in three weeks. Just like an English or a math class, we need to teach the kids [in sports],'' said Stuart.
PH's Dave Osborne is the strongest advocate of the change. ``I think anything we can do that gets more kids participating in football at that age level will help. I would hope there might be some type of communication between the high school and the [middle school] coaches, whoever they are,'' said Osborne.
Osborne said lack of middle school inter-school sports has hurt more than just football because kids don't have enough time to learn fundamentals and coaches have to teach them when they reach the high school level.
ON A TEAR: Although returning All-Timesland athlete Randall Sell is probably William Byrd's best known wrestler, it is 215-pound Timmy Boothe who is having an outstanding season.
After Boothe ran his record to 17-0 with a victory in the Big Orange, he had given up only one takedown and one reversal. He also won the Halifax Holiday Classic and the Grundy Invitational. Last year, after ankle surgery, he was 16-2 and placed fifth in the state.
Sell is 9-0 at 119 pounds. His most notable statistic is he needs 10 victories to reach 100 career wins.
BLUE DEMON REVIVAL: It hasn't taken new coach Kevin Dresser long to make things lively for Christiansburg wrestling fans. The ex-Grundy coach got a transfer from Salem partly because of Dresser's reputation. The Golden Wave was nationally ranked and won eight consecutive Group AA titles under Dresser.
Ronnie Crist, who moved from Rhode Island, showed up first at Salem and then went right to Christiansburg. He is 12-5 in the 119-pound class and, as a freshman, could be a Timesland star the next few years.
``His first love is wrestling,'' Dresser said. ``I got a phone call from his folks who were at the school [Christiansburg] one day and they said they wanted to meet me, that they were thinking about transferring their son.
``His goals are real strong in wrestling. They had lived in Boston and a coach at Boston University knew about me [coming to Christiansburg].
``I never had a transfer all the years I was in Grundy. We just had home-grown kids. I don't have to have the reputation that I'm looking for kids. If they enroll here, I can't do anything about it.''
Christiansburg will go to the Big Orange next year if that tournament's date is changed so it doesn't conflict with the Virginia Duals. That meet, at Hampton, divides into two 16-team tournaments. Franklin County and William Byrd are both interested in going. The Blue Demons wrestled there this winter.
BOTETOURT APPLICANTS: According to a source, Scott is one of three former head football coaches to apply for the football vacancy at Lord Botetourt. The other two are Dean East (Franklin County and Patrick County) and Addison Kendrick (Patrick County).
Scott said he has applied for three jobs. One is an opening at a new school in the same district as Park View-Sterling, where he coached before coming to PH. He would not divulge the name of the other position he is interested in except to say it is not in Timesland.
LENGTH: Long : 102 linesby CNB