THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 15, 1994 TAG: 9409150139
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 25 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOHN GORDON, SUN SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
At first glance, it looks like Lakeland may have scheduled a soft touch for its second football game this season. The Group AA Cavaliers are playing host to a Group A school Friday night.
Look again.
This is not just any Group A team. This is Central of Lunenburg.
If you are new to the area or not familiar with Group A competition, the Lunenburg County high school is probably as close to a gridiron dynasty as there is in Virginia. Consider, for example, that the Chargers have:
Played for the state championship nine of the past 10 years.
Won state championships in 1980, 1986, 1987 and 1992.
Been runners-up in 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1993.
Central of Lunenburg was formed in 1967 when the high schools in Victoria and Kenbridge merged. The football team's quarterback for the consolidated school's first two seasons was Sydney ``Chippie'' Chappell. A tackle who was a year behind Chappell was a young fellow named Al Crymes.
Those are significant names because Crymes is now the athletic director and Chappell is the head football coach and they are two key reasons behind Central of Lunenburg's success story.
They had played under coach Johnny Griffith, who had a winning record for the first six years. But Mickey Lantz took over the grid program and the Chargers suffered through 2-8, 0-10 and 3-7 seasons.
There was an immediate change in the program when Crymes and Chappell took over. Chappell's club went 8-2 that first campaign and his squads have never fared worse.
``We had a couple of teams that lost in the first game of the playoffs and were 8-3 overall,'' Chappell admitted. ``But during the regular season, we have not lost more than two games.''
Three of his state championship teams went 14-0 and the fourth one had only a tie to mar the record. Many victories have come at the expense of Group AA opponents.
What's the secret of Chappell's success? Three main ingredients, he says.
Good athletes.
Good staff.
Good community support.
``I've always had decent athletes,'' the coach said. ``We haven't had a bunch of players go on to play Division I-A ball, but they have done well here.''
Not only has he had good assistant coaches, but they have stayed with him for a long time. Athletic director Crymes served as defensive coordinator for Chappell every year until this season when Wallace Owen moved up after 10 years as a winning junior varsity coach.
The community support has been so good that Chappell has not applied at any other school although several systems have courted him. Besides being from Victoria, his wife also is in the school system.
Principal John A. Gentry also praises Chappell as a physical education and drivers' education teacher.
``He is an outstanding teacher and has a tremendous rapport with the students,'' Gentry said. ``I think that his ability to get along with the students is one of his secrets.
``They (football players) work hard, but they have fun.'' by CNB