THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 15, 1994 TAG: 9411150463
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
With the regular season over, it's time to give out ``The Radicals,'' my postseason awards for achievements not normally recognized.
PROPHET: Discussing in the preseason his plans to give Shyrone Stith the ball more, Western Branch coach Lew Johnston said, ``He scored one out of every eight times we gave him the ball (32 rushing attempts, four touchdowns) last year.''
This season, Stith, a junior tailback, recorded 18 touchdowns as he ran the ball 104 times and caught six passes. His touch-to-score ratio improved from 8-to-1 to 6.11-to-1.
WHY DO IT? The Virginia Independent Schools Football Association crowned a Division III champion this season without playing a title game.
Bishop O'Connell was declared champion after the top three schools in the final poll passed on invitations to play in the title game, proving once again that good intentions don't mean a darn thing.
O'Connell skipped to partake in a Washington-area Catholic league championship, Woodberry Forest bowed out due to scheduled exams, and Norfolk Academy withdrew from consideration in reality because neither O'Connell or Woodberry Forest would play.
``It's a shame the school calendars and football calendars cannot accommodate a true championship game,'' said Norfolk Academy athletic director Dave Trickler. ``If it were more of a bona fide game, we would feel differently about participating.''
BRIGHTEST NEWCOMER: Tallwood's TaRon Anderson became the first player in 25 years of extensive area record-keeping to rush for 1,000 yards as a freshman.
In running for 1,055 yards as a ninth-grader, Anderson finished sixth in South Hampton Roads in Group AAA rushing.
If he just maintains that pace for the next three years, Anderson would finish with 4,220 yards, surpassing the area's all-time record-holder, Terry Ricks of Norcom (4,085 yards from 1990 to 1993).
POP-AND-FIZZLE: The Eastern District wins in a landslide. The district as a whole lost its last eight non-district games, with a 25-7 Lake Taylor victory over Churchland four weeks ago the last win.
The Eastern finished 12-18 against non-district opposition after being 12-10 at one point.
I NEED A GREEN CARD: Wilson might have gone 0-7 in the Southeastern District, but the Presidents were 2-1 when they met Eastern District teams. Maybe they should apply for citizenship.
WHEN PISH COMES TO SHOVE: Kempsville's Mike Pishioneri was second in the area in rushing (1,216 yards), first in carries (214) and first in scoring (22 touchdowns), proving once again that when you've got a horse, you ought to ride him.
ROOT-ING SECTION: Green Run freshman tight end Ben Root caught 15 passes during the regular season, 10 for touchdowns. Now that's hitting paydirt.
BALANCE BEAM: When it comes to spreading around your passes, nobody did it better than Green Run's Glenwood Ferebee. Three Stallions receivers finished the regular season tied for most receptions with 15 - Root, Plaxico Burress and David Abbott.
DO OR DYER: Deep Creek's Deon Dyer rushed for 100 yards or more four times during the regular season and all four performances came against teams that finished with winning records: 165 vs. Booker T. Washington (6-4), 101 vs. Lake Taylor (6-4), 120 vs. Norcom (8-2) and 155 vs. Western Branch (7-3).
EVERY INCH COUNTS: Ocean Lakes might have been outscored, 401-43, but the Dolphins made the most of the two occasions in which they held opponents under 30 points, pulling out a 13-12 victory over Cox and a 14-13 win over Kellam.
THE FERRIS WHEEL: Granby completed a perfectly balanced season. The Comets followed every victory with a loss and finished 5-5.
SPARK PLUG: Janus Merchant may be only 5-foot-6 and 150 pounds, but nearly every time he touched the ball became an adventure. Nobody got more out of less than Merchant, who had a way of finding the smallest of creases in the line and darting through.
Merchant ran 37 times for 309 yards and scored two touchdowns, on runs of 70 and 79 yards.
PICK AND RUN: Granby's Lorenzo Thompson scored three touchdowns on interception returns of 13, 13 and 74 yards. by CNB