THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 18, 1994 TAG: 9411180592
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VICKI L. FRIEDMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
It wasn't the starting quarterback job that took some getting used to for Booker T. Washington senior Michael Beverly.
And although Booker T. hasn't won a district title since 1984, Beverly isn't surprised the Bookers (6-4, 4-0) are meeting Hampton tonight in the first round of the Eastern Region Division 5 playoffs.
``I knew we'd be good after the first scrimmage,'' said Beverly, a gangly guy whose T-shirt boasts ``Knowledge is Power.''
It was the colors - maroon and white - and being a Booker, not a Bulldog, that Beverly needed to adjust to. After all, until this year, he had worn the orange and blue for Norfolk Academy since kindergarten, and last year, he was the Bulldogs' starting quarterback.
Booker T. was a whole new ballgame.
``Here, every week, you have to prepare for a team with a lot of talent and a lot of skill,'' Beverly explains. ``Over there, you might have one or two big games. The punishment that you take over here week in and week out is a little bit rougher.''
Last year, Beverly led the Bulldogs to a 6-3-1 finish. ``He had a wonderful year,'' said Norfolk Academy coach Tom York. ``With Michael, we really threw the ball more than I had planned.''
But Beverly says he wanted to experience life at public school. He wrestled all summer with the decision, didn't make up his mind until July, but he's happy with his choice.
``I just wanted to try something new,'' he said.
Beverly was confident in the classroom, despite the differing academic attitudes at Booker T.
``Over there, academics is push,'' he says of Norfolk Academy, ``and here it's push, but the students don't take on the challenge. . . . I've always believed it's all in the classes you take.''
Beverly maintains a 3.0 GPA amid a full load of classes that includes calculus, physics and finance.
Socially, the transition took longer, although he knew most of the guys on the football team from his Poplar Hall neighborhood. He admits to feeling lost initially, particularly amid the slate of senior activities in the beginning of the year. It wasn't until a homecoming pep rally that he really felt more a Booker than a Bulldog.
``I was lost in the woods during senior pictures and stuff,'' he said.``I knew a whole lot of people, but there were a whole lot of faces I had never seen before.''
But Bulldogs coach Larry Stepney recognized Beverly. He had seen the 6-foot, 175-pound quarterback during a summer league drill between Norfolk Academy and Booker T. Washington.
``I saw this kid, and I said, `It would really make our season to have a kid of that caliber,' '' Stepney said. ``The boy's father was right there, and he said, `You guys need a quarterback; that's my son, right there.' And I said, `Thank you, Jesus.' ''
Beverly fit right into the Bookers' scheme. They needed a quarterback able to operate a multiple offense, and they had a hole at free safety. Beverly had played both, although he prefers quarterback. He can't remember a time when he didn't.
``I got my first football when I was 6, and my brother and I played 1-on-1 - in the house,'' he said, chuckling as he remembered his mother's reaction. ``I like being in control,'' he says of the QB spot.
As for defensive back, ``I can see everything happening and react. I like getting interceptions,'' he says, showing a rare sign of emotion. ``I love getting 'em.''
Stepney calls Beverly ``a solid leader. He doesn't do a lot of talking. He doesn't do a lot of bragging. He performs.''
Beverly, who would like to play at a Division I college and major in education, set goals at the beginning of the season: 1,000 yards passing, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions on defense. Already, he's 75-for-146 for 1,083 yards and 17 touchdowns. On defense, he has picked off 10 passes.
``State championship now,'' he says of his new goals.
Occasionally though, Beverly will head over to Norfolk Academy to watch the Bulldogs, who are 8-1 on the season, and he plans to attend graduation - as a spectator.
``There's still a part of me that feels like a Bulldog,'' he says. ``But I'm a Booker.'' Pausing, he adds, ``I consider myself both.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
LAWRENCE JACKSON/Staff
Booker T. Washington quarterback Michael Beverly transferred from
Norfolk Academy after 12 years at the school.
by CNB