THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 23, 1994 TAG: 9411230601
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C01 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
At the beginning of the football season, Indian River coach Bob Parker sized up James Boyd's arm strength, toughness and superior athletic skills and knew he'd just found his quarterback.
If Boyd had had his way, he'd have told Parker to keep looking.
``I didn't want to be the quarterback,'' Boyd said. ``I never wanted to be the quarterback. I just wanted to run.''
Somebody has to take the snaps, so Parker tabbed Boyd, then watched the offense struggle mightily through six games.
Finally, out of sheer desperation, Parker decided to let Boyd be Boyd.
The once-dormant Indian River offense hasn't been the same since.
Boyd, now a quarterback who turns into a tailback as soon as he takes the snap, will lead the surging Braves, winners of four of their last five, into Friday's Eastern Region Division 6 final against Kempsville at 8 p.m. at Kellam High.
Besides jump-starting the offense, the 5-8, 180-pound, 17-year-old sophomore has also developed into one of the area's fiercest-hitting free safeties, assuming the position formerly manned by current Virginia Tech linebacker Tony Morrison.
Boyd, who was already being hailed as one of the city's best athletes before he left middle school, has also maintained his reputation as a big-play man. He's scored eight touchdowns in his last five games, including a pair in the Braves' 30-9 thrashing of Green Run in the regional semifinals.
Last year, despite limited playing time, he scored on a reception, a run, an interception and a kickoff for a portion of his 10 touchdowns. By the end of the season, despite the presence of Division I-bound college talent like quarterback Morrison and receiver Shawn Foreman, Parker was developing plays with the expressed purpose of getting Boyd the ball.
Nor is it just in football where Boyd excels. In last year's Eastern Region basketball tournament, Boyd scored 26 points and snatched 11 rebounds as the Braves shocked top-ranked Booker T. Washington.
``He can do it all,'' Parker said.
All, that is, except be the man calling football signals. At least that was Boyd's contention when the season began.
Boyd felt he had proven his worth as a runner last season when he averaged nearly 18 yards for each of his 13 carries.
In fact, even Parker agreed that Boyd was probably best suited to carry the ball.
``Personally, I think he's the best running back in the state of Virginia,'' Parker said. ``The only reason he's the quarterback is I don't have another one.''
The move appeared ill-conceived early in the season, as the Braves struggled offensively with Boyd under center. Finally, after a 16-8 loss to Deep Creek in the sixth game of the season, Parker shifted Boyd from under center into the shotgun and said, in essence, ``Pretend you're a running back.''
Indian River's sweep suddenly became one of the most dangerous plays in the area. In Boyd's first game in the shotgun, he ran for 136 yards in a 42-22 thrashing of Great Bridge, a game in which the Braves scored 14 more points than they'd put up in the four previous games combined.
``Coach finally turned us loose,'' Boyd said.
Boyd and fellow runners Sam Hardy, Quenta McLean, and newcomer Mike Joyner continued to get loose through the remainder of the regular season. And last Saturday, Indian River turned in its best offensive performance since Boyd went into the shotgun, piling up 323 rushing yards in throttling the Stallions.
``Being in the shotgun lets me see the field and read my blocks better,'' said Boyd, who ran for more than one-third of the Braves' rushing total against the Stallions. ``The linemen like it, the backs like it, it's good for everybody.''
And when Boyd feels good, he isn't afraid to speak his mind. After the Braves' victory over Green Run, Boyd took a few swipes at the quality of the Stallions' competition. The statements made their way into the next day's newspaper, and have no doubt become a source of motivation for Beach District champion Kempsville.
Parker cringed when he read Boyd's comments, but said that, once again, it was just Boyd being Boyd.
``He's a confident, aggressive person,'' Parker said. ``I wish he hadn't said what he said, but that's part of the reason he plays the way he does.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
James Boyd: ``I never wanted to be the quarterback.''
by CNB