THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 25, 1994 TAG: 9411250147
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
It has been said that letting go of the past is a difficult thing to do.
Thanksgiving Day, under a bright sun and brisk breeze, 77 former high school football players from the Southeastern, Eastern and Beach districts took to the field at the Center for Effective Learning to relive their past in the 27th annual Joy Fund Charity Bowl.
For 48 minutes - what probably seemed like more to some - they bashed heads, pushed, shoved and even tried to run with the speed that had long since left their aging legs.
Some were gray and balding with bellies that hadn't felt a sit-up or crunch in many a year. Others were still fresh, recent high school or college graduates.
And a handful even still play the game with the Tidewater Sharks - some dreaming to play in a soon-to-form eight-man league.
The game is a local Thanksgiving tradition that raises money to help make Christmas a little brighter for underprivileged children.
And it's a chance for players who have seen better days to suit up, strap on the pads and wear a football helmet just one more time.
Organizers aren't sure who leads the series between the Southeastern players and a group of combined players from the Beach and Eastern districts. For several years, one team dominates, and then the momentum switches.
It doesn't really matter who wins.
But you wouldn't know that from the way these guys went at it in Thursday's 13-0 victory for the Beach-Eastern team.
No, for nearly an hour, this was serious football, and reputations were at stake. While it sometimes was not pretty, everyone on the field gave it their all. And though tensions sometimes flared, in the end, there were hugs and handshakes and well-wishes for the approaching holidays.
``It's real hard to let go of a dream,'' said former Bayside standout running back Kevin Blanding, who scored on a 19-yard run with 1:12 left in the first quarter and finished as the leading rusher with 85 yards on 10 carries. ``I'm going to continue to play with the Sharks, I played in the playoff game with them.
``But this was really fun.''
Late in the third quarter, former Princess Anne wide receiver Jose Silver gave the Beach-Eastern team a little insurance when he made a diving, come-back-to-the-ball catch in the end zone from 28 yards out. Former Booker T. Washington player Jerry Alford tossed the strike under pressure and Chuck Watson's kick made it 13-0 in a contest dominated by the Beach-Eastern squad.
``We had a pretty good offensive team this year,'' said Silver, who was playing in his 10th Charity Bowl. ``It's nice for everybody to come out here and relive their past some.''
Beach-Eastern and former Princess Anne running back James Rogers was named the game's MVP. Silver was named the outstanding back, and Kellam's Darryl Jackson was the outstanding lineman.
As the players departed the stadium with families in tow, thoughts of a big turkey dinner soon took the place of high school glory days.
And when the aches and pains start to set in, this year's Charity Bowl stars will realize that letting go of the past is indeed a very difficult thing to do. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo RICHARD DUNSTON
Jerry Alford, a former Booker T. Washington player, drops back to
pass during the Charity Bowl.
by CNB