THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 4, 1994 TAG: 9412020224
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 22 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: The Sports Editor
SOURCE: Bill Leffler
LENGTH: Long : 107 lines
ONE OF THESE DAYS, somebody is going to figure out a process that will improve the selection of all-star teams.
The thought behind the project is admirable. It provides proper recognition for outstanding achievements.
But . . .
The final picture has too many warts.
Let's examine the high school all-star football teams.
We have the All-Tidewater, which is selected by sports writers covering high schools with an input from the coaches. Unquestionably, more work goes into the selection of this team than any of the others.
There are two all-state teams, one picked by writers and another by coaches.
Until recently, there were two All-Eastern Region teams, again with one selected by writers and the other by coaches. The lone all-region team currently is chosen by coaches - and just a smattering who seem to be handpicked or who have teams involved in post-season playoffs.
The all-district teams are selected by the coaches.
It would seem the coaches should know more about the players than the writers. But anybody who has ever watched these selections knows politics is involved. Often there is a philosophy of I'll-vote-for-your-guy-if-you-vote-for-mine. And some simply have decided they are not going to vote for particular players on other teams because it hampers the chances of their own players in getting a berth on the honor squad.
Sports writers often are swayed by particular performances they watch. A defensive back might cost his team a couple of victories, but the writer was present on the night this back intercepted two passes and returned a punt for a touchdown.
Actually, the All-Eastern Region team picked by the coaches resulted from the dissatisfaction of some over the teams that were being selected by the writers.
Perhaps the writers made some poor choices. But the All-Eastern Region picked by the coaches is simply a joke.
I can select a team of players in the region who are not on this squad and probably coach my team to a two-touchdown victory over the coaches' all-region team.
On Tuesday, a handful of coaches picked this year's all-region team.
It seems to me that one of the requirements is that the players must be on the coaches' all-district teams.
So let's examine the coaches' all-region choices.
The area's No. 1 defensive team was Norcom. Undoubtedly, the Greyhounds should dominate selections on that unit. Five Norcom players were chosen on the All-Southeastern squad on defense.
Only Rudy Howard, who was picked as the No. 1 defensive player in the district, was picked on the coaches' all-regional.
Oh, well, the others had to be on the second team.
Nope, nobody from Norcom. Not a single Greyhound on the second team.
Norcom's No. 1 ranked defense must have been a mirage. And linebacker Richard Deberry, in particular, is being deprived of honors he deserves. Put him on my team.
The Southeastern's best offensive team was Western Branch. The Bruins had the highest scoring team among the 23 South Hampton Roads AAA schools and were ranked No. 1 offensively.
Certainly Western Branch would dominate the all-region offensive unit!
Oh, no.
The Bruins placed only Donald `Dre' Bly, who just happened to be the offensive player of the year in the Southeastern.
Nobody else.
Give me the two Western Branch players on the second unit, Todd Hollowell and Steve Zembrzuski, on my team.
So now Hollowell and Zembrzuski will not be considered for the coaches' all-state squad because they failed to make the all-region first team. There are few, if any, better offensive linemen in this state than the two Bruins.
I remember Deep Creek coach Jerry Carter saying he didn't believe he had ever coached a defensive back with more all-around ability than Dee Harrell. Carter has been coaching for 27 years. That's a pretty good recommendation to me.
Dee Harrell didn't make the all-region team. He was named on the second squad after they had chosen FOUR defensive backs on the first team.
Not a player in Hampton Roads has caught as many passes as Wilson's Darrius Edwards the past two seasons. He had 53 receptions last year and 44 the past season. And a lot of these catches came when opposing teams often doubled up on him.
Edwards is another on the second all-region team. The coaches picked three receivers on that unit or Edwards might not have made that team either.
Wilson running back Darryl Scott was the top rusher in the Southeastern District. He gained 1,183 yards and had a single game in which he set the school's all-time rushing record, a feat unmatched by the likes of Wilson greats Ton Davis, David Ames and Billy Farris.
The coaches picked four running backs on their first team and three on the second team. And no Darryl Scott.
Churchland had its best football team since 1981. The Truckers beat Booker T. Washington by 20 points. But the Bookers had SIX players on the two all-region teams. The Truckers had none.
That should mean Churchland coach Ken Taylor was another miracle man.
Once upon a time I was on the selection committee for the Heisman trophy in college football. I was quite critical of the process and questioned the voting one year. I was removed as a voter the following year.
But to this day, I will remember a quarterback who was scheduled to be the All-American QB and was deprived of that honor when it was learned that the Heisman winner would be another quarterback, who was elevated ahead of him.
That left me with a sour taste for all-star voting. And every year it seems there are two wrongs for every right. by CNB