THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 27, 1995 TAG: 9504270110
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 22 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
By achieving all-state recognition this past season, Donald Turner, Montoria Valentine and Antoine Willie will join nine other Nansemond River stars on the school's Wall of Fame.
Turner was the Group AA state defensive player of the year in football. Willie was the state's basketball player of the year, and Valentine was a first team all-state basketball pick.
Athletes had to have made an all-state team to receive Wall of Fame recognition. The Wall is located in the school's cafeteria, and features pictures of such past Warrior greats as basketball's Derrick Bryant (Norfolk State), football's Darrell Flythe (Hampton) and wrestling's Walter Ricks, the school's only state wrestling champion.
Only one of the honorees was a non-athlete. Donovan Coley (class of 1993) made the all-state chorus.
No girls have made the Wall, although if there had ever been an all-state field hockey team, Tara McClenney, Jennifer Ellis and Kari Harrell would have been likely selections.
Best bet to be the first girl to crack the Nansemond River Wall, according to one school official: Angie Gatling.
MORE TURNER: After weeks of not utilizing Turner's speed on the basebaths, baseball coach Phil Braswell turned him loose last week, with dazzling results. The centerfielder stole eight bases in two games.
PARITY IS HERE: Don't ask Lakeland baseball coach Don Robertson who's the favorite in the Bay Rivers District baseball race.
``There's a lot of parity here,'' the coach said. ``Right now, York, Southampton and Nansemond River have to be considered the top three. But most of the teams can beat anybody on the right day. Look at what Franklin did to Nansemond River.''
The Broncos won their only district game, 2-1, over the Warriors. It was Nansemond River's only district loss.
Lakeland was a game under .500 (2-3) heading into Tuesday's game. The team has been led by junior catcher Geoff Williams, the leadoff hitter who is batting about .400 and has also starred defensively with his strong throwing arm.
Heading into Tuesday's action, Nansemond River and Poquoson stood atop the district standing with 5-1 records. Southampton was a half-game back at 4-1. The Warriors and Islanders were set to break the tie in a game Tuesday, but the contest was postponed because of Poquoson's wet field.
That turned out to be the least of Braswell's worries Tuesday, however. He spent more time trying to figure out how to get a dead deer off the Nansemond River field.
WAY TO FOCUS: If Nansemond-Suffolk Academy was ever going to stumble along the road to what appears to be an inevitable TCIS softball title, last Thursday's game against Norfolk Collegiate appeared to be the day.
The Saints, admittedly tired, were playing for the 16th time this season - some teams haven't played half that many times - and for the second day in a row. And they were playing against a team they had beaten easily less than a week earlier.
But instead of just going through the motions, the Saints responded with one of their finer efforts of the season. They got a five-inning no-hitter from Sarah Putnam, no errors in the field and timely hitting en route to a 10-0 victory.
The key, according to Saints' first baseman Leslie Warren, was constant communication between the players during the game. The players huddled before every inning, setting goals both offensively and defensively. As a result, even in a rout, everyone's head remained in the game.
``We're really playing as a team these days,'' Warren said. ILLUSTRATION: Nansemond River's Donald Turner.
by CNB