THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 27, 1995 TAG: 9504270481
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines
Enough of this co-No. 1s bunk. It's time to decide who is tops in girls soccer.
Norfolk Academy (10-2-1) and Cox (6-2-1), co-No. 1s in South Hampton Roads all season, meet this afternoon at Cox at 5 p.m.
``Any time you have the two No. 1 teams playing, you don't have to worry about either team getting up,'' Norfolk Academy coach Kevin Sims said. ``I think it will be a highly contested ballgame.''
Both team's losses this season have come against out-of-town opponents. The Bulldogs fell to a pair of North Carolina high schools: Page and Millbrook. The Falcons lost to northern Virginia powers W.T. Woodson and Gar-Field.
The Bulldogs beat Cox 4-1 a year ago when area player of the year Angie Hucles scored two goals and assisted on another. Hucles, only a junior, is back.
``We're getting into the meat of our district schedule,'' Cox coach Terri Sawyer said. ``And this is the perfect tune-up. It's basically for bragging rights.
``Hucles is our main concern. The thing about Angie is she's a great scorer, but if you double-team her she can dish it off.''
The Bulldogs will turn around Friday and play Norfolk-rival Maury, the area's fifth-ranked team.
``We're psychologically up for these teams,'' he said. ``Maury is such a big rivalry. . . . We just might not have fresh legs on Friday.''
Cox, meanwhile, meets Princess Anne Friday, then plays No. 10 Tallwood, No. 4 Kempsville, No. 3 First Colonial and No. 6 Salem in succession.
COACH RESIGNS: Nansemond-Suffolk Academy boys basketball coach Trip Hobbs, who led the Saints to three TCIS regular-season titles and two tournament crowns, has resigned after nine years.
``I'm just exhausted,'' said Hobbs, 37, who began his coaching career as N-SA's eighth-grade coach in 1979. ``One of the things I would always tell my players is to give everything you've got, leave nothing on the floor.''
Under Hobbs, the Saints compiled a 141-84 record, including an 18-8 mark in 1994-95. He will continue teaching English at N-SA.
Hobbs' departure creates the second opening in the TCIS for a boys basketball coach. Norfolk Collegiate's Larry Schwab, 50, stepped down three games into the 1994-95 season, his fifth with the Oaks. Norfolk Collegiate teams went 54-55 under Schwab.
SIGNING NEWS: Kempsville's Carrie Johnson, a first-team All-Tidewater player, has signed with Division I Charleston Southern. Johnson, a 6-2 center, averaged 14.5 points and nine rebounds in leading the Chiefs to a 29-1 record. She has qualified academically under NCAA freshman eligibility standards.
Johnson said she chose Charleston Southern, which plays in the Big South Conference, over Coastal Carolina and Division II Wingate. At Charleston Southern, Johnson will join former area players Jennifer Steadman of Great Bridge and Kim Powers of Salem. . . . Granby High wide receiver Desmond Thornton has signed with CIAA-member Virginia State. Thornton is eligible under NCAA freshman eligibility guidelines. . . . Norview wide receiver/defensive back Frankie Knox has signed with Butler County (Kan.) Community College. . . . Cox's Brian Wilson, the two-time state heavyweight wrestling champion, has narrowed his college choices to Virginia and Navy.
SLICE AND DICE: It was going to be hard for Green Run's John Defere to top his 400-foot home run to centerfield Friday in a 7-0 victory over Princess Anne. But he did it when he literally knocked the cover off the ball two innings later.
When Defere popped up a pitch from Princess Anne's Scott Schneider, what came back to earth behind the pitcher's mound didn't resemble a baseball, looking more like something out of a sewing kit. The cover was hanging off one side of the ball, with the ball's insides hanging out.
``We see it happen in practice with old balls,'' Green Run coach Jeff Ballance said. ``But not much with new balls. Their pitcher said the ball had a little cut in it. And John swings a powerful bat. He must have hit it right on the cut.'' Western Branch's James Fitscar had to have his bottom front teeth wired after getting hit in the mouth by a fastball from Indian River's David Bailey last Friday.
But Western Branch coach Jim Stanko said he expected to have Fitscar back in the starting lineup this week, while Indian River coach Steve West commended Fitscar for his grit.
``The kid took it like a man,'' West said. ``I don't think I'd have done that well.''
NOTES: Granby principal Michael Caprio said he will take applications for the Comets' vacant boys basketball coaching position through May 8 and wants to name a successor to Jim Harvey ``as soon as possible.'' . . . Meanwhile, Princess Anne principal Patricia Griffin said she will be taking applications for the Cavaliers' vacant boys basketball position through May 19 and wants to name a replacement for Bob Flegal before final exams in early June. . . . Oscar Smith is entering the stretch run in its search for a new head football coach and the names being thrown about within the coaching community include Great Bridge assistant Joey Habit, former Warwick coach Bill Lyons, Churchland's Ken Taylor and Granby's Dave Hudak. Officials at the school won't comment on the job's finalists, but say they are looking at making a decision by May 8. MEMO: Staff writers Paul White and Patti Walsh contributed to this report.
by CNB