THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, May 1, 1995 TAG: 9505010130
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
The Eastern District, fearful of being ``frozen out'' when scheduling nondistrict football and basketball games, hopes today to begin persuading the Eastern Region to make dramatic scheduling changes or consider redistricting the region.
``We need some type of guarantee of regional support,'' said Lake Taylor principal John Osteen, chairman of the Eastern District. ``We are already having (scheduling) problems. But we are also looking down the road to when the problem could escalate.''
The Eastern District, with five Norfolk schools, is by far the smallest in the region. And the region's other three districts are all either self-contained by sheer numbers or closing in on that status.
The Peninsula District has 11 schools. It thus plays an all-inclusive regular-season schedule in football and has very few open dates in basketball.
The Beach District has 10 schools, which severely limits its number of nondistrict games.
And the Southeastern District has eight schools and will have nine with the opening of Hickory High in Chesapeake in 1996.
Eastern District officials fear that if changes are not made, it would have to use double round-robin football scheduling and triple round-robin basketball scheduling to fill voids.
The Southeastern District gave the Eastern District considerable help in scheduling during the recently completed basketball season and said that will continue.
The Beach District, meanwhile, seems prepared to play two games fewer than its normal double round-robin basketball format to free up nondistrict games for the Eastern District.
``The Beach is ready to offer 20 basketball games (two per school),'' said Ocean Lakes principal Jerry Deviney, chairman of the Beach District.
If there is a stumbling block, it is the Peninsula.
``We've been getting a lot of cooperation from the Beach and the Southeastern districts,'' said Churchland High principal Raymond Hale, who is chairman of the Eastern Region. ``But so far, some of the Peninsula schools have voted not to participate in regional scheduling. I think one of two things will happen: Either we cooperate to the satisfaction of the Eastern District or face redistricting.
``The pinch is on for the Eastern District. As it is, they have to go out and almost beg for games.''
Osteen has contacted Virginia High School League officials concerning the matter. The VHSL has been called upon to redistrict the Northern and Central regions in recent years.
Western Branch principal Art Brandriff is on the 13-member Redistricting Study Committee.
``But he's the only one from our region on it,'' Deviney said. ``If you bring in the redistricting committee, you can lose control and nothing's particularly sacred.''
Osteen said a popular redistricting idea within the Eastern District would blend the Hampton high schools - Hampton, Bethel, Kecoughtan and Phoebus - with the current Eastern District to form a new district.
That would leave the Peninsula District with seven schools. Ferguson High is slated to close after next year, but Newport News is building two new high schools, which would make eight. by CNB