THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 10, 1995 TAG: 9511090107
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 27 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Sports
SOURCE: Bill Leffler
LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
He sat down on the 15-yard line, refusing to budge.
The officials were bewildered about just what they should do. The football game was temporarily halted.
Suddenly the voice of the public address announcer boomed out via the speakers: ``The Portsmouth police have requested that all players get off the field. All players leave the field immediately.''
The 11 Churchland High School players and the 11 Indian River players headed to the sidelines.
But the 15-yard line occupant continued to sit.
It was The Fox. An intruder at the Churchland-Indian River Southeastern District football game Friday night at Churchland Stadium. Salt and pepper colored with a tinge of rust.
Somehow the bushy tailed, sharp-snouted visitor with large pointed ears had made his way into the stadium and wasn't about to vacate the premises.
He seemed almost tame. Almost, but nobody was ready to find out.
Attempts were made to coax him away by a policeman. There was a cautious waving of a billy stick. But The Fox stayed put.
Three more policemen and a police car made their way to the edge of the field. The Fox maneuvered and apparently began looking for an exit.
The only entrances and exits at Churchland Stadium are at the south end. The Fox, scampering around in the north end zone, obviously knew his way around. He headed down the playing field.
He crossed midfield, moving with the grace of a outstanding broken field runner.
``Forty, 30, 20,'' barked out the public address announcer.
``Touchdown,'' he shouted as The Fox reached the end zone. The crowd cheered.
Out the gate and into the darkness went The Fox.
And, after a 19-minute delay, the game resumed.
There was speculation that The Fox makes infrequent appearances in the stadium, perhaps to feast upon food dropped under the bleachers. Someone thought it might be a tree fox, so named because it can climb trees. Another said it thought it was the same fox he had seen a dozen years earlier when the present stadium site was a bean field.
``We try to provide entertainment at all of our games,'' said the public address announcer. ``There is no extra charge for this performance.''
Churchland football coach Ken Taylor would like The Fox to teach his footwork to the Truckers.
``It was the longest run on our football field this year,'' said Taylor. by CNB