THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 9, 1996 TAG: 9602070155
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Sports
SOURCE: Bill Leffler
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
Notes on a frayed white cuff. . . .
As high school records continue to be toppled in large numbers each year, the longevity of some shows how remarkable those achievements were.
Barry Wright, who racked up 2,080 points in a career at Norcom that concluded in 1979, still is the city's all-time public school scoring leader. He was a 6-4 forward.
The scoring record in boys basketball at Wilson has stood since 1952. Jessel Curry, a 5-11 guard, set that mark with 1,308 points.
The oldest of the girls basketball records is held by Ann Theus, who racked up 2,032 points at Wilson. Her record has stood since 1982.
All other Portsmouth school records have fallen in the past few seasons. Nicole Council just became Churchland's all-time leading girls scorer and is raising that standard each game that she plays.
An assault on records in the Southeastern District indoor track meet seems to be getting routine.
Last year eight records were broken and another was tied.
The year before precisely the same feats occurred. Eight records fell and a ninth was tied.
The oldest records in indoor track date back to 1989. Larry Whitaker of Oscar Smith had a 35-seconds clocking in the 300-meters and Muhammed Moore, also from Oscar Smith, had a time of 2:34.7 in the 1,000-meter run.
Nineteen records were set in the past three years.
It's happening all around, this rash of records.
Marshall Johnson, who has spent most of his lifetime chronicling state records in high school football and basketball, says there were eight records set in football the past season. Another was tied.
One of his last acts at University of Virginia soccer coach was a good deed by Bruce Arena.
Arena, who won five national champions at UVa, recently resigned to accept a position in the professional Major League Soccer as head coach of the D.C. United team.
When he heard that a Chesapeake youth soccer star, Michael Bright, was recovering from a serious illness, Arena sent a soccer ball to him - autographed by all of the players on the UVa team.
The ice and snow necessitated a delay in the amateur boxing card which had been scheduled for Wednesday night at the Showcase on Airline Boulevard.
The program has been rescheduled for Feb. 29.
The first mailing goes out next week to the college basketball players who are being invited to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament this year.
Mark your calendar now for the 44th annual PIT: April 3-6 in the Churchland High School gym. by CNB