THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 4, 1996 TAG: 9610040737
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JAMES C. BLACK, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: 100 lines
Behind a row of houses on Kenyon Road sits the brick school building with the light blue trim.
Located in southwest Suffolk about 1/4-mile from Route 58, Lakeland High draws students from as far as 20 miles away.
From the nearby urban surroundings of South Suffolk and Saratoga, and the distant rural regions of Holland and Whaleyville, 1,459 pupils travel to a school that remains a mystery to many in South Hampton Roads. Some people perceive Lakeland, which opened in 1990 with students from the former Forest Glen and Suffolk High Schools, as a country school in the middle of nowhere.
``Before I arrived, I felt like it was a small, country school area,'' said guidance counselor Pat Atiyah, who lived in Portsmouth's Churchland area prior to taking the Lakeland job. ``There's a certain blend of southern kindness and a little naiveness from the kids that I like.''
But that Southern hospitality doesn't extend to the football team. Lakeland - in its first year as a Group AAA school after moving up from Group AA along with fellow Suffolk school Nansemond River - is 4-0 and beating opponents by an average of 18 points a game.
Yet, the quick start has sparked more skepticism than a Robert Dole speech.
They haven't beaten anyone. . . . They don't have a passing game. . . . The special teams unit is suspect.
And so the whispers go as the fifth-ranked Cavaliers host eighth-ranked Western Branch (2-2, 1-0) tonight in a game that serves as both a homecoming for Lakeland graduates and a coming-out party for Cavalier football.
``This game can do a lot for us in respectability,'' Lakeland football coach Edward Smither said. ``We have to approach it like that. We can go out there and lose 44-0 and people will say, `I told you so.' ''
Or they can put up the numbers they have through the season's first month and quiet the critics.
``All I knew about them is what I saw on the field the week before,'' said Great Bridge coach Dennis Meyers, who scouted the Lakeland-Grafton game. ``You could see they had a tailback with speed, a disciplined quarterback and a very disciplined team.''
In beating four schools that have a combined record of 3-13, the Cavaliers have risen near the top of several statistical categories in South Hampton Roads.
Lakeland is giving up the fewest points (3.3 per game), is ranked second in total defense (72.3 yards a game); is sixth in total offense (288.3 yards per game) and has the region's top rusher, Travis Rawls (734 yards). Despite the numbers, getting the ball into the end zone has been somewhat of a problem for the Cavaliers.
``When you play great defense, your defense gives your offense opportunities,'' Smither said. ``Right now, our offense hasn't been taking advantage of it.''
Lakeland is averaging just under 21 points a game, but has blown several scoring opportunities with turnovers and penalties. The Cavaliers had three turnovers in Great Bridge territory last week.
The offense also has been one-dimensional, living and dying with Rawls. The junior running back has gained more than 150 yards in each of the Cavaliers' games and has scored nine touchdowns. And then, that's it.
Lakeland's second-leading rusher is sophomore running back Kevin Knight, who has 88 yards and no touchdowns on 18 carries.
The passing attack also has been virtually nonexistent.
Sophomore quarterback Dequniton Baker has completed just 5 of 13 passes for 90 yards. Baker did not have a completion in the Grafton or Tabb games and nearly two minutes elapsed in the fourth quarter before he threw his first pass against Great Bridge last week.
``We've been running the ball to keep the heat off of him (Baker),'' Smither said, ``but we're going to have to pass a little bit more this week. Travis is not going to be able to line up and go for 60 or 70 yards every three or four possessions.''
Rawls has scored on runs of 44, 57 and 63 yards. His shortest scoring run was 18 yards in the Cavaliers' victory over Great Bridge.
Rawls has been able to run because of the protection he has received from an offensive line headed up by two-way senior Darius Bryant.
``They don't worry about how many yards he gets,'' senior defensive end Phoenix Long said, ``and the tight ends work as hard as the linemen.''
Smither, having advanced to the regional tournament in five of the previous six years while in the Bay Rivers District, hopes Rawls, Baker and the offensive line can maintain ball control tonight.
``Hopefully, our offense can stay on the field and keep their offense off,'' Smither said.
Though Lakeland has never played Western Branch, Smither is well aware of the Bruins' explosive offense and Wing-T formation. Western Branch is fourth in total offense (312.3 yards a game) and third in scoring (33.3 points a game).
``They can score any time they have the ball with that Wing-T,'' he said.
Which means Lakeland's defense will have to show much of the fire and consistency it did last week in allowing Great Bridge just two first downs and 38 total yards.
The two touchdowns scored on Lakeland this season came on a punt return and a fumble recovery.
``We don't look at the numbers,'' Long said. ``We just go out there and play.''
And tonight they'll be doing it before a possible sellout crowd of 4,000 at Cavalier Park, where the fans will get loud and wild as Lakeland bids to become better known to football fans in South Hampton Roads. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MIKE KESTNER, The Virginian-Pilot
Lakeland running back Travis Rawls has rushed for more than 150
yards in each of the Cavaliers' four wins - and nine touchdowns. by CNB