THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 27, 1996 TAG: 9610260077
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 25 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE NORBUT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: COURTLAND LENGTH: 115 lines
SOUTHAMPTON HIGH SCHOOL doesn't just run the football. It's more like the Indians force-feed pigskin to their opponents.
The game plan seems simple - control the line of scrimmage, give the ball to a fleet-footed back and move methodically down the field.
It's no secret. Seven teams, going into Friday's game against York, have known Southampton's strategy well before kickoff. But all of them have left the field with losses so far this year.
Take the Indians' Oct. 18 showdown with Bruton. The undefeated Panthers played host to Southampton in a battle for first place in the Bay Rivers District.
The game hardly lived up to its billing, as Southampton (7-0) racked up 256 yards on the ground and 16 first downs en route to a 28-0 thumping of its closest district competition.
Southampton ran 60 plays - 57 runs and three passes. All four touchdowns were on runs, the longest being an 11-yarder by Rico Ivey in the fourth quarter.
With play calling that unbalanced, everyone from the hot dog vendors to the stadium announcer could predict Southampton's tendencies. Yet Bruton couldn't stop it. No team so far this season has stopped it.
So what makes Southampton so successful?
``We believe in what we do,'' said ninth-year coach Littleton Parker, now 71-40 with the Indians. ``It's just a philosophy we have.''
It's an ideal that has matured under Parker since his promotion to head coach with two games remaining in the 1986 season. At that time, the Indians were struggling and, as Parker so carefully stated, ``The system felt the team needed new leadership.''
What the team got was a hard-nosed disciplinarian in practice and a father figure off the field - the best combination a high school athlete could hope for.
``It's well-known that Southampton practices are the hardest in the state,'' said Franklin first-year head coach Darian Bell, Parker's offensive line coach the previous two years. ``The kids over there are wonderful. You can't find any harder workers in the state.''
The work has paid dividends. The Indians are ranked third in the state Group AA poll, outscoring their opponents 230-61 along the way. Southampton has even proven it can come back in a game, turning a 14-7 halftime deficit against King George into a 28-21 win Sept. 20.
``The key to that game was our confidence,'' Parker said. ``We felt we would win the ball game.''
Confidence springs from tradition. The Indians have had a consistent Power-I running game since even before Parker took over. Cyrus Lawrence, a '79 graduate of Southampton, went on to Virginia Tech, where he still holds Hokie career records for carries, yards on the ground and touchdowns scored rushing.
``Southampton's always been a running school,'' Ivey said. ``That tradition will continue for as long as Coach is here.''
While it always starts with the running game, the Indians this year have added a strong defense (two shutouts this year) with a passing game - at least one on paper - behind sophomore quarterback Mitchell Pillsbury and receiver Durane Parker, who also anchors the defense from his linebacker spot.
``We can throw the football,'' Parker maintained. ``We do work on it.''
``They have been throwing the ball more this year,'' said Bell, whose Broncos travel to Southampton for both teams' season finale Nov. 8. ``But why pass when you're running 300 yards a game?''
Bell is quite familiar with Southampton's running game. He played on Parker's first team in 1987 and went on to play at Elizabeth City State before returning to the Southampton nest after graduation. He's used the grind-it-out philosophy at Franklin, which has improved from 0-10 last season to 3-4 so far this year.
``Coach Parker has been a big role model for me,'' Bell said. ``He taught me that you have to run in high school football to win. You get your fullback running first and you go from there.''
For Southampton, that's junior Torrey Goodwyn, whose season highlights include 100-plus rushing performances against Poquoson and Smithfield, games in which he also scored a combined seven touchdowns. He carried 22 times for 103 yards and scored twice against Bruton.
But surprisingly, Goodwyn isn't even the workhorse. Ivey, who with over 800 yards rushing is well on his way to a second 1,000-yard season, is the Indians' go-to guy.
The line is not what you would expect in terms of size from an undefeated district favorite. Junior Octavious Stith (5-8, 218 pounds) starts at left guard, while senior Lavelle Evans (5-10, 215) is the Indians' starter at left tackle. The largest starter on the line is at right tackle - 6-3, 278-pound Armond Phillips.
It's not that the Indians lack beef. All the coaching staff has to do is look to their bench to find 6-3, 330-pound junior Roy Thompson, among others. But Southampton has proven that a quick line with good technique can be as good as a group of monsters up front any day.
``Our line plays with a lot of heart and character,'' said Ivey, the team's leading rusher last season with more than 1,300 yards. ``There's not much size compared with last year, but they carry out their techniques and give it all they got.''
The entire team is doing the same as it starts to prepare for the post-season.
``We've been looking forward to the playoffs since the last game of last year,'' Ivey said. ``Too bad the team that beat us dropped down a division.''
That team, Matoaca, has been Southampton's nemesis the past couple of years. Last season, the Indians dropped a 28-27 nailbiter to their new-found rival in the regional finals. In '94, Southampton lost to Matoaca in the regional semifinals.
This year, while Matoaca resides in Division 3, Southampton, by virtue of one student, is the state's smallest school in Division 4. So while the Indians may not get their shot at revenge, they will still have a chance to reach their ultimate goal - a state championship.
``Our first goal is to win the district,'' Parker said. ``Our second goal is to win the region and our third goal is to win state if possible.''
It may not be possible to stop Southampton this year. But if a team is faced with the challenge, what would it have to do?
``I would say you'd have to stop our run,'' Parker said.
Obviously. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
Southampton running backs Torrey Goodwyn and Rico Ivey both have a
shot at 1,000 yards this season.
KEYWORDS: HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL by CNB