DATE: Friday, April 25, 1997                TAG: 9704230139

SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS     PAGE: 10   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK 

SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  114 lines

TRUCKERS TO TAKE ON CRABBERS IN A PRESEASON TEST AUG. 15

How good will the Churchland football team be this season? Football fans will get an early indication on Aug. 15, when the Truckers scrimmage the defending Group AAA Division 5 champion Hampton Crabbers at 6:30 p.m. at Darling Stadium.

It will be the second straight year the Truckers have staged a pre-season workout with Hampton, the two-time Division 5 state champs who will bring a 27-game winning streak into the 1997 season.

``We were actually pretty happy about how we did against them,'' Churchland coach Ken Taylor said. ``Of course, we couldn't stop them. We moved the ball pretty well against them, but they were awesome. They scored at will against us.''

Hampton went on to score a state-record 819 points in their 14 victories. Nine of their wins were by shutout, including their 51-0 romp over Patrick Henry-Ashland in the Division 5 state final. Three publications tabbed the Crabbers the top high school team in the country.

The nucleus of that team returns for Hampton, including quarterback/safety Ronald Curry, the only junior to make USA Today's prep All-American team.

``Our kids are excited about scrimmaging the best, about going up against one of the best teams in the country,'' Taylor said. ``I figure if you expect to be a playoff team, we ought to play against a team that's always a playoff team.''

Churchland, one of the youngest teams in South Hampton Roads last season, finished with a 6-4 record.

``They're working hard in the weight room,'' Taylor said. ``Hopefully we can get them to work just as hard in the classroom and we'll be OK.''

ALL FOR ONE?: Taylor and Norcom football coach Joe Langston are braced for the possibility that the three Portsmouth schools will again have to play all their home games at Churchland.

Norcom was scheduled to begin play at its new campus on London Blvd. this fall. But both Langston and Norcom principal Walter Taylor Jr. have acknowledged that while nothing is definite, the possibility exists that the Greyhounds won't be able to move into their new home until December, a full month after the regular season ends. The Greyhounds' season opener, a home game Sept. 5 against Western Branch, has already been tentatively rescheduled for Sept. 4 at Churchland.

``It's disappointing,'' Langston said. ``We looked forward to opening up the new stadium. We're still going to have a good quality football team. We just thought we owed it to the fans to open up at the new place.''

QUICK HEALER: The Churchland soccer team appeared to have lost the services of one its top players last week when Stowe Buntz went down with what was believed to be a knee ligament sprain late in a game against Wilson. He even spent the next three days on crutches. But on Monday, Buntz passed all physical tests and was pronounced fit to play later that day against Maury. Four minutes into the second half, Buntz headed in the game's only goal in a victory that solidified Churchland's hold on first place in the Eastern District.

NEW AD: Saying simply, ``It's time,'' Chris Ake announced her resignation as Western Branch athletic director after four years in the position. Ake will continue to coach the Bruins softball team. The interview process for her replacement began April 14.

SAILING, SAILING . . .: The Portsmouth Boat Club kicks off its Elizabeth River Barnacle Sailboat races tonight at 6:30 p.m. The Barnacle Series is open to all cruising sailboats rated under the Performance Handicap Rating Fleet, though no rating certificate is required to compete. The fleet will be divided into a racing class and a cruising class. No spinnakers are permitted.

Additional spring series races are scheduled for May 9, May 16, June 13 and June 27. All will start at 6:30 p.m. in Crawford Bay. Modified Cock Island Race courses will be used. All races finish at the Portsmouth Seawall by 9 p.m. with a raft-up and post-race party at Portside.

Races will be conducted using the new 1997-2000 Racing Rules of Sailing. The new rules will be discussed at the skipper's meeting, which is mandatory for those who will race the entire series. Occasional racers are strongly encouraged to attend. Race courses and other sailing instructions will also be distributed.

The fee for the entire series is $15. A fall series will also be sailed, costing $15. Participants can register for both series for $25. Individual races are free and require no advance registration.

To register of for more information, call 393-2400.

SECOND ANNUAL YOGI RUN: On May 18, the second annual Yogi's Run, benefiting the Yogi Hardin Memorial Scholarship Fund, will be held at Gatling Pointe Yacht Club in Smithfield. The races - 5K, 1 mile fun-run/walk/stroll - start at 2 p.m., with registration beginning at 1 p.m. The pre-registration fee is $12. The cost is $15 for on-site registration. The event is in honor of Hardin, a standout football player from Cradock High and Western Kentucky College who was a veteran of the Marine Corps and the FBI. For more information, call 357-6793.

COACHES NEEDED: The Elizabeth River Soccer Club is looking for experienced soccer coaches. United States Soccer Federation certification or college playing experience preferred. For more information, call Chuck Anderson at 484-1929.

HOOP CAMP: The Paul Webb Converse All-Star Basketball Camp for boys and girls ages 7-17 will hold five sessions from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday as follows: June 16-20 at Cape Henry Collegiate School; June 23-27 at Salem High; July 7-11 at Oscar Smith High; July 28-Aug. 1 at Western Branch High and Aug. 4-8 at Cape Henry. For more information, call 464-4561.

TIDES MEETING: The Tidewater Boosters Club will hold its next monthly meeting April 30 at 7:30 p.m. at the Hits in the Park restaurant at Harbor Park. The guest speaker: Tides manager Rick Dempsey. For more information, call 393-7504.

RUNNING NEWS: The Virginia Fast Start Track Club will hold an AAU-sanctioned invitational meet from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 10 at Christopher Newport University. The meet is for boys and girls ages 5-18. A $4 fee - $5 per relay team - is required at registration, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Proof of age is also required. For more information, call 479-5471. ILLUSTRATION: File photo

Churchland coach Ken Taylor said that the Truckers fared well

against Hampton last year.

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