DATE: Wednesday, November 12, 1997          TAG: 9711120678

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY ROBIN BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH                        LENGTH:   37 lines

CHURCHLAND LOSES SIX PLAYERS ACADEMIC INELIGIBILITY DEPLETES TRUCKERS FOR PLAYOFFS.

Churchland High School, making its first football playoff appearance in 21 years, received a jolt this week when six players were declared academically ineligible.

The Truckers, who play Booker T. Washington Friday night in a first-round Eastern Region game, apparently are the first area football team to lose players for academic reasons between the regular season and playoffs.

Last year, Portsmouth began requiring that students maintain a 2.0 grade-point average each nine-week grading period to be eligible for athletics. Grades were issued Monday and six Truckers were declared ineligible, coach Ken Taylor said.

``(Monday) was pretty bad,'' Taylor said. ``Everyone was disappointed and we had a bad practice. But we're over it. Some people will have to stay on the field longer and we can't afford any injuries. We'll see what we can do.''

Taylor would not name the ineligible players, but did say quarterback Brandon Hall and running back Chatame Ward were not among them.

Taylor added that three of the six players are starters, including one two-way starter.

While all five South Hampton Roads school districts have some form of the 2.0 rule, Portsmouth is the only district that requires a 2.0 for each grading period.

Norfolk and Virginia Beach are in the process of implementing 2.0 requirements, but will do so by semester. Suffolk has a 2.0 policy based on semester work, but has no teams in the playoffs.

Chesapeake will go to a 2.0 rule next year, also by semester. The first semester in high school usually ends in late January.

Churchland (8-2) beat Booker T. Washington 13-6 on Sept. 26 and the two teams tied for the Eastern District championship.

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