Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, April 20, 1993                   TAG: 9304200026
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

BUMPING OFFICIAL GETS SOCCER PLAYER BOOTED

Cook bumped official John Stupic in the Raiders' game Friday against Cave Spring. He had already been issued a yellow card for disagreeing with a call and using profanity. He then got a red card for issuing more profanity over the yellow card, which puts a player on the sidelines until the next dead ball situation.

The yellow card creates a sort of cooling off period, according to Ken Vieira, commissioner of the Roanoke Valley soccer officials association. A red card calls for suspension for the game and the next contest.

North Cross had beaten Cave Spring 4-1 the previous Wednesday in a game between two of Timesland's best teams. That was a makeup of an earlier postponement and the Friday game, which was stopped before the half with North Cross leading 1-0, was the regularly scheduled contest being played on the Raiders' field.

Officials from North Cross, a private school, and Cave Spring agreed to abide by a recommendation from Virginia High School League programs supervisor Larry Johnson.

"My recommendation that on an assault of an official, that the student be suspended for the rest of the season. There has been a lesser penalty if the school and the official's association agree to one," Johnson said.

Vieira said his association would settle for nothing less than suspension for the remainder of the season because Cook had "been yellow-carded" for dissenting with officials' calls and using abusive language in two previous games his group worked involving North Cross.

North Cross soccer coach Richard Cook, the father of the player, said he agreed with the decision to abide by a recommendation from the VHSL.

"I blame myself for not getting to Ryan on time. He was upset about what people would think of him, that after 11-12 years of working so hard for this, people would remember him for this one incident," Richard Cook said.

Vieira said the scheduling of two games between the teams so close together was a factor. "They're both very good and very big rivals. Even if the game was held two months apart, it would be hotly contested."

As for Friday's game, officials of the two schools have not talked about whether they will reschedule or call it no contest without a makeup.