Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 29, 1993 TAG: 9308290171
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A good case could be made for running back Ken Oxendine as the top prospect in the state, with four quarterbacks not far behind.
Quarterback Aaron Brooks from Ferguson High School in Newport News joined Oxendine from Thomas Dale High School in Chester as the only Virginia players named to the preseason All-America team picked by SuperPrep magazine.
Oxendine, a converted fullback who scored 19 touchdowns last season, has managed to stay in one piece - one edge he has over two tailbacks from the western half of the state, Marcus Parker from Salem and Ronnie Turner from E.C. Glass in Lynchburg.
Parker and Turner are attempting to come back from reconstructive knee surgery, with Salem fans hoping they can just get Parker for a half-season.
"All I say is, `When he comes back . . . ' " Salem coach Willis White says. "I don't try to put a timetable on it."
But, you notice he didn't say, "If."
Parker, who has rushed for 3,500 yards the last two seasons, was the subject of extensive interest at the time of his injury and there are teams that would offer him a scholarship right now.
"I discourage that," White said. "I think it takes some of the thrill of the season away from the players. It's like one of those pros with the guaranteed $1 million contracts. If they get injured, they'll cash their paycheck and take the week off."
White has a pair of Division I-A prospects in Parker and 6-foot-5, 260-pound defensive tackle Chad Custer, who got off to a slow start academically but showed progress this summer when he passed one of the two math courses the NCAA requires for freshman eligibility.
Patrick Henry quarterback Shannon Taylor is another player who will have plenty of college options if he meets academic guidelines. Taylor was the first-team All-Group AAA quarterback last year, when he passed for more than 400 yards against Division 5 state champion Pulaski County.
Taylor said Virginia heads his early list, while second-team All-Group AAA quarterback Anthony Coles from Huguenot likes UVa, Stanford and North Carolina. Coles went to camp at UVa, as did Oxendine.
Martinsville linebacker Chris Frith was one of the standouts at the Virginia Tech camp, where he was told he would be offered a scholarship, Bulldogs' coach Taylor Edwards said. Notre Dame and Penn State are two of the schools that have inquired about Frith, a 6-2, 220-pounder who has been timed in 4.6 seconds for the 40-yard dash.
Two of the top linemen in Timesland are 6-3, 275-pound Randy Dunnigan of Pulaski County and 6-3, 288-pound John Huffman from Northside. Clemson is one of the schools that interests Dunnigan, who says he is likely to go out of state, while Huffman likes schools in the ACC and Big East.
Todd Wheatley, from Alleghany High School, has one of the more intriguing situations involving a Timesland player. Wheatley, a 6-5, 240-pound tight end, has caught the attention of Penn State and others for his football ability but has not ruled out playing basketball in college.
"All I ask is whether he's going to play football for Alleghany," Mountaineers coach Tom McIntyre said. "We haven't gotten into what he's going to do afterward. We've always encouraged our football players to play basketball."
Wheatley, a mid- to low-major prospect in basketball, says he has decided one thing: that he will play only one sport in college.
by CNB