Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 27, 1995 TAG: 9510270042
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-14 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The celebration hasn't stopped yet for Christiansburg, which can sail through an off week by savoring its first undisputed district football championship. The Demons tied with Radford in 1989.
For Christiansburg's seniors, there had been no victory over their arch-rivals since they played for the eighth-grade team.
``Every year, I go into the season wanting to beat Blacksburg more than anything else,'' said senior Eddie Miller, one of the heroes of the soggy triumph over the Indians.
Miller led Christiansburg with 51 yards rushing after being pressed into service when the team's leading rusher for the season, Mike Scott, sustained an apparent concussion while making a tackle on the opening kickoff. Scott went back in when Christiansburg first got the ball, but that didn't last long.
``Chris Epperly our quarterback yelled over to me, `Coach, you gotta get Mike out of here,'" Christiansburg coach Mike Cole said. ```He doesn't know where he is and he doesn't know the plays.'"
Scott was back at practice this week.
As giddy as Christiansburg's fans (what few of them braved the gale and the trip to Blacksburg) were, their mood was matched in intensity by the gloom of the Blacksburgers.
``I'm glad I'll be off next week,'' one guy said. ``Maybe the Christiansburg people will have forgot about it by the time I get back.''
Not very likely.
TRADITION: Covington High's most recent football trip to the New River Valley Sept. 22 ended with the Cougars doing 10-yard wind sprints in the rain after being beaten by Radford, a fact noted in this space at the time.
Win or lose, that's how the Cougars end all their games.
``It's tradition, a pride thing,'' Covington coach John Woodzell said. ``They were doing that here since before I came and it's continued. It has nothing to do with winning or losing. To humiliate kids because they lost a football game is not how we do things.''
PUTTING THE SQUEEZE ON: Blacksburg High's basketball team has been erratic at times, but the Indians have established they can play some defense when the mood strikes.
Recent evidence came this week.
Earlier in the year, when Blacksburg turned back Graham 71-67 in a pair of overtimes, G-girls Beverly Proffitt and Kristi Maupin teamed for 35 points, 19 of that from Proffitt. When the Indians stopped Graham 60-44 in the return engagement, Blacksburg coach Mickey McGuigan sicked April Rogers on Proffitt and Angela Feret on Maupin.
Result: Maupin managed only six points and Proffitt five.
``That was our key for the game, to control them,'' McGuigan said of the game plan. ``They've been dominating their statistics.''
THE SUNNY SIDE: Shawsville is down to 12 football players, but never is heard a discouraging word from Shawnees coach Darrell Sutherland.
He's even talking about the possibility of ending the campaign with a three-game winning streak.
``Some people would snicker at that with Giles on the schedule to finish the season, but we believe that if we play well, we can play with anybody we have left,'' Sutherland said.
Five freshman have been called up to varsity to fill out a game-night roster. Sutherland says that they're good ones and more will follow in subsequent years.
``The JV coach, Jeff Maynard and our sandlot coaches have done a great job of getting players out, keeping them focused, and teaching them the fundamentals,'' Sutherland said. ``The JV is in great shape with 20 players. When you work as hard as people here do, good things are bound to happen.''
CLOSING IN:David Hughes, the Auburn High halfback, has 819 yards rushing in seven games, meaning he'll have to average 62.3 yards per game in order to become the first Auburn back since Ponch Linkous in 1991 to reach 1,000.
Don't bet against him.
``That kid runs with reckless abandon,'' Giles coach Steve Ragsdale said.
TOURNAMENT BOUND: After blocking and spiking its way to the Old Dominion Association of Church Schools state volleyball championship, Gateway Christian is on its way to national competition.
Kind of gives the Lusters Gate school's nickname of Crusaders a whole new meaning.
Ray Cox is a sportswriter for The Roanoke Times.
by CNB