ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, November 21, 1996 TAG: 9611210010
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
TYPE: HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
MEMO: NOTE: Also ran in November 21, 1996 Neighbors.
The new Blue Ridge District is a success.
At least that's the opinion of many of the league's coaches, administrators and athletic directors as the fall sports season draws to a close.
In the summer of 1994, when it first was discussed, there were reservations about permitting Blacksburg and Christiansburg to leave the New River District and join Alleghany, Lord Botetourt, Northside, Rockbridge County, Salem and William Byrd in the Blue Ridge.
The new Blue Ridge District was the result of the Virginia High School League's efforts to balance the number of schools in Regions III and IV as part of its realignment plan. Each region offered numerous plans, one of which was to move Blacksburg and Christiansburg into the Blue Ridge. Region IV principals wanted no part of that proposal if the expanded Blue Ridge was moved from Region III to their region.
The VHSL realignment committee stepped in with a compromise, allowing Blacksburg and Christiansburg to join the Blue Ridge, but keeping that district in Region III and moving the Piedmont District from Region III into Region IV.
One early critic of the proposed Blue Ridge expansion was Bob Patterson, the longtime William Byrd principal.
``It wasn't that I was opposed to it,'' Patterson said. ``I was concerned because I felt we wouldn't have as many representatives going to the region [tournament] as we'd had in the past.''
Those fears proved unfounded in the first football season under the new alignment. Three Blue Ridge District teams, more than ever before, made the Division 4 playoffs. And all three schools - Salem, Northside and Lord Botetourt - were from the old Blue Ridge District.
No team completed its schedule without a league loss. Going into the final weekend, three teams had a chance to win the title. Northside and Salem finished tied for first, one game in front of Lord Botetourt and William Byrd.
Blue Ridge District teams played three non-league teams, then finished the regular season with seven consecutive games against conference foes.
``The more district games you have, the more exciting your year is,'' said Willis White, Salem's football coach. ``I'd say athletic directors love it. When you're in a small district, it's a nightmare trying to fill out your schedule. A lot of times you have to play teams you don't want to play, but we didn't have to do that this year.''
Jane Layman, William Byrd's athletic director, agrees with that assessment, especially the scheduling. ``But,'' she said, ``I'm glad we're still in Region III. So far this has been a positive experience.''
Not everything has been positive, however.
Blacksburg slumped late in the football season, a time when the Indians usually make a playoff push. And Christiansburg had to adjust to being the only Division 3 football member in a league of schools with larger enrollments.
``The Blue Ridge District certainly has nothing to do with our problems,'' said Dave Crist, Blacksburg's football coach. ``There are some additional rivalries that will develop. For us, each game has a little more significance than it did in the past when we were in a three-team New River District. The season has gone very fast.''
Christiansburg's football coach, Mike Cole, says the increased number of district games is a plus - even if those games are against Division 4 teams.
``I like the association with the [Blue Ridge] folks, and we've been treated nice at all the sites we traveled to. The level of competition will help us get ourselves back on the right track,'' said Cole, whose team finished 4-6, partly because of numerous injuries.
``I don't feel the size [of schools] is a disadvantage within the district,'' he said. ``When you have good athletes, you can compete with most anybody within reason. In the Blue Ridge District, we have similar-caliber athletes, so we'll be OK.''
Like Crist, Cole was happy to leave a three-team district behind. Like many others, he remembers the days when the New River District had 10 or 11 teams.
``The more teams that make up your district, the better it is,'' said Jim Hickam, Northside's football coach. ``I think it helps, because every game is more important. It's [better for] your kids because they identify more with district teams. They see the statistics of other players and are more aware of each other.''
Hickam coached in the old New River District before moving to Northside 22 years ago.
``We had 11 teams, but it didn't change our preparation; it made it easier,'' Hickam said. ``If you look back [at the smaller Blue Ridge] one loss almost historically left you out of contention because the team that won the district almost always went unbeaten'' in the league.
The Blue Ridge coaches in girls' basketball also saw advantages to the enlarged district.
In the old six-team Blue Ridge, two teams had a bye in the first round of the tournament, then played teams that had momentum from victories. With eight teams, everyone plays in the first round.
``No one got a bye,'' said Salem coach Dee Wright, whose fifth-seeded team beat fourth-seeded Alleghany on the Mountaineers' court in the opening round of the district tournament before losing in the semifinal round. ``Some coaches feel it hurts you getting a bye, anyway.''
Coach David Wheat's Lord Botetourt team lost only to William Byrd during the regular season.
``It made the district more competitive, and that's welcome,'' Wheat said. ``The district wasn't so large that it became unwieldy, but it made getting a district championship a bigger achievement.''
Marilyn Bussey, Northside's coach, said the expanded district wasn't that different for the Vikings. We played Blacksburg and Christiansburg anyway'' before the league added them, Bussey said. ``It was just more league games, which was fine.''
What didn't help Northside was a schedule that had the Vikings playing William Byrd, Lord Botetourt and Salem - their toughest opponents - at the end of each cycle of games. ``We did OK the first half and won two out of three,'' Bussey said. ``Then we didn't win any of the three games the last half.''
Wheat also pointed out a potential problem of an eight-team tournament with no first-round byes. In the event of a three-way tie for first, the playoff would have gone through Monday night, meaning the top two teams would have had to play tournament games Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
``It ought to be determined in advance in case of that situation where those top two teams would have a bye or something,'' Wheat said. A three-way tie might ``mean the seventh- and eighth-place teams would have to drop out, but the way it is now isn't fair to the teams that had to play off for the title.''
Coach Mickey McGuigan, whose young Blacksburg team was near the bottom of the Blue Ridge standings all year, also likes the new Blue Ridge.
``It's definitely a strong league, from top to bottom,'' McGuigan said. ``With a small district, we sometimes had three games a week, so just having a consistent schedule every Tuesday and Thursday has been a plus.''
Last year, Blacksburg advanced to the Group AA tournament out of Region IV despite not having as strong a team as usual. ``The fortunate thing is that last year we played our best ball in the region,'' he said. ``Now you have to play it earlier in the season and be more consistent.''
Another part of the new equation is the officiating.
Ernie Bradd supervises the officials for all eight schools, as he did when they were in the Blue Ridge and New River districts.
``It's always easier to deal with one district instead of two,'' said Bradd, pointing out what might be the best reason of all to like the new Blue Ridge.
LENGTH: Long : 137 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN KIM\Staff. 1. Blacksburg coaches Mickey McGuiganby CNB(above, girl's basketball) and 2. Dave Crist (right, football) both
like the new Blue Ridge District. color.