ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 8, 1996 TAG: 9612090117
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
SATURDAY'S VICTORY clinched the state title and ended years of disappointment and frustration for Spartan fans.
When Salem High scored a touchdown in the rain in the third quarter, Eddie Reed was overcome with joy.
"I've been waiting 25 years for this!" Reed shouted again and again. "I've been waiting so long - and it's going to happen."
For a few minutes, it appeared he might have celebrated too soon. But Salem made a strong goal-line stand in the fourth quarter to ensure a 20-12 victory over Sherando for the Group AA Division 4 title.
Twenty-five years ago, Reed was a safety on an Andrew Lewis High football team that was crushed in the state championship game in Victory Stadium.
Andrew Lewis was Salem's previous high school. When a new school was built in 1977, it was named Salem High, and Andrew Lewis was converted into a middle school.
Saturday, Reed returned to Victory Stadium with Duane Wheeling, a guard and captain of the 1971 Andrew Lewis team, to root for Salem as they have for years.
"This is it, I know it!" Wheeling screamed when Salem took a 14-6 lead. "It's about time we won a state championship!"
Saturday's victory ended years of bitter disappointment and frustration for thousands of Salem fans who braved rain and near-freezing temperatures to cheer on the Spartans.
Several hundred students stood through the entire game to show their support. They streamed onto the field and tore down both goal posts when the game was over.
"Football is one of the biggest things in Salem," said Allan Kirby, a Salem sophomore. "The students support the team, and it creates a lot of excitement."
During the football season, there is a pep rally with the cheerleaders and band each Friday morning in the school lobby before classes begin. Pep rallies also have been held in the gymnasium before some playoff games.
Freshman Maria Sublett said the students stood throughout the playoff games. "These are special occasions, and we want to back the team."
Salem, a traditional football power in Western Virginia, was playing in its third title game since the school opened.
Despite Salem's success, the fans and Coach Willis White had been disappointed by their failure to win a state crown.
"Awesome, awesome" was J.D. Booth's reaction to Saturday's win. Booth, a 1989 Salem graduate, and his wife, Stacie, attend the games regularly.
"Coach White deserves this," Booth said. "I'm happy for him."
Superintendent Wayne Tripp, wearing a school sweater, said the team has accomplished much more this season than many people expected. "It's an interesting group of young men, with no superstars."
Salem's fans resemble college football crowds with their enthusiasm and school spirit. Hundreds wore maroon jackets and baseball caps with "SALEM" emblazoned across them. Many attach school flags to the windows of their cars and trucks when they travel to games.
Some fans had tailgate parties in the rain in the stadium parking lot before Saturday's game.
Before the contest, Norris Gearhart, 63, was anxious. He's been attending Andrew Lewis and Salem games for more than four decades. He saw Salem lose the state title game in 1991.
"They've been down this road before, but I think they've got the horses to do it this year," said Gearhart, who grew up in Salem and came to the game with his daughter, Rhonda.
The football team and band returned to the high school with a police escort shortly after the game as news of the state championship spread quickly in Salem.
Sirens wailed, and students leaned out the bus windows and shouted as the caravan turned off West Main Street onto Spartan Drive en route to the school.
At the Spartan Food Store, owner Paige Winston said she was proud of the team, and that the state crown will be a big boost for Salem.
"We had a really good team in 1991 when I graduated, and we didn't win the championship," Winston said, "but I'm really glad we won this year." She selected the team name for her store at West Main and Spartan Drive.
"A lot of the players and coaches come in here," said Winston, who could not attend Saturday's games because she had to work.
At a store on Apperson Drive, Larry Cecil said no one expected this year's team to win the state championship.
"This is a workhorse and blue-collar team," Cecil said. "I'm glad for them. They did it. The bad weather may have helped them, but they played a good game."
LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: DON PETERSEN Staff. Willis White, Salem High School headby CNBcoach, is carried (above) on the shoulders of players Brandon Poff
(left) and Mike Conlan after winning the Group AA Division 4
championship. Kevin Arp cries tears of joy (left photo) with his
parents Rose and Dave Arp. Story and column on C1. color.