THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 28, 1994 TAG: 9408260194
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: I14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Football Special '94
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, CLIPPER SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 114 lines
Much has been said about Oscar Smith's new state-of-the-art school and stadium. The general consensus is that the new digs will give the Tigers' football program a much-needed shot in the arm.
But expensive ultramodern facility or not, the Tigers still have to perform on the field. Those nice, shiny beams and girders can't run down and put any points on the scoreboard. Unfortunately.
If there's any silver lining in last year's 0-10 record, it's that the Tigers can only get better. Granted, it's a long way up from being last in the league in total offense (149.6 yards per game) and scoring (11.2 points per game). But head coach Charlie Stukes believes his troops are up for the challenge.
``Even though we had a bad season last year, we didn't have one kid that quit on us,'' he said. ``The kids are coming back this year and working hard. We're looking for good things to happen.''
Yes, Oscar Smith was held winless last year, and the team's stats don't look good on paper. But according to Stukes, the numbers can be misleading.
``Most of those games were close until we started making mental mistakes,'' he said. ``The scores are not indicative of how the kids played, and to their credit, they never blamed each other (for losing) or looked around for excuses.''
If there is one player Stukes is counting on to step up and lead the team, it's junior Calvin Bethea.
A ``good all-around athlete,'' according to Stukes, Bethea will start for Oscar Smith at running back and strong safety. As the only player in the Tigers' secondary with game experience, he'll have to provide a steadying influence for the other young defenders.
Bethea will also handle some of the punting duties, an area Stukes admitted the Tigers need to work on, and he'll team with junior Keith Lawrence and senior Nelson White to return kicks.
``All three of them have good speed, quickness and ball-handling skills, but in different combinations,'' Stukes said. ``Each brings something unique to the job.''
Offensively, Stukes hopes to present a balanced attack. He said that to be effective, Oscar Smith will have to utilize both passing and running plays in a ``50-50 or 60-40 ratio.''
``In this district, you can't just sit there and try to run on a team, because they'll adjust,'' Stukes said. ``You have to mix things up.''
Whichever play they run, the Tigers' offense will begin with the quarterback, where Stukes has a trio of juniors to choose from: returner Brian Lewis, Jamar Lewis, and Lariere Rice.
``They've all looked good in practice and in our scrimmage, so we're still in limbo,'' Stukes said.
At wide receiver, the Tigers have good size to go with their traditional quickness. Tyrone Washington and Lamont White are both 6-foot, 215-pounders, and Demetric White (6-1, 170) has speed to burn.
At running back, Shawn Sanderson and Nelson White will get whatever carries don't go to Bethea.
The offensive line might be the weak link. The players are young and inexperienced and might be susceptible to mental errors early in the season. William Brown (6-foot, 220), Chris Sahami (5-11, 225), and sophomore Raphael Butts (6-1, 230) will be factors.
Oscar Smith must improve defensively if it expects to improve its record. Last year the Tigers gave up nearly 300 yards and 32 points a game.
``We'll be able to put up a good line as far as size and speed is concerned,'' Stukes said.
Lamont White and newcomer Orville O'Mealoy will be a force, as will linebackers Larry Stepney and William Fuller. ``We don't have the 250-, 260-pounders like the other schools, but those kids will give us what we need.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by STEVE EARLEY
Oscar Smith's starting quarterback position is up for grabs between
juniors Lariere Rice, left, Jamar Lewis and Brian Lewis. ``They've
all looked good in practice and in our scrimmage,'' coach Charlie
Stukes said.
Photos
Calvin Bethea
All-around athlete
Keith Lawrence
Tigers' speedy kick returner
Larry Stepney
He's a force at linebacker
William Fuller
A key newcomer at linebacker
Head coach Charlie Stukes
Raphael Butts
Lamont White
Chart
AT A GLANCE
Includes:
1994 Schedule
Team data
1993 Results
Year by year
For copy of chart, see microfilm
by CNB