THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 7, 1994 TAG: 9410070756
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL LEFFLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
How much is a winning high school football team worth?
In the case of defending state Division 5 champion Norcom, about $100,000.
That's a conservative estimate of the Greyhounds' value as a gate attraction this season.
Norcom's first four games took in approximately $50,000, and the Greyhounds have yet to play at Frank D. Lawrence Stadium, where they are one of the best home draws in the area.
The Greyhounds, who have won 18 straight games, open the home portion of the schedule tonight against Indian River, and school officials expect a crowd of 5,000.
``We're happy that a lot of people want to see us play,'' Norcom football coach Joe Langston said. ``High school football is the best bargain in town for $4.''
The Southeastern District raised ticket prices this season by $1 to $4 for adults and $2 for children. That has played a role in the increased revenue.
Norcom's first two games this season, at Churchland and Western Branch, set records at the gate for those schools.
Western Branch took in $16,863. The Bruins sold 2,695 adult tickets and 556 child tickets at the gate. There was a pre-sale of 1,657 tickets.
``Those kind of gates are rare now at any school,'' Western Branch principal Art Brandriff said.
The gate for the Norcom-Churchland game was slightly more than $15,000. There were 3,600 adult tickets and 300 children's tickets sold. Although some crowds were larger in past years, ticket prices were much lower then.
Oscar Smith hosted Norcom for the dedication of its new stadium on Sept. 23. Oscar Smith athletic director Bill Myers said the gate approached $9,000.
``It was more than double what we had for our game the following week against Granby,'' Myers said.
Norcom's fourth game, at Great Bridge, took in about $8,500, Great Bridge athletic director Wayne Martin said.
``That was a good gate,'' Martin said. ``Norcom is bringing people and in turn, I think, fans at the other schools are coming out to see Norcom play.''
Norcom's biggest home gate in recent years came in 1992 when the Greyhounds met Indian River at Lawrence Stadium.
``We took in more than $12,000,'' said Charles Nixon, the school's former athletic director who relinquished those duties to Langston this year.
Nixon says Norcom may not draw as many fans this season as it did in 1993, but probably will make more money because of the price increase. With the same attendance as last year, the Greyhounds could pull in an additional $12,500.
Norcom's home opponents last season were Churchland, Western Branch, Great Bridge, Oscar Smith and Booker T. Washington, and the Greyhounds grossed about $34,000.
This year's home schedule, in addition to Indian River, includes Wilson, Deep Creek, Norview and Granby. The three district games should draw large crowds, but the two nondistrict games against Norfolk teams likely will not draw as well.
Homecoming traditionally is Norcom's best gate, but the game with Churchland was the leading draw last year. Norcom grossed $8,268 from the Churchland game and $8,093 from the homecoming game against Great Bridge.
The paid attendance for the Churchland game was 3,117. The Great Bridge game attracted 3,108, but included more children's tickets.
Only one Norcom home game - against Oscar Smith - grossed less than $5,000. The receipt from that game was $4,934.
The big-money record in recent seasons belongs to Wilson. The Presidents pulled in $72,749 in their 1991 state championship season, nearly $17,000 from their game with Norcom. Quite likely the season income - an audited figure - was the most money ever made by a local high school football team.
No other high school in South Hampton Roads that year reached even half that total. Great Bridge was the second-leading moneymaker with a gross income of $33,091.
Last season Portsmouth's three schools grossed about $72,000 from football. In 1991, the last year the city fielded five high school teams, the gross was $162,011, inflated by the record gate at Wilson.
Last year Norfolk's five schools took in $57,027, a drop of more than $21,000 from 1990. Norview was the leader with $15,863.
In 1992, most recent year that figures are available, the five Chesapeake schools grossed $125,530 and Suffolk's two schools grossed $29,921.
Virginia Beach schools grossed $190,522 in 1991, the most recent year for which figures are available in that city.
With the addition of Ocean Lakes this year and the upswing in Tallwood's football program, the Beach schools should gross more than $200,000.
Group AAA high school football in South Hampton Roads probably will gross more than a half-million dollars this season.
``Attendance is very much relative to winning and losing,'' said Churchland athletic director Bill Strickland, who coached the Truckers for 15 years.
And that's why Norcom's defending state champion Greyhounds, winners of their last 18 games, are still leading the pack. by CNB