THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 11, 1994 TAG: 9411090142
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL LEFFLER, CURRENTS SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 127 lines
FOR THE FIRST TIME since 1985 Portsmouth will not have a team competing in the Eastern Region football playoffs.
The three city schools wind up play this week. Despite the disappointment of missing post-season competition, the Portsmouth teams have fared well.
Norcom can finish at 8-2 with a victory on Friday over Granby.
Churchland and Wilson tangled on Thursday. The Truckers entered with a 5-4 record and the Presidents were 2-7.
A Norcom victory will make the three teams 16-14.
A year ago the three teams were 18-12 in regular-season games.
But let's examine how the city schools did against outside competition this year, dropping the intra-city games.
Norcom beat Western Branch, Oscar Smith, Great Bridge, Booker T. Washington and Norview. The Greyhounds lost to Indian River and Deep Creek.
Churchland defeated Great Bridge, Western Branch, Oscar Smith, Booker T. Washington and Norview. The Truckers lost to Deep Creek, Lake Taylor and Indian River.
Wilson downed Lake Taylor and Booker T. Washington. The Presidents lost to Granby, Deep Creek, Great Bridge, Indian River, Western Branch and Oscar Smith.
Portsmouth teams are 6-2 against the Eastern District in the only non-conference games. If Norcom defeats Granby, that goes to 7-2.
As districts continue to grow in the Eastern Region, officials need to study the process of determining the region participants.
Logically, the best four teams in Division 5 and Division 6 should be the playoff participants.
It's a proven fact that the Eastern District does not have one of those teams. But the champion of that five-team district automatically qualifies. That will be Booker T. Washington, probably the No. 3 seed, if the Bookers beat Norview this week.
The Bookers have lost to Norcom, Wilson, Churchland and Deep Creek.
If the top four teams in the Virginia High School League point rating advanced to the playoffs, the teams at this moment would be Hampton, Deep Creek, Phoebus and Norcom.
If Western Branch upends Deep Creek this week, the point leaders likely would be Hampton, Deep Creek, Phoebus and Western Branch.
Nobody should doubt that Norcom and Western Branch are better than Booker T. Washington.
The system is so weird that Deep Creek actually can benefit by losing to Western Branch.
If the unbeaten Hornets win, Deep Creek will be the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and will go against the No. 4 team. That will be Phoebus.
If the Hornets lose, Deep Creek will be the No. 2 seed and will meet the No. 3 team - Booker T. Washington. Deep Creek already holds a victory over the Bookers.
The situation in Division 6 is nearly as screwy.
First Colonial (6-3) plays Tallwood (7-2) this week. If the Patriots win, both teams will finish at 7-3. And, despite the head-to-head victory and the same record, First Colonial has only remote playoff hopes and can tie but cannot overtake Tallwood in the point ratings.
Perhaps the VHSL needs to increase the points awarded for head-to-head victories. Certainly there is more significance in an on-the-field win than gaining points from a game between two other teams.
Indian River can control its own destiny, clinching a Division 6 playoff berth with a victory over Oscar Smith.
But what if the Braves should lose?
They'll need Bethel to lose to Tabb and First Colonial to lose to Tallwood.
The Peninsula District probably will support the current playoff format forever.
For one thing, it's creating the same myth that existed before Southeastern District teams started playing Beach District teams.
There was an assumption that the larger Beach schools were far superior to the Southeastern. But when the teams went head-to-head (Norcom 35, Princess Anne 0; Wilson 40, Bayside 6) the Southeastern showed its superiority.
Now many are contending the Peninsula is a far stronger district because of the success of Hampton and Phoebus. But they play only inside their own district and there is no interdistrict comparison.
In 1991 Norcom beat Bethel, 25-8. In '92 the Greyhounds defeated Hampton, 17-14. Last year Norcom whipped Hampton and Phoebus.
In a preseason scrimmage this year the Greyhounds had their own way with one of the better Peninsula teams.
There seems to be a good bet that three Beach District teams will qualify for the Division 6 playoffs. Two, Green Run and Kempsville, already are in.
This also is the result of intradistrict scheduling. Beach teams are 4-6 in games outside their district.
And, consider this: Kempsville is in the playoffs but lost to Great Bridge, the No. 6 team in the Southeastern.
Here's a suggestion to determine the region participants. Continue league standings and conference championships. But pick the playoff teams from a rotating list based on final VHSL point ratings.
In this format the teams would be grouped as followed with the first one listed advancing to the playoffs.
Division 5, Group 1 - Hampton, Lake Taylor, Churchland, Oscar Smith.
Division 5, Group 2 - Deep Creek, Kecoughtan, Booker T. Washington, Ocean Lakes, Warwick.
Division 5, Group 3 - Phoebus, Tabb, Granby, Wilson.
Division 5, Group 4 - Norcom, Western Branch, Ferguson, Norview.
Division 6, Group 1 - Green Run, Great Bridge, Salem, Cox.
Division 6, Group 2 - Kempsville, Bayside, Menchville, Denbigh, Kellam.
Division 6, Group 3 - Tallwood, First Colonial, Princess Anne, Gloucester.
Division 6, Group 4 - Indian River, Bethel, Lafayette, Maury.
Fifty-nine seniors at the three Portsmouth schools will be playing their final high school games this week.
Norcom says farewell to 30. Wilson graduates 15 and Churchland has 14 12th-graders.
Among the standout performers closing their careers are Norcom's Rod Richardson, Rudy Howard, Octavius Brothers, Jason Wells, Mike Ricks, Richard Deberry, Maceo Thomas and Kevin Mapp, Churchland's Mike Holland, Greg Boothe, Alex Hawkins, Korey Lewis and Jay Smith and Wilson's Darrius Edwards, Devorak Crocker, Aaron Goodman, Darryl Scott and Robert Hargraves. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Darrius Edwards
Wilson
Rudy Howard
Norcom
Greg Boothe
Churchland
Mike Holland
Churchland
by CNB