THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 29, 1995 TAG: 9503290549
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
Southeastern District opponents didn't have much trouble solving Churchland pitcher Robert Jones a year ago. Jones was 2-3 while ``taking his share of lumps,'' according to Truckers coach Carl Rhodes.
But if Churchland's season opener is an indicator, teams won't look forward to facing Jones this season. The junior lefthander held Great Bridge to three hits while striking out 15 in the Truckers' 5-1 victory Friday.
``He pitched as pretty a baseball game as I've seen since I've been at Churchland,'' Rhodes said.
Jones allowed one hit through six innings, then worked out of a no-outs, bases-loaded jam in the seventh by striking out the final three hitters.
``I knew I had to bear down,'' Jones said.
An offseason spent playing American Legion and fall ball and attending baseball camps has allowed Jones to add speed to his fastball and develop an effective changeup.
And Jones isn't just getting it done on the mound. He's also No. 1 academically in his class. Nor was Jones the only Churchland pitcher to have success Friday. Softball pitcher Lila Pope, also a junior lefthander, fanned 12 Wildcats in a 6-2 loss.
BEACH SIGNINGS: Two Beach District field hockey players have signed Division I scholarships.
Mimi Smith of Ocean Lakes will play at Old Dominion University. Bayside's Quan Nim has signed with Iowa.
Smith, who led Green Run to a Group AAA runner-up finish two years ago, led Ocean Lakes with six goals in the school's inaugural season. She was moved from her forward position to midfield to help quarterback an inexperienced Dolphins squad. Smith is a two-time All-Beach selection.
Nim, who sat out her junior year with a knee injury, returned for her senior year and led the Marlins to a state runner-up finish. She scored a team-leading 24 goals and was named first-team All-Beach.
COACHING NEWS: Former Granby three-time state wrestling champion Joe Boone, a disciple of legendary coach Billy Martin Sr., has been named wrestling coach at Churchland High School.
Boone, 46, wrestled at the University of Oklahoma. He was the head coach at the University of Tennessee for five years and became an Oklahoma assistant before moving into private business. He returned to coaching two years ago and led Poquoson to a second-place finish in the Group AA state tournament.
He succeeds Darin Bracy, who is stepping down because of other obligations.
Boone is a special education teacher at Churchland.
An assistant coach on the Junior National team last year, Boone said he preferred working with high school athletes ``because I enjoy the teaching of wrestling more than the recruiting.''
He plans to set up a Portsmouth Wrestling Club beginning April 17 for first graders through high school age.
``This will help wrestling throughout the area and hopefully enable Portsmouth teams to be more competitive,'' Boone said.
GYMNASTICS UPDATE: Beach District standouts Laura Snelling of Kempsville and Marissa Sutor of First Colonial have been named to the five-member Virginia State High School Gymnastics team that will compete in the National High School Gymnastics Tournament Memorial Day weekend in San Jose, Calif.
The competition is for seniors. Cox's Erin Schweitzer was named as an alternate.
Competitors were nominated at the Group AAA state meet last month at Ocean Lakes High and then chosen by a panel of judges.
Virginia has fared well in the national meet, finishing sixth last year.
TOUGH TIMES: Soccer has been a vocation and a hobby for Western Branch coach Ricky Bright for years. But it's been difficult for him to focus on the game this week.
His mother died Saturday and was buried Tuesday.
His 14-year-old son Michael recently had his spleen removed. Michael, one of the area's promising young soccer players, may face additional surgery.
``This is a difficult time for us,'' Bright said.
THIS AND THAT: First Colonial opened its tennis season without two-time Beach District champion George Kannarkat, but the junior could be back next week, according to coach Jim Mather. Mather attributed Kannarkat's absence to ``philosophical differences.'' Kannarkat has never lost a district match. ... Nansemond-Suffolk's baseball team got a scare when Walt Bondurant was hit by a pitch on his left hand last week, the same hand he broke during football season. Speculation was that Bondurant, who missed much of last season with mononucleosis, would be out for the year. But he pitched Tuesday and should resume batting next week. MEMO: Staff writers Lee Tolliver and Paul White contributed to this report.
ILLUSTRATION: Joe Boone
by CNB