THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 30, 1996 TAG: 9610300598
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: 65 lines
Friday's Deep Creek-Indian River showdown may be the high school game of the year in these parts, but Braves linebacker Lance Bishop wouldn't mind if folks held off on the bunting, pep signs and other trappings of a marquee event.
``We already told 'em we don't even want any paint on the field,'' Bishop said. ``Just white lines. No need making the field pretty, 'cause the game sure ain't gonna be pretty.''
How could it be, Bishop figures, with the area's two stingiest defenses on hand. Deep Creek allows 3.7 points per game; Indian River surrenders just 3.4.
``That's a stat I don't think will change this Friday,'' said Bishop, the Braves' leading tackler.
``We look at it like this. Every team must pay a toll when they play us. You can't ride through Indian River for free.''
Indian River coach Bob Parker said that while Bishop excels in part because he has a ``nasty streak,'' the senior linebacker is also one of the Braves' most cerebral, well-prepared players. By 11 a.m. Tuesday, Bishop had already watched two hours of Deep Creek game tape and had plans to do some home study on the Hornets after practice.
``When teams come out of their huddle, I'm able to tell by the way they line up what plays they'll probably run,'' Bishop said. ``Then I tell my teammates, and we're able to make plays. Communication, that's the key on defense.''
His impressions of the Hornets?
``Offensively, we might be a little better,'' he said. ``Defensively, there's no comparison.''
According to Parker, the Braves' strong defensive performance this season is merely an extension of the way the unit closed out the 1995 Division 6 state championship campaign.
``I thought toward the end of last year we had the best defense in the state,'' Parker said. ``We've picked up where we left off.''
Getting the team's best athletes to commit to shutting people down is one of the main reasons the Braves excel on defense, Parker added. Quarterback/running backs James Boyd and Antwan Stukes, for example, may get headlines for what they do with the ball in their hands, but they're also key members of the Braves' defense.
``There's no heroes on defense,'' Bishop said. ``Nobody shines more than anyone else.''
The big Indian River storylines surrounding this game - the Braves won a state championship last year but lost to Deep Creek during the regular season, no Brave senior has won against the Hornets and no Brave has won a Southeastern District title - mean little to the players at this stage, Bishop said.
``We don't feel we have anything to prove, and we really don't care what people think about us as a team,'' he said. ``I play this game because I've got a love for defense.''
And an even stronger desire to find out who really has the best defense in South Hampton Roads.
``Friday's going to be fun,'' Bishop said. ``No, I take that back. It's not going to be fun for somebody. Somebody's not going to have any fun at all.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Linebacker Lance Bishop is the top tackler for Indian River, which
allows 3.4 points a game. ``Communication, that's the key on
defense,'' he says. by CNB