varsity.roanoke.com

River's Edge Sports Complex was evacuated Wednesday night after a 17,000-volt power line came loose in a tree near the facility's tennis courts.

Just across the Roanoke River, Victory Stadium will be lacking electricity tonight. The annual Noel C. Taylor Classic between William Fleming and Patrick Henry scheduled for tonight was moved to Saturday because both schools played games Monday and wanted more preparation time.

PH and Fleming had games postponed Friday and Saturday, the only weekend of the 2004 regular season when the two city schools were scheduled to share Victory Stadium.

Patrick Henry postponed its Friday game because of forecasts of rain - not just rain, but a forecast of Noah's Ark proportions. While many Timesland schools moved their games up to Thursday, the Patriots did not.

Hindsight being 20-20, it was the wrong decision but PH deserves a pass on this one. Besides, the Patriots weren't alone. Many other schools made the same decision and wound up playing Monday.

The difference is that other Timesland schools have control over their facilities.

The Roanoke Civic Center runs Victory Stadium, and PH athletic director Randy West said officials there needed to know by Tuesday whether he wanted to play Thursday. West made the call when it appeared steady rain would be in the area Thursday.

It didn't rain until Friday, then the situation got worse when Fleming wasn't allowed to use the stadium Saturday night after a full day of sunshine. With PH in the stadium Monday, Fleming coach Keith Smith did not want to wait until Tuesday to play, so the Colonels moved their game to Blacksburg.

The bottom line is this: both PH and Fleming are guests on their own home field.

In some ways, it's a plus. The schools don't have to worry about setting up the field or cleaning the stadium.

In most ways, it's a minus. The school system pays rent to the civic center for holding varsity football games. To save rent and wear and tear on the field, both PH and Fleming play their eighth-grade and JV football games at River's Edge.

Newly-elected City Councilman Sherman Lea wants the city to return control of Victory Stadium to the Parks&Recreation Department.

If that would help, great. Whatever happens, PH and Fleming administrators could use a little more say-so in the use of the facility. Better yet, they could use smaller stadiums of their own.

Meanwhile, Victory Stadium gets darker and dirtier. Candles would work almost as well as the lights, and after Monday night's game, a Pulaski County player emerged from one of the locker rooms only to begin screaming and swatting a roach off his shirt.

Last year, the PH-Fleming game was threatened by rain, and both schools had to wait until 2:30 p.m. on Friday to learn the game would be played that night.

This time, PH and Fleming play Saturday night, which coincides with the Henry Street Festival, featuring members of the original Parliament-Funkadelic.

For a change on game night, Victory Stadium might not be the funkiest place in town.

WILLIAM FLEMING 27, Patrick Henry 19. Fleming is looking very dangerous now that the Colonels have gone to a spread offense.

CHRISTIANSBURG 29, Lord Botetourt 20. The Blue Demons are off to their best start since the 1998 team began 6-0.

PULASKI COUNTY 17, Franklin County 13. Fans of smashmouth football will love this game between two power-oriented teams.

LIBERTY 33, William Byrd 14. The Minutemen really haven't built any momentum yet.

SALEM 42, Northside 7. The Vikings gave Salem a tough time last year for one half.

HIDDEN VALLEY 21, Tunstall 20. Tunstall is 0-3, but two of the losses were to Heritage and Gretna.

NORTH CROSS 31, Virginia Episcopal 20. The Raiders' high-octane offense had an extra week to rest after a 54-36 loss to Covenant.

KENSTON FOREST 14, Roanoke Catholic 12. The Celtics have had time to rest in preparation for the trip to Blackstone.

PATRICK COUNTY 20, Staunton River 14. This is the best opportunity both of these teams will have for a win the rest of the season.

BASSETT 23, Radford 17. The Bengals might have as many athletes as the George Wythe team Radford played two weeks ago.

GILES 26, Narrows 14. This heated rivalry had an extra week to simmer after last week's double rainout.

EASTERN MONTGOMERY 44, Bland County 6. The Mustangs' big young backs should ramble on the open range.

JAMES RIVER 21, Fort Chiswell 15. Interceptions doomed James River last week against Wilson Memorial.

FLOYD COUNTY 35, Galax 16. The Buffaloes shut down a Carroll County team that romped past Galax earlier.

COVINGTON 25, Glenvar 13. Covington could be headed for its first winning season since 1998.

CRAIG COUNTY 20, Auburn 19. Auburn hasn't given up a point in two victories but those came against winless Bland County and Pocahontas.

HARRISONBURG 24, Rockbridge County 10. This early game could ultimately decide the Valley District championship.

PH-GLADE SPRING 21, Chilhowie 15. The Rebels look to get their offense untracked after last week's drubbing by Lebanon.

LEBANON 40, Northwood 12. The Pioneers are headed for a showdown with George Wythe for the Hogoheegee District crown.

GEORGE WYTHE 29, Rural Retreat 6. The Maroons have outscored three opponents by a margin of 149-0.

ALLEGHANY 31, Bath County 18. The Mountaineers are looking to avenge last year's 20-point loss.

HERITAGE 21, Martinsville 14. Excellent athletes at the skill positions will be on display for both teams.

CARROLL COUNTY 30, Grayson County 8. This game should help the Cavaliers if they have to rely on a wild-card berth to make the playoffs.

RIVERHEADS 14, Parry McCluer 13. The Fighting Blues can already state their claim as Timesland's most improved team in 2004.

Last week:20-3.870

Overall:63-23.733