Friday, September 03, 2004
Familiar foe for new Titans coach
varsity.roanoke.com
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Hidden Valley athletic director Dennis Layman has advice for Titans fans headed to tonight's football season opener against William Byrd at Cave Spring Middle School:
"Buy your tickets early because it will be standing room only."
Layman issued his caveat because the new bleachers atop the concrete grandstand at the facility shared by Hidden Valley and Cave Spring haven't been installed.
However, more than a few interested folks might show up to see the debut of Hidden Valley coach J.R. Edwards against his alma mater.
Edwards starred at quarterback for Byrd under head coach Jeff Highfill, then worked for the longtime Terriers coach as an assistant for 12 years.
The new Titans coach has installed similar offensive and defensive systems used by Highfill at Byrd. Edwards probably could have bypassed scouting the Terriers' preseason scrimmages.
"There aren't going to be a lot of surprises out there," Edwards said Thursday.
Hidden Valley fans might be surprised to see more emphasis on defense than the Titans demonstrated in their inaugural two years on the varsity level. Edwards has switched to a five-man front.
"One thing we've really emphasized is defense," he said. "The kids have really responded to that."
Edwards also has moved senior Judd Carte from wide receiver to tight end. Carte, who caught 50 passes last year, will remain a top target.
"My offense is designed to get the ball to the tight end quite a lot," Edwards said.
Bleachers were ready to be installed at Dwight Bogle Stadium in time for tonight's opener, with just one small problem.
When construction workers opened the crates, the bleachers were bright red, which happens to be one of the school colors of Cave Spring, which for years was the sole occupant of the stadium.
In lieu of the flap between supporters of both Roanoke County rivals last year over the paint job on the press box, the red seats went back into the box.
"It was an honest mistake," Layman said. "It was just a stroke of somebody's pen. On the original order it said, regular gray aluminum bleachers. When they were delivered here there wasn't really need to open the boxes so they just sat there until they were ready to go in."
The new seating is part of a thorough redesign, which, for now, features a neutral beige paint job on the press box. New visitors bleachers are in place. New lights, a new scoreboard and a new sound system should be operational tonight. A new playing surface with a drainage and irrigation system will be installed after the season.
Hidden Valley principal Dave Blevins said he hopes the bleachers on the home side will be in place by the Titans' Sept.24 against Tunstall.
"Until then, people will have to sit on concrete," Blevins said. "We're asking people to bring seat cushions, but not chairs because chairs block other people's view."
Simmons to start
Backup quarterback J.C. Simmons, who passed for 109 yards and two touchdowns in Patrick Henry's 28-7 win last week over Princeton (W.Va.), will again start in place of injured Mike Young when the Patriots play at Jefferson Forest.
Young remains sidelined with a high ankle sprain.
The game marks the debut of Jefferson Forest head coach Don Rice, a 1983 Northside graduate and a former lineman in NFL Europe for the Stuttgart Scorpions.
Raiders host champs
Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot, which won the Virginia Independent Schools Division 1 title last year, will play at North Cross today at 4 p.m.
The Raiders return all but five starters from last year's team which lost 27-7 to Blessed Sacrament.
