varsity.roanoke.com

Former Salem football player Derek Sower chose an unusual topic earlier this year for his Master of Arts thesis at East Tennessee State University.

The research project was titled "The Willis White Era of Salem High School Football."

ETSU's football program is history -- the university dumped it in 2003. Even though White retired as Salem's coach after that 2003 season, he's still making history.

White, who put his stamp on Salem's program with four Group AA Division 4 championships and two state runner-up finishes in a 21-year tenure, will have his name permanently affixed to turf tonight.

The playing surface at Salem Stadium will be named Willis White Field during halftime of the Spartans' game against Pulaski County.

Two of White's old coaching rivals and fellow West Virginia natives -- Joel Hicks and Jim Hickam -- have been asked to be on hand to pull the rip cord unveiling the sign on the field house wall.

The ceremony will get to the point quickly and will be nothing fancy -- similar to White's personality and coaching style. Former Salem athletic director Dale Foster, who retired in 1990, and others in power when White was hired away from Patrick Henry in 1983 recognized those well-grounded attributes.

It's been four years since White coached his final game, a victory over Pulaski in Salem Stadium. That seems like a reasonable amount of time for the political machinery to operate.

Whatever, there seems to be a whole lotta namin' going on in Timesland.

North Cross named its gymnasium after former football and basketball coach Jim Muscaro, who retired this year. Patrick Henry named its new field after ex-football coach and White's former boss Merrill Gainer, who coached the Patriots to the 1973 Group AAA championship. Bath County is holding a twice-postponed ceremony tonight to name its press box after longtime community icon Johnny Gazzola.

Radford didn't wait until Norman Lineburg retired after almost four decades as the Bobcats' football coach last year. The school named its field after Lineburg in 2004.

I wonder if any of them will be the subject of a master's thesis?.

LORD BOTETOURT 17, Liberty 14. The winner of this Region III Division 3 first-round game travels to Stuarts Draft next Friday.

R.E. LEE-STAUNTON 45, Alleghany 23. Alleghany wouldn't mind a repeat of the 44-41 overtime win at Lee back in September.

SALEM 21, Pulaski County 14. The Spartans are looking for regular-season win No. 34 in a row. The Cougars hope to clinch a Division 4 playoff berth.

BLACKSBURG 35, Christiansburg 27. Blacksburg has clinched a Region IV Division 4 spot. Christiansburg needs a win tonight and plenty of help elsewhere.

HIDDEN VALLEY 24, Cave Spring 14. Tonight's game will be taped by Cox Channel 9 and will air three times next week.

WILLIAM FLEMING 20, Patrick Henry 14. Fleming is looking to avenge last year's 6-0 loss to Patrick Henry when the game was played in Rocky Mount.

FRANKLIN COUNTY 20, E.C. Glass 10. A loss in the home finale for the Eagles means they would share last place in the WVD.

MARTINSVILLE 31, Patrick County 20. The winner gets the last Region IV Division 3 playoff berth and will go to Richlands in the first round. The loser goes home.

BASSETT 48, Magna Vista 6. A tough season will come to an end for 0-9 Magna Vista, while Bassett looks for a 10-0 season.

GRAYSON COUNTY 31, Bland County 14. Both teams are playoff-bound. Grayson will be on the road and it's a 99-percent certainty that Bland will travel.

NARROWS 27, Fort Chiswell 20. Narrows' margin of defeat has been less than Fort Chiswell's in their three common losses

GALAX 46, Pocahontas 8. Galax has a chance to tie for the Mountain Empire District title if Bland County can defeat Grayson County.

BATH COUNTY 19, Covington 7. After a slow start to the season, Bath County can win the Pioneer District outright with a win at home.

JAMES RIVER 24, Parry McCluer 13. James River's only hope to make the playoffs is with a win, and a loss by Covington.

GILES 51, Auburn 6. Giles already is assured of the top seed in Region C Division 2 and home field through the first two rounds.

EASTERN MONTGOMERY 21, Glenvar 20. EastMont needs to win this game to avoid a complete washout in the Three Rivers District.

FLOYD COUNTY 28, Radford 7. Floyd will be in the Division 2 playoffs as long as Bath County does not lose to Covington.

Last week: 24-2 .923

Overall: 218-54 .801