varsity.roanoke.com

Photo courtesy of Dowdy family

Josh Jones (left) and Chris Dowdy when both were in the seventh grade.

Chris Dowdy and Josh Jones have always been close, but this is getting ridiculous.

The two boyhood pals were teammates on William Byrd's 1996 VHSL Group AA runner-up soccer squad, now their coaching careers have paralleled.

Dowdy is the boys head coach at Patrick Henry, which plays in the Group AAA quarterfinals for the first time at home tonight against Eastern Region runner-up Hickory.

Jones is the girls head coach at Salem, which faces Lord Botetourt at home in a Group AA quarterfinal.

The games will begin at the same time -- 6:30 p.m.

It figures.

Dowdy and Jones have been closely linked since they were toddlers, rec league teammates and members of the youth group at Vinton's Lynn Haven Baptist Church.

"We grew up playing every sport together," Dowdy said. "We still call each other after every game."

"We grew up in the same church." Jones said. "We were pretty much best friends."

Dowdy and Jones had something else in common last Friday. Both of their teams won regional championships on penalty kicks.

"It was crazy on Friday night," Jones said. "We called each other. It was like, 'How'd you do?' He said, 'We won on penalty kicks, how'd you do?' I said, 'We won on penalty kicks too.' "

Soccer's version of the tie-breaker is an all-too-familiar subject for the two 1998 Byrd graduates.

Dowdy and Jones were sophomore starters on the 1996 Byrd team that came agonizingly close to the Group AA title, losing on penalty kicks to Western Albemarle in the state final on the Terriers' home field.

"We had 13 seniors on that team," Jones said. "I'll never forget that day."

Neither will Dowdy.

"My brother missed a penalty kick in that game," Dowdy said. "He called me the other day and wanted to know if I needed him for penalty kicks. I told him I think we can handle it."

Dowdy and Jones played soccer and football at Byrd for longtime coach Jeff Highfill, who has never come closer to a state title than the '96 final.

"That's what hurts as much as anything," Jones said. "We never got that state title for him. He is an awesome coach. He had a huge influence on my life. A lot of the things he taught me are the things we do at Salem."

Dowdy credits Highfill for putting him on the path toward becoming a high school teacher and coach.

"Especially from the discipline aspect," Dowdy said. "Coach Highfill's teams are always disciplined and they do things the right way. He was a great player at King College and he has a great soccer mind. I don't think he gets enough credit for that."

Highfill watched PH's victory over Gar-Field on Friday that gave the Patriots their first Northwest Region championship. He'll be in Salem tonight for Jones' game against Lord Botetourt. Another former player on the 1996 Byrd team -- Tony Wolford -- is a Salem assistant.

"Normally, I don't get to see their teams much because we're always playing," Highfill said. "I have a lot of respect for what they've done."

Dowdy is a few months older than Jones, who will turn 29 on Sunday.

"He'll always be older than me," Jones said. "He was definitely ahead of me in academics. He had an edge on me there."

Dowdy played forward at Byrd, while Jones was a defensive stopper.

"Josh was a pretty good athlete," Dowdy said. "He was a lock-down defender, one of the best they've ever had. My goals pale in comparison to some of the kids they've had."

Jones has one thing Dowdy does not -- a state title. His 2003 Salem team won the Group AA championship.

Both men will attempt to steer their teams in the direction of a state final this weekend.

Will their parallel universes ever collide? Will they ever coach against each other?

"Who knows?" Jones said. "I guess one of us would have to change jobs."