Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Barnette soars into Spiders' web
The Roanoke Times I File 2009
One of the strengths of Salem High School football player Stephen Barnette is that he "catches the ball at the highest point," coach Stephen Magenbauer says.
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Al Groh's firing at Virginia didn't create shock waves, but it sent a ripple effect all the way to Salem.
When Mike London left Richmond in early December to replace Groh as UVa's head football coach, it opened the door for UVa assistant Latrell Scott to become the Spiders' new head man.
Scott brought Radford native Wayne Lineburg with him to Richmond from the UVa staff.
And Lineburg started recruiting Salem senior receiver Stephen Barnette.
It paid dividends for both parties as Barnette has made an oral commitment to Richmond, choosing the Spiders over offers from William and Mary and Eastern Kentucky, Salem coach Stephen Magenbauer said Monday.
The 6-foot-3, 157-pound Barnette will be joined at Richmond by his twin brother, Reggie, who was offered a spot as a recruited walk-on, Magenbauer said.
Stephen Barnette, named first-team All-Timesland by The Roanoke Times and first-team All-Group AA by the VHSCA, was on no Division I school's recruiting radar before 2009. He drew notice with 44 receptions for 907 yards and five touchdowns as Salem finished 11-1. He also intercepted six passes and returned two of them for TDs.
"He's tall and he catches the ball at the highest point," Magenbauer said. "He had almost 1,000 yards receiving, which is pretty good in our offense."
Magenbauer said both Barnettes will be tried at receiver and defensive back at Richmond, which won the I-AA national title in 2008 and lost to Appalachian State in the quarterfinals this year.
Terriers QB Palmer commits to Bucknell
William Byrd's Derrick Palmer wasn't certain where he would play football in college, but the senior was sure of one thing.
"I wanted to get a good education, get my degree and hopefully make some money someday," Palmer said.
Palmer is well on his way after giving an oral commitment to play at Bucknell, a nonscholarship Division I-AA program in the Patriot League.
Palmer played both quarterback and running back and finished his career at Byrd with 4,017 yards rushing. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound Palmer picked Bucknell over an offer to walk-on at William and Mary.
Bucknell hired former Rutgers assistant Joe Susan as its head coach last week. Susan replaced Tim Landis, who took an assistant's job at San Diego State.
Palmer, who made first-team All-Timesland at quarterback in 2009 after rushing for 1,830 yards and 26 TDs, expects to get a look at defensive back and possibly flanker.
"They want to start me out at DB," Palmer said. "After I get to camp, they said they might try me out at a few positions, maybe at a slot receiver where they can get me out in space."
In other Timesland football recruiting:
Northside wingback Dustin Phelps has made a commitment to Division II Charleston (W.Va.).
The 5-foot-6, 170-pound Phelps caught the go-ahead touchdown pass in Northside's 20-17 victory over Bruton in the Group AA Division 3 championship game.
Charleston finished 9-2 in 2009 and tied for second place in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Staunton River guard equals school record
Staunton River senior Wesley Gates tied a school record last week with 10 3-pointers in a victory over Lord Botetourt.
Gates, who finished with 40 points, matched the single-game 3-point record set by Hunter Hoggatt in the 1996 Seminole District tournament against Appomattox County. Hoggatt had 52 points in that game.
Pulaski Co. to retire former stars' jerseys
Former Pulaski County football greats Todd Grantham and Jeff King will be in Dublin on Friday night when the school will retire their jerseys during a ceremony prior to the Cougars' basketball game against Blacksburg.
Grantham, who wore No. 53 at Pulaski, was an honorable mention offensive lineman at Virginia Tech. He was an assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys before recently taking a job at the University of Georgia.
King, who wore No. 82 for the Cougars, played football and basketball at Virginia Tech. He has caught 93 passes in three years as a tight end for the Carolina Panthers.
Byrd-LB girls game to feature pink ball
William Byrd and Lord Botetourt will play a girls basketball game Wednesday with a new twist.
The Blue Ridge District teams will use a pink basketball to raise awareness in the fight against cancer.
Proceeds from the evening, which will include an auction, will be donated to the Kay Yow WBCA Cancer Fund.
Both teams will wear pink shoelaces and pink warmup shirts. Byrd players also will wear pink socks.
All cancer survivors in attendance will be recognized during the game.
Northside to honor former coach Johnson
Northside will honor former boys basketball coach Al Johnson, who died June 15 at age 68, with a reception at 6 p.m. Thursday at the school and a ceremony during halftime of the Vikings' game against Lord Botetourt.
Johnson coached at Northside from 1973-80, taking the Vikings to the 1978 Group AAA semifinals.
He also coached Franklin County to the Group 1B semifinals in 1968.
Johnson was a prep star at Roanoke's Jefferson High, setting a single-game state tournament record of 47 points in 1959 that still stands today. He was inducted into the Catawba College athletic hall of fame in 1986.
