Notes: Northside's Muse commits to play football at Richmond 

Northside senior DeAnthony Muse has made an oral commitment to play football at Richmond.
Muse, who started as a defensive lineman for the Vikings as a sophomore and a junior, was recruited to play defense for the Spiders.

The 6-foot-1 Muse led Northside last season with 21 tackles for loss and shared the team lead with seven quarterback sacks.

A first-team All-Timesland choice in 2012, Muse has been a big playmaker for Northside. This fall he might be a bigger playmaker.
Muse played at 246 pounds in 2012, but he has added more than 40 pounds to his frame.

"He's every bit of 290," Northside coach Burt Torrence said. "We just had a youth camp and the parents who were there thought he was a coach."

Torrence said Muse also was offered a scholarship by VMI and Charlotte. The Northside coach said Muse's two finalists were Richmond and VMI.

Torrence said Charlotte - a first-year FCS program that will join the FBS in 2015 - was the first school to offer Muse after the Northside senior attended a one-day camp at Wake Forest.

"Richmond was there, too," Torrence said. "They were high on him and wanted him to come up to their camp. Rather than go to their camp, I took him up there to see the school.

"He went and spent five hours at Richmond and then he spent six hours at Charlotte. He did this the right way. I'm really proud of him. He's got a 3.6 grade point average, and he knows football is just a means to an end."

Three Timesland products - offensive guard Sedale Young (William Fleming), wide receiver Stephen Barnette (Salem) and defensive back Reggie Barnette (Salem) - were full-time starters in 2012 for Richmond.

The Spiders' roster also includes sophomore linebacker Seth Fisher (Salem), sophomore wide receiver Josh Murray (North Cross) and incoming freshmen Porter Abell (Rockbridge County) and Hardy Lester (George Wythe).

Torrence also said that junior lineman Chance Hall had added offers from Virginia and Old Dominion to an earlier one from Maryland.

The 6-foot-6, 266-pound Hall likely is not finished hearing from major colleges thanks to the his performance this summer at the Rivals 250 Underclassmen Challenge in DeSoto, Texas.

Torrence said Arkansas and Penn State have recruiting interest in Hall as an offensive lineman.

Northside began practice for the 2013 season Monday. In May, the VHSL moved the official start date of practice from Monday to Aug. 1, but the Vikings were among several teams that did not prefer the earlier start.

"I'd already handed out our summer schedule to our parents back in January before they moved it," Torrence said.

William Fleming to hold intrasquad scrimmage

William Fleming will unveil its 2013 football team during a brief Blue-Gold intrasquad scrimmage at 6 p.m. Friday in the Colonels' stadium.

The game will last for one quarter.

First-year Fleming head coach Bobby Martin assembled his staff of assistants late this summer.

Martin, who was the head coach at George Washington last year, said his Fleming varsity staff will include two former assistants from Danville: Chris Akers and Joe Seamster; along with holdovers Josh Dix and Jermaine Hardy; and former Fleming player Paul Wallace.

Martin said ex-Fleming player Richard Wilson and Eric Hughes will coach the JV team.

Fleming's first preseason scrimmage will be Aug. 16 at home against Chatham, followed by a benefit game Aug. 23 at Magna Vista.

The Colonels open the season with a long drive to Palmyra to face Fluvanna County. Fluvanna quarterback Dashon Tibbs has committed to Richmond as a wide receiver.

Martin, who lives in Henry County, is looking to buy a house in the Fleming school district partly so his daughter, Courtney, a rising junior, will be eligible to play basketball for the Colonels.

Salem's Light picks up offers from FCS schools

Salem offensive tackle Alex Light has received scholarship offers from Richmond and VMI.

The 6-foot-5, 295-pound Light made first-team All-Timesland in 2012 as he helped the Spartans to the Group AA Division 4 semifinals. Light also started at center for Salem's basketball team that won the Division 4 state title.

Old faces, new places

Several assistant coaches have new addresses this year.

Among those who have switched jobs is Don Holter, who has gone from William Fleming to Lord Botetourt. Holter, a former defensive coordinator at Fleming and Franklin County, is coaching running backs and outside linebackers for the Cavaliers.

Louie Pitts has moved from Cave Spring to Salem. Pitts will coach quarterbacks and wide receivers for the Spartans.

North Cross has picked up two transfers from Salem, running back Isaiah Harris and receiver Ryan Dent. Harris rushed for 581 yards in his two seasons at Salem.

Tyrek Roberts, who rushed for 237 yards in 13 games as a fullback last
year at Salem, has transferred to Northside.

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