LPD Preview

BY SPENCER CAMPBELL
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER

Lately, the Lonesome Pine District has been ruled by John I. Burton and Clintwood, and the LPD has ruled Region D, Division 2.

One of the two has occupied a slot in every Virginia High School League Group A, Division 2 state title game since 2004. The Raiders and Greenwave meeting in the Region D title game at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise has become something of a tradition.

The teams’ domination, however, could be over.

Clintwood enters the season facing the graduation of its most prolific senior class, in terms of cumulative wins, not to mention both the Region D Offensive and Defensive Players of the year. In Norton, head coach Jim Adams must replace 225 tackles on defense, with the graduation of Will Godsey and Jaycob Coleman, plus more than 1,000 yards rushing, also courtesy of the departed Coleman.

Such losses have many predicting a down year for the football-mad Lonesome Piners. What these dissenters fail to realize is that the LPD doesn’t rebuild, it reloads.

“Clintwood graduated a lot, but I feel like Clintwood is going to be just as strong. Probably not as good, but they’re going to be a heck of a football team,” J.J. Kelly coach B.I. Salyers said. “Norton ain’t going to fall off much. And Powell Valley will be very similar to what they were last year, probably with a little more experience.

“I think, overall, we’re going to be very strong.”

Although Clintwood lost a very strong senior class, it returns five players who made either first- or second-team All-LPD in 2008. The strength of the Greenwave this season should be its offensive line, which returns center John Dotson, Cameron Vanover and tight end Nick Robinson.

“Our expectations going into the season are pretty high,” Clintwood coach Rick Mullins said. “Obviously, our guys want to be successful and want to have a good year. How that pans out, wins and losses, I don’t know. But our guys are pretty hungry, I know that.”

Burton faces a similar situation. Although the Raiders lost plenty, they still have an abundance of talent on the roster. Chief among the returning stars is Martinez Miles, who used Burton’s spread attack to run for almost 1,400 yards last season.

Paving the way for Martinez should be a deep offensive line, with injuries over the past few years finally paying off with an abundance of experience at the position.

“We obviously are still blessed with some kids that can run and we feel good about the guys up front,” Adams said. “We’ve got five returning starters [on the offensive line] ... we’re going to have some guys that started in the past, that’s not going to be starting on the offensive line.”

The Clintwood-Burton stranglehold, however, is anything but secure in 2009. The two teams’ greatest challenge might come from a familiar LPD power: Powell Valley.

Phil Robbins’ Vikings return eight starters on offense and seven starters on defense. Myron Pinkston will charge the offense, after a mid-season position change from running back to quarterback in 2008 carried Powell Valley into the playoffs.

The defense should be bigger up front, with the return of tackle Derrike Short from injury, while the linebacking core will be smaller and more aggressive.

“I really believe that we’re probably a much better football team right now that we were last year,” Robbins said. “I think we made some changes offensively and defensively ... to put our kids in a position where they can utilize their talents.”

The bottom half of the LPD, at least according to the pre-season coaches poll, includes J.J. Kelly, Appalachia and Pound.

Kelly hopes to rebound quickly from a departed senior class that led the Indians to their first home playoff game in two decades. Giving a new quarterback and running back time to mature will be an offensive line that Salyers claims could be better than last year.

Pound coach Chris Crabtree hopes that a slimmed-down offensive line will increase the Wildcats’ quickness, while Appalachia’s Roger Austin hopes the return of basketball stars Mason and Forrest Stuart give his team a winner’s confidence.

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