The Roanoke Times from Roanoke, Virginia • 33

Sports newsonline or the latest sports news and scores go online at (roanoke timescom Sports COLLEGE OOTBALL C2 3 COLLEGE BASKETBALL C4 5 8 SCOREBOARDCIO NLC12 A SECTIONCi GROUP AA DIVISION 4 OOTBALL INAL Salem 17 Park View Sterling 10 Another crowning moment ERIC BRADY THE ROANOKE TIMES Salem coach Willis White (center) is swarmed with congratulations after guiding the Spartans to their third consecutive state championship Salem is the first Group AA team win three straight GROUP AA BASKETBALL INAL Bassett 54 Northside 38 Businesslike Bengals can let loose 1 JACK BOGACZYK Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville la Rick Catlett executive direc tor of the Gator Bowl be reached for comment Saturday Earlier in the week Catlett strongly implied Tech would fill the open spot believe Virginia Tech is more than likely going to play in the Gator Bowl under any scenar Catlett told the lorida Times Union talk to bowl officials ev ery day and nobody is talking about Virginia Tech going to a BCS bowl" With Notre Dame expected to take one BCS at large spot the other open slot is between No 5 Oregon State (10 1) Tech and No 10 Nebraska (9 2) If it falls to the Gator Tech will reap about $17 million less in bowl proceeds than for a second ary BCS bowl Randy King can be reached at 981 3126 or randykroanokecom By DANIEL UTHMAN 77A' ROANOKE TIMES HARRISONBURG Spencer Christley knew it was going to be a good week when a bunch of blonds showed up at the Salem High School football locker room There were a few on Monday a couple more on Tuesday and by riday almost everybody on the premises under the age of 20 had a helmet of maroon and hair of gold By nightfall Saturday they had 5 7 HARRISONBURG You could say it is getting to be routine (Then you have to Remember how Salem got to its third straight state football champion ship game With the huddledhumanity into its peren nial gridironed giddi ness in the Shenandoah Yalley Spartans coach Willis White clutched another Division 4 title trophy (What it the title not the trophy I I i By RANDY KING THE ROANOKE TIMES How confident is football program about be (ing on the Bowl Championship invitation list today? Unlike the past three occa ms in which been a part the BCS puzzle the Hokies are isb unenthused about their chancesthis time that the coaching staff 'and players will not congregate inJamerson Athletic Center for pm announcement show kg Although a win by No 1 Okla homa over No 7 Kansas State in (Saturday Big 12 chain pi bnship could provide them with 'faint BCS hope the No Hokies ((10 1) appear to be all but a shoo 'in to wind up in the Gator Bowl for (the third time in seven years (it ifteenth ranked Clemson (9 '2) accepted a bid Nov 14 to theGator Bowl which will be played at (12:30 pm Jan 1 at 72000 seat was made of made it worth more than its weight in gold platedness because White sure this team would be playing after the first riday of November much less on the first Saturday of December in the Group AA title twinbill at Bridgeforth Stadium fourth title in five years and third in succes PLEASE SEE BOGACZYKC6 ERIC BRADY I THE ROANOKE TIMES Senior fullback Manuel Lewis (left) gets tough yards converting two fourth downs and scoring on a 2 yard run in the second half SAMUEL ANTHONY THE ROANOKE TIMES Meghan Myers passes to Charlotte Blerndell under pressure from Bassett a trophy to match i The Spartans won their third consecutive Group AA Division ip championship with a 17 10 victory at Bridgeforth Bath County stadium Riverheads C6 Although there certainly were many blond haired specta tors in the partisan Salem crowd of 8000 none were united like tlie Spartans players who dyed ther PLEASE SEE SPARTANSC6 Three in a row easy White and Spartans earn it Sticking to fundamentals gives Bassett its first basketball state championship and a great reason to have a party By AARON McARLING THE ROANOKE TIMES After Group AA semifinal victory against Charlottesville the Bassett girls' basketball team gath ered near the bench and executed their traditional chapt in which they spell out the word It has no real meaning the players say silly little song they made up to bring them together aft tjr a win They certainly had no intentions of attending any festive engagements on the eve of a rematch witha rock solid Northside team I Bassett forward Shirley McCall said ri day be partying tonight still got un finished After game the chant is no longer a hol low promise Plenty of partying is in store for the Bengals after they defeated Northside 54 38 to claim the first basketball state championship at the Salem Civic Center (j really describe the feeling right now" Bas sett head coach Lisa Black said speechless PLEASE SEE BENGALSC6 pator Bowl expects (to have Virginia Tech Unified Spartans rise to challenge it A vWYCjWW ww Wli a Vtf' 0 wBU 'i wKm KwibP jtOvMKeAAs a ill i fwaint rHK vr 1 's Htu i'''' si5kj MliV.