VHSCA Football Scene Familiar To Richlands’ Mance

By Allen Gregory
Sports Writer / Bristol Herald Courier
Published: July 5, 2008

HAMPTON, Va. — It was a postgame scene familiar to fans of Richlands High School football.

Blue Tornado head coach Greg Mance and two of his star players were gathered at midfield. All had reason to celebrate late Friday night.

Middle linebacker Shane Wicks, receiver Austin Fuller and Mance played key roles as the West posted a 7-0 shutout over the East in the annual VHSCA All-Star football game.

Wicks and Lebanon’s Richard Lockridge shared time at middle linebacker against an East offense led by highly-hyped quarterback Tommy Reamon Jr. of Gloucester and Virginia Tech-bound receiver D.J. Coles of Goochland.

The Southwest Virginia hitmen combined for eight tackles, as the East offense never found a comfort zone.

“When you look at the scoreboard and see that goose egg, that means our middle linebackers did their job,” said Mance, who served on the West coaching staff.

The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Wicks gained a reputation for his intensity while at Richlands. That approach didn’t change Friday.

“I was trying to fly around, get to the ball and have some fun,” Wicks said. “This was probably my last chance to play with most of these guys. We wanted to make it count.”

Wicks was impressed with his fellow linebacker.

“[Lockridge] is a very hard-nosed guy and a good player,” Wicks said. “We talked and helped each other all week. It was nice to have somebody from close to home to learn a new system with.”

For the 5-11, 230-pound Lockridge, the game offered personal assurance that he can compete on the college level. He recently decided to play at Davidson.

“I was a little nervous coming in,” Lockridge said. “A lot of these players are going to big schools, but we had a good week of practice, pulled together in the game and pitched the shutout.

“If you work hard and prepare, you can play with anyone. And it was fun practicing with Wicks after playing against him a few times.”

Lockridge served as the primary blocker at Lebanon to prolific tailback Skyler Musick, who reportedly has decided to attend Southwest Virginia Community College.

“I’ve been working on my college workout program for the past month. It was good to see that I can compete with people of this caliber,” Lockridge said.

Virginia High graduate Daniel Woods also proved a few points with his steady performance at cornerback. Woods played safety at VHS, but was moved to corner on the second day of practice in Hampton.

“I hadn’t worked at cornerback since my freshman year, but I think I did pretty well,” said Woods, who signed with Concord. “You had to stay on your game against these guys.”

Woods was matched up a couple of times against the ultra-quick Coles, who led Goochland to a state title as a junior. Woods collected two tackles and prevented one long completion by tipping the pass away from Coles.

“I still plan to play free safety in college, but cornerback might turn out to be my place someday,” Woods said.

Coty Lawson, a 6-3, 270-pounder from Castlewood, emerged as a leader on the West defensive line with four tackles. The West coaches gave Lawson the nickname of “Big Country” for his size, strength and tenacity.

“Lawson has a motor that never stops,” Mance said.

Brandon Davis of George Wythe made a diving catch for eight yards, while Chilhowie’s Aaron Lundy started on the offensive line. The West began the week with only five offensive linemen, so Lundy contributed at both guard and tackle Friday.

Receivers Tyler Bailey (Abingdon) and Delmas Lawson (Powell Valley) served in supporting roles on the deep West receiving corps.

“We talked about doing a reverse option pass with Fuller,” Bailey said. “That didn’t work out, but we got the win and had fun. That’s the main thing.”

It added up to a successful week for the Richlands coach.

“All the kids from Southwest Virginia did a great job,” Mance said. “We competed the past few years, but it was a pleasure to get to know the players on a personal level.”

As usual, Wicks offered the leadership.

“We started to come together as a team the first couple practices,” Wicks said. “You usually don’t tell that quick with a new group, but we hung out all week, made friendships and filled our roles as best we could.”

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