Published: September 06, 2008 07:06 pm      

Kids help give new life to Pocahontas ball field

POCAHONTAS, Va. — For decades, the old Pocahontas High School football field served as the home of the Indians. The old school is now closed, but thanks to the efforts of a group of young athletes and their adult leaders, the field has been transformed into the home of the Braves.

“The grass was almost waist high when we came out here to start practice for the season,” Russ Groseclose said. Groseclose is commissioner of the football league and the father of Branden Groseclose, one of the players in the Smurf Division of the Tazewell County Little League Football Program.

“Jamie Williby, commissioner of the Youth Leagues, came out and started cutting the grass, and we asked the kids to come out and help get the field in shape,” Groseclose said. “We’ve had a good time. The kids have all worked hard.”

The Braves compete in three divisions: the Smurfs with players from ages 5 to 7; the Peewees with players in the 8 to 10-year-old age range; and the Midgets from the ages of 11 to 13 years old.

“We have 33 to 34 kids out for the teams — enough for about 11 on each group,” Groseclose said. “When we asked for help to prepare the field for play this year, we had about 10 to 15 kids out and they all worked.”

Groseclose played for the PHS Indians from 1976 to ‘79. “I was on the last district championship team,” he said. While he lamented the closing of the school, he didn’t dwell on it. “We’re growing a group of Bulldogs and G-Men,” he said.

Groseclose is no stranger to coaching youth leagues or adults, for that matter. When he finished school, he served in the military, and when he was stationed in Italy, he coached youth football and baseball. “I even coached the adults,” he said. He stopped for a period of time, but returned to coaching when his son, Branden, 6, became interested.

“It was really heart-warming to see all of the kids out there working to get their field in shape,” Laura Groseclose — Branden’s mom, and Russ’ wife — said. “They worked so hard fixing and painting the stands. Branden came home covered with paint.”

The Braves traveled to Tazewell on Saturday, and will play their first home game in the future. “We’ve been practicing for three weeks already,” Russ Groseclose said. We’ll be ready.”

The Braves include players from Boissevain, Pocahontas, Abbs Valley and even one player from Brushfork.

– Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com