Andre Coble learned the nuances of the spread offense during a sojourn in California. When senior quarterback Andre Coble walks down the halls of Meadowbrook High School, everyone seems to know who he is. On the football field, he’s the linchpin of the mighty Monarchs offense, which averages 37.5 points per game. “We’re in this offense because of him,“ said first-year coach Troy Taylor, who was an assistant at Meadowbrook when Coble was a freshman and sophomore. “It’s best to get the ball in the hands of your best player.“

With the economy the way it is, the Varina football program went looking for a season-opening opponent that was closer to home than George Washington-Danville or Gar-Field. Central Region Division 6 champion Varina wanted a quality opponent, as well. The Blue Devils got what they wanted. And maybe more. Ranked No. 1 in the preseason Times-Dispatch Top 10, Varina opens its season on the road at No. 7 Dinwiddie tonight. The Blue Devils’ trip time to the southernmost outpost in the region is shorter by a few minutes. The Generals won the Division 5 region title and were state runners-up last year.

Coaches and newly graduated athletes have descended upon Hampton and Newport News for the annual Virginia High School Coaches Association clinics and all-star games. This is the 16th year the summer rite has been based in Hampton. The all-star games are a last fling for many of the athletes before they head off to colleges and universities. Athletes from all three Virginia High School League classifications (Group AAA, AA and A) are housed and fed at Hampton University. Five of the eight all-star games are scheduled at Christopher Newport University.

Times-Dispatch player of the year Adam Morgan and first-team All-Metro linebacker Bradley Johnson headline a group of seven Dinwiddie High football players who signed national letters of intent today. Morgan, a 6-0, 200-pound quarterback, signed with Virginia Military Institute. Johnson (6-2, 215, linebacker) is headed to the University of Maryland. Wide receiver Sam Haskins is bound for Troy University (Alabama), the model program for Dinwiddie’s passing game. Offensive tackle Nick Watts, a second-team All-Metro pick, cast his lot with Chowan. Wide receiver Terron Adams and offensive lineman David Abbey are going to Virginia State, and cornerback Brandon Parson signed with Alabama A&N.

A Louisville, Ky., high school football coach was charged yesterday with reckless homicide in the death of one of his players who collapsed at practice on a hot day. A grand jury indicted David Jason Stinson in the death of Pleasure Ridge Park High School sophomore offensive lineman Max Gilpin. Stinson was directing practice Aug. 20 when the heat index reached 94 degrees in Louisville. Gilpin, 15, collapsed and had trouble breathing.

In both of its Central Region playoff games, Dinwiddie’s first possession ended in a turnover. Coach Billy Mills said he thought the importance of the game had his athletes trying a little too diligently to make the right play.

A no-huddle offense is supposed to not only rattle the defense, but also keep the same defenders on the field without time for substitutions. But the pace of Dinwiddie’s hurry-up offense isn’t what concerns Hanover coach Josh Just most.