Many times during the course of the season past players are recalled and we wonder, "What ever happened to him"--"I wonder what they are doing". Well, Terry Monk has kept in touch with the board's editor over the years and is an active participant in answering the TRIVIA questions. Terry was the BLUES quarterback on the 1992 State Championship TEAM. He was kind enough to be the first interview for the board's newest feature--WHERE ARE THEY NOW!! (Picture by Dave Boyd)
What are you doing now?
I am currently living in Coeburn, VA with my wife
Melissa and my son, Trevor, who is about 2 1/2 years old.
Did you play football--post high school?
I played one year of college baseball at Montreat-Anderson College but never played anymore football
until I began working at Wallens Ridge State Prison. I've quarterbacked the
prison team for the last few years. We play every year against Keen Mountain
Correctional Center to raise money for local charities. We are coached by
Dennis Vaught. Donnie Lester (Class of 1991) was also on the team.
Give me a short history of your education, employment, etc. since you
graduated from high school.
I graduated from Clinch Valley College in 1998
with a B.S. in History and an endorsement in Special Education. I am
currently employed by the State of Virginia at Wallens Ridge State Prison
where I have been working as a Correctional Rehabilitation Counselor since
1999. We are one of only two, level 6, super- max prisons in the state where
we house the worst of the worst inmates in Virginia. As you have
probably heard through the media, we house the worst inmates from Connecticut,
New Mexico, Wyoming and shortly the Virgin Islands.
What do you remember most about your high school football experience?
What I remember the most about my high school experience is the closeness of
everyone on our team. Everyone was like a brother and ready to go to battle
on Friday nights. Another thing was the fans, It didn't matter where we went
to play, we always seemed to have more fans than the home team. When
you are 16 or 17 years old and see all of the fans in the stands from
your home town, it gives you a special feeling about yourself. I only get to
see about one game a year and it is normally either against Lee or Powell
Valley when the BLUES come down here. I have noticed that there has only been a
hand full of fans at these games. It seems really disheartening because
for the majority of kids that strap on that RHS helmet and play on Friday
nights, they will remember these years for the rest of their life. Win or lose
they need to be apart of the RHS tradition and witness first hand just what
kind a difference the fans make for a team.
What do you learn most about your high school football experience that you
have used since you graduated?
The discipline one gets from football not
only helps you play the game, it carries over into your personal and
professional life.
Do you have any interesting memories of a particular game(s), practice(s),
teammate, etc.?
The one play that sticks out in my mind the most was
against Salem. It was fourth and one and we were on about our own 40 late in
the game. We called time out. Coach Vaught came to the huddle and we decided
to go for it. I turned around and handed off to Brannon Breeding and he took
it about 60 yards through the mud for a touchdown and the rest was history.
After the game against Orange County, the most exciting thing was seeing the
happiness on the faces of all the fans as they came up to congratulate us.
As you know, winning the state title meant just as much to them as it did to
us.
Do you keep up with any of your former teammates?
I still try to keep in
touch with my old teammates but living out of town makes it difficult at
times. I hear from Chris Crawford and Kevin Smith on a regular basis and I
work with Coach Vaught At Wallens Ridge.
What was it like to play for your head coach or specialty coach (running
back, defense, special teams, etc) if you had one?
Playing for Coach
Vaught was an experience that I will never forget. I owe him so much for all
that he has done for me. Coach Vaught was a perfectionist and had a unique
way of getting the best out of each and everyone of his players. He was a
person that had you ready for every game and you knew that when you walked
on the field that you were going to win. He coached the game like it should
be coached. When I watch high school football in this area, I see teams
that have no discipline which is a reflection of coaching.
