Peter Rose, who has signed to play football at Virginia Tech this fall, was one of seven Amherst County High students arrested yesterday in connection with a 10-month undercover drug sting at the school. Rose was charged with two counts of distributing marijuana, a misdemeanor, and two counts of distributing drugs within 1,000 feet of a school, a felony.

It remains unclear how the charges will affect Rose's scholarship. Tech coach Frank Beamer won't comment until he finds out details of the situation, an athletic department spokesman said. Athletic Director Jim Weaver and recruiting coordinator Jim Cavanaugh did not immediately return telephone messages.

The sting, a joint operation between the school and Amherst County Sheriff's department, involved a deputy sheriff enrolling at the school. The deputy made 18 purchases. Rose is one of two students over the age of 18 who were arrested. The other was Jody Ramsey, a senior catcher on Amherst's baseball team. The five other students are minors.

Rose, a 6-0, 190-pound multipurpose player, was a candidate to play cornerback at Tech. He helped Amherst win the Group AA state title as a junior and senior. He played quarterback his senior season last fall, throwing for 1,133 yards and 13 touchdowns and running for 1,790 yards and 27 touchdowns. He was named AA state player of the year.