WINFIELD'S DEFENSE STEALS WIN
Publication:
Published: 08/26/1989
Page: P3B
Headline: WINFIELD'S DEFENSE STEALS WIN
Byline: WILBUR JENKINS
WINFIELD _ Who says a Class AA football team, which has about
enough players to fill a roster in a program, can beat a Class AAA
team, with size up front and outweighing the opponent by more than
150 pounds in total weight.
Ask the Nitro Wildcats. They turned the football over eight
times in the game, including six interceptions as the Winfield.
Generals edged the Wildcats, 14-7, 14-7 here Friday night in Winfield
for the season opener for both clubs.
Winfield defensive back Jared Turner picked off five Steve White
passes. The steals led to the Generals' two scores. Senior running
back Joe Mullins bobbed and weaved his way for 99 yards and one
touchdown on 22 tough carries.
After each team turned the ball twice on interceptions in the
first quarter, Winfield found itself on the scoreboard first with 39
seconds remaining. On a second and six play from the Nitro 10-yard
line, Mullins, having already carried twice in the series, got the.
call and went nine yards to the one. Quarterback Carey
Crouch sneaked
over behind the center for a 6-0 lead.
Another Turner interception, his third of the half, led to
Winfield's second and final touchdown. The 10-play, 54-yard drive
was a textbook affair that ended with 6:51 left in the first half
when Mullins scored from the left side of the offensive line from
.
five yards out. The two-point conversion by Steve
Briscoe from Crouch
gave Winfield a 14-0 cushion.
Nitro tried to put something together before the half ended, but.
was shut down when Turner snagged his fourth interception
of the game
"We played a good second half but we are not mentally prepared
yet,' said Nitro coach Greg Cyrus. "We dug ourself
a hole and we
just couldn't get out of it. I think more people will come out and
watch us play more because we are going to air it out.'
Other than the early touchdowns by Winfield, Cyrus was pleased
with the effort of his defensive unit.
"We hit them pretty hard tonight and I was real pleased with
the defense,' he said. "We just have to be mentally tougher on
defense and just have to suck it up and go with it. It's the
first game of the season and you're going to make mistakes.'
Winfield Coach Leon McCoy saw things a little different than a
year ago.
"We played terrible in the second half on offense,' he said
. "We had no trouble holding onto the football in the first half,
and then we come up losing it three times in the second half.'
McCoy was pleased, nevertheless, with the outcome of the first
half. "I thought Nitro put some pressure on us early but our kids
handled it well.'
"We knew they had to throw the football but it was a
combination of reading the play and being there at the right time,'
said Turner. "I'll give Matt McNeel credit.
Being 6-6, he can
really jump.'
McNeel, a candidate for all-state selections, caught
seven
passes for 75 yards. The Wildcats gave up 156 total yards in the
game while the Generals held Nitro's running game in check giving up
47 yards on 24 carries.
Donnie Withrow led Nitro's rushing with 32 yards on
five carries
and quarterback Steve White completed 12 of 26 passes for 112 yards
The Wildcats' only score of the second half came in the third
quarter when Skeeter Shamblin
raced over from the five-yard line to
cut the lead in half at 14-7. The drive was set up by a
Withrow run of 16 yards and a Winfield turnover at their own 35-yard
line.
Nitro looks to even their record next week when they play host
to Hurricane while Winfield has an open date.