COUGARS SHOW IMPROVEMENT IN THIRD VICTORY

Publication: CHARLESTON DAILY MAIL
Published: 09/09/1989
Page: P1B
Headline: COUGARS SHOW IMPROVEMENT IN THIRD VICTORY
Byline: TOM ALUISE

Roger Jefferson said there are only two ways a football team can
go from game to game.
"You either get better or you get worse,' Capital High
School's head coach said.
Jefferson didn't think his Cougars improved on their.
season-opening 40-6 victory at Princeton in last week's 27-6 win over
Herbert Hoover.
In other words, they got worse.
"And that's not to take anything away from Hoover,' he said
. "They played like heck.'
Jefferson did seem more satisfied, though, following Capital's
37-6 triumph over Nitro Friday in its home opener before 3,284 fans
at Laidley Field.
Jefferson said usually a team shows more improvement between its
first and second games. But he gladly accepted Capital's
higher-level of play last night.
Jefferson said the Cougars were more intense against Nitro than
in their first two games.
"I feel like we're coming together a little bit more,' said
Jefferson, who worked undefeated and top-ranked Capital (3-0) extra
hard in practice last week after what he felt were two lackluster
performances.
"I'm not satisfied,' Jefferson added. "We still have quite a
few things to work on.
"Improvement comes gradually. I think if we improved five
percent this week then we've done a pretty good job. I think we've
got the players' attention. They know what it's going to take.'
a
b
Last night it took only two first-quarter William King touchdown
runs to get the fiesty Wildcats in trouble.
King, Capital's quarterback, scored with 5:36 left in the first
quarter on a 68-yard run.
Then, with 1:12 left to play in the quarter, King picked off a
Nitro pass and returned it 65 yards for a second score.
King's remarkable interception return will be remembered for a
long time. On the play, King struggled away from Nitro's Matt
McNeel, the intended receiver, who had a firm grip on King's jersey
King managed to weave his way out of Capital territory to about
midfield, where he spun away from more Nitro tacklers near the.
sideline. King then sprinted from one side of the field to the other.
_ avoiding tacklers on the way _ before outrunning Nitro's defense to
the end zone.
"I was just trying to get away from Matt (McNeel),' King said
. "Then I saw the blocking in front of me. I almost ran out
of gas.'
King finished with 67 yards on four carries. Capital's Al Dean
amassed 89 yards on 15 carries to lead all rushers.
Nitro's leading ball carrier was Skeeter Shamblin, who gained 40
yards on 11 carries.
Nitro (1-2) got on the board with 7:29 remaining in the game.
Quarterback Steve White and McNeel hooked up on a screen pass which
went for a 26-yard TD.
Unfortunately for the Wildcats, that followed King's two TDs,
Zack Romine's 33-yard field goal and two Lee Henry scoring runs.
Capital's Eric Smedley scored the game's final points on a
25-yard run with 1:02 left.
b
Capital's defense started slowly as Nitro took the opening
kickoff and marched from its own 26 to the Capital 25. McNeel's
drive-ending 42-yard field goal attempt was long enough but wide.
The Cougars' defense, however, settled down and for the third
game didn't allow a touchdown. McNeel's TD came against second and
third-teamers.
Jefferson said Capital's defense is ahead of the offense. "Of
course when you score 37 points you can't be totally dissatisfied,'.
he said. "Everyone is expecting us to score 50 points in every game
.'
Nitro coach Greg Cyrus said there was no question that his team
couldn't matchup with Capital's speed. But Cyrus said he felt the
Wildcats were stronger.
"I thought physically we were stronger,' Cyrus added. "The
first time we got the ball we drove it right down their throats.'
Cyrus said had the Wildcats presented more of a running threat,
their passing game would have opened up.
"I think if we would have had a great running back,' he said,
"we could have beaten them.'
PROGRESS Improvement comes gradually for the Capital Cougars,
who are 3-0 on the season.