ANOTHER LINEMAN AT NITRO

Publication: CHARLESTON DAILY MAIL
Published: 09/01/1994
Page: P4C
Headline: ANOTHER LINEMAN AT NITRO
Byline: TOM ALUISE

Hint to young, aspiring offensive or defensive linemen: Either
move to the Nitro High School district, start drinking its water, or
bottle up some fumes from its surrounding chemical plants.
Changing your last name to Smith might help too.
Heed this advice and you might just land a college scholarship
In the past 10 years, Nitro has produced two Division I-AA
linemen, two in I-A and has another this season who's being watched
closely by major college recruiters.
Scott Riddle, a 6-5, 290-pound senior tackle, has caught the eye
of schools such as South Carolina, Penn State, Miami, West Virginia,
Virginia Tech and Marshall. South Carolina and Marshall have already
invited Riddle to games this fall. He attended Penn State's spring
game.
"For some reason we get tall kids,' said Nitro coach Greg
Cyrus, attempting to explain the Wildcats' amazing run of quality
linemen. "Of course, colleges look for height now. The first thing
you have to have is height.'
And playing on the line at Nitro is not considered dirty work
"You get a couple of successful ones and the other kids notice
it,' Cyrus said. "They don't mind working at it. We have more kids
who want to be linemen than running backs.'
In the late 1980s, Nitro produced Greg Adkins and Madison Sayre,
who both compiled outstanding careers on the offensive line at I-AA
Marshall.
"I always thought Adkins and Sayre should have went to a higher
level,' Cyrus said. "I'm a big Marshall fan. But I would have
liked to have seen them go to a higher level.'
Smith and Smith did.
Brian Smith, a 6-7, 285-pound 1991 Nitro graduate, was ticketed
as Ohio State's starting center this season until a back injury ended
his year. Smith likely has two years of eligibility remaining.
Sam Smith, a 6-5, 280-pound 1993 graduate, is a freshman at
Tulane and probably will be redshirted this year. Cyrus said Smith
was the Green Wave's strongest freshman.
The Smiths aren't related.
"Brian Smith was probably the best pure athlete _ running,
jumping and stuff like that,' Cyrus said. "All of them were pretty
good.'
And so, apparently, is Riddle, who didn't start playing football
until his sophomore year.
"He has such quick feet,' Cyrus said. "He's just a good
blocker. He's out in front of the running backs and does a good job
trapping. And he can pass block well because he has such good feet
. He'll make some college a good offensive lineman.'
Occasionally, he makes Nitro a dangerous fullback. Riddle ran a
5.2 40-yard dash at Penn State's camp this summer.
"We like to play him in the backfield a little bit as a
blocking back,' Cyrus said. "He's probably our best fullback.'
Hurricane coach Gary Eggleton, whose 1-0 Redskins host the 1-0
Wildcats Friday, is worried more about blocking Riddle than tackling
him.
"Everybody was talking about the (Sam) Smith kid last year,'
Eggleton said. "We thought Riddle was their best lineman. He's
tough. We may not be able to touch him blocking-wise.'