TAILBACK GIVES BOOST TO NITRO
Publication:
Published: 09/13/1995
Page: 04B
Headline: TAILBACK GIVES BOOST TO NITRO
Byline: TOM ALUISE
PASS-HAPPY OFFENSE SERVES
TO MAKE RYAN BLAKE A GROUND THREAT
Nitro High planted the seed
by trumpeting its plans to fling footballs
into the air this season at a dizzying rate.
And what sprouted is a
tailback who's leading the Mountain State
Athletic Conference Gold Division in scoring and is among its leading
rushers and pass receivers.
The outstanding season
Nitro's Ryan Blake is amassing is a byproduct of
the opposition's respect for the Wildcats' much talked-about passing
attack.
"He benefitted from our passing game early because everybody
thought we
would throw,' said Nitro coach Greg Cyrus. "Now
you have to defend him
because you know he can run.'
J.R. House, the Wildcats'
freshman quarterback, has already thrown for
587 yards (41-of-76, three touchdowns) in three games. That was
expected.
But Blake, a 5-9, 175-pound
junior, wasn't supposed to run for 362 yards
in his first three games and average 6.2 yards per carry.
"We're running the
ball a lot better than I ever thought we would,'
said Cyrus, drying off following Tuesday's practice.
Blake, who's also caught 12
passes for 146 yards, said it all goes back
to the QB spot.
"Having J.R. brings a
whole new dimension to the team,' said Blake,
whose six TDs include one via a 28-yard pass from
House. "J.R. can read
defenses and he can throw it. That gets them scared. Ninety percent of
our running game comes from our passing. If you go to stop the pass,
we're going to run. If you try to stop the run, we'll pass.'
Blake, who started three
games at QB last year, will be in action again
at 7:30 p.m. Friday when the 2-1 Wildcats cross the
play 2-1 and 10th-ranked
Churning out another
100-yard effort won't be as easy for Blake against
a big and talented Red Dragons' defense.
"They'll be the best
team we've played,' said Cyrus, whose Wildcats
have downed Winfield and George Washington. They lost to Hurricane.
"We'll mix it up,'
Cyrus said. "We're going to run some and pass
some.
I don't know if we can run on
That is, if Blake can they
will.
"He runs hard and he's
got some speed,' Cyrus said. "He's not exactly a
speed demon but he tries to get that extra yard.'
Whether it be by land or by air, Nitro needs to control the football
against
"The clock needs to
keep running,' he said. "We need to make the game
short and play good defense. We can't let them get any quick touchdowns.
And we have to keep Wehrle (strong-legged SA kicker
John Wehrle) about
75 yards from the goal line.'
Getting close to the goal
line hasn't been a problem for Blake, who
entered this season hoping for a role in the Wildcats' pass-oriented
offense other than token running back.
"I was just hoping I
would get it (ball) in some way,' he said.