NITRO KNOCKS OFF POCA
Publication: THE
Published: 11/04/1995
Page: 01C
Headline: NITRO KNOCKS OFF POCA
Byline: RICK RYAN
In order to wrap up an
unbeaten regular season, Poca knew it had to pass
the test at Nitro. And that meant testing the pass. But it didn't work
out quite that way.
Junior Jason Redman caught
scoring passes of 80 and 82 yards from
freshman quarterback J.R. House at Underwood Field Friday night, lifting
Nitro (4-6) to a 21-13 upset of previously unbeaten Poca,
the state's
top-ranked Class AA team.
The Dots (9-1), defending
double-A champions, rolled up 349 yards on the
ground and had an edge of more than 100 total yards. But they forfeited
three of five fumbles and failed to keep the Cats from hitting the big
plays.
House, who threw for 272
yards, found Redman on almost identical plays
for the two long scores. House hit Redman on quick slants between
defenders and Redman carried it the distance each time.
"It's the best feeling
in the world,' Redman said. "And I didn't do
anything. It was all [because of] the line and J.R. I had the easy part.
"The coaches did an
excellent job. They put four receivers on one side
and I had man coverage on the other side. I got lucky.'
The victory allowed the Wildcats
to avenge a 31-0 loss at Poca last
year. House also pushed his passing total over the 2,000-yard mark in
the final game of his first varsity season.
The Wildcats won
despite having a meager ground game. They finished with
a net of 36 yards on 20 carries. Ryan Blake had 49 yards on eight
attempts before injuring his leg in the fourth quarter and limping off
the field.
For the Dots, Charlie
Hartley carried 17 times for 128 yards and
completed both his pass attempts for 28 yards. J.R. Cossin
carried 13
times for 65 yards and one TD, that coming on a 2-yard run with 2:46
left to play to bring Poca within eight points.
The Dots forced a punt moments later and had one last possession in an
attempt to tie the game and force overtime. But Patrick Dunn's long bomb
was intercepted by Redman at his own 10 with 43 seconds remaining
Nitro's Robbie Ligman also intercepted a pass in his own end zone with
five minutes to play, snuffing out another Poca
threat.
The Dots were tied 7-7 at
halftime and were their own worst enemy. Three
of their four possessions in the first half ended in lost fumbles -
including one at the Nitro 6 and another at the Wildcats' 25.
Poca was able to control the ball much
of the game, piling up 26 first
downs to nine for Nitro. The Dots also had a season-high 76 passing
yards and 425 total yards, but their five turnovers gave Nitro second
life. And the Wildcats took advantage with their big plays.