J.R.'S READY FOR WINFIELD IN THE
HOUSE
Publication: THE
Published: 08/30/1996
Page: P1B
Headline: J.R.'S READY FOR WINFIELD IN THE HOUSE
Byline: RICK RYAN
J.R. House had a debut like
no other freshman quarterback in state
history last season.
As a ninth-grader at Nitro,
House passed for 2,015 yards and 11
touchdowns, completing 55 percent of his throws. His yardage total was
the most ever for a
But his true debut wasn't
as sensational. House steered the Wildcats
to a 23-0 victory at Winfield in their season opener, but his
performance was - by comparison - ordinary.
House hit on 7-of-17 passes
for 160 yards and one touchdown against
the Generals a year ago - one of his lowest yardage totals of the
season.
And his first series under
center was truly forgettable. Winfield
sacked House on his first three offensive plays. House and the
Wildcats will get a chance to make amends for that rude welcome when
they play host to the Generals at 7:30 tonight at Underwood Field in a
mutual season opener.
"We had a problem with
protection,' House said of last year's rough
start. "They showed us a [defensive] front we
hadn't seen before.
"But we've got
everything in now. We're ready. Everything has been
looking good in our two scrimmages.'
House is always first to
throw the credit to his offensive line. He
attempted 279 passes last season and was sacked only nine times all
year.
But he's not concerned
about avenging last year's underwhelming
experience against the Generals.
"No, I'm just looking
forward to the game,' House said. "The offense
has been clicking and the defense has picked up a lot.'
And, likewise, House isn't
deflated about the loss of his top two
receivers from last fall. Speedy Jason Redman (46 catches, 934 yards)
transferred to Poca and running back Ryan Blake (50
catches, 397
yards) transferred to George Washington.
"I'm really not
worried about that,' House said. "I don't think
we've
lost much at all. A lot of other receivers have stepped up.'
The one thing that House
really concerns himself with is victories.
"We definitely want a
winning season,' he said. "It would be the
first time for us since 1983.
"And we'd like to get
into the playoffs. But with four double-A teams
on our schedule, that hurts us a little bit. We'd probably have to go
7-3 or 8-2.'