NITRO-POCA: A TALE OF TWISTS
Publication: THE
Published: 11/08/1996
Page: P1B
Headline: NITRO-POCA: A TALE OF TWISTS
Byline: RICK RYAN
It's a football game with
as many storylines as yard lines.
When Nitro and Poca square off tonight at O.O. White Stadium, there
will be an assortment of incentives.
- Playoffs: Each side will
be out to enhance its postseason status.
The Wildcats (7-2), ranked No. 10 in Class AAA,
need a win to stay in
the top 16 and perhaps vault into the top half of the field and earn
the home-field advantage in the first round. The Dots (8-1), rated
fifth in Class AA, could worm their way into the No. 4 position with a
victory and secure as many as two home games.
- Records: Nitro sophomore
Chris Martin, with 1,205 yards, stands 107
yards shy of breaking the state record for receiving yards during the
regular season. In addition, Wildcat quarterback J.R. House can edge
closer to another state mark - touchdown passes in a single season. He
is seven shy of the all-games record of 34.
- Rivalry: These next-door
neighbors would like nothing better than to
spoil the other's success. Last year, Nitro ended its season by
knocking off then unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Poca
21-13.
- The Redman factor: Last
year, Jason Redman was a big reason the
Wildcats won this matchup, as he streaked 82
and 80 yards for TDs on a
pair of short passes from House. Now enrolled at Poca,
he's the Dots'
top rushing and receiving threat as well as one of the state's leading
scorers with 118 points.
"There are a lot of
things going on,' said Poca coach Bob Lemley.
Lemley, for one, would like to keep things
basic and simple tonight.
As in controlling the ball on the ground. Poca rushed for 355 yards
against Nitro last year, but fumbles proved to be the Dots' undoing.
Poca has the right weapons to do so in
the speedy Redman, who's
already rushed for more than 1,000 yards and the smallish Jason Gray,
who has run for 479 yards and five TDs.
The two teams who have shot
down the pass-happy Wildcats have been
able to hog the ball -
Nitro and Herbert Hoover rolled up 306 yards on 43 carries in last
week's 45-20 conquest of the Wildcats.
"The teams that have
beaten them have been successful in controlling
the ball and not giving it back to them,' Lemley said. "They'll get
their shots in. It's like the fast break in basketball. You don't want
to get into a fast-break game with them and hope to score more than
they do.'
Nitro averages 30.7 points
per game and is 4-1 in games when its
opponent has scored at least 26 points.
"It's a different team
than you would normally see in high school,'
Lemley said. "They
hardly run at all. You don't usually see that type
of offense. They have such a good quarterback and a good receiving
corps. They're always dangerous. You can't get enough points.'
Nitro coach Robert Burdette
fully expects Poca to implement the same
tactics that other teams have used against his offense this season.
"I'm sure they'll try
some of the same stuff they'll see on our game
films,' Burdette said. "Lemley
has an awful lot of formations and
plays they can use - and he might throw in a new wrinkle now and then.
But I think we'll see a lot of handoffs up the middle and the option
to see if we can stop it.'
Actually, the Dots may have
an unexpected ally in trying to halt the
Wildcats - the wind. If forecasts hold true, House will be throwing
through some stiff breezes tonight. Wind often times will wreak more
havoc on a passing attack than cold, rain or snow.
"That's about the
worst thing we could face,' Burdette said. "But
I've said before that we'll do what we do best and see how it works.'
Just as the Dots must
concern themselves with halting House, the
Wildcats will tinker with ways to contain Redman.
"He made a couple big
plays against us last year,' Lemley said. "I'm
glad we've got him. He really gave us a spark, especially early in the
year. He gave us instant offense, running and catching the ball so
well.
"But our team has
gotten better since the East Bank game [a 32-12
loss]. It's not just Jason Redman. Our other guys are playing better,
too.'
Redman has recovered from a
groin injury that slowed him at midseason,
but he played only the first half last week while battling a touch of
the flu.