POCA'S REDMAN WINS AGAIN
Publication: THE
Published: 11/09/1996
Page: P4C
Headline: POCA'S REDMAN WINS AGAIN
Byline: TOMMY R. ATKINSON
POCA - Jason Redman has
been on both sides of the Poca-Nitro rivalry
the last two years - the winning sides.
While at Nitro last year,
Redman and his Wildcat teammates downed a
previously unbeaten Poca team 21-13 to end the
season.
Redman won again in the
last game of the regular season, ripping the
Nitro defense for 151 yards on 18 carries and four touchdowns as the
Dots easily beat the Wildcats 35-10 at O.O. White Stadium in Poca
Friday night.
A chilled crowd of 1,000
attended.
Redman transferred from
Nitro to Poca before the season began.
"At first, I will say
I was nervous. It just turned out to be like any
other game,' Redman said.
Poca (9-1) is ranked fifth in the
Secondary School Activities
Commission's latest Class AA rankings.
Nitro (7-3) was 10th in
Class AAA, but three teams ranked ahead of the
Wildcats also lost on Friday.
"You've got to give
credit to Nitro,' Poca coach Bob Lemley
said.
"They threw everything they had at us. I thought our guys did a pretty
good job of slowing their offense down. We just tried to cover the
receivers.'
Nitro built a 10-7 halftime
lead behind the arm of sophomore
quarterback J.R. House, who threw for 123 yards on 12-of-23 passing in
the first half.
Redman ripped off a 65-yard
TD run with three seconds left in the
first half on a draw play up the middle to bring the Dots within 10-7.
"They did a good job
of controlling the ball against us,' said
Lemley. "He [Redman]
was under a little pressure. He came through for
us big-time. I think he did just what he's been doing all year long.'
With the win, the Dots are
assured of two home games in the playoffs,
which begin next week. The Wildcats will most likely begin the
playoffs on the road.
How far can Poca go?
"If we play [in the
playoffs] like we did the first half, not very
far,' said Redman. "If we play like we did in the
second half,
there's no stopping us.'
Junior running back Jason
Gray ran for 58 yards on seven carries and
junior fullback Ian McQuinn added 56 yards on seven
totes for Poca.
For Nitro, House completed
15 of 35 passes for 146 yards with one TD
and one interception. Sophomore running back Zack Collins gained 46
yards on the ground and 62 yards on six catches. Senior wide receiver
Robbie Sigman had six receptions for 55 yards.
Redman said his main reason
for transferring from Nitro to Poca was to
get more offensive opportunities.
"I came down here to
make sure I can touch the ball more. It's very
selfish,' Redman said. "All my life, I've given up for the team. Last
year, I'd get the ball maybe five times a game.'
Redman said he has made
unofficial visits to the
"I've been down to a
couple [
"
"I don't know how
talented we are,' Lemley said.
"They [the players]
are starting to execute better. They're still
learning. It's just not totally Jason Redman. It's more a team effort
than anything else right now.'
For Nitro, sophomore Chris
Martin had one catch for 5 yards and fell
far short of the state record of 1,311 receiving yards in the regular
season. He now has 1,210.
In last year's game, Redman
had touchdown receptions of 82 and 80
yards from House to spark the Wildcats to a 21-13 victory over the
Dots.