HOUSE MIGHT NOT BE GONE FOREVER
Publication:
Published: 11/20/1996
Page: P1B
Headline: HOUSE MIGHT NOT BE GONE FOREVER
Byline: TOM ALUISE
Nitro High's football coach has not given
up on having talented
quarterback J.R. House behind center once again next season.
"I'd say it's fair to
say there's a 50-50 chance he'll come back,'
Robert "Little' Burdette said Tuesday. "I
know they have a home here
and business interests here.'
House, a 6-foot-1,
190-pound sophomore, completed an outstanding
season Saturday for the Wildcats, finishing with over 3,600 yards
passing as Nitro's year ended with a 56-20 loss to Capital in the
first round of the Class AAA playoffs.
On Monday, House and his
family moved to
surprise. Speculation had been rampant that House would relocate to
the
Prior to enrolling in Nitro
as a ninth-grader, House had spent
portions of school years in
owns a car dealership. The Houses also own dealerships in the
Rodger House has said the
move to
financial reasons and was not sports related.
Burdette said neither he nor
his players would have a problem with
House returning in time for the 1997 football season.
"I told him he's
welcome back,' Burdette said. "And the kids want
him
back. They'd welcome him back. I don't think there's any question
about that. He's a good kid. If he were a jerk, it would be
different.'
Burdette said House would
be immediately eligible to participate in
sports at Nitro.
"From what I
understand everything would be legal and by the books,'
he said.
In helping Nitro go
7-4 and reach the playoffs for the first time
since 1960, House completed 275-of-458 passes for 3,641 yards and 31
touchdowns.
He set state records for
passing yards in a game (457) and a season.
House also tied the state mark for TD passes during the regular season
(28).
In two years at Nitro,
House completed 429-of-734 passes for 5,656
yards and 42 TDs. He is only 264 yards shy of the
state record for
career passing (5,920), set by Magnolia's Todd Morris from 1980-82.
Burdette said House's
success has never gone to his head. House was a
second-team AAA all-stater as a freshman.
"He's a real modest
kid,' Burdette said. "I think if you would talk
to any teacher who had him in class at Nitro, you'd get great
reviews.'
Burdette isn't sure what
offense the Wildcats will run next season if
House doesn't return. Receiver Chris Martin and House backup Chris
Higginbotham are candidates to move into the QB spot.
"They can run the
offense,' Burdette said. "Now, I don't think they
can run it with the precision J.R. runs it with. J.R. is a different
breed of cat as we all know.
"If J.R. doesn't come
back, we can't do exactly what we did.'
Burdette said he harbors no
hard feelings about House's departure.
"You can't fault a
recently turned 17-year-old kid for taking
advantage of an opportunity to live in
told him, people have got to do what they've got to do. I wish him the
best. I don't have any hard feelings.'