ZACK ATTACK FUELS NITRO, 14-7
Publication: THE
Published: 09/06/1997
Page: P1B
Headline: ZACK ATTACK FUELS NITRO, 14-7
Byline: RICK RYAN
Everyone knows Nitro is going to score points.
With an offensive
strategist like assistant coach Scott Tinsley
calling the plays, the Wildcats love to put the ball in the air and
light up the scoreboard.
So anything they get from
their defense is a bonus. On Friday night,
they hit the jackpot.
The unbeaten Wildcats
(2-0) held visiting Hurricane to 169 total yards
and intercepted four passes en route to a 14-7 victory before a
moderate turnout at Underwood Field.
The Redskins' experienced
offense threatened several times, but scored
its only points with 7:28 remaining in the game following a 13-yard
drive after Nitro snapped the ball over its punter's head.
Nitro had grabbed a 14-0
lead with a pair of third-quarter touchdowns,
including a 13-yard hookup from freshman quarterback Jason Ward to
Isaac Eastwood and a 16-yard run by junior Zack Collins.
Collins was the offensive
standout for Nitro, as he carried 32 times
for 132 yards and caught a pair of passes for 24 yards. After being
held to 27 yards on 10 attempts in the first half, the relentless
bursts of the 195-pound Collins into the line wore down the Hurricane
defense.
"My offensive line was
blocking really hard,' Collins said. "We just
powered it out there in the second half. We had to adjust.'
The Ward-to-Eastwood
connection was the story on Nitro's first scoring
drive, as they teamed up for 25 yards on a third-and-14 call to place
the ball at the Redskins 44. After a 25-yard run by Collins, Ward
again found Eastwood on a third-and-long play, hitting him in stride
in the end zone from 13 yards out.
Hurricane (1-1) punted the
ball right back and Nitro hit the end zone
again.
Collins advanced a short
pass from Chris Martin for 19 yards and then
pounded the ball for gains of 11, 13 and 9 yards on consecutive plays.
Two downs later, Collins carried defenders across the goal line from
16 yards away.
Ward (5 of 9 for 61 yards)
and Martin (2 of 4 for 24 yards) split the
quarterbacking duties for Nitro. Martin also ran for 22 yards.
"We've got a runner
and we've got a passer,' Collins said. "We're
trying to find a quarterback.'
The Redskins could have
averted the scoreless tie at halftime. With
less than 90 seconds in the second quarter, a 12-yard pass from Matt
Tidd to Nathan Flanagan put the ball at the Nitro 5.
But Hurricane was
called for holding and Tidd later threw an
interception with the clock
winding down.
Then, trailing 14-0,
Hurricane missed a chance to get back in the game
at the outset of the fourth quarter.
On fourth-and-1 from the
Nitro 21, Leif Walroth was stuffed on a
running play by Wildcat defensive end Joey Murphy.
Hurricane finally scored
with 7:28 remaining on a 4-yard run by
Walroth, who led the visitors with 53 yards on 14
carries. The drive
started at the Nitro 13 after the ball was snapped over the head of
punter Barry Dickerson, who was smothered by Britt Dillard.
The Redskins missed another
opportunity with a little more than five
minutes left with Nitro facing a third-and-17 call from its own 40.
Ward overthrew Martin on a deep pattern, but Hurricane was flagged for
pass interference and the Wildcats picked up an automatic first down.
On Hurricane's last two
hurried possessions, Jess Clark picked off
pass attempts by Walroth and Tidd
to close out the victory.
"We don't have the
talent where we can just walk on the field and
win,' Hurricane coach Gary Eggleton told his team
afterward. "We've
got to be more aggressive.'
Tidd hit on 8 of 18 passes for 69 yards
with three interceptions.
Hurricane rushed for 100 yards on 29 carries.
Last year, the Wildcats
allowed opponents an average of 29 points per
game and were forced into several shootouts.