INTERCEPTIONS HELP LIFT GW OVER
NITRO
Publication:
Published: 09/13/1997
Page: P1B
Headline: INTERCEPTIONS HELP LIFT GW OVER NITRO
Byline: TOM ALUISE
DAILY MAIL SPORTSWRITER
John Pennington didn't get
his fill of passes from quarterback Hollis
Lewis.
So the
source - the opposing quarterback.
Pennington's three
interceptions Friday were instrumental in the
Patriots' 14-13 victory over Nitro at Underwood Field. The win snapped
GW's four-game losing streak against the Wildcats.
Playing free safety, the
5-foot-10, 150-pound Pennington picked off
his first pass in the third quarter and a couple more in the fourth on
Nitro's final two possessions.
Not bad for a guy who began
the evening more worried about his
tackling than his coverage.
Pennington figured the
pass-happy Wildcats would fill the air with
footballs. His focus, though, was keeping Nitro's skill players on the
ground.
"I was real excited
about the passing,' Pennington said, "but I was
worried about making tackles. I'd missed a couple in our last game.'
"John Pennington is a
good player,' said GW Coach Steve Edwards Jr.,
whose Patriots improved to 2-1 and handed Nitro (2-1) its first loss.
"He has the ability to make big plays. We're glad he did. He made them
at crucial times tonight.'
Pennington, who worked at
cornerback for much of the preseason before
moving to free safety only days before the Patriot opener, just missed
a fourth interception in the second half.
Pennington's third quarter
theft was his first of the season. He had
one all of last year as a linebacker at John Adams Junior High.
"We worked on (Nitro's
passing game) real hard,' Pennington said. "We
ran over their plays a lot.'
A receiver on offense,
Pennington pulled in one of Lewis' two passes
for 4 yards. It was his eighth reception this season, the second
highest total in the Mountain State Athletic Conference Gold Division
behind Nitro's Zack Collins (17).
Pennington's third
interception Friday deflected off the hands of
Nitro receiver Jeff Clark near midfield and ended the Wildcats' final
desperation drive. Nitro was attempting to move into field goal
position.
"I was hoping it would
go over his head,' Pennington said. "He tipped
it right to me. I was lucky.'
GW scored both of its
touchdowns before Underwood Field's lights
warmed up. And both TDs were set up by shoddy special
teams play by
the Wildcats.
An 8-yard punt after
Nitro's first possession gave GW a first down at
the Wildcat 31. Seven plays later, Robbie Wilson went over from 12
yards to make it 7-0.
The Wildcats then
fumbled away the ensuing kickoff. One play later
first quarter.
"We just got ourselves
in a hole early,' Nitro Coach Robert "Little'
Burdette said.
Nitro drove 70 yards in 13
plays to make it 14-7 with 1:50 left in the
opening quarter. Freshman quarterback Jason Ward hit
14-yard TD pass.
The Wildcats put up
their final points with 3:14 left in the third
quarter on Collins 3-yard run. Placekicker's Barry
Dickerson's
potential game-tying, extra-point try, though, sailed wide.
"I don't know what
happened,' Burdette said. "The snap was good. You
can never tell about the hold.'
Collins' run was set up
when Nitro's Joey Murphy blocked a Patriot
punt deep in GW territory.
"I just keep going
back to special teams,' Burdette said. "But
special teams got us a touchdown. So I don't guess they were all that
bad.'
Neither team was especially
explosive on offense, although both played
well defensively.
GW had 198 total yards -
but only 67 after the half - to Nitro's 178.
GW's
Collins finished with 80 yards on 19 carries.
Nitro's Ward completed
9-of-27 passes for 100 yards but threw the
three interceptions. Several of his offerings were dropped by
teammates.
"Maybe by winning the
big game (against Hurricane) last week we
thought tonight we were going to go out there and it just was going to
happen for us,' Burdette said. "I'm anxious to
see how these kids
bounce back.'
Nitro visits St. Albans next
week, while GW faces a rugged road test
at
"We came in with a
game plan - we thought we could grind it out,'
Edwards said. "They shut us down a little bit in
the second half and
we probably got a little conservative. But we were trying to run some
clock.'