AIR NITRO DEFLATES DUPONT
Publication:
Published: 10/25/1997
Page: P1B
Headline: AIR NITRO DEFLATES DUPONT
Byline: TOM ALUISE
DAILY MAIL SPORTSWRITER
Nitro High lost its leading
rusher and receiver to injury early in the
first quarter.
So what did the Wildcats
do?
They went out and did what
they'd already done six times this season.
Win a football game - with
a ninth-grader, no less, playing an
important role.
DuPont was the latest
victim, 36-23, buried under a barrage of passes
from Nitro quarterback J.R. House.
"We felt bad about
losing Zack,' Nitro Coach Robert "Little'
Burdette said of junior running back Zack Collins. "But
we found out
some things about our team. The kids just stepped in, ran our offense
and never blinked.
"Everybody can feel
bad about that (Collins injury) now,' Burdette
added. "But during the game they just had to step
up and play.'
Collins entered Friday's
game at H.B. Douglas Field between the two
highly ranked Class AAA teams with 699 yards rushing and 44 catches
for 352 yards. He injured his ankle on Nitro's first series and never
returned.
Senior Isaac Eastwood,
normally a receiver, moved into Collins'
running back slot and precocious freshman Clarence Joyner stepped in
at receiver.
They both had big nights.
Eastwood carried 10 times
for 55 yards and caught nine passes for 95
yards. He also pulled in a two-point conversion toss from House in the
second quarter.
"I have to mention
Isaac Eastwood,' Burdette said. "We stuck him
back
there in Zack's position and he stepped up, showed leadership and why
he's team captain. He did real well.'
Eastwood saw limited action
in the backfield earlier this season but
had been used primarily at receiver since House's return from
four games ago.
"I panicked a little
bit because I didn't know who he'd put back
there,' Eastwood said. "I had no idea I'd go back
there.'
Joyner, making his second
straight start in Nitro's secondary, caught
two passes on offense, including a key 40-yarder from House which he
turned into a touchdown with 7:36 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Joyner's TD boosted Nitro's
lead to 36-23 and gave the Wildcats
breathing room.
He provided even more
cushion on DuPont's next possession by picking
off a Matt Hill pass.
"We've been getting
Clarence ready,' Burdette said.
"I've played before in
big situations,' Joyner said. "I wasn't really
nervous.
"I was ready and
willing to play both ways. They put me out there to
play. I was ready.'
The victory improved Nitro
to 7-1 and moved it into a first-place tie
with DuPont (7-2) in the Mountain State Athletic Conference Gold
Division. Both teams are 4-1 in the league.
The Wildcats began
play Friday ranked fifth in the Secondary School
Activities Commission Class AAA playoff ratings. DuPont was fourth.
The triumph was Nitro's
first this season over a ranked team.
"It's a real, real big
win,' said Burdette, whose Wildcats conclude
their regular season next week against Herbert Hoover. "DuPont
is a
great team. They'll be back.'
Despite on-and-off rain,
Nitro's weatherized passing game never
sputtered.
House completed 38-of-56
passes for 412 yards and three TDs, hitting
seven different Nitro receivers as the Wildcat offense piled up 514
total yards. House threw two interceptions.
State record-holder Chris
Martin caught 11 passes for 121 yards and
two TDs. Chad Lovejoy added
10 catches for 113 yards.
"We've got so many
guys who can do so many things,' Eastwood said.
House, operating out of the
shotgun, was seldom pressured in the
pocket. He could have ordered a pizza.
"We got picked apart,'
DuPont Coach Dick Whitman said. "We couldn't
get any pressure on him (House). But they do a nice job protecting
him.
"The kid is special.
There's no question about that. You're not going
to find a better quarterback in the country to run that offense.'
With Collins out, House
even contributed running the football, picking
up 22 yards on 12 carries. He scored two TDs on
quarterback keepers.
"I was disappointed in
the way we played but on the other hand you've
got to give them credit,' Whitman said. "Four hundred
yards passing.
When a team does that to you, it's hard to win.
"I wasn't disappointed
in our effort. They were just better than we
were tonight, simple.'
DuPont led 23-14 following
Matt Hill's 20-yard TD pass to Kenny Wright
with 4:21 remaining in the third quarter and appeared to have enough
momentum to hold off House and the Wildcats.
The Panthers, though,
turned the ball over on their next five
possessions - three Hill interceptions and two fumbles - and Nitro
scored 22 straight points.
"Turnovers killed us,'
Whitman said. "You play a team like that and
you've got to stay up on them. It seemed like every time we got
something going in the second half we'd turn it over.'
Tailback Tremain Straughter paced the
DuPont offense with 148 yards on
25 carries. He scored TDs on runs of 25 and 39 runs.
Panther reserve Brandon
Campbell was injured during a kickoff and
taken from the stadium via ambulance. Whitman said
possible dislocated hip.