NITRO BAGS WILD PLAYOFF VICTORY
Publication: THE SUNDAY GAZETTE-MAIL
Published: 11/16/1997
Page: P1D
Headline: NITRO BAGS WILD PLAYOFF VICTORY
Byline: RICK RYAN
SUNDAY GAZETTE-MAIL
Nitro got everything it
could have asked for on Saturday. Well,
actually, the Wildcats got a bit more than they wanted.
Nitro posted the school's
first-ever football playoff victory and once
more proved it could advance the ball regardless of field conditions
as it ousted Oak Hill 41-14 in a first-round Class AAA contest before
a paid crowd of 1,709 at Crawford Field in St. Albans.
The third-ranked Wildcats
(9-1) will now take on No. 6 DuPont in the
quarterfinal round next weekend. The date and field assignment will be
determined today.
Nitro ignored the brisk
weather and sloppy field to amass 359 yards
passing and 435 overall. Junior quarterback J.R. House completed
34-of-43 attempts and threw for a Class AAA playoff record five
touchdowns to accent his 359 yards in the air.
Junior fullback Zack
Collins, playing for the first time in three
weeks because of an ankle injury, scored three TDs
for Nitro. He led
the Wildcats in rushing with 78 yards on eight carries and caught a
playoff-record 14 passes for 79 yards.
"They just blew us
away,' said Jim Martin, Oak Hill's first-year
coach. "They executed real well.'
But the Wildcats got
something they weren't counting on late in the
third quarter. A fight erupted between the teams, resulting in the
ejection of Red Devils sophomore linebacker Brian Cunningham. Cunningham was
penalized for a
late hit on House, who had released a
pass for Collins. Words were exchanged between several
players,
prompting the scuffle. Cunningham also kneed Nitro receiver Chris
Martin in the groin, sending Wildcats lineman Matt Brewer into a
frenzy and he charged Cunningham.
and order was finally restored after about 20 minutes. No Nitro
players were ejected and all appear eligible to compete in next week's
playoff game.
"I think it was just
one guy,' said Nitro coach Robert Burdette of
Cunningham. "He hit J.R. in the leg after he'd thrown
and before they
took him off the field, he hit Chris Martin in the [testicles].
"I don't think it was
the Oak Hill team that was at fault. It was just
one kid who decided he was going to hurt somebody.'
Two plays after the
incident, Nitro scored on a 4-yard run by Collins,
boosting its lead to 34-0.
Oak Hill (7-4), ranked 14th
entering the postseason, managed a pair of
late touchdowns by junior standout William Jackson, who scored on runs
of 60 and 3 yards.
offense the last two games, ended with 173 yards on 17 carries.
The majority of
55, 60 and 34 yards. He also returned a pair of kickoffs 63 yards
despite not being in the starting lineup.
"I was happy and
surprised to see
the outset],' Burdette said. "I understand what
[Oak Hill] was doing,
but when they got behind, they must have thought: 'It's now or never.'
One key was that we shut down their running game early.'
Before
two possessions and led 14-0. That edge grew to 28-0 by halftime as
House threw for four TDs, two to Chris Martin on
catches of 56 and 80
yards.
"They tried to play us
man-to-man,' Martin said, "and I don't think
anyone can play us man. John Marshall tried it, too.'
That was another lopsided
win for the Wildcats, who routed the
defending Class AAA champion Monarchs 35-13 on Oct. 17. In that game,
Martin set a state record for receiving yardage with a 14-catch,
307-yard, four-TD performance.
Against Oak Hill, Martin
caught eight balls for 188 yards and two
scores.
"Most teams we play
run the ball,' said Oak Hill junior Eddie Logan,
one of many Red Devil defensive backs dizzied by the overhead
onslaught. "We're not used to that much passing.
"It's mostly what we
saw on film, but they ran a lot of picks and they
sent the wing[back] out to block me. Everything's got
to be perfect
for a defense to stop them.'
The postseason appearance
was the first for Oak Hill since 1950. The
Red Devils were 0-10 in 1995 and 5-5 last season.