DUPONT-NITRO GAME SWITCHED TO
LAIDLEY
Publication:
Published: 11/18/1997
Page: P3B
Headline: DUPONT-NITRO GAME SWITCHED TO LAIDLEY
Byline: TOM ALUISE
Nitro Coach Robert "Little' Burdette says he has no qualms with the
Secondary School Activities Commission's decision to move the
Wildcats' playoff football game to Laidley Field on
Saturday.
Nitro and DuPont were
scheduled to meet in a Class AAA quarterfinal at
7:30 p.m. Friday at
But, following DuPont's
protest over the field's playing condition and
a subsequent inspection by an SSAC committee, the SSAC decided to move
the contest to 1:30 p.m. Saturday to artificially turfed
Laidley.
"We're not going to
complain about it,' Burdette said. "It's one of
the best facilities in the state.
"Coach (Dick) Whitman
at DuPont and myself, neither one of us care
where we play. We just want to play.'
No. 3 Nitro (9-1) is the
home team. The Wildcats defeated the
sixth-rated Panthers (9-2) during the regular season, 36-23, at
DuPont.
Asked if playing at Laidley gives either team an advantage, Burdette
chose DuPont.
"I'd pick them because
they've played there this year,' he said.
"We've got to get up there and practice.'
Saturday's game will mark
DuPont's third this season at Laidley. The
Panthers lost to Capital, 24-8, during the regular season and downed
Brooke in their playoff-opener last week, 35-13, on the turf.
The SSAC also moved two
other games because of poor playing fields.
The Magnolia-Tolsia contest in AA was shifted from
Buffalo-Wayne to
Huntington High, while the East Hardy-Big Creek battle in A was moved
from Princeton to
Neither the day nor time
was changed in those games.