NITRO DEFENSIVE TACKLE RAINES STANDS
OUT
Publication:
Published: 11/20/1997
Page: P1B
Headline: NITRO DEFENSIVE TACKLE RAINES STANDS OUT
Byline: TOM ALUISE
Playing on the defensive line for
sort of like marching in the band.
Unless you're the drum
major - or you go the wrong way in a formation
- you're not going to stand out.
At Nitro, the high-powered
offense is the point of emphasis.
Quarterback J.R. House and his host of speedy receivers garner the
most attention. As a whole, the offensive line, which is responsible
for keeping hungry defensive linemen away from House, even gets some
credit.
On the Wildcats' improved
defense, the linebackers are noticeable
because they make most of the tackles. And the secondary often makes
headlines because opposing offenses end up resorting to the pass in an
effort to erase large Nitro leads.
That leaves guys like Josh
Raines, a four-year regular on Nitro's
defensive front who has contributed regularly since
his ninth-grade
year but has received little credit.
In Nitro's 41-14 victory
over Oak Hill last week in the opening round
of the Class AAA playoffs, Raines recorded nine tackles and three
sacks.
The 6-foot, 220-pound
senior tackle's play this season is a big reason
the third-rated Wildcats are better on defense and subsequently 9-1
heading into Saturday's 1:30 p.m. AAA quarterfinal battle against No.
6 DuPont (9-2) at Laidley Field.
"I think it's fun
going out there and playing defense,' Raines said
Wednesday evening, following Nitro's practice at Laidley. "I'd rather
play defense than offense. I think it's fun flying
around and hitting
people.'
And Raines can fly.
"The thing he's got
going for him is he can really run,' Nitro Coach
Robert "Little' Burdette said. "He ran down
the
tailback William) on a sweep before he turned the corner. And he got
to their quarterback a couple of times.'
"His asset is his
quick feet,' said Jack Eastwood, Nitro's defensive
coordinator. "He'll run a back down.'
Raines is a former middle
school sprinter. As a ninth-grader at Nitro,
he ran on the track team's 4x100-meter relay.
"I've gained weight
but I think I'm faster than last year,' said
Raines, whose stock went up toward the end of this regular season when
the Wildcats lost one of their top defensive players, linebacker Jesse
Wisnewski, to a knee injury.
"That hurt a good bit
but we have plenty of people,' Raines said.
"They learn quick and do just as well when they
come in.
"I think we have 11
seniors and a lot of us play defense,' Raines
added. "That helps a lot. We know what we're
doing.'
That wasn't always the case
last year when Nitro's defense allowed a
brutal 30 points per game. This year, the opposition is averaging
about 14 per game.
"They're a lot better
and the main reason is most of them are back,'
Burdette said. "You take a guy like Josh who's
been doing it a long
time. They've just gotten better through repetition.'
"Our main problem last
year was we just missed tackles,' said Raines,
who also plays on the offensive line and is a solid pass blocker
Burdette moved Raines to
offense last year.
"He's developed into a
beauty,' Burdette said. "We're going to miss
him next year.'