Publication: CHARLESTON DAILY MAIL
Published: 12/31/1997
Page: P1B

J.R. House flies north, footballs fly again at Nitro.

The football season opened without the 1996 Kennedy Award winner, J.R.
House, behind center at Nitro. House, who won the award as a
sophomore, moved to Ormond Beach, Fla., and was playing for Seabreeze
High.

That was short lived. House, who completed 51-of-87 passes for 629
yards and five touchdowns in three games for the Sandcrabs, was back
in Nitro High by the end of September. Family business concerns were
cited as the reason for the Houses' return.

J.R. came back firing. He threw 33 touchdown passes in only seven
games, as he led the Wildcats to the second round of the Class AAA
playoffs. He was named first-team Class AAA All-State and finished
third in the Kennedy voting.

House threw for 3,272 yards total this season, giving him 8,931 yards
in his career. He ranks 11th on the national all-time list, and is
3,173 behind Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch's record of 12,104.

House bettered his own single-game state mark, throwing for 471 yards
against Herbert Hoover.

Chris Martin, who played some quarterback before House's return, was
happy to go back to receiver and showed it, catching 74 passes for
1,309 yards and 17 TDs. Martin joined House on the AAA All-State team.