VALLEY'S FINEST PRODUCE EYE-POPPING
NUMBERS
Publication:
Published: 01/01/1999
Page: P1B
Headline: VALLEY'S FINEST PRODUCE EYE-POPPING NUMBERS
Byline: DOUG SMOCK
DAILY MAIL SPORTSWRITER
When Nitro senior J.R.
House's arm finally rested, state and national
record books were rewritten and Morgantown High's defense had
collapsed under a 69-52 bombardment in the Class AAA championship
game.
The record-blasting
exploits of House and the Wildcats were voted the
top sports story of 1998 by the Charleston Daily Mail Sports
Department, narrowly topping the sensational NFL rookie season of
House put the exclamation
point on his career before 11,500 fans at
Wheeling Island Stadium, completing 43-of-60 passes for 594 yards and
10 - count 'em, 10 - touchdowns. Those numbers
blasted state records,
and the 10 TDs tied a national record.
He did better than tie a
number of other national marks, including:
- Season: 425 completions,
610 attempts, 5,526 yards, 65 touchdowns.
- Career: 1,103
completions, 1,725 attempts, 14,457 yards.
House broke
12,104 yards during Nitro's 42-24 victory over DuPont. The
record-breaking pass was a 14-yarder to Chris Martin, which came with
2:48 left and the Wildcats in control.
That led to one of the more
unusual scenes in high school football.
The game was stopped for a trophy presentation, and House was
interviewed on the sidelines by reporters as reserves finished the
game.
House set numerous state
records. His 1998 performance brought him his
second Kennedy Award, though he shared the honor with record-setting
running back Quincy Wilson of Weir in the first-ever tie vote.
House's contributions went
beyond the eye-glazing numbers. His
leadership rubbed off.
"Our confidence is at
an entirely different level with him in the
lineup," receiver Chris Higginbotham said this season. "He brings us
up spiritually and emotionally. Without him, we were decent. With him,
we're great."
And with that confidence,
the Wildcats were unbeatable.
Receiver Chris Martin, who
caught a national record 132 passes for
2,056 yards, was no big surprise. But Zack Collins, who rushed for
more than 1,000 yards and received for about 900 more, emerged after
not getting a carry in the opening game.
Center/linebacker Jesse Wisnewski joined House, Martin and Collins on
the all-state first team. Defensive end/blocking back Joey Murphy made
the second team, while receiver Jeff Clark and kicker Barry Dickerson
made special honorable mention. Receivers Chris Higginbotham and
Clarence Joyner, and lineman Matt Brewer rated honorable mention.
The Nitro defense was much,
much more capable than the stat sheets
showed, especially when House, who doubled as a linebacker, was called
on to play both ways. That became apparent in the Wildcats' victories
over DuPont and
semifinals.
The Wildcats made it
look easy in the title game against
bolting to a 41-6 halftime lead. But Nitro's 14-0 season was more
remarkable than most, from several perspectives.
For one, Nitro is Class
AAA's smallest school. It was a mere eight
years ago that then-Nitro coach Greg Cyrus protested a
mandate that all AAA schools play each other in the Kanawha Valley
Conference. Eventually, Cyrus and other "small-school" officials
helped found the Mountain State Athletic Conference.
Another is the rarity of a
successful pass-happy offense in
Virginia
"We were told when we
came here that if you throw more than you run,
you will lose in high school football," said Coach Scott Tinsley,
House's mentor and Nitro's offensive coordinator. "They said high
school kids can't block and no one could catch it consistently enough
to move it downfield."
Score another defeat for
conventional wisdom.
These days, fans statewide
are awaiting House's choice of college, and
how baseball will affect the picture. House narrowed his schools down
to
baseball draft could steer him away from college football.
Playing in
catcher with - surprise, surprise - a good arm.