HOOVER TAKES THE FAST LANE

Publication: THE CHARLESTON GAZETTE
Published: 08/25/2001
Page: 1B
Headline: HOOVER TAKES THE FAST LANE
Byline: TOMMY R. ATKINSON

tatkinson@wvgazette.com

Herbert Hoover's Wesley Lane couldn't have dreamed up a better way to start his senior season.

The 5-foot-7, 160-pound running back gained 275 yards on 20 carries and scored five touchdowns to lead the Huskies to a season-opening 58-34 win over host Nitro in a Class AAA game at Underwood Field Friday night. An estimated crowd of 1,500 attended.

Lane amassed 165 yards and three TDs in the second half alone. The Huskies, who fell behind 14-0 after the opening quarter, capitalized on Wildcat turnovers and outscored Nitro 24-0 in the fourth quarter. The Hoover defense also recorded two sacks and blocked an extra-point attempt.

"All the credit goes to the line," said Lane. "They make the holes and we'll break them. It was perfect to start off a senior year. The first quarter, I was tired and then all of the sudden, we kicked it into another gear. We kept coming and never let down."

The two teams were tied at 34 heading into the final quarter until Hoover rattled off 24 straight points. Seth Moales (95 yards on 12 carries) scored on a 48-yard run to start the binge and then Lane broke off 70- and 33-yard scoring runs. Hoover totaled 415 yards on the ground.

"It'll be fun to get to school Monday," said a smiling Steve Stoffel, the Huskies second-year coach. "It was a tremendous win for us. I never thought we'd score 58 points.

"It would be better if they didn't score 30-some. I thought Nitro is a big-play team and they're going to score. I told our kids we couldn't get excited if they scored. It was a hot, humid night and we played a lot of kids. We went down deep and our seconds and thirds gave us a great effort."

Lane scored his first touchdown with 29 seconds left before halftime to pull Hoover into a 21-20 lead.

"He had a great game," said Stoffel. "He's a tough kid. Everything we want from him, he gives us. He's complemented well back there. Next week, it might be somebody else. It's a great night for our young kids. Our big boys picked it up."

For Nitro, junior tailback Chris McGhee gained 183 yards on 22 attempts with two TDs. Junior fullback Greg Eads added 79 yards on 16 carries. Junior quarterback Derek Midkiff threw for 251 yards on 18-of-34 passing. He tossed three TDs and avoided being intercepted.

Wildcat senior wideout Robbie Ripley caught four passes for 101 yards with a pair of TDs and senior flanker Jon Lowe caught eight passes for 80 yards.

"I kept telling coaches on the sidelines, "I think you're calling good defenses and our kids are there, we're just not tackling,"' said Nitro coach Robert "Little" Burdette. "If we don't tackle any better than that, we're in for a long year."

Fumbles also proved costly for the Wildcats, who lost four and commited nine penalites for 100 yards. Midkiff lost two fumbles on high snaps, including one in the third quarter that Hoover's Zack Beatty returned 55 yards for a score.

Eads' fourth-quarter fumble proved the costliest of all. Nitro was driving at the Hoover 15-yard line just down 41-34 when the ball squirted loose from his grip after a 5-yard gain. The Huskies' Andy White pounced on the miscue and three plays later, Lane scampered 70 yards for the clinching score.

"I never dreamed we'd give up 58 points and they were all on the ground," Burdette said. "That's frustrating. It's not going to get any easier for us. Offensivley, I think we have a chance."

"When we needed a big play, they made it in the second half," said Stoffel. "They're young. They're still learning. We've got a big task in front of us next week. We can't live on this. We'll savor it tonight and move on tomorrow."