MCGHEE RUNS WILD FOR NITRO 278 TOTAL
YARDS AS 'CATS EDGE HURRICANE
Publication: THE
Published: 09/01/2001
Page: 1B
Headline: MCGHEE RUNS WILD FOR NITRO 278 TOTAL YARDS AS 'CATS EDGE HURRICANE
Byline: TODD MILAM
For the Gazette
HURRICANE - Nitro's Chris McGhee looked like a one-man show Friday against
Hurricane.
The 5-foot-8, 155-pound McGhee had 278 of the Wildcats' 379 yards to lead Nitro
to a 27-14 victory over the host Redskins.
McGhee battled rain and soggy field conditions to rush for 259 yards on 36
carries and three touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 19 yards, including
a 4-yard TD from quarterback Derek Midkiff.
"The line did an awesome job," said McGhee. "My lead blocker,
Greg Eads, opened up huge holes. All I had to do was hold onto the ball and
run."
Eads, who goes 6-3, 270, teamed with a massive Nitro offensive line, led by
Cory Fisher and Clay Coulter, to give McGhee room to roam late in the fourth
quarter. Holding onto a 21-14 lead, Nitro gave McGhee the ball nine straight
times and the junior ripped off runs of 23, 18 and 11 yards as the Wildcats
moved from their own 25 to Hurricane's 10-yard line.
But with 57 seconds left on the clock, Nitro called timeout. During the
timeout, McGhee asked offensive coordinator Scott Tinsley for a favor - one
more carry.
"Chris came up to me and said, 'Give it to me one more time and I'll score
for you,' " said Tinsley. "When a kid is
that determined, how can I say no? He ran so hard all game long."
McGhee made good on his promise and scored on a 10-yard touchdown dash to give
Nitro a 27-14 lead. McGhee accounted for four first downs on the drive and all
75 yards.
"I was just trying to get 10 yards, get a first down, and hold onto the
ball," said McGhee. "And I just kept doing that, again and
again."
Defensively, the Wildcats reversed last week's disappointing performance
against Herbert Hoover, where they surrendered 495 yards, to hold the Redskins
to only 1 yard in the first half and 168 yards for the game.
McGhee said the Wildcats concentrated hard on defense in practice and
changed some defensive schemes in preparation of Jared Stephens.
"We changed some things up, because he likes to throw," said McGhee.
"And we came out with some awesome intensity."
Stephens overcame a 3-of-7 start to complete 14-of-23 passes for 168 yards and
two touchdowns, both to Josh Smith, covering 4 and 11 yards. He also led the
Redskins in rushing with 40 yards on 12 carries. He threw two interceptions.
"He's a tough kid," said Redskins coach Gary Eggleton.
"He doesn't mind running or passing. He'll keep sticking his nose in
there."
Contributing to the Redskins' slow start were the wet field conditions. The
rain seemed to affect the pass-happy Redskins more than the ball-control Wildcats.
"It was a factor, but Nitro had an excellent game plan," Eggleton said. "Nitro came into the game fired up and
ready to go. They were ridiculed in the paper for their performance last week,
and too many people were patting us on the back for beating Capital."
Despite the slow start, Hurricane had a chance to tie the game late in the
fourth quarter after recovering a McGhee fumble on its own 25-yard line. The
Redskins drove the ball 63 yards before facing a fourth-and-6 deep in the
Wildcats' territory, but a Stephens pass went
incomplete to give Nitro the ball.
Also for the Wildcats, Midkiff threw for 95
yards and a touchdown on 10-of-15 passes. Tight end Marshall Casto was the leading receiver with three catches for 56
yards.