Riverside marches past Nitro, 56-28
By Tommy Atkinson, for WVSPN.com
10/12/2001
Ealey accounted for 378 total yards and had a hand in
five of his team's eight touchdowns to lead the No. 6 Warriors to a 56-28
victory over Nitro (1-7) in a Class AAA game at Underwood Field at
In a steady drizzle, Ealey, nicknamed "Chiefy'' by teammates, completed 11-of-13 passes for 255
yards and two touchdowns with one interception. At one point in the second
half, he was 11-of-11 passing. Ealey played sparingly
at quarterback last year.
"The line played well so I just played off that,'' said the junior. "Whatever they do we're going to play off that.
"We've just got big-play receivers. It surprised me because I thought they
were going to play up [on the receivers]. They called my number a couple of
times and I took advantage of it. We knew we could run the ball. We still need
improvement.''
He also added 123 yards rushing on eight carries (15.4-yard average) and three
scores, including an 81-yarder that got the
"He made some nice reads,'' said Whitman. "He's
really executing our offense. He's getting real comfortable with our offense
and we're getting more comforttable with him.
"He's got the physical talent. It's a confidence factor and that plays a
big part. I thought he showed leadership and poise out there. He's starting to
show what you expect out of a quarterback.''
Riverside senior tailback Nate Wright (798 yards, 14 TDs), an all-state captain last year at Class A Valley
before transferring to the Quincy school this season, sat out with a strained
hamstring.
The Warriors also sat out three defensive starters during the first quarter
because of being late for a team meeting earlier in the week. Whitman said last
week in the win over
Also for the Warriors (7-1), junior running back Rusty Taylor added 122 yards
on 15 attempts and two touchdowns. He also returned an interception 70 yards in
the fourth quarter for a score. Senior wideout Karl
Booker added 79 yards on five catches and an interception. Sophomore Alex Stack finished with two picks.
Riverside sophomore tight end Josh Hughes caught three passes for 118 yards
(39.3-yard average) and two scores. He hauled in a 53-yard strike from Ealey in the first period and added a 54-yarder on the
first play from scrimmage of the second half that gave the Warriors some
breathing room at 28-13.
"They've got some play-makers,'' said Nitro coach Robert "Little''
Burdette of Riverside. "If he [Ealey] gets on the outside, he's going to make some things
happen.
"We tried to contain him, but they've just got too many weapons. We played
right there with them. They come out and get that touchdown on the first play
[of the third quarter] and that was a big play.''
For Nitro, junior quarterback Derek Midkiff passed
for 327 yards, completing 23-of-50 passes. He fired three touchdowns, but was
intercepted four times. Midkiff injured his knee near
the end of the game and didn't return.
Wildcat senior wide receiver Robbie Ripley hauled in 12 passes for 150 yards
and a score and senior wideout Jon Lowe added six
catches for 105 yards.
Junior running back Chris McGhee rolled up 110 yards rushing on 19 attempts and
a TD. He also caught a 5-yard scoring pass.
Nitro had two early opportunities in the first period to take the lead, but
couldn't cash in. The Wildcats had a fourth-and-goal at the
Nitro's five third-quarter drives ended in a lost fumble, punt, downs,
interception and interception.
"They key was getting three touchdowns ahead of them,'' Whitman said. "Those guys can score in a heartbeat. The key was
getting some stops on defense and sticking the ball in the end zone.