HAIL TO THE CHIEFY EALEY'S HOT HAND
LEADS RIVERSIDE PAST NITRO
Publication: THE
Published: 10/13/2001
Page: 1B
Headline: HAIL TO THE CHIEFY EALEY'S HOT HAND LEADS
Byline: TOMMY R. ATKINSON
tatkinson@wvgazette.com
Riverside quarterback Kashif Ealey
flashed the patience and poise Friday night that coach Dick Whitman was hoping
to see at some point during the season.
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 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. He connected on his first
11 attempts before misfiring in the second half.
"The line played well, so I just played off that," said Ealey, a junior and first-year starter. "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 comfortable 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, an all-state
captain last year at Class A Valley before
transferring to the
The Warriors also sat out three defensive starters during the first quarter as
punishment for being late for a team meeting earlier in the week. Whitman said
two offensive starters sat out for the same reason in last week's 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
for a fourth-quarter score. Senior wideout Karl
Booker added 79 yards on five catches and an interception, and sophomore Alex
Stack finished with two picks.
Riverside sophomore tight end Josh Hughes caught three passes for 118 yards 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 playmakers," said Nitro coach Robert
"Little" Burdette of Riverside. "If [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
"The 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."