Saturday, August 25, 2007

Nitro drops Poca 48-33

Ryan Hanchett
Sports Editor

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Pushing back the start of the game between the Nitro Wildcats and Poca Dots could not lesson the intensity between the rivals, as Nitro walked away with a 48-33 win Friday night.

Due to the intense heat, the kickoff of the contest was moved back to 8:30 p.m., but that could not cool of the arm of Nitro quarterback Michael Scott. The senior signal caller led multiple second half scoring drives by spreading the ball all over the field and bombing passes over the Dot defense.

Things were not all peaches and cream for the Wildcats however, as the Dots stole the early momentum by taking a 6-0 lead on a sneak by quarterback Seth Martin.

Following a second Nitro fumble on the team's second possession, Dot running back Derek McClure took over, eventually dashing into the endzone for the first of his three touchdowns.

Nitro would make it's first notch in the scoreboard with 9:12 on the second quarter clock as Scott snuck the ball across the goal line. The Wildcats would take their first lead with 5:38 to go in the half on a 10-yard td pass from Scott to Brett McClanahan.

The lead would not last long however as the Dots got back on top before the half ended on McClure's second score. At the intermission the Dots led the contest 19-14 behind an eye-popping 106 yards from McClure.

In the second half the Wildcat passing game would come alive, and most importantly, they would stop shooting themselves in the foot with turnovers.

Fullback Mark Massey, who had an extremely quiet first half, came alive on the team's first possession breaking runs of 23 and 11, the latter being a jaunt across the goal line. Scott would again show his quickness on the Cat's next drive, breaking a 48 yard run that eventually led to another Nitro score, making the tally 28-19 midway through the third quarter.

The Dots would not be counted out just yet. With 1:55 on the clock McClure took a handoff and raced through the line for his third touchdown, bringing the Dots back to a two point deficit.

Unfortunately for the Dots, Nitro would once again show why they have one of the state's best offenses year in and year out. Just 33 seconds after the Dot touchdown, Scott connected with Marcos Valentine for a 72 yard score, putting the Wildcats up 34-26 at the end of the third quarter.

Nitro would extend their lead to 41-26 on 63-yard Valentine score with 7:41 remaining in the contest, a hole the Dots would not dig out of.

Poca would reach the endzone one more time in the game, as Shawn Brown dove over the goal line to make the score 41-33. The on-side kick attempt failed the Dots with less than five minutes to play, giving Nitro the ball at the 47 yard line.

Nitro would tack on the game's final marker two minutes later on a 6-yard Massey run.

As the horn sounded, the Wildcats celebrated a 48-33 win to open their season in the Mountain State Athletic Conference. Next week Nitro has a bye before taking on George Washington, September 7. Poca will be back in action Friday, August 31, as they host Ravenswood in a big double A match-up.