Charleston Daily Mail

Saturday's Nitro-Capital game worth a trip to Charleston

Derek Taylor
Daily Mail Sportswriter


Friday September 28, 2007

The Charleston area doesn't have much interest in watching Auburn play Florida in Gainesville, Fla. on Saturday night.

Ohio State at Minnesota?

Forget about it.

The biggest game in town will be when Class AAA No. 12 Nitro takes on No. 8 Capital at University of Charleston Stadium. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.

The schools moved the date of the game back by one day thanks to college football's ever-increasing infringement on the American psyche. West Virginia plays at South Florida on Friday night and the game will be televised on ESPN, as will the Auburn-Florida game on Saturday night.

The Buckeyes and Gophers will go at it on ESPN2, but perhaps the best fireworks will be on display at Laidley Field.

The game isn't the only high-profile event in West Virginia that was rescheduled due to WVU's weeknight appearance in prime time. No. 5 Bridgeport visits its arch-rival, No. 4 Robert C. Byrd, on Saturday after the teams were supposed to meet on Friday night.

"Capital called and asked coach (Steve) Pritchard, our athletic director, if we cared if they moved it to Saturday because of the WVU game," Nitro coach Scott Tinsley said. "I understand they're worried about the gate and how many people show up. I guess if it were our own home game I'd be more upset about moving it, because you have a routine being at home.

"But since we don't have bleachers I guess we don't have to worry about that," Tinsley said with a chuckle.

Nitro is one of three four Kanawha County football programs whose bleachers have yet to be installed though construction was scheduled to be completed by the start of the regular season. Tinsley said the Wildcats have been most recently told they will be able to play the annual Battle of the Bridge game next Friday against St. Albans at Underwood Field. However, problems with the new lights at the field may cause that game to be moved to Saturday, as well.

This week's date changes will likely increase attendance at both games. Both are sure to have a significant effect on the playoff race in Class AAA and are both rivalry games.

There were three other games scheduled for Saturday, including Class A No. 4 Gilbert (5-0) taking on 5-0 Hannibal River, Ohio, in Ripley. Both of the remaining Saturday games include parochial schools that typically play their home games on Saturday.

For Nitro, Saturday's game provides a chance for the Wildcats to test their retooled offensive and defensive lines against a top-notch opponent. Since falling to George Washington in its second game of the season, Nitro has beaten up on Spring Valley and Lincoln County.

Quarterback Michael Scott has completed 62-of-89 passes for 1,351 yards and 16 touchdowns. All-State receiver Marcos Valentine and first-year senior Brett McClanahan have each caught 24 passes. Valentine has scored eight touchdowns while McClanahan has six.

Tinsley has worked to increase the team's efficiency on the ground, however. Changes on the offensive line in order to keep his players fresh resulted in 232 yards rushing against Spring Valley two weeks ago, while the Wildcats reverted to their air attack against Lincoln County. Scott threw for six touchdowns in the win and the team rushed for 115 yards.

Nitro has averaged 37.8 points in its first four games.

But for all of Nitro's offensive bluster, it's been Capital's defense that has its team in the Top 10 of the playoff hunt. The Cougars have yielded only 9.8 points per game, with 21 of those being scored by GW in the teams' mutual season opener.

Linebackers David Pack and Josh Keely have been instrumental in keeping opposing offenses off the field.

"Speed," said Tinsley when asked what problems Capital's defense posed. "Even when you have a nice play and people get a decent gain, it's just 5 or 6 yards. Against other teams if you're able to squirt out there in space you can break it for a big gain. You can't do that against them because they're just too fast."

Due to the Cougars' team speed, Tinsley said his line will become even more of a focal point on Saturday.

"What we have to do first of all is protect the quarterback," Tinsley said. "If we give Michael an opportunity to throw it downfield, then even if they tackle our guys where they catch it at least it's already a big gain.

"We can't get into a grind-it-out game with them."

Meanwhile, the Cougars have played mix-and-match on offense. Senior quarterback Malik Witten has completed 33-of-64 passes for 450 yards and five touchdowns. Fellow senior Tyrone Goard has supplied the big play from his wide receiver spot, scoring four times this year on plays of 60 yards or more. Four different players have led the Cougars in rushing in their first five games.