Charleston Saturday Gazette

September 29, 2007

Styles Clash in Nitro – Capital Battle

Rick Ryan, Assistant Sports Editor

When talk centers around Nitro football the past few years, safe to say it’s probably about offense — points, yards, big plays in the passing game.

But when the topic is Capital, you’re likely speaking of the defense that has been the team’s cornerstone.

So what to expect tonight when the two teams collide at Laidley Field? Maybe a little bit of both.

Each team needs the game to protect its playoff status. Capital (4-1) enters the game ranked No. 7 in Class AAA, five spots ahead of Nitro (3-1).

The Cougars have again developed a denying defense, permitting just 9.8 points and 148 yards per game. They’ve forced a dozen turnovers and committed just seven.

Capital’s defense has allowed only five touchdowns all season — and just two since the opener against GW, a 21-7 loss in which two of the Patriots’ scoring drives covered all of 2 and 17 yards.

“It’s not real surprising,’’ said Nitro coach Scott Tinsley. “They play great defense every year. Coach [Jack] Woolwine does a super job getting those guys to play hard on defense. They’re so athletic that even if they make a mistake, they can overcome it with their speed.’’

However, it’s definitely easier to pass it on the Cougars than run it (they give up just 31.6 yards per game on the ground). Opponents have completed 50 percent of their attempts for 582 yards in five games.

Nitro, in a 14-9 victory over Capital last year, was able to move it some in the air, with quarterback Michael Scott completing 10-of-19 passes for 155 yards and one TD. But that was one of his lowest outputs of the season.

“We were fortunate to get the win last year,’’ Tinsley said. “It was kind of a defensive struggle. We know this year we have to score more than that to win the ballgame.’’

Scott has been particularly sharp lately, riding a string of 17 straight completions heading into tonight’s 7:30 game. Over his last two games (against Spring Valley and Lincoln County), Scott has hit on 29-of-32 passes for 693 yards and 12 TDs without being intercepted.

“They’re explosive and they do a lot of good things,’’ Woolwine said. “They do a pretty good job of causing people a lot of problems. You come into it knowing they’re going to throw the ball . . . they’re doing what they do best. You know they’re going to be wide open and they’re going to throw some wrinkles at you, and you have to make adjustments.’’

On offense, Capital has relied on a balanced running game and few mistakes by quarterback Malik Witten, who has thrown only one interception and been sacked just seven times. Keion Wright and Jermere Hall share the team lead with 250 rushing yards.

“I think we’re getting better offensively,’’ Woolwine said. “We were real inexperienced [at the beginning of the season] and didn’t have any players up front who started last year. We’re gaining confidence and getting better.

“We’ve got four good running backs we’re moving around, and Malik’s doing a good job of running the offense. We’ve got some good receivers ourselves. We’re spreading the ball around and playing unselfishly, and defensively we’re aggressive and we’re blitzing and we’re changing coverages and the kids are flying around making plays and having fun.’’