Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette, August 30, 2008

Nitro wins shootout with Poca

POCA, W.Va. - The more things change, the more they stay the same at Nitro.

Sophomore quarterback Bodie Johnson passed for 391 yards and four touchdowns and the Class AAA Wildcats' defense held just enough to pull out a wild, come-from-behind 38-35 season-opening victory Friday night over Class AA Poca. A boisterous crowd of about 3,400 attended at O.O. White Stadium at Poca High.

John Sowards picked up his first win as the new Nitro head coach, replacing offensive guru Scott Tinsley, who took the head coaching position at WVU Tech in the spring. The Wildcats beat neighboring rival Poca 48-33 last season.

Poca’s Trevor Dunlap gets pulled down by Nitro’s Chris Sayre (Kenny Kemp – photo)

The Dots haven't posted a win in the series featuring schools about 10 miles apart since a 35-10 triumph in 1996, which was the last time the teams played before 2006.

It's been a tough summer for Sowards and Nitro. Johnson was named the starting quarterback just a few days into summer camp. C.J. Crawford took most of the snaps during the three-week summer practice period, but transferred back to Huntington after it appeared he wouldn't be eligible at Nitro.

"It's unbelievable,'' said Sowards. "To get this win after the up-and-down road we had all summer with C.J. and trying to get Bodie ready... I can't give [Bodie] enough credit. A sophomore who has been thrown into the role.''

Nitro took the lead for good when Johnson hit T.J. Flint with a 67-yard pass with 5:54 left in the fourth quarter for a 38-35 advantage. Flint hauled in Johnson's rainbow pass at the Poca 40-yard line after getting behind the defense and outrunning a Poca defender to the end zone.

Poca grabbed a 33-32 edge with 4:31 remaining in the third quarter when senior running back Caleb Arthur ran around the right end for a 1-yard touchdown. The Dots extended their lead to 35-32 when the snap to Nitro punter Tyler Kennedy sailed over his head and he was tackled in the end zone for a safety with 9:32 to go in the fourth period.

Poca missed several opportunities to take the lead even after Nitro went ahead 38-35 with 5:54 left in the fourth. The Dots had a first-and-10 at the Wildcats 25 after Arthur ripped off a 44-yard run, but Poca lost 16 yards on penalties and ended up punting. With Nitro looking to run out the clock after Poca's punt, Johnson fumbled on the first play and the Dots recovered at the Wildcats 19. Poca moved the ball to the Nitro 13 and, on fourth-and-6, Dots quarterback Travor Dunlap's pass to Forrest Mattox fell incomplete in the front left corner of the end zone with Nitro cornerback Mark Chandler covering.

"I think we gave that game away,'' said Poca coach Bob Lemley. "Too many gift touchdowns. Our guys played hard. I think we lost a little composure toward the end. It cost us. I can't fault their effort.''

Flint finished with two catches for 107 yards, including the 67-yard TD, and Chandler hauled in five passes for 103 yards, including a 52-yard score. The Wildcats' Chris Sayre returned a fumble 53 yards for a TD.

Arthur turned in 220 yards on 32 carries with two TDs and Mattox added a 60-yard scoring pass. The Dots racked up 426 yards of total offense while Nitro churned out 398.

Reach Tommy R. Atkinson at 348-4811 or tatkin...@wvgazette.com