September 13, 2008

GW shuts down Nitro

Patriots pile up 496 total yards to Wildcats' 209

It seemed as if George Washington knew what was coming Friday night.

The Patriots' defense put the clamps on Nitro's high-octane offense and spoiled the Wildcats' home opener in posting a 35-6 victory at Underwood Field. A crowd of about 2,000 attended the Class AAA Mountain State Athletic Conference matchup at Nitro High School.

Nitro quarterback Bodie Johnson, who shared the Associated Press state player of the week honors after throwing for 433 yards and four touchdowns in an opening-week win at Poca, was forced to throw into tight spots all night with little margin for error. The sophomore completed only 10-of-35 passes for 104 yards with no TDs or interceptions.

Photo - Lawrence Pierce

George Washington’s Shaquille Williams breaks loose for a big gain as he slips past Nitro defender Chris Smith

"Defensively, [GW was] ready for whatever we threw at them,'' said first-year Nitro coach John Sowards, whose team was off last week.

"They scouted us pretty well [and] knew our signals so we had to start huddling to even have a chance. We just didn't execute. We had two weeks to get ready for them. We had time to heal up, but it didn't work out.''

The Patriots' defense held the Wildcats to 209 yards of total offense while GW's offense picked apart Nitro's defense, racking up 496 yards.

"We work pretty hard,'' said GW coach Steve Edwards Jr. of his team's preparation. "It's a credit to my staff. When those kids execute the game plan, it makes us look smart.''

GW (2-1), which finished last season No. 1 in the final Class AAA ratings, was coming off a 13-12 loss against South Charleston last week.

"That's one thing about this team, I haven't been disappointed yet in how they play,'' Edwards said. "They play hard. Sometimes they don't prepare like I like them to.

"We're still jelling as a team. I'm trying to shore up little things [that] are still getting us. There's too many good ballclubs on our schedule [that] we just can't keep doing that. We just have to keep practicing hard and getting better.''

GW senior quarterback Taylor Norman connected on all six of his pass attempts for 189 yards and two TDs and no interceptions. Norman hit senior Roland Willis on scoring tosses of 49 and 68 yards after Willis, who turned in 117 yards on just two catches, beat Nitro's defense deep. Patriots senior tailback Greg Jones added 134 yards on 20 carries with scoring runs of 23 and 3 yards.

"I thought we were still sloppy and not being as productive as I want to be both offensively, defensively and special teams,'' Edwards said. "We've still got a long way to go and a lot of work to do.''

The Patriots started out against Nitro (1-1) as if they had a hangover from last week's close call against SC.

GW's opening drive ended with a lost fumble then, on its second possession, Norman was sacked on fourth down for a 15-yard loss. The Patriots turned it over on downs on their third drive, but finally turned it around on Jones' 23-yard scoring scamper to take the lead for good at 7-0 with 9:55 left in the second quarter.

Norman hit Willis in stride for a 49-yard catch and run to go ahead 14-0 with 4:31 remaining before halftime. The Patriots' lead could have been much larger in the opening half, turning the ball over on miscues at the Nitro 16-, 28- and 4-yard lines.

The Patriots picked up in the second half just where they left off, scoring on their first possession as Jones jogged in from 4 yards out to take a 20-0 advantage with 7:50 to go in the third period. The drive was highlighted by Willis' 46-yard run on a reverse.

GW's defense forced a Nitro fumble on the next possession and the Patriots immediately cashed in as Norman hit Willis for a 68-yard score and, after a 2-point conversion, grabbed a commanding 28-0 lead to essentially seal the deal. Backup sophomore tailback Felix Mollett scored on a 13-yard run for a 35-0 edge.

Senior running back Tyler Kennedy was Nitro's lone bright spot, turning in 123 yards on 23 carries and scoring the only TD from 2 yards with 3:22 left in the game.

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

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GW 0 14 14 7 35

Nitro 0 0 0 6 6

G - Jones 23 run (Ansh kick)

G - Willis 49 pass from Norman (Ansh kick)

G - Jones 3 run (kick blocked)

G - Willis 68 pass from Norman (Clay pass from Norman)

G - Mollett 13 run (Ansh kick)

N - Kennedy 2 run (kick failed)

Team statistics

GW Nitro

First downs 20 13

Yards rushing 44-248 28-105

Yards passing 248 104

Passes 10-12 10-35

Had intercepted 0 0

Fumbles-Lost 2-2 3-2

Penalties-Yards 12-113 8-47

Punts-Average 2-38.0 4-32.0