Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette, November 1, 2008

Crawford leads Huntington past Nitro

HUNTINGTON - A tumultuous six months came full circle for C.J.Crawford on Senior Night at Bob Sang stadium.

The senior accounted for four scores to lead Huntington to a 35-20 win over Nitro Friday night.

The win was Huntington's second over the Wildcats in as many years. The circumstances were eerily similar, as Huntington (1-9) was in search of its first win, much like in 2007.

With the game tied at 14 in the third quarter, Crawford broke loose on a 55-yard run down the left sideline to give the Highlanders the lead. Crawford sandwiched scores of 10 and 18 yards around a 3-yard Mark Chandler run to give the Highlanders the edge in the second half.

Crawford finished the night with 149 all-purpose yards. The win was especially sweet considering the roller-coaster season Crawford has experienced.

Prior to preseason workouts, he transferred to Nitro, where he practiced for a brief time before returning to Huntington. For that reason, his team's only win of the 2008 campaign is even more special.

"Everything just came together tonight, and it felt great," Crawford said. "We finally played up to the level we were capable of. I don't think we turned the ball over offensively, and defensively we played well even though Chandler ran for a bunch of yards. I wish we could have won a little more this season, but this feels great right now."

Second-year Highlander coach Zach Wilson said that sending his seniors out on a high note was especially important.

"The guys played their hearts out, and it's great," Wilson said. "I'm so happy for our kids to be able to go out like that, and to be able to have time to enjoy it. This is all for them, and I couldn't be happier for them."

Nitro wasted little time in picking up where it left off a week ago, however, as the offense resembled the Wildcats of old in a 74-yard scoring drive on their initial possession. Chandler finished the drive on a 38-yard quarterback keeper, and he accounted for 56 yards on the drive.

Tyler Kennedy resembled former Wildcat Kennedy Award winner Josh Culbertson by running through huge holes in the Highlander defense as Nitro dominated Huntington in the first half, when the Wildcats outgained the Highlanders 108-9. However, Nitro did not possess the lead after the first quarter due to a turnover that set up Huntington's initial score.

Following a Huntington punt that set Nitro up at its own 11, Kennedy fumbled a handoff from Chandler at the 8. Brandon Eubank pounced on the loose ball, and the Highlanders capitalized three plays later on a 1-yard Tyler Hutchison sneak.

Nitro regained the lead midway through the second quarter on a yeoman-like 13-play, 99-yard drive that cuminated on a 5-yard Chandler run. The big play on the drive was a 30-yard scamper by Chandler from the shotgun that moved the Wildcats from the Highlander 10-yard line to the 30. The original run went for 61 yards, but a holding call sliced it in half.

Chandler ran for 134 yards in the first half alone, but the Wildcats were also hit with 36 yards in offensive penalties. He finished the night with a stellar 231 yards on 26 totes in a losing effort.

Huntington tied the game late in the second quarter on a 49-yard pitch and catch from Hutchison to Crawford. The Highlanders recovered the ensuing onside kick but could not take advantage. As a result, the game remained deadlocked at 14 at the half.

The loss proved especially frustrating for Nitro. The Wildcats (2-7) earned 10 more first downs than the Highlanders and outgained them by over 100 yards. Nitro will finish out its season next week against Princeton.

Nitro 6 8 0 6 20

Huntington 7 7 14 7 35

Nitro - Chandler 38 run (kick failed)

Hunt - Hutchison 1 run (St. Claire kick)

Nitro - Chandler 5 run (Chandler run)

Hunt - Crawford 49 pass from Hutchison (St. Claire kick)

Hunt - Crawford 55 run (St.Claire kick)

Hunt - Crawford 10 run (St. Claire kick)

Nitro - Chandler 3 run (pass failed)

Hunt - Crawford 18 run (St. Claire kick)

Team statistics

Nitro Hunt

First Downs 17 7

Yards Rushing 37-251 29-129

Yards Passing 47 61

Passes 6-11 4-9

Had intercepted 1 0

Fumbles-Lost 3-1 0-0

Penalties-Yards 7-71 4-20

Punts-Average 5-34 3-37.3