PIERCE SCORES 4 TIMES IN WIN OVER
NITRO
Publication:
Published: 10/24/1987
Page: P3B
Headline: PIERCE SCORES 4 TIMES IN WIN OVER NITRO
Byline: DOUG
Tyrone Pierce was on display Friday night at Underwood Field as
he rushed for three touchdowns and scored another on a punt return as
the DuPont Panthers defeated the Nitro Wildcats 27-8.
Pierce praised his offensive linemen for the job they did on the
Wildcat defense.
"The defensive guys were trying to stunt and my lineman
were
knocking them back two and three yards a pop, and all I had to
do was run the ball,' Pierce said.
DuPont scored the first three times it had the ball and the
Panther defense stopped Nitro in its tracks in the second half.
Pierce scored the first of his four touchdowns with 7:37
remaining in the first quarter on an eight-yard run over left tackle
. Tony Brown kicked the extra point and DuPont led 7-0.
The Panthers next possession started on their own
seven-yard
line, but they were still able to drive the length of the field. It
took 11 plays with Pierce carrying the ball six times for 61 yards
On his sixth carry of the drive, Pierce raced 28 yards
to the
end zone, making it 14-0.
DuPont forced Nitro to punt six plays later and Pierce struck
again. Fielding the ball on the run at his own 37,
Pierce started up
the middle broke some tackles at mid-field, made a quick cut to the
right and outran the Nitro defenders for 63 yards and a score.
"The return team saw which way I was running and they all
started throwing blocks and knocking people down,' said Pierce.
"The punt return broke our backs,' said Nitro coach Pat
Vance, "but we then turned around and had a good drive and we put
together some pretty good plays and executed extremely well.'
Nitro took the ensuing kickoff and drove 84 yards in 15 plays
. Mixing the run and the pass, Nitro kept the Panther defense
guessing.
Bret Caldwell rumbled over from the one for the touchdown.
Senior Scott Dixon passed to Kevin Dye for the two-point conversion
and Nitro trailed 21-8 with 1:59 remaining in the first half.
"After we went up 21-0, I thought our kids went flat,' said
DuPont coach Dick Whitman, "but our defense played exceptionally
well in the second half.'
Nitro dominated the second quarter statistically as they
outgained DuPont, 129 yards to 31, but DuPont was
able to score two
touchdowns.
Any momentum the Wildcats had going into the second half quickly
disappeared. Nitro was able to run only 13 plays in the second half
and gain 13 yards.
After an exchange of punts, DuPont took over on its 20 with 5:54
remaining in the third quarter. The Panthers then put together a
drive that took 20 plays and covered 80 yards, consuming eight and a
half minutes. Pierce scored his fourth touchdown on a six-yard
scamper to give the Panthers a 27-8 lead.
Pierce, who finished with 136 yards rushing, has scored 16
touchdowns this year.
DuPont, ranked fourth in the state, travels to Laidley
Field
next Friday to play the
ranked second in the state.
Nitro, 4-4, goes to East Bank to play the 5-3 Pioneers.DuPONT
WIN The Panthers protected their Class AAA ranking of fourth with
their victory over Nitro.
TYRONE PIERCE: The Panthers' standout runs for four scores in
win over Nitro.