VANCE STEPS DOWN AS NITRO COACH
Publication:
Published: 11/07/1987
Page: P4B
Headline: VANCE STEPS DOWN AS NITRO COACH
Byline: NOT AVAILABLE
Pat Vance's final game as head coach of the Nitro Wildcats
turned out to be a losing one as the Poca Dots
rallied for a
30-22 win at Underwood Field in Nitro on Friday night.
Vance is retiring from coaching after 15 years as head coach of
the Wildcats. His stint is the longest in Nitro football history and
his 66 victories are the most by a Nitro coach.
- LNitro led 6-0 on a one-yard run by Bret Caldwell
to cap a
75-yard drive and 14-6 on a 36-yard pass play from Scott Dixon to O
.J. Estep. Poca's score came on Barney Wells' 9-yard
pass to Rocky
Savilla.
Wells ran for a touchdown and two-point conversion and Steve
Lambert booted a 22-yard field in the second quarter for a 17-14
halftime lead for the Dots.
Poca increased it to 24-14 in the third quarter on a
three-yard
run by Derek Courtney. Nitro rallied when
McNeel on a 12-yard touchdown pass and two-point
conversion to narrow
the difference to 24-22 with 4:07 remaining in the game.
But Poca came back to put it away on Cary Cullifer's 20-yard run
with 2:07 to play.
The win boosted Poca's record to 7-3 and lowered
Nitro's to 4-6
The Wildcats' Dixon finished the season with nine touchdown
passes and a total of 60 points through the air.
Poca's win broke a five-game win streak by Nitro over
the Dots
. Nitro leads the series 34-23-6.
Poca ran up 18 first downs to Nitro's 11 and led in
rushing
239-134 and in total offense 279-247. Nitro led in passing 113-40
VANCE
add to nitro-poca scoring summary..P _ Cullifer 20 run (kick
failed)