DESPITE LATE BUNGLING, NITRO NIPS
S.C., 7-6
Publication: THE
Published: 09/26/1989
Page: P2B
Headline: DESPITE LATE BUNGLING, NITRO NIPS S.C., 7-6
Byline: GREG STONE
Stunts like the one Steve White pulled Friday night don't
improve Nitro Coach Greg Cyrus' chances of avoiding another heart
attack.
With about 15 seconds to play in Nitro's 7-6 win over
Charleston
to run time off the clock on a bootleg, then get
tackled in bounds
to keep the clock moving.
White rolled right, and facing pressure, uncorked a rainbow that
fell out of bounds in front of the
wasn't in danger of being intercepted, but it stopped the clock and
gave the Black Eagles a first-and-10 at the Wildcat 34 with nine
seconds to go.
Bryce Casto's club couldn't do anything with the
nine-second
grace period, however, as Nitro upped its record to 2-3 in front of
about 500 half-soaked fans at South Charleston's Oakes Field.
Charleston
"He wasn't supposed to throw it,' said Cyrus, who suffered a
heart attack before the start of last season and had to sit out the
Wildcats' 1-9 debacle. "We told him to run around
back there for a.
while then get tackled in bounds because
any timeouts. But the kids got a little excited. They're not used
to winning that much. That's the joy of coaching high school kids
. THEY TRY HARD, BUT THEY DON'T THINK SOMETIMES.'
Thanks to another fine defensive stand by Nitro, White's blunder
didn't cost his team. Wildcat defenders held
yards total offense and four first downs on the night.
S.C. might not have gotten on the board at all, if not for
a bad snap from center that skittered over the 28 tons of sands used
to shore up soggy Oakes and through the legs of Nitro punter Donnie
Withrow.
Withrow picked up the ball just in time to get
pounded at his
own 15 by several Black Eagles. S.C. took over at the 12 and four.
plays later tailback Tim Robinson scored from a yard
out with 8:44 to
play in the third quarter. Scott Jamerson's extra
point was wide,
however, which proved to be the difference.
The Wildcats' score came with 5:22 to go in the first half when
usual split endMatt McNeel,
running out of the backfield in Nitro's
three yards and a cloud of sand set, went over from three yards out
to cap a nine-play, 40-yard drive.
"It was playing on a beach out there,' McNeel
said of the
sand, used to combat the after effects of Hurricane Hugo. "It was
hard to get any footing.'
Nitro shelved its passing offense in favor of a ball-control
attack that distribute yardage to six different players. All-world
name team captain Skeeter Shamblin
led with 51 on 16 carries, while
Eric White had 36 on eight. McNeel carried four times
for 28 yards
"I didn't mind it,' said Steve White, who usually gets to put
the ball up about 20 to 30 times a game. "I'll do anything as
S
long as we win.' White finished 2-of-9 for 30 yards and one
interception.
While Nitro was grinding it out,
TO A HALT. SEVERAL NICE GAINS WERE NEGATED BY PENALTIES. IN
addition, sophomore Mark Terry (2-of-8, six yards) had a bad case of
wildness, overthrowing his receivers. He was picked off twice.
"I can't say the conditions were a big factor,' said South.
Murphy's Law for us on offense. Anything that could have gone wrong
did.'
Despite its difficulties, S.C. had a chance to win on the series
preceding White's bungle. Casto inserted senior Chris
Triplett in
place of Terry after the Black Eagles smothered aunt at the Nitro 45
On second-and-13 from the 33, Triplett hit William
Patterson for
an 18-yard gain, but the play was cancelled by a clipping call.
Then, on second-and 12, Nitro's Pete Hinton sacked Triplett on a
blitz, furthering dampening S.C.'s hopes.
"I knew they were gettting close,' said Hinton.
"I had to
come with everything I had.' Triplett threw incomplete on third
down, then could only gain eight yards on fourth-and-15.
"We only won one game last year,' said Hinton. "We're a lot
hungrier this time.'
Casto was pleased with his defense, which held Nitro
to eight
first downs and 178 yards of total offense. "Our defense is really
going at it. We're just a little bit away from being a good football
team.'
Nitro
WASHINGTON FRIDAY.