INSPIRED DOTS ZIP BY NITRO
Publication: THE
Published: 09/19/1992
Page: P 1B
Headline: INSPIRED DOTS ZIP BY NITRO
Byline: ANTHONY HANSHEW FOR THE GAZETTE
Led by an inspired defense, the underdog Poca Dots
dominated the
visiting Nitro Wildcats Friday night and rolled to an impressive 18-0
victory in the Kanawha Valley's version of the "Backyard Brawl'.
Poca's attacking defense limited the Wildcats
to only 78 total
yards and five first downs en route to its third victory of the
season. Poca Head Coach Bob Lemley
said he wasn't surprised by his
team's level of intensity.
"We were ready to play,' Lemley said. "We
had good practices
all week. We tackled well |Fand|G I saw hitting
tonight that I
haven't seen here in two years.'
Lemley's offensive unit gave the defense an early
cushion by
scoring on its first possession. Jayson Young keyed
the 63-yard,
four-play drive with a 15-yard run that became a 30-yard play when
Nitro was penalized for a facemask grab. Two plays later, Young
hauled in a pass from junior quarterback Dallas Dunn and sprinted 36
yards to give the Dots the early 7-0 lead.
Poca's defense set up its second score when freshman
Charlie
Hartley recovered a Nitro fumble on the Dots' 41. Poca
drove the ball
to the Wildcat 13 before the defense stiffened and forced a 28-yard
field goal from Tony Morris.
Poca's 10-0 halftime lead, however, did not indicate
how
thoroughly the Dots dominated the favored Wildcats. Nitro's big-play
offense managed only 47 yards in the first half, including 36 on the
ground. The Dots had several first-half scoring opportunities, but
couldn't widen the gap. On Nitro's second possession, Ethan Paxton
picked off a Joey Javins' pass at midfield, but the
offense couldn't
capitalize.
In the second half, the Dots quickly made up for missed chances
by marching 52 yards on their first drive and reaching the end zone
on Young's second score, a 17-yard run. Young then provided the final
margin of victory when he scored the two-point conversion on a pass
from Dunn.
Wildcat Head Coach Greg Cyrus said his 2-2 team learned a lesson
from its lackluster effort.
"We're a better team, but they have great skill people |Fand|G
I give them a lot of credit,' Cyrus said. "This is a great rivalry
and they were ready. Our kids have to realize that you have to put
on your uniform and play 100 percent every time.
"We usually win this game, and this hurts us,' Cyrus added.
"But this is like the Super Bowl for them.'
Lemley agreed that knocking off the rival was a big
motivational
factor for his team, which is 3-1 and in the playoff hunt.
"We've been getting a little better every week, but tonight we
had emotion. This win will do a lot for us,' Lemley
said.
Along with the added emotion, Lemley credited
assistant coach
Jim Abshire with a change in the Dots' defensive
scheme as a key to
the win.
Cyrus' problems were compounded in the second quarter when his
quarterback Joey Javins re-injured his knee that had
been hurt last
week against Capital. Javins missed two series before
returning in
the third quarter. Cyrus said his signal-caller should be ready for
next Friday's showdown with
"Coach Abshire got them ready,' Lemley said. "He did things
a little different and got some substitutions in to keep fresh legs
in. I think that helped a lot.'
The Dots travel to take on Class AA power East Bank next Friday
at 7:30.