PATRIOTS STAGE TWO COMEBACKS TO NIP
NITRO
Publication:
Published: 10/03/1992
Page: P 3B
Headline: PATRIOTS STAGE TWO COMEBACKS TO NIP NITRO
Byline: DALE COOPER FOR THE DAILY MAIL
Capitalizing on occasional Nitro miscues, George Washington came
back not once, but twice to nip Nitro 19-14 at Laidley
Field.
"Basically,' said Patriots coach Jay Folden,
"our kids wanted
to win the ballgame. They busted their butts and did it. They did
what had to be done.'
GW quarterback Todd Powell rambled 27 yards on a bootleg with
less than two minutes left to seal the game Friday. The Patriots
went 65 yards in seven plays, consuming only 2|5 minutes after Nitro
took a 14-13 lead with less than four minutes left.
During the drive, Powell recorded other runs of 15, 5 and 10
yards. On the winning play, Powell broke two tackles at the line of
scrimmage, veered inside and shed four more would-be tacklers to get
into the end zone.
"I saw that I was open to run the ball when I was rolling
out,' said Powell, who had 67 yards on five carries.
The Wildcats started the game's scoring on their first
possession, driving 61 yards in eight plays. Quarterback Daniel
Taylor scored from 1 yard out for an early 7-0 lead.
- RThe first Nitro blunder, with sparked the first GW
comeback,
came with four minutes left in the first quarter. The Wildcats' Jeff
Boggs attempted to field a punt at his own 19-yard line, but the ball
slipped through his arms and into the hands of the Patriots' Pete
Griffith.
The Patriots wasted little time as junior runner Brian DeFade
went 19 yards on the first play to tie the score.
After forcing the Wildcats to punt, the Patriots went to work
again. With aid from a 21-yard run by DeFade, GW went
ahead on a
6-yard run by senior Charles Abbott. The Pats were up 13-7.
The Wildcats almost regained the lead, but made a key mistake
. Running back Chuck Richmond led Nitro's quest with runs of 28 and
25 yards that put the Wildcats on the 3-yard line. On a
third-and-goal, the snap from center was bobbled and the Patriots
recovered.
"I felt we were in control,' Folden said. "our seniors
stepped up and showed some leadership and we were putting in a real
good team effort.'
"We were basically in control throughout,' Powell said. "We
are not used to coming into halftime with a lead, so we were happy
about that. We just wanted to win.'
George Washington's lead held up through most of the second half
. But with less than four minutes to play, the Wildcats scored on a
7-yard run by Richmond (20 carries, 134 yards) to take a 14-13
advantage.
George Washington (2-4) will go to DuPont next Friday while
Nitro (2-4) will be home against
"Basically, our kids wanted to win the game. They busted their
butts and did it. They did what had to be done.'