NITRO SOPHS GET LESSON

Publication: CHARLESTON DAILY MAIL
Published: 10/24/1992
Page: P 1B
Headline: NITRO SOPHS GET LESSON
Byline: WILBUR JENKINS FOR DAILY MAIL

Daniel Taylor knew it was going to be one of those nights.
When Nitro started Taylor and five other sophomores against the
powerful DuPont Panthers Friday night at H.B. Dougalas Field, it was
like feeding beach front property to Hurricane Andrew. A blowout.
After a first half in which he managed only 35 yards on 5 of
12 pass attempts, Taylor gained in composure, throwing to wideout
Jeff Boggs for two fourth quarter touchdowns. Taylor finished 10 of
23 for 205 yards in a 40-14 loss to Class AAA's fith-ranked team.
"It's been a learning experience for me,' said Taylor. "It's
been different up here at Nitro than it has been last season (at
Andrew Jackson Junior High).
"This team is a lot faster than down there. You can learn a
lot from (coach Greg) Cyrus. You are not going to get everything
right the first time.'
"I was impressed with Taylor tonight,' said Cyrus. "He's a
good kid and he's going to be something to watch before he graduates
.'
Nitro's offense was limited to 71 yards on the ground on 31
carries thanks to the part defensive guards Chris Sizemore and Robie
Bennett. "They are good. There's no doubt about that,' said
Taylor. "They played tonight like they're one of the best teams in
the state right now. They will give teams fit with that kind of speed
.'
DuPont's defensive unit was sluggish early,, still feeling the
aftershocks of the jolting 21-6 loss at Barboursville last week.
"I wasn't really pleased tonight,' said DuPont head coach Dick
Whitman. "We were really flat in the first half. We've got some
work to do. Our team has to do a lot better if they want
to beat Capital next week.'
Sophomore flanker Randy Moss got the offense rolling by
high-stepping 65 yards in the first quarter on a reverse play for a
7-0 lead.
DuPont took command in the second quarter. Tailback Steven
Smith (13 carries for 80 yards) scored from one yard out, but that
was just the start.
On Nitro's next series, Taylor tried to hit Boggs in the flat
but was intercepted by Sam Singleton for 65 yards and another Panther
touchdown making the score 21-0 with 1:44 remaining before halftime
Taylor was again picked for the second consecutive time, this
time by Jeremy Sweeney for 31 yards and a 27-0 halftime lead.
"We gave it our best shot,' said Cyrus. "When you play a
sophomore quarterback wih a lot of other sophomores, you're going to
make mistakes. Peaple will have to be patient.'
Whitman added, "I was pleased overall, especially with our
defense in the latter part of the game. We picked off a couple for
TD's and our defensive line played well.'
More of the same came in the second half. The Panthers' second
series finished with Bobbie Howard scampering in from seven yards
away for a 34-0 lead.
Singleton finished up the scoring barrage bouncing outside from
the three-yard line to make it 40-0 with 11:57 in the fourth before
Nitro scored late to close out the scoring.
The Panthers finished with 257 yards in total offense, all
coming from the ground game and using 11 different running backs.
Overall, the Wildcats finished higher that DuPont in yardage
(276-257).
The Panthers will face Capital Friday at home in their final
ragular-season game while the Wildcats, at 2-7, will go to another
playoff contender, Herbert Hoover.