CLARK SETS STATE MARK WITH 29 CATCHES

Publication: THE CHARLESTON GAZETTE
Published: 10/30/1999
Page: P2B
Headline:CLARK SETS STATE MARK WITH 29 CATCHES
Byline: NOT AVAIALBLE

Even without J.R. House, the Nitro Wildcat football team still sets
records.

Senior receiver Jeff Clark set state records in receptions and yards
as the Wildcats defeated visiting Roane County 37-8 Friday night in
high school football.

Clark caught 29 passes for 413 yards and tied the state mark with his
five touchdown receptions.

The previous record for receptions was 19, held by J.D. Brehm of
Mullens in 1995. The previous yardage record of 342 was set last
season by another Nitro receiver, Chris Martin, in the Class AAA title
game against Morgantown.

Both the reception and yardage totals would have qualified for
national records entering this season. The national record for pass
receptions in a game is 26 and the yardage mark 403. It isn't known
whether those marks had been broken elsewhere in the country earlier
in the season.

A trio of players threw the ball to Clark, including quarterbacks
Jason Ward and Derek Midkiff.

Ward, a transfer from Capital, completed 10-of-12 passes for 237 yards
and three scores. He hit Clark for TD tosses of 29, 58 and 25 yards.
Midkiff, who shares the signal-calling duties with Ward, connected on
19-of-24 passes for 155 yards and one score, a 16-yarder to Clark.

Tight end C.J. Stewart got in on the fun also, hitting Clark for a
30-yard touchdown strike in the second quarter.

For the game, Nitro completed 30 passes - and all but one landed in
the arms of Clark. Chris Creamer caught the other pass for 9 yards.

Chad Daniel led the Wildcat ground game with 82 yards on eight
carries. Creamer added 58 yards on eight attempts.

Roane County finally found the end zone in the fourth quarter, as Ty
Ellis hit paydirt from 3 yards out. Ty Ellis led the Raiders with 55
yards on seven carries.