NITRO SHUTS DOWN 'SKINS WILDCAT DEFENSE, MCGHEE PACE 38-12 WIN OVER HURRICANE

Publication: THE CHARLESTON GAZETTE
Published: 09/07/2002
Page: 1B
Headline: NITRO SHUTS DOWN 'SKINS WILDCAT DEFENSE, MCGHEE PACE 38-12 WIN OVER HURRICANE
Byline: RICK RYAN

rickryan@wvgazette.com

There's something about Hurricane that brings out the best in Nitro's defense.

For the second straight year, the Wildcats nearly stoned the Redskins offense, which committed seven turnovers and managed just 191 yards Friday night in a 38-12 loss at Underwood Field.

Senior tailback Chris McGhee glided for 169 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 29 carries for Nitro (2-0), while senior quarterback Derek Midkiff threw for 147 yards and two scores.

But it wasn't the normally productive offense that was the cause for smiles in the Nitro dressing room afterward. Instead, it was the much-maligned Nitro defense that earned kudos.

Two of the Wildcats' TDs came on fumble returns - Ryan Meadows and Holden Eads brought them back 23 and 24 yards for scores, respectively, a few minutes apart in the third quarter. That helped Nitro break the game open after it held a 12-6 halftime lead.

The only touchdowns for Hurricane (1-1) came on a 75-yard kickoff return by Anthony Johnson in the first quarter and a 19-yard run by freshman Joseph Lamanca with 55 seconds left in the game.

"I felt like we pitched a shutout tonight," said Nitro coach Scott Tinsley. "They had the kick return and a late touchdown when we had a lot of [junior varsity players] in there. I can't say enough about our defense."

McGhee, likewise, was more proud of his team's effort on defense than on offense.

"Definitely," he said. "To hold a team like Hurricane to one [offensive] touchdown in the whole game was fantastic. I feel good about our defense."

That would be the same defense that, in the past two seasons, has given up an average of more than 41 points to everyone else, but just 13 to the Redskins. Nitro beat Hurricane 27-14 last year.

Of course, Hurricane helped pave its own demise Friday night with a mountain of mistakes. Besides the seven turnovers, the Redskins snapped four shotgun, punt or place-kicking snaps over the head of the quarterback or kicker.

Hurricane fumbled 11 times in all, losing five. Sophomore quarterback Mike Williams, under heavy pressure all night, was sacked five times and threw two interceptions.

"We knew [Nitro] had an explosive team," said Hurricane coach Gary Eggleton. "But we made too many mistakes. I don't know if I've got enough fingers to count the number of fumbles we had. We had some seniors who played like sophomores tonight.

"The more things went wrong, the more we dropped our heads and felt sorry for ourselves - and you can't do that."

The third quarter was particularly painful for the Redskins. They ran 19 plays in the period and had a net of minus-11 yards. Hurricane turned it over four times in the quarter, including the two fumble returns for TDs by Nitro. Eads' came after Skins punter Edward Shade retreated to pick up a wild snap, lost 25 yards and fumbled when he was tackled.

The Skins also had a 4-yard punt in the third quarter and botched a double pass play when Williams fired a lateral across the field toward Jonathan Stowers, who had instead headed upfield. The ball sailed out of bounds for a 7-yard loss.

"You couldn't beat a good middle school team playing like that," Eggleton said.

"We wore 'em down," McGhee said. "By the end of the third quarter, it seemed like they had shut down. They didn't know who to give the ball to. They kept dropping it."

Nitro had four turnovers of its own and four major penalties, but offset those errors with 338 yards of offense. Midkiff hit on 13-of-25 throws, two for scores - connecting with Lance Ervin on a 41-yard rainbow and Marshall Casto on a 12-yard toss over the middle.

McGhee said the Wildcats kept up the pressure on Hurricane because they can vividly recall the game two years ago when Nitro held a 27-0 halftime lead against the Skins, but lost 36-33.

"I remember that," McGhee said. "It's something you never forget. That was the driving force tonight."

Lamanca, with 67 yards on seven carries, was Hurricane's top rusher. He had 73 yards on five carries during the Redskins' last-minute 90-yard drive, which pushed their total yardage from 101 to 191.

Eggleton spent much of the week rushing back and forth to the hospital to be with his 82-year-old father, George Eggleton, who experienced heart problems on Wednesday.