HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL - WEEK 1 NITRO'S CULBERTSON RUNS FOR 337 YARDS IN WIN AT MUSSELMAN
Publication: THE
Published: 08/27/2005
Page: 2D
Headline: HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL - WEEK 1 NITRO'S CULBERTSON RUNS FOR 337 YARDS
IN WIN AT MUSSELMAN
Byline: NOT AVAILABLE
BUNKER HILL - Josh Culbertson ran for 337 yards and five touchdowns Friday
night as Nitro opened with a 46-21 victory over Musselman.
The Wildcats led 20-0 at halftime, using an effective passing game from
sophomore Michael Scott, the team's new quarterback. In the second half, Nitro
kept pounding Culbertson at the Applemen to work on
the clock.
"I thought Michael Scott played really well in the first half," said
Nitro coach Scott Tinsley, "and that allowed us to mix it up. Once
we got the lead, it just became the Culbertson Show. We turned around and
handed it off and he took over."
Scott completed 10-of-13 passes for 109 yards. Chris Fulmer caught seven of
those completions for 107 yards for Nitro, which reached the Class AAA playoff
quarterfinals last year.
"I was absolutely happy we were able to throw it," Tinsley
said. "We knew we'd have a ground game and it helps to have that balance
by being able to throw it, too."
Culbertson, who finished third in balloting for the Kennedy Award last year,
scored on runs of 66, 10, 4, 24 and 28 yards. Nitro racked up 483 net yards,
374 of them on the ground.
The Wildcats gave up some points to the Applemen in
the second half after getting their big lead, but Tinsley was pleased
with the effort of his defense.
"I thought our defense played outstanding," he said. "We gave up
some late scores that made it look a little closer than what it was. But our
defense kept giving us good field position."
Tinsley said the 330-mile trip to the Eastern Panhandle didn't seem to
affect his team.
"Our kids came out fired up and ready to go with a lot of emotion,"
he said. "We just couldn't have been any happier with the effort. It's a
good thing we did travel, because we had good weather."
For Musselman, Shon Jackson
ran for 79 yards and scored a touchdown. Rusty Riner
also had 79 yards rushing.