NITRO'S OBJECTIVE: SHUT DOWN MORGANTOWN'S GROUND GAME

Publication: THE CHARLESTON GAZETTE
Published: 11/29/2005
Page: 1B
Headline: NITRO'S OBJECTIVE: SHUT DOWN MORGANTOWN'S GROUND GAME
Byline: RICK RYAN

Super Six
CLASS AAA
Championship
Saturday
s No. 1 Morgantown (13-0) vs. No. 3 Nitro (12-1), noon
CLASS AA
Championship
Friday
s No. 4 Weir (12-1) vs. No. 11 Bluefield (8-4), 7:30 p.m.
CLASS A
Championship
Saturday
s No. 1 Williamstown (13-0) vs. No. 15 Wheeling Central (9-4), 7 p.m.

rickryan@wvgazette.com

Nitro hopes it sees a bit more of Morgantown quarterback Charlie Russell on Saturday than it does fullback Maxwell Anderson.

And that's no knock on Russell, even though he's been a bit off the past couple games. It's just that Nitro doesn't want the Mohigans hogging the ball and killing the clock with their relentless running game.

The third-seeded Wildcats (12-1) would rather see Morgantown fly the friendly skies when the teams tangle at noon Saturday in the Class AAA championship game at Wheeling Island Stadium.

Top-seeded Morgantown (13-0), riding a 27-game winning streak, averages more than 290 yards rushing per contest, utilizing the skills of the bullish, 6-foot-2, 230-pound Anderson, the speed around the corners of Justin Blankenship and the slashes of Derek Long.

Anderson leads the Mohigans ground game with 1,066 yards and 15 touchdowns, followed by Blankenship (954 yards, 11 TDs) and Long (624 yards, six TDs).

"Maxwell Anderson is their go-to guy on both sides of the ball," said Nitro coach Scott Tinsley. "He makes the big stops on defense, and when they need the tough yards in tight games, he's the one who gets the ball to try and win it for them. That's what stars do.

"But as soon as you load up too much on him, Charlie Russell's such a good quarterback that they run play-action and someone gets behind you for a cheap touchdown when you can't afford it, and that's a big concern of ours."

Still, if Tinsley had his druthers, he'd prefer to defend Russell and the passing game instead of Anderson and the other runners.

And it has nothing to do with the fact Russell has completed just 7-of-20 passes for 132 yards with no TDs and two interceptions in his team's last two games, victories over South Charleston (55 yards) and Cabell Midland (77 yards).

"I think if I had to pick one," Tinsley said, "I'd rather have them throw, because it's not eating up the clock. If they are successful [moving the ball], at least you have a chance to get a score of your own. If they're able to run three, four yards at a time and keep the ball from us, we're in for a long day."

In Nitro's only loss this season, a 23-21 setback at Hurricane, a combination of two of the team's three turnovers and Hurricane's ball-control offense limited the Wildcats to just three second-half possessions.

Russell experienced a similar stretch at midseason, when in back-to-back games against Wheeling Park and Preston, he hit on only 9-of-24 throws for 139 yards with two TDs and one pick. The Mohigans beat Park 21-18 and Preston 47-0.

But in his other nine games, Russell went over the 100-yard mark each time.

In fact, after that two-game lull at midseason, he erupted for a season-high 227 yards against North Marion.

"In the South Charleston game, we didn't execute our passing game," said Morgantown coach John Bowers, "but against Cabell Midland we dropped a touchdown pass and dropped another 40-yard pass, so you add those two in and he'd have had over 150 yards and two more touchdowns. Kids are gonna have good days and bad days.

"Charlie will be the first to tell you he didn't play well against South Charleston, and it would have been nice to get the passing game going a little bit that day. We did just enough to get by, the way it worked out. Against Cabell Midland, we got up 28-0 and we took Charlie and a bunch of kids out in the third quarter to make sure they didn't get hurt. Once we knew we were going to the finals, it's silly to get kids hurt to ensure a margin of victory."

Tinsley holds concerns about being able to get and move the ball against the Mohigans, who sport perhaps the state's top defense.

In six games against playoff teams (three in the regular season, three in the postseason), Morgantown has allowed just 62 points, an average of 10.3.

"I think we're going to have to score a few more than 10 to win," Tinsley said.

In 13 games, the Mohigans have permitted just 20 TDs, with only one team scoring more than two, that being East Fairmont during a 63-28 rout.

"They have two real special players in Anderson [a linebacker] and [defensive end] Junius Lewis," Tinsley said. "Then they surround them with a lot of really good high school defensive players.

"When you look at their defense, there's just no player that makes you say, 'Well, we need to pick on him.' In most high school games, you can find one or two guys you need to go after, but not Morgantown. There is no one person out there like that."

Long (with seven interceptions) and Andrew Garcia (four) lead the secondary of a Mohigans defense that allows only 202.5 yards per game, 93.9 on the ground.

To contact assistant sports editor Rick Ryan, use e-mail or call 348-5175.