Putting it on the line- Nitro linemen: small, unorthodox, effective
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
By Rick Ryan - The Charleston Gazette

When the season unfolded at Nitro, coach Scott Tinsley knew he had someone to run the ball, someone to catch it and someone to throw it.

What he didn’t know was if he also had someone to block and tackle, to take care of the dirty work and keep those skill players moving.

Well, three months and a bushel of state records later, Tinsley’s got his answer — a resounding “yes.”

The Wildcats may not have pulled it off in the most conventional manner, but their offensive and defensive lines have paved the way for the team’s second Class AAA championship game appearance. Third-seeded Nitro (12-1) tackles No. 1 Morgantown (13-0) at noon Saturday in the state finals at Wheeling Island Stadium.

What makes Nitro’s lines so different are two things — the smallish size of most of the players and their unusual 3-5-3 defensive alignment, which includes no players in the traditional three-point stance up front.

“I think people underestimate them because of their size,’’ said Woodrow Wilson coach John H. Lilly, whose team was ranked No. 1 in the state before losing at Nitro on Oct. 28. “Other than [ Chad] Snodgrass, they’re little, and people underestimate that. But that’s their secret weapon.

“They’re tough, they’re physical and they’re real quick. They get on you real quick and lock on to you real quick. They do a very good job with what they have. That’s what good coaches do.’’

Other than the 6-foot-5, 305-pound Snodgrass, Nitro has few linemen with true lineman proportions (see accompanying box). Some would have trouble qualifying for the heavyweight division in wrestling.

The discrepancy is especially noticeable on the defensive line, where juniors Shane Skeens (5-9, 170) and Josh Page (5-7, 150) flank Snodgrass, the nose guard.

“It’s amazing that Page plays there at 150 pounds,’’ said Morgantown coach John Bowers. “I’d be surprised in the Mountain State Athletic Conference if he ever goes against an offensive tackle who goes less than 250. He’s outmanned by 100 pounds when he lines up, but all he does is make plays in the backfield.

“Their kids play hard, they believe in the system and [defensive coordinator Mike Scott] does a nice job on that side of the ball. It’s so well conceived. We had some trouble practicing against it when we played them last year. If it were a 4-3 [alignment], kids have blocked against that before, so you throw in the fact it’s the first time people ever see it when they play against them and it compounds things.’’

University had a tough time against Nitro’s defensive front in last week’s 50-23 semifinal loss at Laidley Field. The Hawks were held to 201 net yards and seven times their ball-carriers were trapped for losses totaling 35 yards.

“The problem with these guys,’’ said University coach John Kelley, “is that they force you to do things you don’t want to do. Because you think about guys coming off the edge that don’t normally come off the edge. They’ll create problems for anybody, and they already have.’’

The quickness of Page and Skeens shows up in the stats, as they rank 1-2 on the team in quarterback sacks and tackles for loss. Nitro’s defense has allowed just five touchdowns in its three playoff wins and opponents overall are gaining just 218.6 yards per game.

“It’s really worked for us,’’ Tinsley said. “It’s kind of different to use two 150-pound tackles, but the key is the energy those three guys play with, even Snodgrass at 300 pounds. They play so hard and they play so unselfish up front that they’ll make some tackles, but their main thing is to occupy people. If they can occupy two people, that leaves the linebackers open to make a whole lot of tackles.’’

Linebackers Jon Culbertson (86 tackles), Ross Martin (67) and Gideon Casto (64) lead the Wildcats in solo tackles.

On offense, the numbers measuring the line’s success are even more staggering.

Senior tailback Josh Culbertson has broken state records for rushing yards in both a season (3,366) and career (7,621), eclipsing the marks once held by Quincy Wilson, the former West Virginia University standout who’s now on the practice squad of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Culbertson has scored 45 touchdowns, 44 of them on the ground. He averages 10.6 yards a carry.

Senior wideout Chris Fulmer not only owns the West Virginia mark with 326 career receptions, but also the national record. This season, he’s caught 82 passes for 1,499 yards and 17 TDs.

Sophomore quarterback Michael Scott has also benefited from the line’s protection, completing 68 percent of his passes for 2,154 yards and 24 touchdowns with just seven interceptions.

“The main thing we try to do [with the offensive line] is get a hat on a hat,’’ Tinsley said. “If we can occupy their defensive players for a count or two, we feel like Josh can squirt by.

“The thing that goes unnoticed when everybody talks about Michael Scott getting better is that he’s always comfortable in the pocket with the protection the guys are giving him. We usually just protect with six.’’

One of the most unusual aspects of Nitro’s unorthodox line is that Tinsley’s coaching staff looked elsewhere to plug in components.

“I’m the only true lineman we have on the line,’’ Snodgrass said. “Everybody else came from receiver or fullback or tight end even. We’ve come a long way as an offensive line. We just came together and developed very well. We came together very quick.’’

Snodgrass credits assistant coach Scott Fisher with much of the group’s improvement.

“It’s just our technique,’’ Snodgrass said. “Our line probably has some of the best technique in the state.’’

It’s that technique and togetherness that has fashioned one of the state’s most uncommon success stories.

Nitro’s linemen have been called runts, midgets, leftovers and afterthoughts, but those observers are missing one important thing, Josh Culbertson said.

“That’s just an ignorant statement,’’ Culbertson said, “but they don’t listen to anything like that. Obviously, they’re a little undersized, but they’ve got enough heart to make up for that.’’

Woodrow Wilson, regarded to have one of the state’s top offensive and defensive lines, was able to slow Culbertson for a short time. He managed only 32 yards in the first half against the Flying Eagles, who were tied with Nitro at 14 at the break. But in the second half, he broke off a 48-yard TD run to shift the momentum.

“It really suits them well to have small linemen,’’ Lilly said. “[Culbertson’s] so quick and they get off the ball so quick. You take one look and you blink your eyes one time and they’re in the secondary.’’

Woodrow did manage to hold Culbertson to a season-low 156 yards, but still lost 32-21.

“What we tried to do defending against them run-wise — and I think we did as well as anybody — is to give them false looks,’’ Lilly said. “Then it turns into a guessing game. They catch you in a bad look and you try to catch them.

“Of course, they do execute quite well. They wait to see where you line up before they make the call. That’s a combination of good coaching and people in the right spots and having good, hard-nosed kids.’’

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