By Tom Halliburton - The News Sports Writer

  NEDERLAND -- Clint Whitaker really gave some thought to getting the 2004 Nederland football regular season off to a bang.

  Texas City got a little more bang out of it than it wanted.

  Whitaker became the first Bulldog to touch the ball in 2004 and he happily kept it for so long that he thought about taking it home and sleeping with it.

  Maybe that's an exaggeration but the junior all-purpose Nederlander did a great job of putting Texas City on the pillows. Just call Clint the "sand man."

 

  Whitaker tossed his sand in Texas City's faces at 7:31 p.m., when he received the opening kickoff and dashed 59 yards with it to the Stings' 35-yard line. By 7:34, the happy scoreboard would read Bulldogs 7, Visitors 0.

  As for the 16-year-old son of Claude and Karry Whitaker, Clinton Wayne Whitaker said he just "wanted to start the game off right."

  Whitaker was the middle deep receiver on the kick return team with Micah Mosley on his right and John Jaeger on his left.

  "I was pretty nervous," Whitaker honestly recalled the special moments before Texas City's Michael Perren applied his toe onto the ball. "I was just trying to concentrate on catching the ball and then running with it."

  Then Nederland's kick return team formed the appropriate wedge, Whitaker executed the appropriate cut upfield and the next thing he realized, Clint was off to the races.

  "I headed straight up the middle and found a hole," Whitaker said. "I followed my blockers, cut to the right and ran as fast as I could down the right (Texas City's) sideline.

  "I think starting the game like that helped to set the tempo.... It was a way to tell the other team how we were coming out to play."

  Whitaker probably would have no trouble scoring a touchdown with greater foot-speed. There were a few clicks on the video when it might seem as if Clint were going to find clear sailing. Even Whitaker remembered those precious seconds of green grass.

  "Once I broke past the kicker, I thought I might score," he said.

  Whitaker estimated his 40-yard football time to be around 4.7, though, and that permitted Texas City's fleet-footed pursuers enough time to catch him.

  That's OK, though. Nederland's side of the field roared its approval anyway. Clint even got to stay in the game. As for excitement, Whitaker has probably never experienced a greater thrill in his football career. But Clint already had a first before now.

  His first-ever play on varsity came last year against West Brook, when he ran some 50 yards with an interception of a Bruins' pass from his right safety position.

  "Clint is a multi-talented individual," NHS head coach Larry Neumann said. "He may be our best man-to-man cover guy or one of the best on our team."

  OK, but, if Whitaker is such an effective man-cover defender, why is he starting at safety, not at corner?

  "That's because the corners cover a lot of the short passing game and the safety men have a lot of man responsibility after more than 15 yards."

  Since he's so multi-talented, Whitaker certainly has to score whenever his team requires points. District 20-4A's early scoring leader with 13 points, Whitaker managed six on a delayed draw for an important third-quarter touchdown and a 21-0 lead.

  "I think we were in a power-I (alignment) and I was at tailback," Whitaker said. "I cut to get around one of their linemen. But the kickoff return was a greater thrill than scoring that touchdown."

  When the night ended, mom and dad both told their son how much they enjoyed watching the new house hero. Claude Whitaker always has been a special hero to his son. One reason is because Claude had a lot to do with cultivating that football interest in Clint.

  "He always wanted to go to the games," Clint said of his dad. "That's what got me liking football and wanting to play."

   

  BULLDOG BITES

 

    Jim Barton announced on Tuesday that the Nederland at West Orange-Stark game has been added to the Port Arthur News Friday Night Experience schedule, weather permitting. The weather is a factor because there is no room in the press box at West Orange for the FNE crew to set up. They will work from the stands on the Nederland side, weather permitting. The game will be shown on Friday night 11 p.m. at Sanderson's restaurant and then on Cable 7 Saturday and Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. The West Brook-Central telecast will be aired in Mid- and South County on Sunday and Monday nights on Cable 7 at 7 p.m. The NHS/WO-S game also is available on KLVI-AM (560) and over the internet on FridayNightExperience.com.... The Dogs will have a student body pep rally on Friday in the Dogdome at 2:30 p.m.... Eight players on each side of the ball graded 80 or above against Texas City. The grade book was led by QB Dustin Hood (91), WR Ryan Butler (87), WR Tyler Thompson (86), and LBs Darin Smith and Stephen Phillips (85 each). Head coach Larry Neumann could not recall a larger batch to deliver such high grades.... Offensive tackle Chris Robin sustained a mild concussion in the Texas City game but it was not discovered until Monday's practice. Robin's status was questionable for Friday's game at WO-S. A virus has limited the availability of linemen Trey Thibodeaux and Landon Louviere during segments of this week's workouts.... Darin Smith led the tackle chart vs. Texas City with seven solos and five assists.