Nelsonville-York’s season was nearly a disaster. The Buckeyes started the season 0-2 with losses against Trimble and Wellston. They also lost Brandon Phillips, a senior and one of their most productive offensive players, for the season.
In week four, the Buckeyes were losing by 14 to Vinton County at the half. They could’ve given up, but instead, they scored 17 unanswered points in a double-overtime thriller. This was a turning point that led to a five-game win streak heading into the regional quarterfinal at Fairland.
Nelsonville-York had another opportunity to give up against the Dragons but instead rallied for a 13-point comeback in the fourth quarter. The Buckeyes took the lead with under 30 seconds, but their magical season was cut short by a highly controversial pass interference call as time expired.
The loss forced Nelsonville-York to ask two questions: what just happened, and what’s next?
While the answer to one of those questions might not be well received, the Buckeyes do have a bright future in 2021.
Perhaps the most encouraging sign for next season is that quarterback Drew Carter will return for his senior season. Carter was the centerpiece of the Nelsonville-York offense, and he only got better as the year continued.
The junior got off to a rocky start in just his second season ever starting at quarterback, but as the weeks progressed, he settled into the role. Carter had one of his best games of the season in the regular-season finale against Athens with 230 yards and two touchdowns. He carried the offense in the final quarter of the Fairland game on the ground, with 61 yards and a touchdown on one drive.
Carter will lose some weapons around him, like running back Colton Snyder and receiver Ethan Gail, but some of the younger players on the roster who contributed at times will be ready to step up next rear.
Freshman Makhi Williams was one of the fastest players on the field this season, and he made his mark with a few big plays, like a game-tying touchdown on a hook-and-ladder play against Vinton County. Sophomore Hudson Stalder also received a good amount of carries and looked good as a downhill runner.
Defensively, the biggest loss will be Snyder, who was a four-year starter at middle linebacker and the leader of the team. The defensive line will lose Christian Wiseman, who mostly played in the interior line.
On the outside of the defense, the Buckeyes are in pretty good shape. After a couple of injuries, sophomores Dakota Inman and Leighton Loge took over and played very well for being undersized. Critter McDonald will be hard to replace as the top corner for Nelsonville-York on the other side.
All of this isn’t new, of course, for head coach Rusty Richards, who has to replace a senior class every season. After the game on Saturday, the most important thing to replace for the Buckeyes will be the attitude of this year’s seniors.
“I asked the underclassmen, ‘every time we had a chance to quit this year, did the seniors let you quit?’” Richards said. “They said no. I said, ‘that’s your job in the future.’ Buckeye football, we don’t quit.”
