Belpre ends Buckeyes' streak
JOE
HIGGINS
Messenger staff writer
NELSONVILLE —
Nelsonville-York’s “drive for five” is stalled. At least for now.
Friday night at Boston
Field, the Belpre Golden Eagles flew into town and ruined not only Senior Night
for the Nelsonville-York Buckeyes but also broke a 24-game league winning
streak and possibly shattered the Orange and Brown’s dreams of a fifth straight
Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division championship.
Using a powerful and
well-designed defensive scheme, the Eagles put the Buckeyes on their heels
early and often, never allowing the home team to gather any sustained momentum.
Though Belpre trailed for most of the contest, 6-3, a fourth-quarter
interception set up a late score and the eventual 10-6 victory.
“We’re excited. We thought
if we could come in and minimize turnovers and force them into some turnovers
and ball control, we’d be in it to win at the end,” said BHS coach Curtis
Shriver.
“Our defense has real good
defensive speed as far as linebackers and safeties. Our front four or three,
depending on what we’re in, do a nice job of getting pressure and forcing the
quarterback to roll out throw some balls that maybe he doesn’t want to throw.”
Belpre’s defense held the
Buckeye offense to 146 total yards on the evening and forced five turnovers,
including four interceptions. This is the second consecutive week the Eagle’s
defense has nabbed four picks.
Coming into the contest,
both teams sat at 3-0 in division play. The four-time defending league champion
Buckeyes last lost a league game in 2002 when the team fell at Belpre. On
Friday, the Eagles created a bit of deja vu with the win while simultaneously taking
control of the TVC-Ohio.
“It’s a great feeling. The
biggest transformation was the support of the community. They’ve really come
out and we brought a good crowd tonight,” said Shriver. “Our kids are staying
in it and getting some momentum and believing in themselves a lot more. They
just come out with a lot of heart and they go whistle to whistle.”
Nelsonville-York paid
tribute to 11 senior Buckeyes in pre-game including Trevor Polley who notched
eight tackles and Craig Warren who recorded four tackles and a pass deflection
in their final home game. Shawn O’Nail also made a tackle and captain Patrick
Norway had a tackle before having to leave the game due to an injury.
With all the emotion in the
air and the feeling of another championship looming just 48 minutes away,
perhaps the Buckeyes were a little overwhelmed as their first possession of the
game lasted just minutes after Ryan Yates intercepted Michael Barrick on third
down.
The pick led to a 25-yard
field goal by Tyler Watkins, putting the Eagles on the board at the 8:58 mark
of the first quarter. Nelsonville-York was forced to punt on their next
possession as well but Zach Talbert’s kick hit off a Belpre defender and was
scooped up by the Buckeyes.
With the extra opportunity,
the Buckeyes capitalized when Barrick faked a toss to the outside and handed
off to Talbert up the middle for a 23-yard touchdown run. On the PAT,
Nelsonville-York never got the hold down or the kick in the air.
From there, special teams
and field position became key as both teams struggled for every inch of the
playing field.
Belpre looked poised to
score in the opening series of the second half but the Buckeye defense stepped
up to hold, bolstered by a nine-yard sack by Robert Norway. The Eagles were
forced to try a second field goal, only to have it blocked. Momentum seemed to
be on the swing but two plays into Nelsonville-York’s possession, a fumble
occurred and Belpre was the beneficiary.
The game continued to swing
back and forth until the halfway point of the final stanza when Mike Waderker
stepped in front of Barrick’s pass and returned the pigskin all the way to the
26-yard line. Three plays later and R. J. Walker was sprinting 25 yards toward
pay dirt. The ensuing PAT put the Eagles ahead, 10-6 as a stunned Buckeye crowd
watched in awe.
The nail in the proverbial
coffin took place three plays after the Belpre kickoff when Barrick forced a
pass into traffic and Aston Packard came away with an interception, the fourth
of the night for the Buckeye quarterback.
“Senior Night’s an
emotional night and I don’t think that, not to take anything away from Belpre’s
kids because they played their hearts out but and they’re a nice football team
and congratulations to them, but we just never were able to get in sync,” said
NYHS coach Dave Boston.
“Not only the players but I
felt our coaching staff really wasn’t in sync all night long. Give Belpre
credit for that. They played outstanding defense and kept us off balance all
night. We weren’t able to put anything together offensively, any good lengthy
drives. Whenever you’re not able to do that and you turn the ball over five
times, it’s tough to beat any football team.”
Belpre is now 4-0 in the
league and riding a seven game win streak. A win at home against Meigs next
week will clinch sole possession of the league title for the Eagles.
Shriver said, “Cornelius
English is obviously a great running back and their quarterback is a great
thrower as well. We gotta keep them in check. They got a big line up front too.
We just have to neutralize them, match up pound-for-pound and try to contain
them.”
Meanwhile, the Buckeyes sit
at 3-1 in the conference and need a win at Alexander next week coupled with a
Belpre loss to the Marauders to grab a share of the league championship and
complete the drive for a fifth straight crown.
“These kids know how to win
and they’re not quitters. They’re going to find a way to climb back inside
themselves this week and get after it in practice and get ready for Alexander.
We still have a shot to get a share of this thing. (Belpre’s) got a tough Meigs
team coming in so we have to take care of ourself and we’ll see what happens.”
“We’re disappointed about
the loss tonight and our kids are real disappointed but we gotta regroup and
gather ourselves and be ready to play football.”