TVC-Ohio on the line tonight
Buckeyes, Eagles look to clinch share of TVC-Ohio crown

JOE HIGGINS
Messenger staff writer

Boston Field is the site of week nine's highlight high school football game as the Nelsonville-York Buckeyes host the Belpre Golden Eagles in an all-important Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division match-up.

The winner is guaranteed at least a share of the league championship while the loser will no longer be in control of its destiny. Both teams come into the contest at 3-0 in league play as the Bucks were winners over Wellston, Vinton County and Meigs and the Eagles have conquered Vinton County, Wellston and Alexander. Should either team win out, that squad would hold sole possession of the coveted crown. After tonight's game, the Buckeyes still need to travel to Alexander while the Eagles can play host to Meigs in week 10.

Belpre comes into the contest sporting a six-game winning streak. After falling in its first two games, the team has rolled to its current 6-2 mark. Last week against the Vikings, the Eagles won a defensive contest on the strength of a seven-yard touchdown run by quarterback R. J. Walker. Belpre was able to hold Vinton County to just 76 yards in the game and forced four interceptions.

NYHS coach Dave Boston is well aware of the roll his opponent is on. "Right now, they're meshing and playing well together. They're playing good, solid defense. They're effective both in the air and on the ground offensively. They're a good football team so it's gonna be a great match-up."

Nelsonville-York meanwhile, has been the dominate team in the TVC-Ohio over the last four years with championships in each to prove it.

"Bottom line is, we haven't lost in four years, almost five years now and these kids have that etched in their mind and they're working real hard right now to make sure that that doesn't happen," said Boston. "But we also understand what we're up against. We're up against a team that's 3-0 also in the league. Past couple of years, we haven't played Belpre real well. We're going to have to play great football to beat them."

Boston added, "There's a lot of pressure once we start league play week in and week out for our young people. They realize where we're at and where we've been and the target that's on our back right now. Each team comes in and gives us their best on Friday nights. We understand that and we accept that challenge. Hopefully Friday night we can play mistake-free ball and eliminate the penalties, eliminate the turnovers and get the job done."

Last week's 43-3 victory over the Rockets showcased Nelsonville-York's offense as five different running backs scored touchdowns, led by Zach Talbert's 165-yard, two-touchdown effort and Derek Arnold's 117 yards and score.

"Coming into the season this year, we had a couple of kids that were expected to be big guns and we were a young football team trying to become a team and through a couple of tough losses and experiences, our kids finally started to realize we were going to have to join together and play as a team and start being a little more versatile and utilize the talents we have. I think that's been an important part of our success in league play."

Belpre will try to play spoiler more than once tonight. The Buckeyes are celebrating Senior Night at Boston Field and none of these upperclassmen want to be the first class to lose a league contest. Boston spoke of the importance of tonight's game.

"This will be a game of emotions. For 11 seniors, it's gonna be their last night on Boston Field, to wear the brown, orange and white and to go to battle. Parents are going to join them on the sidelines, so there's gonna be a lot of emotions before the game and kickoff and we have to be able to leave those emotions on the sideline and get mentally focused in order to play football."

Conversely, the Eagles have their sites squarely on being the first TVC-Ohio team to knock the Buckeyes of their perch. With a chance at history and possible playoff berth on the line, coach Curt Shriver and the Eagles have more than enough incentive to win.

"Belpre is very similar to us, size-wise and experience-wise. They're a young football team and experienced a lot of success this year," said Boston. "Right now they're believing in themselves. Anytime you get that kind of mixture, it's gonna be a hard fought game. No team's gonna quit. We're looking forward to the contest. Our kids are excited about it, the community's excited about it. Let's just go out and get it on."

With so many similarities and so much on the line in tonight's game, the little things that often go unnoticed can play a big part in the outcome. Belpre's special teams play has been solid all season while the Buckeyes have made steady improvements over the course of the year, culminating with a solid effort against Wellston when Talbert nailed three PATs in a row.

"I think special teams is going to be a big part of this game," said Boston. "We have to handle punts, they kick the ball well. We have to take advantage of the kickoffs and we have to be able to kick extra points. If we get ourselves in the situation where we're in field goal position then we need to take that opportunity and capitalize on it. Special teams is going to be a big part of it. We can't afford to have bad snaps, we can't afford to have short punts, we can't afford to not handle punt returns. Special teams is such a big part of field position and this is a game of inches. We've lost a couple games by inches. We understand how important special teams are."

The battle for the TVC-Ohio begins tonight at 7:30 p.m.

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