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9/29/2007
10:12:00 AM |
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Buckeyes start
TVC-Ohio play with win Nelsonville-York (3-3)
needed the win to stop a three game slide. Two of which — Trimble and
Crooksville — were lost in the last minute of the contests. Vinton County
(1-5) would have liked to stop its four-game skid but instead is now on a
five game losing streak. The Bucks and Vikes
played a game of field position for the first half of the opening quarter
until Ryan Stewart made a key interception on Nelsonville-York’s quarterback
Michael Barrick. Vinton County took over
at their own 31-yard line but traversed a large portion of the field needed
on a 41-yard strike from Stewart to senior tight end Dustin Guthrie. The play
put the Vikings 20 yards away from pay dirt and four plays later it was Nick
Hurne’s 2-yard run that polished off the 69-yard drive. Hurne added the PAT
with 1:40 left in the quarter with his team ahead, 7-0. In the second quarter,
Nelsonville-York had a sustained drive ended when Adam Jarvis dove on a loose
ball to give Vinton County possession. However, on fourth-and-three from the
36, Thomas Williams and Patrick Norway teamed up to sack Stewart, turning the
ball over on downs and putting the Buckeyes only 29 yards away from the end
zone. This time, the Buckeyes
would capitalize as Barrick hit Mark Campbell on a slant pass from 19-yards
out, getting the home team on the scoreboard. Zach Talbert’s kick tied the
game with just two minutes remaining in the half. The Vikings attempted to
execute their two-minute drill and succeeded in cutting the clock down to 45
seconds before punting the ball back to the Buckeyes. Needing 58 yards to
score before the intermission, it didn’t seem as though the Buckeyes — built
around the running game — would have enough time to do any damage. Until Barrick and his
receivers came alive. Barrick connected on
passes of 11 and 12 yards on quick strikes to Josh Dickerson, who had the
presence of mind to get out of bounds and stop the clock. As time continued
to pressure Nelsonville-York, sophomore Conner Bunting picked the perfect
time to catch his first varsity touchdown of his career — a 19-yard pass from
Barrick. Nelsonville-York missed the opportunity for the extra points,
leaving the score 13-7 at the break. The Buckeyes added to
their advantage on a drive highlighted by Talbert’s 13-yard rumble and a
13-yard reception in he caught in the flats. A pass interference call set up
first-and-goal at the six and Talbert was rewarded for his earlier work with
a two-yard plunge for a 19-7 Buckeye lead. The teams continued to
vie for position until Vinton County was faced with a fourth-and-seven from
their own 10-yard line. Nelsonville-York’s Williams broke through the punt
formation to block the kick out of the end zone and convert the safety. Now ahead, 21-7, Vinton
County did all they could to get back in the contest, finally scoring with
2:06 left in the game when Stewart connected with Guthrie from 20 yards out
on a slant. Bret Arbaugh recovered the ensuing onside kick, signifying the
end of the game as the Buckeyes proceeded to run out the clock. Vinton County’s offense
was led by Stewart’s 154 passing yards. He threw for one touchdown and one
interception and made good on 10 of his 17 attempts. Hurne rushed for 42
yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts and Guthrie had three receptions for 94
yards and a score. Nelsonville-York’s
players celebrated Homecoming after the game and did their best during the
contest to impress the 2007 Homecoming Queen Brittany Six. Talbert collected
81 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts and had eight tackles. “Zach (Talbert) had a big
night. I think Zach felt that he had to have a big night. We put a lot of
added pressure on him both offensively and defensively because he’s one of
our big leaders and he stepped up in a big game. That’s what you ask for from
your leaders and that’s what we expect from our leaders,” said NYHS coach
Dave Boston. Barrick had his best game
as a quarterback, connecting on 11 of his 20 throws for 115 yards with two
scores and a pick. Bunting had three catches for 44 yards and a touchdown,
Campbell had two receptions for 30 yards and a score and both Dickerson and
Talbert had three catches. Boston said, “I thought
Michael (Barrick) played a much better game tonight. He kept his composure
and his confidence going and kept it alive. He came up big for us when we
needed him to.” Defensively, the Buckeyes
locked down when the needed it the most, a welcome relief to coach Boston.
“These kids are feisty. They’re tough kids. They’re not real big but they get
after you.” One of the brightest
stars on defense came from an unlikely source. Junior Thomas Williams was all
over the field, had the blocked punt for the safety, had a sack, recovered an
onside kick and had six tackles. “We knew what kind of
athlete he was from the beginning. He missed a lot of things this summer,”
said Boston. “We expected a lot more out of his work ethic in the summer but
given the opportunity which he was given tonight, he showed his true self and
we’re proud of him. He’s gotta do that every week, one night’s not enough. The Vikings host
Alexander next week while Nelsonville-York has another crucial league
match-up next week when the Buckeyes host the Meigs Marauders. Boston spoke of the
upcoming opponent,”Cornelius English is a great back. Our work is certainly
cut out for us but we’re excited about that challenge and about them coming
here. We think its gonna be a great game as always and coach Chancey does a
great job with that program and with that tradition, we’re looking forward to
it.” |
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